The director of data science and engineering for the United States Digital Servicewhich Elon Musk rebranded as the US DOGE Servicehas resigned from her position.Anne Marshall, the now former director, spent more than a decade as an engineer at Amazon before joining USDS in September 2023. In December, she was promoted to director of data science and engineering, but only served around two months in the role before resigning on Wednesday.Today I resigned from the US Digital Service. It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be able to do this work, with this team of amazing people, Marshall wrote on LinkedIn on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, DOGE chose to fire one third of them last week. These cuts were shortsighted, ill-informed, and indiscriminate. The government and the American people will be worse off from the loss of these people.Yesterday, legacy USDS employees met with two representatives from DOGE to discuss the organizations future, following the Friday evening firings of around 50 product managers, designers, and others at USDS. Amy Gleason, a former Trump administration USDS official, and Kendall Lindemann, formerly of McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, explained to the remaining staff members that DOGE would become increasingly more hands-on within the organization over the coming weeks and months, USDS sources say.Gleason and Lindemann, who did not provide their roles at DOGE, said that anyone not already terminated would be considered part of the DOGE team going forward and that the two previously separated teams would merge. The consolidation of the two different groups, the new DOGE members and the legacy USDS staff, is a marked difference compared to the rest of the last month at the organization: Earlier this month, USDS workers told WIRED that DOGE had built a firewall separating the two groups. Up until Tuesday, the only DOGE representative to join a broader legacy USDS team meeting was Stephanie M. Holmes, who identified herself as the groups new HR person.Its all DOGE going forward, one USDS source tells WIRED.Got a Tip?Are you a current or former government employee who wants to talk about what's happening? We'd like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at makenakelly.32.Still, its unclear who is legally running DOGE, and not even DOGE employees know. On Monday, Joshua Fisher, the director of the White House Office of Administration, issued a sworn statement in a lawsuit claiming that Musk, who has championed and appeared to lead DOGE since Trumps reelection, was not leading DOGE as its formal administrator. Fisher described Musks role as nothing more than senior advisor to the president with no greater authority than other senior White House advisors.USDS staff are still in the dark regarding leadership as well. Multiple legacy USDS employees tell WIRED they have no idea who the acting administrator is, despite requesting their identity multiple times.Neither Gleason nor Lindemann disclosed the names of USDSs administrator or deputy administrator on Tuesday. The White House did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED.I do not believe that DOGE can continue to deliver the work of USDS, based on their actions so far, Marshall wrote. I am leaving by choice, no forks, no forced exits, just actively, sadly, walking away. This is not the mission I came to serve.

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No subscription required.Ahead of Pokmon Day later this month, The Pokmon Company has announced it will be releasing "all four episodes" of its Netflix series 'Pokmon Concierge' on YouTube.Trainers will be able to tune in and watch these episodes for a limited-time. These episodes will be released sequentially from 21st February 2025 until 9th March 2025. After this, you'll need to have access to a Netflix subscription to watch them again.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Image: Maximum EntertainmentNintendo's Switch eShop is always getting new demos and the latest one is for the 2v2 fighting game Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age.Diesel Legacy made its debut last December, and is described as being a brand new take on fighting games with its 2v2 co-op-style gameplay and unique three-lane system set in "Dieselpunk world". This demo can be downloaded from the eShop right now.Apart from this, a brand new trailer has also been released for the enigmatic magician Adrik - one of the main characters in the roster. He's known for his arcane powers and unpredictable fighting style.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube796kWatch on YouTube Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube796kYou can download the full game from the eShop for $29.99 / 24.99 (or your regional equivalent). Here's part of the eShop description:Thirty-five years ago, the city of New Libertis was born from an explosive boom of technological marvels. In this new age, industrialist Hieronymus Frazer seeks to secure his legacy and usher in a grand ascension for humanitys elite. To that end, anything and everything may be sacrificed for his greater vision. The fate of the city is in your hands!Diesel Legacy is a hand-drawn 2v2 fighting game four players on two teams. Each beautiful stage features three lanes to freely move between, and even when a player is defeated their fight isnt over! Work together to extend combos, parry attacks from beyond the grave, channel your essence to assist your teammate, and secure the double knockout!And if you're wondering, this game supports 1-4 players on a single system, and 1-4 players online (featuring rollback netcode). Bring on the tag teamComing soon to SwitchPlay before you payWould you be interested in trying out this game now that a demo is available? Let us know.[source maximument.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Is Discontinuing Gold Points, One Of The Switch's Best IncentivesNoooo, don't do it!Toby Fox Shares Development Update On Deltarune Chapter 3 And 4"Still console testing"Hollow Knight: Silksong Briefly Vanishes From US Switch eShop, But It's Back NowUpdate: Restored after a few hoursSonic Racing: CrossWorlds Adds Characters From "SEGA Universes"Update: IGN has an exclusive preview up

Fintech Varo has been hoping to raise a $55 million Series G round but has, so far, closed on $29 million to date, according to a recent SEC filing.Varo declined to comment on this new round but the fintech has raised just over $1 billion in funding since its 2015 inception, according to PitchBook.It wouldnt be the first time its fundraising didnt go as hoped for. In 2023, Varo raised a $50 million equity round at a lower valuation ($1.85 billion post-money) than its massive and, it said, oversubscribed $510 million Series E in 2021. That 2021 round valued it at $2.5 billion post-money, according to PitchBook.In somewhat of a surprise move, CEO and founder Colin Walsh recently announced he was stepping down with Gavin Michael replacing him as chief executive (Michaels LinkedIn profile shows he assumed a leadership role at Varo in November of 2024).When asked about speculation that Walsh was forced to resign, a company spokesperson denied that was the case, telling TechCrunch: This transition is about the next phase of Varos evolution.The spokesperson pointed to Michaels experience as CEO of publicly-traded crypto platform Bakkt and previous leadership roles at Citi and JPMorgan Chase as being exactly what Varo needs for its next chapter.Colin has known Gavin for 19 years, and after working closely with him these past months, Colin is confident hes the right leader to build on the companys foundation that he built for the last decade, while maintaining Varos commitment to financial inclusion, the spokesperson added.Walsh will remain on Varos board and, as a founder, still maintains a significant stake in the company, the spokesperson said.Varo was a highly watched fintech in its earlier years because the startup obtained its national bank charter in 2020 a move that made it the first-ever all-digital nationally chartered U.S. consumer bank. In a 2022 interview with TechCrunch, Walsh said that the company was still seeing strong customer growth and still had a clear path to profitability. But as of early 2024, the company was not yet profitable. And according to a December 2024 call report, it had reported a loss of nearly $65 million.Want to reach out with a tip? Email me atmaryann@techcrunch.comor send me a message on Signal at 408.204.3036. You can also send a note to the whole TechCrunch crew attips@techcrunch.com. For more secure communications,click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop and links to encrypted messaging apps.

Swizzle Ventures has closed its Fund I at $6.6 million, bypassing its initial $3 million target, Jessica Kamada, the firms founder, told TechCrunch.Back in December, TechCrunch reported that the firm, which quietly launched in 2023, was raising and has already bypassed $5 million, per its SEC filing. The thesis of Fund I will focus on womens health and wealth, touching upon issues such as caregiving and finances.Kamada told TechCrunch that 70% of the funds LPs are women and 50% are experts in the focus of its thesis. The firm will cut checks ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 at a pre-seed and seed level. Its already backed 11 companies so far and hopes to invest in 30 total from Fund I.Kamada, who is based in Seattle, has a background in marketing and startup advising. She posted on LinkedIn over a year ago that she had left her job after nearly eight years without a plan for what to do next.Swizzles Fund I enters the world of venture capital at an important time. Caregiving is undergoing a crisis; womens health is a hot topic, especially after the overturn of Roe; and many women are gearing up to inherit what experts predict will be a historic boom in capital as the great wealth transfer will soon come underway.Topics

Answers for today's NYT Mini Crossword are just ahead.New York TimesIn case you missed Wednesdays NYT Mini, you can find the answers here:Wondering what a hard impact sound might be? Not sure which Mike played Austin Powers? Dont worry, because I'm here to help you with the answers for today's NYT Mini crossword.The NYT Mini is a quick and dirty version of the newspaper's larger and long-running crossword. Most days, there are between three and five clues in each direction on a five by five grid, but the puzzles are sometimes larger, especially on Saturdays.Unlike its larger sibling, the NYT Mini crossword is free to play on the NYT Games app. However, youll need an NYT Games subscription to access previous puzzles in the archives.To help you avoid getting stuck and having to reveal missing letters, here are the NYT Mini Crossword answers for Thursday, February 20 (spoilers lie ahead, of course):NYT Mini Crossword Clues And AnswersNYT Mini Across Answers1 Across: Sound of hard impact BAM4 Across: "Hoo-wee!" OH BABY7 Across: With 8-Across, kind of bus associated with London DOUBLE8 Across: See 7-Across DECKER9 Across: Sponsored posts in ones newsfeed, e.g. ADSNYT Mini Down Answers1 Down: Dessert described as "half-bread, half-cake" BABKA2 Down: Having a full range of physical or mental abilities ABLED3 Down: Mike who played Austin Powers MYERS4 Down: Quirky ODD5 Down: Garden tool used for weeding HOE6 Down: Tampa Bay football player, for short BUCCompleted NYT Mini crossword for Wednesday, February 19.New York TimesIt took me 0:34 to complete today's NYT Mini.Yeah, Im okay with that time. Its all right!I didnt get BAM or OH BABY because, really, who would without additional context? DOUBLE and DECKER were easy enough though. I like how they formed a "double decker" of words. I got ADS on the Across clues as well.After that, filling in the Down answers was easy. I hesitated for a moment on a couple of them. Still, a sub-40 time is generally pretty darn decent.Make sure to follow my blog for more coverage of the NYT Mini and other word games, as well as video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Also, follow me on Bluesky! Its fun there.

How to solve today's Wordle.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLooking for Wednesdays Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here:Once again, we have reached the Day of Thor. Every Thursday, I reveal the answer to the Wordle Wednesday puzzle (a riddle or brain-teaser I give out each Wednesday before we solve the Wordle).This was yesterdays puzzle:The Royal MessengersA royal messenger leaves the castle at dawn, riding his horse at a steady speed of 8 miles per hour. His mission is to deliver an urgent letter to a village 40 miles away.However, after 2 hours, the king realizes he forgot to include an important detail in the letter. He sends a second rider to chase the messenger, galloping at 12 miles per hour.Will the second rider catch up with the first in time to amend the message?The answer is NO. By the time the second rider has traveled 36 miles, the first rider will have reached the village. The correct solution to preventing the villages total destruction at the hands of the Dark Lord will not arrive in time, and the villagers will unwittingly welcome the armies of hell into their homes. Whether the King will realize his mistake and fortify his castle before the dark tide overwhelms his people remains to be seen. Stay tuned to next weeks riddle in order to find out more!Ill post the answer in tomorrows Wordle guide. Feel free to message me with your answer on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook in the meantime.Now lets solve this Wordle!How To Solve Todays WordleThe Hint: Both an insect and a cannabis cigarette. And a fish, actually. Not to mention Geralt of Rivias horse!The Clue: This Wordle begins and ends with a consonant.Okay, spoilers below!...The Answer:Today's WordleCredit: Erik KainWordle AnalysisEvery day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. FLAME is a dramatic opening guess even though F is not that common a letter. Sometimes using less common letters yields great results. With 116 words remaining, this one could have gone any which way. Thankfully, SCOUR did the trick, slashing that down to just 1: ROACH for the win!Competitive Wordle ScoreToday's Wordle BotScreenshot: Erik KainI get 1 point for guessing in three and 0 for tying the Bot. Ill take it!How To Play Competitive WordleGuessing in 1 is worth 3 points; guessing in 2 is worth 2 points; guessing in 3 is worth 1 point; guessing in 4 is worth 0 points; guessing in 5 is -1 points; guessing in 6 is -2 points and missing the Wordle is -3 points.If you beat your opponent you get 1 point. If you tie, you get 0 points. And if you lose to your opponent, you get -1 point. Add it up to get your score. Keep a daily running score or just play for a new score each day.Fridays are 2XP, meaning you double your pointspositive or negative.You can keep a running tally or just play day-by-day. Enjoy!Todays Wordle EtymologyThe word roach has different etymologies depending on its meaning:For the insect (cockroach) Roach is a shortened form of cockroach, which comes from the Spanish cucaracha. The Spanish word likely derives from Latin blatta, meaning "an insect that shuns the light."For the fish (European roach, Rutilus rutilus) The origin is uncertain, but it may come from Old French roche or roge, referring to a type of fish.For a cannabis cigarette end (slang) The origin is debated, but it may derive from the Mexican Spanish roach in la cucaracha, a song associated with marijuana use, or it may refer to the small, remaining "roach" resembling an insect's body.Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when Im not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.

In brief: Despite the controversy surrounding generative AI, some game designers use the technology to brainstorm concepts during development. Microsoft's new open-source model aims to make this practice feasible for interactive content. It focuses on maintaining consistency across many frames while recognizing and integrating player input. Microsoft researchers recently introduced Muse, a generative AI model designed to extrapolate interactive video game scenarios from images, clips, and recorded player input. The tool aims to streamline game development while upholding ethical training practices. The weights, sample data, and interactive interface for Muse, which Microsoft calls a "World and Human Action Model," are now available on Azure AI Foundry. The developers discussed details of the technology on the company's research blog and in a newly published study in Nature.Following training on one million updates, Muse can faithfully predict up to half a minute of gameplay based on one second of actual footage and nine seconds of player input. Unlike prior models, where game details disappear or become distorted as soon as they leave the visible frame, Muse remembers details like terrain, characters, and game mechanics.In a video interview with Xbox head Phil Spencer, Dom Matthews from Ninja Theory explained that the company doesn't plan to use Muse to build content for end users. Instead, the studio plans to use it to help draft and iterate ideas by rapidly generating snapshots of a cohesive vision. It remains unclear whether other developers would follow a similar philosophy, but Microsoft won't mandate the use of its models across its studios.Some developers immediately expressed disinterest. David Goldfarb, who worked on Battlefield, Mass Effect, and Killzone, offered a brief, dismissive response. Marc Burrage from Creative Assembly told Wired that even restricting generative AI to the prototyping stage can harm game development by robbing employees of hands-on experience.Click to enlargeSpencer optimistically speculated that technologies like Muse might facilitate game preservation by helping developers port older titles to modern devices. Microsoft has frequently promised to preserve its customers' digital libraries across hardware generations, but it remains to be seen whether regenerating them with AI can produce satisfactory results. Frank Cifaldi from the Video Game History Foundation isn't as optimistic, comparing the idea to a photocopy of a painting. // Related StoriesMicrosoft also faced harsh criticism regarding Muse's training data. Much of the harsh controversy facing AI models stems from companies using material from across the internet without the original creators' consent. Microsoft sidestepped the issue by training Muse on games it already owns.The initial demonstration used player telemetry data from Ninja Theory's multiplayer shooter, Bleeding Edge. Users who agreed to the game's EULA have already consented to help train Muse. Theoretically, the company could extend the practice to popular titles like Minecraft, Call of Duty, Halo, Overwatch, StarCraft, Doom, or Forza.

For a long time, Fortnite has been ahead of the curve when it came to merging gaming worlds, and fans were blown away by the collaborative skins from legendary video game franchises. Due to these crossovers, the battle royale has welcomed iconic characters like the Psycho Bandit from Borderlands, Master Chief from Halo, and the stealthy Ezio from Assassins Creed. Collaboration content in Fortnite is always exciting since it allows players to use their favorite characters in the game, usually via the Item Shop or battle pass.Following a similar tradition of seasonal collabs, Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 Lawless is ready to go live on February 21, 2025, and a new collab with the popular game Mortal Kombatis inbound. The iconic character Sub Zero from the franchise is getting his very own Fortnite skin and fans are thrilled. If youre wondering how to get the skin, weve got you covered.Recommended VideosThe Sub Zero skin will be a part of the Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 and players will be able to grab the skin as they unlock tiers in the pass by completing quests or accumulating XP. You can grab the Chapter 6 Season 2 Lawless Battle Pass for 1,000 V-Bucks or have it included in your Fortnite Crewsubscription which gives you access to many more passes as well.Epic GamesThats not all the Mortal Kombat collab is also bringing Sub Zeros icy abilities as mythic weapons in the game that players will be able to use across the Battle Royale island to defeat enemies. Furthermore, the Sub Zero skin will be accompanied by more cosmetic items such as a Back Bling, Pickaxe, Emote, and a Glider that players will be able to unlock in the Battle Pass.RelatedAccording to leaks, later in the season another Mortal Kombat character, Scorpion will also make an appearance but will be sold separately as an Item Shop skin that players will need to purchase. Regardless, players are also hoping to see Scorpions signature blade as a weapon later on in the season that promises some high-octane action in Fortnite with a heist theme.Editors Recommendations