A prominent Marvel Rivals leaker took to social media to post gameplay footage of a new skin for Doctor Strange, which could be coming to the game soon. As Season 0 comes to a close, fans are busy discussing the future of Marvel Rivals. While the game already has a large roster of 33 characters, many players are expecting that Season 1 will debut with new heroes and possibly even more maps.

Honkai: Star Rail just closed out its version 3.0 livestream, teasing whats to come in the next update, which launches the evening of Jan. 14. Alongside new characters and events, the Hoyoverse team uses the stream to distribute codes that reward free Stellar Jade and other upgrade materials.This update brings us to a new world, Amphoreus, filled with some familiar-looking faces, if youre into the Honkai franchise as a whole. This patch specifically will include the launch of Lightning Remembrance character, Aglaea, and the Erudition Ice character, The Herta. The Trailblazer will also be able to study the path of Remembrance, giving them another new form to use in combat. Therell be a lot to explore and tons of new characters to pull, so time to stock up on Stellar Jade while you can.Honkai: Star Rail 3.0 livestream codesThese codes are only active for a day or two, so youll want to make sure to use them quickly.The Honkai: Star Rail reward codes from the version 3.0 livestream are:HSR320250115HSR3AMPHOREUSHSR3DAWEISGIFTThese codes will expire on Jan. 2 at 10:59 a.m. EST / 7:59 a.m. PST, so use them quickly or youll miss out on the free loot. For more codes that dont expire in just a few hours, you can check out our constantly-updated list of active Honkai: Star Rail codes.How to redeem codes in Honkai: Star RailYou can redeem the codes in-game by opening the menu and tapping on the ellipses in the top right corner. A redemption code option will come up that you can select.You can also redeem them online through the Honkai: Star Rail code redeem website. Youll need to select your correct server and login through the website in order to get rewards. You will also need to have a working UID for Honkai: Star Rail. If youve never logged into Honkai: Star Rail in any form using your Hoyoverse account, it will not work.If youre just getting started in Honkai: Star Rail, you can check out our beginners guide and gacha explainer.

Component-specific styling, styling parents based on their children, relative colors the web platform is going through exciting times, and many things that required JavaScript in the past can today be achieved with one simple line of HTML and CSS.As we are moving towards 2025, its a good time to revisit some of the incredible new technologies that are broadly available and supported in modern browsers today. Lets dive right in and explore how they can simplify your day-to-day work and help you build modern UI components.Table of ContentsBelow youll find quick jumps to topics you may be interested in, or skip the table of contents. anchor-positioning auto field-sizing container queries <dialog> exclusive accordions :focus-visible :has hidden=until-found high-definition colors <hr> in select inputmode min(), max(), clamp() relative colors responsive videos scroll behavior scroll snap text-wrap: balance :user-valid and :user-invalid View Transitions APICSS Container Queries And Style QueriesComponent-specific styling? What has long sounded like a dream to any developer, is slowly but surely becoming reality. Thanks to container queries, we can now query the width and style of the container in which components live.As Una Kravets points out in her introduction to style queries, this currently only works with CSS custom property values, but there are already some real-world use cases where style queries shine: They come in particularly handy when you have a reusable component with multiple variations or when you dont have control over all of your styles but need to apply changes in certain cases.If you want to dive deeper into whats possible with container style queries and the things we can maybe look forward to in the future, also be sure to take a look at Geoff Grahams post. He dug deep into the more nuanced aspects of style queries and summarized the things that stood out to him.No More Typographic Orphans And WidowsWe all know those headlines where the last word breaks onto a new line and stands there alone, breaking the visual and looking, well, odd. Of course, theres the good ol <br> to break the text manually or a <span> to divide the content into different parts. But have you heard of text-wrap: balance already?By applying the text-wrap: balance property, the browser will automatically calculate the number of words and divide them equally between two lines perfect for page titles, card titles, tooltips, modals, and FAQs, for example. Ahmad Shadeed wrote a helpful guide to text-wrap: balance in which he takes a detailed look at the property and how it can help you make your headlines look more consistent.When dealing with large blocks of text, such as paragraphs, you might want to look into text-wrap: pretty to prevent orphans on the last line.Auto Field-Sizing For FormsFinding just the right size for an input field usually involves a lot of guesswork or JavaScript to count characters and increase the fields height or width as a user enters text. CSS field-sizing is here to change that. With field-sizing, we can auto-grow inputs and text areas, but also auto-shrink short select menus, so the form always fits content size perfectly. All we need to make it happen is one line of CSS.Adam Argyle summarized everything you need to know about field-sizing, exploring in detail how field-sizing affects different <form> elements. To prevent your input fields from becoming too small or too large, it is also a good idea to insert some additional styles that keep them in shape. Adam shares a code snippet that you can copy-and-paste right away.Making Hidden Content SearchableAccordions are a popular UI pattern, but they come with a caveat: The content inside the collapsed sections is impossible to search with find-in-page search. By using the hidden=until-found attribute and the beforematch event, we can solve the problem and even make the content accessible to search engines.As Joey Arhar explains in his guide to making collapsed content searchable, you can replace the styles that hide the section with the hidden=until-found attribute. If your page also has another state that needs to be kept in sync with whether or not your section is revealed, he recommends adding a beforematch event listener. It will be fired on the hidden=until-found element right before the element is revealed by the browser.Styling Groups Within Select MenusIts a small upgrade for the <select> element, but a mighty one: We can now add <hr> into the list of select options, and they will appear as separators to help visually break up the options in the list.If you want to refine things further, also be sure to take a look at <optgroup>. The HTML element lets you group options within a <select> element by adding a subheading for each group.Simpler Snapping For Scrollable ContainersSometimes, you need a quick and easy way to make an element a scrollable container. CSS scroll snap makes it possible. The CSS feature enables us to create a well-controlled scrolling experience that lets users precisely swipe left and right and snap to a specific item in the container. No JavaScript required.Ahmad Shadeed wrote a practical guide that walks you step by step through the process of setting up a container with scroll snap. You can use it to create image galleries, avatar lists, or other components where you want a user to scroll and snap through the content, whether its horizontally or vertically.Anchor Positioning For Tooltips And PopoversWhether you use it for footnotes, tooltips, connector lines, visual cross-referencing, or dynamic labels in charts, the CSS Anchor Positioning API enables us to natively position elements relative to other elements, known as anchors.In her introduction to the CSS Anchor Positioning API, Una Kravets summarized in detail how anchor positioning works. She takes a closer look at the mechanism behind anchor positioning, how to tether to one and multiple anchors, and how to size and position an anchor-positioned element based on the size of its anchor. Browser support is still limited, so you might want to use the API with some precautions. Unas guide includes what to watch out for.High-Definition Colors With OKLCH And OKLABWith high-definition colors with LCH, okLCH, LAB, and okLAB that give us access to 50% more colors, the times of RGB/HSL might be over soon. To get you familiar with the new color spaces, Vitaly wrote a quick overview of what you need to know.Both OKLCH and OKLAB are based on human perception and can specify any color the human eye can see. While OKLAB works best for rich gradients, OKLCH is a fantastic fit for color palettes in design systems. OKLCH/OKLAB colors are fully supported in Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, and Opera. Figma doesnt support them yet.Relative Colors In CSSLets say you have a background color and want to reduce its luminosity by 25%, or you want to use a complementary color without having to calculate it yourself. The relative color syntax (RCS) makes it possible to create a new color based on a given color.To derive and compute a new color, we can use the from keyword for color functions (color(), hsl(), oklch(), etc.) to modify the values of the input color. Adam Argyle shares some code snippets of what this looks like in practice, or check the spec for more details.Smooth Transitions With The View Transitions APIThere are a number of use cases where a smooth visual transition can make the user experience more engaging. When a thumbnail image on a product listing page transitions into a full-size image on the product detail page, for example, or when you have a fixed navigation bar that stays in place as you navigate from one page to another. The View Transitions API helps us create seamless visual transitions between different views on a site.View transitions can be triggered not only on a single document but also between two different documents. Both rely on the same principle: The browser takes snapshots of the old and new states, the DOM gets updated while rendering is suppressed, and the transitions are powered by CSS Animations. The only difference lies in how you trigger them, as Bramus Van Damme explains in his guide to the View Transitions API. A good alternative to single page apps that often rely on heavy JavaScript frameworks.Exclusive AccordionsThe exclusive accordion is a variation of the accordion component. It only allows one disclosure widget to be open at the same time, so when a user opens a new one, the one that is already open will be closed automatically to save space. Thanks to CSS, we can now create the effect without a single line of JavaScript.To build an exclusive accordion, we need to add a name attribute to the <details> elements. When this attribute is used, all <details> elements that have the same name value form a semantic group and behave as an exclusive accordion. Bramus Van Damme summarized in detail how it works.Live And Late ValidationWhen we use :valid and :invalid to apply styling based on a users input, theres a downside: a form control that is required and empty will match :invalid even if a user hasnt started interacting with it yet. To prevent this from happening, we usually had to write stateful code that keeps track of input a user has changed. But not anymore.With :user-valid and :user-invalid, we now have a native CSS solution that handles all of this automatically. Contrary to :valid and :invalid, the :user-valid and :user-invalid pseudo-classes give users feedback about mistakes only after they have changed the input. :user-valid and :user-invalid work with input, select, and textarea controls.Smooth Scrolling BehaviorImagine you have a scrolling box and a series of links that target an anchored position inside the box. When a user clicks on one of the links, it will take them to the content section inside the scrolling box with a rather abrupt jump. The scroll-behavior property makes the scrolling transition a lot smoother, only with CSS.When setting the scroll-behavior value to smooth, the scrolling box will scroll in a smooth fashion using a user-agent-defined easing function over a user-agent-defined period of time. Of course, you can also use scroll-behavior: auto, and the scrolling box will scroll instantly.Making Focus VisibleFocus styles are essential to help keyboard users navigate a page. However, for mouse users, it can be irritating when a focus ring appears around a button or link as they click on it. :focus-visible is here to help us create the best experience for both user groups: It displays focus styles for keyboard users and hides them for mouse users.:focus-visible applies while an element matches the :focus pseudo-class and the User Agent determines via heuristics that the focus should be made visible on the element. Curious how it works in practice? MDN Web Docs highlights the differences between :focus and :focus-visible, what you need to consider accessibility-wise, and how to provide a fallback for old browser versions that dont support :focus-visible. Styling Parents Based On ChildrenHistorically, CSS selectors have worked in a top-down fashion, allowing us to style a child based on its parent. The new CSS pseudo-class :has works the other way round: We can now style a parent based on its children. But thats not all yet. Josh W. Comeau wrote a fantastic introduction to :has in which he explores real-world use cases that show what the pseudo-class is capable of.:has is not limited to parent-child relationships or direct siblings. Instead, it lets us style one element based on the properties or status of any other element in a totally different container. And it can be used as a sort of global event listener, as Josh shows to disable scrolling on a page when a modal is open or to create a JavaScript-free dark mode toggle, for example.Interpolate Between Values For Type And SpacingCSS comparison functions min(), max(), and clamp() are today supported in all major browsers, providing us with an effective way to create dynamic layouts with fluid type scales, grids, and spacing systems.To get you fit for using the functions in your projects right away, Ahmad Shadeed wrote a comprehensive guide in which he explains everything you need to know about min(), max(), and clamp(), with practical examples and use cases and including all the points of confusion you might encounter.If youre looking for a quick and easy way to create fluid scales, the Fluid Type Scale Calculator by Utopia has got your back. All you need to do is define min and max viewport widths and the number of scale steps, and the calculator provides you with a responsive preview of the scale and the CSS code snippet.Reliable Dialog And PopoverIf youre looking for a quick way to create a modal or popup, the <dialog> HTML element finally offers a native (and accessible!) solution to help you get the job done. It represents a modal or non-modal dialog box or other interactive component, such as a confirmation prompt or a subwindow used to enter data.While modal dialog boxes interrupt interaction with a page, non-modal dialog boxes allow interaction with the page while the dialog is open. Adam Argyle published some code snippets that show how <dialog> can block pop-ups and popovers for non-blocking menus, out of the box.Responsive HTML Video And AudioIn 2014, media attribute support for HTML video sources was deleted from the HTML standard. Last year, it made a comeback, which means that we can use media queries for delivering responsive HTML videos.Scott Jehl summarized how responsive HTML video and even audio works, what you need to consider when writing the markup, and what other types of media queries can be used in combination with HTML video.The Right Virtual Keyboard On MobileIts a small detail, but one that adds to a well-considered user experience: displaying the most comfortable touchscreen keyboard to help a user enter their information without having to switch back and forth to insert numbers, punctuation, or special characters like an @ symbol.To show the right keyboard layout, we can use inputmode. It instructs the browser which keyboard to display and supports values for numeric, telephone, decimal, email, URL, and search keyboards. To further improve the UX, we can add the enterkeyhint attribute: it adjusts the text on the Enter key. If no enterkeyhint is used, the user agent might use contextual information from the inputmode attribute.A Look Into The FutureAs we are starting to adopt all of these shiny new front-end features in our projects, the web platform is, of course, constantly evolving and there are some exciting things on the horizon already! For example, we are very close to getting masonry layout, fully customizable drop-downs with <selectmenu>, and text-box trimming for adjusting fonts to be perfectly aligned within the grid. Kudos to all the wonderful people who are working tirelessly to push the web forward! In the meantime, we hope you found something helpful in this post that you can apply to your product or application right away. Happy tinkering!Smashing Weekly NewsletterYou want to stay on top of whats happening in the world of front-end and UX? With our weekly newsletter, we aim to bring you useful, practical tidbits and share some of the helpful things that folks are working on in the web industry. Every issue is curated, written, and edited with love and care. No third-party mailings or hidden advertising.Also, when you subscribe, you really help us pay the bills. Thank you for your kind support!

Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While gaming on the go has been a thing since the Game Boy, the success of the Nintendo Switch and a string of ever-improving processors have brought an eruption of devices that let you play all sorts of games anywhere you want. Because new models seem to arrive every week, however, figuring out the best gaming handheld for you can be complicated. You already know that the Switch is great, but depending on what else you want to play, the right handheld could range from a $100 emulation machine to a $700 portable PC. To help you narrow things down, weve researched the best handheld gaming consoles, tested the major contenders and laid out a few top picks. Table of contents Best gaming handhelds for 2024 What to know about the gaming handheld market Gaming handheld honorable mentions Other gaming handhelds we tested Best gaming handhelds for 2024 Gaming handheld honorable mentions The Lenovo Legion Go. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The Lenovo Legion Go is a capable alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally X if you want a Windows handheld with a larger display. It costs $700, runs on the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and offers a similar set of performance modes, but it has a mondo-sized 8.8-inch panel with a sharper 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and a higher 144Hz refresh rate. It also borrows some ideas from the Switch, including detachable controllers and a built-in kickstand for playing games in a tabletop mode. Those controllers have touchpads to make navigating Windows a little easier, something the ROG Ally X lacks. But its still a Windows handheld, and Lenovos software tweaks arent as mature (yet) as what ASUS has done with Armoury Crate, so the UX often feels half-baked. The jumbo design is bulkier and a half-pound heavier than the ROG Ally, so some will find it too fatiguing to hold. Its fans are louder, too, and the display lacks VRR. Still, it's not a bad choice if youre dead-set on Windows. The Miyoo Mini Plus is much more affordable than the Retroid Pocket 4 and comes with a well-built, Game Boy-style form factor that fits nicely with older games. Its 3.5-inch display really pops for something in the $60 to $80 range, its battery lasts as long as it needs to and it can emulate consoles up to the original PlayStation without much issue. It runs Linux, so its extensively customizable, though it can require a bit of tinkering to get it working optimally. Since its from a smaller Chinese firm and isnt available at major retailers, however, it can be difficult to actually buy. The Playdate. Engadget The Playdate, from app developer and Untitled Goose Game publisher Panic, is a tiny yellow box with a 2.7-inch monochrome display, two face buttons, a d-pad and a physical crank built into its side. We called it a cross between a Game Boy and a business card in our review, and it is indeed incredibly small at roughly three inches tall and 0.18 pounds. It has a dedicated game library that largely consists of oddball indies, most of which focus on one or two core ideas instead of trying to stuff in as many mechanics as possible. A couple dozen of those games are bundled with the device, while others are available via a built-in store or sideloading from shops like Itch.io. Its generally well-built, and its battery life is decent at six to eight hours per charge. At $200, its hard to call the Playdate a great value when its only designed to play a selection of niche games. Its display isnt backlit, either. But in a sea of devices that try to be everything for everyone, the Playdate is admirably focused and low-key. If youre into smaller-scale fare and have some money to play with, itll be a fun toy. The Anbernic RG405M is a good Android handheld if you like the idea of the Retroid Pocket 4 but want something more compact. This device has a 4-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which means you wont have to deal with black bars as much for retro games (though it can feel crunched with newer systems and cloud streaming). It also has a more substantial metal frame. But its chipset is weaker for PS2 or GameCube emulation than the Pocket 4, which costs only a little bit extra. Well also note the Retroid Pocket 2S, another 4:3 machine that's available for $90. Its a nice compromise if youre on a tighter budget, but that lower cost brings a smaller 3.5-inch display, a slightly slower chip and less premium build quality than the RG405M. You may want to hold off on that one, though, as Retroid teased a new compact device called the Retroid Pocket Mini just this week. Other gaming handhelds we tested The Ayaneo Flip DS. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget The MSI Claw is one of the only Windows handhelds to run on an Intel chip. Its built well enough and has a decent 7-inch 120Hz display, but its performance cant hang with AMD-based handhelds like the ROG Ally X and Legion Go. Its central software hub, MSI Center M, needs work, too. At $700 to $800 depending on the configuration, there just isnt much reason to consider it. You can read our review for more details. The Ayaneo Flip DS is a cool concept: a powerful Windows machine with a clamshell design and dual displays, sort of like a supercharged Nintendo DS. It feels sturdy, it performs roughly on par with the other Ryzen 7 7840U (or 8840U) handhelds in this guide, and its 7-inch top display is sharp, fast and bright. The second screen makes it a natural fit for emulating Wii U or 3DS games, but you could also, say, look up a guide or play a YouTube video without having to close whatever youre playing. Unfortunately, this is more of a neat idea than a fully thought-out product. The folding design means that the joysticks have to be short and recessed, while the face buttons and d-pad are uncomfortably flat. The whole thing is overly thick and heavy, plus it runs very hot. Battery life tops out around two hours, and actually managing two displays on a Windows handheld is about as clunky as you'd expect. With prices starting above $800, the Flip DS is hard to recommend unless youre (oddly) desperate for a handheld Wii U emulator. We're always happy to see more weird hardware, though. The Ayaneo Kun. Photo by James Trew / Engadget The Ayaneo Kun is among the most decadent Windows handhelds weve tested. With a sharp 8.4-inch display, a powerful Ryzen 7 7840U chip, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, a huge 75Wh battery and a whopping 54W max TDP, its both a gaming beast and a feasible replacement for a desktop PC. But it starts at well over $1,000, with a top-end config priced at an eye-watering $1,800. Its also huge, and it suffers from the usual Windows-related issues. Its a super device if money is truly no object, but its more handheld than most need. The Ayaneo 2S is another high-power Windows handheld with a sharper display, larger battery and more configuration options than the ROG Ally X. It uses the same chip as the Kun as well. But its limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and costs a few hundred dollars more. The Anbernic RG35XX Plus. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget The Anbernic RG35XX Plus is another wallet-friendly vertical handheld. For about the same price as the Miyoo Mini Plus, it offers a faster chipset, more RAM and a bigger battery alongside a similarly impressive design. Its stock OS is sloppy, however, and the third-party firmware customizations you can flash to it arent as user-friendly or easy to set up as those available for Miyoos handheld. Also, while its stronger processor is nice, its small screen and lack of analog sticks means you wont want to emulate much beyond the PS1 anyway. Our reservations over the software also apply to the RG35XX H, a newer variant of the Plus that puts the same chip in a more traditional design. The Logitech G Cloud would be a great Android pick if it cost about $150 less. Its 7-inch 1080p display is bright, vibrant and generally more pleasing to look at than the panels on the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro or AYN Odin 2, its battery lasts a good 10 to 12 hours per charge and its design is comfy to hold for hours at a time. Alas, the G Cloud typically sells for $300, which is just too much when the Odin 2 offers far more power for the same price. The PlayStation Portal. Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget The PlayStation Portal is a baffling device that can only stream games from a PlayStation 5. It lacks built-in apps, so emulation isnt possible, and it cant tap into the cloud streaming service available with a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. Because its entirely dependent on the quality of your home Wi-Fi, we cant guarantee how well itll actually perform for you. It doesnt work with Bluetooth earbuds, either. Its 8-inch display is fine and the DualSense-style controls are great, so Sony diehards who want a second screen for local PS5 streaming may see the appeal. But theres nothing here that you cant do with a smartphone and a mobile game controller, so most people are better off saving their $200. What to know about the gaming handheld market Jeff Dunn / Engadget You can break down the gaming handheld market into three broad tiers. At the top, you have x86-based portable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally X. These are the most powerful handhelds you can buy, as they seek to replicate the experience of a moderately specced gaming desktop. The Steam Deck runs on the Linux operating system, but most others use Windows. If you want to play modern, recently released PC games on the go (and need something stronger than a Switch), this is the type of device youd get. They can also emulate the widest range of retro consoles. Theyre typically the largest and most cumbersome devices to hold, however, and their battery life can be short. Naturally, theyre also the most expensive, costing anywhere from $400 to more than $1,000. Further down on the price spectrum are "mobile handhelds" like the Logitech G Cloud or Retroid Pocket. These devices often run Android or Linux and can range from under $50 to $400-ish. They arent equipped to play modern console or PC titles, but theyre usually more compact than a portable PC, and you can still use them for mobile games and cloud streaming. While most are marketed toward those ends, many gamers actually buy them to emulate classic games through software like RetroArch. Getting emulators to work can be complicated, and accessing the BIOS and ROM files required to play games this way is legally murky. One lawsuit from Nintendo recently led to the shutdown of the most prominent Switch and 3DS emulators, for instance. (Engadget does not condone piracy.) Backing up files of games you already own for personal use only is considered more defensible, though, so for that a mobile handheld can be a more user- and wallet-friendly way to play the classics provided you dont want to just use your phone. Well call the last tier handhelds that do their own thing. This is a catch-all for things like the Switch or Playdate: portable devices that run heavily customized software and aim to provide a unique gaming experience. They arent necessarily ideal for emulation or playing the latest multiplatform titles; instead, they often have distinct game libraries. They might not have the widest appeal as a result (Switch excluded), but theyre often easier for less tech-literate folks to just pick up and use. Recent updates August 2024: Weve replaced the ASUS ROG Ally, our prior pick for the best Windows gaming handheld, with the new and improved ROG Ally X. Weve also checked to make sure all availability and pricing details noted throughout the guide are accurate. June 2024: Weve updated this guide to ensure all of our recommendations are up to date, adding a note on ASUS upcoming ROG Ally X in the process. Weve also included details on two new handhelds weve tested since our previous update: the MSI Claw and Ayaneo Flip DS. Staying on top of this market is a tall task, but were currently looking at recent noteworthy releases like the PSP-esque AYN Odin 2 Mini, the GBA-style Anbernic RG35XXSP and the Anbernic RG Cube as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-handheld-gaming-system-140018863.html?src=rss

How to use ChatGPT to help with New Year resolutions.

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Norovirusoutbreaks have sharply increased across the United States and aboard cruise ships, with nearly 900 people sickened on vessels in December alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The rise in gastrointestinal illness, which includessymptomslike vomiting and diarrhea, has prompted concern as this winters outbreaks have been both more frequent and severe.InDecember, 16 separate outbreaks were reported on cruise ships, the highest number in 12 years. This includes a significant incident on the British ocean liner RMS Queen Mary 2, where nearly 13% of passengers and more than 5% of crew members were infected.In the week of December 5, the CDC reported 91 confirmed or suspected norovirus outbreaks, a notable spike compared to previous years. Winter surgeNorovirus is highly contagious, often spread through contaminated food, water, or surfaces, and can also transmit via direct person-to-person contact. According to CDC data, norovirus outbreaks are most common in the winter months, although the reasons for the seasonal uptick are unclear. Experts speculate that colder weather forces more people indoors, facilitating the spread of the virus.This year, the number of reported outbreaks has already surpassed the average seen before the pandemic. Norovirus typically causes about2,500outbreaks annually, with young children and older adults particularly vulnerable to severe dehydration, which can result in hospital visits.Enhanced sanitation measuresIn response to the rise in cases, cruise lines such as Cunard and Holland America have increased sanitation efforts. We can confirm that a number of guests on board Queen Mary 2 have reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, Cunard told USA TODAY. In response, enhanced health protocols have been implemented, including additional deep cleaning of public areas and staterooms, and close monitoring by our medical team, to ensure the comfort, health, and wellbeing of all guests and crew.Holland America Line has also sanitized two of its ships following outbreaks earlier in December.The CDC recommends frequenthandwashingand hygiene precautions, especially for those handling food or caring for vulnerable populations, to help curb the spread of the virus.

The U.S. Treasury Department intends to release guidance on how to access tax credits for hydrogen production under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act later this week, according to two sources familiar with the matter.The long-awaited guidance will provide a pathway for hydrogen produced using nuclear power to access the credits, the sources told Reuters, though the details of that plan were not immediately clear.The question of whether existing nuclear plants should be eligible for the hydrogen subsidy has been a major sticking point for the rule, with environmentalists saying that only hydrogen produced with new clean energy sources should be granted the perks.One of the sources said the guidance would likely be released on Friday.A spokesperson said the Treasury Department was working to finalize the guidance and that the agency was considering various requests related to the rules.Finalizing rules that will help scale the clean hydrogen industry while implementing the environmental safeguards established in the law remains a top priority for Treasury, said spokesperson Michael Martinez. In that process, we are carefully considering the numerous comments we have received on the proposed regulations.In December 2023, the Treasury Department unveiled its proposed rules governing how energy companies would qualify for the credits under the act.In its draft guidance, the agency said the credit would range from 60 cents to $3 per kilogram and be based on the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from the power-generating source used in hydrogen production.The countrys producers of nuclear power, which is virtually carbon free, have since lobbied the Biden administration to include existing reactors in the program.The level of any inclusion of nuclear power in the final rules will determine whether its commercially viable to invest in hydrogen production, one source said.Some possible guidelines could include a limit on the number of credit-qualifying megawatts allowed from existing nuclear power plants used in hydrogen production, one source said.Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Laila Kearney and Nichola Groom; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Leslie Adler.

The Dartmouth mens basketball team on Tuesday dropped its attempt to unionize, abruptly ending a push to become the first college athletes to bargain for a contract in order to avoid a potentially damaging precedent from a National Labor Relations Board that soon will be controlled by Republicans.Service Employees International Union Local 560 filed a request to withdraw the NLRB petition rather than take its chances with an unfriendly labor board likely to take over in the new presidential administration. The boards regional director approved the request later Tuesday.While our strategy is shifting, we will continue to advocate for just compensation, adequate health coverage, and safe working conditions for varsity athletes at Dartmouth, local president Chris Peck said in a statement that called collective bargaining the only viable pathway to address issues facing college athletics today.Although the NCAA considers players student-athletes, the Dartmouth players petitioned the labor board in 2023 for the right to unionize, saying the New Hampshire school exercised so much control over their schedules and working conditions that they met the legal definition of employees. A regional official agreed, and the team voted 13-2 in March to join SEIU Local 560, which already represents some Dartmouth workers.The school said it would refuse to bargain with the players, a strategy designed to force the case into federal court. Before sitting down at the bargaining table, the players would need favorable decisions from an NLRB that currently has two openings that will be filled by President-elect Donald Trump after his Jan. 20 inauguration.In a statement, the school maintained that the decision to classify the players as employees was incorrect and not supported by legal precedent.Dartmouth has built productive relationships with the unions that are part of our campus community and have deep respect for our 1,500 union colleagues. In this isolated instance, however, we did not believe unionization was appropriate, the school said. We will continue to support our mens basketball team and all our students in their athletic endeavors which complement and enhance their academic experience at Dartmouth.Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil, the two Dartmouth players who initiated the union effort, did not immediately respond to text messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. But the union praised them for their efforts.By filing a request to withdraw our petition today, we seek to preserve the precedent set by this exceptional group of young people on the mens varsity basketball team, Peck said. They have pushed the conversation on employment and collective bargaining in college sports forward and made history by being classified as employees, winning their union election 13-2, and becoming the first certified bargaining unit of college athletes in the country.The Dartmouth case threatened to upend the NCAAs amateur model, in which players remain unpaid even as college sports have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry that richly rewards coaches and schools.Recent court decisions have chipped away at that framework, with players now allowed to profit off their name, image, and likeness and earn a still-limited stipend for living expenses beyond the cost of attendance. The NCAA has been lobbying Congress to preserve the amateur model, an approach that becomes more likely with Republican control.Both sides agree that the current paradigm is in jeopardy.A college athletes union would be unprecedented in American sports. A previous attempt to unionize the Northwestern football team failed because opponents in the Big Ten Conference include public schools that arent under the jurisdiction of the NLRB. A separate NLRB complaint is asking that football and basketball players at Southern California be deemed employees of their school, the Pac-12 conference, and the NCAA.By Jimmy Golen, AP Sports Writer

Handheld gaming PCs are obviously powerful enough to play AAA games, at least with settings tuned down a bit, so theyd theoretically be powerful enough to drive other regular software unrelated to gaming. Even the Steam Deck with its rather aged hardware is more than capable of serving as a mini PC, whether youre running Linux or even Windows. Of course, the problem is that these designs are meant to be held in your hands, making them harder to use as a regular computer.You could, of course, connect peripherals to the gaming handheld, like an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. That works when youre at home or in the office, but not so much when on the go. This chunky-looking 3D printed case for the Steam Deck tries to offer a rather creative solution to the problem by having space for a keyboard, effectively turning the portable gaming computer into a tiny laptop in a snap, just in case you need a more productive use for the powerful handheld PC.Designer: Justinas Jakubovskis (Natter_LT)Carrying around a Bluetooth keyboard and a mouse isnt exactly too much of an inconvenience, but using them without a desk is next to impossible. This 3D printed case solve that problem by having a Logitech Pebble Keys 2 keyboard and the Steam Deck as a single unit, though the narrow kickstand might still be a problem when it comes to placing the tiny laptop on your lap. You also still have to make do with a 7.4-inch screen, which is a bit usable but not exactly comfortable or ergonomic.Of course, this doesnt stop you from using the Steam Deck as a gaming handheld. You just need to pop it out of the hardshell case to be able to hold it in your hands again. But for games you prefer to play with a keyboard and a mouse, this laptop-like configuration will be more to your liking. Yes, you might want to use a mouse for that purpose, but the Steam Decks trackpads might be fine when you dont have a table to play on. The case has cutouts for the Steam Decks ports so you have access to them even while the device is in the case.As for that mouse, theres also a 3D-printed backpack for the case that can hold that peripheral as well as charging brick, further transforming the Steam Deck into a portable workstation. Another add-on is a 3D printed carrying handle that really drives home that portability image. Youre doing to look rather odd when using it as a laptop, but very few people will be able to brag about having such a portable gaming computer anyway.The STL files for 3D printing the case are being sold for around $9.50, unlike the usual free handouts that other designers give. Thats still rather cheap compared to buying a Steam Deck carrying case that doesnt have space for a keyboard at all, but only if you have access to a 3D printer. Otherwise, the costs do add up, but you probably wont see such a custom-made case for a Steam Deck laptop in the market anyway.The post 3D printed Steam Deck case transforms handheld gaming PC into a mini laptop first appeared on Yanko Design.