Hey yall, i want to do some sword slash FX similar to the ones in marvel rivals, but for the life of me i cannot get the mesh to line up with the animation. ive tried rotating it manually to align with the axis of the slash then spawn it at a specific frame, but then the other anims dont line up, ive tried spawning in local space with the mesh parallel to the sword and such but that didnt work either. Im getting really frustrated with it.I know i can just make a specific mesh for each animation, but if possible id like to only use one niagara system for it.any advice?

A TikTok logo is displayed on an iPhone.GETTY IMAGESSomehow, TikTok returned. The video-sharing app is in the process of being restored after ByteDance shut down the app on Saturday, January 18, following the U.S. ban.TikTok began flickering back to life on Sunday morning, with the death of the app lasting less than a day.Several high-profile entrepreneurs have made headlines with their intentions to buy the app, from YouTube sensation MrBeast to serious gamer Elon Musk, but ByteDance has expressed no interest in selling.While the long-term future of TikTok is still unknown, ByteDance has announced a willingness to work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.TikTokers celebrated the resurrection hours after TikToks shutdown inspired a meme-filled funeral, in which TikTok creators and users shared their favorite videos, reflecting on the positives and negatives of the short-form video app.TikTokers Reflected On The Legacy Of TikTokDespite being caught in the middle of a geopolitical tug-of-war, TikTok is beloved by many internet users, ever since the pandemic pushed millions of bored Americans to discover a new digital frontier.In the brief hours in which TikTok was inaccessible, commentators were collecting, sharing and discussing their favorite videos from the app, highlighting TikToks influence on U.S. internet culture.X (Twitter) went wild with TikTok-related prompts, as users took the opportunity to squeeze some extra engagement from the doomed app.Many lamented the potential loss of income, citing TikTok creators who managed to make a living making content.TikTok has exposed users to weird videos, charismatic creators, political awakenings, layered jokes, and unique trends.Its often noted that TikTok played a major role in the online shift from text to video, changing the shape of memes, as the snappy, often-anonymous witticisms of Twitter were steadily replaced by intimate close-ups of TikTokers monologuing in their bedrooms.Perhaps TikTok made us all more shallow, as pretty faces and soothing voices became an important ingredient to virality, but TikTok also showed us how many incredibly intelligent, creative and charismatic creators are out there, far removed from the opportunities of the entertainment industry, but able to craft compelling content with nothing but a smartphone.Many claimed that TikTok had educated them and expanded their horizons, but others pointed out that the app was also a gushing sewer pipe of misinformation, and hyper-stimulating brainrot.Superstition, New Age beliefs and paranormal sightings run rampant on the app (many TikTok users seem convinced of the existence of giants, despite the impracticality of keeping such large entities a secret).Many TikTokers fled to the Chinese-owned app, Xiaohongshu (RedNote in English) in anticipation of the U.S. TikTok ban, deliberately choosing a Chinese app over Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.Now, American TikTokers are chatting, joking and flirting with Chinese RedNote users, sparking new connections, despite the language barrier.Its unclear if RedNotes popularity will last, seeing as TikTok is returning, and there seems to be no other app that scratches the same itch.Why Is TikTok So Popular?Meta and YouTube have certainly tried to copy TikToks timeline, but TikToks secret sauce isnt short-form video, but the apps sticky algorithm.YouTubes recommendation algorithm is sometimes useful, more often a mixed bag, but many view Metas algorithm as almost useless, as Instagram and Facebook is infested with AI-generated slop.Ryan Broderick of Garbage Day attributes TikToks insightful algorithm to a focus on selling products to the user, as opposed to Western social media apps, which are much more interested in selling you to advertisers.Many critical words have been written about TikToks uncanny ability to anticipate what the viewer wants to see, and the apps tendency to silo users into narrow echo chambers, but nevertheless, TikTokers seem to love using it.Online, the prevailing attitude seems to be that if social media users are going to have their data mined, they may as well have fun doing soit doesnt matter who is doing the extracting.TikToks funeral may have been interrupted, but the apps future is far from certain.If TikTok does disappear (again), there will be a gaping chasm left in the digital landscape, and its unclear if theres an American competitor ready to plug the gap.MORE FROM FORBES

The big picture: The global supply chain is evolving in response to trade policies, particularly U.S. tariffs targeting China. While these measures aim to incentivize domestic manufacturing, the practical outcomes tell a different story. Chinese companies, rather than losing market share, have adapted by setting up production facilities in tariff-exempt countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. At CES 2025, we met a company from Eastern China that sells copper and fiber optic cables for data centers. This is almost a commodity business. There are thousands of companies that can make copper cables, a few dozen that can make fiber optic cables, and probably ten or so that can make both of sufficient quality to be used in leading data centers.We chatted for a bit. They told us about their products, and we exchanged the latest insights on industry trends. Finally, we asked about price. Their response was, "Which factory do you want the product from?"Editor's Note:Guest author Jonathan Goldberg is the founder of D2D Advisory, a multi-functional consulting firm. Jonathan has developed growth strategies and alliances for companies in the mobile, networking, gaming, and software industries.It turns out this company has two factories: one in China and the other in Thailand. These plants use identical equipment and produce the same products. The company's entire catalog is available from either site."Why do you have two factories?" we asked. Their response was that the plant in Thailand was built two years ago entirely for U.S. customers. During the last Trump administration, the U.S. government imposed a tariff of roughly 20% on these products when sourced from China. The tariff for products coming from Thailand is 0%. So, after a few years, the company opened a plant in Thailand. // Related StoriesFinally, we asked about price again. "Oh, the prices are the same. Except all the raw materials for the Thai plant come from China, and we have to ship them in, which makes Thai prices a little higher." Admittedly, Thai prices are not 20% higher than China prices, but close enough.This trend is occurring across the supply chain. CES was full of companies promoting their factories in Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia again. However, all the owners are Chinese companies. Some have local joint venture partners, but in every case we've found, the China-based company is the controlling shareholder, providing all the management, R&D, and sales.We are happy to have an academic discussion about the benefits and costs of tariffs, but the practical reality on the ground is that all new tariffs may benefit Thai workers, but they will not bring jobs to the U.S. China has spent the past four years preparing for more tariffs, and in this corner of the industry, they seem fully equipped to handle them.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsPicking the right phonesSnapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: PerformanceSnapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: BatteryDo the differences truly matter in the real world?Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: Which is better?If youre planning on buying an Android flagship smartphone over the next year or so, itll almost certainly be powered by one of two new processors. For many years, it was almost certain to be the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and while thats still the case for many phones, theres a large and growing contingent of phone makers that have opted for the chief competitor, made by MediaTek.MediaTek unveiled its latest chipset a few months ago, and the first phone to be powered by it the Oppo Find X8 Pro which I reviewed was released shortly after. The first smartphone running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite the Realme GT7 Pro was also released almost straight away, but how do these two chipsets compare?Recommended VideosMost phone makers will pick one or the other, but some may offer one variant powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with another variant whether better, worse, or separate powered by MediaTek. With this in mind, which one should you pick? Ive used phones running both processors over the past few months, and heres what Ive found.RelatedOppo Find X8 Pro, powered by the Dimensity 9400 Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsIts worth mentioning that theres more to a smartphone than just its processor. Each phone maker runs a suite of software that directly affects the performance and optimization of each device, and the specific choices around battery technology, RAM and storage amount, and even the display drivers can all have a marked impact on the overall performance.With that in mind, how can we fairly compare these two devices? At first, I started testing with the Realme GT7 Pro and the Oppo Find X8 Pro, but last month, a new opportunity presented itself for a much fairer comparison. In particular, Oppos sister company, OnePlus, seeded the OnePlus 13 ahead of its global launch this week which has nearly identical specs to the Find X8 Pro. Theres just one key difference in the internals: its running the Snapdragon 8 Elite.With that in mind, lets get stuck into this comparison. First, heres how the specs of the Find X8 Pro and OnePlus 13 compare. While there are other variants, these are the specs of the models we tested.OnePlus 13Oppo Find X8 ProDisplay6.82-inch, LTPO AMOLED120Hz, Dolby Vision800 nits (typ), 1600 nits (high brightness), 4,500 nits (peak)6.78-inch, LTPO AMOLED120Hz, Dolby Vision800 nits (typ), 1600 nits (high brightness), 4,500 nits (peak)ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite16GB RAM, 512GB ROMMediaTek Dimensity 940016GB RAM, 512GB ROMCamera50MP (wide), f/1.6, OIS50MP (ultrawide), f/2.0, OIS50MP (telephoto), f/2.6, OIS, 3x optical zoom50MP (wide), f/1.6, OIS50MP (ultrawide), f/2.0, OIS50MP (telephoto), f/2.6, OIS, 3x optical zoom50MP (telephoto), f/4.3, OIS, 6x optical zoomBattery6,000mAhSilicon/Carbide5,910mAhSilicon/CarbideMax Charging100W wired50W wireless100W wired50W wirelessDimensions162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5-8.9 mm162.3 x 76.7 x 8.2 mmWeight210-213 grams215 gramsBoth feature similar battery sizes and the same battery technology as well as the same amount of RAM (in the models I tested), the same connectivity standards, very similar software experiences, and even the same top-line charging speeds. All of this serves to prove that neither of these processors prevents companies from offering the best charging speeds, the highest RAM, or a streamlined user experience.To fairly test this, Ive split this into three parts: CPU and GPU graphics benchmarks, a battery benchmark, and my own real-world experiences with both phones. Many companies are known for their willingness to optimize for known benchmark apps, so the latter in particular will help pair the benchmarks with my experiences using both phones.The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsIve picked two well-known benchmarks for this comparison: 3DMark, and GeekBench as these are the benchmarks we use for all performance testing at Digital Trends. Both are well-known and respected and test different aspects of each device.Where possible, Ive also included additional results on devices running both the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the Dimensity 9400, as tested by myself and my colleagues. Its worth noting that most of these phones also have similar specs, but have differences in the rest of the specs package. Theyre included for reference, but Im primarily basing my comparison on the OnePlus 13 and Find X8 Pro.For GeekBench, I ran the CPU and GPU tests, resulting in three scores in total for each device.TestCPU SingleCPU MultiGPUOnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite)3107921318065Oppo Find X8 Pro (Dimensity 9400)2753810220522Realme GT7 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite)3112942519065ROG Phone 9 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite)3073985519403Oppo Find X8(Dimensity 9400)2839799120349When I ran these tests on the Find X8 Pro, the results surprised me for one reason: the GPU test. In particular, the GPU has traditionally been the weakest part of the MediaTek experience, but this year, the GPU performance is consistently better than the Snapdragon 8 Elite.In the Geekbench 6 test, the Immortalis-G925 GPU outperforms the Adreno 830 in the Snapdragon 8 Elite. However, this is just one test; does this also continue into our next test, on 3D Mark? This test is split into two parts: we tested the GPU in each device on the Solar Bay test but also ran the Solar Bay Stress Test to test the battery life under heavy performance needs.TestSolar BayOnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite)11714Oppo Find X8 Pro (Dimensity 9400)11560Realme GT7 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite)11200Here the differences between the two devices are far less, and its clear that they offer virtually identical graphical performance. Factors like heat and background tasks also make a difference and can generate different results with each test, but for the most part, the graphical performance seems to be at least equal.Gaming on the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsAlongside graphical performance, battery life is equally important. If youre a gamer, how long can you game without needing to recharge? If you are going away for the weekend, how long will your phone last?Some devices running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 last year the predecessor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite suffered from poorer battery life than expected, so does the Snapdragon 8 Elite deliver? Yes, this is a highly subjective question, but we do have some interesting data points that we can turn to.Our battery test uses the Solar Bay Stress Test, which runs a longer version of the Solar Bay test for twenty minutes and is designed to show how a device will perform over extended periods of ray-traced gaming. Alongside the score produced, we also log the battery drain to understand the overall impact of 20 minutes of resource-intensive gaming on your battery life.TestSolar Bay Stress TestBattery DrainOnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite)1177417%Oppo Find X8 Pro (Dimensity 9400)110519%ROG Phone 9 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite)1000913%Galaxy S24 Ultra(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3)830810%This test provides some interesting results, many of which Ive experienced in the real world as well. First, the delta in the Snapdragon 8 Elite testing results suggests big differences in gaming performance between phone makers. Second, it also proves both of these processors are nearly identical in overall graphics performance.Third, the results from last years Galaxy S24 Ultra which runs the previous generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also show a major improvement in the graphics performance year-over-year, but also an increase in the battery needed. This, in particular, is troubling, especially considering the Dimensity 9400 has similar gaming performance, but significantly less battery drain, but well have to see whether this continues as more devices are launched with both chipsets.Of course, it would be easy to claim that this is due to the phone maker and their optimizations, but the chasm between the battery drain on the OnePlus 13 and the Oppo Find X8 Pro the latter having a 90mAh smaller battery as well suggests that this is related to the power requirements of the chipset. This makes sense, especially considering that the Snapdragon 8 Elite uses the same Oryon CPU found in the Snapdragon X Elite, which powers many of my favorite Windows PCs.The OnePlus 13, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsSo far, Ive found that CPU and GPU performance is mostly equal on both devices, but hardware-based ray-tracing when gaming has more battery drain on the Snapdragon 8 Elite than the Dimensity 9400, but do these differences matter in day-to-day usage?The answer is that they dont, for the most part. However, my own experiences back up these findings, while also providing additional data points that are worth mentioning.First, the performance differences are nominal between both processors. Both are rapid and have presented no signs of slowdown and while Ive had a few performance glitches with both devices, these have been one-offs. When using comparative specs and hardware, these are virtually identical.Gaming on the OnePlus 13 Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsSecond, when gaming, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is slightly smoother than the Dimensity 9400, but at the cost of extra battery drain. Playing PUBG Mobile for 30 minutes on both devices resulted in a 23% drain on the OnePlus 13, while the Oppo Find X8 Pro drained just 13%. Its not quite half, but the performance-to-battery drain ratio is significantly better on the Dimensity 9400.Lastly, in day-to-day usage, Ive found that the Dimensity 9400 offers slightly better battery life than the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The OnePlus 13 has a 90mAh larger battery, but the Oppo Find X8 Pro has a slightly smaller display (6.78 inches vs 6.82). Anecdotally, during my regular day-to-day usage, the Find X8 Pro lasts roughly 30 minutes longer than the OnePlus 13.Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsMy big takeaway from this test is just how similar both processors are. For many years, a device running the latest MediaTek processor would sometimes be considered inferior to a device running the latest Snapdragon processor, but this year is different. The MediaTek Dimensity 9400 is equal to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, especially in CPU and GPU performance.Of course, theres more to processors than just CPU and GPU performance, and while this test has only considered those tests, theres also AI, camera, and more. Weve already broken down the differences between the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400 including those sections, and I have more comparisons planned to focus on these areas as well.For now, theres little difference between these two processors. If I had to pick one processor, I would lean towards the Dimensity 9400, simply because I value battery life over most other factors. However, it remains to be seen whether the other parts of the processor are equally as impressive as the Dimensity 9400s CPU and GPU performance.Editors Recommendations

By Matt Novak Published January 19, 2025 | Comments (1) | Rep. Glenn Grothman (left) and a local congressional office in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin where an arsonist allegedly set a fire because he was upset about the TikTok ban. Photos: Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin A 19-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested in the early morning hours of Sunday for setting first to an office leased by a member of Congress in the city of Fond Du Lac. The unnamed man reportedly told police he was upset about the TikTok ban, which prohibited users from opening the app starting late Saturday, but came back online Sunday after promises from president-elect Donald Trump not to enforce the ban. Police arrived at a structure fire at 525 N. Peters Avenue in the city of Fond Du Lac around 1:00 a.m. local time Sunday, according to local news station WMTV. The office is leased by U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman, a Republican who represents Wisconsins 6th District and voted in favor of the TikTok ban or divest law that had overwhelming bipartisan support. The building was unoccupied when the fire started and no injuries have been reported. First responders were able to keep the fire in check with fire extinguishers until firefighters arrived, according to local news outlet Channel 3000. Judging by the photo released by Rep. Grothmans office, which has gone viral on social media, it appears the fire blackened the outside of the door and damaged an air conditioning unit, as you can see above. The 19-year-old arson suspect is from Menasha, according to ABC affiliate WISN, which reports he admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban. That man has not yet been identified but is being held on an arson charge at the Fond du Lac County Jail. Acts of violence, in any form, are not tolerated, and we remain committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our community. I am thankful for the swift response of our Officers in helping knock down the fire and also locating the suspect of this arson, Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein said in a statement to local news station WISN.Rep. Grothman has not issued a statement on his social media platforms like X, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram but told the local newspaper the FDL Reporter that hes not sure what happened exactly. I dont even know yet (what happened) other than somebody tried to set a fire over TikTok, said Grothman, who unlike some members of Congress, appears to have never had a TikTok account.The TikTok app went dark for U.S. users on Saturday night but came back online Sunday afternoon ET after incoming president Donald Trump said hell sign an executive order on Monday after hes inaugurated at noon that will delay the ban. Strangely, Trump signaled that he want the U.S. federal government to own 50% of the app, though its not immediately clear how that would work.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Matt Novak Published January 19, 2025 By Justin Carter Published January 19, 2025 By Matt Novak Published January 18, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published January 17, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published January 17, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published January 17, 2025

Parental Shed / Vector PlinthSave this picture! Asif SalmanEducational ArchitectureChittagong, BangladeshArchitects: Vector PlinthAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:102 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2020 PhotographsPhotographs:Asif SalmanMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The Cantonment area in Chattogram is known as a serene environment wrapped with greeneries all around the institute's ground. Chattogram Cantonment Public College situated in DOHS - was established in 1978, and is administrated by the Bangladesh Army.Save this picture!The primary focus of this project was to create an experiential space for parents while they wait, making this small shed a comfortable and welcoming environment. At the outset, the project's architects aimed to create a unique design that would add a touch of exclusivity to a relatively compact area. The pentagonal geometrical shape of the structure serves as a vessel for an artistic flow for the users.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!A 2000 sq. ft. area withan 1100sq. ft. built area has full-height inclined curtain walls and sloped ceilings, creating a spacious illusion.The main objective of this project is to ensure that it is functional and efficient. The decision to use full-height curtain glass walls was mainly to bring the surrounding green landscape into the interior spaces. The angled curtain glasses also serve as protection against direct sunlight and heat.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The entire building is supported by a frame structure system. No internal columns were used in this project. Using ceramic roof tiles was an effective solution for reducing the amount of heat that enters the structure. The building was divided with sleek roof-high glasses, which allowed the natural sunlight to flood in effortlessly. It's a perfect solution for users to bask in theluminanceSave this picture!With the transparency of the space, the architects have successfully created connection and communication between the indoors and outdoors, nature and man-made structures, light and darkness, and shades and shadows, which adds a unique ambiance to the building. The greeneries, resting areas, and height variations of the landscape create a diversity of spaces to encourage users to enjoy nature and engage in discussions.Save this picture!The seating arrangement hasbeen thoughtfully organizedto create a spacious and easy-to-circulate environment forthestudents and their parents. As a result, everyone canmove around the space with ease, without any obstructions or obstacles in their way.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Chittagong, BangladeshLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeVector PlinthOfficePublished on January 19, 2025Cite: "Parental Shed / Vector Plinth" 19 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025840/parental-shed-vector-plinth&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04095-6US technology company Meta has produced an AI model that can directly translate speech in one language to speech in another. Two scientists discuss the technical feats and ethical questions that underpin this advance in machine translation.

How does creeping stress ignite a cataclysmic earthquake? A new study has answers.

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Underdogs rising to power has been a common trope in the JRPG culture ever since the first of its kind (Dragon Quest) hit the stores back in 1986, and many series have followed this formula of people who are broken to pieces or thrown down under, that by fate, by chance, or by sheer force of will become powerful enough to change their fates.