Contract type: Part / full time (negotiable)Contract length: PermanentRemuneration: £50-70kpaLocation: UK (Remote)Reporting to: VP of EngineeringAbout SH:24First off, thank you for considering a role with us!SH:24 is a pioneering online sexual and reproductive health service, delivered in partnership with the NHS. We make it easy for people to self-manage their sexual and reproductive health online by providing free STI test kits, contraception & treatment, information and advice - 24 hours a day. We’ve won a host of awards and industry recognition for what we do, and we’re happy to say that our reach and services offered are expanding every day.We are not-for-profit and passionate about delivering discreet, convenient and clinically safe sexual health services. Our vision is to make it easier and faster for people to access sexual and reproductive health services, no matter where they live; we’ve been doing it since 2003. We’re also proud of our community and the people who work for us; those who have helped us shape a company that puts our users at the heart of everything we do by designing services that are easy to use, easy to access and easy to understand by all that need them.How We WorkAt SH:24 use Shape-Up to ensure what we’re building has the right impact at the right time, and to keep scope tight and deliverable. As a software engineer you’ll have the opportunity to feed into the shaping process and provide insights ahead of committing to a new feature or pathway. In between 6 week build cycles we have 2 week cooldown cycles which can be used to develop new skills, build small but critical features, or tackle tech debt.During each build cycle you’ll work in a small team of 2 - 3 engineers, a product owner, and support from our QA and design teams. Together you’ll take a piece of shaped work and determine the best way to approach the implementation. Other members of the wider team are always available to discuss your approach if you’re not sure on the best course of action.We have a solid foundation of technology that we use to deliver our services. We use a Rails monolith to run most of our internal business functions such as order management and electronic patient records. Our customer-facing frontends are built using NextJS, Typescript, React, and Contentful. These are all hosted on AWS using Elastic Kubernetes and managed using Terraform and ArgoCD. Every application has a comprehensive CI pipeline and test suite defined for confidence when making changes.What We’re Looking ForYou’re an experienced software engineer (ideally in Ruby or TypeScript but we’re more than happy to talk to people with experience in other languages).Experience working on a delivery team shipping a product to users.You have a good knowledge of databases and how they relate to ORMs. An understanding of SQL and DB performance at scale would be a real advantage.You have an eye for detail and go the extra mile to ensure that something looks right.You’re able to design and extend HTTP APIs to share information between systems.We’re big testers here. We’d hope you are too, as well as following good design principles for creating code. You might not know what every letter of SOLID means (although it wouldn’t hurt!) but you should be interested to learn and have a good understanding of what it means to create great code.You love to get involved and collaborate with other team members, both technical and non-technical.Finally, and most importantly, you will love to learn, share knowledge and help others. The team at SH:24 is great because we provide the support to each other for everyone to perform well.If this sounds like something you’d love to be doing then please send us an application and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. If you don’t feel like you match what we’re looking for exactly then please don’t let that put you of applying.What You’ll Get From usWe are always interested in upskilling our employees, and are flexible in ways to do it: be it courses, books, onsite or remote learning with a colleague - whatever suits the situation best. If there is a particular skill or product you would like to work on and improve, we’ll always try to accommodate you.We’re also keen to allow the team to work in the way they want - you can choose MacOS or Linux for your machine, and we're able to provide some equipment to make working from home more comfortable. Please feel free to ask.As well as remuneration in the region of £50-70k based on experience, SH:24 provides a number of other benefits, including 25 days of annual holiday (in addition to bank holidays, and the days between Christmas and New Year), truly flexible working, excellent pension contributions and life insurance.Equality and DiversityAs an employer, SH:24 is committed to inclusivity.We want to increase representation of currently under-represented groups to make SH:24 more diverse. Our aim is to build an inclusive team, where everyone is able to be themselves at work and feel supported, empowered, valued, respected, fairly treated and able to achieve their full potential. As an inclusive employer we will not tolerate discrimination.Interview ProcessThe SH:24 interview process comprises three main sections:An interview with a member of the Product & Engineering team. This is a shorter discussion where we you can learn more about what we do and who we are and where we can learn more about you and what you’re looking for.A take-home code test. This is usually completed in Ruby but let us know if you'd like to complete it in another language.A pairing interview, consisting of a conversation with two members of the team, along with a pairing exercise relating to the code test submitted. Usually we’ll request an additional feature or suggest a possible refactor for you to try.How To ApplyPlease apply by filling in the application form, complete with an up to date CV.We'll try to review all received responses as quickly as possible. - apply here!Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now Meet JobCopilot: Your Personal AI Job HunterAutomatically Apply to Remote Full-Stack Programming JobsJust set your preferences and Job Copilot will do the rest-finding, filtering, and applying while you focus on what matters. Activate JobCopilot

China has once again beat everyone else to a clean energy milestone—its new nuclear reactor is reportedly one of the first to use thorium instead of uranium as a fuel and the first of its kind that can be refueled while it’s running. It’s an interesting (if decidedly experimental) development out of a country that’s edging toward becoming the world leader in nuclear energy. China has now surpassed France in terms of generation, though not capacity; it still lags behind the US in both categories. But one recurring theme in media coverage about the reactor struck me, because it’s so familiar: This technology was invented decades ago, and then abandoned. You can basically copy and paste that line into countless stories about today’s advanced reactor technology. Molten-salt cooling systems? Invented in the mid-20th century but never commercialized. Same for several alternative fuels, like TRISO. And, of course, there’s thorium. This one research reactor in China running with an alternative fuel says a lot about this moment for nuclear energy technology: Many groups are looking into the past for technologies, with a new appetite for building them. First, it’s important to note that China is the hot spot for nuclear energy right now. While the US still has the most operational reactors in the world, China is catching up quickly. The country is building reactors at a remarkable clip and currently has more reactors under construction than any other country by far. Just this week, China approved 10 new reactors, totaling over $27 billion in investment. China is also leading the way for some advanced reactor technologies (that category includes basically anything that deviates from the standard blueprint of what’s on the grid today: large reactors that use enriched uranium for fuel and high-pressure water to keep the reactor cool). High-temperature reactors that use gas as a coolant are one major area of focus for China—a few reactors that use this technology have recently started up, and more are in the planning stages or under construction. Now, Chinese state media is reporting that scientists in the country reached a milestone with a thorium-based reactor. The reactor came online in June 2024, but researchers say it recently went through refueling without shutting down. (Conventional reactors generally need to be stopped to replenish the fuel supply.) The project’s lead scientists shared the results during a closed meeting at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. I’ll emphasize here that this isn’t some massive power plant: This reactor is tiny. It generates just two megawatts of heat—less than the research reactor on MIT’s campus, which rings in at six megawatts. (To be fair, MIT’s is one of the largest university research reactors in the US, but still … it’s small.) Regardless, progress is progress for thorium reactors, as the world has been entirely focused on uranium for the last 50 years or so. Much of the original research on thorium came out of the US, which pumped resources into all sorts of different reactor technologies in the 1950s and ’60s. A reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee that ran in the 1960s used Uranium-233 fuel (which can be generated when thorium is bombarded with radiation). Eventually, though, the world more or less settled on a blueprint for nuclear reactors, focusing on those that use Uranium-238 as fuel and are cooled by water at a high pressure. One reason for the focus on uranium for energy tech? The research could also be applied to nuclear weapons. But now there’s a renewed interest in alternative nuclear technologies, and the thorium-fueled reactor is just one of several examples. A prominent one we’ve covered before: Kairos Power is building reactors that use molten salt as a coolant for small nuclear reactors, also a technology invented and developed in the 1950s and ’60s before being abandoned.  Another old-but-new concept is using high-temperature gas to cool reactors, as X-energy is aiming to do in its proposed power station at a chemical plant in Texas. (That reactor will be able to be refueled while it’s running, like the new thorium reactor.)  Some problems from decades ago that contributed to technologies being abandoned will still need to be dealt with today. In the case of molten-salt reactors, for example, it can be tricky to find materials that can withstand the corrosive properties of super-hot salt. For thorium reactors, the process of transforming thorium into U-233 fuel has historically been one of the hurdles.  But as early progress shows, the archives could provide fodder for new commercial reactors, and revisiting these old ideas could give the nuclear industry a much-needed boost.  This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" As part of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, the Polish Pavilion will present the "Lares and Penates: On Building a Sense of Security in Architecture" exhibition, which ties into the tradition of approaching architecture as a means of protecting people from threats such as natural disasters, wars, and the elements.The creators look into whether architecture can create a safe reality. They achieve this by calling forth culturally and technically based practices, giving people a sense of agency in the face of danger. Authors, photo by Maciej Landsberg/Zachęta ArchiveAn interdisciplinary team led by architect Maciej Siuda, painters Krzysztof Maniak and Katarzyna Przezwańska, and architecture historian Aleksandra Kędzior put together this theme into the exhibition.Defense has been one of architecture's primary objectives from its inception. The concerns that its inhabitants face have changed over time. While individuals continue to seek refuge from the weather or the elements, they are currently also coping with the effects of climate change, war, or the possibility of mass migration.Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the authorThe curators posed these questions to explore the theme in greater depth: Can architecture’s tools protect us from the adversities fate throws at us? What practices tied to building and use of structures can we implement to secure a sense of safety? The Lares and Penates: On Building a Sense of Security in Architecture exhibition seeks answers to these question in the superstitions and building practices cultivated to this day.Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the author"Lares and Penates are deities that kept watch over the homestead in Ancient Rome," said exhibition co-creator Aleksandra Kędziorek."They are recalled as a guarantor of household security in many languages, and so ― much like Biennale Architettura 2025 curator Carlo Ratti with the word Intelligens, which is the main theme of this year’s exhibition ― we draw from them as a universal code of sorts, derived from ancient tradition."Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the authorThe project's idea depends on two concepts: safety provided by following specific rituals and security guaranteed by laws. Solutions from construction, fire, and work and safety hygiene codes are included in the first. This is reflected at the exhibition with items that are already present in the Polish Pavilion, including alarm systems, emergency exits, a lock on the door, and a fire extinguisher.Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the authorThe second construct concerns Polish customs and practices pertaining to building. These include the blessed lamp, which protects a family during a storm, the horseshoe placed over a house's doorway to offer good luck to its occupants, and the wiecha, a wreath hung on a structure during construction to assure its ongoing good fortune.Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the authorThe pavilion's space and front are covered by the display arrangement. Members of the curatorial/art team conceived, made, or discovered the items that symbolized ancient customs and traditions. The team's combined efforts were crucial in the exhibition's preparation, dismantling the conventional role division.Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the authorThe exhibition demonstrates that the line separating what is logical and approved by law from what is emotional and meets people's psychological needs is not always as distinct as we may believe; these two concepts can occasionally overlap and blend together. It allows us to examine how people who use architecture communicate their fears, whether they are reasonable or hardly noticeable. It offers a humanist perspective on architecture by utilizing instruments from several artistic disciplines.Lares and Penates...., working process, photo by Krzysztof Maniak, courtesy of the authorDesign sketches for the exhibition in the Polish Pavilion by Maciej Siuda, courtesy of the authorDesign sketches for the exhibition in the Polish Pavilion by Maciej Siuda, courtesy of the authorThe 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will take place from May 10 to November 23 November 2025 at the Giardini, the Arsenale and various venues in Venice, Italy. Besides Poland's contribution, other contributions at the Venice Architecture Biennale include Swiss Pavilion's Endgültige Form wird von der Architektin am Bau bestimmt, Iceland's exhibition Lavaforming, Estonia's Let Me Warm You exhibition, the Romanian Pavilion's "Human Scale" exhibition, the Luxembourg Pavilion's Sonic Investigations exhibition, the Albanian Pavilion's "Building Architecture Culture" exhibition, the Turkey Pavilion's "Grounded" exhibition, the Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates's "Pressure Cooker" exhibition, the Finland Pavilion's "The Pavilion – Architecture of Stewardship" exhibition. Find out all exhibition news on WAC's Venice Architecture Biennale page. Exhibition factsExhibition name: Lares and Penates: On Building a Sense of Security in ArchitectureCurators: Aleksandra Kędziorek, Krzysztof Maniak, Katarzyna Przezwańska, Maciej SiudaPolish Pavilion commissioner: Agnieszka Pindera, director of Zachęta – National Gallery of ArtOrganizer: Zachęta ― National Gallery of ArtPoland’s participation in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice is financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.The top image in the article: Graphic design by Krzysztof Pyda.> via Polish Pavilion 

The appointment to restore architect Edward William Mountford’s Renaissance Revival-style landmark follows a competitive selection process led by Sheffield City Council.​ According to the council, the ‘transformative’ project aims to ‘breathe new life into the historic building, ensuring its long-term sustainability and continued role as a central hub for civic life in Sheffield’. FCBS has growing ties with Sheffield. Its transformation of the historic Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings was among the winners at the AJ’s Retrofit & Reuse Awards 2024,.Advertisement Last year it completed the nearby £40 million Leah’s Yard mixed-use redevelopment, which also repurposed and reintegrated existing heritage buildings as part of the council’s £470 million Heart of the City II development covering the 7ha area between Barker’s Pool, Pinstone Street and Charter Row. Speaking about the town hall win, FCBS partner and director of heritage and creative reuse Geoff Rich said: ‘The project represents an exciting opportunity to complement the building’s unique heritage with inclusive and sustainable design, and to ensure the [building] meets the future needs of Sheffield’s communities. Council leader Tom Hunt, who chairs its strategy and resources policy committee, added: ‘Our iconic and historic town hall is at the heart of Sheffield’s democracy and public life. ‘From weddings to citizenship ceremonies, council meetings and elections, this special building has a unique place in the lives of Sheffield residents. ‘[This scheme] will breathe new life into the town hall so that the building can continue to serve everyone in our city and be a modern, accessible workplace.’Advertisement The building was opened by Queen Victoria in 1897. Three years ago, a council investigation found serious problems with the structure, including fire safety issues, no ventilation in the council chamber and leaks from an old diesel tank. A future timeframe for the restoration work has yet to be set out. Source:Pedalo PhotographyLeah's Yard in Sheffield by FCBS

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 220, for May 1.

Xbox price increased at major European retailer, prompting fears of wider rises Just weeks after PS5 cost went up. Image credit: Microsoft / Adobe / Eurogamer News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on May 1, 2025 A major European retailer has raised the price of Xbox Series X and both variants of the Xbox Series S overnight, prompting speculation of a wider price hike. Xbox fans spotted the increases at French retail giant Micromania this morning (thanks, ResetEra), and noted that each model was now €50 more expensive. The suggestion here is that Micromania has pushed an imminent price rise live early, before Xbox announces the changes itself. Eurogamer understands that wider price rises are on the table, and has contacted Microsoft for comment. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue review - expensive and short.Watch on YouTube In Europe, or at least at Micromania, the Xbox Series X has increased in price from €549.99 to €599.99. The original 512GB Xbox Series S has meanwhile increased from €299.99 to €349.99, while the newer 1TB Xbox Series S has gone up from €349.99 to €399.99. Today's development comes just weeks after Sony raised the price of PlayStation 5 here in the UK, as well as in mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Sony blamed that change on "the backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates". The company last raised the cost of PS5 in Europe back in August 2022. Nintendo, meanwhile, has struggled with its Switch 2 pricing in the US, and has raised the cost of the console's accessories ahead of its launch in response to the ever-changing tariff situation. Last night, Microsoft reported a further fall in sales of its Xbox hardware as part of its latest quarterly financial results. But overall revenue from Microsoft's gaming division was up, thanks to money made primarily by Call of Duty, Minecraft and Game Pass subscriptions.

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 The Finals Season 6 started off fantastic bringing back the game’s best mode at launch, and the chapter has only gotten better with most updates being significant. Now we have reached mid-season, and The Finals update 6.6.0 patch notes are “massive” as they include over a dozen buffs and nerfs, along with the return of a controversial gadget and more. The Finals update 6.6.0 patch notes Below are The Finals update 6.6.0 patch notes: MID-SEASON UPDATES: STACKED AND LOADED Season 6 is hitting its stride with the Mid-Season Update, and we’re bringing the heat! While the limited-time Close Quarters Event takes the spotlight, there’s no shortage of serious updates in this major drop: starting off with a long list of balance changes, bug fixes, and QoL improvements! Let’s take a look at all the new, exciting, revamped, revived, and renovated updates waiting for you today! PLAY THE CLOSE QUARTERS EVENT Time to get up close and personal with our brand new limited-time event that comes with a whole new map to explore (and destroy)! Welcome to the ALFA ACTA P.E.A.C.E. (Prototype Evaluation And Combat Experimentation) Center! Junior McJohnson welcomes you to this high-pressure environment nestled deep in the [LOCATION REDACTED] woods. Here, you’ll be testing out fast fights in tight spaces where every move counts. Partake in a brutal Team Deathmatch where danger lurks around every corner!  The P.E.A.C.E. Center is live for a limited time, so step in and leave your mark!SPIN THE WHEEL OF TRUST As if an invitation to The P.E.A.C.E. Center isn’t reward enough, ALFA ACTA has also spun up 20 potential prizes on the Wheel of Trust! During the event, hand in Daily contracts for tickets and spin to unlock something new. If you trust your luck, you might even take home BULL’S EYE BARRY, the latest and greatest smart-dummy. The festivities await! MEET THE NULLIFIER  The prodigal Stun Gun returns to the loadout screen with a brand new name and totally re-worked functionality!  It’s time to meet The Nullifier!  In this newly revamped version, Contestants caught in the line of fire will be nullified, unable to take or deal damage, use items, or interact for the duration for the effect. Nullified players will still be able to move freely, so there’s time to make a getaway. Equip it now and start increasing the odds by nullifying the competition! NEW TWITCH DROPS To further celebrate, let’s bring in more Twitch Drops! Head on over to Twitch, watch your favorite streamer, and earn the four new Drops in dazzling blue! Practical, fashionable, and including an item from our latest breakout category: Nails! You may also remember us asking what weapons would be cool to pick for the next round of Twitch drops. Time for you to pick up those Sledgehammer, AKM, and XP-54 skins! So make sure to nab your Blue Camo items on Twitch as soon as the Drops go live! Claw your way to victory and trim down the competition. GET CREATIVE We’ve taken the Body Paint Category and broken it down into four parts: Face paint – Anything that goes on the face Body paint – Anything that goes on the body, or full body Nails – Nail polish! Tattoos – You can now wear tattoos beneath any paint! This means you can now mix-and-match four different parts of your body-deco at once, many of which were previously merged into one! If you already own any of the old Body Paints, you’ll find that your items have been separated into new separate items in these categories and are waiting for your next Outfit creation!  SOCIAL IMPROVEMENTS It’s time to grow your crew! Clubs have increased in membership so you can now invite up to 100 Contestants to take on the Arena together!  You’ll also find multi-channel chat is active, so you can chat with your party, your team, a whole private lobby, and your club while you play!  We’ve also beefed up the social settings, adding chat and voice under Social, and providing options to control Background Opacity, Text Size, Turn Channel Icons off and on, and the ability to hide the Club Chat in-game.  You’ll notice changes to the main menu, as well! You’ll be able to see your progress for Battlepass, Career, Sponsorship, Circuits, and Contracts at a glance right alongside your Contestant! You’ll also notice improved updates when returning to the screen from a match.  You’ll always find some improvements to the social features you already know and love.  PARTY IN THE PRACTICE RANGE  It can get lonely in the Practice Range, even with the smart dummies for company. Now you can party up and enter with two to five friends by your side. Goof around, test things out, and cause mayhem as a team!  The dummies have been looking increasingly nervous on the leadup to this update… IN WITH THE OLD We know you’ve been missing old Vegas so we’re putting it back into rotation! Get ready for the glitz and glam of the hot lights in Quick Cash, Terminal Attack, and Ranked Tournament as you play Las Vegas 2032! We’re also introducing a new Carriable to toss around the Arena that will feel familiar to those of you who have been here a while: The Healing Cannister! Toss it to provide temporary healing to an area of effect. Throwing things at your Team has never been more rewarding!AND MORE! We’ve made sweeping improvements to Maps, fixed some bugs and at least partially squished some others, and have many balance changes for you to experiment with in this update. We’ve also tweaked some of the most problematic Cashout Station locations in the Kyoto Map!  There’s new items in the store, including a free Idle Inspection bundle to kick off your new Nail Polish collection: And finally, a new bundle with Multibucks included that some PlayStation players may have gotten an accidental sneak preview of yesterday! Check out the Zero-G Menace Set: We’re halfway through Season 6 and so excited to have you with us!Check out all the nitty-gritty details below: Balance Changes Dev Note: We’ve recently done a review of the effective ranges for various weapons and found there were a few outliers. Some weapons were over or under performing at certain distances, and not meeting our expectations. A number of the changes below aim to address this issue. Arena Carriables All Carriables Increased the launch force of carriables by 10%, making them easier to throw at targets Increased the pick-up range of carriables from 6m to 6.5m, making them slightly easier to pick-up Decorative Carriables (e.g. plant pots, chairs etc) Increased the impact damage done for medium carriables from 50 to 60 Increased the impact damage done for large carriables from 50 to 70 Healing Canister Added the new Healing Canister Arena Carriable. This blue spherical container smashes open when thrown into surfaces, spreading a healing mist that triggers health regeneration for players who stand inside its area of effect Charms ‘Little Chief’ Increased the ‘moo rate’ of the Little Chief Moolah charm from 25% to 100%, meaning it will now moo for 100% of kills Added the ability for Little Chief to moo when the attached weapon is inspectedDev Note: Based on community feedback, it has become obvious that our past nerf to Moolah was by far the worst nerf we’ve ever made to the balance of the game. In the spirit of trying to buff more than we nerf, we’ve now reverted Moolah to their previous superstar status 😉     Gadgets Proximity Sensor Increased the size of the Proximity Sensor, making it easier to shoot Dev Note: This change aims to address how fiddly it has been to destroy Proximity Sensors, they should be much easier to hit now. Stun Gun/Nullifier Re-introduced the Stun Gun after a re-work, it is now known as the Nullifier Players hit by the Nullifier are put into a “nullified” state for several seconds, during which they cannot attack or use items, but are still able to move. During this time the player is fully impervious to damage or effects from items Specializations Winch Claw Winch Claw will now force players it hooks into the ‘uncontrolled’ state, adjusting the victim’s bullet dispersion and recoil as if they were falling from a buildingDev Note: Players’ ability to very accurately shoot a Winch Claw user, while being pulled is something we feel is a little too strong. This change is a subtle nudge to make fighting back while being winched slightly less viable Weapons  .50 Akimbo Decreased damage falloff minimum range from 37.5m to 35m, giving the weapon a slightly shorter effective range Decreased damage falloff max range from 47.5m to 42m, giving the weapon a slightly  shorter effective range 93R Increased damage falloff minimum range from 28m to 32m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range Increased damage falloff max range from 35m to 40m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range Decreased damage falloff multiplier from 0.55 to 0.4, meaning the weapon now does slightly less damage at range ARN-220 Decreased the length of the quick reload animation from 0.95s to 0.75sDev Note: This is a small buff to the ARN, partially to boost its power but mostly aimed at making it feel a little less clunky. Cerberus Decreased pellet count from 12 to 11, effectively lowering the max damage per shot (minus fire damage) from 120 to 110 Updated pellet pattern to retain a similar coverage per shot, despite the removal of one pellet, meaning the weapon should retain a similar accuracy to beforeDev Note: The Cerberus has been performing very well this season and we’ve decided we need to bring it back in line with other weapons. This small reduction in damage should help achieve that while still keeping the weapon viable. FAMAS Decreased damage falloff minimum range from 37.5m to 35m, giving the weapon a slightly shorter effective range Decreased damage falloff max range from 47.5m to 42.5m, giving the weapon a slightly  shorter effective range M134 Minigun Dev Note: We have seen your feedback on how easy it is for players to keep the M134 ‘spun up’ while moving, juggling the spin-up state and making it quite powerful in the right hands. This is something we’re monitoring and are likely to adjust the balance of in an up-coming patch, but the changes we’re considering aren’t ready in time for 6.6.  Model 1887 Decreased the pump-action duration from 0.8s to 0.78s, effectively increasing the fire rate from 75RPM to 77RPM Increased damage falloff minimum range from 15m to 20m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range Increased damage falloff max range from 25m to 30m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range Decreased damage falloff multiplier from 0.7 to 0.65, meaning the weapon now does slightly less damage at rangeDev Note: Since our last round of changes to the Model, it has performed slightly worse than we would have expected. These changes are aimed at buffing it ever so slightly while increasing its effective range to give it a more unique feel compared to the other shotguns. We’re mindful that we don’t want to nudge it too far in a single change, as we’d prefer to not go back to a meta where this versatile weapon is overly effective. R .357 Increased damage falloff minimum range from 23m to 27.5m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range Increased damage falloff max range from 40m to 44m, giving the weapon a slightly longer effective range Decreased damage falloff multiplier from 0.45 to 0.4, meaning the weapon now does slightly less damage at range SA1216 Decreased rate of fire from 200RPM to 190RPM Decreased the length of the magazine rotation animation from 1.1s to 0.8s, effectively speeding up the weapon’s fire rate when firing more than four shots Updated magazine rotation animation so it’s a little easier to see Updated recoil pattern slightly, to retain approximately the same recoil behavior prior to the rate of fire reductionDev Note: This is a small nudge to reduce the power of the SA1216, which remains one of the most effective weapons in the game. The decrease in the length of the magazine rotation animation, as well as the updated animation, are quality of life changes that hopefully improve the readability of the weapon and make it more accessible to a wider audience. The animation change also effectively increases the weapon’s fire rate in scenarios where the player takes more than four shots  Content and Bug Fixes Animation Smoothed the animation for dropping held items when blending back to the equipped item Fixed an issue where the wrong magazine could sometimes be inserted into the ARN-220 Fixed an issue where the discarded magazine would launch forward when reloading the Lewis from empty Polished Cerberus reload and inspect animations to reduce clipping Fixed the M134 Minigun crouch pose during interactions to prevent  your third person pose being lower than intended Fixed an issue where the third consecutive Spear attack animation could sometimes be skipped Reworked the animation for the Sword’s secondary attack to better match the action, and fixed cases where the attack would not show on the receiving end, causing confusion about damage Fixed animations looking incorrect when crouching with the CL-40 Fixed an error where the weapon could briefly show when carrying an object and vaulting at the same time Fixed an issue where getting eliminated with fully-charged Defibs could prevent weapon inspection after respawn Fixed an issue where the Sledgehammer and Spear could block the view while vaulting by lowering the weapons instead Updated the animation for being Winched to better show the gun-ready state at the right time to reduce confusion  Fixed the Riot Shield sometimes blocking the view during a high vault Fixed an issue where the Riot Shield could briefly cover the screen during weapon swaps Slightly reduced visual recoil on the M11 Holographic Sight to match the Red Dot Sight Fixed an issue where a white “mask” could appear during emotes with some faces Audio Improved audio for bots More Scotty and June dialogue to better reflect team performance in TDM Added announcer voice over when billboards light up Updated Cashout lines for Round 2 and Final Round Fixed an issue where Power Shift Overtime lines would not play Added new lines for Power Shift’s Sudden Death phase Improved the audibility of single-shot weapon fly-bys, making them easier to hear when nearby  Clubs Increased the maximum Club size to 100 Contracts & Circuits Resolved issues where eliminations with the Tracking Dart and Defibrillator did not count toward elimination contracts with Gadgets Customization & Cosmetics Adjusted the size of Derbies shoes when equipped on light contestants for a better fit Fixed camera being offset when entering Charms/Stickers/Sights screen while certain skins were equipped Tweaked lens material for Reflex Sight 02 to remove the yellow glow sometimes present in the shaded areas of sunny maps  Expanded Character Customization by splitting Body Paint into new categories: Face Paint, Body Paint, Tattoos, and Nails. What was previously a single Body Paint item is now organized across these categories. Existing outfits have been updated, and players who already own relevant items will automatically receive the new options Fixed an issue where certain customizations could sometimes float or clip with the character when switching contestant body type prior to a game or in the Practice Range Fixed color issues with the Neon Nightslinger outfit to ensure team colors appear correctly to all players Fixed mesh stretching on the Satchel Fixed stuttering on the SR-84 Ghillie Canopy skin Fixed alignment issues between some faces and facial hair Fixed an issue where Stickers could partially cover Sponsor texts on the ARN-220 ‘Cash Chicane’ and ‘Active Deterrent’ skins Fixed an issue where charms could block aim down sights on the Revolver FIxed the look of the cloth under the arms of the Canyon Carver Poncho  Fixed an issue where creating new contestants could exceed the ‘My Outfits’ limit Game Modes Practice Range Players can now enter together with their party (up to 5 players) We are aware of an issue where Quick Melee does not always work in Practice Range. We are investigating the issue but a restart of the session should resolve it Power Shift Fixed incorrect text about extended respawn timers being shown Tutorials Replaced old target bots in existing tutorials with new ones Fixed issues where the tutorial Cashbox, Cashout Stations, or Vaults could go missing Terminal Attack We’re aware of an issue in terminal Attack mode that causes player health to be able to fully regen to the maximum health value, rather than the intended capped values. We’re investigating the cause of this and will deploy a fix as soon as we can TDM Tweaked backfill conditions to always allow backfill in the first round, or in later rounds with at least three minutes remaining and no team above 15 kills Fixed an issue where outfit selection changes for the second and third rounds weren’t working as expected Fixed an issue where the outfit list would disappear after changing outfits in a previous round Gameplay Healing Cannister Carriables can now spawn in all game modes except Terminal Attack Fixed an issue where the state of destruction could desynchronize after a reconnect or backfill Fixed various issues where Cashbox, Cashout Stations, and Respawn Statues would incorrectly trigger “out of bounds” behavior  Fixed an issue where players would not receive support score for healing a revived teammate Fixed an issue that could cause horizontal Ziplines to be placed incorrectly Fixed an issue where the wrong text could appear when using a respawn coin Adjusted hitmarker size in when aiming down sights (ADS) to reduce obstruction while zooming in with the Sniper Rifle Fixed a very spooky issue where Statues would show up in the previous death location for 1 frame Resolved issues where players who died while experiencing an effect that requires team colors could sometimes default back to a neutral color Improved optimization to slightly reduce the feeling of being shot around corners Fixed an issue where the health bars of enemy players that the player had just been spectating, continued to display for a brief second after the player respawned, giving away the enemy’s location in the level Fixed an issue where players could spawn with missing ammo if they click LMB during round start Fixed a rare issue where you couldn’t switch the contestant you were spectating Fixed a rare issue where players could lose mouse input during a round Fixed one issue where effects, like sonar tracking, fire etc, would remain visible for far too longDev Note: Lingering visual effects on contestants after exposure have been haunting us for a long time! We believe we’ve fixed the most prominent cause…but some cases remain. We’ll keep chasing it and you should keep letting us know when it happens to you! Player reports have been so helpful!  Maps General Las Vegas 2032 is back in the public map rotation for Quick Cash, Terminal Attack, and Ranked TournamentDev note: We knew you were missing it. What happens in Las Vegas 2032, stays in Las Vegas 2032!  Fixed sizes, aspect ratios on multiple THE FINALS logotypes and branding textures on all maps. Adjusted the health of some decor and features to better match their size and material Tweaked Billboard Highlight scoring to feature more varied events and show players more frequently, including a new event for last-second steals Fixed a bug causing destruction visuals to not appear in certain scenarios Updated the height of concrete beam piles to match other cover and fixed some that were indestructible Fortune Stadium Fixed an issue where the out-of-bounds border could cut through parts of the level in Team Deathmatch Kyoto Adjusted and removed several Cashout Station locations in the Bamboo Forest and near the Villa Compound water Carriables can now be thrown through lattice windows without fear of them bouncing back at you Las Vegas 2032 Fixes for floating signs and invisible collision Las Vegas Stadium Minor destruction tweaks to the ALFA ACTA buildings Monaco Collision cleanup of multiple Monaco assets to enhance movement, performance and traversal Fixed a minor issue where THE FINALS logo was cropped on the buildings Practice Range Added Healing Cannister dispenser Seoul Re-balanced structural strain to get more refined and varied destruction Fixed a rare issue where horizontal ziplines could have incorrect exit points Skyway Stadium Fixed overlapping doors and misplaced railings in the large hotel building Private Matches & Spectator Fixed an issue where assigned spectators would end up in separated sections Added an error message for trying to create a private lobby without being the party leader Fixed an issue where controllers would lose focus when entering the private match screen Spectator screen now correctly displays performance icons Fixed an issue where lobby size could be reported incorrectly for some game modes in private matches Fixed rare issues where spectators could end up outside the map Fixed an issue where the Manage Players section would not stay consistent while moving players around Fixed gamepad navigation and interactions not working correctly in the private matches screen Premade parties are now disbanded when joining a private lobby. Settings Made the selection scroll to the top when restoring default settings for interface options Added new Text Chat settings: Background Opacity, Text Size, Toggle Channel Icons, and the ability to hide the Club Chat in-game.  Chat and voice settings have been moved to the Social tab for easier access Fixed missing descriptions for several options in the Settings menu Social Text Chat now supports Party, Squad, Private Lobby, and Club channels Added timestamps in Club chat Fixed an issue where the friends list would update and reorder while interacting with it Specializations Winch Claw Fixed an issue where winched players would not be pulled through smoke Stability & Performance Fixed some of the most recurring crashes Optimized shader pipeline precompilation for CPUs with fewer cores UI  Discounts are now correctly shown on outfit icons Updated the look of the Cash Out HUD Fixed an issue where a teammate’s name might not display correctly after backfilling into a session Fixed an issue where the play button could get stuck in a cancel state when failing to join a private lobby Fixed an issue where images appeared stretched for a few frames in the main menu when starting the game Fixed an issue where store tiles could remain stuck in an upscaled state after being clicked Fixed a bug causing new markers to reappear unexpectedly in the Game Mode section Text and voice options now display consistent enabled/disabled states in the social menu Fixed an issue where players lost focus on the end-of-round screen, requiring a click to regain focus Added a “Mark All as Seen” button to quickly clear new labels from Game Mode screens Added mute and unmute messages to the log Fixed seeding display for your own team in tournament brackets Fixed an issue where store tiles sometimes showed a white background instead of their content Fixed an issue where discounts were not shown correctly on gifting buttons Fixed various frontend tabs that could incorrectly be moved using the mouse The Friends list in the gifting screen now shows online friends at the top. Friends who already own the item are grouped at the bottom but still listed above offline friends who own it Fixed matchmaking notification showing the wrong game mode name to teammates after picking a new mode  Rich Presence timer now shows the full match duration instead of just the current round Fixed an issue where contestant icons sometimes failed to load quickly enough Added progression info and hotlinks for Battlepass, Career, Sponsorship, Circuits, and Contracts, along with updated visuals when returning from a match Weapons Spear Fixed a rare case where the spin attack would not damage nearby enemy contestants Sword Fixed an issue that made it possible to perform an unintended extra strike with the Sword during a secondary attack, this is more commonly known as “phantom strikes”  For more The Finals, check out our guide to the best weapons in the game ranked, and we also have a guide to the best gadgets. In addition, we have a guide to the best FPS settings to help you win matches along with a ranking of the best classes in the game. The Finals Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Action, First-Person Shooter, Shooter Related Topics The Finals Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

You can thank the EU's stringent tech regulations for the new data. Credit: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images X's user base in the European Union is now officially lower than it was prior to Elon Musk's acquisition of the company.And that's according to a new report from Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter, but you knew that). The social media platform now has a total of 94.8 million monthly active users in the EU.That's a loss of roughly 11 million European users from X's previous transparency report, as highlighted by Social Media Today.Mashable previously reported on X's declining user base in the EU last fall. Now, we know that X's European user base has continued to drop. In 2022, before Musk acquired the social media platform, the company had more than 100 million users in Europe.How do we know X's user base is dropping in the EU?As part of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), tech companies like X are required to provide content moderation transparency reports throughout the year. As a result, X is forced to share internal information, such as its monthly active user base, that it might otherwise keep private. Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! This week, X published its April DSA transparency report, the first of 2025. The report covers October 2024 through March 2025.The latest report shows that X's user base in the EU has declined by more than 10.5 percent since its October 2024 report, which covered the previous period between April trough September of that year.X saw the biggest decline in France with a loss of more than 2.7 million monthly active users, dropping from 20.1 million users to 17.4 million users in between this transparency report and the last. X also lost nearly 2 million users in Poland, close to 1.5 million users in Germany, and more than 1 million users in Spain. As Social Media Today points out, the small countries of Luxembourg and Lithuania each saw a quarter of their X users leave the platform.X has been shedding users for a whileLast month, Elon Musk's AI company xAI acquired the social media platform at close to the same sum that Musk originally paid for the company in 2022. Since then, Musk and company have attempted to paint a rosy picture of X's performance, which has seen a decline in revenue and repeated controversies since Musk's takeover. X did see a jump in traffic and returning advertisers (including big names like Apple) following the election of Donald Trump last November. However, X's traffic spike following the 2024 election proved to be temporary, and analysts projected that Musk's social media platform would continue to lose users this year.While X is not required to report active user data outside of the EU, a report in the Financial Times last September looked at third-party analytics and determined that X lost nearly one-fifth of its daily active user base in the U.S. and one-third of its daily active user base in the United Kingdom.And it makes sense, when you consider the global protests against Tesla, which have resulted in Musk's EV company's profits dropping a whopping 71 percent.

We've got an absolute boat-load of new Borderlands 4 info courtesy of a Sony State of Play livestream that people flocked to watch last night. In it, we got plenty of gameplay to gaze over, including a peek at all manner of new and returning features. In short, Borderlands 4 looks great! Read more

Image: PlatinumGamesIt's been announced in the latest issue of Famitsu Magazine that PlatinumGames designer Takahisa Taura is parting ways with the developer in order to start work on his own company, Eel Game Studio. As revealed in a post by Genki, and spotted by the folks over at VGC, Taura stated on a few social media sites that he hasn't got anything he wishes to share with regards to his new venture just yet, but really it's the fact of another big name leaving Platinum that's the real concern for fans of the studio. NieR: Automata Game Deigner and Astral Chain Director Takahisa Taura, has confirmed that he has left Platinum Games and has started his own studio called ‘Eel Game Studio’! via famitsu He says he is one of the founding members and can't say much else at the moment.— Genki (@genkigamer.bsky.social) 2025-04-30T14:46:22.941Z Taura's work will be well known to any avid fan of very good action games, with the incredible Astral Chain, which we raved about in our 9/10 review, a particular highlight. Indeed, taking the director's chair on one of the most unique action games of its generation certainly marks his new venture out as something to watch with very eager eyes indeed. Not to mention that he's also led the design of what must be one of the most influential games — in terms of its incredible style — of the past decade or thereabouts, in the form of Nier Automata. Ah, Mr Taura, with this resume you are really spoiling us. Hideki Kamiya parted ways with PG in 2023, after two whole decades with the group, in order to move on to work with Capcom on an Okami follow-up via his new Clovers company. Kamiya, speaking to Japanese outlet Game*Spark earlier this year, opened up a little on this move, saying that the Platinum had been: "gradually shifting towards a modern model of game development that doesn’t place importance on the creators’ individuality...even if it meant the end of my career as a creator...I couldn’t allow myself to kill my soul in order to work in an environment that I didn’t agree with”. Kamiya also confirmed multiple other high-level staffers had quit PlatinumGames in a video posted to his YouTube channel in February of this year. Right at the end of this video, Kamiya has a "bonus" section where Abebe Tinari (director of Bayonetta Origins), Yusuke Miyata (Bayonetta 3's director), Kenji Saito (lead director on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance), and Masaki Yamanaka (Anarchy Reigns and Resident Evil character designer) are confirmed to have left. This, of course, followed on from other departures in 2024, which saw several veterans leave their positions. It's certainly been a topsy-turvy time for PlatinumGames of late, then, that's for sure, so we're keeping all of our fingers and toes crossed that their new venture, Ninja Gaiden 4(!) lives up to the company's incredible past form.