The new Elden Ring is closer than you might think. FromSoftware announced on Wednesday that Elden Ring Nightreign, the new multiplayer spinoff of the studios excellent open-world game, is set for release on May 30. Nightreign was first announced at The Game Awards last December, with a gorgeous, but slightly mysterious, teaser trailer.FromSoftware also announced that Nightreigns base game will retail for just $40. There will also be a $99 deluxe version of the game that includes a few cosmetic additions, as well as access to the games DLC. FromSoftware hasnt specified what this DLC will include just yet. On top of these editions, there will also be an even fancier version of the game that will come with a statue and several other physical collectibles, as well as the in-game items and DLC from the deluxe edition.This announcement came amid a number of previews for the game, including Polygons own, which found the game to be a refreshing remix of Elden Rings mechanics, combined with a surprisingly fun battle royale twist. Many more FromSoftware fans will get the chance to try Nightreign out later this week when the studio begins the games first Network Test event, which will give a select number of players access to an early version of the game for testing. Registration for the Network Test has already closed, but for the players who have been invited, it will take place at a variety of times running from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16.

The image of the gamer and their gaming rig are intrinsically tied to an aesthetic defined by dark cyber-neon colors, LED backlighting, and an abandonment of the subtle. Its a stereotype that isnt completely without merit. But just like any subculture, a counter-culture of PC gamers has arisen committed to designing and building rigs delivering the gaming performance that want with the decor-conscious details they need. Fractal Design is one of the more noteworthy brands representing this balance between seemingly disparate communities.The Moods fabric outer body is wrapped in a Kvadrat-style acoustic textile, available in gray and black hues.The last time we checked in with Fractal Designs offerings, we found ourselves impressed with their pair of North and Terra PC cases, both which evoked images of Alvar Alto or Arne Jacobsen as an avid gamer building their very own gaming machine. Those machines embodied a Scandinavian aesthetic with a slat adorned front face made with real oak or walnut wood. Their latest edition, Mood, uses a textile wrapped vertical case allowing gamers 360-degree access with a minimal footprint. If those earlier editions were Arne and Alvar, the Mood is reminiscent of Bang & Olufsen in its functional technology draped in a layer of thoughtfully chosen textile that whispers rather than screams.The vertical PC case design allows for a compact interior layout for the CPU and GPU of the gamers preference (if youre wondering, the Mood can accommodate for a 325 mm graphics card). The Mood is topped with a 180 mm fan, drawing air up through its pillar-shaped body from the bottom, up, and outward to keep the interior temperature at an optimal number.The Mood isnt the only new product from Fractal Design designed to harmonize with the home. The Swedish gaming design studio also has released the Era 2, a compact case featuring ventilation across five sides and topped with a solid walnut magnet-fastened ventilation panel up top. Both Mood and Era 2 are currently available at fractal-design.com, with Mood coming in at $149.99 and Era 2 at $199.99.

Smashing Pumpkins' legendary frontman Bill Corgan and confrontational comedian Bill Burr look alikeboth have shaved heads, stubbly beards, blue eyes, and similar facial structures. They look so much alike they could be brothers; so much alike that a lot of people think they are brothers. While it's possible, these people are probably wrong.Why people think Bill Corgan and Bill Burr are brothersThe rumor started with Corgan's appearance on Howie Mandel's podcast back in January. On the show, Corgan recounts the following conversation that he said happened a decade prior:My stepmother said to me, "Do you know who Bill Burr is?" Now at that point, I had never heard of Bill Burr She said, "Well, he's this comedian" And I think I even somehow called up a picture on the phone, and I kind of noticed right away, "Gee, he really looks like my father." Bill Burr looks more like my father than Bill Burr looks like me or I look like Bill Burr. So I said to my mother, "Why are you asking me this?"... She goes, "I think he might be one of your father's illegitimate children. Bill Burr might be one of the children that your father sired in his days being a traveling musician My father did once tell me that I had a half-brother named Bill, who was born around the same time as me." A lot of people look like other people, so that doesn't mean much, and a single piece of family lore is anything but conclusive, but this evidence was apparently enough for Mandel to try to get to the bottom of it, in probably the worst way possible. Corgan and Burr: Worst. Family. Reunion. Ever.In a more recent episode of Howie Mandel Does Stuff, Mandel hosted Bill Burr and surprised the comedian with a special appearance from Corgan so the pair could compare notes on their fathers. Despite Mandel's assurance that he was "doing it out of love," the ambush did not go well. "You're an asshole," Burr tells Mandel. "He's just doing this for the fucking ratings," Burr adds.Corgan says he was told Burr was aware he was appearing on the show, but it seems Burr had no idea. Mandel eventually leaves the pair alone to talk things out. It's an uncomfortable, creepy conversation. Burr says his dad had multiple families. Corgan says his dad told him he was a musician where Burr's dad told him he was a dentist. Corgan points out that Bill Burr can't sing, and Billy Corgan isn't funny, so maybe they aren't related. It doesn't really reach any conclusion. Ultimately, the familial status of Corgan and Burr is inconclusiveThe bottom line is there isn't any solid reason to think that Bill and Billy have the same father. "They look alike" and "my mom said something once" isn't enough evidence to believe this rumor (even if Burr and Corgan believe it). Unless the results of a DNA test are made public, I'd file this under "probably not true." It's extremely unlikely for any person to become famousthere are a lot of singers and comedians out thereand it seems astronomically unlikely that two people would become famous at a Burr/Corgan level, but in two distinct fields. These aren't nepo babies we're talking about. The unique combination of talent, drive, personality, and luck that adds up to a career like either of these men is almost never seen. Two half-brothers developing all that independently is possible, but it would be a hell of a coincidence. The on-air results of the impromptu "family reunion" are inconclusive. Burr refers to "our dad" often on the podcast, and overall seems to accept the premise that they have the same father, but maybe he's playing along with the bit Mandel set up. Burr is a comedian so he knows how to run with a premise. He appeared on Mandel's show to promote an upcoming project, and seems to have succeeded wildly. I don't have any evidence one way or the other, and my gut says this is genuine, but I wouldn't exactly be surprised if this all turned out to be an elaborate set-up designed to get people talking and boost the careers of all three men; it wouldn't be the first time. Speaking ofMatthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are probably not brothers eitherMatthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson look alike too. Unlike Corgan and Burr, the actors are pals, but there's a rumor that they're brothers too. Just as Corgan's mother brought up the possibility that he was related to Burr, McConaughey's mom brought up a possible family relationship with Harrelson. We're all sitting around in Greece one night talking and my mom out of nowhere in a little pause goes, Oh, I knew your dad, Woody..., McConaughey said in an interview. And we all went, What was the ellipsis about?' ...And she goes, Just saying, we might have frequented the same place out in West Texas one time when he was on furlough.' The pair have mentioned doing DNA tests in the past, but, so far, haven't released any results. Again, I don't know if it was a publicity stunt for a movie, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Think you might have met someone attractive, single and successful on Facebook or Instagram? You might want to think again, Meta says. Ahead of Valentines Day, the company is once again warning users not to fall for romance scams.These kinds of schemes, in which scammers create fictitious identities to form online relationships with unsuspecting victims, arent exactly new. (The FTC says that people lost more than a half billion dollars to romance scams in 2021.) But the people behind these scams are apparently persistent. Meta says that already in 2025 its taken down more than 116,000 accounts and pages across Facebook and Instagram that were linked to romance scams. In 2024, it removed more than 408,000 such accounts.According to Meta, these scam accounts often originate in West African countries with scammers impersonating members of the US military or famous celebrities. In both cases, theyll claim to be looking for love and will strike up conversations with people on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp as well as other messaging platforms. Eventually, the scammer will request gift cards, crypto, or other types of payments.Meta has taken steps to fight these types of schemes. The company said last year it would bring back facial recognition tech to address celebrity impersonation. It also works with other companies to shut down organized groups of scammers. Still, David Agranovich, director of threat disruption at Meta, noted that "scammers evolve consistently."Researchers also say that AI has made it even easier for scammers to assume convincing fictitious identities. In the last three or four months, there's a couple of different tools that have come out where they're free, they're accessible, they're easy to use, and they allow the attacker to transform their face dynamically within the video call, Rachel Tobac CEO of SocialProof Security said during a call with reporters. They can also use these deepfake bots that allow you to build a persona, place phone calls, use a voice clone and a human actually doesn't even need to be involved.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-warns-users-not-to-fall-for-romance-scammers-posing-as-celebrities-or-military-140031858.html?src=rss

Adobes Firefly Video Model is in public beta as of today, meaning the days of praying you had a chance to test it are over. The company claims that its the first commercially safe generative AI video model in the market. Previously, it was only available in the Adobe Premiere Pro video editor with Generative Extend, but you can also access a standalone Firefly web app now.For those unaware, Adobes Firefly Video Model powers the Generate Video feature, which can generate video clips from a text prompt or image. It can also edit images, turn them into videos, create 3D worlds and more. The content is safe for commercial use too, since the AI applies watermarks signifying which parts have AI assistance, and that can be checked with the Adobe Content Authenticity web apps Inspect tool. In other words, its safe because people can check if AI was used in the content due to embedded data.The Firefly web app integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud apps such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Express and more. Three new features available on the app today include video generation and scene-to-image generation with the ability to fine-tune footage, allowing users to make images from 3D sketches, plus audio and video translation into supported languages.Currently, there are two pricing plans: Firefly Standard and Firefly Pro. The former grants access to 2,000 video/audio credits a month and 20 five-second 1080p video generations, while the latter increases the number of credits to 7,000 and video generations to 70. A Firefly Premium plan for professionals is coming soon. You can now purchase a Firefly Standard subscription for $10 a month, while a Firefly Pro subscription costs $30 a month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/adobes-firefly-generative-ai-video-app-is-now-in-public-beta-140030134.html?src=rss

Adobe launches new AI video generation model going beyond anything else around today.

Captain America 4's creative team reveal how Sam Wilson's MCU journey will differ from that of Steve Rogers.

Straws might seem insignificant, inspiring jokes about the plastic vs. paper debate, but the plastic straw has come to symbolize a global pollution crisis over the past decade.On Monday, President Donald Trump waded into the issue when he signed an executive order toreverse a federal push away from plastic straws, declaring that paper straws dont work and dont last very long. Trump said he thinks its OK to continue using plastic straws, although theyve have been blamed for polluting oceans and harming marine life.In 2015, video of a marine biologist pulling a plastic straw out of a turtles nose sparked outrage worldwide and countries and cities started banning them, starting with the Pacific Island nation Vanuatu andSeattle in 2018.Heres what to know about the larger fight over single-use plastics in the United States:What happens to plastic straws?More than 390 million plastic straws are used every day in the United States, most for 30 minutes or less, according to advocacy group Turtle Island Restoration Network.Plastic straws are usually thrown away after one use, going on to litter beaches and waterways and potentially killing marine animals that mistake them for food.The straws are not recyclable because they are so small. They take at least 200 years to decompose, the network said.They break down into incredibly tiny bits of plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice. Thesemicroplastics have been foundin a wide range of body tissues. Though research is still limited overall, there are growing concerns that microplastics in the body could potentially be linked to heart disease, Alzheimers and dementia, and other problems.Trumps executive order claims that paper straws use chemicals that may carry risks to human health are more expensive to produce than plastic straws. Researchers from the University of Antwerp found forever chemicals known as PFAS to be present in paper, bamboo, glass and plastic straws, but not stainless steel ones,according to a 2023 study.The advocacy group Beyond Plastics said that while plastics are often cheaper than paper products, the cheapest option is to skip the straw.Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator who now heads up Beyond Plastics, said she hopes that people react to the executive order by committing to using fewer plastic straws and that local and state governments do, too.Its easy to just kind of almost poke fun of this, ignore it, she said Tuesday. But this is a moment that we as individuals and state and local policymakers can make a statement that they disagree with this executive order and are committed to using less plastic straws. Its not that hard to do.Several states and cities have banned plastic straws and some restaurants no longer automatically give them to customers.What is being done globally?President Joe Biden administrations had committed tophasing out federal purchases of single-use plastics,including straws, from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.The move was a way for the federal government to formally acknowledge the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the scale of the response required to effectively confront it.Erin Simon, an expert on plastics and packaging at the World Wildlife Fund, said at the time that it sent a message around the world: If we can make change happen at scale, so can you.The declaration came in July, just a few months before negotiators met in South Korea to try to finish crafting a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. Negotiatorsdidnt reach an agreementlate last year, but talks resume this year.Under the Biden administration, the United States at first adopted a position viewed as favoring industry, stating that countries should largely develop their own plans instead of abiding by global rules. China, the United States and Germany are the biggest players in the global plastics trade.The United States changed its position heading into South Korea. The delegation said it would support having an article in the treaty that addresses supply, or plastic production. More than 100 countries want an ambitious treaty that limits plastic production while tackling cleanup and recycling.U.S. manufacturers have asked Trump to remain at the negotiating table but revert to the old position that focused on redesigning plastic products, recycling and reuse.Arent other plastics a problem?The environment is littered with single-use plastic food and beverage containers water bottles, takeout containers, coffee lids, straws and shopping bags.Every year, the world produces more than 400 million tons of new plastic.About 40% of all plastics are used in packaging, according to the United Nations.In 2023, Ocean Conservancy volunteers collected more than 61,000 plastic straws and stirrers polluting beaches and waterways in the United States. There were even more cigarette butts, plastic bottles, bottle caps and food wrappers, the nonprofit said.Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Negotiators at the United Nations climate talks known as COP28 agreed in 2023 the world musttransition away from planet-warming fossil fuelsand triple the use of renewable energy.As pressure to reduce fossil fuels has increased globally, oil and gas companies have been looking more to the plastics side of their business as a market that could grow. Trump strongly supports and gets support from the oil and gas industry.___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APsstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org.Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press

The theme park wars will shift into an even higher gear right before Memorial Day. On May 22, Universal Orlando is scheduled to open Epic Universe, its $6 billion expansion thats meant to lure more visitors away from the Magic Kingdom and other assets of Walt Disney World and make the companys theme-park hub a seven-day visit for tourists.Announced in 2019, Epic Universe will be the first new Central Florida theme park in more than 25 years. Divided into five lands, its a park that hopes to have something that appeals to all types of family members. And its a serious enough threat that Disney has announced a major upgrade to its Orlando parks, part of a 10-year, $60 billion investment in parks and experiences.For a park thats so close to its opening day, there are still a lot of questions. Tickets went on sale last October, but unless youre a hardcore theme-park junkie, you might not know what to expect from Epic Universe. Heres what you can look forward to, if youre planning (or thinking about planning) a vacation.Universal Epic Universe front gate [Rendering: Universal]Where is Epic Universe located?While its a part of Universal Orlando, the physical location of Epic Universe will be set about 2.5 miles southeast of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, as well as Universal Volcano Bay water park and Universal CityWalk.To transport visitors back and forth, Universal will run buses between the parks and will have a separate parking area for Epic Universe visitors.What are the five lands of Epic Universe?The parks layout is designed to let visitors enter a portal, which takes them to five different lands.Celestial ParkThis is the entry into Universal Epic Universe, with dining, shopping, and three attractions: a carousel, a dual-launch coaster, and interactive dancing fountains. The Helios Grand Hotel (more details below) will also be located in this area.Celestial Park [Rendering: Universal]The Wizarding World of Harry Potters Ministry of MagicUniversal has two other Harry Potter Wizarding Worlds: Daigon Alley at Universal Orlando and Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure. Those are connected via the Hogwarts Express, but the Ministry of Magic will be a stand-alone park. The new park will include elements from both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, and this area will let fans explore several international wizarding communities, from Paris in the 1920s to the U.K. in the 1990s.Food choices will include Caf Lair De La Sirne and Le Goblet Noir. And yes, of course, youll be able to get a Butterbeer.Super Nintendo WorldAlready a hit in Universal Studioss California park, this interactive Nintendo-themed world is loaded with familiar characters from Mario to Bowser. It includes a big coaster (more on that below) and a live-action Mario Kart ride. Its a larger park than its California cousin and has additional rides (such as Yoshis Adventure and Mine-Cart Madness) and interactive activities.Mario Kart: Bowsers Challenge in Super Nintendo World [Rendering: Universal]Foodwise, Chef Toad is serving things up at the Toadstool Caflike the Mario Burger complete with a bun branded with Marios moustache and tiny red cap. Theres also the Bubbly Barrel in Donkey Kong Country.How to Train Your Dragons Isle of BerkOn the Isle of Berk, youll be able to ride a dragon. Youll also be able to explore the Viking village at the heart of the animated Dreamworks franchise.Dark UniverseUniversal embraces its monster-based roots, with reimagined classic creatures, including Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and Dracula.What will be the big rides?Epic Universe will have several big roller coasters, the standout of which will seemingly be Mine-Cart Madness in Super Nintendo World. This Donkey Kong-themed ride features an effect where the car will appear to jump over a gap in the tracks.The Wizarding Worlds big draw will be Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which features the return of Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. Dark Universes big draw will be the animatronic-heavy Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, set under Frankenstein Manor.Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry [Rendering: Universal]At Isle of Berk, you can ride Hiccups Wing Gliders, a coaster that simulates a ride on a dragons back. And the Stardust Racers coaster will send visitors in Celestial Park zooming at 62 mph to heights of 133 feet.Will there be hotels?Three hotels are being built in the general area around Epic Universe, but the crown jewel will be the Grand Helios, which has a dedicated entrance to the park, along with a rooftop bar overlooking the park.Universal Helios Grand Hotel [Rendering: Universal]The others, Stella Nova and Terra Luna, are not within walking distance and will require some travel time to reach Epic Universe.How much will Epic Universe tickets cost?Right now, if you want to visit Epic Universe, youll need to buy either a three-, four- or five-day pass. And regardless of which one you choose, that will only get you into Epic Universe for a single day. The other days must be spent at the other Universal theme parks. For adults, those start at $117 per day. Kids are just a couple dollars less.If youre already an annual passholder at Universal, you can buy one-day tickets, but those are already sold out for at least the first 17 days that Epic Universe will be open. Prices to add a ticket for the Epic Universe add-ons start at $122 a day.Individual tickets for Epic Universe will go on sale at a later date, which hasnt been announced yet.

When removing old carpet, it's really a three-phase job. The first phase is pulling up the carpet, which is pretty easy. Around the perimeter of the room are tack strips. These have vertically protruding tacks that pierce the carpet. These tacks offer great lateral resistance but practically zero resistance against uplift, so if you grab a section of carpet and pull straight up, you can free it with minimal effort. Indeed the most arduous part of carpet removal is cutting it into pieces you can roll and cart off. The second phase is pulling up the old carpet underlayment. This, too, is simple and straightforward, at least with a foam underlayment as shown here. The parts that are dry are readily pulled up by hand; the parts that are badly stained and stick to the floor can be removed with a floor scraper. The third phase is the most difficult: Removing the fasteners. Prying up tack strips is easy and straightforward, but pulling the hundreds of staples used to tack the underlayment down is not.In my arsenal I have upholstery staple removers and stationery staple removers, and neither will suit here. You can also try a flathead screwdriver, a hammer and pliers, but you'll be there for days.In search of a faster solution I tried two new-to-me tools. The first is this $19 Zenith Carpet Staple Puller, by Danco. The images made it seem promising. The tool promises to speed the task by removing multiple staples at once across its wide, toothed edge. In practice, that promise collided with reality. I found this tool can only remove multiple staples at once if the staples are all aligned in the same direction. What I've found, at least on the underlayment pictured here, is that the original installer fired the staples at random angles. That cleanly negates the tool's multi-staple ability. The second problem I found with this tool, can be seen in the usage diagram below:In the diagram under the "Lock" step, you can see that the staple must be placed all the way at the back of the teeth in order to be cleanly lifted out. In practice, I've found the only way to get the staple that far back, is to slide the tool forward quickly and with force, driving it under the staple and seating it in one move. It requires your aim with the tool be perfect, otherwise you risk snapping the staple with the forward momentum, and then you've got to grab the pliers and pull both halves out. If the staple is not seated all the way and you level the tool back, the staple can snap. Once again you must reach for the pliers, which is time-consuming. In short, in this instance, I found the tool slowed the work rather than speeding it.The second tool I tried is this $20 RockSteel staple remover. This tool arrives extremely sharp and works well, with a caveat: If you want this tool to work quickly, you must be able to see the staple.Here's what I mean by that. When you pull up carpet underlayment, it tears free at the staples, leaving little blobs of foam fastened to the subfloor. If you try tearing these off with your fingers, you'll be there all day. Problematically, these blobs obscure the orientation of the staple. That means you come in with the tool multiple times at different angles, hoping to get lucky. With hundreds of staples to do, that's wasting time.What I've found sped the task, is to take a quick pass with a stiff-bristled stainless steel wire brush. This swifly shreds the foam, allowing you to see the staple clearly. You can then come in with the RockSteel and get the staple in one pass. The bent angle of the RockSteel tool works well for driving the tool forwards, but requires an extra hand for levering the staple out. I used the fingers of my non-tool-driving hand as the fulcrum.I struggled to do the first room with the Zenith tool, and it took forever. There was a lot of pliers use, and a hammer for nailing in stubby snapped staple protrusions that resisted extraction.The second room I applied the steel wire brush trick, and along with the RockSteel I completed the work in less than half the time of the first room.That said, you will not be handing the RockSteel down to your grandchildren. The tips go blunt quickly, and one of the prongs is already starting to deform. This tool is effective but has not been designed to last.From left to right: Hammer for split staples you can't extract. Zenith tool, which only works well if staples are aligned in the same direction. Pliers for extracting split staple halves. Steel wire brush for shredding underlayment foam. RockSteel tool. Magnetic pick-up tool for cleanup.Other tools you'll want for this job, though not pictured, are: Kneepads, a headlamp for good visibility in dark corners, a respirator (when you shred the foam with the brush, it scatters a lot of dusty particles in the air) and safety goggles. I put the goggles on as a precaution, thinking I wouldn't really need them; but I was surprised at how many staples I popped that shot directly upwards and into the goggles.Happy staple pulling, and if you've got your own fast method, please share below.