Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the first-of-its-kind department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: There's a new Linux distro on the scene today, and it's a bit specialized. Its development was led by the automotive electronics supplier Elektrobit, and it's the first open source OS that complies with the automotive industry's functional safety requirements. [...] With Elektrobit's EB corbos Linux for Safety Applications (that sure is a long name), there's an open source Linux distro that finally fits the bill, having just been given the thumbs up by the German organization TUV Nord. (It also complies with the IEC 61508 standard for safety applications.) "The beauty of our concept is that you don't even need to safety-qualify Linux itself," said Moritz Neukirchner, a senior director at Elektrobit overseeing SDVs. Instead, an external safety monitor runs in a hypervisor, intercepting and validating kernel actions.

"When you look at how safety is typically being done, look at communication -- you don't safety-certify the communication specs or Ethernet stack, but you do a checker library on top, and you have a hardware anchor for checking down below, and you insure it end to end but take everything in between out of the certification path. And we have now created a concept that allows us to do exactly that for an operating system," Neukirchner told me. "So in the end, since we take Linux out of the certification path and make it usable in a safety-related context, we don't have any problems in keeping up to speed with the developer community," he explained. "Because if you start it off and say, 'Well, we're going to do Linux as a one-shot for safety,' you're going to have the next five patches and you're off [schedule] again, especially with the security regulation that's now getting toward effect now, starting in July with the UNECE R155 that requires continuous cybersecurity management vulnerability scanning for all software that ends up in the vehicle."

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Posted by Moises Taveras from Kotaku
Helldivers 2 players have strong feelings about the planets they’re fighting to defend in the game’s ongoing galactic war. First there was Malevelon Creek, which became a notorious hotspot for players, after it was dubbed “Robot Vietnam” due to its flame-spewing robots, jungle setting, and significant difficulty.…

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Posted by Eric Schulkin from Kotaku
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Posted by Kenneth Shepard from Kotaku
Metaphor: ReFantazio, the upcoming RPG from developer Atlus’ Persona team, will bring in a lot of elements from its predecessor when it launches in October. This includes turn-based combat, social elements called “Bonds,” and a time management mechanic as you live out individual days. But one thing that won’t be…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the loosening-group department: Apple's iPhone sales dropped sharply in China in the first quarter of this year as the company saw strong competition from domestic brand Huawei, according to a new report from market research firm Counterpoint Research. CNBC: Apple saw sales of its iPhones fall 19.1% in the first three months of the year, Counterpoint's data showed, as Chinese telecommunications and consumer electronics giant Huawei saw a resurgence in its smartphone business. The Shenzhen, China-based firm saw sales of its smartphones surge a whopping 69.7% in the first quarter, Counterpoint said.

Posted by Jesse Vitelli from Kotaku
Everyone’s favorite Destiny 2 dog, Archie, is back in the tower with the new Into The Light update. However, he’s not in his usual spot, and we’re going to have to go on a hunt to find out what he’s up to. After all, there’s a triumph titled “Where in the System is Archie?” that rewards players with the Blue Steel…

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Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
Microsoft and Marvel have teamed up to create a new X-Men-themed Xbox console that looks awesome and comes with a Wolverine-inspired controller, too. Sadly, this new console isn’t for sale and can only be won via a limited-time sweepstakes.

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the no-shortage-of-scamsters department: An anonymous reader shares a report: For years, people who have found Google search frustrating have been adding "Reddit" to the end of their search queries. This practice is so common that Google even acknowledged the phenomenon in a post announcing that it will be scraping Reddit posts to train its AI. And so, naturally, there are now services that will poison Reddit threads with AI-generated posts designed to promote products.

A service called ReplyGuy advertises itself as "the AI that plugs your product on Reddit" and which automatically "mentions your product in conversations naturally." Examples on the site show two different Redditors being controlled by AI posting plugs for a text-to-voice product called "AnySpeech" and a bot writing a long comment about a debt consolidation program called Debt Freedom Now. A video demo shows a dashboard where a user adds the name of their company and URL they want to direct users to. It then auto-suggests keywords that "help the bot know what types of subreddits and tweets to look for and when to respond."

Moments later, the dashboard shows how Reply Guy is "already in the responses" of the comments section of different Reddit posts. "Many of our responses will get lots of upvotes and will be well-liked." The creator of the company, Alexander Belogubov, has also posted screenshots of other bot-controlled accounts responding all over Reddit. Begolubov has another startup called "Stealth Marketing" that also seeks to manipulate the platform by promising to "turn Reddit into a steady stream of customers for your startup."

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the closer-look department: General Motors (GM) has been selling data about the driving behavior of millions of people to insurance companies, leading to higher premiums for some drivers, according to a recent investigation. The affected drivers were not informed about the tracking, which was carried out through GM's OnStar connected services plan and the Smart Driver program. The New York Times reporter who broke the story discovered that her own driving data had been shared with data brokers working with the insurance industry, despite not being enrolled in the program. GM has since discontinued the Smart Driver product and stopped sharing data with LexisNexis and Verisk, following customer feedback and federal lawsuits filed by drivers across the country.

Posted by Joe Moore from The Toyark


Starting on April 23, a new series of action figures based on the Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa will become available to pre-order. The figures are being produced by the Nacelle Company, who have shared the first photos and ...

The post Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa by The Nacelle Company – Pre-Orders Now Open appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by from MMO Champion
Get Up to 33% off Select Game Services

Originally Posted by Blizzard
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

It’s a great time to dive into daring adventures in World of Warcraft® when you make the most of 33% off select game services through May 7.

Soar into the latest Dragonflight content with a 33% discount on an Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost—harness the power of level 424 raid-ready gear, take to the skies with a stable of soar-ready Dragonriding mounts, and more!

For those looking to get a fresh start, save 30% on Character Transfer Packs, Faction Change Packs, Race Change Packs, and Name Change Packs.*

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Level 70 Character Boost



For a limited time, bring your hero up to speed at a 33% discount.** Grant a single character a one-time boost to level 70 and jump into the latest Dragonflight content endgame-ready! To boost multiple characters, buy a Character Boost pack and use them all at once or save some for later.

Available Level 70 Character Boost pack options:

1 for $40.00 (Regularly $60.00)

2 3 for $100.00

Give Yourself A Boost

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Character Transfer Packs



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Posted by from MMO Champion
Mirrorwatch Begins Today - Overwatch 2 Limited-Time Event

Season of Discovery - Testing Adding Damage Reduction to PvP

Originally Posted by Blizzard
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Hello, Classic PvPers!

This coming weekend, we will test an adjustment to Player versus Player combat in Season of Discovery. We will implement a global damage reduction aura on PvP combat between players (and player controlled pets and other units).

When we started Season of Discovery, we knew that PvP would become significantly more fast paced and bursty, with each class being capable of significantly more damage output, and this quickly proved to be true. We experimented with a damage reduction aura in battlegrounds during Phase 1, but it didn’t work as well as we hoped, mostly because healing was scaling more aggressively than damage at that point, causing healing classes to become significantly more oppressive in battlegrounds than they normally would be. Now that we’re in Phase 3, we’ve made many changes and added more runes, and burst damage has significantly outpaced healing output, so we feel that it’s a good time to try this again.

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: An anonymous reader shares a report: Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations."

As a result, Apple is expected to take a "conservative view" of headset demand when the Vision Pro launches in additional countries. Kuo previously said that Apple will introduce the Vision Pro in new markets before the June Worldwide Developers Conference, which suggests that we could see it available in additional areas in the next month or so.

Posted by Willa Rowe from Kotaku
The latest bundle on indie game storefront itch.io, known for donating some of its proceeds to a good cause, is the Palestinian Relief Bundle. With Palestinians suffering unspeakable loss, along with starvation, a massive shortage of healthcare resources, and other humanitarian issues, the bundle is raising funds for…

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Posted by Zack Zwiezen from Kotaku
On April 23, Fortnite Festival Season 3 launched, adding new music, skins, features, and tweaks to the popular rhythm game mode that lives inside Epic’s popular online battle royale. The big news is that players can now use plastic guitars while playing Fortnite Festival, making the mode just a bit more like Rock…

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Posted by Kenneth Shepard from Kotaku
Metaphor: Refantazio is the next game from the Persona leads at Atlus, and while it has some similarities to the franchise (it’s a turn-based, social sim-driven RPG), it’s adapting a lot of those concepts into a medieval fantasy setting rather than a modern-day high school. On April 22, Atlus held a 25-minute…

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Posted by Claire Jackson from Kotaku
As an RPG, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a number of character stats that influence various aspects of a battle. Luck is perhaps one of the less understood ones. Not only is it an attribute worth raising, but certain characters, like Cait Sith in particular, can benefit from a high Luck stat in some dramatic ways.

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Posted by Moises Taveras from Kotaku
I finally caved. After years of being petitioned by my friends and spurred on by the new TV show, I spent this past weekend largely playing Fallout 76, Bethesda’s survival MMO based on the open-world RPGs. When it first launched in 2018, Fallout 76 couldn’t have had more working against it. Not many seemed to want it…

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the up-next department: The Federal Trade Commission is set to vote Tuesday afternoon on a proposal to ban noncompete agreements, which prevent workers from taking positions at competitors for a period of time after they leave a job. From a report: The ban could be a win for workers -- particularly at the low end of the income scale. Critics of these agreements say they stifle innovation and wage growth by restricting workers' ability to take new jobs that pay higher wages or offer some other opportunity. They also make it tougher for employers to hire strong talent, lessening competition.

Some states have laws limiting noncompetes to higher-income folks or banning them altogether -- but most don't. Experts told Axios that the final rule will likely look similar to the draft proposal, which was a broad prohibition on all noncompetes, even for executives. Any final rule is unlikely to take effect for many years -- if ever, as it will surely get tied up in court. The Chamber of Commerce, which opposes the ban, has already said it's ready and willing to file a lawsuit.

Posted by Tony_Bacala from TFW2005


Another reissue for a Generations Optimus Prime is live today with a new round of Commander Class Armada Optimus Prime figures.  Hasbro has been dropping new orders for previously released Optimus Prime figures starting earlier this year, and now Armada Op joins the list.  He’s retailing for $89.99 and due to ship in August 2024. Transformers Legacy Evolution Commander Armada Universe Optimus Prime TFSource, Entertainment Earth, Big Bad Toy Store, Robot Kingdom, The Chosen Prime, Ages Three and Up Check the previous » Continue Reading.

The post Commander Class Armada Optimus Prime ReIssue appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.