Bluesky may still be the underdog in the race for alternatives to X, but the once Twitter-affiliated service is gaining momentum. The app just passed the 15 million user mark after adding more than a million new users over the last week, the company said in an update.While Bluesky is still considerably smaller than Threads, which with 275 million users is its biggest rival, there are signs that Threads users have been increasingly curious about the upstart. Bluesky has been a trending topic on Threads in recent days and an in-app search suggestion shows there are more than 19,000 posts about Bluesky. Bluesky itself has also made a push to win over Threads users in recent weeks by posting regularly on the Meta-owned service.That effort seems to be working. A month ago, Engadget noted, the service had just under 9 million users. Its mobile app also has the top spot in Apples App Store, followed by Threads and ChatGPT. Its recent success also seems to be driven, at least in part, by frustration with Elon Musk and X following the US presidential election.A recent report from web analytics company SimilarWeb found that more than 115,000 US web visitors deactivated their accounts, on November 7, more than on any previous day of Elon Musks tenure. The report also noted that web traffic and daily active users for Bluesky increased dramatically in the week before the election, and then again after election day, with Bluesky at points seeing more web traffic than Threads. (Threads mobile usage, however, is still far ahead of Bluesky.)SimilarWebIn the US, Bluesky got more web visits than Threads in the immediate aftermath of the election, the report notes. For context, its important to note that both services are app centric, even though they support a web user interface.On its part, Bluesky seems intent on distinguishing itself from its larger, billionaire-controlled rivals. The company, which began as an internal project at Twitter before it spun off into an independent entity, has experimented with novel features like custom feeds, user-created moderation services and starter packs for new users.You're probably used to being trapped in a single algorithm controlled by a small group of people, that's no longer the case, Blueskys COO Rose Wang shared in a video aimed at new users Tuesday. On Bluesky, there are about 50,000 different feeds these feeds provide a cozy corner for you to meet people with similar interests. And you can actually make friends again, because you're no longer tied to a dominant algorithm that promotes either the most polarizing posts and or the biggest brands, and that's the mandate of Bluesky.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-surges-to-15-million-users-after-getting-a-million-sign-ups-in-one-week-224213573.html?src=rss

NHL 25 is slated to get a sizable content update at the end of the year. EA announced that the six teams of the Professional Women's Hockey League will be added to the game in an update this December. The Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montral Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres will be available to choose in the game's Play Now, Online Versus, Shootout and Season modes.This EA sports franchise has been putting more women's leagues and female players into the spotlight in recent installments. Women's teams first appeared in NHL 22 back in 2022, and last year NHL 23 showcased Olympic gold medalist Sarah Nurse of Team Canada on its cover alongside Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks.In addition to the December update with the PWHL partnership, NHL 25 is adding an NHL Arcade mode this Friday. In early 2025, the game will also see new content tied to the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off event.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-professional-womens-hockey-league-will-join-eas-nhl-25-this-year-224023998.html?src=rss

Cavalry 2.2 is out. Check out the new features in the next-gen motion design software, including support for OpenType fonts and the option to create color gradients along paths.https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/11/scene-group-releases-cavalry-2/#latestupdate

Free tool: get the Blender Studio's Brushstroke Tools for Blender. The open-source extension makes it possible to apply painterly brushstrokes to the surface of 3D models to create stylized looks for illustration, animation or motion graphics, and edit the strokes procedurally.https://www.cgchannel.com/2024/11/get-the-blender-studios-free-brushstroke-tools-for-blender/

AI robot trained by watching videos successfully performs surgery.

Today's game has a super-high average score and is ending streaks left, right and center. Mine was nearly among them

Tech giants are investing in the development of "sovereign" AI models in Europe to reduce the region's dependence on largely U.S.-controlled infrastructure.

Japan has announced its latest plan to boost the country's chip and AI industries as it works to regain its leading position in semiconductor technology.

Shares of Rocket Lab USA (NASDAQ: RKLB), an aerospace manufacturer and launch-service provider, were up 50% in midday trading on Wednesday, after earnings beat Wall Street estimates.Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the company forecast revenue between $125 million to $135 million, coming in above its previous estimates of $121 million.RKLBs stock, which adds to its 165% rally so far this year, was up 28% on market closing.Rocket Lab said its Electron rocket was the third-most-frequently launched rocket in the world this year, with the manufacturer coming in just after rival Elon Musks SpaceX and China.On Wednesday, the company announced a new launch agreement for its medium-lift rocketwith a confidential commercial satellite constellation operator, to launch two missions on the Neutron rocket in mid-2026.The company also projects more than 10,000 satellites will need launch services by 2030, and estimates the total addressable market value will balloon to about $10 billion.Neutron is tailored to deploy satellite constellations and national security missions in addition to serving customers, and is key to Rocket Labs strategy as an end-to-end space company preparing to deliver services from space in the future.Constellation companies and government satellite operators are desperate for a break in the launch monopoly, said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck in a company statement. They need a reliable rocket from a trusted provider, and one thats reusable to keep launch costs down and make space more frequently accessible, and Neutron is strongly positioned to be that rocket that provides choice and value to the industry.The missions will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 3 on Wallops Island, Virginia.

All eyes are on the Caribbean, where a developing tropical depression could potentially turn into the next hurricane to hit Florida, perhaps the last for the 2024 season.The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday there is a high chance of a tropical depression forming over the next 48 hours, moving westward into the western Caribbean Sea and dumping heavy rains on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.Forecasters are tracking a broad area of low pressure theyre calling Invest 99L, which is producing a large area of thunderstorms in the Caribbean and could eventually develop into a tropical storm, then into a full-blown hurricane as it travels westward and potentially northwest. (An Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is investigating.)If a hurricane does develop, it would be called Hurricane Sara and would be the 18th storm in the Atlantic this year, bookending one of the deadliest and costliest hurricane seasons, which has left more than 325 people dead in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean. Five hurricanes haveslammed intothe Gulf Coast region, but none as devastating as Helene, which made landfall in Florida and the surrounding Southeast, leaving some 228 dead and causing some $120 billion in damage.Warm-water temperatures in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, which are currently thesecond-warmeston record (last year being the warmest), have contributed to the hurricanes.While it remains unclear exactly what course the developing system will take, the warm water could strengthen and rapidly intensify its course toward the Gulf of Mexico.How to track hurricanes and tropical stormsHurricanes can change paths quickly, which is why tracking the storm is so important. For updated information, advisories, and maps showing projected and traveled paths, check out these resources below:National Hurricane CenterEsris Hurricane Aware