TikTok is set to be blocked in the U.S. after the Supreme Court upheld a law that effectively bans the app. TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform, has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers for its national security risks and its ties to China. Sapna Maheshwari, a business reporter for The New York Times, examines the security concerns and the reactions to the news.

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On This Day in HistoryOn This Day in 1993, Production Began on This Groundbreaking Movie That Transformed Hollywood ForeverWith Toy Story, computer animation began its rise to dominanceToy Storywas the firstfull-length feature film to be produced entirely with computer animation. PS Photography via Getty ImagesWith a To infinity and beyond! Toy Story captured the hearts of kids and adults alike when it reached theaters in 1995. But when the movie began production on January 19, 1993, its makers didnt know it would rake inand spawn a successful franchise.They did know that they were attempting something groundbreaking: the first full-length feature film to be produced entirely with computer animation.Toy Story was shot entirely on locationin cyberspace, Wireds Burr Snider wrote in 1995.How Toy Story Changed Animation History | Pixar's First CGI Animated MovieWatch on Prior to Toy Story, animated movies were largely hand-drawn. At that point, the contribution of computer animation to feature films was measured in seconds or minutes, wrote a group of Pixar employees in a paper for an international computer conference in 1996.Pixar had put out several computer-animated short films during the 1980s, including Tin Toy, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and caught the eye of Walt Disney Pictures. Its plot of toys coming to life also provided the basis for Toy Story. In 1991, Disney made a big bet, signing a deal funding a full-length film from Pixar. Toy Storys creative development phase began that year.They essentially made a commitment to the film before we had all the software ready to do it with, Ed Catmull, then president of Pixar, told Wired. It was nuts when you think about it, but we knew we could do it.Computer animation offered higher visual complexity than hand-drawn animation, from a new 3D style to details like the pattern of the plaid shirt worn by cowboy doll Woody or the precise timing of action hero Buzz Lightyear waving his hand.It was a movie. It was lit, it was dimensional, we had cameras moving around through things. It felt like a movie, Pixar co-founder John Lasseter said in 2015. Yet, they were cartoony, and they were moving like cartoons. They were plastic.The new approach also made animation less time- and labor-intensive. Hand-drawn animation could require up to 30 people to complete one shot. Meanwhile, a team of just 30 total animators completed Toy Storys more than 1,500 shots.Pixars subject matter matched the mediumthe animation style rendered geometric shapes well, but struggled with more organic shapes, making them look plastic. Toys were the perfect central characters.Though Pixar had spent years developing animation tools, still plenty more was left to be figured out on the fly.Id always say, Hey can we do this? Theyd say, No, but lets try, Lasseter told Time magazine in 2015.Despite the technological innovation and ingenuity involved, the Toy Story team didnt want the animation to be the star of the film. Instead, they wanted the story to be the priority.There are more PhDs working on this film than any other in movie history, and yet you dont need to know a thing about technology to love it, Lasseter told Wired.That dedication paid off. Lasseter received a Special Achievement Academy Award for the films technological prowess, and Toy Story also became the first animated feature ever to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The movie launched Pixars longstanding commercial success and movies that continued to push the bounds of what was possible in animation.Its the ugliest picture we will ever make, but you dont care because you get wrapped up in the story to this day, Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote Toy Story and many subsequent Pixar films, told Time.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Disney, Film, Movies, On This Day in History

TikTok just ran out of tiktoks as the countdown ended for the apps time in the U.S. In the early hours of January 19, the wildly popular short-form video app went dark. The shutdown left me (and millions of other users) in shock as they were greeted with a message saying, Sorry, TikTok isnt available right now or an imagRead More

TikTok has gone dark in the US now that the ban-or-divest law passed last year is taking effect. The app has been removed from both Apple and Googles app stores, its unavailable on the web, and users who open the app are blocked from viewing videos.The shutdown has the astonishing effect of removing a social network used by 170 million people in the US, according to TikToks own numbers. While other social media platforms have experienced outages, even prolonged ones, no network as big as TikTok has simply shut down without any indication of if or when it will come back online.This is despite the Biden administration saying its passing enforcement responsibilitieson to the Trump administrationand calling TikToks threat to go offlinea stunt. TikTok has insisted that without clearer assurances, it has to close up shop in the US. Inside TikTok, an email to employees said that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office on January 20th and that teams are working tirelessly to bring our app back to the U.S. as soon as possible.A warning message started appearing in TikToks app around 9PM ET on Saturday evening, telling users of the pending shutdown:We regret that a US law banning TikTok will take effect on January 19th and force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. Were working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.The app began blocking users around 10:30PM ET. A message now appears saying the app isnt available right now but that the company expects a resolution under President-elect Trump:Sorry, TikTok isnt available right nowA law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you cant use TikTok for now.We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!Several other apps owned by TikToks parent company, ByteDance, have also been taken offline, including the video editor CapCut and the social platform Lemon8.TikTok now displays a warning when opened and wont allow users to watch videos. Screenshot: The VergeThe ban-or-divest law, which goes into effect on Sunday, effectively bans TikTok unless ByteDance sells much of its stake in the company. But ByteDance has shown little sign of being willing to sell, even as the deadline rapidly approached. Instead, TikTok sued the US over the law, ultimately losing in a Supreme Court case this past week.TikToks new strategy appears to be relentlessly pandering to Trump, who despite initially calling for the TikTok ban has recently indicated that he wants to find a way to keep it around. Earlier today, he floated a 90-day extension of ByteDances deadline to sell.The political game of hot potato, where no one wants to be seen as responsible for banning TikTok, suggests that the app may not be gone for good. But with no definitive plan coming from Biden, Trump, ByteDance, or TikTok, its unclear exactly how long the ban could hold.

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How to Bridge Blender to External Image Editing Tools By Michael Bridges on January 19, 2025 Education Michael Bridges shares how you can edit Blender images externally with tools like Krita or Photoshop. Ever wondered if there is an easy way to edit images within Blender Externally using tools such as Photoshop, Krita and GIMP?Discover two methods to edit Blender images externally with tools like Krita or Photoshop. Learn to streamline your workflow and tackle common challenges!In this video, I explore two effective methods for editing Blender images using external software. Blender, while a powerful tool, often lacks the comprehensive image editing features found in dedicated programs like Krita or Photoshop. I demonstrate how to prepare your Blender projects for external editing, including setting up the image paths and preferences to integrate seamlessly with your chosen software.I also discuss potential challenges, such as image path issues and refresh inconsistencies, and provide solutions to keep your workflow smooth. Beyond this, I highlight another approach for exporting 3D viewport images to external editors, detailing the benefits and pitfalls of each method.Are you maximizing Blenders potential by combining it with external tools? Learn how to elevate your projects with these streamlined techniques!

The divest-or-ban law aimed at TikTok is also taking down other ByteDance-linked apps, including the popular card game Marvel Snap. The app suddenly cut off access Saturday night, seemingly without warning, surprising gamers who werent aware of its connection to ByteDance.The card game battler set in the Marvel universe is developed by Second Dinner, which is based in California. But the game is published by Nuverse, a company owned by ByteDance. As a result, its subject to the same shutdown order. In a statement on X, Second Dinner called the takedown a surprise and said, Marvel Snap isnt going anywhere. Were actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share.Just before the calendar turned over to January 19th, 2025, the game disappeared from the App Store for iPad and iPhone players and from Google Play for players on Android. For players on PC, the game is still listed in Steam at the moment, but many players are reporting they were signed out and cant sign back in.An in-game message now tells players:Sorry, Marvel Snap isnt available right nowA law banning Marvel Snap has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you cant use Marvel Snap for now. Rest assured, were working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!Oddly, unlike TikTok, it doesnt appear that players were given much warning about the laws effect, and many people may not have realized it was even connected to ByteDance, including people who were still spending money on in-game items expecting to be able to keep playing it. Other ByDance apps quickly disappeared from app stores along with TikTok, including Lemon8 and CapCut. The effect on other ByteDance-linked apps is mixed; however, it may take time to remove them. The Lark app that offers a Slack-like collaboration platform was available initially but has now been removed, while other Nuverse-published games, like Earth: Revival - Deep Underground and Ragnarok X: 3rd Anniversary, are still available in the App Store as of this writing, just after midnight ET on the 19th.Update, January 19th: Noted reports that Marvel Snap PC players cant log in and added a statement from game developer Second Dinner.

It's looking good!Remember F-Zero?Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let's check out the box art designs themselves.North America / EuropeImage: Nintendo / Launchboxinstantly more recognisable to our readers, we're sure, the western design for Mario Kart 64 features the main man himself front and centre, with Wario, Bowser, and Donkey Kong racing behind. It's a neat, kinetic image that really demonstrates what the gameplay is all about, and there's no denying that all of the characters look really cool.JapanImage: Nintendo / LaunchboxJapan's version, meanwhile, focuses solely on Mario, with the mascot racing in front of a render of what looks like a tyre, with the game's complete roster labelled in different colours. The logo remains pretty much the same, albeit with some japanese text in additon, while the overall composition is quite bold and effective.Which region got the best Mario Kart 64 box art? (92 votes)North America / Europe88%Japan12%Thanks for voting! We'll see you next time for another round of Box Art Brawl.Related GamesSee Also

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: UFC CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 299 press conference ... [+] at Kaseya Center on March 07, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesAfter UFC 311, UFC President Dana White was asked if he was interested in signing two of the more high-profile mixed martial arts free agents, Patricio Pitbull and Aaron Pico.White didnt sound too sure about Pitbull, but he made a point to say the UFC was definitely interested in Pico. Heres a look at the clip:One thing you learn from watching White speak to the press is that he almost never says anything without a purpose. Theres likely a reason White was more forthcoming about the UFCs interest in Pico.White could be far more confident, perhaps even certain, that he will sign Pico once his negotiating window has opened. Its highly unlikely White would show the organizations hand if he didnt have an idea that there was strong mutual interest from Pico and his teamand some sort of indication that an agreement was forthcoming.Pitbull has been very public about his desire to fight in the UFC, but White wasnt as definitive in his speech about the Brazilian legend and reigning Bellator featherweight champion.MORE FOR YOUPitbull To UFC - Whats the Situation?INGLEWOOD, CA - JULY 31: Patricio Pitbull enters the arena for his fight against AJ McKee . McKee ... [+] won by first round submission in their Featherweight World Title Main Event fight at The Forum on July 31, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)Getty ImagesPitbull, 37, is a Bellator legend. He recently pressured the Professional Fighters League to release him after he sat inactive since March 2024 when he successfully defended his title against Jeremy Kennedy.Quite honestly, Pitbull is at a stage in his career where hes not likely to be a major title contender in the UFCs highly competitive featherweight division. Looking at the Top 5 145-pounders in the UFCchampion Ilia Topuria, Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes, Movsar Evloev, and Yair RodriguezPitbull might only be favored to defeat the latter.Even then, were likely looking at even odds.While that is a likely reality, the proud Brazilian is going to want to be treated with respect on the level of a multi-time world champion. Pitbull has proven he will be vocal and aggressive when going after what he believes he deserves.The UFC may be determining if the juice is worth the squeeze with Pitbullespecially at 37.The Case for Aaron Pico in the UFCPico is a different story.At just 28, hes currently on a three-fight win streak, having scored back-to-back stoppage wins over Pedro Carvalho and Henry Corrales.Were it not for a shoulder injury that led to a loss to Kennedy in October 2022, Pico would be on a 10-fight win streak. Pico is a decorated wrestler and boxer who has demonstrated a highly entertaining fighting style as a professional.Hes shaken off some devastating losses early in his career to Zach Freeman, Corrales, and Adam Borics to become one of the top lightweights in Bellator/PFL. Pico also trains at Jackson Wink with Jon Jones and others, so there is no questioning his pedigree.Pico is still young enough to make some noise in the UFC and talented enough to potentially make a title push. There are a number of potentially epic fights Pico could have at lightweight in the UFC.A battle with Renato Moicano, Benoit Saint-Denis, Jalin Turner, or even Michael Chandler could be very entertaining.Stay tuned.