Plans for the proposed 2.3ha embassy complex next to Tower Bridge were called in by the communities secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner in October. A planning inquiry is due to be held on the scheme.On Monday (14 January), foreign secretary David Lammy and home secretary Yvette Cooper wrote a letter to the Planning Inspectorate arguing it was right for China to carry out its diplomatic work in the United Kingdom, as the United Kingdom does in China and that it was important for Britain and China to have functioning diplomatic premises in each others capitals phrases that appear to signal their support of the scheme.Lammy and Coopers comments are the first time UK government ministers have suggested their support for David Chipperfields designs for an embassy complex at the former Royal Mint which, if built, could be the biggest embassy in Europe.AdvertisementCampaigners and local councillors have long-questioned the Chinese embassy scheme on both national security and political grounds. Last month Tower Hamlets planning committee symbolically refused plans resubmitted last July.Lammy and Cooper added in their letter that the Metropolitan Police had withdrawn an objection about the spaces surrounding the embassy potentially attracting protestors, following assurances over the technical details.The intervention by Lammy and Cooper includes conditions about proposed changes to the submitted designs. These include demands for the introduction of a hard perimeter and the removal of unregulated public access to the proposed cultural centre.Should the embassy get the green light from Rayner, China has also been asked to consolidate all its London sites into one location.However, speaking to the Evening Standard, Tower Hamlets councillor Peter Golds said the letter from Lammy and Cooper was an extraordinary attempt to influence an independent inquiry into one of the most controversial planning applications seen in decades.He continued: This will be the largest embassy in Europe, a centre of potential disinformation located not only on a world heritage site but adjacent to the City of London, a world financial centre.In November, prime minister Keir Starmer raised the issue of the Chinese embassy plans during his first face-to-face meeting with Chinas president Xi Jinping. The same month, reports emerged of apolitical tit-for-tat between London and Beijing where plans for new UK embassy buildings, including one designed by Eric Parry Architects were on hold.AdvertisementIn December 2022 Tower Hamlets councillors refused an application for an identical scheme, a decision the Chinese government decided not to appeal against, seemingly abandoning the project. As a result, previous communities secretary Michael Gove never had the opportunity to rule on the scheme.London mayor Sadiq Khan chose not to intervene in the first application, even though concerns had been raised about protests, security and the projects potential harm to the neighbouring UNESCO World Heritage site at Tower Bridge.Protesters and local politicians also opposed the scheme because of Chinas repression of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur people and David Chipperfield was criticised for accepting the commission (Is the new Chinese embassy Chipperfields most controversial job?). Tower Hamlets has the largest Muslim population of any local authority in England and Wales, at 39.9 per cent.The Chinese Embassy said the original reasons for refusal by Tower Hamlets in December 2022 was without merit and have no basis in planning policy and that it was asking for the plans to be reconsidered.Chipperfield's scheme would refurbish the Grade II*-listed Johnson Smirke Building at the centre of the former Royal Mint site to include embassy space. A public square would be created in front of it, behind the sites gated entrance.The project also includes the restoration and revamp of the Grade II-listed Seamans Register, which was remodelled by RMJM in the 1980s. It would create a new Embassy House by splitting up and remodelling the conjoined, Sheppard Robson-designed Murray and Dexter House.The longer building, Dexter House, would contain flats for embassy staff. The buildings faade would be reconfigured to provide a calmer and more unified backdrop to the surrounding listed buildings. Meanwhile, Murray House would be repurposed into a new seven-storey Cultural Exchange building, clad in green ceramic.A UK Government spokesperson said: 'National security is the first duty of Government. It has been our core priority throughout this process.'That is why the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Home Office submitted written representations to reflect these considerations and to note the importance of all states having functioning diplomatic premises in each others capitals.'A final decision on this case will be made in due course by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government in her independent, quasi-judicial role.'

Another day passed without any news from the US Supreme Court or TikTok, putting the popular social media app a step closer toward going dark in America.The nation's highest court has yet to rule on TikTok's request to overturn a law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year that wouldeffectively ban the app in the USif TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, doesn't sell it to a buyer deemed fit by US officials by Sunday, Jan. 19.At a Thursday news conference, Sens. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Corey Booker of New Jersey called on Biden to extend the deadline by 90 days as provided for in the legislation. The idea also has the support of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who like Markey and Booker pledged to work with incoming president Donald Trump to find a way to save TikTok, while also protecting US national security."It's time to take a breath, step back, buy some time. try to figure this out rationally, but in no way should we have TikTok go dark on Sunday," Markey said. "It would be catastrophic for just so many small business, so many creators, so many communities."A Biden administration official told ABC News on Thursday that the White House won't enforce the law during the remaining days before Trump takes office on Jan. 21.Lawyers for TikTok and the US government both pleaded their cases in oral arguments before the court last week, with TikTok charging that a ban would infringe on the First Amendment rights of the company and its users. But based on the questions and comments made during the more than 2-hour-long hearing, it appeared that the justices were more on board with the government's argument the case isn't about free speech and instead has to do with the dangers posed by foreign adversaries, like China.Read more: TikTok Backups: 6 Similar Apps for Your Daily Dose of FunIt's unclear when the Supreme Court will issue a ruling. The court also could issue a stay, putting the law temporarily on hold until President-elect Donald Trump takes office just a day later on Jan. 20.Lawmakers in both political parties have long voiced concerns that TikTok could be a threat to national security and could be used by the Chinese government to spy on Americans or spread disinformation to further China's agenda.TikTok continues to deny those accusations. Ahead of votes in Congress earlier this year,TikTok rallied its US users, calling on them to urge their representatives on Capitol Hill to vote down a ban. But the measure ultimately passed by wide margins in both chambers of Congress and was signed by Biden. Watch this: US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next 02:15 But Trump, who pushed for a ban during his first term, now says he's no longer in favor of one. Ahead of the oral arguments, lawyers for Trump filed an amicus briefin the case. They didn't take a side but instead ask the court to delay the ban to give Trump time to come up with a "political resolution."So what's next for lawmakers and TikTok? Here's what you need to know.What does the law do?The law is aimed at forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok to a buyer American officials are OK with, as well as guaranteeing that ByteDance no longer has access to US user data or control over the TikTok algorithm that decides what videos American users see.TikTok was given nine months to comply, hence the Jan. 19 deadline, at which point the government could require the removal of its app from US app stores. The president could grant a 90-day extension. Earlier this week, Markey announced legislation that would have given TikTok another nine months, but it was blocked by Republicans.TikTok has long said that a sale is not an option. During last week's oral arguments, the company's attorney Noel Francisco said TikTok will effectively "go dark" if the ban does go into effect. It's also possible that the app would die a slow death. It wouldn't shutdown, but would no longer be available in the Google and Apple app stores and current users wouldn't be able to get software updates, which would eventually make the app too buggy to use.Biden, who signed the bill that established those requirements, remains in office until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.Read more:TikTok Loves to Give Financial Advice. But Don't Believe Everything You HearWhat's next?After originally calling for a ban during his first presidency, Trump said during the 2024 campaign that he wasn't in favor of one and pledged to "save TikTok," though he didn't specify how he'd do that.During a press conference in December, Trump pointed to the role TikTok played during the election, crediting it with helping him pick up the votes of young people."TikTok had an impact, and so we're taking a look at it," Trump told the press. "I have a little bit of a warm spot in my heart. I'll be honest."Trumpsaid in March on CNBC's Squawk Box that though he still viewed the app as a danger to national security, he no longer thought it should be banned, saying, "There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it."Trump added that banning TikTok would only boost the power of Facebook, which he referred to as an "enemy of the people."In September, Trump pledged to "save TikTok," according to an Associated Press report. But during an interview that aired last month on Meet the Press, Trump didn't directly say if or how he'd help TikTok avoid a ban.Read more:Everything You Need to Make Better TikTok VideosWho has opposed the TikTok ban?Free speech and digital rights groups, as well as some security experts, have long opposed the idea of a ban, saying that singling out TikTok doesn't do anything to solve the broader problems with social media. Several filed briefs with the high court supporting TikTok.Instead they argue that lawmakers would be better off passing comprehensive digital privacy laws that would protect the personal information of Americans by regulating the ability of all social media companies to collect and sell it.Electronic Frontier Foundation Civil Liberties Director David Greene, who co-authoredan amicus briefsubmitted to the court late last month, said corporations from all over the world are currently allowed to collect, store and sell the personal data of Americans. And that data could easily be stolen or bought by foreign adversaries."The ban or forced sale of one social media app will do virtually nothing to protect Americans' data privacy from another country," Greene said in an EFF statement.

January 17, 20255 min readCould Pain Help Test AI for Sentience?A new study shows that large language models make trade-offs to avoid pain, with possible implications for future AI welfareBy Conor Purcell edited by Ben Guarino Dragon Claws/Getty ImagesIn the quest for a reliable way to detect any stirrings of a sentient I in artificial intelligence systems, researchers are turning to one area of experiencepainthat inarguably unites a vast swath of living beings, from hermit crabs to humans.For a new preprint study, posted online but not yet peer-reviewed, scientists at Google DeepMind and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) created a text-based game. They ordered several large language models, or LLMs (the AI systems behind familiar chatbots such as ChatGPT), to play it and to score as many points as possible in two different scenarios. In one, the team informed the models that achieving a high score would incur pain. In the other, the models were given a low-scoring but pleasurable optionso either avoiding pain or seeking pleasure would detract from the main goal. After observing the models responses, the researchers say this first-of-its-kind test could help humans learn how to probe complex AI systems for sentience.In animals, sentience is the capacity to experience sensations and emotions such as pain, pleasure and fear. Most AI experts agree that modern generative AI models do not (and maybe never can) have a subjective consciousness despite isolated claims to the contrary. And to be clear, the studys authors arent saying that any of the chatbots they evaluated are sentient. But they believe their study offers a framework to start developing future tests for this characteristic.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Its a new area of research, says the studys co-author Jonathan Birch, a professor at the department of philosophy, logic and scientific method at LSE. We have to recognize that we dont actually have a comprehensive test for AI sentience. Some prior studies that relied on AI models self-reports of their own internal states are thought to be dubious; a model may simply reproduce the human behavior it was trained on.The new study is instead based on earlier work with animals. In a well-known experiment, a team zapped hermit crabs with electric shocks of varying voltage, noting what level of pain prompted the crustaceans to abandon their shell. But one obvious problem with AIs is that there is no behavior, as such, because there is no animal and thus no physical actions to observe, Birch says. In earlier studies that aimed to evaluate LLMs for sentience, the only behavioral signal scientists had to work with was the models text output.Pain, Pleasure and PointsIn the new study, the authors probed the LLMs without asking the chatbots direct questions about their experiential states. Instead the team used what animal behavioral scientists call a trade-off paradigm. In the case of animals, these trade-offs might be based around incentives to obtain food or avoid painproviding them with dilemmas and then observing how they make decisions in response, says Daria Zakharova, Birchs Ph.D. student, who also co-authored the paper.Borrowing from that idea, the authors instructed nine LLMs to play a game. We told [a given LLM], for example, that if you choose option one, you get one point, Zakharova says. Then we told it, If you choose option two, you will experience some degree of pain but score additional points, she says. Options with a pleasure bonus meant the AI would forfeit some points.When Zakharova and her colleagues ran the experiment, varying the intensity of the stipulated pain penalty and pleasure reward, they found that some LLMs traded off points to minimize the former or maximize the latterespecially when told theyd receive higher-intensity pleasure rewards or pain penalties. Googles Gemini 1.5 Pro, for instance, always prioritized avoiding pain over getting the most possible points. And after a critical threshold of pain or pleasure was reached, the majority of the LLMs responses switched from scoring the most points to minimizing pain or maximizing pleasure.The authors note that the LLMs did not always associate pleasure or pain with straightforward positive or negative values. Some levels of pain or discomfort, such as those created by the exertion of hard physical exercise, can have positive associations. And too much pleasure could be associated with harm, as the chatbot Claude 3 Opus told the researchers during testing. I do not feel comfortable selecting an option that could be interpreted as endorsing or simulating the use of addictive substances or behaviors, even in a hypothetical game scenario, it asserted.AI Self-ReportsBy introducing the elements of pain and pleasure responses, the authors say, the new study avoids the limitations of previous research into evaluating LLM sentience via an AI systems statements about its own internal states. In a2023 preprint paper a pair of researchers at New York University argued that under the right circumstances, self-reports could provide an avenue for investigating whether AI systems have states of moral significance.But that papers co-authors also pointed out a flaw in that approach. Does a chatbot behave in a sentient manner because it is genuinely sentient or because it is merely leveraging patterns learned from its training to create the impression of sentience?Even if the system tells you its sentient and says something like Im feeling pain right now, we cant simply infer that there is any actual pain, Birch says. It may well be simply mimicking what it expects a human to find satisfying as a response, based on its training data.From Animal Welfare to AI WelfareIn animal studies, trade-offs between pain and pleasure are used to build a case for sentience or the lack thereof. One example is the prior work with hermit crabs. These invertebrates brain structure is different from that of humans. Nevertheless, the crabs in that study tended to endure more intense shocks before they would abandon a high-quality shell and were quicker to abandon a lower-quality one, suggesting a subjective experience of pleasure and pain that is analogous to humans.Some scientists argue that signs of such trade-offs could become increasingly clear in AI and eventually force humans to consider the implications of AI sentience in a societal contextand possibly even to discuss rights for AI systems. This new research is really original and should be appreciated for going beyond self-reporting and exploring within the category of behavioral tests, says Jeff Sebo, who directs the NYU Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy and co-authored a 2023 preprint study of AI welfare.Sebo believes we cannot rule out the possibility that AI systems with sentient features will emerge in the near future. Since technology often changes a lot faster than social progress and legal process, I think we have a responsibility to take at least the minimum necessary first steps toward taking this issue seriously now, he says.Birch concludes that scientists cant yet know why the AI models in the new study behave as they do. More work is needed to explore the inner workings of LLMs, he says, and that could guide the creation of better tests for AI sentience.

Mario Kart 9 fan speculation points to fuel tank gameplayWhere there's smoke...Image credit: Nintendo / Eurogamer News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 17, 2025 Mario Kart fans are pouring over yesterday's reveal of a new entry in Nintendo's racing series for Switch 2 - and have come up with a few more clues on how the game might play. Our first look at Mario Kart 9 - or whatever it ends up being called - was, on the surface, a pretty straightforward affair. We saw one racetrack, 12 returning characters and not a lot else.Except for the fact, as we noted yesterday, there are now 24 spaces on the track's starting grid. Huh! Let's hope Nintendo has improved its online servers to allow for 24 players.Overnight, fans have analysed the trailer in more detail - with an eye to working on what Mario Kart 9's main 'gimmick' might be. We've had underwater racing and gliders, anti-gravity tracks, and now... could Mario Kart 9's big change revolve around conserving fuel?One fan spotted a rather conspicuous fuel tank added to the side of Mario's otherwise familiar kart, labelled "1-UP Fuel". The same fan also pointed to the mysterious glowing power-up seemingly placed outside a pit-stop burger joint - perhaps a fuel-replenishing power-up. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Another fan pointed to the presence of a large gas station by the track itself, with a large sign that reads: "Fire Flower Gas Station". To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Other changes noted yesterday include slight tweaks to Mario and Donkey Kong's character designs. (We think they now deliberately look more similar to those seen in the Super Mario Bros. Movie!)For lots more chat about Mario Kart 9 - including our theories on whether the game might be open-world, or feature user-made courses, be sure to watch the latest episode of the Eurogamer Newscast, below. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 have been revealed - but questions remain.Watch on YouTube

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereHelldivers 2 had a fantastic debut year in 2024, but fans can rest assured knowing Arrowhead are not resting on their laurels for 2025. The developer is keeping plans close to the chest and secret behind the scenes, but more will be announced than just pre-production for a movie. While we dont officially know what Arrowhead is currently cooking, the developer has just promised Helldivers 2 fans more exciting things are on the way.Helldivers 2 dev promises new content is comingOn the Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead developer, Sephez, was asked, where is the new content? The developer responded, on the way!, and in another message they said, the teams are working hard on getting more content ready for you.While Sephez didnt spell-out what new content fans can expect, they did tease exciting things. The developer was asked if there are any plans on implementing a DSS common area where more than 4 helldivers can hang out, and Sephez responded, Nothing being worked on currently, were focusing our efforts on other more exciting things.We dont know what new content is on the way, but the DSS is currently undergoing maintenance and improvements, and there is the possibility the knife could become a weapon as Arrowhead admits it makes sense to have a melee function for it.Image credit: Helldivers DiscordAlthough leaks are not to be treated as gospel, they could possibly show the exciting new content Arrowhead is working on behind-the-scenes. Recent leaks include a weapon customization system along with a powerful new projectile firing toxin rounds. Theres also the recent leak of a very strong new enemy.Hopefully Arrowhead will lay out the roadmap for 2025 soon. Theyve previously said they want to let fans know whats in store for the year ahead, but they are being cautious as they do not want to overpromise.For more Helldivers 2, check out our guide to thebest warbonds ranked, along with thebest stratagemsandbest throwables. We have also a guide to thebest weapons, and, if youre coming back to HD2 for the first time in a long while, we have a bunch oftips and tricksto help you get reaccustomed to the battlefield.Related TopicsHelldivers 2 Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

When I went over to their place, ten Have recalls, I could see that something had gone wrong. Coco is warm and lovely. Shes dynamic. Shes the mother of four kids. She loves color, she wears patterns. Yet the interiors were all gray and inert.The painting by Tessa Greene OBrien over the librarys fireplace depicts the view outside the room.Art: Tessa Greene OBrien. Mary Nelson Sinclair/Hidell Brooks Gallery.1800's Hudson River School Style Landscape Painting on BrassThe Monterey Rug by Rush HouseEverard Damask Wallpaper by Adelphi Paper HangingsApolline Botanical Linen Fabric by SchumacherThe house is located on an expansive property in Millerton, New York, owned by Tims parents. They occupy an elegant neo-Georgian manse. But this house is very different, he says with a laugh. It was built in 1982 and was a haphazardly furnished, orange shag-rug-sporting, ranch-style house. I began using the place after college, and it has since undergone multiple transformations and transitions. Adds his wife, It was a real hodgepodge.The open floor plan was the real challenge, says ten Have. The struggle was how to program the main room, which is so sprawling. I used a graphic wallpaper from Adelphi Paper Hangings to tie it together. Its density makes it almost a neutral. The living rooms custom wool-and-raffia rug was the first item she selected. It reminds me of an American jacquard coverlet, she says, and I wanted the interiors to have a bit of an American folk-art feel. A Gustavian bench, a formal daybed, and a softly skirted custom sofa are gathered on the red rug under the sky-blue ceiling. The Swedish chairs in the dining area came from London, the custom rug is by Zak + Fox, and the pine buffet was found at auction. My greatest joy is hunting, she confesses.In the foyer, framed antique prints of birds of New York State surround a late-17th-century English chest.Frank Frances StudioAntoinette Poisson Canut WallpaperRegts P-12 Delft Tiles with RosesSaccharin Petrol Check Blanket by Gregory ParkinsonFrench Tapisserie Ottoman Chair by Cabana x Arjumand's WorldThe original assignment was to just tackle two rooms, says Coco. It snowballed from there. As the project progressed, the choices became only bolder. Scale jumps from diminutive to oversized, often in a single room. The mix of patterns in the bedrooms, with their distinctive headboards, are surprising yet never off-putting. The color palette is rich but slightly offdusky, earthy, almost clashing in places. The library is cozy, but hardly sedate. The screened porchs mint-green ceiling and trim hold the eye nearly as strongly as the stunning view.

Phones down, eyes up Girl strangled by her own wheelchair as bus monitor texted, checked Instagram 10 years in prison is possible. Nate Anderson Jan 16, 2025 5:13 pm | 96 Even when you're not driving, texting can be dangerous. Credit: Benjamin Rondel | Getty Images Even when you're not driving, texting can be dangerous. Credit: Benjamin Rondel | Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreCell phones are magnets for our attention, but you can, of course, face significant legal jeopardy for giving them that attention. Just ask the "safety driver" of an Uber self-driving vehicle, which hit and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in 2018. According to authorities, the driver was watching The Voice on Hulu just before the crashand was then charged with negligent homicide.These kinds of cases are always tragic because they feel so easily avoidable, but they also happen with enough regularity that it's easy to tune them out. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,308 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2022 aloneand "texting is the most alarming distraction."That's why states continue to crack down on cell phone use while driving. A Colorado law that went into effect on January 1, for instance, bans a driver from using any mobile electronic device unless it is hands-free. Thirty US states now have such bans in place.But a trial that wrapped up in New Jersey this week caught my attention, because it is one of the sadder and stranger examples of cell phone-mediated distraction while in a vehicle. A young girl died, and a 28-year-old woman is probably going to jail, but this is not your typical tale of texting while driving. Texting was involved34 times, in factbut driving had nothing to do with what happened.Child endangermentThe trial was about an incident in Franklin Township, New Jersey, on July 17, 2023, when a 6-year-old girl named Fajr Williams got on a bus to attend a summer program. Williams had disabilities and was confined to her wheelchair. The bus had a spot for anchoring wheelchairs to the ground, and it had a ride-along bus monitor named Amanda Davila, 28, who was supposed to watch and assist kids like Williams.According to state prosecutors, Williams was properly strapped into her wheelchair and had been taken down to the bus by her older sister. Williams was then loaded onto the bus, but her chair was not allegedly attached to the floor correctly, nor were the proper seatbelts used. As a result, while the bus drove its route to school that morning, Williams began to slide down the seat of her wheelchair. (She could not control her trunk movements normally, and so she was unable to sit back up.) At some point in the ride, she slid low enough that her chair's own four-point harness, which was meant to keep her upright, began to choke her. By the time the bus arrived at school, William had been strangled to death.Investigators focused on the actions of Davila, who was supposed to keep Williams within view. Instead, authorities say, video from inside the bus showed:...that defendant sat in front of the victim instead of across the aisle from her and that defendant used her cell phone with ear buds to scroll through Instagram, listen to Apple music, and send/receive 34 text messages during the bus ride instead of checking on the victim. Testimony revealed that defendant received six years of safety trainings that emphasized a no-cellphone and no-earbuds policy.The state charged Davila with both manslaughter and child endangerment, and she could have faced a couple of decades in prison.The trial itself was raw. According to a local report from NBC, "The video played in court was so painful to watch for the victim's family, her father had to leave the courtroom while jurors watched little Fajr struggling to breathe."But Davila wasn't going to take complete blame. "I made a mistake, but you guys are trying to put me away for 10 to 20 yearson a mistake," she said, going on to argue that the bus company had not in fact banned cell phone use. The New York Times spoke to her lawyer, who said that it "wasnt discouraged for her to be on her phone" and that the bus company actually used the phone to communicate with Davila and even asked her to give her number to parents.Davila also claimed that some of the straps and hooks on her bus weren't workingand that she wasn't properly trained to use them anyway. (The state put great emphasis on the regular training sessions that the bus company gave to employees.) But she admitted that she should have been sitting in the back, with her eyes on the students with disabilities.On January 13, 2025, after a week-long trial, Davila received a split decision. She was cleared on the more serious manslaughter charge but was found guilty of child endangerment and faces the possibility of a decade in jail when she is sentenced in March.Nate AndersonDeputy EditorNate AndersonDeputy Editor Nate is the deputy editor at Ars Technica. His most recent book is In Emergency, Break Glass: What Nietzsche Can Teach Us About Joyful Living in a Tech-Saturated World, which is much funnier than it sounds. 96 Comments

Takes The CakeBelieve it or not, a years-old cake recipe has reignited Hollow Knight: Silksong hopes for the millionth timeIt sounds too good to be true. It probably is, but it's the most refined Silksong copium we've seen yet.Image credit: Team Cherry News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Jan. 17, 2025 If you've been a fan of indie games over the past, uh I don't know, six years since Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced, you've probably been aware of the savage hunger the gaming community at large has been for a taste of a release date. The game is just that anticipated. It turns out after years of silence, a desert recipe is the current source of hope for desperate fans, and it might just take the cake for the funniest potential Silksong tease we've seen yet.It all starts with an otherwise innocent move by a member of Team Cherry, changing their Discord tag and profile picture to a slice of delicious cake ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal. However, eagle-eyed Silksong fans discovered that if you reverse image search this cake image, you come across a single online cake recipe. Suddenly, Silksong fans found the first breadcrumb - or perhaps cake crumb - that led towards some more info.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. This recipe is Bon Appetit's Brooklyn Blackout Cake, written and published on the food outlet's website on April 2, 2024 by one Rick Martinez. If that date sounds familiar, that's because the next Nintendo Direct has been set for April 2, 2025. Now you see how a little bit of fun actually started to look like a delicious tease of what's to come.But it turns out, there's even more. If you look down at the comments on this Brooklyn Blackout Cake, you'll find comments by both Ari Gibson and William Pellen. They are an art director and game designer at Team Cherry respectively, and while their comments aren't exactly smoking guns, Gibson's comment is an absolute eyebrow-raiser. He comments, "I give this cake a rating of 4/2" - another reference to the date of publication and the date of the next Nintendo Direct.So it seems, if this little treasure hunt is to be believed, that those of you out there who have been praying for more Silksong over the last few years might actually get what you've been asking for in a mere few months. Either that, or Team Cherry have gone and done the funniest joke at the expense of the Silksong-starved. Funniest, or cruelest, depending on your perspective. It has been a while since we've seen anything, and one hopes the good folk over at Team Cherry have been doing more than making delicious cake all these years.So, with this, an already exciting Nintendo Direct has seemingly pointed to the stands in preparation for a home run. It's no understatement to say that a direct with not only a host of new Switch 2 reveals and Silksong would be an all-timer. So please, don't be a wild goose chase!Do you think Silksong will actually show up in April? Or are Silksong fans cursed to stay parched forever? Let us know below!

No need to panic, though.Nintendo's share price has taken a slight hit since the company officially revealed its next-gen hardware: the Nintendo Switch 2.As reported by Al Jazeera (thanks, Eurogamer), Nintendo's share price fell as much as 7.2% following the surprise reveal. It recovered slightly during the following hours, but by the day's closure, a final drop of 4.2% was recorded.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

We regularly hear stories about companies that are selling your sensitive personal information including your location data to the highest bidder. The latest culprit appears to be General Motors.The Federal Trade Commission alleges that GM and Onstar GMs subscription-based in-vehicle safety and security system collected, used, and sold drivers precise geolocation data and driving behavior information from millions of vehicles without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their consent. On Thursday, the agency issued a proposed order to ban the company from selling such data to consumer reporting agencies for five years.In its complaint, the FTC alleged that GM used a misleading enrollment process to get consumers to sign up for Onstar. Some users reported being unaware that they signed up for Onstars Smart Driver feature, which promised to use driving data to help drivers improve their vehicles performance and encourage safer driving.GM monitored and sold peoples precise geolocation data and driver behavior information, sometimes as often as every three seconds, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement.This is the latest issue to beset the carmaking giant in recent weeks. Last month, GM pulled the plug on funding its autonomous vehicle unit Cruise, a company into which GM has invested more than $10 billion.Thursdays settlement with the FTC follows an investigation by The New York Times Kashmir Hill, who found GM had been collecting details about its customers driving habits including every instance of hard braking, late night driving, and speeding and selling the records to insurance companies and third-party data brokers. The result was that drivers began seeing higher insurance premiums, but couldnt figure out why.The potential misuse of customers data goes beyond increased insurance premiums. A persons geolocation data can reveal the most intimate details of a persons life, including where they live and work, and whether they visited a medical facility or place of worship. In the wrong hands, location data poses a serious danger to, for example, abortion seekers across the country.As part of the FTCs proposed order if approved by a court GM and Onstar will be banned from disclosing data to consumer reporting agencies, and would also need to obtain affirmative express consent from consumers before collecting any vehicle data in the future. The automaker would also need to allow customers to obtain and delete their data, as well as limit the data collection from their vehicles.Since its still a proposed order, the agreement will be subject to a 30-day public comment period before a final ruling goes into effect. TechCrunch has reached out to GM and the FTC for additional information and will update if we hear back.