Posted by Moises Taveras from Kotaku
Hades 2 is now available in Early Access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store and let me tell you folks, it’s great to be back in Hell. The highly anticipated title is just as fun as the first game—maybe even more so—and it has an intriguing story that I can’t wait to unravel during its Early Access period. It’s…

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Crow Country: The Kotaku Review 2024-05-08 06:20:02
Posted by Willa Rowe from Kotaku
Playing retro-inspired games is like returning to a beloved theme park as an adult. Instinctively knowing where to go first, remembering what it was like to be there as a child —it plays to a very specific kind of nostalgia. Retro-inspired games often include familiar mechanics, recognizable art styles, and tropes of…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the closer-look department: An anonymous reader shares a report: According to data analyzed by Morgan Stanley and Pitchbook, the number of active venture capital firms worldwide surged from 2014 levels, more than doubling by 2021, before sharply contracting to below 2014 figures in a stunning reversal.
Posted by Joe Moore from The Toyark


Mondo is launching their first vehicle for the Masters of the Universe 1/6 Scale Figure line. Pre-orders open today for their timed exclusive edition of the Sky Sled 1/6 Scale Vehicle. Initial photos and details have been released. The Sky ...

The post Masters of the Universe – Sky Sled Vehicle from Mondo appeared first on The Toyark - News.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the connecting-the-dots department: Computer models have found that recent heat waves in the north Pacific may be due to a large reduction in aerosols emitted by factories in China. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Phys.Org reports: In this new effort, the research team noted that the onset of the heat waves appeared to follow successful efforts by the Chinese government to reduce aerosol emissions from their country's factories. Beginning around 2010, factories and power generating plants in China began dramatically reducing emissions of aerosols such as sulfate, resulting in much cleaner air. Noting that aerosols can act like mirrors floating in the air, reflecting heat from the sun back into space, and also pointing out that earlier research efforts had suggested that massive reductions of aerosols in one place could lead to warming in other places -- they wondered if reductions of aerosols in China might be playing a role in the heat waves that began happening in the north Pacific.

To find out if that might be the case, the team began collecting data and then input it into 12 different computer climate models. They ran them under two conditions -- one where emissions from East Asia remained as they were over the past several decades and one where they dropped in the way they had in reality. They found that the models with no declines did not cause much change elsewhere, whereas those with aerosol drops showed heat waves occurring in the northeast parts of the Pacific Ocean.

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Posted by from MMO Champion
Embodiment of Shadowflame Still Obtainable in Dragonflight Season 4

Renewed Proto-Drake: Embodiment of Shadowflame is still obtainable in Dragonflight Season 4, despite being noted as a time-limited reward in Dragonflight Season 3.

Defeat Heroic Fyrakk in Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope and loot Everglowing Ember to start the quest A Glowing Memento. Speak with Vyranoth in Amirdrassil or Emerald Dream to complete the quest, and you will receive Renewed Proto-Drake: Embodiment of Shadowflame!

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the renewables-future-has-arrived department: Renewable energy accounted for more than 30% of the world's electricity for the first time last year, according to climate thinktank Ember. The Guardian reports: Clean electricity has already helped to slow the growth in fossil fuels by almost two-thirds in the past 10 years, according to the report by climate thinktank Ember. It found that renewables have grown from 19% of electricity in 2000 to more than 30% of global electricity last year. Solar was the main supplier of electricity growth, according to Ember, adding more than twice as much new electricity generation as coal in 2023. It was the fastest-growing source of electricity for the 19th consecutive year, and also became the largest source of new electricity for the second year running, after surpassing wind power.

The first comprehensive review of global electricity data covers 80 countries, which represent 92% of the world's electricity demand, as well as historic data for 215 countries. The surge in clean electricity is expected to power a 2% decrease in global fossil fuel generation in the year ahead, according to Ember. [...] World leaders are aiming to grow renewables to 60% of global electricity by 2030 under an agreement struck at the UN's Cop28 climate change conference in December. This would require countries to triple their current renewable electricity capacity in the next six years, which would almost halve power sector emissions.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the successful-recoveries department: Lawyers for the defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX said customers would receive all the money they lost when the firm collapsed in 2022 and receive interest on top of it. "But the recoveries come with a caveat," reports the New York Times. "The amount owed to customers was calculated based on the value of their holdings at the time of FTX's bankruptcy in November 2022. That means customers won't reap the benefits of a recent surge in the crypto market that sent the price of Bitcoin to a record high." From the report: The announcement was a landmark in the attempt to recover the $8 billion in customer assets that disappeared when FTX imploded virtually overnight, setting off a crisis in the crypto industry. Under a plan filed in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, virtually all FTX's creditors, including hundreds of thousands of ordinary investors who used the exchange to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, would receive cash payments equivalent to 118 percent of the assets they had stored on FTX, the lawyers said. Those payments would flow from a pool of assets that FTX's lawyers have pulled together in the 17 months since the exchange collapsed, the lawyers said. [...] It will take months for the payouts to begin. The plan must be approved by the federal judge overseeing FTX's bankruptcy, John T. Dorsey.
WoW Hotfixes - May 7, 2024 2024-05-07 23:20:02
Posted by from MMO Champion
WoW Hotfixes - May 7, 2024

Originally Posted by Blizzard
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Classes

Demon Hunter

Vengeance

Sigil of Silence duration reduced to 4 seconds (was 5 seconds).

Sigil of Silence cooldown increased to 90 seconds (was 60 seconds).

Cycle of Binding now reduces Sigil cooldowns by 2 seconds per trigger (was 3 seconds).

Soul Cleave damage reduced by 8%.

Druid

Balance

Season 4 (2) Set Bonus now increases the damage of your next Wrath or Starfire by 50% (was 30%).

Season 4 (2) Set Bonus new reduces the Astral Power cost of your next Starsurge or Starfall by 30 (was 15) and increases the damage it does by 60% (was 40%).

Monk

Brewmaster

Keg Smash damage reduced by 10%.

Spinning Crane Kick damage reduced by 10%.

Summon White Tiger Statue damage reduced by 30%.

The effectiveness of Stagger against magical attacks increased to 55% (was 45%).

Healing Sphere healing increased by 10%.

Rogue

Assassination

Ability and auto-attack damage increased by 6%. Does not affect PvP combat.

Fixed an issue that caused the Assassination Rogue Season 3/Season 4 bonus to do slightly less damage than intended.

Warlock

Affliction

Doom Blossom damage increased by 10%.

Vile Taint damage increased by 25%.

Soul Flame damage increased by 20%.

Soul Rot damage increased by 5%.

Destruction

Chaos Bolt damage increased by 3%.

Conflagrate damage increased by 5%.

Incinerate damage increased by 5%.

Warrior

Fury

All ability damage increased by 3%.

Season 4 Set Bonus (2): Rampage damage and critical strike chance increased by 15% (was 12%).

Season 4 Set Bonus (4): Bloodthirst bonus damage increased to 35% per stack (was 30%).

Protection

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Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


To our surprise, Takara Tomy revealed the first sketches of a new TF-40A Lio Convoy figure at the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 event. Thanks to friend site and sponsor Robotkingdom, we have our first look at an upcoming and detailed Lio Convoy / Leo Prime toy. This figure is not part of the recently revealed T-Spark Project, and it seems to be a new line for the 40th anniversary of the franchise. While we only have a look at black and red sketches of robot and alt mode, it seems this figure is an extensive retool of the Legacy Leo Prime mold. Stay » Continue Reading.

The post Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 – Takara Tomy TF-40A Lio Convoy First Sketches appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


The recently revealed new hi-end Adamas Machine AMT-01 Rodimus is also on exhibit at the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 event in Japan. We have our first look at this new hi-end transformable figure which is a collaboration with Flame Toys. Rodimus design is based in the Flame Toys Kuro Kara Kuri Rodimus action figure, but now is being released by Takara Tomy as a fully transformable toy. A color prototype in robot mode and a gray prototype in alt mode are on display. We also have our first look at some of the included accessories: 2 different guns, and a buzzaw. Thanks » Continue Reading.

The post Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 – Project T-Spark Adamas Machina AMT-01 Rodimus Prototype appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the cutting-edge-tech department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Washington Post: A key supplier to the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies is building a $20 million supercomputer with buzzy chipmaker Nvidia to speed deployment of artificial intelligence capabilities across the U.S. federal government, the MITRE think tank said Tuesday. MITRE, a federally funded, not-for-profit research organization that has supplied U.S. soldiers and spies with exotic technical products since the 1950s, says the project could improve everything from Medicare to taxes. "There's huge opportunities for AI to make government more efficient," said Charles Clancy, senior vice president of MITRE. "Government is inefficient, it's bureaucratic, it takes forever to get stuff done. ... That's the grand vision, is how do we do everything from making Medicare sustainable to filing your taxes easier?" [...] The MITRE supercomputer will be based in Ashburn, Va., and should be up and running late this year. [...]

Clancy said the planned supercomputer will run 256 Nvidia graphics processing units, or GPUs, at a cost of $20 million. This counts as a small supercomputer: The world's fastest supercomputer, Frontier in Tennessee, boasts 37,888 GPUs, and Meta is seeking to build one with 350,000 GPUs. But MITRE's computer will still eclipse Stanford's Natural Language Processing Group's 68 GPUs, and will be large enough to train large language models to perform AI tasks tailored for government agencies. Clancy said all federal agencies funding MITRE will be able to use this AI "sandbox." "AI is the tool that is solving a wide range of problems," Clancy said. "The U.S. military needs to figure out how to do command and control. We need to understand how cryptocurrency markets impact the traditional banking sector. ... Those are the sorts of problems we want to solve."
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Once again, direct from the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 event in Japan, we can share for you our first images of some color samples of the recently revealed Missing Link C-03 Bumblebee & C-04 Cliffjumper. Thanks to friend site and sponsor Robotkingdom and Twitter/X user @sneryblue we have a clear look at these new articulated G1 molds. We can see 2 samples of each character, one in robot mode, showing off their weapons, and another one in alt mode. See the images after the break together with a new promotional video of these new Missing Link toys, and then join to the ongoing » Continue Reading.

The post Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 – Missing Link C-03 Bumblebee & C-04 Cliffjumper Samples appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


New are just coming in from the Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 event in Japan. Takara Tomy have got Masterpiece MP-60 Ginrai & MPG-09 Super Ginrai on exhibit. Images come thanks to friend site and sponsor Robotkingdom and Twitter/X user @sneryblue. We can see the color prototype of MPG-09 Super Ginrai with all his accessories and MP-60 Ginrai robot color prototype and alt mode. gray prototype. See the images after the jump and share your impressions on the 2005 Boards!

The post Shizuoka Hobby Show 2024 – Masterpiece MP-60 Ginrai & MPG-09 Super Ginrai Prototypes appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the connecting-the-dots department: Pam Belluck reports via the New York Times: Scientists are proposing a new way of understanding the genetics of Alzheimer's that would mean that up to a fifth of patients would be considered to have a genetically caused form of the disease. Currently, the vast majority of Alzheimer's cases do not have a clearly identified cause. The new designation, proposed in a study published Monday, could broaden the scope of efforts to develop treatments, including gene therapy, and affect the design of clinical trials. It could also mean that hundreds of thousands of people in the United States alone could, if they chose, receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer's before developing any symptoms of cognitive decline, although there currently are no treatments for people at that stage. The new classification would make this type of Alzheimer's one of the most common genetic disorders in the world, medical experts said.

"This reconceptualization that we're proposing affects not a small minority of people," said Dr. Juan Fortea, an author of the study and the director of the Sant Pau Memory Unit in Barcelona, Spain. "Sometimes we say that we don't know the cause of Alzheimer's disease," but, he said, this would mean that about 15 to 20 percent of cases "can be tracked back to a cause, and the cause is in the genes." The idea involves a gene variant called APOE4. Scientists have long known that inheriting one copy of the variant increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's, and that people with two copies, inherited from each parent, have vastly increased risk.

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the what-to-expect department: At the 27th annual Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said today's ChatGPT chatbot "will be laughably bad" compared to what it'll be capable of a year from now. "We think we're going to move toward a world where they're much more capable," he added. Business Insider reports: Lightcap says large language models, which people use to help do their jobs and meet their personal goals, will soon be able to take on "more complex work." He adds that AI will have more of a "system relationship" with users, meaning the technology will serve as a "great teammate" that can assist users on "any given problem." "That's going to be a different way of using software," the OpenAI exec said on the panel regarding AI's foreseeable capabilities.

In light of his predictions, Lightcap acknowledges that it can be tough for people to "really understand" and "internalize" what a world with robot assistants would look like. But in the next decade, the COO believes talking to an AI like you would with a friend, teammate, or project collaborator will be the new norm. "I think that's a profound shift that we haven't quite grasped," he said, referring to his 10-year forecast. "We're just scratching the surface on the full kind of set of capabilities that these systems have," he said at the Milken Institute conference. "That's going to surprise us." You can watch/listen to the talk here.
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Takara Tomy website have been updated with images and brief information about their new T-Spark project with several new special releases for the main Takara Tomy brands. We have our first image of a new AMT-01 Adamas Machina Rodimus / Rodimus Prime. There’s not much information but a promotional image and video, plus a short description (via Google translate): “A new interpretation of the coolness of Takara Tomy robot and mechanical content is expressed as an alloy model. A product that pursues and reproduces its charm down to the texture. Build a new robot/mecha image through design arrangements » Continue Reading.

The post Takara Tomy T-Spark AMT-01 Adamas Machina Rodimus & Predaking appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the there's-no-free-ride department: "With all the improvements in car safety over the decades, the recent addition of a plethora of high tech sensors and warnings comes with increased costs," writes longtime Slashdot reader smooth wombat. "And not just to have to have them on your car. Any time you get into an accident, even a minor one, it will most likely require a detailed examination of any sensors which may have been affected and their subsequent realignment, replacement, and calibration." CNN reports: Some vehicles require "dynamic calibration," which means, once the sensors and cameras are back in place, a driver needs to take the vehicle out on real roads for testing. With proper equipment attached the car can, essentially, recalibrate itself as it watches lane lines and other markers. It requires the car to be driven for a set distance at a certain speed but weather and traffic can create problems. "If you're in Chicago or L.A., good luck getting to that speed," said [Hami Ebrahimi, chief commercial officer at Caliber] "or if you're in Seattle or Chicago or New York, with snow, good luck picking up all the road markings."

More commonly, vehicles need "static calibration," which can be done using machinery inside a closed workshop with a flat, level floor. Special targets are set up around the vehicle at set distances according to instructions from the vehicle manufacturer. "The car [views] those targets at those specific distances to recalibrate the world into the car's computer," Ebrahimi said. These kinds of repairs also demand buildings with open space that meet requirements including specific colors and lighting. And it requires special training for employees to perform these sorts of recalibrations, he said

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the no-fly-zone department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Amazon plans to start flying delivery drones in Arizona this year -- but don't count on them to bring you a refreshing drink on a hot day. The hexacopter can't operate when temperatures top 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or 40 degrees Celsius, the company says, and average daily highs exceed that for three months of the year in Tolleson, the city outside Phoenix where Amazon is preparing to offer aerial deliveries from inside a 7.5-mile radius. The drones can't help with midnight snacks either, because they'll be grounded after sunset. Potentially being inoperable for a quarter of the year might make launching drone deliveries in Tolleson and neighboring desert communities seem like an odd choice. It's far from the first challenge faced by Amazon's much-delayed drone project. The unit is years behind its goals of flying items to customers in under an hour on a regular basis, and a one-time target of 500 million deliveries by 2030 seems distant. Amazon Prime Air has completed just thousands of deliveries, falling behind rivals; Alphabet subsidiary Wing has notched hundreds of thousands of delivery flights and Walmart more than 20,000.

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the historic-investments department: Wayve, a UK-based AI firm focused on developing self-driving car technology, has secured a record $1.05 billion in funding, with Microsoft and Nvidia participating in the round led by SoftBank. According to the BBC, this investment is the largest for an AI company in Europe. The BBC reports: Wayve says the funding will allow it to help build the autonomous cars of the future. [...] Wayve is developing technology intended to power future self-driving vehicles by using what it calls "embodied AI." Unlike AI models carrying out cognitive or generative tasks such as answering questions or creating pictures, this new technology interacts with and learns from real-world surroundings and environments. "[The investment] sends a crucial signal to the market of the strength of the UK's AI ecosystem, and we look forward to watching more AI companies here thrive and scale," said Wayve head Alex Kendall.
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