Ten years on from the point where it looked like the Metal Gearfranchise would never return, its about to return. Coming back from a decade-long hiatus (yes, Im deliberately erasing Metal Gear Survivefrom my memory), the legendary stealth series is gearing up to take centerstage again with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater,a remake ofMetal Gear Solid 3that is perfectly positioned to prove beyond doubt (yet again) that the 2004 game remains a stealth masterclass to this day with the sort of timeless design and excellence that few games in the genre have been able to match up to in the two-plus decades since it released.Of course, this isnt the first Konami franchise to return from a hiatus of late, and not the first to do it with a remake of arguably its most widely beloved game. Less than a year ago, Konami and Bloober team wowed one and all with a remake ofSilent Hill 2,a survival horror spectacle that turned out to be a far better game than Bloober Teams previously spotty track record had led many ourselves included to believe it would be. ThoughMetal Gear Solid Deltaisnt necessarily taking the same approach.Silent Hill 2struck a great balance between sticking to the original script and bringing its own ideas to the table, serving as a remarkably expanded and overhauled remake that kept the originals core intact.But whereSilent Hill 2straddled the line between those two paths,Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eateris committing itself almost exclusively to just one- that of faithful recreation, rather than radical reimagination. On one hand, you have to admit that that can raise some issues that, for many, might not be minor by any means. Take, for instance, the fact thatMetal Gear Solid Deltawill, just like the original, separate screens and areas from each other, rather than making the entire play space seamless the way you would imagine things to be in a AAA game releasing in 2025. For those who were hoping for aMetal Gear Solid 3remake that would not only recreate, but upgrade its gameplay experience, thats likely a frustrating decision on Konamis part, and its a position that I dohave sympathy for.At the same time, I cant help but take some solace from the fact that Konami is choosing not to mess with perfection. Because, really, in so many ways, that is what Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eaterachieves from a game design and stealth gameplay perspective- perfection. Playing the original classic today even in its original form, its hard not to be blown away by how good and fun it feels to play. Its a tightly designed, compact experience that wastes none of itself on anything that doesnt contribute to its incredible gameplay core. Purely as a stealth experience,Metal Gear Solid 3is still right up there as one of the best games in the genre even today- not just because of its legacy (which is unimpeachable, to say the least), but also because of its astonishing enduring quality.So yes, itissomewhat of a bummer that Konami isnt taking the opportunity withMetal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterto do some really ambitious gameplay reworks, and that the remake is, from a gameplay and design perspective, going to play things quite safe. But a) playing it safe is exactly what Konami needs to do right now withMetal Gear,given the state that the franchise has been in (thanks to Konami) this past decade, and b) the game that were going to get is stillMetal Gear Solid 3, andMetal Gear Solid 3is I cannot stress this enough an absolute blast.There are obviously parts of the originalMGS3thatdoneed updating. As great as it is, it is not a perfect game, and especially by todays standards, there are parts of it that are pretty rough and janky. But thankfully, those parts of the gamearegetting the facelift that they require.Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterscenterpiece is going to be its massive, radical visual and technical overhaul, which, from all that weve seen so far, is breathing new life into the game. Overhauling the visuals, modernizing the experience with quality-of-life upgrades, and sanding out its rough edges with passes of polish might not be the most exciting way to deal with a major, flagship remake- but whereMGS3 is concerned, its a smart approach. Update the parts of the game that need it the most, and the parts that are still great the gameplay and the design (not to mention the unforgettable story, of course, but thats a different topic) will be able to shine brighter than ever before.But look atMetal Gear Solid 5! you say, and you know what? Its hard not to agree with that at leasta little bit. For all of its flaws and inconsistencies,Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Painis an absolutely spectacular stealth game one of the very best ever made and it does so with completely seamless open world design. AMetal Gear Solid 3remake that built on those foundations (but, you know, with a more densely populated world that didnt have the hammer brought down on it partway through development) was the dream for many, and indisputably, if done well, that would have been an exciting way to bringMetal Gearback.But again, thats not something thatanyoneis ready to trust Konami with just yet- and that clearly includes Konami itself, too. And if the alternative to a faithfulMetal Gear Solid 3remake was noMetal Geargame at all, Ill gladly take the former, because, at the risk of repeating myselfMGS3is still an incredible stealth game- one that can stand up to the biggest and AAAest modern games out there, and barring some very rare exceptions, come out on top every single time.If Konami continues remaking moreMetal Gear Solidgames which, lets face it, they probably will if Deltaproves to be a critical and commercial success expectations would be high that theyd be more ambitious with their remaking efforts. But as their first mainline Kojima-less Metal Gearouting after the franchise was given a swift and bitter (and public) execution years ago,Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eateris smartly playing toits source materials strengths, which is allowing it to take the safest possible route. That route might be a bit too unexciting for many, especially given how successful the less conventional remakes likeResident Evil 2andSilent Hill 2have been in recent years, but itisstill a route thats going to let us play through a stealth masterpiece.Of course, that is all contingent on the fact that Konami doesnt royally mess things up withMetal Gear Solid Delta.But then again, thats the point- that first by pickingMetal Gear Solid 3as the game to remake, and then by choosing to stick as close to the source material as possible, the company is, at least on paper, giving itself the best possible chance of success. Whether things will pan out that way remains to be seen, but were cautiously optimistic, at the very least.Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Large language models have significantly advanced our understanding of artificial intelligence, yet scaling these models efficiently remains challenging. Traditional Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architectures activate only a subset of experts per token to economize on computation. However, this design leads to two notable issues. First, experts process tokens in isolationeach expert works independently without any cross-communication. This separation can limit the models ability to harness diverse perspectives during processing. Second, although MoE architectures use a sparse activation pattern, they still require considerable memory because the overall parameter count is high even if only a few are active at a time. These challenges suggest that while MoE models are a step forward in scalability, their inherent design may limit both performance and resource efficiency.The Chain-of-Experts (CoE) ApproachChain-of-Experts (CoE) offers a thoughtful reexamination of MoE architectures by introducing a mechanism for sequential communication among experts. In contrast to the independent processing seen in traditional MoE models, CoE allows tokens to be processed in a series of iterations within each layer. In this arrangement, the output of one expert serves as the input for the next, thereby creating a communicative chain that enables experts to build upon one anothers work. This sequential interaction does not simply stack layers; it facilitates a more integrated approach to token processing, where each expert refines the interpretation of the token based on previous outputs. The result is a model that leverages the collaborative potential of its experts while aiming to use memory more efficiently [][Technical Details and BenefitsAt the heart of the CoE method is an iterative process that redefines how experts interact. For instance, consider a configuration described as CoE-2(4/64): the model operates with two iterations per token, with four experts selected from a pool of 64 available experts at each cycle. This design contrasts with traditional MoE setups, which rely on a single pass through a pre-selected group of experts.A key technical element in CoE is the independent gating mechanism. In conventional MoE models, the gating function selects which experts should process a token, but these decisions are made once per token per layer. CoE extends this idea by allowing each experts gating decision to be made independently during each iteration. This flexibility encourages a form of specialization, where an expert can adjust its processing based on information received from earlier iterations.Additionally, the use of inner residual connections in CoE further improves the model. Instead of simply adding the original token back after the entire sequence of processing (an outer residual connection), CoE integrates residual connections within each iteration. This design helps maintain the integrity of the tokens information while allowing for incremental improvements at every step.These technical innovations collectively contribute to a model that not only maintains performance with fewer resources but also provides a more nuanced processing pathway that could be particularly valuable for tasks that require layered reasoning.Experimental Results and InsightsEmpirical studies underscore the potential of the Chain-of-Experts method. In controlled experimentssuch as pretraining on math-related tasksconfigurations like CoE-2(4/64) have demonstrated a reduction in validation loss (from 1.20 to 1.12) when compared with traditional MoE models operating under the same computational conditions. This improvement is achieved without increasing the overall memory or computational cost, as the sequential communication enables a more effective use of each experts capacity.Further evaluations have shown that increasing the iteration count in CoE can yield benefits that are comparable to or even exceed those obtained by increasing the number of experts selected in a single pass. For instance, even when memory and compute budgets are held constant, CoE configurations exhibit up to an 18% reduction in memory usage while achieving similar or better performance outcomes.Moreover, the sequential design of CoE opens up a substantially larger number of expert combinationsby as much as 823 times more than traditional methods. This dramatic increase in possible expert pathways means that the model has a richer set of options when processing each token, potentially leading to more robust and specialized outputs.These findings suggest that CoE provides a pathway for rethinking how large language models can be both efficient and effective, paving the way for more sustainable AI applications in the future.ConclusionThe Chain-of-Experts framework represents a measured evolution in the design of sparse neural networks. By introducing sequential communication among experts, CoE addresses the limitations of independent token processing and high memory usage inherent in traditional MoE models. The technical innovationsparticularly the independent gating mechanism and inner residual connectionsenable a more efficient and flexible approach to scaling large language models.The experimental results, though preliminary, suggest that CoE can achieve modest yet meaningful improvements in performance and resource utilization. This approach invites further exploration, particularly in how iterative communication might be extended or refined in future model architectures. As research in this area continues, CoE stands as a thoughtful step toward achieving a balance between computational efficiency and model performance, one that may ultimately contribute to more accessible and sustainable AI systemsCheck outthe Technical details and GitHub Page.All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,feel free to follow us onTwitterand dont forget to join our80k+ ML SubReddit. Aswin AkAswin AK is a consulting intern at MarkTechPost. He is pursuing his Dual Degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is passionate about data science and machine learning, bringing a strong academic background and hands-on experience in solving real-life cross-domain challenges.Aswin Akhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/aswinak/MedHELM: A Comprehensive Healthcare Benchmark to Evaluate Language Models on Real-World Clinical Tasks Using Real Electronic Health RecordsAswin Akhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/aswinak/Tencent AI Lab Introduces Unsupervised Prefix Fine-Tuning (UPFT): An Efficient Method that Trains Models on only the First 8-32 Tokens of Single Self-Generated SolutionsAswin Akhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/aswinak/Elevating AI Reasoning: The Art of Sampling for Learnability in LLM TrainingAswin Akhttps://www.marktechpost.com/author/aswinak/Microsoft AI Releases Phi-4-multimodal and Phi-4-mini: The Newest Models in Microsofts Phi Family of Small Language Models (SLMs) Recommended Open-Source AI Platform: IntellAgent is a An Open-Source Multi-Agent Framework to Evaluate Complex Conversational AI System' (Promoted)

Premium SSD vs Ultra SSD: Azure Storage Performance for Distributed Databases 0 like March 4, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Richie Bachala Originally published on Towards AI. When building distributed systems in the cloud, storage performance can make or break your applications success. In this post, well explore how different Azure disk types perform under distributed database workloads, using YugabyteDB as our distributed database. Well dive deep into benchmarking methodologies and reveal practical insights about Azure storage performance characteristics.The Azure Storage LandscapeAzure offers several managed disk types, each designed for different workloads and performance requirements. Well focus on three key offerings:Premium SSD: The traditional performance-tier offering, providing consistent performance with burstable IOPSPremium SSD v2: A newer generation offering higher performance and more flexible scalingUltra SSD: Azures highest-performance offering with configurable IOPS and throughputEach of these options presents different performance characteristics and price points, making the choice non-trivial for database workloads.Understanding Distributed Database WorkloadsBefore diving into performance numbers, its essential to understand what makes distributed database workloads unique. Unlike traditional single-node databases, distributed databases like YugabyteDB handle data differently:Write Operations:Require consensus across multiple nodesNeed to maintain consistency across replicasOften involve both WAL (Write-Ahead Log) and data file writes2. Read Operations:May contact multiple nodes depending on consistency requirementsUtilize caching at various levelsCan be affected by data localityThese characteristics mean that storage performance impacts database operations in complex ways, often not directly proportional to raw disk performance metrics.Benchmarking MethodologyTo thoroughly evaluate storage performance, we need a comprehensive testing approach. We employed two industry-standard benchmarking tools:TPC-C BenchmarkTPC-C is a database benchmark that simulates a complete order-processing environment. Its valuable because:Models real-world business operationsGenerates mixed read-write workloadsTests multiple transaction types with varying complexityProvides insights into real-world performance expectationsOur implementation focuses on the following transactions:New Order: Complex write-heavy transactionPayment: Mixed read-write transactionOrder Status: Read-only transactionDelivery: Write-heavy batch transactionStock Level: Read-heavy transactionEach of this transaction is a set of queries that are fired to carry out the business use case. For e.g. the following are the queries that are fired for New Order transactionGet records describing a warehouse, customer, & districtUpdate the districtIncrement next available order numberInsert record into Order and New-Order tablesFor 515 items, get Item record, get/update Stock recordInsert Order-Line RecordFor TPC-C, we focus primarily on NewOrder latencies as number of NewOrder transactions define the efficiency. So if the NewOrder latency is 50ms, it means it took 50ms to carry out all the queries listed above.SysbenchSysbench is a micro benchmarking workload. It creates a bunch of similar tables and the workloads are uniformly distributed across all keys of all the tables. Following are the two workloads that we use most:oltp_read_only There are 10 selects in one transaction to random tables and random keys. So if the latency of the transaction is lets say 10 ms, it means each select is taking 1 ms. And if the throughput is 100 ops/second, it means it is doing 1000 selects per second.oltp_multi_insert There are 10 inserts in one transaction to random tables and random keys. So if the latency of the transaction is lets say 50 ms, it means each insert is taking 5 ms. And if the throughput is 100 ops/second, it means it is doing 1000 inserts per second.While TPC-C provides a high-level view, Sysbench allows us to examine specific performance characteristics:Enables focused testing of individual operation typesProvides precise control over workload parametersHelps isolate storage performance impactsAllows scaling tests with different table counts and sizesWe configured Sysbench tests to examine:Point selects (read performance)Insert operations (write performance)Different data set sizes (20 and 30 tables) Sysbench git repo : https://github.com/yugabyte/sysbench/Image by AuthorAzure Disk Performance Comparison TablesTest Environment ConfigurationCluster ConfigurationBenchmark ResultsBenchmark Configuration DetailsImage by AuthorKey Findings and RecommendationsBased on our comprehensive testing, we can make several recommendations:For Read-Heavy WorkloadsPremium SSD v2 provides the best balance of performance and cost. The performance gap between Premium SSD v2 and Ultra SSD is minimal for read operations, making Ultra SSD harder to justify purely for read performance.For Write-Heavy WorkloadsUltra SSD shows its value in write-intensive scenarios, particularly with larger datasets. The consistent performance and lower latencies can justify the higher cost for write-critical applications.For Mixed WorkloadsPremium SSD v2 emerges as the most cost-effective option for most mixed workloads. The performance improvements over Premium SSD are significant, while the cost remains lower than Ultra SSD.ConclusionOur testing reveals that Azure disk performance isnt simply about raw IOPS and throughput numbers. The interaction between storage and distributed database workloads is complex, with CPU often becoming the limiting factor before storage performance is fully utilized. If the workload requires low latency, then Ultra SSD would be the best choice. If the workload requires high throughput, then Ultra SSD would also be the best choice. If the workload does not have any specific latency or throughput requirements, then Premium SSD V2 would be a good choice. Ultra SSD has the lowest latency and throughput of all three types of disks. However, it is also the most expensive. Premium SSD V2 is a good choice if you need high throughput and are on a budget. Premium SSD is a good choice if you do not have any specific latency or throughput requirements.For most distributed database deployments, Premium SSD v2 provides the sweet spot of performance and cost.Ultra SSD becomes compelling primarily for:Write-heavy workloads with strict latency requirementsLarge datasets with unpredictable access patternsMission-critical applications requiring consistent performanceWhen selecting Azure disk types for your distributed database, consider:Your workload characteristics (read/write ratio)Dataset size and growth expectationsPerformance requirements and budgetary constraintsThe actual bottlenecks in your current systemRemember that storage performance is just one piece of the puzzle. A well-designed distributed database system needs to consider network topology, CPU resources, and memory configuration alongside storage performance for optimal results.Image by authorThanks for readingx.comEdit descriptiontwitter.comJoin thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

LatestMachine LearningBuilding Robust Verification Pipelines for RAG Systems: Ensuring Accurate and Relevant LLM Responses 0 like March 3, 2025Share this postLast Updated on March 4, 2025 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): Kaitai Dong Originally published on Towards AI. 6 ways to get bullet-proof LLM-generated responses for your RAG system.This member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Figure 1: An overview of six LLM response verification methods [Image by Author]In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI applications, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) has emerged as a go-to approach to enhance large language models (LLMs) with external knowledge. By retrieving relevant documents and using them to inform the generation process, RAG systems can produce responses that are more accurate, up-to-date, and grounded in specific knowledge sources.However, despite the promise of RAG, these systems still face a critical challenge: ensuring the factual accuracy and relevance of the generated responses. Even with access to high-quality retrieval results, LLMs can still produce content that:Hallucinates information not present in the retrieved documentsMisinterprets or distorts the retrieved informationFails to address the original query adequatelyCombines facts from different contexts in misleading waysPresents speculation as fact without appropriate qualificationThese issues can have serious consequences in high-stakes domains where incorrect information might lead to poor decision-making, legal risks, reputational damage, or even harm to users. It needs to be dealt with effectively!Trust, but verifyWhile standard RAG implementations focus primarily on improving retrieval quality and prompt engineering to encourage factuality, these approaches alone are often insufficient. They represent Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Monday added five security flaws impacting software from Cisco, Hitachi Vantara, Microsoft Windows, and Progress WhatsUp Gold to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation.The list of vulnerabilities is as follows -CVE-2023-20118 (CVSS score: 6.5) - A command injection vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Small Business RV Series routers that allows an authenticated, remote attacker to gain root-level privileges and access unauthorized data (Unpatched due to the routers reaching end-of-life status)CVE-2022-43939 (CVSS score: 8.6) - An authorization bypass vulnerability in Hitachi Vantara Pentaho BA Server that stems from the use of non-canonical URL paths for authorization decisions (Fixed in August 2024 with versions 9.3.0.2 and 9.4.0.1)CVE-2022-43769 (CVSS score: 8.8) - A special element injection vulnerability in Hitachi Vantara Pentaho BA Server that allows an attacker to inject Spring templates into properties files, allowing for arbitrary command execution (Fixed in August 2024 with versions 9.3.0.2 and 9.4.0.1)CVE-2018-8639 (CVSS score: 7.8) - An improper resource shutdown or release vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Win32k that allows for local, authenticated privilege escalation, and running arbitrary code in kernel mode (Fixed in December 2018)CVE-2024-4885 (CVSS score: 9.8) - A path traversal vulnerability in Progress WhatsUp Gold that allows an unauthenticated attacker to achieve remote code execution (Fixed in version 2023.1.3 in June 2024)There are little-to-no reports about how some of the aforementioned flaws are weaponized in the wild, but French cybersecurity company Sekoia revealed last week that threat actors are abusing CVE-2023-20118 to rope susceptible routers into a botnet called PolarEdge.As for CVE-2024-4885, the Shadowserver Foundation said it has observed exploitation attempts against the flaw as of August 1, 2024. Data from GreyNoise shows that as many as eight unique IP addresses from Hong Kong, Russia, Brazil, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are linked to the malicious exploitation of the vulnerability.In light of active exploitation, Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies are urged to apply the necessary mitigations by March 24, 2025, to secure their networks.Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Mar 04, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Mobile SecurityGoogle has released its monthly Android Security Bulletin for March 2025 to address a total of 44 vulnerabilities, including two that it said have come under active exploitation in the wild.The two high-severity vulnerabilities are listed below -CVE-2024-43093 - A privilege escalation flaw in the Framework component that could result in unauthorized access to "Android/data," "Android/obb," and "Android/sandbox" directories, and their respective sub-directories.CVE-2024-50302 - A privilege escalation flaw in the HID USB component of the Linux kernel that could lead to a leak of uninitialized kernel memory to a local attacker through specially crafted HID reports.It's worth noting that CVE-2024-43093 was previously flagged by Google in its security advisory for November 2024 as actively exploited in the wild. It's not clear what prompted the tech giant to issue the alert a second time.The Hacker News has reached out to Google for further comment, and we will update the story if we hear back.CVE-2024-50302, on the other hand, is one of the three vulnerabilities that were chained into a zero-day exploit devised by Cellebrite to break into a Serbian youth activist's Android phone in December 2024.The exploit involved the use of CVE-2024-53104, CVE-2024-53197, and CVE-2024-50302 to gain elevated privileges and likely deploy an Android spyware dubbed NoviSpy.All three vulnerabilities reside in the Linux kernel and were patched late last year. CVE-2024-53104 was addressed by Google in Android last month.In its advisory, Google acknowledged that both CVE-2024-43093 and CVE-2024-50302 have come under "limited, targeted exploitation."The Mountain View-based company has released two security patch levels, 2025-03-01 and 2025-03-05, so as to give flexibility to Android partners to address a portion of vulnerabilities that are similar across all Android devices more quickly.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Bunny Agency | Full-time | Remote / Dubai / BudapestAre you ready to play a key role in scaling some of the most successful creators in the world? At Bunny Agency, we help top-tier creators turn their personal brands into thriving businessesand as Growth & Operations Manager, youll be the engine driving that growth behind the scenes.This isnt your typical ops role. You wont just keep the machine running, youll supercharge it.Were looking for someone who loves data, processes, and people equally. Someone who can take insights from performance metrics and turn them into actionable strategies that unlock real revenue growth. Someone who can lead teams, optimize systems, and make sure our creators and their audiences have an outstanding experience at every touchpoint. What Youll OwnBe the strategic heartbeat of our backend operations, driving engagement, retention, and revenue across OnlyFans, Instagram, and more.Analyze creator performance to spot opportunities and create game-changing growth strategies.Manage and mentor a global team of supervisors and chatters, ensuring top-tier quality, communication, and results.Lead onboarding for new team members and creators, setting them up for success with clear processes and killer training.Oversee quality control and constantly optimize shift planning, team structures, and workflows.Collaborate directly with creators to perfect pricing strategies, content plans, and promotional offers.Build systems and masterclasses that take our internal talent from good to world-class. Why Youll Love This RoleYou'll work at the cutting edge of the creator economy, scaling brands that reach millions.Your ideas wont just be heardtheyll be implemented. We value people who take ownership.Remote flexibility or join us in Dubai or Budapestyour call.Direct impact on high-revenue projects with clear, performance-based bonuses.Fast-paced, ambitious, and innovative team culture. Were Looking ForSomeone obsessed with growth and optimization.Proven experience in operations, analytics, or creator platform management.Mastery of data analysis and turning numbers into winning strategies.Exceptional leadership and communication skills.Knowledge of platforms like OnlyFans, Instagram, and Telegram (or excited to learn fast).The ability to thrive in a remote, high-accountability environment. The Results We ExpectWithin your first 90 days, you'll aim to deliver:15% increase in social media engagement.10% growth in new subscriptions.5% reduction in subscriber churn.25% revenue boost across our top-performing accounts.If youre ready to help creators build empires and grow your career in one of the most exciting spaces online apply now within 2 minutes.

Looking forthe most recentMini Crossword answer?Click here for today's Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.Today'sNYT Mini Crosswordisn't terribly difficult, but the mention of "something blue" in 8-Across made me think the answer was wedding-related. Spoiler, it's not. Need some help with today's Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times' games collection. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini CrosswordLet's get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers. The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for March 4, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNETMini across clues and answers1A clue: Secretly includes on an email chainAnswer: BCCS5A clue: "Everything good?"Answer: YOUOK6A clue: Big name in nondairy milkAnswer: OATLY7A clue: Food, informallyAnswer: GRUB8A clue: Game in which you might have to find "something blue"Answer: ISPYMini down clues and answers1D clue: Pigs with tusksAnswer: BOARS2D clue: Slice or diceAnswer: CUTUP3D clue: Cheese mixed with Monterey Jack in an orange-and-white speckled blockAnswer: COLBY4D clue: What the lens of a telescope facesAnswer: SKY5D clue: Teacher of meditative posesAnswer: YOGIHow to play more Mini CrosswordsThe New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day's Mini Crossword for free, but you'll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Thomas Paine, The Father of the American Revolution, wrote in opposition to the British Monarchy and in favor of American independence. We live in a period of revolution that is rapidly moving toward a return to a monarchy. In our modern times, it is not to have the return of a king, but to an all-powerful executive surrounded by loyal and very wealthy oligarchs. Paines writings were both educational and influential in shaping public opinion. In the Trump age, Americans are in desperate need of a refreshed pass on Paines Common Sense pamphlets.Common Sense: Addressed to inhabitants of AmericaCurtis Yarvin is a monarchist. He is also the political philosopher of tech billionaire Peter Thiel. Yarvins fringe ideas have taken center stage and are hiding in plain sight under the cloak of MAGA populism. But Yarvins ideas are the antithesis of populism as these ideas promote the consolidation of authority, control, and wealth to technocrats and oligarchs. According to Yarvin, democracy doesnt work and the country should be run more along the lines of a monarchy, or to use his language, a dictatorship. Actually, its more an amalgamation of a monarchy with a kleptocracy, a form of government where leaders use their political power to extract wealth from the people they govern in order to achieve personal gain in the form of power and influence.Tech billionaires like Thiel and Elon Musk are pro-kleptocrat oligarchs who have their ideologically aligned disciple, JD Vance, helping to advance the dystopian reality of Yarvinism, as outlined by The Verge:Vancewent on to explain how former President Donald Trump should remake the federal bureaucracy if reelected. I think what Trump should do, if I was giving him one piece of advice: Fire every single midlevel bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, and replace them with our people. And when the courts stop you, stand before the country and say, The chief justice has made his ruling. Now let him enforce it.This is what we are witnessingthe firing of the federal workforce and the deconstruction of the administrative state. Expect disregard for court orders soon because they are coming.RelatedThe draw of Trump's spectacle: inhumanityProject 2025 includes these policy objectives, all of which concentrate wealth and none of which benefit ordinary citizensThe plan to reclassify up to 50,000 federal workers as "at-will" employeesProposed elimination of independent regulatory agencies that oversee financial marketsPlans to weaken or eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection BureauProposed changes to antitrust enforcement that would benefit large corporationsTargeting of financial regulatory bodies that currently prevent market manipulationIf you think any of these policy objectives, or recent Trump executive orders, are being exercised to abolish waste and fraud in government, you are badly deceived. Although this is what you hear daily from Elon Musk and the enablers of DOGE, these efforts are all about power, control, and the self-aggrandizement of the rich and the powerful. Doing this under the auspices of reducing waste and fraud sounds like a good thing. But thats not the case at all. Its being done to get rid of democracy and install an authoritarian techno-kleptocracy. Certain government watchdogs such as Inspectors General, various regulations, and the rule of law, along with a host of other government structures and personnel, stand in the way. Eliminate these barriers or install cronies who will not oppose this radical restructuring. Thats the playbook to achieve the techno-autocratic monarchy/kleptocracy Yarvin envisions. Dont be deceived by justifications based on eliminating fraud and abuse. Those justifications are lies. Who benefits from this radical reshaping of government? Certainly not the common American.Using a statement from "A Raisin in the Sun," There are two types of people in the worldthe takers and the tooken. This is all about the rulers and the ruled, the haves and the have nots. The tooken are essentially the working class and the poorthe vast majority of Americans.Vance, an acolyte of Thiel and fully on board with Yarvinism, is entrenched in this. Donald Trump is the figurehead of this well-orchestrated effort. Trump may have risen to power by appealing to MAGA-style populism, but he is not a populist. He is only concerned about increasing his own wealth, power, and influence, all at the expense of the commoner or anyone else that he can exploit.The tooken-class includes most MAGA devotees, except for those who are already rich and powerful and stand to get even wealthier and more powerful as government checks and balances, government regulations, and administrative guardrails are systematically gutted. The GOP agenda isnt populist, its not about eliminating fraud and waste in government, its about the rich getting richer, all on the backs of the working class. Tariffs will not benefit the average person. Neither will efforts to purge DEI. Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are to assist many average people, but these efforts have been demonized and portrayed as deleterious to society mostly by adversely affecting white, Christian men. More lies.Some have referred to Project 2025 as a Christian nationalist blueprint. Vance is an advocate of a particular version of very conservative Catholic ideology that aligns with Christian integralism, one that blends nationalism with religious tenets and beliefs. As Ruth Braunstein writes in Religion News:But the conservative wing of the Catholic Church appears to be producing a powerful cohort of elite Catholic Christian nationalists who, if Donald Trump wins in November, will be at the very epicenter of American power. It is worth considering how their distinctive history, theology and institutions will shape their vision of how to exert Christian dominion over American society.Vance and other Catholic integralists want to remove the barriers between church and state. While not seeming to espouse a full-blown theocracy, Catholic integralists want government to be infused with Christian values. An important caveat to mention, the Christian values supported are selective. They do not necessarily include care of the sick and the poor, and certainly would not include tolerance for women exercising bodily autonomy or support of anything LGBTQ. Sinners and nonbelievers beware because the conflated church-state is dictating what is and is not okay. Irrespective of the religious convictions of technocratic billionaires Musk and Thiel, as a champion of Christian nationalism, Vance provides a useful tool to align with that coalition. Such an alliance is an unholy matrimony since Yarvin and his student technocrats seem only to be focused on a marriage of monarchism and kleptocracy. Religion and religious values are not central to the cause, but its convenient to have supporters of Christian nationalism not opposing what you are attempting to do. It seems the religious leaders either dont realize they are being played or somehow think they stand to benefit from the hardship and loss of freedoms that will ensue if the technocrats succeed.Immigrants are not the problem; DEI is not the problemthese rallying causes are distractions. When you rise to power on the wings of fear and anger, you must rely on fear and anger to remain aloft. Immigrants are not ruining our country or our economy. DEI efforts are not some leftist agenda that needs to be opposed by defenders of freedom and democracy. Transgender people are not corrupting our youth, our military, or schools, or our healthcare system.We need your help to stay independentSubscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalismThere is an inordinate wealth disparity in this country. The three wealthiest Americans own more wealth than the bottom 50% of the country combined [Institute for Policy Studies]. The top 1% of Americans own about 32% of the country's wealth [Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, 2023]. Every day working-class families, along with the poor and disenfranchised, are being exploited. To not see this for what it is can be attributed to being nave and gullible, to self-deception by outright denial, or to being complicit.If you believe in the democratic principles as envisioned by the Founders and enshrined in the Constitution, you understand that the principles of representative government are founded upon the power of the people. The realities raised here transcend the ideological labels of conservative/liberal, Republican/Democrat, religion, race, or ethnic group. Wherever you lie on the political or cultural spectrum, you do not stand to benefit from the changes that are underway unless you already are in the upper echelons of wealth and power, the top 1%. For the 99% of the rest of us, the time to act is now. Make your voice heard by contacting your elected representatives. Send them a copy of this and hold them to account to uphold the rule of law. Vote the enablers out of office. Talk to your friends and neighbors across the ideological rifts and labels that are designed to divide us. Demand government transparency.Stand up to the tyranny and oppression of those who are deceiving you into falsely believing this is all for your own good. Dont be complacent because the proponents of Yarvinism are counting on your inaction and your misguided belief that they are acting on your behalf and in your best interests. They are not. By acommon manRead moreabout this topicBy Victor AcquistaVictor Acquista is an author and columnist. Author of the award-winning "Writing to Raise Consciousness," he is a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and the Florida Writers Association.MORE FROM Victor AcquistaRelated Topics ------------------------------------------CommentaryCommon SenseCurtis YarvinElon MuskJd VanceMagaMonarchyPeter TheilThomas Paine

Image: NintendoNintendo is often restocking the My Nintendo Store with all sorts of goodies and the latest batch of 'exclusives' has arrived.My Nintendo users located in the US can now get their hands on a Super Mario Stadium Tote Bag for 500 Platinum Points and a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe License Holder with Lanyard for the same price. Here's a look at both of these items, along with some descriptions:Super Mario Stadium Tote Bag - 500 Platinum PointsImage: Nintendo"Transform your everyday adventures with the Super Mario Stadium Tote Bag! Carry Mario, Luigi and Toad from the Mushroom Kingdom wherever you go with this transparent tote bag! From Marios winning smile to Luigis playful charm, this transparent bag boasts a fun design that brings joy to any outing. Perfect for concerts, sports events, or just a day out, this bag is designed to hold all your essentials while keeping your fandom front and center. This physical reward is available while supplies last."Mario Kart 8 Deluxe License Holder with Lanyard - 500 Platinum PointsImage: Nintendo"Get your Mario Kart fix with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe License Holder and Lanyard! Rev up your style with this fun and functional Mario Kart 8 Deluxe License Holder, complete with a super-cool driver's license and matching lanyard! Featuring iconic characters, this license holder not only keeps your important cards safe but also showcases your love for the beloved racing franchise. Perfect for track days, fans on the go, or just adding a sprinkle of adventure to your everyday lookthis accessory is sure to make you feel like a true racing champion! Dont miss your chance to zoom into fashion and fun! This exciting collectible is only available while supplies last."Keep in mind shipping fees apply. Apart from this, Nintendo recently added multiple Donkey Kong-themed items to the My Nintendo Store. The sound clock Alarmo is also available for purchase on the My Nintendo Store and no longer requires a Switch Online subscription to order.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube797kWatch on YouTube "You'll go bananas for this"No Switch Online membership is requiredHave you got anything from the My Nintendo Store recently? What do you think of the latest items and what would you like to see Nintendo add in the future? Let us know in the comments.[source nintendo.com, via gonintendo.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:161 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 Confirms Removal Of Switch Online SNES GameSuper Soccer will "no longer be available"Nintendo Highlights Four Brand New Games "Coming Soon" To SwitchMarch is going to be an exciting monthStunning New Physical Edition Of Stardew Valley Is Now Available At FangamerIncludes comic, poster, art cards, and moreStardew Valley's New Update For Nintendo Switch Is Now LiveUpdate: Creator acknowledges "error" in Switch patchNintendo Switch Online Announces Removal Of Super Famicom TitleGoodbye, Super Soccer