This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 1. The Last of Us is a story about loss, grief, and the lengths someone will go to protect the people they love. Last season, we saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) grapple with the loss of his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) for decades until he met Ellie (Bella Ramsey). He went to great lengths to protect Ellie on their journey across the country, including slaughtering Fireflies in their Salt Lake City outpost to keep them from killing Ellie for a chance at a Cordyceps cure. But this season we learn that his actions aren’t without consequence, and after five years, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) has come to Jackson to collect. In the series, we first meet Abby in the aftermath of Joel’s massacre on the Fireflies. She and her friends have buried the dead, and Abby vows revenge against Joel. In HBO’s post-premiere featurette “The Last of Us Season 2: The Making of Episode One,” series co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin says that Abby “is broken here, and if she reminds you a little bit, say, of what Joel felt like when he lost his daughter, well that’s not unintentional” Both Joel and Abby’s stories begin with an unimaginable loss. Abby has lost her father, someone she clearly cares about deeply; someone she’s willing to go to the ends of the Earth to avenge. Joel loses his daughter at the start of the Cordyceps outbreak when a soldier opens fire on them, and it forever changes him.  “When we lose somebody who’s taken from us violently for reasons that don’t seem fair or logical, the chain reaction begins,” Mazin says. In a world overrun with infected, with humanity having to fight to survive, it’s no surprise that law and order is left up to the people. We already saw this cycle of violence and retribution come into play in season 1. In Kansas City, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) was ruthless in her pursuit of Henry (Lamar Johnson). Henry gave her brother up to FEDRA in exchange for lifesaving medicine for his younger brother, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Kathleen believed that that meant they both deserved to die. Joel killed a raider to defend himself and Ellie in Colorado. Then people from that community came after them seeking vengeance. “This season is about the consequence of violence,” series co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann says. “How far will you go in that pursuit of justice, when you are feeling righteous and just?” Abby and Joel both believe that the only way they can protect and avenge the ones they love is through violence. Joel wasn’t able to save Sarah, but in Salt Lake City he is able to save Ellie. He is able to finally atone for this mistake that has haunted him for decades. And as we see in “Future Days,” he still believes that this was the right course of action. He believes that all of the violence was worth it to save Ellie’s life. According to Kaitlyn Dever, Abby is “riddled with grief.” Just as Sarah’s death continues to haunt Joel, “the loss of [Abby’s] dad has sort of really taken over her life.” Abby wants Joel to die slowly, painfully, so he can feel the intense pain that he has caused her by killing her father so callously.  Obviously after spending so much time with Joel last season we don’t want anything to happen to him. But at the same time, it’s not hard to empathize with where Abby is coming from. We saw what Joel was willing to do at the mere mention of Ellie dying. If the Fireflies had gone through with it before he was able to stop them, it’s not hard to imagine that Joel would go on the most intense, scorched-earth revenge spree you’ve ever seen. While we’ve yet to see in the show just how far Abby is willing to go to avenge her father, those familiar with the games know that this cycle of violence in response to violence is just getting started. When The Last of Us Part II first came out, a lot of people hated Abby for this reason. Hopefully this time around, people will be able to find some empathy for her character and realize that she and Joel have more in common than you think. New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, culminating with the finale on May 25, 2025. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

SummaryTurn-based, character-focused, stand-alone tactical RPG.Set in the dark fantasy world of King Arthur: Knight’s Tale.Conquer Avalon with heroes from the abyss. Here at NeocoreGames, we are excited to share that King Arthur: Legion IX is coming to Xbox Series X|S. Legion IX is a turn-based, character-focused tactical RPG set in the dark fantasy world of our previous game King Arthur: Knight’s Tale. Whether you’re a seasoned tactician or diving into Avalon for the first time, we think there’s something here for you in this stand-alone adventure: New heroes, new story and, of course, plenty of tough battles to sink your sword (or gladius in this case) into. The Ninth Legion Rises  A new threat has arrived on Avalon, and it’s not your usual band of marauders. The infamous Ninth Legion of Rome – lost to history – has marched straight out of the depths of Tartarus and onto the mystical island. Their leader, Gaius Julius Mento, was once a proud Roman tribune. Now he commands a demonic legion, a twisted gift from their dead emperor, Septimus Sulla. But Gaius has bigger ambitions: he wants to conquer Avalon and build an Eternal Rome. First, though, he must reunite his scattered legion. A Roman Invasion of Avalon You will step into Gaius Julius Mento’s boots and lead the Ninth Legion through a brutal, Roman-themed campaign. You’ll have to battle nightmare-fueled monsters, clash with fierce Pict tribes, and face off against the ancient Fomorians and cunning Sídhe. You might even cross swords with the knights of Sir Mordred’s Round Table, first introduced in King Arthur: Knight’s Tale. Across fifteen handcrafted missions, you’ll carve your path through Avalon and decide Gaius’ fate. Tactical Combat Meets Role-Playing If you like strategy and character-driven stories, you’ll be in for a treat. In King Arthur: Legion IX, you control a squad of five to six unique heroes as you explore and battle through the mystical land of Avalon. Combat in this game revolves around using cover, setting traps, flanking enemies and mastering the overwatch and opportunity system to turn the tide of battle. Heroes from the Abyss Legion IX introduces six new heroes, each with unique skills and playstyles. You’ll have to level them up, unlock their skill trees and equip them with powerful artifacts to become the deadliest force in Avalon. Whether you prefer a methodical approach or charging straight into battle, you’ll have the tools to build your characters your way. Build Nova Roma Conquering Avalon is no small feat, and you’ll need a proper stronghold to do it. We wanted to make the rebuilding of Nova Roma a fundamental part of the game. This means that you’ll have to manage resources, upgrade buildings and facilities in between battles, and make sure your heroes are ready for whatever comes next. Your Choices Shape the Story At the heart of Legion IX there is a choice that will define Gaius Julius Mento’s journey. Your decisions throughout the campaign will shape not only Gaius’ fate, but the future of Avalon itself.  We hope you’re ready to lead the Ninth Legion and we’ll see you on the battlefield on May 6, 2025. King Arthur: Legion IX NeocoreGames ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now King Arthur: Legion IX is a turn-based, character-centric tactical RPG in the King Arthur: Knight's Tale universe – a dark fantasy version of the Arthurian myth. King Arthur: Legion IX welcomes new players to the mythical land of Avalon with an all-new story and heroes, also offering tough challenges to returning veterans. A new threat looms over Avalon as the long-lost, infamous Ninth Legion of Rome has set foot on the mythical island. Their commander, the fallen hero, Gaius Julius Mento was granted a demonic legion by their dead emperor, Septimus Sulla to find a way out of Tartarus. But when they accidentally arrive to the magical realm of the Lady of the Lake, Gaius Julius Mento decides to subjugate the island and establish Eternal Rome there. First, however, he must gather his lost legion… Play through a Roman-themed campaign as Gaius Julius Mento, a tribune of the undead Ninth Legion, as he discovers Avalon. Battle the monsters of nightmares, challenge the Pict tribes, the monstrous Fomorians and the cunning Sídhe. Experience the might of the Old Faith and Christianity and face the knights of Sir Mordred's Round Table through 15 handcrafted missions. Find, rebuild and protect the remains of the only Roman colony in Avalon and choose your path to victory. By the end of the campaign, you'll have to choose: do you want to become a powerful demon, or will you reject the might of Emperor Sulla and restore your humanity? A Role-playing Tactical Adventure: Experience a unique hybrid between turn-based tactical games and traditional, character-centric RPGs. Manage and control a party of 5-6 heroes to explore and conquer the land of Avalon. Engage in deep tactical combat, tough moral choices, hero management, and the rebuilding of Nova Roma. Prove your Worth as a Tactician: Every little move and every decision matters. Use covers, traps, flanking and an in-dept overwatch and opportunity system and turn the entire battlefield to your advantage like a master tactician. Sometimes meticulous planning, sometimes charging simply to combat will be the key to victory. The only difference between a successful or a failed quest may depend on the composition of your party only! Heroes Straight from the Abyss: Legion IX introduces six unique heroes who have risen from the Abyss to conquer the mythical land of Avalon. Level up, gain skill points and unlock unique skill trees. Loot, equip and craft hundreds of artefacts and create the deadliest fighting force that has ever set foot on Avalon. Wide variety of Abilities: Use unique skills, Ultimate Skills and World Abilities to overcome the toughest challenges during your quests in Avalon. Take risks and explore various tactical options as heroes don't face permanent death at the end of the missions. Test your skills in different difficulty modes, from laid-back storytelling to brutal, unforgiving battles. Not Built in a Day: Build up and expand the city of Nova Roma. Make sure that your stronghold has the right facilities for your heroes that prepare them for different quests. But beware! Resources are scarce and you have to manage Nova Roma thoughtfully to keep it afloat. Regain your Humanity: Your decisions have far-reaching consequences, influencing both gameplay and narrative. Through your actions, Gaius will either restore his humanity, or forever be transformed into a demon.

When shopping for a new home, potential buyers are drawn to clean, contemporary, and neutral interiors that allow them to imagine their own lives unfolding in the space. Recognizing this, many savvy sellers are turning to professional home stagers to give their properties an instant makeover. These experts specialize in transforming outdated or overly personalized spaces into universally appealing homes, often resulting in a major boost to the sale price.“A thoughtfully staged and curated home can sell for at least 10 percent more than an unstaged home,” says Jessica Buchman, an associate real estate broker at Corcoran, noting that about one-fourth of her clients hire professional stagers.If you’re preparing to list your home, leveraging the power of expert staging could be the key to selling faster and for top dollar. Alternatively, you can take inspiration from their proven techniques and implement them yourself for a cost-effective upgrade. Whether you hire the pros or go the DIY route, strategic staging can breathe new life into your home, highlight its best features, and help prospective buyers fall in love at first sight. Follow these 11 expert-backed tips to transform your house into a buyer’s dream and potentially secure an above-asking price offer.Related StoriesRemove Personal ItemsThis first tip may be somewhat controversial, but many say that it really does make a difference. Potential buyers want to establish an emotional connection with a home and envision their family enjoying it—and seeing pictures of your family hanging on every wall can stand in their way. Take family portraits off the wall, and clear framed pictures off end tables and bookshelves. This principle also extends to any other decorative pieces that may be construed as personal, political, or potentially offensive, says expert stager Terry Mainord, founder of Terry Mainord Design. For example, a mounted deer head over a fireplace could send even the most serious of buyers running out the door, and a provocative piece of art may make some buyers feel uncomfortable. Paint the InteriorsThe dark green walls in your study and the cabbage rose wallpaper in your powder room may appeal to you (or at least not bother you), but they might turn off some buyers. “A fresh coat of not quite white paint makes a home feel newer and fresher. Try neutral beige tones like Benjamin Moore London Fog or La Paloma Grey,” says celebrity interior designer Cheryl Eisen, founder of Interior Marketing Group, which specializes in luxury staging and interior design. “My mantra is ‘neutral tones sell homes’ because neutral tones have broad appeal.” There are, however, a few instances in which color can make a space feel more inviting. “In NYC, I stage a lot of brownstones and prewar apartments, which can often benefit from color,” says Mainord. “In stagings this year, I’ve used deep burgundy, soft lavender, steely blue, and a bold, emerald green. In kitchens, we often paint worn wood cabinets and use darker tones to complement existing dark kitchen counters.”Related StoryGo for a Minimalist VibeSimple, modern furniture in light colors enhances most rooms and doesn’t compete with the architecture. That was Eisen’s mindset when she flipped a Mediterranean-style house in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami. After changing the flooring, removing a few walls, updating the staircase, and making some other improvements, she staged the home with neutral paint, modern chandeliers, and modern art. “The result was a bidding war—and a profit of over 100 percent return on investment,” she says.…Or Make a StatementWhile simple, neutral furnishings are the hallmark of most stagers, a cool, stylish interior can appeal to certain buyers. “My favorite stager is a maximalist. He will create an aspirational experience from the moment you walk in the door. There will be color and texture, and his props are often antiques and curiosities from far-away travels,” says Buchman. This tactic is riskier than opting for a sparse, neutral look, but it can appeal to discerning buyers in high-end areas who want a stylish home they can move right into.Related StoryPay Attention to ScaleChoosing the right size furnishings can make your home seem bigger. “Lower profile furnishings give the appearance of higher ceilings, and the larger the area rug, the larger the room looks,” Eisen says. Large-scale modern art can also add life and energy to a home, but be sure you don’t hang it too high, which is a common mistake. “In general, the center of the artwork should be around 57 inches from the floor, unless it’s hanging over a piece of furniture,” Mainord says.Replace Light FixturesThis is one of the quickest and most inexpensive staging techniques—and it can have a huge payoff. Swap out dated chandeliers and sconces with more modern fixtures, and screw in warm 2700K lightbulbs, which provide a soothing, inviting glow. “It doesn’t have to be expensive lighting, but updates like this make a home feel more custom and designed,” Eisen says.Related StorySpiff Up the FloorsDated, worn, or stained wall-to-wall carpeting can make a house feel old and dingy. “Remove old carpet and replace it with neutral area rugs like jute or ivory wool, which work in almost any room and will add an appealing texture,” Mainord says. Also replace worn stair runners (or just remove them if there’s nice wood underneath), sand and/or buff wood floors, and clean the grout in tiled floors. Try Some Smoke and Mirrors“Buyers respond to bright, spacious spaces,” Eisen says. To make your home seem brighter, she suggests strategically placing mirrors across from windows to help reflect light. For example, hang a mirror over the fireplace in the family room or above a sideboard in the dining room. Related StoryFocus on High-Traffic AreasIf you can’t afford to stage your whole house, zone in on the rooms that buyers see first. “I would suggest focusing on the living/dining rooms and primary bedroom. Those are the main rooms of a home, which usually get photographed,” Mainord says.Accessorize WiselyKitchens and bathrooms can the the most costly and complicated spaces to stage, so be creative when it comes to accessories. “Replacing cabinet hardware and lighting are two ways we like to update kitchens,” Mainord says. “In bathrooms, we strive for a spa-like ambiance, so new fluffy white towels, white shower curtains, and white mats are easy upgrades. Adding plants—even good fauxs—to these areas also makes a difference. Adding something that looks fresh and organic appeals to buyers!”Related StoryDon’t Forget About the ExteriorPainting the exterior of a house is expensive, but when you consider that an unusual or unappealing paint color can cause a house to languish on the market for months, it’s a wise investment. “Curb appeal is incredibly important when selling a house. Pulling up to a wow moment immediately sets the tone,” says Eisen, who suggests painting houses white, which is always a safe bet. To add to the exterior style, “try flanking two topiaries outside the front door to create a welcoming, happy moment,” she says.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

Last month, Apple delayed the rollout of its more personal and powerful Siri features. As it looks to right the ship for future Apple Intelligence updates, Bloomberg highlights a shift that Apple is making in how it trains its artificial intelligence models. The report highlights a blog post from Apple’s Machine Learning Research website, explaining how Apple generally uses synthetic data to train its AI models. There are limitations to this strategy, however, including the fact that it’s hard for synthetic data to “understand trends” in features like summarization or writing tools that operate on longer sentences or entire email messages. To address this limitation, Apple highlights a new technology it will soon start using that compares the synthetic data to a small sample of recent user emails, but without compromising user privacy: To improve our models we need to generate a set of many emails that cover topics that are most common in messages. To curate a representative set of synthetic emails, we start by creating a large set of synthetic messages on a variety of topics. For example, we might create a synthetic message, “Would you like to play tennis tomorrow at 11:30AM?” This is done without any knowledge of individual user emails. We then derive a representation, called an embedding, of each synthetic message that captures some of the key dimensions of the message like language, topic, and length. These embeddings are then sent to a small number of user devices that have opted in to Device Analytics. Participating devices then select a small sample of recent user emails and compute their embeddings. Each device then decides which of the synthetic embeddings is closest to these samples. Using differential privacy, Apple can then learn the most-frequently selected synthetic embeddings across all devices, without learning which synthetic embedding was selected on any given device. These most-frequently selected synthetic embeddings can then be used to generate training or testing data, or we can run additional curation steps to further refine the dataset. For example, if the message about playing tennis is one of the top embeddings, a similar message replacing “tennis” with “soccer” or another sport could be generated and added to the set for the next round of curation (see Figure 1). This process allows us to improve the topics and language of our synthetic emails, which helps us train our models to create better text outputs in features like email summaries, while protecting privacy. Apple explains that these techniques allow it to “understand overall trends, without learning information about any individual. Bloomberg says that Apple will roll out this new system in a future beta of iOS 18.5 and macOS 15.5. You can read Apple’s full blog post for more details. Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.  Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Them's fightin' words. Silent RiotA former OpenAI employee is joining Elon Musk's campaign against CEO Sam Altman — and he's got a lot to say about his former boss.After jumping ship to Anthropic, which was cofounded by former OpenAI-ers over AI safety and ethics concerns, researcher Todor Markov is now claiming in a new legal filing that his ex-boss is, essentially, a really bad dude.The root of Markov's complaint, as he explained in his portion of a lengthy amicus brief that also includes statements from 11 other former OpenAI employees, are Altman's alleged lies about non-disparagement agreements that staffers are forced to sign early in their time at the company.Last year, the researcher discovered the existence of the clause that essentially made him and other departing employees give up their right to ever speak critically about OpenAI if they wanted to keep their vested equity in their multi-billion-dollar former employer. During an all-hands meeting about the controversial clause, Altman claimed he had no knowledge of its existence — only to be caught with egg on his face immediately after when Vox published leaked documents showing that the CEO had signed off on it.Lying GameAs Markov explained in his declaration, that debacle proved to him that Altman "was a person of low integrity who had directly lied to employees" about the restrictive non-disparagement agreements. This suggested to him that the CEO was "very likely lying to employees about a number of other important topics," including its commitment to building safe artificial general intelligence, or AGI.In the company's charter, OpenAI promises to "use any influence we obtain over AGI's deployment to ensure it is used for the benefit of all, and to avoid enabling uses of AI or AGI that harm humanity or unduly concentrate power." According to Markov, that promise was "positioned as the foundational document guiding all of our strategic decisions" — but ultimately, it proved empty."I realized the Charter had been used as a smokescreen," he wrote, "something to attract and retain idealistic talent while providing no real check on OpenAI’s growth and its pursuit of AGI."Like Musk, Markov believes that Altman's attempts to restructure OpenAI into a for-profit entity shows that its charter and mission "were used all along as a facade to manipulate its workforce and the public." Unlike that multi-hyphenate billionaire cofounder, however, the researcher isn't looking to buy anything — and seems mostly to want his voice heard.More on Altman: This Appears to Be Why Sam Altman Actually Got Fired by OpenAIShare This Article

Title: Associate Director, Website DevelopmentReports To: Senior Director, Digital Operations and StrategyLocation: Home Based Office (US)Status: Full time; Exempt (IC3/B7)Salary Range*: $105,000 - $125,000IN LIEU OF A COVER LETTER, PLEASE REVIEW THE PRE-SCREEN QUESTIONSFacing History & Ourselves is a global education non-profit organization that challenges teachers and students to use lessons of history to stand up to racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry and hate.Position Description: The Associate Director provides technical leadership, solutions architecture, senior web development skills and strategic guidance to build, extend, and sustain Facing History’s digital infrastructure. This role oversees the architecture, design, and development of core platforms, systems, and applications, with a primary focus on FacingHistory.org, a Drupal-based platform, and its interconnected third-party systems.You will drive the technical implementation, ensuring our digital infrastructure delivers seamless, secure, and scalable experiences for educators and administrators. Your work will prioritize best practices in user experience, accessibility, and web development.Collaborating across teams—including product, design, and engineering—you will lead the technical development and delivery of impactful digital products. As part of the Technology team, you’ll join a culture that values flexibility, a growth mindset, and humor as we navigate the organization’s evolving needs.Who You Are: You are a collaborative and growth-minded technical leader who excels at navigating complex technical landscapes while fostering inclusive and equitable team environments. Known for your ability to think critically and execute effectively, you balance technical expertise with empathy and communication to ensure the needs of both end-users and team members are met. You embrace challenges as opportunities to innovate, consistently demonstrating accountability, resilience, and a commitment to building trust and strong relationships across diverse stakeholders.Who We Are: The Technology team is collaborative, supportive, and flexible. We are customer focused and appreciate our role in supporting the work and mission of Facing History and Ourselves. We embrace a growth-mindset and we are able to pivot/adapt to changes and are good natured in our approach to shifting priorities. We value the strengths we each bring to our team. We deal with complex and sensitive issues, and work to maintain professionalism and a good sense of humor, too.You Will:Oversee the Dev Ops and technical architecture for Facing History, www.facinghistory.org (Drupal). Lead development efforts for our sprints, ensuring alignment with key objectives and metrics.Supervise and provide direction for one internal developer while effectively interfacing with external technical partners and developers to ensure alignment, quality, and timely delivery of platform enhancements.Collaborate with our project manager to assess and prioritize tickets based on our goals, timelines and stakeholder needs to ensure the successful delivery of development tasks.Scope and write clear technical requirements documents using tools such as JIRA or ClickUp.Estimate tickets, manage engineering capacity in coordination with the internal and external project managers, and monitor and adapt when estimates are inaccurate.Translate technical challenges into actionable opportunities that support long-term scalability, and ongoing optimization of functionality, integrations, and system performance.Work on development tickets, both front-end and back-end, and complete code reviews for peers.Maintain and monitor SSO integrations (Google, Clever, Canvas), multidevs, and major platform integrations.Oversee testing, QA, and release management to ensure high-quality deployments. Execute code deploys.Troubleshoot complex and/or urgent website issues, coordinate effectively with external developers, internal leadership, and 3rd party vendors. Occasionally requires off-hours work.Support best practices for coding standards, security, stability UX design, accessibility, and iterative development.Partner with teams to integrate third-party platforms (e.g., Salesforce, event registration systems) with Drupal-based solutions, and support the ongoing documentation and quality of these integrations.Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for platform health and operational efficiency. Standardize and provide regular reporting on health or the platform.Create and maintain documentation for technical solutions, workflows, and product specifications. Lead technical training and troubleshooting efforts by developing resources and providing guidance to stakeholders.Manage and provide web development support to end users through Salesforce cases and for internal teams through Slack channels. Ensure efficient issue resolution and identify opportunities for process improvements.Professional DevelopmentMaintain proficiency, obtain certifications, and increase expertise in Drupal, CMSs, technical architecture, and nonprofit technology solutions and use cases by attending trainings, reading industry-relevant resources, attending conferences and moreModel and nurture Professional Development plan development and knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing practices for teamSeek opportunities to submit proposals, join panels, and present our workCommunity & CommitmentIn addition, qualified candidates can expect to:Center principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in all work.Demonstrate a commitment to the mission of Facing History & Ourselves.Demonstrate a commitment to diversity using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance.Demonstrate a commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.Essential Skills, Qualifications and Competencies:Facing History understands that restrictive job requirements may exclude historically marginalized groups from applying to jobs for which they are qualified. We take an equitable and holistic screening approach. If you feel you have demonstrated experience and expertise relevant to perform this role, please don’t hesitate to apply!Customarily requires BS/BA in related discipline or equivalent related experience. Specific certification may be preferred.At Least 5 years experience as a technology lead deploying enterprise-class solutions for managing data, content, and transactions, at least 3+ years specifically with Drupal. Experience with Drupal-Salesforce integration is highly preferred.Outstanding communication and collaboration skills, with the demonstrated ability to effectively communicate complex technical solutions to non-technology staff, and to be able to translate business needs into clear technical requirements.Consistently demonstrate strong ownership of projects end-to-end, a track record of successfully rolling out infrastructure, and collaborating with multiple stakeholders to deliver successful solutions.Strategic thinker and contributor with in-depth knowledge of web development tools (CSS, HTML) and programming languages (PHP, JavaScript).Knowledge and experience in established best practices for web development, accessibility, security and performance. CMS management, and content authoring. Proven experience with Agile methods strongly preferred.Maintains an understanding of and a perspective on web technology trends within the Drupal space and beyond to understand how they can be applied to maintain stability and enable opportunities for product growth.Benefits Summary: In addition to meaningful and rewarding work, Facing History provides an excellent and competitive compensation and benefits package including medical with a fully employer-sponsored health reimbursement account (HRA), dental, vision, life & AD&D, long-term & short-term disability insurance, 403(B) retirement plan with a discretionary organizational contribution, generous paid time off, an employee assistance program, travel assistance plan, pre-tax commuter spending accounts, flexible spending accounts, voluntary Colonial Life group plans, robust wellness programs through aHealthyMe, an employee discounted marketplace through BenefitHub, weekly virtual yoga and meditation, 403(B) advisement, and a friendly work environment.Facing History values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.Facing History’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. At Facing History, we honor and value the uniqueness of each and every human being. Our strength as an organization that provides and distributes educational content and pedagogy to teachers across the globe is directly tied to our diversity of staff, leadership, educators, students, scholars, and volunteers. Our commitment is to treat individuals with dignity and to build and maintain a community of full participation, inclusive of the voices, needs, and contributions of all. As an organization, we are deeply aware of the legacies of injustices that persist in society and in the workplace, and we value and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their association with excellence.Remote-first/Hybrid Work Model: Facing History and Ourselves operates in a remote-first/hybrid work model, allowing staff flexibility in both schedules and work locations. This particular position is home-based. Some travel is required.* We strive to offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience in a similar position. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary range between the minimum and midpoint depending on experience and in alignment with internal parity.

Microsoft says a seemingly innocuous folder added in a recent Windows 11 update is actually very important.

April 14, 20254 min readMathematicians Crack 125-Year-Old Problem, Unite Three Physics TheoriesA breakthrough in Hilbert’s sixth problem is a major step in grounding physics in mathBy Jack Murtagh edited by Jeanna BrynerMathematicians suggest they have figured out how to unify three physical theories that explain the motion of fluids. Floriana/Getty ImagesWhen the greatest mathematician alive unveils a vision for the next century of research, the math world takes note. That’s exactly what happened in 1900 at the International Congress of Mathematicians at Sorbonne University in Paris. Legendary mathematician David Hilbert presented 10 unsolved problems as ambitious guideposts for the 20th century. He later expanded his list to include 23 problems, and their influence on mathematical thought over the past 125 years cannot be overstated.Hilbert’s sixth problem was one of the loftiest. He called for “axiomatizing” physics, or determining the bare minimum of mathematical assumptions behind all its theories. Broadly construed, it’s not clear that mathematical physicists could ever know if they had resolved this challenge. Hilbert mentioned some specific subgoals, however, and researchers have since refined his vision into concrete steps toward its solution.In March mathematicians Yu Deng of the University of Chicago and Zaher Hani and Xiao Ma of the University of Michigan posted a new paper to the preprint server arXiv.org that claims to have cracked one of these goals. If their work withstands scrutiny, it will mark a major stride toward grounding physics in math and may open the door to analogous breakthroughs in other areas of physics.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.In the paper, the researchers suggest they have figured out how to unify three physical theories that explain the motion of fluids. These theories govern a range of engineering applications from aircraft design to weather prediction—but until now, they rested on assumptions that hadn’t been rigorously proven. This breakthrough won’t change the theories themselves, but it mathematically justifies them and strengthens our confidence that the equations work in the way we think they do.Each theory differs in how much it zooms in on a flowing liquid or gas. At the microscopic level, fluids are composed of particles—little billiard balls bopping around and occasionally colliding—and Newton’s laws of motion work well to describe their trajectories.But when you zoom out to consider the collective behavior of vast numbers of particles, the so-called mesoscopic level, it’s no longer convenient to model each one individually. In 1872 Austrian theoretical physicist Ludwig Boltzmann addressed this when he developed what became known as the Boltzmann equation. Instead of tracking the behavior of every particle, the equation considers the likely behavior of a typical particle. This statistical perspective smooths over the low-level details in favor of higher-level trends. The equation allows physicists to calculate how quantities such as momentum and thermal conductivity in the fluid evolve without painstakingly considering every microscopic collision.Zoom out further, and you find yourself in the macroscopic world. Here we view fluids not as a collection of discrete particles but as a single continuous substance. At this level of analysis, a different suite of equations—the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations—accurately describe how fluids move and how their physical properties interrelate without recourse to particles at all.The three levels of analysis each describe the same underlying reality—how fluids flow. In principle, each theory should build on the theory below it in the hierarchy: the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations at the macroscopic level should follow logically from the Boltzmann equation at the mesoscopic level, which in turn should follow logically from Newton’s laws of motion at the microscopic level. This is the kind of “axiomatization” that Hilbert called for in his sixth problem, and he explicitly referenced Boltzmann’s work on gases in his write-up of the problem. We expect complete theories of physics to follow mathematical rules that explain the phenomenon from the microscopic to the macroscopic levels. If scientists fail to bridge that gap, then it might suggest a misunderstanding in our existing theories.Unifying the three perspectives on fluid dynamics has posed a stubborn challenge for the field, but Deng, Hani and Ma may have just done it. Their achievement builds on decades of incremental progress. Prior advancements all came with some sort of asterisk, though; for example, the derivations involved only worked on short timescales, in a vacuum or under other simplifying conditions.The new proof broadly consists of three steps: derive the macroscopic theory from the mesoscopic one; derive the mesoscopic theory from the microscopic one; and then stitch them together in a single derivation of the macroscopic laws all the way from the microscopic ones.The first step was previously understood, and even Hilbert himself contributed to it. Deriving the mesoscopic from the microscopic, on the other hand, has been much more mathematically challenging. Remember, the mesoscopic setting is about the collective behavior of vast numbers of particles. So Deng, Hani and Ma looked at what happens to Newton’s equations as the number of individual particles colliding and ricocheting grows to infinity and their size shrinks to zero. They proved that when you stretch Newton’s equations to these extremes, the statistical behavior of the system—or the likely behavior of a “typical” particle in the fluid—converges to the solution of the Boltzmann equation. This step forms a bridge by deriving the mesoscopic math from the extremal behavior of the microscopic math.The major hurdle in this step concerned the length of time that the equations were modeling. It was already known how to derive the Boltzmann equation from Newton’s laws on very short timescales, but that doesn’t suffice for Hilbert’s program, because real-world fluids can flow for any stretch of time. With longer timescales comes more complexity: more collisions take place, and the whole history of a particle’s interactions might bear on its current behavior. The authors overcame this by doing careful accounting of just how much a particle’s history affects its present and leveraging new mathematical techniques to argue that the cumulative effects of prior collisions remain small.Gluing together their long-timescale breakthrough with previous work on deriving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations from the Boltzmann equation unifies three theories of fluid dynamics. The finding justifies taking different perspectives on fluids based on what’s most useful in context because mathematically they converge on one ultimate theory describing one reality. Assuming that the proof is correct, it breaks new ground in Hilbert’s program. We can only hope that with just such fresh approaches, the dam will burst on Hilbert’s challenges and more physics will flow downstream.

Eternal Darkness' infamous sanity system patent has expired - so can anyone now copy it? We asked a lawyer. Image credit: Nintendo News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on April 14, 2025 GameCube exclusive Eternal Darkness remains a cult classic among video game horror fans for its patented 'sanity system' - a series of paranoia-inducing effects meant to confuse the player and reflect your in-game character's spiralling psyche. While something of a gimmick, Eternal Darkness remains notorious today for the system - which included the game pulling stunts like pretending to crash or turn your TV off, or faking the deletion of your save file. Whether a marketing tactic or not, Nintendo of America filed a very real patent for the sanity system back in 2000, which finally expired in 2021. And every so often since then - particularly with the recent discussion around Warner Bros holding the patent for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system until 2036 - the matter has resurfaced. "It looks like the infamous patent on the sanity system from Eternal Darkness is now in the public domain," wrote reddit user DocMemory, shortly after the patent's time period ran out. "Let me just mention that I am not a lawyer and this should not constitute legal advice." But what if you did ask a lawyer, and did get legal advice? Could anyone now copy Eternal Darkness' sanity system and use those same sanity effects for themselves? I was intrigued. "You SHOULD be able to use whatever elements of an expired patent are necessary to its use (as described in the patent)," video game legal expert and creator of the Virtual Legality podcast Richard Hoeg told me. "But NOT anything that is not 'necessary' (graphics, perhaps some specific implementations - eg, sanity effects - as that's artistic expression rightly protected by copyright)." In other words, while you might be able to implement a similar version of Eternal Darkness' sanity system, directly copying elements from Eternal Darkness could prove more complicated. Nintendo of America's original patent describes a game system that incorporates a character's sanity level "that is affected by occurrences in the game such as encountering a game creature or gruesome situation". In short, the more bad stuff you see, the worse things get. But there are nuances - your character can rest or progress through an area more slowly to mitigate the sanity system's effects. "As the character's sanity level decreases, game play is effected such as by controlling game effects, audio effects, creating hallucinations and the like," the patent continues. "In this context, the same game can be played differently each time it is played." The patent goes on to detail a list of possible hallucinations that players may experience as a result of the sanity system, including: Wall carvings coming to life and reaching out for the character Something in wall or under floor moving by the character (Frighteners type of thing) Statue watching the character (Head tracking) Suit of armour moving (Relaxed to on guard stance) Static statue or object that appears to follow the character when they're not looking False doors that appear and disappear when the attempt to open is made Glowing eyes blinking in the darkness, yet when the area is illuminated they disappear Painting that shifts and changes along with its meaning Points of interest markers that the character's head will watch As well as a list of more physical effects that impact gameplay: Hallucination: lights go out, and a creature appears as lights come on, then the lights go back off, then the light comes back on and the creature is gone Stretching walls and corridors so they require more time to traverse Bleeding walls Enormous roar that emits from a tiny rodent (Mouse or rat) Dripping water from above, but when the character takes a second look it is now blood Shadows that appear to shift and change Character's torch mysteriously blows out, loud noise then it is once again lit Faint maniacal laughter (That gets louder and louder as the character draws deeper into insanity) Ambient audio, such as a water drip could become louder as insanity increases, so a really insane character will occasionally have this irritating dripping sound to distract him Lagging shadow (the character's shadow appears to follow the character) Eternal Darkness sadly never got a sequel, though attempts at crowdfunding a spiritual successor were made by some of the game's development team. Perhaps we should all just look forward to experiencing Eternal Darkness' sanity effects as they were originally programmed, if and when the game gets a fresh release via the Switch 2's Nintendo Switch Online GameCube catalogue.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide There’s a lot of great content for Dead By Daylight this month. There are the April 2025 codes that add up to over one million Bloodpoints when combined with BeHaviour’s apology, and there was also the release of Ken Kaneki as a new DBD killer. While a new killer has only recently joined, another new character is on the cusp of being added. The release date and time countdown for when the Dead By Daylight Chapter 35.5 PTB will come out is imminent, and it will introduce a new survivor to the game. Dead By Daylight Chapter 35.5 PTB release date The release date for the Dead By Daylight Chapter 35.5 PTB is April 15th. This is confirmed by BeHaviour as part of the April 2025 roadmap. While the public-test build arrives tomorrow, fans on platforms other than Steam will have to wait until the start of May to play as the new survivor. Below is everything happening in April for DBD: Chapter 35.5 PTB – April 15th Techwear skins collection – April 22nd Chaos shuffle modifier – April 26th – May 2nd Blood Moon event – ends April 29th When does the Dead By Daylight Chapter 35.5 PTB come out? The release time for when the Dead By Daylight Chapter 35.5 PTB will come out is 8AM PT/11AM ET/4PM BST on April 15th. All of the above launch hours are when public-test builds, chapters, and events typically start. They usually only start an hour later than usual when BeHaviour is conducting a livestream, but there is no stream happening. The next Dead By Daylight livestream will be for the anniversary on May 9th. This is part of PAX East, and it’s when we will finally see and learn more about the highly-anticipated FNAF Chapter. Dead By Daylight Chapter 35.5 PTB release time US 8AM PT on Tuesday, April 15th 11AM ET on Tuesday, April 15th DBD Chapter 35.5 PTB release time UK 4PM BST on Tuesday, April 15th DBD Countdown Below is a countdown to when the DBD PTB will launch: New DBD survivor As of writing, the new Dead By Daylight survivor has not been unveiled. All we have received so far is audio teasers that imply the new character is a nurse. Although not official, it appears that the character is voiced by Angelica Ross of American Horror Story fame. This isn’t official, but it appears to be the case as they liked the DBD new survivor teaser on Instagram, as screenshotted by dvveet. How to play the Dead By Daylight PTB In order to play the Chapter 35.5 PTB, you need to own DBD on Steam. Provided you play through Steam, all you need to do is follow the below steps: Right-click Dead By Daylight in your Steam library  Select “Properties”  Head into “Betas”, then select Public Test Build from the list  For more Dead By Daylight content, check out our ranking of the top 10 DLC expansions to buy along with a ranking of the best killer perks and best survivor perks. Dead by Daylight Platform(s): Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Action, Survival Horror 7 VideoGamer Related Topics Dead by Daylight Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share