Theres no limit to the promise of artificial intelligence. Or at least, theres no limit to the promises that the powerful make about AI. We're told by tech companies and their investors that AI has the capacity to transform everything, making us more productive workers and more efficient learners before eventually making us obsolete by AI agents that wont complain about work-life balance while they automate away the majority of our jobs.And of course, all these promises are steps along the path to constructing a cyber-god in the form of artificial general intelligence.But the future is a fickle thing. It can fail to materialize in the way envisioned. Our expectations for emerging tech are always at risk of being dashed against the rocks of reality. We often look to science fiction as a beacon that can help us navigate the waves of uncertainty, predict the future of tech, and discern what it means for society. However, if we want to understand what fuels the AI boom and how the bubble might burst the best analogy comes instead from childrens fantasy.In the story of "Peter Pan," the fairy Tinkerbell only exists if people believe in her and clap for her. Once we stop believing in her magic, she starts fading away. Its at this point she implores Peter Pan and the broader audience to clap as loud as they can. Tinkerbell is sustained by our attention.A new piece of emerging tech can be a lot like Tinkerbell. When it's still trying to shift from speculative ideas based on buggy demos to real material things that are normal parts of our daily lives and business practices, its existence depends on our belief in the magic of possibility. At this point, they still only exist when we believe hard enough and clap loud enough. If we stop believing and clapping, then they can start fading away, becoming more intangible by the moment until they disappear remember 3D televisions? Just like with Tinkerbell, audience participation is necessary.That faith in the eventual power of progress can buy time for emerging tech like AI and blockchain which can feel more like impressive parlor tricks desperately searching for useful purposes and business models to establish more concrete anchors in reality. Their transparency level can be set at 50 percent for a long time if there are enough people in the audience believing and clapping for them.The Tinkerbell Effect explains the extreme hype cycles in the tech sector. There's a massive industry in Silicon Valley geared at getting us to believe hard and clap loud. Rather than organic enthusiasm, the hype is a form of manufactured belief. But the difference between Silicon Valley and Tinkerbell is that while they would both like you to applaud for them, the former can sustain itself on the attention generated by both cheers and jeers, believers and skeptics. All that matters is that we keep channeling our psychic energy into the dreams of mega-corporations, tech billionaires, and venture capitalists.Of course, Silicon Valley isn't just a world of pure imagination. Promises made about AI are also built on mountains of cash amassed by internet tycoons and oceans of cheap data extracted from internet users. Tech companies have successfully turned cash and data into emerging systems that prompt even grander visions of the future. But their investments are now showing diminishing returns as they butt up against technical, financial, and social limits of fast and easy progress in AI. This has led Google CEO Sundar Pichai to admit recently that "I think the progress is going to get harder. When I look at '25, the low-hanging fruit is gone. The hill is steeper."If Silicon Valley is going to stave off another devastating AI winter let alone usher us into an AI utopia then it's going to need more than just the brute power of compute, data, and cash. It'll also need to exploit the power of belief.We have plenty of recent examples that show even investing billions of dollars into a speculative tech may not be enough to guarantee the realization of a dream if people lose interest and stop feeding it with their attention. Metaverse? A distant memory. Web3? Sorry, wrong number. Google Glass? Never heard of it.AI depends on vital support from people hard at work in the futurism factory. These are the executives, consultants, journalists, and other thought leaders whose job is the selling of things to come. They craft visions of a specific future such as ones where AI models built by companies like OpenAI or Microsoft are undeniable forces of progress and they build expectations in the public about the inevitable capabilities and irresistible outcomes of these tech products.By flooding the zone with an endless stream of new partnerships, new products, new promises, the tech industry makes us feel disoriented and overwhelmed by a future rushing at us faster than we can handle. The desire to not be left behind or taken advantage of is a powerful motivator that keeps us engaged in the AI sales pitch. The breathless hype surrounding AI is more than just a side-effect of over-eager entrepreneurs; its a load-bearing column for the tech sector. If people believe hard enough in the future manufactured by Silicon Valley, then they start acting like it already exists before it happens. Thus the impacts of technologies like AI become a self-fulfilling prophecy.We should think of AI futurism as a sophisticated form of check kiting cashing a check today and hoping the money will be in the account later. In other words, the business of expectations is based on producing scenarios about what might happen in the future and using them to extract speculative value in the present. Its our belief that these promissory notes are worth anything that allows the tech industry to keep floating until the big payday finally hits.The lesson we should take from the Tinkerbell Effect is that the power of belief its ability to fuel multi-billion dollar booms and busts also reveals the power of disbelief. When Silicon Valley implores us to please clap louder for their dreams, our response should be Sorry, I dont believe in your fairytales anymore. Youll be amazed how quickly these mighty promises start to fade away.Jathan Sadowski is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University and the author of The Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism.Share This Article

A dad just can't seem to figure out why his six-year-old daughter wasn't impressed by the AI toy he gave her for Christmas.Alex Volkov, a self-styled "AI evangelist" and founder of a translation service powered by the tech, tweeted about his parenting difficulties over the holidays.For better or worse, it's provided us a glimpse into the mind of the ardent techno-optimist realizing that others, especially those of uncorrupted minds, may not share in their enthusiasm for large language models."Would you like to play a game or maybe hear a fun fact?" asks the annoyingly chirpy-sounding AI in a video shared by Volkov."No," his daughter replies.Incidents like these seem to genuinely baffle Volkov. He writes that he cannot understand why his daughter disabled the dinosaur plushie's built-in AI voice opting, instead, to play with it like a regular toy, and dressing it with clothes she made."She played with this Dino, chatted with it, and then... learned to turn it off, and doesn't want it to talk anymore," Volkov wrote. "She still loves playing with it," he added, "but every time I ask her if she'd like to chat with it, she says no.""I gently asked why, and wasn't able to really understand where's the resistance,"he mused.The Dino doll, sold by Magical Toys for $200 a piece, is billed as an alternative to letting your kid get their brain fried by iPad screens and, well, fair enough. Using an app, parents can view their kid's chat history and instruct the toy's AI on what topics to talk about. It's unclear what AI model powers the toy. But whatever it is, it's not impressing Volkov's kid, no matter how many "experiments" he runs.Processing the events aloud, Volkov says he made sure to tell her that Dino "wasn't like other toys" that it "has AI in it." He also insists that his child, a wee lass of six years, does in fact understand what AI is.It took him a while to get the message. Volkov turned the AI back on several times, but on each occasion, his daughter would speak with it only momentarily before turning it off again once she got bored.Later, Volkov saw that his daughter was pretending the toy was a baby, so he asked the AI to act like it was one by crying.This, too, backfired. "It sounded weird, which made her laugh really hard," Volkov wrote. "It was basically making crying sounds like talking.""Is this uncanny valley?" he pondered.One user who said she was a psychiatrist who works with children offered an explanation for Volkov's daughter's lack of enthusiasm for the AI."I think because it takes away control from the child," she wrote. "Play is how children work through emotions, impulses and conflicts [as] well as try out new behaviors. I would think [it] would be super irritating to have the toy shape and control your play like a totally dominating playmate!"That the toy deprives the child of using their imagination is a criticism echoed by many users who weighed in some of them harshly. "This is the pinnacle of AI bros being the worst," another netizen opined. "They cannot understand the value of imagination and creativity."Whatever the implications for a child's development, there are serious questions to be asked about trusting a hallucination-prone AI model to talk with your kid.Share This Article

On December 30, a mysterious 1,100-pound object in the shape of a massive, 8-f00t metal ring was discovered in a remote Kenyan village, prompting widespread speculation it had fallen from space.As the New York Times reported"Such objects are usually designed to burn up as they re-enter the Earths atmosphere or to fall over unoccupied areas, such as the oceans," the agency said in a statement.But now, space tracker extraordinaire and Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell is casting doubt on the theory."It was suggested that the ring is space debris, but the evidence is marginal," he wrote in a blog on his personal website, first spotted by Ars Technica.The uncertainty highlights how difficult it can be to trace back space debris that survives its fiery descent through the Earth's atmosphere a pertinent topic given our planet's increasingly cluttered orbit, and that junk's increasing propensity to fall down to Earth.If it indeed came from space, McDowell suggested that the most likely culprit was a fairing adapter for an Ariane V rocket, which launched into space from the European Space Agency's Spaceport in French Guiana on 7 July 2008."Nevertheless I am not fully convinced that the ring is space debris at all," he added.A different space tracker, Delft Technical University lecturer Marco Langbroek, suggested that nearby material recovered several kilometers away from the metal ring, which resembled carbon wrap and isolation foil, could be evidence that the ring may have indeed fallen from space.Both Langbroek and McDowell pointed towards the possibility that the ring was installed on the Ariane V rocket to accommodate two medium-sized satellites. The SYstme de Lancement Double Ariane, or SYLDA, was designed to allow the two satellites to be stacked on top of each other and released in a geostationary transfer orbit.The primary space junk suspect was last spotted on December 23, a week before the metal ring was recovered in Kenya, as Langbroek notes in a Wednesday blog post."As this is a very low inclination orbit (1.56 degrees), it belongs to a class of objects that is ill-tracked due to a lack of tracking stations close to the equator," he wrote. "This explains the 1-week gap between the last available orbit and the reentry.""For now the verdict is: possibly the reentry of parts of the Ariane SYLDA 2008-034C, but not proven beyond doubt yet," he added.Intriguingly, as Ars reports, an anonymous Twitter account called DutchSpace, which has provided reliable information on past Ariane launches, disputed the possibility that the ring was part of the SYLDA shell.Arianespace officials also rejected the hypothesis in a statement to the French newspaper LeParisien this week.In short, the jury is still out on whether the metal ring actually came from space, but it certainly wouldn't be an outlier if it did. We've already seen a number of massive pieces of space debris dropping down on remote areas; Chinese rocket launches, in particular, have gained a reputation for raining down metal debris on unsuspectingand sometimespopulated areas.More on space junk: Boeing Satellite Exploded Into at Least 500 Pieces of DebrisShare This Article

See at ExpressVPN Best VPN for streaming ExpressVPN See at ExpressVPN See more details See at ESPN Watch the FA Cup in the US from $12 per month ESPN Plus See at ESPN See more details See at SN Now Watch the FA Cup in Canada for CA$15 a month Sportsnet See at SN Now See more details See at Optus Watch the FA Cup in Australia from AU$7 a month Optus Sport See at Optus See more details Table of Contents Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is set to ring the changes today as his side take on fourth-tier side Morecambe at Stamford Bridge in this FA Cup third-round match.The Blues look set to give a host of fringe players a run out, while Reece James and Romeo Lavia are both tipped to play for the hosts as they look to return to action following injury layoffsWith 87 places between them in the league rankings, Morecambe will meanwhile be looking to prove that today's tie is not the mismatch it appears on paper. The Shrimps currently find themselves in the relegation zone in EFL League Two, but have claimed wins against Worthing and Bradford City to reach this stage of the tournament.Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world. Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are on a four-match winless run coming into this FA Cup tie. Visionhaus/Getty ImagesChelsea vs. Morecambe: When and where?Chelsea take on Morecambe in this FA Cup third-round match at Stamford Bridge onSaturday, Jan. 11. Kickoff is set for 3p.m. GMT local time in the UK, which is10 a.m. ET or 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and2 a.m. AEDT in Australia in the early hours of Sunday morning. How to watch the Chelsea vs. Morecambe game online from anywhere using a VPNIf you find yourself unable to view EPL matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. James Martin/CNET 2024 Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands ExpressVPN isour current best VPN pickfor people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month.Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months) See at ExpressVPN Livestream the Chelsea vs. Morecambe game in the USThis clash is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday for viewers in the States. ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $12 a month or $120 for an annual subscription. With it, you'll be able to watch all of this season's FA Cup fixtures.Read our ESPN Plus review. See at ESPN Can I livestream the Chelsea vs. Morecambe game in the UK?The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are once again sharing live duties for this season's FA Cup. The bad news is that this song hasn't been selected to be shown live by either network, which also means that if you're in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you're unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geoblocking.There's one option to get around this. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there..Livestream Chelsea vs. Morecambe in CanadaCanadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet. Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network's standalone streaming service Sportsnet Plus instead, with prices starting at CA$25 per month or CA$200 per year. See at SN Now Livestream the Chelsea vs. Morecambe game in AustraliaFootball fans Down Under can watch FA Cup matches live on streaming service Optus Sport. Optus With exclusive rights to stream select FA Cup and all Premier League matches live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.If you're already an Optus network customer, you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 a month. If you're not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25. See at Optus Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPNWith four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming FA Cup matches may vary.If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommendBrave.

In a corner of the bustling showroom floor at CES 2025, I felt like an orchestra conductor. As I subtly waved my arm from side to side, notes rang out on the cello displayed on the giant screen in front of me. The faster I moved my arm, the faster the bow slid across the strings. I even earned a round of applause from fellow booth attendees after a particularly speedy performance.This is what it felt like to use the Mudra Link wristband, which lets you manipulate devices using gesture controls. Motion controls aren't new; I remember using touchless controls as far back as 2014 with devices like the Myo armband. What's different now is that gadgets like these have a bigger reason to exist thanks to the arrival of smart glasses, which were seemingly everywhere at CES 2025.Startups and major tech firms alike have been trying to make smart glasses happen for more than a decade. However, the arrival of AI models that can process speech and visual inputsimultaneously has made them feel more relevant than ever. After all, digital assistants could be much more helpful if they could see what you're seeing and answer questions in real time, much like the idea behind Google's Project Astra prototype glasses. Shipments of smart glasses are expected to grow by 73.1% in 2024, according to a September IDC report, further indicating that tech-equipped spectacles are starting to catch on.Read more: Nvidia's CEO Explains How Its New AI Models Could Work Future Smart Glasses Watch this: These New Smart Glasses Want to Be Your Next AI Companion 02:31 Last fall, Meta demonstrated its own prototype pair of AR glasses, called Orion, controlled by gestures and a neural-input wristband. At last year's Augmented World Expo conference for AR, other startups showed similar experiments.At CES, it became clear that companies are putting a lot of thought into how we should navigate these devices in the future. In addition to the Mudra Link bracelet, I came across a couple of other wearables meant to work with glasses.Take the Afference Ring, for example, which applies neural haptics to your finger to provide tactile feedback when using gesture controls. It's intended for devices like smart glasses and headsets, but I got to try a prototype of it paired with a tablet just to get a feel for how the technology works.In one demo, I played a simple mini golf game that required me to pull my arm back to wind up and then release to launch the ball. The more I pulled back, the stronger the haptics on my finger felt. The experience of toggling brightness and audio sliders was similar; as I turned up the brightness, the sensation on my finger felt more prominent. Afference's ring provides haptic feedback on your finger. Nic Henry/CNETIt was a simple demo, but one that helped me understand the type of approach companies may take to applying haptic feedback to menus and apps in mixed reality. Afference hasn't mentioned any specific partners it's working with, but it's worth noting that Samsung Next participated in Afference's round of seed funding. Samsung launched its first health tracking smart ring last year and announced in December that it's building the first headset to run on the newly announced Android XR platform for upcoming mixed reality headsets.The Mudra Link wristband works with the newly announced TCL RayNeo X3 Pro glasses, which are launching later this year. I briefly tried the Mudra Link wristband to scroll through an app menu on the RayNeo glasses, but the software wasn't finalized yet.I spent most of my time using the wristband to manipulate graphics on a giant screen used for demo purposes at the conference. The cello example was the most compelling demo, but I was also able to grab and stretch a cartoon character's face and move it around the screen just by waving my hand and pinching my fingers.Halliday's smart glasses, which were also unveiled at CES, work with an accompanying ring for navigation. Though I didn't get to try the ring, I used the glasses briefly to translate language in real time, with text translations instantly showing up in my field of view even on the noisy showroom floor. TheHalliday smart glassesput a small screen in your field of view, and you can navigate the device with a companion ring. James Martin/CNETWithout gestures, there are generally two primary ways to interact with smart glasses: touch controls located on the device, and voice commands. The former is ideal for quick interactions, such as swiping through a menu, launching an app or dismissing a call, while the latter is useful for summoning and commanding virtual assistants.Gesture controls could make it easier to navigate interfaces without having to bring your hand up to your face, speak out loud or hold an external controller. However, there is still a degree of awkwardness that comes with using gestures to control a screen that's invisible to everyone but the person wearing the glasses. I can't imagine waving my hands around in public without any context.Meta is already moving toward gesture-controlled glasses, and its CTO, Andrew Bosworth,recently told CNET that gestures would most likely be needed for any future pair of display-enabled glasses.If CES is any indication, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for smart glasses -- and gesture control will undoubtedly play a role in how we navigate these new spatial interfaces in the future. CES 2025: See the 35 Coolest Tech Products We Can't Shake See all photos

Apple'siPhone 16 series boasts a set of new features, like improved cameras and deep integration with Apple Intelligence, but the company's rumored foldable iPhone Flip is still nowhere to be seen. Most makers of Android phones, including Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi and Honor, have been selling folding devices for years now, and it's beginning to feel like Apple is late to the party. That might be a problem.Apple dominates in the premium phone category, but foldables -- which fit into the premium space in terms of price -- are already nipping at its heels, with Motorola telling CNET that 20% of customers buying its Razr foldable jumped ship from Apple. Meanwhile, Samsung is in the sixth generation of its Flip and Fold series. As CNET's Lisa Eadicicco found out during a visit to Seoul, "foldables are everywhere" in Samsung's home country of South Korea. Would Apple go with a smaller format like the Galaxy Z Flip series? Amy Kim/CNETWith almost all the major Android phone manufacturers getting in on the foldable game, Apple runs the risk not just of losing out on potential customers but also of allowing a rival like Samsung to become the go-to name for the category, which could make it harder for Apple to have an impact if it eventually launches its own folding product. Furthermore, customers who've become early adopters of a foldable, attracted by the fancy bending tech, may be too entrenched in the Android ecosystem by the time Apple's phone arrives to want to switch to iOS.Apple is unlikely to be worried. It's estimated that around 20 million foldables from all manufacturers were sold worldwide in 2023, while Apple reportedly sold 26.5 million iPhone 14 Pro Max handsets in the first half of that year alone. Clearly, Apple feels it has yet to miss the boat. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a superb phone. But what if it could bend? Andrew Lanxon/CNETApple has always found success in biding its time, observing the industry and launching its own take on a product when it's ready. Apple didn't invent phones, tablets, smartwatches or computers, but it found ways to take existing products and make them more useful, more valuable in day-to-day life and -- dare I say -- more exciting. It's why the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac lines dominate the market today. For me, I need to see Apple's take on the foldable phone. I've written before about how disappointed I am in foldables. I've been a mobile reporter for over 13 years and phones have become increasingly dull as they've converged to become slight variations on the same rectangular slab.Read more: Best Flip Phone for 2025Foldables promised something new, something innovative, something that briefly sparked some excitement in me, but several years in, that excitement has dwindled to the point of being extinguished. They are fine products and while I like the novelty of a screen that bends, they're not a revolution in how we interact with our phones. Not in the way that the arrival of the touchscreen was when we were still pushing buttons to type out texts.I did hope that Google's Pixel Fold would be the phone to catapult the foldable forward, and while the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold -- the second generation of Google's foldable -- does offer some great updates, it still doesn't offer any kind of revolution. Instead, it feels more like a "me too" move from Google. Ditto for the OnePlus Open. So I'm left instead to look toward Apple, a company with a track record for product revolutions, to create a new take on the genre that genuinely drives forward how we use our phones. Google's Pixel Fold is a decent phone, but it doesn't drive the category forward in any meaningful way. James Martin/CNETThat innovation won't just come from the product design. Apple works closely with its third-party software developers, and it's that input that would help a folding iPhone become genuinely useful. My biggest complaint around foldables right now is that while the hardware is decent, the devices are essentially just running standard versions of Android with a handful of UI tweaks thrown in. They're regular phones that just happen to bend.Few Android developers are embracing the folding format, and it's not difficult to see why; the users aren't there in sufficient numbers yet to justify the time and expense to adapt their software across a variety of screen sizes. The multiple folding formats already available mean Android foldables face the same fragmentation issue that has plagued the platform since the beginning. Android-based foldables are simply a more difficult platform for developers to build for than regular phones. Apple would be able to change that, as it proved with the iPhone and iPad. Apple didn't invent tablet computers, but its iPad line revolutionized the category. Scott Stein/CNETGiven Apple's close relationships with top-tier developers -- not to mention its own vast developer team -- I expect an eventual Apple foldable to offer innovations that make it more than just an iPhone that folds in half.And I truly hope it does. I want to look forward to tech launches again. I want to feel excited to get a new gadget in my hands and feel that "wow" moment as I do something transformative for the first time.In short, I don't want to be bored by technology anymore. Apple, it's over to you. I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites See all photos

Marvel Rivals update kills mods, removing cheats, skins, and 19-inches of VenomAssault rival.Image credit: NetEase News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 11, 2025 Yesterday's Marvel Rivals update has seemingly wiped the ability to use mods on PC.Marvel Rivals has been in Season 0 since its release last month, and yesterday the online hero shooter's first season launched, bringing significant balance changes and the heroic Fantastic Four team: Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing.Since the update rolled out, however, players are reporting that asset hash checking has stripped the ability to use mods, such as custom skins or FPS boosts.Season 1: Eternal Night Falls Official Trailer | Marvel Rivals.Watch on YouTubeAsset hash checking compares what you're running on your PC to what the servers believes your code should be running, and if it finds any differences - mods, in other words - the account could be banned. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Whilst some lament the loss - including a lot of talk about Venom's "19-inch stalk" - others are more ambivalent about the changes, pointing out that Marvel Rivals is a free-to-play game that relies on battle pass and skin sales to generate profit.Others noted that this decision could also help ameliorate cheats and hacks.Let's not pretend this is a bad thing. Cosmetics are literally their only form of profit to keep this FREE game running byu/Jtneagle inmarvelrivalsTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Marvel Rivals has proven incredibly popular since its launch. Its opening weekend saw 10 million players join online to take part in the fray."NetEase's spin on the hero battler is complex and moreish, but rarely much actual fun," our Chris wrote in Eurogamer's Marvel Rivals review. "Its biggest impact is a renewed appreciation for the rivals that do it better." He awarded it two out of five stars.

Ill spare you the experience of listening to one of the richest men in the world whine and just tell you straight out: Mark Zuckerbergs interview on The Joe Rogan Experience is full of lies.Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebooks parent company Meta, sets the tone at the very beginning: I think at some level you only start one of these companies if you believe in giving people a voice, right?Unfortunately I wasnt born yesterday, and I remember Zuckerbergs first attempt at getting rich: FaceMash, a clone of HotOrNot where he uploaded photos of his fellow female students to be rated without their consent. Giving people a voice is one way of describing that, I suppose. Personally, Id call it creep shit.If you can get away with the small bullshit, you can get away with the big bullshit, right?Early on in the interview, Zuckerberg tests out the water to see how much pushback hell get; Rogan is a notoriously soft interviewer its like listening to your dumbest stoned friend hold a conversation but he does occasionally challenge his guests. So Zuckerberg says that there are limits on the First Amendment by saying, Its like, all right, you cant yell fire in a crowded theater.Fire in a crowded theater makes every lawyer I know foam at the mouth because its flat out wrong. It is not the law, and it never has been. And, obviously, you can yell fire in a crowded theater especially if, you know, the theater is on fire. Rogan says nothing in response to this, and Zuckerberg knows hes got a willing mark. If you can get away with the small bullshit, you can get away with the big bullshit, right?For his part, Rogan serves up Zuckerberg a series of softballs, setting his own tone by referring to content moderation as censorship. The idea that the government was forcing Zuckerberg to censor news about covid and covid vaccines, Hunter Bidens laptop, and the election is something of a running theme throughout the interview. When Zuckerberg isnt outright lying about any of this, hes quite vague but in case you were wondering, a man who was formally rebuked by the city of San Francisco for putting his name on a hospital while his platforms spread health misinformation thinks that on balance, the vaccines are more positive than negative. Whew!Misinformation on Facebook started well before the 2016 election as early as 2014, scammers were spreading Ebola lies on Facebook. Shortly after the 2016 election, Adam Mosseri then Facebooks VP of product management said in a statement that Facebook was combating fake news but theres so much more we need to do. Facebook did receive criticism for spreading fake news, including misinformation that benefitted President Donald Trump, but even then, Zuckerberg wasnt having it. I do think there is a certain profound lack of empathy in asserting that the only reason someone could have voted the way they did is they saw some fake news, Zuckerberg said.Its something out of like 1984.Still, in the 2020 election, Facebook along with other social media networks took a harsher stance on fake news, making it harder for Macedonian teenagers to make a profit off Trump supporters. During his Rogan interview, Zuckerberg now characterizes this intervention as giving too much deference to a lot of folks in the media who were basically saying, okay, theres no way that this guy could have gotten elected except for misinformation.Facebook implemented a fact-checking program, one that involved partners such as the conservative online magazine The Dispatch, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and USA Today. In a concession to Donald Trumps second presidency, implemented before Trump even took the oath of office, Zuckerberg has said Facebook will end the program. Were going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms, Zuckerberg said in the video announcing the move.On the Rogan show, Zuckerberg went further in describing the fact-checking program hed implemented: Its something out of like 1984. He says the fact-checkers were too biased, though he doesnt say exactly how.The problem wasnt that the fact-checking was bad; it was that conservatives are more likely to share misinformation and get fact-checked, as some research has shown. That means conservatives are also more likely to be moderated. In this sense, perhaps it wasnt Facebooks fact-checking systems that had a liberal bias, but reality.The biggest lie of all is a lie of omissionWell, Zuckerbergs out of the business of reality now. I am sympathetic to the difficulties social media platforms faced in trying to moderate during covid where rapidly-changing information about the pandemic was difficult to keep up with and conspiracy theories ran amok. Im just not convinced it happened the way Zuckerberg describes. Zuckerberg whines about being pushed by the Biden administration to fact-check claims: These people from the Biden administration would call up our team, and, like, scream at them, and curse, Zuckerberg says.Did you record any of these phone calls? Rogan asks.I dont know, Zuckerberg says. I dont think we were.Many of the controversial moderation calls Facebook made in the pandemic were during the Trump administrationRogan then asks who, specifically, was pressuring Facebook. And Zuckerberg has no answer: It was people in the Biden administration, he says. I think it was, you know, I wasnt involved in those conversations directly, but I think it was.But the biggest lie of all is a lie of omission: Zuckerberg doesnt mention the relentless pressure conservatives have placed on the company for years which has now clearly paid off. Zuckerberg is particularly full of shit here because Republican Rep. Jim Jordan released Zuckerbergs internal communications which document this!In his letter to Jordans committee, Zuckerberg writes, Ultimately it was our decision whether or not to take content down. Emphasis mine. Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration in either direction and were ready to push back if something like this happens again.Those emails also reveal Zuckerberg wanted to blame the Biden White House for how Facebook chose to moderate the lab leak conspiracy theory of covid origins. Can we include that the WH put pressure on us to censor the lab leak theory? he asked in a WhatsApp chat. His former president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, responded, I dont think they put specific pressure on that theory.Joel Kaplan, the former George W. Bush advisor who has now replaced Clegg, said that blaming the White House for Facebooks behavior would supercharge conservatives who believed the social media giant was collaborating with the Biden administration. If theyre more interested in criticizing us than actually solving the problems, then Im not sure how its helping the cause to engage with them further, Zuckerberg wrote. This doesnt seem to show that the Biden administration successfully censored anything.Facebook was widely and obviously targeted by Republican lawmakersIn fact, many of the controversial moderation calls Facebook made in the pandemic were during the Trump administration. Take, for instance, the Plandemic video hoax: Facebook removed the video in 2020. Joe Biden took office in 2021. If Zuckerberg was dealing with an administration pressuring him about this, it was the Trump administration. The Biden White House may well have engaged in similar outreach, but it was joining what was already an active discussion about Facebook moderation.Facebook was widely and obviously targeted by Republican lawmakers, including Jordan, Senator Ted Cruz, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Texas governor Greg Abbott, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and incoming Vice President JD Vance. It was mostly conservatives who threatened him during the interminable and pointless Congressional hearings Zuckerberg sat through for years often asking him to comment directly on conspiracy theories or demand that individual trolls be reinstated to his platforms.But Zuckerberg didnt mention any of that to Rogan. Instead, he was upset that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau started investigating him for improperly using financial information to target ads. What does Zuckerberg say about this? Well, let me give it to you straight:They kind of found some theory they wanted to investigate. And its like, okay, clearly they were trying really hard, right? To like, to like, find, find some theory, but it, like, I dont know. It just, it kind of, like, throughout the, the, the, the, the party and the government, there was just sort of, I dont know if its, I dont know how this stuff works. I mean, Ive never been in government. I dont know if its like a directive or its just like a quiet consensus that like, we dont like these guys. Theyre not doing what we want. Were going to punish them. But, but its, its, its tough to be at the other end of that.This is a compelling demonstration that jujitsu and MMA training (or hunting pigs in Hawaii or making your neck real thick or whatever) isnt going to help you act aggressive if youre constitutionally bitchmade. Blaming the CFPB for a witch-hunt when weve all watched Republicans target Facebook really is something! Thats what this whole performance is about: getting Trump, Vance, Jordan and the rest of the Republican party to lay off. After all, the Cambridge Analytica scandal cost Facebook just $5 billion chump change, really. If Zuckerberg plays ball, his next privacy whoopsie could be even cheaper.In fact, Zuckerberg even offers Republicans another target: Apple. According to Zuckerberg, the way Apple makes money is by basically, like, squeezing people. Among his complaints:Apples 30 percent commission on App Store salesAirpods work better with Apple phones than all other headphonesApple wouldnt let Zuckerbergs Meta Ray-Bans connect to iOS using the same quick-setup protocol Airpods useiMessage is a walled garden, and groupchats go wonky if theres a person with an Android phone in thereI mean at some point I did this like back of the envelope calculation of like all the random rules that Apple puts out. If you know, if they didnt apply, like I think you know, its like and this is just Meta, I think wed like, make twice as much profit or something.At least some of these Apple issues actually matter there is a legitimate DOJ antitrust case against the company. But that isnt whats on Zuckerbergs mind. The last point is the important one, from his perspective. He has a longstanding grudge against Apple after the company implemented anti-tracking features into its default browser, Safari. Facebook criticized those changes in newspaper ads, even. The policy cost social media companies almost $10 billion, according to The Financial Times; Facebook lost the most money in absolute terms. You see, it turns out if you ask people whether they want to be tracked, the answer is generally no and thats bad for Facebooks business.Zuckerberg wants us to believe this isnt about politics at allBut Zuckerberg wants us to believe this isnt about politics at all. Getting Rogans listeners riled up about Zuckerbergs enemies and finding Republicans a new tech company target is just a coincidence, as are the changes to allow more hate speech on his platforms happening now, changes that just happen to pacify Republicans. All of this has nothing to do with the incoming administration, Zuckerberg tells Rogan. I think a lot of people look at this as like a purely political thing, because they kind of look at the timing and theyre like, hey, well, youre doing this right after the election. he says. We try to have policies that reflect mainstream discourse.And did this work? Did Zuckerbergs gambit to talk about how social media needed more masculine energy win over the bros? Well, Barstools Dave Portnoy isnt fooled by this shit.I dont know. I did think it was pretty funny that after all these complaints about government censorship, Zuckerberg didnt say a word about Trump and the Republicans efforts at it.After all, Trump, the incoming president who has on occasion threatened to put Zuckerberg in prison, was recently asked if the Facebook changes were in response to his threats.Probably, Trump said.

White Fortress | Fernando Guerra | FG+SGLocated in the coastal landscape of Al Khiran, Kuwait, the White Fortress is a modern residence designed by TAEP/AAP. Completed in 2023, the house reinterprets Northern Gulf architectural principles of privacy, discretion, and climatic adaptability in a contemporary framework. With a built-up area of 1,045 sqm, the White Fortress harmoniously integrates traditional elements with innovative design, creating a sanctuary that celebrates spatial diversity, serenity, and a profound connection to its surroundings.White Fortress Technical InformationArchitects1-8: TAEP/AAPLocation: Al Khiran, KuwaitArea: 1,045 m2 | 11,250 Sq. Ft.Completion Year: 2023Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SGEmbodying the architectural attributes of Northern Gulf architecture of privacy and discretion, the White Fortress is enveloped by towering, thick walls that offer protection from the harsh climate and arid surroundings, while enclosing a serene and inviting interior. TAEP/AAP ArchitectsWhite Fortress Photographs Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Fernando Guerra | FG+SGArchitectural Design and Spatial OrganizationThe White Fortress is defined by its towering, thick exterior walls, which serve as protective barriers against the harsh Kuwaiti climate while ensuring privacy and seclusion. These walls reflect traditional Gulf architectural values and establish a bold, monumental presence within the arid landscape.Inside, the dwelling is organized around a series of patios that anchor the spatial arrangement. Each courtyard serves a distinct purposegreeting, resting, and celebratingproviding diverse experiences within a cohesive framework. The central green oasis divides service areas from private and social spaces, fostering a sense of tranquility and balance. Generously proportioned rooms open onto oval-shaped patios and small gardens, connected by meandering paths that enhance spatial fluidity and discovery.The design employs non-linear pathways and axial corridors to create a rhythmic play of depth and shadow. These circulation strategies encourage movement through successive gardens and patios, culminating in the private family spaces. The seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces exemplifies thoughtful spatial connectivity.The integration of glazed facades in social areas allows natural light to permeate the interiors, balancing the solidity of the walls with transparency and openness. The interplay of light and shadow across textured surfaces enriches the sensory experience of the space, creating a dynamic yet calming atmosphere.White Fortress Relationship with Site and ContextThe White Fortress demonstrates a sophisticated response to Kuwaits harsh climate. The thick walls provide insulation, while the shaded patios and green spaces mitigate the effects of the intense heat. These strategies ensure a comfortable and sustainable living environment.Positioned along the Gulf Sea, the residence establishes a strong dialogue with its surroundings. An open semi-covered paved space frames views of the seascapes horizontality, blurring the boundaries between land and water. The houses private beach access enhances this connection, making the seashore an extension of the homes social spaces.The landscaping, which includes small gardens and native vegetation, complements the architectural language. Sand dunes and greenery are seamlessly woven into the design, reinforcing the homes connection to its natural environment. The gardens serve as visual and sensory buffers, enriching the overall living experience.Rooted in the regions cultural traditions, the design respects and reinterprets Gulf architectural values. The emphasis on privacy, the use of courtyards, and the integration of natural elements reflect a deep understanding of local heritage, ensuring the projects authenticity and relevance.Iconic Features and Design LegacyAt the heart of the central oasis is a tall cylindrical volume reminiscent of a seacoast lighthouse. This architectural centerpiece serves as a meditative space, offering solitude and serenity. From its rooftop, the structure provides panoramic views of the house gardens, the dunes, and the endless horizon of the sea, transforming into a contemplative walking area.The design capitalizes on its coastal location, framing views of the Gulf Sea and integrating the horizon into the living experience. These vistas enhance the aesthetic appeal and establish a profound sense of place.The White Fortress sets a benchmark for contemporary Gulf residential architecture. By blending tradition with modernity, the project offers a fresh perspective on how privacy, spatial hierarchy, and environmental considerations can coexist harmoniously. It is a compelling case study for architects exploring innovative approaches to regional design challenges.White Fortress PlansFloor Plans | TAEP/AAPSection | TAEP/AAPAxonmoetric View | TAEP/AAPSketch | TAEP/AAPWhite Fortress Image GalleryAbout TAEP/AAPCredits and Additional NotesLead Architects: Abdulatif Almishari, Rui VargasDesign Team: Carla Barroso, Alba Duarte, Telmo Rodrigues, Carlo Palma, Duarte Correia, Elvino Domingos, Emanuel Grave, Hassan Javed, Joo Costa, Lionel Estriga, Pedro MirandaStructural Engineer: R5 EngineersMEP Engineers: Mohammed Hassan, Rben RodriguesInterior Designers: Leonor Barata Feyo, Carolina GraveLandscape Designers: Susana PinheiroGraphic Designers: Mariana Neves, Aquilino Sotero, Diogo Monteiro, Federica Fortugno, Nelson Ferreira, Lus EstevesSite Supervision: AsBuilt Team: Lcio Silva, Ricardo Janeiro, Vando Beldade

One of the most attractive railroad depots in Connecticut, the Cornwall Bridge Railroad Station exists in almost complete originality. Its siding is board and batten and its slate roof with a wide overhang supported by the original brackets, showcases the attention to detail railroad companies paid to design and appoint these important landmarks. Built in 1886, the building can be classified as Stick Style and is one of a few buildings in town of the style, adding to its significance. The station was built by theHousatonic Railroad to replace an earlier station on the site. The Housatonic line was acquired by theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroadin 1892 and later by thePenn Central Railroadin 1969, which went bankrupt by 1970. This station was subsequently sold to private ownership and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a tool to bring awareness to its significance and threatened status. Luckily, the building was preserved and has been converted to a private residence.