Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
The Activision Publisher Sale 2025 is happening now on Steam and ends on June 6. It includes some Crash Bandicoot and Spyro games as well as some older Activision-published PC games. But the big news for many is that nearly every Call of Duty game can be bought at a nice discount during the sale.

< This article continues on their website >

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the catch-22 department: India faces a paradoxical climate challenge that requires embracing air conditioning despite the environmental costs, according to analysis of the country's warming patterns and pollution crisis. While the past decade marked India's warmest on record, the nation has warmed at only 0.09C per decade compared to 0.30C globally, with horrific air pollution serving as an unintended cooling agent by intercepting solar radiation and making clouds more reflective.

The cooling effect creates a dangerous trade-off: cleaner air would accelerate temperature rises just as the country desperately needs relief from intensifying heat waves. Only one in ten Indian households owns air conditioning, compared to two-thirds in China and four-fifths in Malaysia, despite air-conditioner sales doubling between 2020 and 2024. During heat waves, cooling systems already account for one-fifth of power demand, mostly supplied by coal plants that worsen the pollution problem India must eventually solve.

Posted by AzT from TFW2005


Void Rivals #20 arrives to your favorite local comic shop next month: Darak and Solila — rivals once more! Discuss the preview with fellow readers on the 2005 boards! In the Agorrian throne room, tensions run high as Darak confronts Solila, signaling the return of their rivalry. Meanwhile, trouble also brews on Skuxxoid Alpha Base, where Skuxxoid and his clone (Skuxxoid NEW) are suddenly taken captive… The full list of covers is below: Void Rivals #20 Cover A by Lorenzo De Felici (Lunar Code: 0425IM432) Void Rivals #20 Cover B by Conor Hughes (Lunar Code: 0425IM433) Void Rivals #20 Cover » Continue Reading.

The post Skybound’s Void Rivals, 3-Page Preview of Issue #20 appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by Ethan Gach from Kotaku
Helldivers 2's Galactic War has come to Super Earth and it’s going very, very badly. Players have lost every major city on the planet save for two, but are making a triumphant last stand against the Illuminate as fans from across the real world band together to hold the line.

< This article continues on their website >

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the settling-into-the-new-world-order department: DevNull127 writes: Stack Overflow will test paying experts to answer questions. That's one of many radical experiments they're now trying to stave off an AI-induced death spiral. Questions and answers to the site have plummeted more than 90% since April of 2020. So here's what Stack Overflow will try next. 1. They're bringing back Chat, according to their CEO (to foster "even more connections between our community members" in "an increasingly AI-driven world"). 2. They're building a "new Stack Overflow" meant to feel like a personalized portal. "It might collect videos, blogs, Q&A, war stories, jokes, educational materials, jobs... and fold them together into one personalized destination." 3. They're proposing areas more open to discussion, described as "more flexible Stack Exchanges... where users can explore ideas or share opinions." 4. They're also licensing Stack Overflow content to AI companies for training their models. 5. Again, they will test paying experts to answer questions.

Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Via Twitter user @mob0526 we can share for you our first look at the Takara Tomy Haslab God Fire Convoy (Omega Prime) Packaging. To our surprise, Takara Tomy released this Haslab with a completely new art which is a single picture all around. The art features Fire Convoy, God Magnus, Super Fire Convoy and God Fire Convoy in all their glory! Not much left to say, so see the images after the break and sound off on the 2005 Boards!

The post Takara Tomy Haslab God Fire Convoy (Omega Prime) Packaging First Look appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by Zack Zwiezen and Andy Mills from Kotaku
< This article continues on their website >

Posted by Matthew Inman from The Oatmeal
A comic about God making a dog
View on my website

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the building-our-own-replacement department: Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei is warning that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years -- and overall unemployment potentially spiking between 10 and 20% during that period.

The prediction comes as new data from venture capital firm SignalFire shows Big Tech companies have already reduced their hiring of new graduates by approximately 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with AI adoption cited as a contributing factor. Amodei told Axios that AI companies and government officials are "sugarcoating" the risks of mass job displacement in technology, finance, law, and consulting sectors.

Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
The next season of HBO Max and DC’s Peacemaker starring John Cena is bringing back the dancing intro seen in the first season. But this time around, it will feature more characters, new dance moves, and a fresh song. And yes, Eagly fans will get to see the bird shake its tail feathers.

< This article continues on their website >

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the tough-luck department: The entertainment industry has achieved an unprecedented milestone: more film and television content exists today than at any point in human history. The technical infrastructure to deliver this content directly to consumers' homes works flawlessly. The problem? Actually finding something to watch has become a user experience nightmare that would make early-2000s software developers cringe.

Multiple streaming platforms are suffering from fundamental interface design failures that actively prevent users from discovering content. Cameron Nudleman, an Austin-based user, told Salon that scrolling through streaming service landing pages feels "like a Herculean task," while his Amazon Fire Stick setup -- designed to consolidate multiple services -- delivers consistent crashes across Paramount+ and Max, with Peacock terminating randomly "for no discernible reason."

The technical problems extend beyond stability issues to basic functionality failures. Max automatically enables closed captions despite user preferences, while Paramount+ crashes during show transitions. Chicago media writer Tim O'Reilly describes "every single interface" as "complete garbage except for Netflix's," though even Netflix has recently implemented changes that degrade user experience.

The industry eliminated simple discovery mechanisms like newspaper listings and Moviefone's telephone service in favor of algorithm-driven interfaces that Tennessee attorney Claire Tuley says have "turned art into work," transforming what was supposed to "democratize movies" into "a system that requires so many subscriptions, searching and effort."

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the closer-look department: International interest in American higher education has plummeted to levels not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data tracking prospective student behavior online. Studyportals, which operates a global directory of degree programs, reports that clicks on American university courses have reached their lowest point since the early pandemic period.

Weekly page views of US university courses halved between January 5th and the end of April. First-quarter traffic to American undergraduate and master's degree programs fell more than 20% compared to the same period last year, while interest in PhD programs dropped by one-third. India, which supplies nearly a third of America's international students, showed the steepest decline at 40%. The data suggests British universities would be the primary beneficiaries of students looking elsewhere.

The sharp drop in interest follows the Trump administration's escalating restrictions on international students, including stripping Harvard University of its enrollment authority on May 22nd and suspending all new student visa interviews on May 27th. International students contributed $43.8 billion to the American economy during the 2023-24 academic year, with about three-quarters of international PhD students indicating they plan to remain in the country after graduation.

Posted by from MMO Champion
Dastardly Duos Lore Deep Dive with The Loremaster and PlatinumWoW

Join Blizzard's Loremaster Sean Copeland and community lore expert PlatinumWoW for a deep dive into the villains behind the Dastardly Duos event and what makes them so dastardly.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the end-of-an-era department: New submitter salyavin writes: The final issue of Linux Format has been released. After 25 years the magazine is going out with a bang. Interviewing the old staff members, and looking back at old Linux distros [...] The last 10-15 years have been absolutely brutal to computer hobbyist magazines -- (or magazines and media at large, in general).

Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches in exactly one week, and in the lead up to the new console, Nintendo has updated the Nintendo Switch Online app and made it much more useful. It also has a new, pithier name. Say goodbye to the Nintendo Switch Online App, and say hello to the Nintendo Switch App.

< This article continues on their website >

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the charged-up-state department: California's battery power capacity rose from 500 megawatts in 2018 to nearly 16,000 megawatts in 2025. Nearly a quarter of America's battery capacity is now in California alone, according to Bloomberg.

At their daily peak around 8pm, batteries can provide as much as 30% of the state's electricity. The batteries charge in the afternoon when solar power is cheap and release energy in the evenings when Californians get home and crank up their air conditioners. In the middle of the day, when the sun is strongest, as much as three-quarters of the state's electricity can come from solar.

California relied on regulation to achieve this scale. In 2013, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered the state's three big investor-owned utilities to procure 1,325 megawatts of energy storage by 2020 to help meet renewable targets and stabilize the grid. That goal was easily met. Mark Jacobson, an engineering professor at Stanford University, told Economist that most days this year contained periods when solar, hydropower and wind, helped by batteries, met 100% of California's demand -- even though just 54% of the state's electricity generation comes from renewables.

Posted by Tony_Bacala from The Toyark


The Marvel team just wrapped up a stream for May 2025 and showed off a ton of new figures.  The Fantastic Four movie wave was shown first, and then it went into a BIG lineup of Gamerverse figures based on ...

The post Marvel Legends Stream Recap for May 2025 – Gamerverse Marvel Vs. Capcom Figures & FF4 appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Via Amazon Japan we can share for you our first stock images of the new Transformers Wild King Wave 3 Energy Beasts for your viewing pleasure. This wave consists of the inevitable Nemesis Prime redeco of the Energy Master Optimus Prime toy, a new redeco of Energy Master Megatron, plus three new Energy beasts: a stegosaurus, a bull and a saber-toothed cat. WKB-09 Energy Beast Abyss Rain WKS-03 Nemesis Prime & Lavamulator Wild Docking Set WKS-04 Shadow Megatron & Frost Saber Wild Docking Set Each bot features several weapons and ports for several combinations, adding high play value in » Continue Reading.

The post Transformers Wild King Wave 3 Official Stock Images appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by Ethan Gach from Kotaku
It was the middle of the night when Fedor Volkov found himself anxiously waiting on the streets of Moscow for a ride back home. In his arms he held a Switch 2 box and nestled within was the console fans had been waiting years to get their hands on, but which still didn’t officially go on sale for more than a week. He…

< This article continues on their website >

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the forced-obsolescence department: Apple's upcoming macOS 26 operating system may abandon support for several older Mac models, according to AppleInsider. The casualties will include 2018 MacBook Pro models, the 2020 Intel MacBook Air, the 2017 iMac Pro, and the 2018 Mac mini -- all currently the oldest machines compatible with macOS Sequoia, the report said, citing a source familiar with the matter. The 2019 MacBook Pro models and 2020 5K iMac models will retain compatibility with the new system, codenamed "Cheer," said AppleInsider.