By AJ Dellinger Published December 23, 2024 | Comments (0) | Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L) and Palantir CEO Alex Karp appear together on Capitol Hill Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images New Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse just dropped: According to the Financial Times, major defense technology companies Palantir and Palmer Luckeys Anduril are in conversations with SpaceX and OpenAI (among other tech players) to form a consortium to bid for US government defense contracts. The goal of the group, which reportedly plans to announce its membership as soon as January, is to disrupt the prime contractors who have a habit of scoring major deals with the Pentagon. In the crosshairs of the consortium, theres Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing. There is little question that the legacy brands do well bidding on defense work. According to the Department of Defenses Fiscal Year 2023 review, Lockheed Martin took home $61.4 billion, RTX (ne Raytheon) scored $24.1 billion, and Boeing got a cool $20.1 billion. In 2021, 71% of all of Lockheed Martins revenue came from contracts with the US government. Just under 50% of all annual sales for Boeing and RTX went to the feds during the same time period. As The American Prospect has previously pointed out, these are basically state-funded companies but the government has no real control over operations or leadership. So would the safety and security of the country improve by disrupting the big threes vice grip on the Pentagon? Probably, under the assumption that mass-producing weapons of war and supplying them to allies for conflicts that range from mostly just to genocidal is a net positive on national security, which, lets call that dubious.But this particular collection of tech firms as the hammer to bash the oligopoly? Its not clear that this is an improvement upon the status quo. Palantir has carved itself out a niche as the Defense Departments go-to for AI systems. Just this year, it snagged a $100 million contract to build the military AI-powered targeting tools and $480 million to expand the Pentagons data analysis and decision making tools. The company has been more than happy to lend its tech to programs that are at best ethically questionable, including being the technological backbone of the Trump administrations Immigration and Customs Enforcement, helping lead to the breakup of migrant families and facilitating mass raids that led to the separation of children and parents. The companys technology has also been central to Israels ongoing seige in Gaza that has killed over 45,000 people.Anduril, called techs most controversial startup by Bloomberg, has built sensor towers for use on the US-Mexico border to track migrants and has explored the development of autonomous weapons. The companys big play is building drones for warfare, but it also has its eyes on building surveillance satellites, all of which carry some serious ethical questions attached. OpenAI recently announced a partnership with Anduril to work on anti-drone systems, but it seems likely that will be the first of many collaborations if the consortium comes together. The agreement, which has caused some upheaval among OpenAI employees who dont particularly want to be involved in doing defense work, comes after OpenAI quietly removed language from its usage policy restricting the use of its technology for military and warfare purposes.And on top of all that, Its Peter Thiel all the way down, baby. Thiel, the techno-libertarian lizard man who has not-so-quietly been trying to place his acolytes in as many branches of government as possible, has his hands in basically all of these firms. He founded Palantir, co-founded OpenAI, put major financial backing behind Anduril, and was an early-stage investor in SpaceX. Hes proven himself to be a less-than-scrupulous person with an ideology that can far-too-generously be summed up as technological progress no matter the human cost. Thiels biographer, Max Chafkin, told Time that Thiel is worth fearing, stating, When you combine the hostility to democracy and institutional norms with the bankroll of a billionaire you can potentially do some damage. Suddenly, maybe the malignant but status quo evil of the old school defense contractors doesnt seem quite as bad.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Thomas Maxwell Published December 20, 2024 By Passant Rabie Published December 18, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 18, 2024 By Passant Rabie Published December 18, 2024 By AJ Dellinger Published December 16, 2024 By Passant Rabie Published December 16, 2024

Its hard to imagine Marvel Studios as an underdog. The multi-billion dollar studio has done the impossible over the past two decades, releasing dozens of movies and TV shows that all share a universe, culminating in some of the biggest and most successful films of all time. But, over the past few years, Marvel looked slightly vulnerable. It looked like the wheels were in danger of coming off. Then 2024 changed that, and it happened mostly behind the scenes. Thats because in 2024, Marvel only released one film: Deadpool & Wolverine. Its easy now to think of the film as a huge hit, but despite its very popular characters, it was initially viewed as something of a risk. Its not every day one of Disneys brands goes against its family-friendly style but Deadpool & Wolverine was Marvels first R-rated film. And a hard R at that. The risk paid off though. The violent, irreverent superhero comedy went on to break all sorts of box office records, eventually becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. Think about that. Think about all the R-rated movies youve watched over your lifetime. Deadpool & Wolverine has outgrossed all of them. It was a major, major win for the studio after a few years which, for the most part, fell way below its 2008-2019 expectations. Those years, referred to as the Infinity Saga, saw damn near universal praise and box office success for Marvels work, changing the face of Hollywood as we knew it. But, in the years that followed, the huge successes have been as numerous as the disappointments. For every Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, theres a Thor: Love and Thunder. For every WandaVision or Loki theres a Secret Invasion or Moon Knight. This culminated in 2023 with less-than-stellar reviews, and returns, for Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. Those were balanced by the hit that was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but as that was raking in the dough, its filmmaker James Gunn was already down the street making movies for the competition. So, not a total win. Those missteps necessitated a refocus that resulted in Deadpool & Wolverine being the only Marvel movie released in 2024. Which, as we just stated, was a success. Things also largely worked on the TV side too. Marvel Animation released the highly anticipated X-Men 97, which quickly became a smash, and later the release of Agatha All Along followed suit, pleasing fans as well as critics.Thats significant because very little of that was part of the original plan. In 2022, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige showed up in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con and presented the slate for the next few years. Agatha was on there, as well as a few films from the previous years, but the cohesive direction fans saw in the years leading up to Avengers: Endgame wasnt there. What was all of this building up to? We didnt know. And there was no mention of its eventual 2024 saviors Deadpool, Wolverine, or the X-Men. Some of that uncertainty continued in 2024 as creatives like Michael Waldon and Destin Daniel Cretton left their posts on some upcoming Avengers movies. Echo didnt quite hit, and films like Thunderbolts and Captain America 4 were moved back months while one, Blade, was postponed indefinitely. A lot was riding on Marvels return to Hall H on July 27 this year and thats when it all changed.By the time San Diego Comic-Con 2024 came around, Marvel had reloaded and then some. We got to see footage from 2025s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which had barely started filming. The Russo Brothers, directors of several of the biggest and best Marvel movies ever, were coming back to helm two more Avengers movies: Doomsday and the big one, Secret Wars. Then, the very expensive cherry on top, the first star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Downey Jr. would be returning, as its next big villain: Dr. Doom. Later in the year, plans for a fourth Spider-Man with Tom Holland also added to the goodwill. Finally, things had a direction. Finally, things we wanted to see were happening. And though it felt ever so slightly like going back to what worked before, at least some hope was restored.The return of Downey and the Russos, Spider-Man, the promise of one of Marvels biggest untouched properties in the Fantastic Four, plus the success of Deadpool & Wolverinewhich itself set up all sorts of new potential thanks to cameos from the likes of Gambit, Blade, and Elektraall worked together to make 2024 a great year for Marvel. After a few years of stumbling, the studio finally regained its footing and happened at just the right time. As Marvel readies several major projects for 2025 and beyond, its old friend James Gunn is opening up his own DC Universe in direct opposition. Let the games begin. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By Matt Novak Published December 23, 2024 | Comments (5) | Matt Gaetz speaks during the Republican National Convention session at Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. Photo: John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The House Ethics Committee finally released its report about allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on Monday after Donald Trumps failed effort to nominate the former congressman as U.S. Attorney General. And while Gaetz has denied allegations that he had sex with a minor, its a pretty shocking read all around. From at least 2017 to 2020, Gaetz allegedly paid thousands of dollars for sex with women, as well as a 17-year-old girl. The report also alleges that Gaetz took illegal drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, and accepted a gift trip to the Bahamas that broke congressional rules. Gaetz also helped one of the women he was having sex with to get an expedited passport, falsely telling the State Department that she was one of his constituents, according to the report. Gaetz also allegedly obstructed Congress as the investigation into his behavior was conducted and refused to cooperate as the committee sought to establish whether the congressman had broken ethics rules. Its unclear whether Gaetz will face state charges over any of the allegations, though the committee no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz since he resigned his seat, despite winning reelection in November. The congressional report found that based on its investigation, there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress.The report also includes screenshots of text messages from Joel Greenberg, a friend of Gaetz whos currently serving 11 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor. Greenberg pleaded guilty to several charges in 2022 but denied having sex with any underage girls. The report has a breakdown of how much Gaetz allegedly paid various women from 2017 to 2020, totaling over $60,000, including a former girlfriend who was allegedly involved in some of the activities with sex workers, though the report notes some of the payments may have been of a legitimate nature. Gaetz did not hand over text messages to the committee, but the report includes some messages from him, presumably obtained through the sex workers he was paying. The texts sometimes refer to party favors which the report claims are references to illegal drugs.Images: House Ethic Committee The committee also details in the report how Gaetz was allegedly introduced to women by Greenberg who found them on the website SeekingArrangement.com, an online dating site now known as just Seeking.com, which specializes in sugar dating relationships where a younger woman typically engages with an older man under some kind of steady financial arrangement. Gaetz took to social media after the release of the report to defend himself against the charges in the report. Giving funds to someone you are dating that they didnt ask for and that isnt charged for sex is now prostitution?!? There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge pic.twitter.com/HzWODpBBB9 Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024 Many Republicans objected to the release of the report, including the chairman of the ethics committee Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi. Guest wrote for the dissenting members of the committee, insisting they no longer had jurisdiction to release the findings since Gaetz had resigned, an argument that doesnt make any sense whatsoever.We believe that operating outside the jurisdictional bounds set forth by House Rules and Committee standards, especially when making public disclosures, is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences, wrote Guest. Its not clear what could be dangerous about releasing a congressional report unless it contained something inaccurate, which Guest doesnt allege. Congress releases reports about people whove never worked as congressmen all the time. The committee simply doesnt have jurisdiction to punish him anymore. The state and federal authorities, however, do have jurisdiction if they wish to charge him with any of the offenses outlined in the report. There are hundreds of pages included in the appendices, with everything from airline boarding passes and travel itineraries to questionnaires submitted to the committee and text messages between Gaetz and the women he allegedly paid for sex. And some on social media took the opportunity to joke about some of the details in there, including the fact that at least one of the women was flying Spirit Airlines.Whatever the topic, the internet is going to roast you.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Matt Novak Published December 23, 2024 By Matt Novak Published December 20, 2024 By AJ Dellinger Published December 17, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published December 17, 2024 By Matt Novak Published December 16, 2024 By Lucas Ropek Published December 16, 2024

W House / Rafael Granero ArquiteturaSave this picture! Keniche SantosHousesRibeiro Preto, BrazilArchitects: Rafael Granero ArquiteturaAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:11721 ftYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Keniche SantosManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Casa Rara Acabamentos, Cialuz, Espao Zen e Lazer, Olivs Esquadrias, Renove Casa e Design, Todeschini Ribeiro Preto, Tratacons Lead Architect: Rafael Granero More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The WU House aims to convey through its architecture the uniqueness of an intercultural family. With strong Chinese and Brazilian influences, the design respects ancient traditions while embracing their characteristics.Save this picture!On the faade, an imposing wall of rustic stones was built to ensure privacy for the residents. The brises, similarly, serve to respect family moments in the dining room while also allowing natural light to enter the space.Save this picture!Save this picture!The "U"-shaped floor plan enables both the social area, the bedrooms and gym to face the house's internal courtyard, a request from the residents so they could enjoy the landscaping and the pool.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Following the tradition of Feng Shui, an alternative access to the residence was designed, considering the south direction, a symbol of prosperity, vitality, and growth. This entrance also leads the family to a private room dedicated to rest and spiritual practices.Save this picture!Materials such as concrete, stone, and wood embody the essence of an architecture that values natural elements. The window frames and golden details symbolize luck in Chinese philosophy.Finally, the project ensures originality while seeking harmony within the context it is inserted and the references explored.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeMaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on December 23, 2024Cite: "W House / Rafael Granero Arquitetura" [Casa W / Rafael Granero Arquitetura] 23 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1024376/w-house-rafael-granero-arquitetura&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

A player runs into trouble trying to fix a car in Sleeping Dogs and more funny fails.

League of Legends seems to be entering a great period of change, both in terms of gameplay and lore. In gameplay terms, 2025 will change LoL across the board, adding a new neutral monster, an updated ranked structure, changes to the loot system, and much more. Meanwhile, the lore of League of Legends is rapidly transforming as a result of Arcane season 2, which was a dramatic departure from the previous canon and opens the door to more character updates and timeline changes. Interestingly, the game and lore changes have one thing in common: they have a lot to do with Noxus.

Jujutsu Kaisen recently dropped its epilogue chapter with the release of its final volume, and it is safe to say that this is an extra that fans absolutely loved. While the true ending of the manga is still chapter 271, fans who want to know what happened after the ending now have something to read as Gege published a 16-page epilogue focusing on certain characters from the story.

If you're wondering why it's only 2D, the reason is that I'm first working on the mini games, then they'll have more variety and for exclusive previews join the Discord and Game Jolt in spanish<

Before Overwatch and Marvel Rivals, there was another zany, character-based hero shooter that gamers adored: Valves Team Fortress 2. Team Fortress 2 is still a relevant game, and has retained a fanbase since its release in 2007. In fact, the surprise release of a Team Fortress 2 comic, a full seven years after the last issue, shocked and delighted fans online.Issue #7 of the ongoing Team Fortress comic is called The Days Have Worn Away and it opens with a tribute to Rick May, the voice actor for the Soldier, who tragically passed in 2020. The art is done by Heather Campbell, an artist at Valve who does an excellent job at humanizing the ridiculous figures that make up the TF2 cast. Theres a Scout with a boisterous family, a newly-married Soldier who refers to his wife as a roommate, and a terrifying body horror scene with the Administrator. Theres truly something for everyone here.If you havent read the comics, Id suggest going and starting from the beginning. The series started in 2013, with Ring of Fired, and delves deep into the backstory of the main cast and side characters like Miss Pauling. As Valve itself puts it on the Comics page of TeamFortress.com, Over the years, the comics have spawned ancillary characters, then assistants to the ancillary characters. Companies mentioned in passing became global empires three generations old. The game that started as a handful of guys in a desert shooting at each other slowly blossomed into the most labyrinthine story in Valve history.Thats actually good news, because it means you dont have to play much of the game itself to understand this new and exciting story. Between the comics and the Meet the Team videos, Team Fortress 2 has managed to stick around in the gaming zeitgeist well past its prime. Its great to see some of these characters get a happy ending after waiting in limbo, and it doesnt seem as though well be getting any more comics.

In the days since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released, Ive been doing a diligent search for the best Sonic-inspired tabletop games out there. And folks, Ive found them. Surprisingly, there is no official Sonic the Hedgehog tabletop RPG (yet). Thankfully, the fans are here to save the day. Through some diligent dives, Ive found two fan-made Sonic games, for two different kinds of players. Rings and Running Shoes and Sonic Tag-Team Heroes are on opposite ends of the tabletop gaming spectrum, but both will fill the ring-shaped hole in your heart and importantly, theyre both free.For more tactically minded fans of the series, Sonic Tag-Team Heroes is a more traditional tabletop game with crunchy, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired grid-based combat to play through heroic boss battles. Players choose from one of four types for their character that determines their attribute set: Speed, Fly, Power, and Technique each following in the path of the major Sonic protagonists. The game itself uses dice pools comprised on d6s and d10s, with a series of corresponding skills. Among those are the expected Melee, Move, Sneak, Deceive, etc you can expect from most attribute-based systems; but there are a few special skills in there like Spin, which has your character curl into a ball to get through tight spaces or attack an enemy. The details of the game mechanics are not too complex, but certainly are for more experienced gamers looking to scratch that combat itch.If youre looking to play in the world of Sonic, but want to focus more on story over combat, Rings and Running Shoes is a Powered by the Apocalypse game set in the world of anthropomorphic hedgehogs and echidnas. Like all PbtA games (a system designed by Meguey and Vincent Baker) Rings and Running Shoes is designed to get short, two-hour-long sessions in while packing all the emotional punch of your favorite Sonic comics, games, and movies. Rather than a list of skills to pick from and assign points to, PbtA games operate off of playbooks, a collection of moves and skills centered on particular archetypes. The game prioritizes two things: teamwork and doing cool things. One of the basic moves of the game is called Kick Butt, need I say more?More than anything else, I appreciate how Rings and Running Shoes prioritizes teaching new players what tabletop games are and how to play them together to tell the best story possible. While the text is a little dense, largely just black print on a white background with the occasional original character art scattered throughout, theres an accessibility to the language that doesnt feel quite as intimidating as Sonic Tag-Team Heroes.Whether you want to get into the tactical combat of a Sonic battle, or just feel like a cool Hedgehog saving the day from Dr. Eggman, the fan communities surrounding the franchise have you covered. You can get both titles completely free, at sonictth.com and ringsandrunningshoes.itch.io. While these games might not have the same design as professional studio-made tabletop games, they have a lot of heart and enough foundation for you to go, fast.