Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the whatever-it-takes department: The Federal Communications Commission has approved Verizon's $9.6 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, valuing the Dallas-based company at $20 billion including debt. The approval comes after Verizon agreed to scale back diversity initiatives to comply with Trump administration policies.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who previously threatened to block mergers over DEI practices, praised the deal for its potential to "unleash billions in new infrastructure builds" and "accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones." The acquisition positions America's largest phone carrier to expand its high-speed internet footprint across Frontier's 25-state network. Verizon plans to deploy fiber to more than one million U.S. homes annually following the transaction.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the tussle-continues department: Charter Communications announced a $21.9 billion deal Friday to acquire Cox Communications, combining two major cable providers as they face mounting competition from wireless carriers offering 5G home internet. The transaction merges Charter's 31.4 million customers with Cox's 6.3 million, creating a larger entity to defend against aggressive expansion from Verizon and T-Mobile.

Charter lost 60,000 internet customers in the March quarter, underscoring the industry's vulnerability as traditional cable broadband growth stalls. Wireless carriers have successfully marketed their fixed wireless access services at lower price points while delivering competitive speeds, turning what was once cable's most profitable segment into contested territory.

The combined company, which will be headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, plans to adopt the Cox Communications name within a year of closing while retaining Spectrum as its consumer-facing brand.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the PSA department: Health authorities in densely-populated Hong Kong and Singapore have warned that Covid-19 cases are spiking, as a resurgent wave spreads through Asia. Bloomberg: The virus' activity in Hong Kong is now "quite high," Albert Au, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the city's Center for Health Protection, told local media this week. The percentage of respiratory samples testing Covid-positive in Hong Kong recently reached its highest in a year.

Severe cases -- including deaths -- also reached its highest level in about a year to 31 in the week through May 3, the center's data shows. While the resurgence is yet to match the infection peaks seen in the past two years, rising viral load found in sewage water and Covid-related medical consultations and hospitalizations suggest the virus is actively spreading in the city of over 7 million people.

Rival financial hub Singapore is also on Covid alert. The city-state's health ministry released its first update on infection numbers in almost a year this month, as the estimated number of cases jumped 28% to 14,200 in the week through May 3 from the previous seven days while daily hospitalization rose around 30%. Singapore now only provides case updates when there is a noticeable spike.

Posted by Justin Clark from Kotaku
No matter who it is, from Goro to General Grievous, you just can’t trust a guy with more than two arms. The creep factor is part of it, but I think you just learn fast that while two of those arms are fine, the most devastating attack always comes, from the other two arms you didn’t even know were there.

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Posted by Billy Givens from Kotaku
Little Kitty, Big City packs a lot to do in its meowtropolis (sorry, that’s my first and only cat pun), all of which is as cute and fun as you’d expect for a game about a lost kitty in a big ‘ol city. But this city is actually more bite-sized than you might anticipate by the game’s name, offering a brief but enjoyable…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: Boys and young men in the United States are experiencing declining outcomes in education, mental health, and transition to adulthood compared to their female counterparts, according to comprehensive data analyzed by researchers. High school graduation rates for boys stand at 83% versus 89% for girls, while college enrollment of recent male high school graduates has barely increased to 57% from 54% in 1960, compared to women's surge to 66% from 38% in the same period.

Mental health indicators show 28% of boys ages 3-17 have mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental problems versus 23% of girls. Male suicide rates for ages 15-24 have nearly doubled to 21 per 100,000 in 2023 from 11 in 1968. Labor force participation among men ages 25-54 has declined to 89% from 94% in 1975, while women's participation rose to 78% from 55%. Additionally, 19% of men ages 25-34 now live with parents, compared to 13% of women. "The contemporary American economy is not rewarding a lot of the characteristics associated with men and masculinity," said Robb Willer, professor of sociology at Stanford.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the tussle-continues department: Apple and Epic Games sparred over whether the iPhone maker was obstructing access to the hit game Fortnite, the latest tussle in a long-running feud over Apple's control of game distribution revenue. From a report: The game developer said that Apple "blocked" its latest Fortnite app submission so that it can't be released in the US or on the third-party Epic Games Store in the EU.

"Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it," the company wrote on its X account. An Apple spokesperson responded later on Friday, saying that the company "did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces" in the EU. Apple said that it asked the game company's European division, Epic Sweden, to "resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies."

Posted by Zack Zwiezen and Andy Mills from Kotaku
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Posted by Justin Clark from Kotaku
The murder train continues to roll on in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This time, we have the sordid tale of the aristocrat Ukita Naoie who sends his kid out of town so he doesn’t have to be there to see him completely betray his countrymen to an army of murderous ninjas. He’s a poet; he plays Go; he’s a good man; we like…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the PSA department: MIT said Friday it can no longer stand behind a widely circulated paper on AI written by a doctoral student in its economics program. The paper said that the introduction of an AI tool in a materials-science lab led to gains in new discoveries, but had more ambiguous effects on the scientists who used it. WSJ: MIT didn't name the student in its statement Friday, but it did name the paper. That paper, by Aidan Toner-Rodgers, was covered by The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets. In a press release, MIT said it "has no confidence in the provenance, reliability or validity of the data and has no confidence in the veracity of the research contained in the paper."

The university said the author of the paper is no longer at MIT. The paper said that after an AI tool was implemented at a large materials-science lab, researchers discovered significantly more materials -- a result that suggested that, in certain settings, AI could substantially improve worker productivity. But it also showed that most of the productivity gains went to scientists who were already highly effective, and that overall the AI tool made scientists less happy about their work.

Posted by AzT from TFW2005


Transformers #23 and Void Rivals #22 land in August: ENTER THE MATRIX. The last hope for the Autobots exists within the Matrix of Leadership. But will the Decepticons triumph before those answers are found? SPRINGER VS PROXIMUS! And what is Skuxxoid planning? Discuss the details revealed so far with fellow readers on the 2005 boards! Transformers #23 Creator credits: (W) Daniel Warren Johnson, (A) Jorge Corona, Mike Spicer, (CA) Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, (A/CA) Jorge Corona, Mike Spicer, featured, (CA) David Nakayama, (CA) Doug Mahnke, David Baron, (CA) Pye Parr   Void Rivals #22 Creator credits: (W) Robert Kirkman, (A) Conor Hughes, Patricio Delpeche, (CA) Lorenzo » Continue Reading.

The post Skybound’s Transformers Comics Solicitations: August 2025 appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the expensive-paperweight department: Early adopters of Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro mixed-reality headset report widespread disappointment a year after its February 2024 launch, with many devices now unused due to physical discomfort and social awkwardness, according to customers who spoke with WSJ.

"It's just collecting dust," said Dustin Fox, a Virginia realtor who has used his headset only four times in the past year. "It's way too heavy. I can't wear it for more than 20 or 30 minutes without it hurting my neck." Customers told the paper that the device's one-pound weight causes neck strain. The device is also reeling from limited app selection and negative public reactions as primary complaints.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the PSA department: Broadcom employees have had their personal data compromised following a September 2024 ransomware attack on Business Systems House (BSH), a Middle Eastern subsidiary of payroll company ADP.

The breach, claimed by the Russian-speaking El Dorado ransomware group, wasn't fully identified until December when stolen data appeared online, according to The Register. Broadcom only received details of affected employees on May 12, 2025. Compromised information potentially includes national ID numbers, financial account numbers, health insurance details, dates of birth, salary information, and contact details.

Five employee accounts were initially compromised, ultimately affecting 560 users. ADP has distanced itself from the incident, stating only "a small subset of ADP clients" in "certain countries in the Middle East" were affected.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the moving-forward department: Montana has enacted SB 282, becoming the first state to prohibit law enforcement from purchasing personal data they would otherwise need a warrant to obtain. The landmark legislation closes what privacy advocates call the "data broker loophole," which previously allowed police to buy geolocation data, electronic communications, and other sensitive information from third-party vendors without judicial oversight.

The new law specifically restricts government access to precise geolocation data, communications content, electronic funds transfers, and "sensitive data" including health status, religious affiliation, and biometric information. Police can still access this information through traditional means: warrants, investigative subpoenas, or device owner consent.

Posted by Ethan Gach from Kotaku
Star Wars and AI are colliding in one of the biggest games around. Darth Vader once again joined Fortnite on Friday, except unlike so many crossover cameos in Epic’s game, this one will talk back to you and your friends while you’re running around Junk Junction looking for easy pick-offs. It’s voiced by a digital…

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Posted by Kenneth Shepard from Kotaku
Every day, I get sad that Pokémon aren’t real, but sometimes we get real-world amalgamations of their world in ours. Team Rocket and all their monster-stealing ways may not be an actual organization, but we’ve got plenty of people committing pocket monster crimes here on Earth. A recent example is a man in the UK’s…

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Posted by John Walker from Kotaku
Oh it’s fun to have good news! The latest set from the Pokémon TCG, Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals, is a top-notch collection of cards bursting with Team Rocket antics, which sports (in my limited experience, at least) pull rates I don’t believe we’ve seen in this era. Having torn open 55 packs, I have a generous…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the moving-forward department: For the first time, the growth in China's clean power generation has caused the nation's carbon dioxide emissions to fall despite rapid power demand growth. From a report:The new analysis for Carbon Brief shows that China's emissions were down 1.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 and by 1% in the latest 12 months. Electricity supply from new wind, solar and nuclear capacity was enough to cut coal-power output even as demand surged, whereas previous falls were due to weak growth.

The analysis, based on official figures and commercial data, shows that China's CO2 emissions have now been stable, or falling, for more than a year. However, they remain only 1% below the latest peak, implying that any short-term jump could cause China's CO2 emissions to rise to a new record.

Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Attention Blokees Transformers collectors. We have to report that the Blokees Transformers Galaxy Defender Devastator extra parts won’t be available in the US. You needed to collect the 6 Constructicon vehicles available in the first 3 waves of the Blokees Galaxy Defender collection, and then you had to buy a special pack with additional parts to complete the combiner. 2005 Boards members Pcsolyar and FoggyFate got official e-mail replies from Blokees regarding the availability of this pack in the US: “We are sorry for the inconvenience. We cannot sell in the US because the copyright holder does not allow it. We are an » Continue Reading.

The post Blokees Transformers Galaxy Defender Devastator Extra Parts Won’t Be Available In The US appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by Ethan Gach from Kotaku
Super Mario Odyssey, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and a bunch of other popular Nintendo games are getting upgrades to help them run better on Switch 2. And unlike some other Switch 2 versions, these improvements won’t require fans to spend more money.

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