In the last couple of years, what it means to shop Black Friday deals has evolved tremendously. For those of you who weren't fans of waiting in huge lines or shoving your way through massive crowds just to get the holiday gift your loved one is begging for in-store, you don't have to anymore. Retailers like Amazon make it convenient and easy for you to get whatever you have been eyeing right in the comfort of your pajamas at home.Plus, you don't have to wait until Black Friday to shop these deals. The online giant has been offering discounts on a gazillion products leading up to the big sale event. Other retailers such as Apple, Best Buy, Target, Walmartand Kohl's have knocked prices off of TVs, laptops and much more. This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas. With all these deals happening at once, it can be quite overwhelming to distinguish between a deal and just the normal price. So to help, first make sure to check out CNET's shopping browsing extension and follow these shopping tips serving as your Amazon Black Friday cheat sheet. And if you find a deal that is a Prime-only sale, no worries. Here's how to shop for the deal without committing to buying a membership. Watch this: How to Shop Black Friday Deals Like a Pro 02:36 Tips to win at shopping Black Friday at Amazon EarlyBlack Friday deals are in full swing on Amazon. To get the full experience and the best deals, it's suggested that you sign up for a Prime membership. Unlike Amazon Prime Day, you don't need a Prime membership to shop Amazon's Black Friday sales. However, Prime members get access to exclusive deals on everything from tech and beauty items to home decor. Plus free one- and two-day shipping, same-day delivery on qualifying items and much more.The Prime free shipping benefit helps Black Friday shopping online feel like the traditional way. You get to shop for what you want minus the crowds and have it delivered straight to your home in a timely manner. To make things even better there's a something called Amazon coupons that give you even more deals. James Martin/CNET Amazon Prime: 30-day free trial Prime Day requires an Amazon Prime membership, though you don't have to be apayingmember to get in on the savings. Start your 30-day Prime free trial now and you'll be able to shop the best deals without paying for a subscription -- just remember to cancel before it renews. See at Amazon Amazon shopping hacks for getting the best Black Friday dealsAmazon's Black Friday deals are all live on a dedicated page on the company's site. But if you find perusing hundreds of thousands of sales overwhelming, we have a better option. To make Black Friday shopping easier, we've curated our top picks. Hit the links below to find all the best deals on Amazon devices like Echos, Fire TVs and Ring cameras, as well as sales on everything from AirPods to workout equipment. Amazon Prime members get free one- and two-day shipping right to their door. AmazonHidden Amazon perks you should know Amazon Prime is more than just exclusive deals and free shipping. Members can also score hidden perks like access to Max shows and Thursday night NFL football games without cable. You can even choose to try on clothes and shoes before buying them. Plus, Prime members can save on Grubhub orders, too. Learn more at the link below.For more information on Black Friday and the retailers offering deals, take a look at CNET's live roundup of the best sales happening now. Save Money on Holiday Shopping With These Top Amazon Shopping Hacks See all photos

OpinionNovember 19, 20245 min readBury Me on the MoonPreferably on the Far SideThe far side of the moon offers grounds for compromise between advocates and opponents of lunar developmentBy Rick N. Tumlinson Ana J Crdenas/Getty ImagesI want to be buried on the moon.Why? I am one of Apollos Children, part of the generation that grew up watching as NASAs Apollo astronauts made the giant leap for all humankind with their epochal lunar footfalls. Ive spent most of my life working on this new incredible phase of human history, our breakout into space, always with the moon in mind as a destination. I led return-to-the-moon petition drives in the 1980s, helped start the first mission to look for lunar water in the 1990s and have assisted in laying the groundwork for multiple civil and commercial lunar exploration initiatives.Some of my reasons are admittedly selfish. I think of my daughter and any of my descendants, who, from anywhere on Earth, could always look up at that island in the sky and know Im there.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.But I also want to do this for all the countless others who share my dream of opening space.Death rituals are some of humanitys most important traditions. Choosing a final resting place is often one of the last acts of personal agency in your life. And we usually honor these choices as such. For example, so long as it doesnt impact public safety, having some or all of ones ashes scattered in the ocean or some other place of great personal meaning is a respected practice. Recently, the space firm Celestis has expanded to include placing small symbolic amounts of human ashes on the moon as a beautiful way of honoring ones deceased ancestors.Yet there are those with other equally valid traditions who feel the moon should be off-limits to dreamers like me. Some Native Americans, such as those of the Navajo Nation, hold the Earth-facing side of the moon, as well as the other planets and even the stars, as not just lights in the night sky but as sacred objects of spiritual significance essential to their cosmology and ceremonies. The night sky spoke to their ancestors, and the moons movements and phases were an important source of wisdom and guidance.Such deeply spiritual traditions typically consider proposals for lunar burial as pollution of this important object by crass commercial interests. Then again, anyone honoring the dearly departed with some form of extraterrestrial intermentvia commercial services or otherwisesee such acts as deeply spiritual, too.We should weigh history while pondering these two contrasting perspectives. It must be noted that while calling out a private company for placing tiny capsules of human ashes aboard exploration vehicles already flying to the moon, those protesting the idea largely ignore 65 years of lunar littering via government spacecraft from the U.S., Russia and the former U.S.S.R., as well as from India, Japan and China.The current challenges being made against the placement of small amounts of ashes on the moon raise the question: Is it what people do on the moon that critics find so upsetting, or who is doing it? Is this perhaps less about time-honored traditions and more about the current stereotype of American space entrepreneurs plundering and pillaging space? To this I would add a follow-up question: Why is it considered normal for private firms like funeral homes to manage funeral services on Earth, but not in space? Might it be that the opposition is motivated by fear of what is to come, and the perceived need to take a stand against citizen-led lunar development?This all being said, I get it. In the past, confronted with new frontiers, be it empty lands, or places already home to others, those with the power to do so have simply charged forward, taking whatever they wanted and shattering the ecosystems and societies they were invading.Now, as we open what my mentor Gerard K. ONeill called the High Frontier of space, we have the chance to do things differently, showing consideration for the traditions of those we represent as human pioneers and respect for the new places we will go. Perhaps we can evolve this disagreement about a few ashes into a more unifying conversation that transforms how we take our next small steps into the great beyond.Whether my final resting place is or is not on the moon is of minor importance given what else is at stake, a macro-issue we must deal with right now, lest we make mistakes we will never be able to correct. Fortunately, the nature of the moon itself offers a solution. It twirls on its axis once for each orbit it makes of our world, meaning it always turns the same faceits near sidetoward Earth. Its other hemisphere is invisible from our planet, creating an opportunity for both sides in this argument to get their way.Thus I suggest a compromise for the ages that allows us to develop and build communities and preserve the essential nature of the moon as it will be seen by all Earths people for all time to come. The provisional name Ive given this initiative is the Luna Bella Protocols. Its final form will be determined in years to come, but as the nickname suggests, the goal is to keep our moon as beautiful as it is todayforever.I propose that we all agree to ban all permanent lunar development that is visible with the naked eye from Earth. Be it a strip mine gashing the eye of the man in the moon, a scar on an ear of the lunar rabbit, or a hole in the gown of the goddess of the moon, it is not our generations place to condemn all future generations to bear witness to our lack of compassion and frankly, good taste. We dont need to change the moons familiar faceso why not agree to leave it unmarred by any obvious act of humanity, forevermore? Meanwhile, we can let our lunar dreams come into full bloom on the far side, never to be directly seen by wandering eyes here on Earth. Theres plenty to go around, so to speak.Let the forces of cultural and natural preservation join with those expanding civilization to forge a pact encompassing all we do out there, for the visible benefit of everyone down here.As to my burial plans? They can wait for now. Weve got too much to do.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 struggles to get off the ground as players battle launch day server woesMirroring predecessor's bumpy takeoff.Image credit: Asobo/Microsoft News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Nov. 19, 2024 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is cleared for takeoff, ready to give aircraft fanciers and digital globetrotters another jaunt across its beautiful world. But in a turn of events almost exactly mirroring the launch day woes seen by its 2020 predecessor, Flight Simulator 2024 is struggling to gt off the ground, with players complaining of lengthy post-install download times, installation freezes, and more as Microsoft's servers buckle under the demand.Already, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has been tarred with the Overwhelmingly Negative brush on Steam, with players reporting a range of issues - all of which are eerily familiar to those seen back in 2020. Mostly, the finger is once again being pointed toward developer Asobo's insistence that players download the bulk of the game - equalling approximately 50GB - through the in-game interface, utilising Microsoft's servers instead of Steam's. That's traditionally been a languid pursuit at the best of times, but on launch day - when everyone is struggling to get in at once - it's proving even more glacial.Some users are seeing their downloads stall at 97 percent, while others, having successfully cleared that first hurdle, then report being stuck in lengthy log-in queues. Additionally, Flight Simulator's reliance on streaming means plenty of people are having a miserable experience even if they do get in, with reported issues including sluggish world loading and even invisible planes. "I can only marvel at the depth of the simulation," wrote one Steam reviewer, "as it now feels like Boeing was actually involved in building the servers."What you can expect when you eventually get in.Watch on YouTube"I enjoyed the short movie about a man and a plane," added another frustrated user. "However, it seemed quite expensive for its length - around one minute. I would wait until the loading screen is on sale before purchase because it does get quite samey after the 70th loop." As for the Microsoft's Flight Simulator subreddit, it's currently awash in some top class memes.Over on Flight Simulator's support page, Microsoft has acknowledged the issues players are experiencing. "We are aware of user reports of long initial loading times into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024," it wrote. "With so many users initialising the sim concurrently, we have a large number of server requests. We are working to help resolve the issues as soon as possible.""For users whose initial load is past 90 percent and no longer progressing, we recommend a reboot," it added, immediately eliciting a collective scream from everyone without a high-speed internet connection. "Otherwise we advise waiting to allow the loading to proceed as normal." The Xbox support page, meanwhile, acknowledged "slow download and install times", suggesting players keep an eye on its live status page while it investigates.Some Steam customers have also expressed concern that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024's lengthy in-game install solution means downloads are eating into the platform's two-hour refund window. Back in 2020, Valve moved to assure customers only actual play time would be counted, but it's not yet confirmed the same applies in 2024.Developer Asobo has, of course, been talking a big game for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 ahead of launch, promising a frankly staggering list of activities, including aerial firefighting, search and rescue, helicopter cargo transport, crop dusting, skydive aviation, hot air balloon tours, and more. It's also teased "literally trillions of trees", even the ability to get out your plane and walk a trail - all of which sounds like it'll be marvellous, as long as Flight Simulator navigates its launch day turbulence on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass, and sticks the landing.

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 The arrival of Omnimovement in Call of Duty is the most significant change to Activisions shooter series in recent years. In multiplayer and Warzone battle royale matches, you have the ability to sprint, slide, and dive in any direction giving you the perfect opportunity to navigate the maps like a Hollywood action hero. Following the systems integration into Warzone alongside the entire weapon arsenal, those dropping into Urzikstan and Area 99 were quick to notice Omnimovement wasnt as smooth as its multiplayer counterpart. Thankfully, the developers have already made adjustments much to the delight of the biggest content creators out there.Warzone movement changes given seal of approvalNestled within the November 19 patch notes for Black Ops 6 multiplayer and Warzone, Treyarch and Raven Software showcased the areas it has improved in order to ensure Omnimovements fluidity is maintained within matches. Adjustments include a reduction to minimum sprint times for performing a dive to prone which is already proving popular. Shortly after the update went live, Warzone content creator Repullze took to social media to express his excitement surrounding the change. Fellas, are things actually gonna be different this year? asks the streamer. These changes apply to both Black Ops 6 and Warzone and should result in more responsive movements with fewer occurences where players attempt to dive to prone or slide and instead crouch. We will continue to assess and identify areas for improved fluditiy with Omnimovement.ActivisionWith players loading into matches to notice the changes, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Just played a game. The sprint assist delay is gone finally, says one fan. Plenty of others share the same sentiment and are grateful Raven Software and Treyarch are listening and addressing concerns promptly. Is Warzone back?The integration of Black Ops 6 reverted numerous quality-of-life changes that significantly improved Urzikstan during the Modern Warfare 3 cycle, much to the annoyance of players. After addressing the poor audio in an earlier update, it appears the developers are listening and continuously working to fix any issues that arise. The removal of Rebirth Island due to map-specific problems was another step in the wrong direction for the battle royale but with the Black Ops 6 era in its infancy, theres still plenty of time for Warzone to return to its glory days especially with Verdansk coming back in 2025.Before you drop into your next game, take a look at when the next double XP weekend is taking place so you can rank up as fast as possible.Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Here's an overview of the most recent Blender jobs on Blender Artists, ArtStation and 3djobs.xyz: Lead 3D Character Artist - F/M/NB at NOVAQUARK Creative Technical Lead at OceanX 3D Blender Artist at tobspr Games For more jobs, look here.Source

President-elect Donald Trumps pick to lead the Department of Energy is fossil fuel executive Chris Wright who has misleadingly claimed on LinkedIn that there is no climate crisis, and were not in the midst of an energy transition either. Hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and other disasters exacerbated by climate change are already hitting the US. And renewable energy capacity is on course to more than double globally by the end of the decade.Nevertheless, Wright is a staunch evangelist for fossil fuels who consistently rejects mainstream climate science. While Wright also has ties to the nuclear energy industry, clean energy advocates say that with Trumps cabinet picks, the US is losing ground in the race to deploy renewable energy and fight climate change. Oil and gas companies, meanwhile, are patting themselves on the back. Im one of those people needlessly enriched by [the] bad energy policy environment we live in today.Picking someone like Chris Wright is a clear sign that Trump wants to turn the U.S. into a pariah petrostate, said Jean Su, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys energy justice program, in an emailed statement.Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a major oil and gas service provider that launched during Americas fracking boom more than a decade ago. Around 10 percent of total US primary energy production comes from wells fracked by Liberty, according to the company.In a video posted by the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation last year, Wright refers to irrationally restrictive policies against the production of oil and natural gas that do nothing to change the demand for oil and natural gas, he claims. Our business today is the most profitable its ever been. As I say, Im one of those people needlessly enriched by [the] bad energy policy environment we live in today. I dont celebrate that. In fact, I adamantly oppose it.RelatedTrump campaigned on a Republican platform that says simply, We will DRILL, BABY, DRILL.Wright will be a key leader, driving innovation [and] cutting red tape, Trump said on Truth Social announcing the appointment, which still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, over the weekend. He also said Wright would join a new Council of National Energy tasked with focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation.A biography of Wright included with Trumps statement says the prospective Secretary of Energy is a self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur who embraces all energy sources if they are abundant, affordable, and reliable and has worked in the fossil fuel, nuclear, solar, and geothermal industries. Liberty has invested in the geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy, which is working with Google to provide electricity for data centers in Nevada. Wrights appointment could also be a boon for nuclear energy. He sits on the board of Oklo, a company developing advanced nuclear reactors, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Tech companies have signed a slew of nuclear energy deals this year to try to satiate growing electricity demand from AI data centers. Trumps Agenda 47says hell support nuclear energy production... by modernizing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, working to keep existing power plants open, and investing in innovative small modular reactors. On a related note, Trumps pick to lead deregulatory efforts at the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, said he wants to make America the AI capital of the world.The fossil fuel industry is still home base for Wright, however. Chris Wright has a special connection as a fellow MIT alum and vocal promoter of the oil and natural gas industry, Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance that is made up of oil and gas companies, said in an emailed statement.Wrights sales pitch for methane, marketed by the industry as natural gas, is typically that its an affordable source of energy. My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure, Wright said in a post on X.But tumbling prices for renewable energy infrastructure have made onshore wind and solar farms cheaper sources of electricity than fossil fuels in most of the world. If we turn our back on the cheapest forms of new energy like solar and wind power it will make energy more expensive for American consumers, Environmental Defense Fund executive director Amanda Leland said in a statement. Any nominee, including Chris Wright, who ignores the stakes in this global clean energy race or fails to recognize the urgent challenge of climate change should concern all of us.

Meet the art of Chang Li, a freelance Chinese artist living in Hong Kong. wlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopChang Liwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlopwlop

Kiss From A Rook-seYep, Dragon Age: The Veilguard modders are definitely cooking now: they've covered Solas' bald bonce in big wet sloppy kisses and clown makeupThey've also slapped his face on The Inquisitor's pyjamas, because why not?Image credit: EA/Pinacoladamatata/Queenschadenfreude News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Nov. 19, 2024 Over the past few days, the dam has peroperly broken on Dragon Age: The Veilguard modding, with folks finally starting to be able to do stuff that isn't just reshades or Rook presets. Anyway, we've now hit that blessed point where mods that're pretty funny are starting to arrive - such as one that covers the Dread Wolf himself in lipstick.As we reported yesterday, a new tool has made it possible for Veilguard modders to start more easily doing stuff like add in their own custom textures, opening up the possibility for some slightly more advanced work, even if it's still very much early days yet.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. So, naturally, modder Pinacoladamatata has woken up, looked in the mirror, and said sometjing like: 'Right, time to cover the head of everyone's favourite folically challenged (spoiler alert) Elven god in smooches, like he's just had to let his very overenthusistic grandma give him a goodbye head kiss before he leaves to go do a ritual'.Enter 'Kisses for Solas', which does exactly what you'd expect, coating the head of your best weird dream convo buddy in snog marks that he hasn't chosen to wash off. Maybe he thinks they make intimidating war paint.Anyway, this isn't the first mod that's done this to Solas, with Pinacoladamatata citing OfficiallyJewls' 'Kisses for the Dread Wolf (Solas)' for DA: Inqusition as a direct inspiration. That mod in turn was inspired by this bit of fanart, because of course it is (we here at VG247 don't judge).Anyway, that's not the only Veilguard mod involving Solas Pinacoladamatata's recently put out. They've also done 'Have You Seen This Man- Inquisitor outfit recolor', which slaps Solas' kiss-covered face on The Inquisitor's weird pyjama-like clothes, rimmed by a meme-esque caption asking if anyone's seen him. Fashion.Thankfully, other Dragon Age modders are up to less strange stuff, such as, er, covering Solas' face in clown makeup, as queenschadenfreude's 'Clown Solas 2 Veilguard Boogaloo' does. They even got permission from the author of the classic Inquisition mod that does the same thing.So, all of those are a thing. If you've been playing through Veilguard and think everyone in it's just being too bloody nice, you should read this feature, as you'll probably agree with it.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785kUpdate [Wed 20th Nov 2024, 5:45am]: Bandai Namco has now confirmed the 'Future Saga Chapter 2' DLC for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will be arriving this week on 21st November 2024.Players will have access to the God of Destruction Belmod, Jiren (Full Power, Ultra Supervillain), and Goku (Mini). Additional new content includes a new extra mission, four new parallel quests, seven new skills, new costumes and accessories, more Super Souls, and more loading screen illustrations (via Gematsu)."Witness the clash of will as it travels through time and space. Jiren Ultra Supervillain, God of Destruction Belmod, and Goku (Mini) from Dragon Ball DAIMA will join the fight when Chapter 2 of the FUTURE SAGA DLC releases November 21!"Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785kWatch on YouTube Along with this, season seven of Dragon Ball: The Breakers has now officially launched for Switch and other platforms.It ties in with the game's second anniversary and includes the addition of the new raider Gamma 1 & Gamma 2. More updates are also on the way - the new skill "now it's my turn!" for "Gohan (Adult) (Beast)" and "Shenron's Gift" will be added to "Piccolo (Orange). You can also get a jacket and some stamps.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785kOriginal Story: The new Dragon Ball Daima anime series launched last week and as part of this, there's some new themed content on the way to multiple Bandai Namco games.First up, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will be receiving some new DLC, officially titled 'Daima: Adventure Through the Demon Realm' with part one "coming soon".Next up, Goku's (Mini) version from the Dragon Ball Daima universe will be joining the Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 'Future Saga Chapter 2' DLC. There will also be a free trial period for a limited time:"Goku (Mini) from Dragon Ball DAIMA will be joining the fight in the #DBXV2 FUTURE SAGA Chapter 2 DLC! A free trial campaign for Goku (Mini) will be held for a limited period. Grab the Power Pole and go on a rampage!"Bandai Namco is also offering Dragon Ball Daima content (and eventually additional DLC fighters) in its new game Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (released on PlayStation, Xbox and PC last week).Here's a summary of the new anime series Daima (via Crunchyroll) which features original work, story and character designs from Akira Toriyama, who passed away earlier this year:"Goku and company were living peaceful lives when they suddenly turned small due to a conspiracy! When they discover that the reason for this may lie in a world known as the "Demon Realm", a mysterious young Majin named Glorio appears before them."Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785kEpisode one of Dragon Ball Daima is now available on streaming services like Crunchyroll and can be watched with subtitles. Last month, Bandai Namco also rolled out a balance patch for Dragon Ball FighterZ. "Coming soon"Read the 21 pages of patch notes now!"Tackle life with as much energy as Goku! I'll try to do the same!"Will you be checking out any of the Daima content coming to these Dragon Ball games? Have you watched the first episode yet? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.<products id="6742">Related GamesSee AlsoShare:03 Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesMario & Luigi's Future In Doubt As A Potential Sony Acquisition EmergesMust... consolidate...New Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Update Leaves The Switch BehindLa-li-lu-le-lower resolutionReview: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (Switch) - Square Doesn't Drop The Ball, Just Some FramesThe wait is finally overThe First Review For Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Is InFamitsu rates it

An update to online play.Nintendo has released its second update for Super Mario Party Jamboree today bumping the latest build up to Version 1.1.1.This latest update addresses a "bug" linked to online play, where there was a certain type of glitch taking place in certain circumstances. You can see the full explanation courtesy of Nintendo's official support page. Here's the full rundown:Read the full article on nintendolife.com