It seems to be yet another sign that hybrids are leading the charge forward as sales of electric vehicles (EVs) slow.Giant auto group Stellantis is reshuffling the planned launches of two much-awaited Ram models. The brands first electric pickup truck has been postponed to 2026, while the Ramcharger plug-in hybrid (PHEV) will take center stage next year.Recommended VideosThe decision to launch Ramcharger first was driven by overwhelming consumer interest, maintaining a competitive advantage in the technology and slowing industry demand for half-ton (battery EV) pickups, Stellantis says in a statement.Please enable Javascript to view this contentOrders for the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger will open in the first half of 2025.RelatedSales of hybrids powered gains in overall EV sales in the third quarter, reaching a record 10.8% of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales. And hybrids are now considered to be as reliable as gas-powered vehicles, according to a Consumer Reports survey. They also offer a more affordable option than purely electric vehicles while freeing drivers from having to worry about finding available chargers.Meanwhile, consumer hesitations over EV charging and lifestyle changes explain why RAM delayed the launch of its all-electric pickup truck, seen as a potential rival to Teslas Cybertruck and the Ford F-150 Lightning, to 2026.As for the new Ramcharger, it promises innovations, even in the realm of plug-in hybrids. Its basically an EV with an electric range of 145 miles, but its gas generator extends the range up to 690 miles. It features a 92-kilowatt-hour battery pack, paired with an onboard 130 kW generator, sending power to 250 kW front and 238 kW rear electric drive modules (EDMs).The new Ramcharger also allows vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-home bidirectional charging, giving it the flexibility to charge another Stellantis battery EV or provide power back to the grid.Editors Recommendations

Googles ongoing antitrust tussle spawned a list of sweeping policy suggestions including a proposed sale of the Chrome business by the Department of Justice. The focus of the lawsuit centers on the Search monopoly, but it has serious ramifications for Android and the overall browser situation.Now, Google has shared its own remedies proposal to the DOJs recommendations, which it claims are going far beyond what the Courts decision is actually about.Recommended VideosThe first remedy would be that partners like Apple will have the freedom to choose a browser engine of their choice. Google pays billions of dollars to top companies like Apple and Samsung so that they can push Google Search as the automatic default on their respective products.Please enable Javascript to view this contentIn the name of flexibility, Apple allows users to change the default search engine on their iPhones. And last year, an Apple executive confirmed that with iOS 17, users can set separate search engines for browsing in regular and private mode with the Safari browser.RelatedGoogle also pays rivals of the Chrome browser to favor its search engine. For example, Google funnels hundreds of millions of dollars to Mozilla each year, and that hefty sum has actually helped keep the browser-maker on its feet.The fresh proposal notes that the company would offer separate search engine deals to these companies for each platform. That means Google and Apple would ink distinct search deals for iPhone (iOS) and iPad (iPadOS) platforms, as well as browsing modes.Another interesting element of Googles proposal is the freedom to renew the partnership each year, which means the likes of Apple will have the chance to look elsewhere in the pool.[Theres] the ability to change their default search provider at least every 12 months, explains Lee-Anne Mulholland, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Google. As mentioned above, the Search situation is tied deeply to Android, and that could change dramatically if the terms are accepted.Denny Mller / UnsplashOur proposal means device makers have additional flexibility in preloading multiple search engines and preloading any Google app independently of preloading Search or Chrome, says Google.The key here is what you can call conditional licensing, where a brand has to embrace one Google service to access the other. Googles licensing deal with Android device makers for Google Mobile Services (GMS) includes certain preinstallation clauses and agreements for rival search engines.Android partners would not need to license Google Search (or Chrome) in order to preload Google Play or other Google applications on Android devices, addressing the Courts concerns about device manufacturers options to preload a rival search engine, including on an exclusive basis, says Google in its filing.Googles proposal also notes that it wont restrict its partners from preloading rival search engines or browsers on their devices. That also covers the AI field. In order to access core Google products like Search, Google Play, or Chrome, Android device makers wont have to mandatorily bundle the Gemini AI assistant.Moreover, Google also wont push for any exclusive distribution or licensing hurdles if a device-maker bundles a generative AI product that rivals Gemini. The broad idea is that Google will not impose Search as the licensing criteria for accessing other products like Play services on a device.Notably, all the remedial proposals would cover a span of three years instead of the 10-year spell requested by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. We dont propose these changes lightly, says Google, adding that they would come at a cost to its partners but still address the courts core concerns.Editors Recommendations

Nature, Published online: 18 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08256-5Laser excitation of the 229Th isomer, potentially relevant for nuclear clocks, is reported in thorium fluoride thin films, which are less radioactive and amenable to integration compared with existing thorium-doped crystals.

Nature, Published online: 18 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04079-6Aquatic algae called diatoms have been found to use light-sensing proteins as depth indicators. Detecting depth-related changes in the intensity and spectrum of light enables algae to modulate their physiology accordingly.

Nature, Published online: 18 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08214-1A eutectic phase change material composed of boric and succinic acids demonstrates a transition at around 150C, with a record high reversible thermal energy uptake and thermal stability over 1,000 heatingcooling cycles.

Blake Lively has sued her 'It Ends with Us' costar, Justin Baldoni, for sexual harassment.Lively said Baldoni, who also directed the film, tried to damage her reputation.Baldoni's lawyer told TMZ Lively sued him to "fix her negative reputation."Blake Lively sued her "It Ends with Us" costar, Justin Baldoni, for sexual harassment, retaliation, and coordinating attempts to damage her reputation.The hype around "It Ends with Us" was intense ahead of the film's August release, but much of the attention focused on the working relationship between its stars, Lively and Baldoni. Lively played Lily Bloom, and Baldoni played Ryle Kincaid. Baldoni also directed the film, and his company, Wayfarer Studios, produced it. Lively said in the lawsuit, obtained by Business Insider, that she attended an "all hands" meeting with Baldoni and "It Ends with Us" producer Jamey Heath during filming to address the "hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production of the Film." Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, also attended the meeting."Ms. Lively was forced to address concerns about Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath's misconduct with them directly, and began doing so months before filming began," according to Lively's lawsuit. "The concerns she raised were not only for herself, but for the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken up."The meeting ended with all parties agreeing to a code of conduct for on-set behavior, including "no more showing nude videos or images of women, including the producer's wife," to Lively or her employees. The agreement also required "no more mention of Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath's previous 'pornography addiction' or BL's lack of pornography consumption to BL or to other crew members." Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images Lively says in the lawsuit that another issue arose between her and Baldoni after filming due to differing marketing strategies. Lively adhered to a "marketing plan" that focused on her character's "strength and resilience as opposed to describing the film as a story about domestic violence."Baldoni, however, "abruptly" switched marketing strategies before the film and focused on the domestic violence aspect, according to the lawsuit.During the film's press tour, social media users criticized Lively's lighthearted marketing approach, which led to a wave of backlash. In contrast, fans sided with Baldoni's approach and he emerged relatively unscathed by the fallout.Lively said in the lawsuit that Baldoni and his team engaged in "social manipulation" to "destroy" her reputation through a "sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation for Ms. Lively exercising her legally protected right to speak up about their misconduct on the set, with the additional objective of intimidating her and anyone else from revealing in public what actually occurred."The lawsuit included a series of text messages, including some between Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan. Abel is an attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. Nathan is a crisis communications specialist for The Agency Group PR LLC, which Baldoni retained in early August.In one message shared with Business Insider by a representative for Lively, Abel wrote to Nathan that Baldoni "wants to feel like she can be buried," referring to Lively. Justin Baldoni starred and directed "It Ends with Us," which was released in theaters in August. John Nacion/Getty Images Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, said in a statement that claims made in Lively's lawsuit were "categorically false.""It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions," the statement said.The statement added: "These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."Freedman's statement said Wayfarer Studios decided to hire Nathan before the film's marketing campaign "due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met."A representative for Lively referred BI to a statement shared with The New York Times on Saturday."I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted," the statement said.She also told the outlet that neither she nor her representatives spread negative stories about Baldoni or Wayfarer Studios.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The US plans to remove a $10 million bounty on HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.It follows a meeting between US diplomats and the Syrian rebel leader earlier this week.Jolani has worked to portray himself as a more moderate leader to the West.The US is set to remove a $10 million bounty on Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the opposition group that spearheaded an offensive against Bashar Assad's Syrian government forces.Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, made the announcement in an online briefing on Friday while discussing a diplomatic trip to Damascus where US representatives met with Jolani.Leaf said the US delegation "welcomed positive messages" from the leader who now goes by his birthname Ahmed al-Sharaa and that he assured them that terrorist groups would not be allowed to pose a threat in Syria."And so based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer that has been in effect for some years," she said.Pressed for more information on why the US had decided to lift the bounty, Leaf said it was a "policy decision" that "aligned with the fact that we are beginning a discussion with HTS," adding that it would be "a little incoherent then to have a bounty on the guy's head" while sitting down for discussions on regional interests.HTS, which is listed as a terrorist organization by both the US and the United Nations, traces its origins to Al Qaeda. Jolani cut his ties with Al Qaeda in 2016 to form a new group, which became HTS the following year.He has worked for years to portray himself as a more moderate leader to the West and has called the group's terrorist designation a "political label that carries no truth or credibility."While stressing that the US would "judge by deeds" rather than words, Leaf said Jolani appeared "pragmatic" and noted that he had previously issued "moderate statements" on issues such as women's rights and the protection of equal rights for all communities.The US delegation, which included Roger Carstens, the special envoy for hostage affairs, also used the Damascus trip to explore leads on the whereabouts of Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared in Syria in 2012.Carstens said that they had had "a lot of information coming in" but that it remained unclear whether Tice was alive. "The bottom line is the information that we have right now doesn't confirm either in one way or the other."

Richard Marcus was a casino cheat in Las Vegas for 25 years. He says he used a mixture of chip scams and social engineering to con casinos such as Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand, and the Riviera out of millions of dollars. Though he was tailed by private investigators, he was never caught. Marcus discusses the influence of the Italian Mafia in Las Vegas and his early years of being recruited while working as a dealer at the Four Queens Casino. He covers casino cheating teams and how they used the false shuffle in baccarat and the Savannah move. He also discusses casino surveillance, security, and the role of the police and the FBI, and he suggests ways to catch cheaters. Marcus now works as a security advisor at several casinos and chairs the Global Table Games & Game Protection Conference. He is the author of "American Roulette," "The World's Greatest Gambling Scams," and "The Great Casino Heist." For more, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@richardmarcuscasinos https://globaltablegamesprotection.com/books/Read the original article on Business Insider

The past decade ofStar Warshas been a lot: interesting, thrilling, exhausting, disappointing. You pick a descriptor, and it could probably apply at any point after The Force Awakensrevitalized the franchise, the two spinoff movies did what they could, and The Last JediThe Rise of Skywalkerin the cleanest, most charitable way? How about compromised? Rise of Skywalkerreleased in theaters on December 20, 2019, and back then, all eyes were on it. This was a movie in an unenviable position: beyond the mission of wrapping the Disney-branded Skywalker Saga, it had to contend with handling Carrie Fishers passing in between movies, plus discussions of how returning director J.J. Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio would build on the path set by AwakensandLast.And by hitting during Christmas season, it made itself the final last in a year that featured the equally momentous Avengers: Endgameand theGame of Thronesfinale. So yeah, there was a lot of pressure on Riseto deliver the goods and end in a way that satisfied everyone. And after all the buildup, it did not do really do that. Like, at all. No doubt people like the film or find it enjoyable, but theres no denying that it feels like something happened during production, and the end result is a film that leaves a weird taste in your mouth. After leaving the theater and hopping online, there was overwhelmingly a collective feeling of what the hell was that? that made it even more incendiary to talk about than Last Jedi. That part may have been unavoidable, but the rest can be owed strictly to the movie as is, from its weird moments of fan service to pulled punches and open knowledge that it was born after original director Colin Trevorrow left the project. Whatever high points the film is said to have, they exist in a movie that apparently came in so hot, the entire catalyst for its events had to be put in Fortnite pre-release, but not the movie itself. Image: Lucasfilm If Last Jedis shadow has loomed over Star Warsfor seven years and counting, Rise of Skywalker is a monster that pulled the entire franchise into its mouth and has yet to either digest it or just give up and spit it out. While it made money, it didnt take long to suspect Disney may have been embarrassed by the reactions to it. (Case in point: the films comic adaptation is finally coming out in February after it was announced back in 2020.) Any goodwill initially earned with Force Awakens basically eroded in real time once Rise revealed that Palpatine returned somehow, or later on when Chewbacca gets killed. And if that didnt do it, the Rey is Palpatines granddaughter reveal mightve been the first kiss of death for the film, and the final one for Skywalker Saga. The film ultimately posits that Rey being a Palpatine doesnt matter since shes chosen her own name and family. But in adopting the Skywalker surname, she just trades one legacy name for another in what could hilariously read as a story of a woman pulling off the most elaborate identity theft scheme in the universe.Is Disney bad at this, owningStar Wars? That questions been hovering around for years, and sparked up once again in the wake of The Acolytescancelation. The results are inconclusive: on one hand,Andoris some really good-ass television, and other media like the High Republic and various video games have been pretty consistently good. At the same time, Disney just cant seem to get any kind of firm handle on the movie and TV front: there hasnt been a new theatrical movie sinceRisecame out, and every new announcement for one (or three) films that aretooooootallyhappening feels like an ongoing joke. Likewise, its a crap shoot as to how a shows going to turn out, what cameos itll inevitably feature, and what kind of future itll have. Audiences seem to like the currently airingStar Wars: Skeleton Crew,but the jurys still out on if itll go as far as the creators hope, or if its wings will be cut out from under it and not get to fulfill its promise, a problem that goes well beyond this franchise. There is some light at the end of the tunnel; namely Dave Filonis Mandalorian & Grogu movie in 2026 and a second season ofAhsoka, plus the second (and sadly final) season ofAndorin April. Will audiences be willing to stick their neck out again and see where this is all going? Its easy to say yes and point to Marvel, which many have felt has had its strongest year since Avengers: Endgame. But the MCU has yet to have a movie thats openly broken the enterprise quite likeRise of Skywalkerdid, and its about to pull some interesting new tricks out of its sleeve. IfStar Warsis going to be back at that same level well, itll take some work, and more importantly, consistency and conviction. 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.

SummaryThe source is a podcast episode discussing the benefits of using Quixel Megascans, a library of high-quality 3D assets, for creating visual effects in Unreal Engine. The podcast hosts interview Ashif Ali, an expert in visual effects, who shares his insights on how Megascans can enhance realism and efficiency in VFX projects. Ashif outlines the key advantages of using Megascans, such as time savings, high-quality assets, physically-based materials, and easy integration with Unreal Engine. He also provides practical examples of how Megascans can be used for various visual effects, including environmental effects, destruction scenes, particle effects, and matte painting. Finally, Ashif shares optimization tips to ensure that using Megascans does not compromise performance.