Can You Read This Cursive Handwriting? The National Archives Wants Your HelpAnyone with an internet connection can volunteer to transcribe historical documents and help make the archives digital catalog more accessible A Revolutionary War pension and bounty land warrant application submitted byJames Lambert National ArchivesThe National Archives is brimming with historical documents written in cursive, including some that date back more than 200 years. But these texts can be difficult to read and understand particularly for Americans who never learned cursive in school.Thats why the National Archives is looking for volunteers who can help transcribe and organize its many handwritten records: The goal of theCitizen Archivist program is to help unlock history by making digital documents more accessible, according to the projects website.Every year, the National Archives digitizes tens of millions of records. The agency uses artificial intelligence and a technology known asoptical character recognition to extract text from historical documents. But these methods dont always work, and they arent always accurate.Thats where human volunteers come in. By transcribing digital pages, volunteers make it easier for scholars, genealogists and curious history buffs to find and read historical documents.Getting started is easy: All you need to do is sign up online. The free program is open to anyone with an internet connection.Theres no application, Suzanne Isaacs, a community manager with the National Archives, tellsUSA Todays Elizabeth Weise. You just pick a record that hasnt been done and read the instructions. Its easy to do for a half hour a day or a week.If youre not confident in your cursive deciphering skills, the National Archives has other tasks available, toosuch as tagging documents that other volunteers have already transcribed. Tagging helps improve the searchability of records.Already, more than 5,000 volunteers have joined the Citizen Archivist program. Many are hard at work on missions, or groups of documents that need transcribing and tagging. For example, current missions include Revolutionary War pension files and employee contracts from 1866 to 1870.The Revolutionary War mission, which kicked off in June 2023 in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), includes files connected to more than 80,000 veterans and their widows.The pensions are revealing the stunningfrequently heartbreaking and sometimes funnycomplexity, nuance and previously unknown details about the American Revolution and the nation in the decades after, says Joanne Blacoe, an interpretation planner for the NPS, in astatement. Its rich content that will benefit [national] parks and inspire artists, researchers and families connecting to ancestors.Volunteers can spend as much or as little time as they want transcribing and tagging. Some participants have dedicated years of their lives to the programlike Alex Smith, a retiree from Pennsylvania. Over nine years, he transcribed more than 100,000 documents, asWTOPs Kate Ryan reported in March 2024.I was looking for something to give purpose, and could give some structure to my retired life, he said. It was just perfect.For Smith, the transcription work is also a chance to peer back in time and connect with Americans of the past. Hes been surprised by some documents, like a note inviting Gerald Ford to join the Green Bay Packers, and moved by others, like Civil War pension records.Youre seeing people in desperate straits, Smith told WTOP. Theyre trying desperately to get some reasonable pension paid to them, and you think, These are individual tragedies.Though cursive instruction was once standard, todays educators and lawmakers are divided: Should schools emphasize penmanship or keyboard skills? But even as laptops, tablets and other devices become more ubiquitous, cursive is making a comeback. More than 20 states now require schools to teach cursive, according to Education Weeks Brooke Schultz.In California, a law mandating cursive instruction took effect in January 2024.For some students, its a great alternative to printing, and it helps them be more accurate and more careful with the writing, Erica Ingber, principal of Longfellow Elementary School in Pasadena, told theLos Angeles Times Howard Blume last year. And then for others, its just another thing that is difficult for them.A few months later, another law requiring cursive instruction passed in Kentucky.We dont want this to become a lost art, Sean Howard, superintendent of Kentuckys Ashland Independent School District, told WSAZs Abbey Lord in August 2024. There is research that connects the ability to read and fluency to the ability to write cursive.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: American History, American Writers, Archives, Digitization, Historical Documents, History, National Archives, Writers

Neowiz has teamed up with Lizard Smoothie to publish the MOBA roguelike Shape of Dreams.The game comes from the South Korean indie game developer Lizard Smoothie. Combining the best of two popular video game genres, Shape of Dreams fuses a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) control system with co-op roguelike action battle gameplay to create a new style of game where no playthrough is the same.Korea carries a strong history with MOBA games, which is what initially drew us to Shape of Dreams, said Neowiz CEO Seung-Chul Kim, in a statement. Lizard Smoothie has crafted a unique action title that brings a familiar structure to audiences and improves upon it with its co-op battle gameplay. We are confident in its ability to carve a new path for the roguelike genre.Two students started making Shape of Dreams.Initially developed by two college students, Shape of Dreams invites players to a dream world where they can edit their heros memories and mold a character to fit their vision. The game can be played solo or with up to four friends in co-op mode. Lizard Smoothie released a demo and prologue of the title on Steam, with the prologue generating over 200,000 downloads and an Overwhelmingly Positive user rating.Since sharing the Shape of Dreams demo last year, our team has been blown away by the positive feedback weve received from players, said Eunseob Shim, CEO of Lizard Smoothie, in a statement. With Neowiz, we felt we found a partner who also valued bringing more Korean indie games to a global level. Our team has been developing this project since 2023, and we look forward to launching a quality gameplay experience that is enjoyable for everyone.Shape of Dreams is a MOBA and roguelike game.Founded in 1997, Neowiz is a South Korean game company and a global leader in console, PC, and mobile gaming. Their latest partnership with Lizard Smoothie continues their commitment to working with indie developers to publish a diverse catalog of titles that appeal to audiences worldwide.Recent successes include Lies of P, Brave Nine, DJMax Respect and Cats & Soup.Lizard Smoothie was founded in January 2023 by two college students who love MOBAs and indie games. Daily insights on business use cases with VB DailyIf you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.Read our Privacy PolicyThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.An error occured.

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorJanuary 17, 20251 Min ReadImage via UK Games Fund.At a GlanceThe UK government's latest opportunity 'eclipses' previous UKGF grants, and will go toward up-and-coming game developers.The UK Games Fund secured 5.5 million (or $6.7 million) from the country's Department for Culture, Media and Sport at a recent Creative Industries event in Gateshead.According to the UKGF, this funding will last throughout the 2025-2026 period and "eclipses all previously annual grants." In past years, the government awarded a respective 5 million and 3 million to the organization in 2023 and 2024.Driving growth in the UK's creative fieldsThe funding is also part of larger 60 million package to "drive growth" amongst the country's creative industry. Of that, 40 million was put toward start-up game developers, British film and music exports, and non-London creative businesses."Were looking forward to be back supporting our community over the coming year," wrote UK Games CEO Paul Durrant. "Times are challenging, and hopefully we can play a key role in the recovery."During the Gateshead event, Nandy emphasized the "key role" UK developers and their IP serve in the country's economic development. She further highlighted how the UKGF's support programs, such as its Tranzfuser graduate enterprise and DunDev residential accelerator, "have been shown to be highly impactful in driving growth."For start-ups and new developers interested in applying for funding, the UKGF said more news on that front will be offered "soon."Read more about:FundingAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and even TikToks CEO Shou Chew are among the powerful tech leaders lined up to attend Donald Trumps inauguration on Monday, but Nvidias CEO wont be joining them. Reuters reports that when asked about his attendance, Jensen Huang said he would instead be celebrating the Lunar New Year on the road with employees and their families.While Huang wont be present at the President-elects ceremony, he said he will look forward to congratulating the Trump administration when they take office. Huang also told reporters outside Nvidias New Year party in Taipei that he discussed increasing the production of Nvidias advanced Blackwell artificial intelligence chips with Chung Ching Wei, the chairman of Nvidias main supplier, TSMC.Nvidia is estimated to control 90 percent of the market share of AI chips. The company criticized a new AI framework announced by the Biden administration last week that would limit how many AI chips companies can send to different countries. In its blog post, Nvidia praised the more lax regulatory environment put in place by the first Trump administration and said it looks forward to a return to policies that strengthen American leadership.Nvidia is notably not among the list of companies and tech execs to have donated to Trumps inauguration, with Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAIs Sam Altman, and Apples Tim Cook having each pledged $1 million to fund the ceremony. Huang also hasnt appeared at Mar-a-Lago to schmooze Trump directly, unlike top execs from other companies like Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Multimodal large language models (MLLMs) bridge vision and language, enabling effective interpretation of visual content. However, achieving precise and scalable region-level comprehension for static images and dynamic videos remains challenging. Temporal inconsistencies, scaling inefficiencies, and limited video comprehension hinder progress, particularly in maintaining consistent object and region representations across video frames. Temporal drift, caused by motion, scaling, or perspective changes, coupled with reliance on computationally heavy methods like bounding boxes or Region of Interest (RoI)-aligned features, increases complexity and limits real-time and large-scale video analysis.Recent strategies, such as textual region coordinates, visual markers, and RoI-based features, have attempted to address these issues. However, they often fail to ensure temporal consistency across frames or efficiently process large datasets. Bounding boxes lack robustness for multi-frame tracking, and static frame analysis misses intricate temporal relationships. While innovations like embedding coordinates into textual prompts and using image-based markers have advanced the field, a unified solution for image and video domains remains out of reach.Researchers from NVIDIA and Yonsei University developed Omni-RGPT, a novel multimodal large language model designed to achieve seamless region-level comprehension in images and videos to address these challenges. This model introduces Token Mark, a groundbreaking method that embeds region-specific tokens into visual and text prompts, establishing a unified connection between the two modalities. The Token Mark system replaces traditional RoI-based approaches by defining a unique token for each target region, which remains consistent across frames in a video. This strategy prevents temporal drift and reduces computational costs, enabling robust reasoning for static and dynamic inputs. Including a Temporal Region Guide Head further enhances the models performance on video data by classifying visual tokens to avoid reliance on complex tracking mechanisms.Omni-RGPT leverages a newly created large-scale dataset called RegVID-300k, which contains 98,000 unique videos, 214,000 annotated regions, and 294,000 region-level instruction samples. This dataset was constructed by combining data from ten public video datasets, offering diverse and fine-grained instructions for region-specific tasks. The dataset supports visual commonsense reasoning, region-based captioning, and referring expression comprehension. Unlike other datasets, RegVID-300k includes detailed captions with temporal context and mitigates visual hallucinations through advanced validation techniques.Omni-RGPT achieved state-of-the-art results on several benchmarks, including 84.5% accuracy on the Causal-VidQA dataset, which evaluates temporal and spatial reasoning across video sequences. The model outperformed existing methods like MotionEpic by over 5% in some sub-tasks, demonstrating superior performance in prediction and counterfactual reasoning. Similarly, the model excelled in video captioning tasks, achieving high METEOR scores on challenging datasets like Vid-STG and BenSMOT. The model achieved remarkable accuracy for image-based tasks on the Visual Commonsense Reasoning (VCR) dataset, outperforming methods specifically optimized for image domains.Several key takeaways from the research on Omni-RGPT include:This approach enables consistent and scalable region-level understanding by embedding predefined tokens into visual and text inputs. This prevents temporal drift and supports seamless reasoning across frames.The dataset provides detailed, fine-grained, diverse annotations, enabling the model to excel in complex video tasks. It includes 294,000 region-level instructions and addresses gaps in existing datasets.Omni-RGPT demonstrated superior performance across benchmarks such as Causal-VidQA and VCR, achieving accuracy improvements of up to 5% compared to leading models.The models design reduces computational overhead by avoiding dependency on bounding box coordinates or full video tracklets, making it suitable for real-world applications.The framework seamlessly integrates image and video tasks under a single architecture, achieving exceptional performance without compromising efficiency.In conclusion, Omni-RGPT addresses critical challenges in region-specific multimodal learning by introducing Token Mark and a novel dataset to support detAIled comprehension in images and videos. The models scalable design and state-of-the-art performance across diverse tasks set a new benchmark for the field. Omni-RGPT provides a robust foundation for future research and practical applications in AI by eliminating temporal drift, reducing computational complexity, and leveraging large-scale data.Check out the Paper and Project Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our65k+ ML SubReddit.(Promoted) Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. 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When Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace came out, the dramatic backlash against its slapstick humor and precocious kid hero prompted George Lucas to argue that Star Wars was and always had been for children. He didnt necessarily mean exclusively for children, because Lucas would never dismiss the power of a good story so casually, but he believed that children were an important audience for Star Wars and the things it had to say. Maybe not since the original trilogy, though, has that belief been as well-articulated as it is in Disney+s Skeleton Crew. The family-friendly series thats mostly concerned with the horrors of growing up in suburbia just might be more important to the future of Star Wars than the much-lauded (and undeniably better) first season of Andor.Kid-oriented Star Wars stuff has been around forever, and Disney has specifically never shied away from selling Star Wars to children, but this is one of Disneys first (and most successful) attempts to actually use the power of Star Wars to say something to kids. Just look at the end credits of the finale, which play out like Wims (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) Jedi adventure book, as a nod to the idea that this is the kind of adventure story that could blow open a kids mind like the Jedi stories did for Wim.Better yet, the stuff Skeleton Crew has to say is relevant to a younger audience like when KB (Kyriana Kratter) talks about how her friendship with Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) changed when she started using a prosthesis or its baked into the shows central gimmick as a sci-fi take on 80s movies like The Goonies (like in episode 5, the series high point, which dared to question whether or not nostalgia is good). The shy kid comes out of his shell, the bossy kid learns to show affection for her friends, and the arguably nave kid refuses to let the bitterness of adults shatter his capacity for hope and joy. These are all good things to depict.Some of the themes are obvious, like when Wim, KB, Fern, and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) collectively agree in the penultimate episode that, for as scary and dangerous as their adventure was, it was all worth it to grow as people and as friends. But obvious doesnt always mean unnecessary or unwelcome. (Though it does mean the show should be easy for its target audience to follow and grasp another point in its favor.) Especially in its early episodes, Skeleton Crews greatest success was the enormous level of faith it had in its audience faith that could be rewarded with a new generation of thoughtful and media-literate Star Wars fans, provided they ever get around to streaming season 1.Every Upcoming Star Wars Movie and TV ShowSkeleton Crew trusts us to pick up on the clues that theres something suspicious about the kids homeworld of At Attin, with its constantly absent adults and constantly present security droids. And theres the quietly huge moment when it comes out that Wim and friends dont know about the Galactic Civil War how could anyone not be intrigued by a Star Wars story where the characters never heard of the Star Wars? The show also doesnt belabor the point of whether or not Jude Laws Jod Na Nawood can be trusted by having his reluctant crewmates on the Onyx Cinder decide pretty quickly that no, he cant be trusted, and then treating him accordingly right up until he decides to stop pretending he isnt at least a little evil.Its not just the big ideas that Skeleton Crew has a handle on. It also impressively allows the kids to act like kids its always fun when they get time to goof around without letting them get too aggravating. They have emotional blow-ups and breakdowns, but they solve their problems the way kids do: by just talking about them. Episode 6 is the clearest example of this, when the crew briefly breaks up over manufactured drama that ends up being about KBs anxiety around keeping up with the bullheaded Fern. Theres no bitterness when they reunite, they just accept that everyone has feelings and move on. Compare that to the obvious lifelong grudges held by Jod and his fellow space pirates, which they can never let go of.Skeleton Crew might be more important to the future of Star Wars than Andor.Smith, Kratter, Armstrong, and Cabot-Conyers all give pretty good performances, too at least once they each get time to show what they can do in storylines centered on their character. Law is also good, though thats less of a shocker at this point in his long career, and Skeleton Crew mostly deserves credit for the way it weaponizes his occasionally grating charm. You never forget that hes a bad guy, youre just kind of frustrated that you dont mind too much (which, fittingly, is also how Fern, KB, Neel, and Wim feel about him most of the time).The most important achievement of Skeleton Crew is that when its good (which is often), its because of the kids and not despite them. The storylines with the adults are the ones that often feel lacking, as fun as it is to see TV On The Radios Tunde Adebimpe haplessly try to father a space-kid. Granted, the bar is lower for the younger characters and actors, because theyre not fully formed people yet, but theyre not supposed to be. Skeleton Crew not only knows that, but embraces and highlights it in a way that makes it meaningful whether this is your seventh Star Wars show or your first.

This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2 episode 1.Like many workplaces in the post-Covid era, Severance season 2 looks to get its employees back in the office.Season 1s final hour The We We Are is a thrilling hour of television that features innies Mark S. (Adam Scott), Helly R. (Britt Lower), and Irving B. (John Turturro) triggering the Overtime Contingency to experience the outside world and uncover some shocking truths. By the time Helly learns that her outtie is the villainous Helena Eagan and Mark shouts shes alive! upon seeing a photo Gemma Scout a.k.a. Ms. Casey, its hard to imagine how the show could ever get back to its corporate setting again.And yet, back to the office season 2 must go. Not only is the Macrodata Refinement floor important to the satirical and visual language of this Apple TV+ sci-fi workplace thriller, but the sprawling, sterile halls of Lumon Industries are where the innies will most likely find the answers they seek. In speaking to Den of Geek prior to the release of season 2, Severance creator and showrunner Dan Erickson discussed the difficulties in re-establishing some sense of a status quo.We kind of blew up the world in season one, Erickson says. Its tough to get back to arguing over over group photos, pencils, and erasers. But we also knew that baked into the soul of the show is this character-based office comedy that satirizes the weirdness of the corporate world.Read more While Severance season 2 episode 1 Hello, Ms. Cobel doesnt yet reveal how Lumon convinced the outtie versions of Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan (Zach Cherry) to get back to work, it does present how Lumon is choosing to pitch the results of the innie rebellion. Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) tells Mark that, like him, Helly and Irving both successfully made contact with the outside world. He goes on to say that theyve achieved international acclaim and become the faces of Severance Reform, even presenting a newspaper headline and image to prove that fact.Mark, not quite moved by the existence of a physical newspaper (nor should he be, says this journalist occupying an increasingly digital industry), requires more evidence. More importantly: he requires his friends back. Once the MDR team is finally reunited, Mr. Milchick pulls out the final stop in a form of a Lumon orientation video. Titled Lumon Is Listening, the cheerful claymation clip is narrated by the Lumon building itself* and runs through all of the bounteous reforms that the event known as The Macrodata Uprising encouraged. Severed employees will now have access to tasty new snacks, hall passes (its unclear to where), pineapple bobbing, and a playful mirror room. The video even concludes with the Lumon building thanking Kier for the MDR team. And Lumon wouldnt invoke its mighty founder Kier Eagan unless it were serious about these reforms, would it?*Though his name doesnt appear in the end-credits of the pre-release screeners journalists received, it sure does sound like that building is voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves. Apple TV+ didnt return a request for confirmation (and I stupidly didnt come to that realization before speaking with Dan Erickson and the rest of the cast) so.Per Erickson, Lumon choosing to co-opt MDRs rebellion and incorporating it into company lore was a predictable reaction to the events of season 1. Thats something that feels very true to how a company would respond to a whistleblower or an act of defiance like this that proved successful, he says.Just as the release of Severance season 1 was serendipitously timed to the arrival of a global pandemic that would fundamentally change workers relationship to work, so too does season 2 premiere to a rapidly-changing corporate landscape. In the wake of the 2024 U.S. presidential election (and in some cases in explicit response to it), several large companies have begun to cut diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, confirming many observers skepticism that they were sincerely deployed in the first place. If those Lumons ever were listening, they sure arent anymore.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!While the real world provides no shortage of corporate quirks to comment upon, the upward trajectory of Severances plot may limit the shows approach to satirizing it all soon. Getting to the bottom of Lumons plans will mean that Mark and company have bigger fish to fry than pineapple bobbing and playful mirror rooms. Thankfully, the folks behind Severance are well aware of that ticking narrative clock.[Our plans] have tightened up a bit, Erickson says. I think we have a pretty good idea of how many seasons we want to go, which Im not going to say just yet. But were really trying to be intentional in how we approach this as a whole story.The first episode of Severance season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV+ now. New episodes premiere Fridays, culminating with the finale on March 21.

Darkness stirs in the swamps of Hawezar. Beginning January 21, the Tree of Whispersa macabre yet essential presence in Sanctuaryfinds itself under siege in Diablo IVs Season of Witchcraft. This seventh season takes you deep into the haunting lore of Hawezar, uncovering the mysteries of the witches who guard the Tree and the sinister events that threaten its ancient balance. When power is stolen, truths are revealed, and bargains are broken. Nothing is left unscathed.The Cries of the Tree of WhispersImmense and enigmatic, the Tree of Whispers has stood for ages as both a guide and a reckoner. Hanging from its massive branches are severed heads brimming with knowledgethe ultimate price paid by those who once sought the Trees wisdom. These heads are bound to the Tree, fulfilling deals struck in exchange for power and secrets of the highest order.But somethingor someonehas disrupted this unyielding cycle. Severed Fugitive Heads, desperate for autonomy, have been stolen and scattered across Sanctuary. From this desecration arise the dreaded Headrottentwisted monstrosities bursting with brambles, roots, and rot as they search for host bodies. These independent horrors take hold of the living, aiming to claw their way back to power. With the Trees influence waning, you must answer its call for vengeance. Vile forces are at play, and if balance is not restored, the repercussions for Sanctuary will be dire.Meet the Witches of HawezarTo aid your quest, youll join forces with the Witches of Hawezar, a guarded yet formidable trio bound to the Tree of Whispers. Each witch brings a distinct and potent expertise, reflecting their connection to the swamp and the Trees ancient powers.Gelena: A stern leader who relies on magic tied to the psyche, mastering illusions and divination. She sees the unseen, but her strict adherence to rules keeps her grounded in chaos. Caidin: A rogue hailing from Scosglen, balances dark humor with sinister powers. His swampborne skills create plagues and potions, but his chaotic nature is an unpredictable force of its own. Ouna: The enigmatic youngest witch, straddles the boundary of life and death. Her eldritch magic embodies the eerie cycle of growth and decay, making her abilities both otherworldly and horrifying. Together, Gelena, Caidin, and Ouna enlist your help to retrieve the Fugitive Heads. Yet their motives differ and their approaches clash, creating a tense alliance. Be cautious with your trust, for everything comes at a cost.Witchcraft Powers UnleashedSeason of Witchcraft introduces an exciting new mechanic: Witchcraft Powers. Harness supernatural energy and tailor a playstyle from three distinct schools of magic:Eldritch Magic (Fire & Shadow Damage) Psyche Magic (Mind & Soul Manipulation) Growth & Decay Magic (Damage Over Time & Healing) Plus, discover rare Lost powers of Witchcraft unknown to both the Coven and the Tree. Each school of Witchcraft gives you the chance to experiment between new styles of power. Occult Gems, new Seasonal Legendary Gems, further amplify these Witchcraft abilities. Customize your gear and combat style with these powerful tools to ensure every spell carries a unique impact.Headhunts and the Rise of the Headrotten BossesSeasonal gameplay ramps up with Headhunts, intense subzone events reminiscent of Helltide mechanics. The Tree of Whispers identifies areas teeming with Headrotten activity, calling players to purge Sanctuary of their rotting corruption.Headrotten bosses guard these areas, each tied to a Fugitive Head and their lingering memories. Some are merely parasites, while others are rare Headed Headrotten Bosses, fully merged with their stolen hosts. These grotesque enemies wield devastating abilities, forcing you to strategize in order to claim victory and reap legendary rewards. While completing Whisper bounties within Headhunts, keep a keen eye for any Rootholds. These seasonal dungeons have bonus challenges and rewards to aid your quest to support the Coven.Even More New FeaturesBeyond the Witchcraft mechanics and Headhunts, Season of Witchcraft brings fan-requested updates and exciting seasonal rewards:Armory Feature: Switch between saved loadouts with ease. Save Skill Points, Paragon Points, and gear sets for fast swapping between builds. Seasonal Rewards & Legendaries: Gain access to new Uniques, Legendaries, and gameplay updates, including three new Runes and exclusive tiers within the Seasonal Journey. Progress through the tiers to unlock cosmetic upgrades like the coveted Raven Pet. Covens Favor Battle Pass: Earn prestigious rewards by conquering Coven-inspired challenges tied to the seasonal theme. Claim Balance from ChaosDiablo IV: Season of Witchcraft is one of the mosthaunting journeys yet. By exploring the secrets of the Tree of Whispers and allying with the Witches of Hawezar, you will unravel a deeply engaging saga rife with moral complexity and danger lurking in every shadow.Sanctuary awaits your bravery, Wanderer. The Tree calls for justice, and its whispers demand action. Will you answer? Dont miss the start of Season of Witchcraft, coming January 21.Diablo IVBlizzard Entertainment918Get it nowXbox Game PassDiablo IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters throughout a beautifully dark open world and a gripping story. Dive into an expansive End Game where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle larger-than-life World Bosses, unlock robust character and loot customization, and uncover tons more action-packed activities to explore with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.This is only the beginning for Diablo IV, with new events, stories, Seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.Battle.net account required. Internet connection required.For more information, please visit Diablo.com. 2024 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries.

U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet have formally asked Apple CEO Tim Cook and other Big Tech leaders to respond to questions regarding their million dollar donations to the Trump inauguration fund. Getting straight to the point:These donations raise questions about corruption and the influence of corporate money on the Trump administration, and Congress and the public deserve answers. Therefore, we ask that you provide responses to the following questions by January 31st, 2025:Cook, for instance, committed $1,000,000 to the Trump inauguration fund compared to $43,200 to the Biden inauguration fund. Why the $956,800 difference between administrations? The two senators lay out their suspicions:Apple CEO Tim Cook donated $1 million to Trumps inaugural fund, while Apple is the subject of a DOJ antitrust suit, as well as over 20 open NLRB cases related to unfair labor practices.They left out the part where the Biden administration declined to veto a ruling in favor of Masimo that would have allowed Apple to continue selling Apple Watches with blood oxygen sensing in the United States.Anyway, Cook is joined by the likes of Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Sam Altman, and Uber for having donated $1 million to the Trump inauguration fund. It is critical that federal regulators continue to evenhandedly apply competition, consumer protection, anti-discrimination laws and any other rule or law that applies to your company, reads the letter signed by Warren and Bennet. But the industrys efforts suggest that Big Tech companies are trying to curry favor and skirt the rules. This would be good for billionaire tech executives, but it is bad for America: if left unchecked, Big Tech monopolies will threaten consumers rights, run roughshod over workers, and squash competition while stifling innovation.Sam Altman, who like Cook donated personally and not through his company, shared the questions sent to him and the other CEOs and companies on X.When and under what circumstances did your company decide to make thesecontributions to the Trump inaugural fund?What is your rationale for these contributions?Which individuals within the company chose to make these donations?Was the Board informed of these plans, and if so, did they provide affirmative consent to do so? Did your company inform shareholders of plans to make these donations?Did officials with the company have any communications about these donations with members of the Trump Transition team or other associates of President Trump? If so, please list all such communications, including the time of the conversation, the participants, and the nature of any communicationWhile Cook isnt one to publicly post these sort of things, Altman voiced his concern on X:funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to democratsNext up: Tim Cook attends the now-indoor-due-to-cold-weather inauguration of President-elect Trump on Monday. Nvida CEO Jenson Huang is notably one ofif not the onlytech CEOs to opt out of attendance.Shop Apple on Amazon to support my work Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Is nothing sacred?City of ShamegelsAs Angelenos look to rebuild in the wake of the region's devastating wildfires, landlords are taking advantage of their misery.As theLos Angeles Times and other outlets report, landlords are hiking prices tens of thousands of dollars or 100 percent more than what they were asking in 2024 even though officials have placed temporary restrictions on price-gouging in the wake of the fires.Things are so bad that even the luxury real estate mogul at the center of the Netflix reality show "Selling Sunset" is calling out his fellow landlords.In an interview with theBBC, real estate mogul Jason Oppenheim said he encountered the illegal price gouging when one of his well-heeled clients went to go see a property that had previously been listed at $13,000 a month."[My client] offered $20,000 a month and he offered to pay six months upfront," Oppenheim told the British broadcaster, "and the landlord said 'I want $23,000.'""There are price gouging laws in California, they're just being ignored right now," he continued. "This isn't the time to be taking advantage of situations."Handling ItWhile Oppenheim's rich clients can no doubt afford to find shelter elsewhere, the more than 40,000 acres and 12,000 structures destroyed extend far beyond the city's ritziest homes in the Pacific Palisades.The historic Black community in Altadena, an unincorporated town located outside of Pasadena, was hit particularly hard by the Eaton fire that took place in the San Gabriel Valley region. Many of the families whose homes were destroyed in the fires are now seeking new shelter and unlike their wealthy counterparts to the west in Malibu and Brentwood, they can't afford to pay an arm and a leg.As the city of angels reels from its latest wildfires, activists are sharing spreadsheets of allegedly price-gouged properties, complete with the contact information for the landlords that own them."Landlords are taking advantage of this moment," tenant organizer and list creator Chelsea Kirk told In These Times. "They're exploiting this moment."While residents deal with this particularly heinous brand of landlord thuggishness, California's attorney general is pledging to hold them accountable.AsLAist reports, the Golden State's top cop, Rob Bonta, has created a task force to handle price gouging in the aftermath of the fires."We have boots on the ground conducting investigations as we speak, building the criminal cases against price gougers," Bonta said during a press conference. "And we will continue to pursue those cases and others and prosecute to the full extent of the law."The AG's office has also launched a website and hotline to report alleged price gouging a sign, if nothing else, that California is taking this disgusting trend seriously.More on the LA wildfires: Grimes Defends Elon Musk While Fleeing Fire He's Blaming on WokeShare This Article