Ringworld through the ages Ringworld Larry Niven (Gollancz) Ringworld by Larry Niven was published in 1970 to huge acclaim, winning both Hugo and Nebula awards; it’s been in print ever since. It came out when humans had just landed on the moon and it looked like we might be on our way to the stars. The title alone evokes a particular golden age of science fiction, when (mostly male) writers wrestled with big physics and big ideas, imagining far-off futures where humans had galactic-scale adventures.Advertisement Authors like Niven wanted to imagine what might be out there in the universe, and they took pride in trying to get the science right. With Ringworld featuring in the New Scientist book club this month, it seemed like a good time to revisit the novel, having last read it as a teenager. How did this 55-year-old work stand the test of time? After all, many books from this era have dated badly. Sometimes it is because science has now rendered their plotlines silly; sometimes it is because the sexual politics (or other cultural aspects) have begun to stink over the decades. Well, to start with, this book is stuffed full of ideas! You can see why it was a smash hit and ended up being part of a sprawling network of follow-up stories, prequels and spin-offs. Given how much internal lore is thrown at us, I found the novel surprisingly zippy and exposition-light. Our 200-year-old hero Louis Gridley Wu, a human and seasoned adventurer, is approached by Nessus, an alien known as a puppeteer, and asked to come on a mysterious mission in exchange for access to new technology. Ringworld evokes a golden age of sci-fi when writers (mostly men) wrestled with big physics and big ideas Wu and Nessus are to be joined on their adventure by a feline, warlike “kzinti” alien called Speaker-to-Animals (the animals in question being other species), and a young human woman named Teela Brown, whose qualities become evident only later in the story. This gang travels to the eponymous Ringworld and, after being fired on by an ancient security system, crash-lands on it. The Ringworld is the star of this show. It is an ancient artefact of almost unimaginable scale: a ribbon world, looped around a star, 1.6 million kilometres wide and with an inner surface area the size of 3 million Earths. With a diameter of 305 million kilometres, it is fashioned from a substance with amazing tensile strength. On the terraformed inner surface of the Ringworld, a civilisation has fallen, but life goes on. Wu and the gang must travel a vast distance across the inside of the ring to look for a way to leave it; along the way, as you might expect, they have plenty of adventures. As for the mores of this 1970 novel, there are things a modern editor would probably want to cut, and they might well want the female characters to be given more depth. The science, meanwhile, was thoroughly picked apart by readers at the time, so much so that Niven’s follow-up, Ringworld Engineers, published a decade later, was basically a riposte to all those who had nitpicked the mechanics of Ringworld. This isn’t my favourite Niven; that is A World Out of Time. However, revisiting Ringworld has made me hungry to plunge back into his universe. I plan to reread some of his other classics, like The Mote in God’s Eye, as well as Ringworld‘s follow-ups, because there are so many interesting questions that go unanswered in the first book. Emily also recommends… The Draco Tavern Larry Niven (Tor Publishing) Strictly speaking, this section should be entitled “Larry Niven also recommends”. I exchanged emails with him recently in order to plan an interview, and I asked him which one of his books he would particularly recommend to me. He immediately replied with The Draco Tavern. I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I am very happy to pass on this recommendation from the man himself. Emily H. Wilson is a former editor of New Scientist and the author of the Sumerians trilogy, set in ancient Mesopotamia. The final novel in the series, Ninshubar, is out in August. You can find her at emilyhwilson.com, or follow her on X @emilyhwilson and Instagram @emilyhwilson1 The art and science of writing science fiction Explore the world of science fiction and learn how to craft your own captivating sci-fi tales on this immersive weekend break. Find out more Topics:

We all bring a lot of things to work with us.Laptops, reusable water bottles, and countless charging cords have become vital to our everyday routines.As a result, we need bags that are well-equipped to hold our belongings and, if we choose wisely, help us look effortlessly stylish.So, Business Insider asked successful men across industries to share the bags they carry each day. From designer totes to commuter backpacks, here's what they recommend. The CEO of one advertising agency is loyal to his Tumi backpack. The Warren backpack from Tumi. Tumi Brent Comstock, 29, is the founder and CEO of BCom, a Nebraska-based advertising and media agency that works with NGOs and Fortune 500 companies.On work days, he always carries his Warren backpack from Tumi. It has numerous pockets, is made from nylon with leather detailing, and retails for $595."It's perfect because it fits all of the things I need, but more importantly, it fits in every possible compartment on a plane," he said. "People regularly ask me: 'Where did you get that backpack?'"Comstock said he keeps both a laptop and a tablet inside the backpack."I realize that's a lot of unnecessary weight for something that basically does the same thing," he said. "But one of them is inevitably charged, and one of them is not — at all times." An engineer and content creator uses a designer bag shaped like a pastry. The Croissant bag from Lemaire. Estrop/Getty Images Jodi Go is busy. In addition to being a full-time software engineer, the 27-year-old is a popular content creator who makes videos about style and interior design.While on the go, he carries the $1,965 large Croissant bag from French brand Lemaire. It's made from nappa leather, sold in four colors, and has a removable pouch that sits inside."I love it so much," Go said of his bag, which he purchased while visiting Japan. "I wear it almost every single day."Inside, he carries his laptop, Sony headphones, power banks, filming supplies, and skincare products. Osprey makes the go-to duffel carried by the CEO of a growing drink brand. The Transporter 65 duffel from Osprey. Osprey Bawi Agua Fresca is a "better for you" drink brand founded by Victor Guardiola. Speaking with BI, the 27-year-old CEO said he carries the $180 Osprey Transporter Duffel 65 to work each day."I got this bag three months ago," he said. "Before that, I was cramming my North Face college backpack. Eventually, I was like, 'No, dude, you are no longer an undergrad. I think you can afford to upgrade this basic.'"So he did. With the much larger Osprey duffel — it measures 24 inches tall, nearly 14 inches wide, and almost 16 inches deep — he carries toiletries, extra clothes, a pair of slides, his laptop, and a work journal. The latter is the most crucial to him."I've run my business with these little journals since we started," he said. "I'm literally looking at my archive stack of them now. I clear one about every 40 days or so." A venture capital investor alternates between a casual backpack and a luxury duffel. The Canfield Classic Holdall duffel from Shinola. Shinola Bradford Jones, 28, is a principal at SignalFire, where he invests in startup tech companies. While commuting, he always has one of two bags in hand.For "very serious" work days, he uses the $995 Canfield Classic Holdall from Shinola. It's made from natural grain leather and is sold in two colorways. Jones prefers the black option."I bring that with me when I'm going on work trips and going into really big meetings," he said. "It's a very classic leather bag."For more casual occasions, he uses the same Jumpman Jordan backpack he's carried since his days as a college athlete. One equity research analyst uses a durable backpack from Osprey. The Nebula 32 bag from Osprey. Osprey Bobby Mollins, 35, works for the research firm Gordon Haskett. In 2023, BI named him a rising star in his industry.Speaking with BI, Mollins said his Osprey backpack can "handle everything" — from Citi Bike rides through Manhattan to hot days in Miami."It's super easy to carry," Mollins said of the bag. "If I'm getting on a plane and it's under the seat in front of me, I don't care if it gets stepped on or whatnot. I've had it for years. I've taken that bag hiking in the Cascades in Washington. I've also taken it throughout Europe. It can take a beating."While the specific style that Mollins carries has been discontinued, he says the brand's $140 Nebula 32 design is very similar."As long as I can put my laptop in there, a bottle of water, a smoothie bottle, my headphone case, a charger, and a pen or two, that's all I need," he said. A former Fortune 500 employee turned influencer swears by his Michael Kors backpack. Alex Nicoll carries his Michael Kors backpack. Alex Nicoll "I was just talking to some friends about it this weekend: a leather work bag just makes you feel so much more put together and, for me, confident," Alex Nicoll, 29, told BI.The content creator said he uses the Hudson commuter backpack from Michael Kors, which is made from leather and retails for $448.Inside, he regularly stores his AirPod Pros, a Goyard card holder, and a Creed cologne atomizer to refresh his scent throughout the day. Tote bags are a staple accessory for this venture capitalist. YSL's Rive Droite tote bag. YSL Bryce Johnson, 25, invests in early-stage software companies at Primary. Rather than carrying one work bag all year, he told BI that he uses different styles depending on the season.In the fall and winter, for example, he carries a $113 Womleys backpack that you can buy on Amazon."Keep it simple forever," he said. "I do not splurge on backpacks."In the spring and summer, lighter totes are his preferred style. He alternates between an $85 YSL Rive Droite bag and a $35 zippered option from Stanford University.

Dominik Ebebenge is a former official at Legia Warsaw, but now finds himself working on a truly unique football video game with Copa City – he sat down with Daily Star to talk about his career transitionTech09:00, 12 Apr 2025Copa City is doing something uniqueFootball truly is the world’s game, played or followed by most of us on this Earth. It’s big business, too, particularly in video games.While EA FC 25 dominates the on-pitch action and eFootball looks to overthrow it, Football Manager has taken the management side of things to new heights — although the cancellation of this year’s game certainly wasn’t ideal.‌Article continues belowStill, as more and more upstarts look to break into your virtual first eleven, there’s one game going about its business a little differently.Copa City, pegged for a 2025 release, is the debut title from Triple Espresso, and is focused on celebrating the effect football can have on the cities that host it.Daily Star sat down with Dominik Ebebenge, a former club official at Legia Warsaw and now co-founder of Triple Espresso, to talk about the vision of Copa City — and why there’s never been a better time to be the underdog.‌Players can work on fan zones, policing, and even catering“I'm a dreamer. I’ve always been,” Ebebenge starts when describing his unique career path.That initial dream was to work at Legia Warsaw, his boyhood club. He did so from the age of 16, working his way from a volunteer position to becoming the club’s head of sports.‌Noting a time in his life when he was “obsessed” with Football Manager, Ebebenge says his work at the club gave him an “extreme amount of exposure to a certain network” of contacts.Studying at Bath University, he split his time between studies, lectures, and travelling to European games and organising logistics of the football club.Triple Espresso’s co-founders were the owners of Legia Warsaw at the time and, after selling the club, the three wanted to stay linked with football. After initially leaning into esports, the team began a chapter “when we started making those key connections in terms of building our early team to start conceptualising the idea of introducing a new perspective into the existing football games landscape”.‌Ebebenge describes Copa City as a game about “everything that happens before that first whistle”.Copa City is intended to be complimentary to existing video gamesWhile the initial reveal of Copa City perhaps made it look akin to a Football Manager rival, Ebebenge explains it’s much closer to a management sim.‌“You are involved in everything from selling tickets to preparing catering zones,” he explains, pointing to the game being a delicate balancing act between the “needs and the wants of two different sides”.Those two sides are meeting in a one-off kind of event, where matches are held at a neutral location and you’ll need to manage elements that would otherwise be held behind the scenes.Pointing to the success of recent sports documentary series on streaming services, Ebebenge says the focus is on “where the camera follows before the game”.‌I asked if his prior career as a football club executive helped clubs buy into what the game is offering. After all, the studio has already secured the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Flamengo.“One hundred percent,” he says. “And I guess that answers or is partly an answer to the question that we hear all the time: Why hasn't anyone done it before?“We’ve heard that in some big places, to be honest. It’s not rocket science, but it takes some combination of some unique background stories and context to create that kind of an environment.”‌The team has already secured licenses for Bayern Munich and ArsenalThat focus on a special one-off event means you won’t be managing tactics, hiring staff, or negotiating transfers.Ebebenge says the focus remains on offering a complimentary experience that doesn’t encroach too much on other titles, although does acknowledge the current state of football games makes it a great time to kick off (see what we did there?) something new.‌I asked about the delay and subsequent cancellation of Football Manager 25, and he confessed that the team sees it as a “great opportunity”.“We've seen a certain momentum growing when it comes to the streaming platforms and clearly there's a common denominator in terms of that [behind the scenes] theme,” he said.“We see the industry being at a certain crossroads with what happened between FIFA and EA, and then obviously the delay of Football Manager.”‌So what about the time following launch? Is there scope for an annual franchise with Copa City? Ebebenge’s answer surprised us.“Right now we’re focused on a certain exciting selection of clubs, but we definitely see other avenues and other possibilities out there,” he added.“No one's ever said that football is the only theme that we have to show, and we see, you know, wider possibilities in that perspective that we are creating. There's so much more to be shown in football as it is, so we are already full of ideas for the future.Article continues below“Hopefully we’ll have a launch that we dream of and everything will go according to play, and we’re going to be here to stay for a good while.”For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌

Nintendo are repeating some very old mistakes with the Switch 2 – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published April 12, 2025 9:00am Are Nintendo making some schoolboy errors? (Nintendo) A reader points out how console manufacturers always seem to have trouble following up a big success and suggests Nintendo could fall into the same trap as everyone from Atari to Xbox. I have been reading bits here and there on the Switch 2; hearing opinions on YouTube, etc. from different people. I don’t have an interest in the console, I was never going to buy it, and it looks to me like they are just playing it safe with the same name and look of the console. But I’m a bit confused by their pricing strategy on games. Some that seem like a reskin of old classics are bumped up to full price and what’s with charging for some upgrades, never heard of Smart Delivery? This happened before with Nintendo, over the 3DS price after the DS success, and lowering the price for GameCube. Perhaps they may end up doing the same with the Switch 2. What I don’t want is for this to set a precedent for game price rises, that publishers may jump on. Also, Nintendo need to be careful they don’t add fire to any negativity that can hamper their launch, especially in this internet age. Here’s the thing, and it’s a warning from history. Gaming companies have, going back decades, shot themselves in the foot after having a successful product. Firstly, I’m thinking of the Xbox One. All Microsoft had to do was release a powerful Xbox 360 successor and all the extras would have followed with it. Heck, they could even have called it the Xbox 360-2 and it might have sold more than the Xbox 360. But instead they alienated gamers with always online, DRM controversy, performance issues, etc. and a launch event that looking back still makes me cringe. The Xbox One reveal was an event I still feel to this day Microsoft did not need to do. It was only to copy Sony but in the end it ended up helping PlayStation’s cause and hurting Xbox one. And not to mention how fast they backtracked on used games and Kinect. The Irony being a lot of what they preached has come true today. Sony, after the hugely popular PlayStation 2, almost botched the PlayStation 3 with its price and other issues. Nintendo, after the Wii, badly miscalculated the allegiance of the casual userbase it had and the Wii U flopped. Go back further and you get to Sega after the Mega Drive. The bloated add-ons for it and the Dreamcast. Everyone seems to fondly remember the Dreamcast but too bad that no one bought it when it was getting rolled over by the PlayStation juggernaut at the time. Going further back: Atari sinking after failed consoles. I’m pretty sure they made big on the Jaguar being 64-bit and were then accused of false advertising by people saying it technically wasn’t. Plus, they only had awful games for it, and a strange joypad, and that failure pretty much consigned Atari to history as a console maker. Also, the fate of Commodore. They released a C64 console to try and cash in on the C64 computer, but it was quickly forgotten. Lord knows how many other consoles have fallen by the wayside due to bad decisions and high prices that took out a large chunk of the market. Sometimes it just seems that companies routinely misjudge the mood of the gaming market and what consumers may want. It’s always amazed me, in the gaming hardware industry, how companies, after having a successful product, then make some of these odd choices afterwards and almost ruin the brand name. Now, I’m sure Switch 2 will sell very well but with what game attach ratio and how many will end up as used consoles in stores? If it’s a console relying on the casual market, Nintendo should already know how volatile that could be. I think Sony and Microsoft, who are rumoured to be working on handhelds, are watching the Switch 2 to see how it pans out and then make their plans. Also, as we have seen this console generation, the userbases have shrunk – will Nintendo buck the trend? [Well, they certainly have with the Switch – GC] More Trending Sony have been the most consistent gaming hardware performer. But at times even they have made odd choices to ruin PlayStation. So many companies in gaming have ruined their success by a list of bungled decisions down the decades. So, this is just a little warning: no gaming company should assume success is guaranteed just because of an installed base, because in this industry it isn’t. By reader Stephen The Xbox One was not a good follow-up to the Xbox 360 (Microsoft) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Project Files: https://www.patreon.com/posts/126484273 . This is the 25th part of the tutorial series, where we are going to implement a Real Time Strategy game using Unreal Engine and C++. In this episode, we are going to work on the action panel. This will usually include build options and other actions the selected characters can perform. As the first action, we will add a build house button to the action pane. So we would be able to click on the button and go into place house mode and place a house on any valid location of the map we need. Full C++ RTS Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou5_PYxEdjNbAgbVRn-daOga . Unreal Strategy game with Blueprints series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou4Eulmi8YIfzHiNZEzfbSMk ► 👇 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 // 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧! https://www.patreon.com/codelikeme ►Patrons will have access to project files of all the stuff I do in the channel and other extra benefits Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6Jh9EBV7a_Nm52Ipll_Q/join Like my facebook page for more content : https://www.facebook.com/gamedevelopersclub/ Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/CodeLikeMe2 Follow me on reddit : https://www.reddit.com/user/codelikeme #CodeLikeMe #unrealengine #ue5 #ue4 #indiegamedev

Nature, Published online: 09 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08790-wDense calcium imaging combined with co-registered high-resolution electron microscopy reconstruction of the brain of the same mouse provide a functional connectomics map of tens of thousands of neurons of a region of the primary cortex and higher visual areas.

RT Joseph CrossBetter look at some of the beautiful Runner key art the team cooked up:)

RT DogeDesignerElon Musk is just trying to do good things.-DOGE is saving tax dollars.-Neuralink is finding cures for paralysis & blindness.-Tesla is accelerating world’s transition to sustainable energy.-SpaceX is working on making humanity multiplanetary-𝕏 is restoring free speech.

Irfan Khan's son Babil Khan is all set to headline through his thriller movie Logout. The Hindi-language social drama will be available for streaming soon. The movie takes a bold look at the dangers of digital dependency and the psychological toll of constant connectivity. The female lead is Rasika Dugal, who has also played in famous series like Mirzapur and Delhi Crime. The movie depicts a fresh take on how modern life revolves around screens. The movie is directed by Amit Golani and was initially released in select theatres and film festivals before reaching a broader audience through OTT.When and Where to Watch Log OutBabar's Logout will premiere on Zee5 on April 18, 2025. This film will be available in Hindi across India. Zee5 subscribers can view it starting at midnight on the date of release.Official Trailer and Plot of LogoutThe 2 minutes-and-41-seconds long trailer starts with Pratyush obsessed with chasing his aim of hitting 10 million followers. He calls his followers Pratmaniacs. He is so absorbed in his virtual world that he fails to realise that his phone is controlling his life. As the plot unwraps, secrets surface, and lives untangle when the digital world begins to eat up his sense of life.The narrative of the film takes the audience around real-world scenarios such as cyberbullying, gaming addiction, social media obsession and digital burnout, offering modern society a mirror. This story serves as a warning, prompting a deeper question: What is the true cost of being perpetually connected?Cast and Crew of Log OutBabil Khan is cast as Pratyush, a young man battling his digital dependencies. Rasika Dugal is playing the role of a therapist who is compassionate but troubled. Apart from these lead roles, the audience can also see Gandharv Dewan and Nimisha Nair on the screen. The film is directed by Amit Golani and penned by Biswapati Sarkar under the banner of Digital 18 Media Pvt Ltd. in collaboration with Posham Pa Pictures.Reception of Log OutBefore the digital arrival of the film, there was a buzz among millennials and Gen Zs making waves on social media for acknowledging the most pressing issues of the digital era. The film has already been screened at renowned film festivals. It was an official selection at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2024, the 21st Indian Film Festival Stuttgart, the River to River Florence Indian Film Festival and more. With its release on April 18th, it is going to reach a wider audience, inviting them to introspect and maybe be Logout for a while.

From PDF to Podcast: The MIT Tool That Goes Beyond NotebookLMCriticalMynd·Follow5 min read·Just now--NotebookLM is one of Google’s more creative AI products, introduced a couple of months ago. Many people were amazed by its abilities — especially the idea of turning a long text into an interesting conversation between two podcast hosts. NotebookLM offers more than that, such as chatting (Q&A) and even generating mind maps. If you haven’t tried NotebookLM yet, I highly encourage you to experience it yourself. It’s free and really easy to use.— -The ProblemThis is great, but some advanced users, including developers, want more and quickly run into limitations — at least in the free version:You can’t select the hosts’ character.You can’t change the prompt.You can’t select the length or depth of the conversation.… and pretty much anything else that goes beyond uploading the document and telling NotebookLM what to focus on, which was added recently.Most importantly, it has no API… yet (at least not in the free version)— -The SolutionAs we often see these days, for almost every commercial solution, open-source alternatives appear — if not many. The same goes for NotebookLM.When you search on GitHub for NotebookLM, you will find plenty of projects.If you just want to test a solution without installing or configuring anything, there is a Hugging Face space that can do exactly that.Generates an engaging two-host podcast from any uploaded documentMany thanks to the developers of this lamm-mit space:https://huggingface.co/spaces/lamm-mit/PDF2Audio— -What You NeedA Hugging Face account (free)An OpenAI API key. We will be using the TTS API for that.The CostTo get an idea of how affordable inference and TTS can be, in