Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the responding-to-the-critics department: In a new blog post, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has shared his thoughts on three issues core to Ethereum's decentralization: MEV, liquid staking, and the hardware requirements of nodes. The Block reports: In his post, published on May 17, Buterin first addresses the issue of MEV, or the financial gain that sophisticated node operators can capture by reordering the transactions within a block. Buterin characterizes the two approaches to MEV as "minimization" (reducing MEV through smart protocol design, such as CowSwap) and "quarantining" (attempting to reduce or eliminate MEV altogether through in-protocol techniques). While MEV quarantining seems like an alluring option, Buterin notes that the prospect comes with some centralization risks. "If builders have the power to exclude transactions from a block entirely, there are attacks that can quite easily arise," Buterin noted. However, Buterin championed the builders working on MEV quarantining through concepts like transaction inclusion lists, which "take away the builder's ability to push transactions out of the block entirely." "I think ideas in this direction - really pushing the quarantine box to be as small as possible - are really interesting, and I'm in favor of going in that direction," Buterin concluded.

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the discounting-campaigns department: Apple is offering discounts of up to $318 on select iPhone models in China, hoping to "defend its position in the high-end smartphone market, where it faces increasing competition from local rivals such as Huawei," reports Reuters. From the report: The increased competitive pressure on Apple comes after Huawei last month introduced its new series of high-end smartphones, the Pura 70, following the launch of the Mate 60 last August. Apple's previous discounting effort in February appears to have helped the company mitigate a sales slowdown in China. Apple's shipments in China increased by 12% in March, according to Reuters' calculations based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). This marks a significant improvement from the first two months of 2024, when the company experienced a 37% slump in sales.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the AI-all-the-things department: HP announced today that it will resurrect the "Omni" branding it first coined for its business-oriented laptops introduced in 1993. The vintage branding will now be used for the company's new consumer-facing laptops, with HP retiring the Spectre and Dragonfly brands in the process. Furthermore, computers under consumer PC series names like Pavilion will also no longer be released. "Instead, every consumer computer from HP will be called either an OmniBook for laptops, an OmniDesk for desktops, or an OmniStudio for AIOs," reports Ars Technica. From the report: The computers will also have a modifier, ranging from 3 up to 5, 7, X, or Ultra to denote computers that are entry-level all the way up to advanced. For instance, an HP OmniBook Ultra would represent HP's highest-grade consumer laptop. "For example, an HP OmniBook 3 will appeal to customers who prioritize entertainment and personal use, while the OmniBook X will be designed for those with higher creative and technical demands," Stacy Wolff, SVP of design and sustainability at HP, said via a press announcement today. [...] So far, HP has announced one new Omni computer, the OmniBook X. It has a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100, 16GB or 32GB of MPDDR5x-8448 memory, up to 2TB of storage, and a 14-inch, 2240x1400 IPS display. HP is pointing to the Latin translation of omni, meaning "all" (or everything), as the rationale behind the naming update. The new name should give shoppers confidence that the computers will provide all the things that they need.

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Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


The official Mattel Creations, Hot Wheels and Transformers Instagram accounts have just shared a new promotional video of the about to be released Hot Wheels Transformers Optimus Prime. This a short “behind the scenes” video where we can spot part of the creative process of this collaboration, including prototypes, sketches, CAD designs and more. “This first-of-its-kind die-cast goes from big rig to robot and back. Watch as our designer Manson takes you through the intricate details of our Hot Wheels Transformers™ Optimus Prime 1:64 scale vehicle”. Hot Wheels Optimus Prime will be up for pre-order tomorrow May 21, 2024 at » Continue Reading.

The post Mattel Creations Hot Wheels Transformers Optimus Prime “Behind The Scenes” Video appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the post-pandemic-world department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hill: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dynamics of the workplace have undergone a seismic shift. While some heralded the return to the office as a sign of normalcy, evidence suggests that for many, this transition has been far from smooth sailing. Nowhere is this struggle more evident than in the case of the U.S. federal government employees, particularly those within the Department of Justice. At the beginning of the year, the Justice Department initiated a return-to-office policy requiring much of its workforce to be present in person for up to six days per pay period or about three days per week. However, there were more stringent requirements for assistant U.S. attorneys. While approximately 70 percent of AUSAs currently enjoy the flexibility of two days per week of telework, recent changes in telework policies within certain offices have left many feeling stranded.

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Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


We may earn a commission from eBay Partner Network links on this post. Please read our advertising disclosure. Coming to us thanks to 2005 Boards member Memetronus and eBay user Transmimi we can share for you new in-hand images of the Transformers Legacy Deluxe Star Raider Lockdown figure. Star Raider Lockdown is a redeco of Legacy Evolution Axlegrease with a new head. We not only have new images in robot and alt mode but comparison shots next to the Revenge Of The Fallen Lockdown toy from 2010. See the images after the break, and sound off on the 2005 » Continue Reading.

The post Transformers Legacy Deluxe Star Raider Lockdown Additional In-Hand Images appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
It’s only been about two years or so since the video game industry began charging $70 for big games instead of the usual $60, due to game development costs increasing (and greed). This shift, understandably, didn’t go over well with players as the cost to stay up-to-date with modern gaming continues to rise, but that…

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the AI-all-the-things department: Microsoft Paint is getting a new image generator tool called Cocreator that can generate images based on text prompts and doodles. Engadget reports: During a demo at its Surface event, the company showed off how Cocreator combines your own drawings with text prompts to create an image. There's also a "creativity slider" that allows you to control how much you want AI to take over compared with your original art. As Microsoft pointed out, the combination of text prompts and your own brush strokes enables faster edits. It could also help provide a more precise rendering than what you'd be able to achieve with DALL-E or another text-to-image generator alone.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the sign-of-things-to-come department: With JPMorgan and Mastercard piloting biometric payment options, a future where consumers can pay with their face is rapidly approaching. "Our focus on biometrics as a secure way to verify identity, replacing the password with the person, is at the heart of our efforts in this area," said Dennis Gamiello, executive vice president of identity products and innovation at Mastercard. Based on the positive feedback received thus far, Gamiello says the biometric checkout technology will roll out to more new markets later this year. CNBC reports: Biometric payment options are becoming more common. Amazon introduced pay-by-palm technology in 2020, and while its cashier-less store experiment has faltered, it installed the tech in 500 of its Whole Foods stores last year. Mastercard, which is working with PopID, launched a pilot for face-based payments in Brazil back in 2022, and it was deemed a success -- 76% of pilot participants said they would recommend the technology to a friend. Late last year, Mastercard said it was teaming with NEC to bring its Biometric Checkout Program to the Asia-Pacific region.

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Posted by Randall Munroe from XKCD
I can't believe they wouldn't even let me hold a vote among the passengers about whether to try the loop.

Posted by Alyssa Mercante from Kotaku
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is historically significant for many reasons: it was the first Star Wars movie in nearly 16 years, the last Star Wars movie shot on film, and a polarizing, pulpy entry in the storied space fantasy franchise. It debuted on May 19, 1999, 25 years ago almost to the day, and earned…

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Posted by Ethan Gach from Kotaku
In a surprise twist, GameStop recently announced internally that some of its stores would begin buying and selling graded collectibles like Pokémon cards. There were immediately a bunch of questions like “how?” and “why?” One YouTuber recently tested exactly how the process works.

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the stopgap-solutions department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Microsoft is going all-in on Arm-powered Windows PCs today with the introduction of a Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surface Pro convertible and Surface Laptop, and there are inevitable comparisons to draw with another big company that recently shifted from Intel's processors to Arm-based designs: Apple. A huge part of the Apple Silicon transition's success was Rosetta 2, a translation layer that makes it relatively seamless to run most Intel Mac apps on an Apple Silicon Mac with no extra effort required from the user or the app's developer. Windows 11 has similar translation capabilities, and with the Windows 11 24H2 update, that app translation technology is getting a name: Prism.

Microsoft says that Prism isn't just a new name for the same old translation technology. Translated apps should run between 10 and 20 percent faster on the same Arm hardware after installing the Windows 11 24H2 update, offering some trickle-down benefits that users of the handful of Arm-based Windows 11 PCs should notice even if they don't shell out for new hardware. The company says that Prism's performance should be similar to Rosetta's, though obviously this depends on the speed of the hardware you're running it on. Microsoft also claims that Prism will further improve the translation layer's compatibility with x86 apps, though the company didn't get into detail about the exact changes it had made on this front.

Posted by Willa Rowe from Kotaku
Each season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and free-to-play battle royale Warzone includes crossovers with other pop-culture franchises. The games have seen King Kong, Dune, and more in past seasons. None of them have been that enticing to me, but then again I’m not the audience since I don’t play CoD. Hold on,…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the pushing-the-limits department: Microsoft today launched its new Surface Laptop, featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite or Plus chips, aiming to compete with Apple's powerful and efficient MacBook laptops. The Surface Laptop, available for preorder starting at $999.99, boasts up to 22 hours of battery life, a haptic touchpad, and support for three external 4K monitors. Microsoft claims the device is 80% faster than its predecessor and comes with AI features powered by its Copilot technology.

Posted by Coldheart from The Toyark


The first Hammer Horror figure from NECA has finally gone up for pre-order. After the licenses was announced back on 2020, we got our first look at what NECA had in store during Toy Fair 2023. Available to pre-order first ...

The post Horror of Dracula – NECA Ultimate Count Dracula Figure appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by from MMO Champion
Cataclysm Classic Launch Trailer: Resistance

Blizzard has released "Resistance", a new launch trailer for Cataclysm Classic!

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the your-failure-is-my-opportunity department: An anonymous reader shares a report: Google is pouncing on Microsoft's weathered enterprise security reputation by pitching its services to government institutions. Pointing to a recent report from the US Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) that found that Microsoft's security woes are the result of the company "deprioritizing" enterprise security, Google says it can help. The company's pitch isn't quite as direct as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella saying he made Google dance, but it's spicy all the same. Repeatedly referring to Microsoft as "the vendor" throughout its blog post on Monday, Google says the CSRB "showed that lack of a strong commitment to security creates preventable errors and serious breaches." Platforms, it added, "have a responsibility" to hold to strong security practices. And of course, who is more responsible than Google?

Posted by Alyssa Mercante from Kotaku
On May 15, the official X (formerly Twitter) account for Drag Her!, an indie fighting game set to feature famous drag performers, shared a sad update: After three years of development, and around $75,000 in funding via Kickstarter, the game was shutting down and the dev team was disbanding. The reason? “A simple lack…

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Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
Once again, fans and modders are doing the work that Nintendo won’t. This time it’s a new tool, out now, that lets anyone quickly and easily make custom Super Mario 64 levels and share them with friends online.

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