From the very first day Disneyland opened its gates in 1955, attractions based on movies were among the park’s biggest draws. Rides like the Mad Tea Party and Peter Pan’s Flight dazzled visitors, immersing them in worlds they had only previously experienced staring up at a big screen in a darkened theater.Both of those rides continue to operate at Disneyland, and at Walt Disney World and other Disney parks around the globe. In the decades since, they’ve been joined by dozens of other movie-based attractions, not only at Disney’s parks but also at Universal’s — a company built on a 100+-year-old foundation of cinema.With their striking visuals and iconic characters, movies make the ideal foundation for theme park attractions. Maybe that’s why so many of the best rides ever created take inspiration from movies. Like the 25 attractions listed below. A couple date back 70 years; others are brand new, like the ones recently installed at Universal’s Epic Universe park. Each of my picks also includes a video of the ride for the vicarious thrill seekers out there. (You know who you are.)Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making MoviesThese days, Universal’s theme parks are almost exclusively devoted to rides and environments that let guests feel like they have stepped inside their favorite movies and shows. That’s a stark contrast to their parks’ initial concept as a place where tourists learned the secrets of film and TV production, with a couple bigger rides thrown in for extra oomph. One of the best examples of old-school Universal was Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies. After a 3D highlight package of Hitchcock films, guests were ushered into a soundstage where a “director” and his “crew” explained how Hitchcock shot Psycho’s shower scene. Then guests could wander an interactive area, and participate in demonstrations of the practical movie magic behind movies like Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, and Saboteur. It was like a cross between a thrill ride and a museum — and for a budding cinephile, it was a paradise. It closed in 2003 to make room for [deep sigh] Shrek 4-D.Alice in WonderlandAlthough the appropriately psychedelic Alice in Wonderland ride has existed in one form another for well over 50 years, it’s still surprisingly immersive. The current version of the attraction (which was opened in 2014) speed runs through almost the film’s entire plot in about three minutes, and features an effective blend of animatronics and screens, and climaxes in a leisurely descent down the outside of the show building, with picturesque views of the Matternhorn and Fantasyland. As old school “kids rides,” go, this is about as good as it gets.Avatar: Flight of PassageThe centerpiece of Animal Kingdom’s land based on James Cameron’s Avatar, Flight of Passage takes the central premise of its inspiration — human beings using technology to step into the bodies of the giant blue-skinned aliens — and actually gives the riders the sensation of riding on a banshee through the skies of Pandora. (In order to complete the illusion, your seat “breathes” like a living creature.) The technology works surprisingly well, and the 10K ride footage (yes, 10K) looks spectacular.READ MORE: Disney Announces New Theme ParkBack to the Future: The RideThe unforgettable Back to the Future: The Ride let visitors board a detailed copy of the franchise’s DeLorean time machine for an aerial chase through the centuries. (The story of the simulator, which played out in pre-show videos featuring Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson, involved Doc recruiting tourists to help him catch Biff after he steals the time machine.) With special effects by 2001: A Space Odyssey legend Douglas Trumbull, BTTF:TR lived up to the old Universal slogan that promised a vacation where you could “ride the movies.” Its closure was inevitable; the “future” of the Back to the Future franchise is set in 2015, i.e. our past. The two American versions of the attraction closed by the late 2000s, although Universal Studios Japan’s version managed to hang on until 2016 — one year after Marty and Doc went back to the future.Dumbo the Flying ElephantIs there any movie ride more iconic than Dumbo? Disney doesn’t seem to think so; Dumbo’s the only ride that they have built at all six of their main “castle” theme parks: Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and, in 2016, Shanghai Disneyland. You could call the ride simple; guests board a vehicle that looks like the floating pachyderm, each with a joystick that allows the rider to shift their Dumbo up and down. You could also call it elemental; it taps into little children’s desire to fly, and it empowers them to take control of their experience. As long as Disney continues to operate theme parks, Dumbo will keep on flying.Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout!Disneyland purists were skeptical when the company announced they were going to re-theme the California Adventure version of the beloved Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction into a ride based on the popular Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. But when the ride opened, most had to admit: It was pretty darn fun, and possibly better than the Tower of Terror (at least in California. which had a simpler and less impressive ride system than the original Twilight Zone ride in Florida). Instead of a haunted hotel’s elevator, guests now board “gantry lifts” that bounce up and down an elevator shaft, stopping at different floors to view the Guardians in battle with an alien monster while one of six songs from the eclectic soundtrack plays. It’s possibly the most effective re-use of an existing ride system in Disney history, and thanks to the different songs (and synchronized visuals and drops) it holds up very well on multiple visits, which probably explains why it remains one of the most popular attractions at California Adventure many years after it first opened.Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike AdventureMovie rides often emphasize theming over adrenaline, but Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure nails both. There are beautiful animatronic monsters, including unicorns, centaurs, and Hagrid’s beloved dog Fluffy, all integrated into a roller coaster that races around the outskirts of the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (The ride reaches its top speed of 50 miles per hour in a matter of seconds via one of its seven different launches.) The fact that riders are carried along on their own motorcycle or sidecar not only enhances the immersive quality, it increases the thrill. There’s nothing quite like blasting backwards at 50 miles per hour on a bike seat to get your blood pumping.Harry Potter and the Battle at the MinistryEpic Universe’s Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry levels up the concepts of earlier Universal dark rides like Spider-Man or Transformers. Guests board large seated elevators that appear to fly up, down, and around the Ministry of Magic from the Harry Potter films, where they help the franchise’s core trio of heroes as they fight the evil Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). The attraction boasts some of Universal’s most seamless illusions ever, and its entrance — which transports you via “floo” from 1920s Paris to 1990s London to emerge into the Ministry of Magic’s grand hall — is a jaw-dropping spectacle. That reveal is a bigger “wow” than a lot of entire rides at other amusement parks.Harry Potter and the Forbidden JourneyThe first of Universal’s ever-expanding Wizarding World attractions, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was like no other ride when it first opened at Islands of Adventure in 2010. Housed inside an impressive creations of the Hogwarts castle (with a carefully themed queue filled with Easter eggs and character cameos), Forbidden Journey lets riders board “enchanted benches” for a trip around, through, and under the magical school with Harry Potter and his friends. Some of the large-scale animatronics are starting to show their age; the seamless blend of screens, sets, and an advanced KUKA arm vehicle have been surpassed by other attractions in the last decade. Still, that central conceit of letting you feel like you are flying on your own Nimbus 2000 always works like magic.Hogwarts ExpressUniversal’s second Wizarding World was a financial inevitability after the first one proved so successful. Making the second area Diagon Alley — and then connecting the two lands via a functional Hogwarts Express train — was a masterstroke. Each of the respective areas houses its own distinctive station, and guests queue up for a ride on the iconic locomotive, where they sit in individual cabins and glimpse familiar faces from the Harry Potter franchises out their compartment window (actually a high-definition screen). Silhouettes and voices spied in the hallway enhance the immersion, and because the train runs in both directions, there are two totally distinct videos to enjoy.Indiana Jones AdventureRiding through it today, it’s hard to believe Indiana Jones Adventure is 30 years old. The combination of an old-fashioned dark ride with high-tech special effects holds up extremely well. The premise supposedly dumps tourists on a guided jeep tour (led by Indy’s buddy Sallah) into the “Temple of the Forbidden Eye” that (spoiler alert) does not go to plan. (Nothing ever does on a theme park ride.) In practice, it’s all an excuse to let guests experience Indiana Jones’ greatest hits: Rickety suspension bridges, plumes of fire, barrages of darts, thousands of bugs, and, of course, speeding away from an enormous rolling ball. Add in some of that classic John Williams Raiders of the Lost Ark music, and you have all the makings of a great movie ride.Jurassic World VelociCoasterDon’t ask me to explain the story of this one. They built a roller coaster inside the Jurassic World raptor enclosure? What’s next? A genetically engineered dinosaur that’s even stronger, faster, and smarter than a T.rex and can also camouflage itself? (Okay, so maybe the geniuses running Jurassic World would build a roller coaster in the raptor enclosure, objection withdrawn.) Whatever cockamamie story they cooked up to justify the concept, it was worth it; VelociCoaster is not just a great movie ride, it’s a great roller coaster period. With a top speed of 70 miles per hour, it’s also one of the fastest. It features multiple launches, inversions, and intricate dinosaur theming. Universal’s come a long way from that old Jurassic Park River Adventure.KongfrontationKing Kong has been a mainstay in Universal’s various theme parks since the mid-1980s, when a giant Kong animatronic was added to the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. That was expanded to a full-blown attraction at Universal Studios Florida called Kongfrontation, where guests evacuated from Manhattan on the Roosevelt Island Tramway after Kong runs amok. Naturally, the evacuation did not go smoothly (like I said, nothing ever goes according to plan on a theme park ride) and Kong grabbed the tram before a last-second getaway. It was a surprisingly intense experience with fun touches — like the fact that the Kong animatronic’s “breath” smelled like bananas. Kong was put out to pasture in 2002 to make way for a roller coaster inspired by The Mummy franchise. The great ape has since found a new home at nearby Islands of Adventure, where an attraction called Skull Island: Reign of Kong opened in 2016.Millennium Falcon: Smugglers RunI know this is a polarizing ride; some visitors don’t care for its video game vibes, or the fact that it contains no Han Solo and only fleeting glimpses of Chewbacca. Personally, after almost a dozen rides, I love it. I love the life-size Falcon replica outside the entrance and the incredibly detailed recreation of the Falcon interior, complete with holochess table. Then the ride itself is a blast; certainly at its most fun when you get to pilot the ship, but also very enjoyable as a gunner or an engineer. (I’ve done them all multiple times.) It’s awesome with a group of friends working together (or razzing each other for failing to get that second coaxium canister) and it’s incredible when you ride with kids, who get to feel like they made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein ExperimentThere are lots of dark rides; Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment is areally dark ride. Years of experience with their Halloween Horror Nights gave Universal the confidence to make a genuinely scary (and darkly witty) attraction, one with monsters and jump scares galore. Guests enter an eerie recreation of Frankenstein Manor, then wind their way through its atmosphere-soaked rooms, past glowing equipment and crates filled with organs and lab rats. They emerge in the laboratory of Victoria Frankenstein, who wants to restore her family’s good name by capturing Dracula. Say it with me this time: Nothing ever goes according to plan on a theme park ride. Frankenstein’s latest experiment goes horribly wrong in the most pulse-quickening ways, and leads to appearances (and scares) from all of the classic Universal Monsters. The ride, as well as the surrounding castle and queue, are so detailed. It’s like a vintage horror fan just stepped into a dream come true — or the best nightmare ever.Peter Pan’s FlightMaybe the definitive Disney dark ride, Peter Pan’s Flight is a true classic; some 70 years old at this point, and still magical. (An overhaul in the 1980s probably didn’t hurt in that regard.) Guests board “flying” pirate ships for a trip to Never Land with Peter Pan and the Darlings. Where a lot of the old school Disney dark rides are surprisingly scary (ask anyone who rode the O.G. Snow White ride and they’ll tell you), Peter Pan’s Flight is all about giving young kids (and the young at heart) a taste of what it might feel like to fly high above London in the ride’s famous centerpiece sequence.Radiator Springs RacersThe Cars franchise has never been among Pixar’s most critically acclaimed efforts. The series’ big ride at California Adventure, though, is a true blockbuster, combining state-of-the-art animatronic cars and a thrilling race component, where s pair of vehicles carrying two sets of riders zoom around an impressive recreation of Radiator Springs. It’s not too intense for Cars’ core fanbase, and just exciting enough for everyone to feel like it’s worth the ride’s perpetually long wait times. Plus now we know where the cars from Cars come from; at some unknown point in the future, the animatronic full sized Lightning McQueen and Mater from Radiator Springs Racers will gain sentience and turn against their human masters. It’s only a matter of time.Splash MountainWhatever you think of The Song of the South and its depiction of life in the late 19th century, the ride Disney inexplicably chose to theme to it (in 1989!) was a lot of fun. A log flume enhanced with animatronic cartoon characters and one of Disney’s most famous songs (“Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”), it combined Disney’s flair for storytelling with family-friendly thrills. The fact Disney never released The Song of the South on home video meant it was only a matter of time before Splash Mountain got tossed into the briar patch itself. The ride lives on in a new form, though; the mountain and flume are now the subject of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you’re desperate to ride Splash Mountain again, you’ll need to take a trip to Japan; it’s still operating at Tokyo Disneyland.Star ToursThanks to constant updates, the original Star Wars ride at Disneyland still holds up well more than 35 (!) years after its first introduction. The original version had a single film that played in a simulator; guests’ pleasure cruise to Endor would go slightly out of control — nothing ever goes to plan on a theme park ride — and then wander into a battle with the Death Star. The current version, which makes zero sense in Star Wars continuity, sends Star Tourists to famous locations from the nine Star Wars movies and various Disney+ shows, and includes cameos from numerous characters. Disney has continually added new segments to the ride, and the modern CGI looks superb. Plus, because each ride contains a random handful from the 20 different possible segments, Star Tours always full of surprises.Star Wars: Rise of the ResistanceThere are several really good Star Wars attractions on this list, but Rise of the Resistance is the best of the bunch — or maybe the best movie-based theme park ride period. It’s long, full of surprises, and contains multiple ride vehicles and sequences. It’s almost a greatest hits of Disney Imagineering; there are screens, advanced animatronics, human performers, “holograms,” movie star cameos, trackless ride vehicles, full-size space ships and AT-AT walkers, and a giant hanger filled with Stormtroopers. It really feels like you’ve wandered into an increasingly perilous Star Wars adventure, and the theming and thrills are off the charts. I’m sure that some day some ride will top Rise of the Resistance. For now, it’s the irresistible #1.Studio Backlot TourFor some 60 years, trams have taken Universal visitors through the studio’s famous backlot. While the ride has evolved with the times, it also maintains a lot of the tram tour’s original flavor, taking guests through Hill Valley from Back to the Future and past the Psycho house from the famous horror franchise. Guides share behind-the-scenes secrets and hacky jokes, and videos that run on screens in the tram as it makes its way from stop to stop provide context and history. For old-school movie lovers, it’s still a thrill to take a trip into Hollywood history, and the ride’s unusual length — almost an hour! — makes it a welcome break from walking all day.Toy Story Mania!Toy Story Mania! took the basic concept from Disney’s existing Buzz Lightyear shooting gallery rides and gave it a computerized facelift befitting the first computer animated feature in history. Instead of aiming at animatronic targets, paired riders compete in a series of digital shooting games. They toss eggs and rings, throw darts, and break plates; each target gets assigned a different score, so strategy becomes very important. The interactivity works seamlessly, and the Toy Story theming is on point. The unique pull-string mechanism on the gun you use can be quite a workout on the forearms, though, so make sure you warm up before you ride.Transformers: The RideHere’s a hot take for you: The Transformers ride at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood is better than any of the Michael Bay Transformers movies it’s based on. It’s short and sweet, with impressive 3D effects, and it immerses you inside a wild — but, unlike the Bay Transformers films, surprisingly coherent — adventure to protect the Allspark from the evil Decepticons. Up to 12 guests board a ride vehicle (presented as a Transformer named Evac) which then blasts, zooms, and flies through a dark ride that blends animatronic effects with 3D screen technology. My job required me to sit through all those dreadful live-action Transformers movies. If that was the price I paid for this terrific ride, it was worth it.Turtle Talk With CrushFor my money, there may not be a better example of the so-called “Disney magic” than at Turtle Talk With Crush, which first debuted in Epcot’s The Seas pavilion and has since been duplicated in numerous parks around the world. In it, guests get to interact with Crush, the surfer dude turtle from Finding Nemo. And they truly interact; advanced animation/puppetry tech allows an unseen Disney animator to perform the role of Crush as he tells stories, answers questions from the audience, and cracks jokes. The illusion is seamless; I’ve rarely seen my daughter as dazzled as the time she got to ask Crush a question and he gave her a brilliantly silly and very personalized answer. (Note: Magic Kingdom’s similar attraction, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, which uses the same technology to create a faux comedy club, is nearly as good as Turtle Talk.)WaterworldLook, I already wrote a whole piece about the magic of the Waterworld stunt show for absolutely no reason other than I genuinely love it. Go read that, go visit Waterworld, and make sure this amazing show is still running until the rest of the polar ice caps melt and dry land is but a myth. It’s incredible.Honorable Mention: Earthquake: The Big One, Frozen Ever After, The Great Movie Ride, King Kong: 360 3-D, Mad Tea Party, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Tron Lightcycle Run.Amazing Theme Park Rides Based on Movies That Were Never Built

Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, co-founder and president Stephen Cohen and other executives also dumped millions worth of shares.

French fries at Steak 'n' Shake in Greenwood, Indiana. RFK Jr touted French fries while dining at a ... More Steak 'n' Shake.Missvain, Wikimedia Commons RFK Jr is not just bringing back infectious diseases like measles. Our top health official is working hard to back diet-related diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart attacks. During his first three months in office, RFK, Jr. has made three big pronouncements about what Americans should eat. The first is important but for the wrong reasons. The second builds on the fallacies of the first. And the third goes against 60 plus years of scientific evidence. 1. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are poisoning us Something is poisoning the American people. And we know that the primary culprit is our changing food supply to highly chemical and processed food. RFK Jr, at his Senate Finance Confirmation Hearings, January 29, 2025 French Fries, with 13 Ingredients, would be considered an ultra-processed food.Open Food Facts RFK is not wrong if he is referring to ultra-processed foods (or UPFs). A recent study found that those who ate more UPFs were more likely to show early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and a review study linked UPFs to higher risk of dying from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and mental health outcomes including anxiety and sleeping difficulties. UPFs are made from multiple ingredients including additives like colorants, flavor enhancers, and preservatives. They contain high amounts of sugars, salt, and fats, which makes them hyper-palatable, or simply tasty. And they are cheap, readily available (witness the local gas station convenience store), and handy to eat. Unfortunately for the consumer, a review of studies with a combined population of over 1 million, found that for each 10% increase in UPF consumption, your risk of mortality increases by 10%. Why are UPFs unhealthy? Many people eschew the long list of “chemicals” on the ingredient labels of everything from Wheaties to Fritos. One type of ingredient--food dyes--can have negative health effects and are associated with hyperactivity in children. In fact, MAHA hopes to ban food dyes in UPFs like soft drinks and Fruit Loops. Yet I haven’t heard MAHA alerting us to the high levels of salt, sugar, and saturated fat in UPFs… all things that have been shown over and over to contribute to chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer.FI/FOOD Washington Post Studio DATE: 1/7/05 PHOTO: Julia Ewan/TWP Kellogg's Fruit Loops now have 1/3 ... More less sugar and 12 added vitamins and minerals. (Photo by Julia Ewan/The The Washington Post via Getty Images)The Washington Post via Getty Images Dr Kevin Hall, who worked as a nutrition researcher at NIH for 21 years, found that people on an ultra-processed diet consumed about 500 more calories per day, which could explain why UPFs are associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity. But what explains why UPF consumers gobble up more calories? Dr Hall thinks energy density might be the culprit. Simply put, a chocolate chip cookie packs a lot more calories into every bite than a banana. So eating that ultra processed chocolate chip cookie means eating more calories per bite compared to eating fruit and other less processed foods. Not to mention that the sugar, salt and fat taste good… making me want to eat 4 or 5 chocolate chip cookies instead of one banana. Cramer ton, North Carolina, Floyd & Blackie's bakery employee with tray of large M&M chocolate chip ... More cookies. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesUndated: A bunch of ripe yellow Bananas. (Photo by Richard Whiting /Getty Images)Getty Images The preliminary results of Dr Hall’s recent study, which he posted on X, show that the high energy density and the irresistible taste of salt, sugar, and fat explain why people on high UPF diets eat more calories. But don’t expect to see the final results of this important study published anytime soon. Turns out Dr Hall took early retirement at 54 yrs old from his research position at NIH. Why? Because the MAHA administration forced him to withdraw his name from a paper on UPFs that mentioned “health equity”--or the difficulties some groups have accessing healthy food. The administration also took away the money Dr Hall needed to continue his UPF research, censored his media access, and even incorrectly edited his response to a NY Times inquiry. Just as we were on the brink of understanding why UPFs are making us sick, one of the world’s leading UPF scientists is out. Hard to see how lack of scientific information is Making Americans Healthy Again. 2. Eat Beef Tallow instead of Seed OilsWASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Beef tallow french fries photographed for Food in Washington, DC on March ... More 31, 2025. (Photo by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post via Getty Images; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post via Getty Images)The Washington Post via Getty Images While dining on fries and a double cheeseburger at Steak N Shake with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, Kennedy touted French fries cooked in beef tallow. Robert F. Kennedy Jr 10/21/24 @RobertKennedyJr Did you know that McDonald’s used to use beef tallow to make their fries from 1940 until phasing it out in favor of seed oils in 1990? This switch was made because saturated animal fats were thought to be unhealthy, but we have since discovered that seed oils are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic. …Americans should have every right to eat out at a restaurant without being unknowingly poisoned by heavily subsidized seed oils. It’s time to Make Frying Oil Tallow Again 🇺🇸🍔 Close-up of a large frozen ball of beef kidney fat during home rendering of beef tallow, Lafayette, ... More California, March 25, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)Gado via Getty Images To be sure, consuming a lot of seed oils raises health concerns, including that they contain few nutrients, are often highly processed, and some, like soybean oil, might contain unhealthy amounts of omega 6 acids. But, are seed oils worse than saturated animal fats? Seed oils, unlike animal fats, are mostly unsaturated. According to Dr. Christopher Gardner, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center who has been studying the role of fat in our diet since 1995, "Every study for decades has shown that when you eat unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats, this lowers the level of LDL cholesterol [bad cholesterol] in your blood. There are actually few associations in nutrition that have this much evidence behind them…To think that seed oils are anywhere near the top of the list of major nutrition concerns in our country is just nuts." And in a 2025 study, participants with the highest intake of butter, which similar to beef tallow is largely saturated animal fat, had a 16% less likely to die. About ⅓ of the deaths were due to cancer, about a third to cardiovascular disease, and a third other causes. The authors conclude: “Substituting butter with plant-based oils may confer substantial benefits for preventing premature deaths. These results support current dietary recommendations to replace animal fats like butter with non hydrogenated vegetable oils that are high in unsaturated fats, especially olive, soy, and canola oil.” (Note that olive oil, while plant-based, is not a seed oil since most of the oil comes from the fleshy part of the olive.) Still life featuring a collection of olive oil bottles, 2011. (Photo by Tom Kelley/Getty Images)Getty Images In short, if you have to choose between seed oils and animal fat, you are probably better off with seed oils, or even better, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). But, you should avoid consuming too much of any sort of oil or fat, which brings us to the third RFK Jr pronouncement.RFK Jr and West Virginia Governor Morissey. Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ... More Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month In Los Angeles. Patrick Morrisey speaking at the 2017 CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland.Mario Tama, Getty Images; Gage Skidmore 3. Become a Carni-Bro At a public event to promote MAHA in West Virginia, RFK Jr body shamed Governor Patrick Morrisey for his weight. I’m going to put him on a really rigorous regime. We’re going to put him on a carnivore diet … Raise your hand if you want Governor Morrissey to do a public weigh-in once a month. And then when he’s lost 30 lbs I’m going to come back to this state and we’re going to do a celebration and a public weigh in with him. RFK, Jr. MAHA seems to be at the forefront of the next culture war: dump plant-based foods and become a “carni-bro.” Yet a comprehensive review of studies on foods and obesity concluded: High intakes of whole grains, legumes, nuts, and fruits are associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity, while red meat and sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 04: Spectators pose for a photo ahead of the 2023 Nathan's Famous Fourth ... More of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on July 04, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The annual contest, which began in 1972, draws thousands of spectators to Nathan’s Famous located on Surf Avenue. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)Getty Images How do UPFs compare to red meat? The only study I found comparing the two found people eating UPFs had an approximately 14% greater chance of dying whereas those who ate red meat had an approximately 8% chance of death over the same time period. (Those eating other types of meats like chicken and pork and fish did not have a greater chance of dying.) But this study was conducted with Seventh Day Adventists, whose meat consumption was way lower than the average American (while their UPF consumption was fairly typical of the US). People in West Virginia, whose governor is in fact rotund, are by far and away the biggest consumer of hotdogs in the US, at 481 hot dogs per person per year. In a recent UK study with a more typical population, every added 70 g of red meat and processed meat (like ham, hotdogs, bacon, and deli meats) per day was associated with a 15% higher risk of coronary heart disease and a 30% higher risk of diabetes. Because red and processed meat consumption is also associated with higher rates of cancer, the World Cancer Research Fund recommends limiting red meat to no more than three portions per week and avoiding processed meat altogether.TOPSHOT - An overweight woman walks at the 61st Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on August 19, ... More 2009 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At USD 150 billion, the US medical system spends around twice as much treating preventable health conditions caused by obesity than it does on cancer, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. Two-thirds of US adults and one in five children are overweight or obese, putting them at greater risk of chronic illness like heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes, according to reports released recently at the "Weight of the Nation" conference. AFP PHOTO / Tim Sloan (Photo by Tim SLOAN / AFP) (Photo by TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images Heart Disease: Still the leading killer According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, accounting for one in five deaths, or one death every 33 seconds. Heart disease cost the US about $252.2 billion from 2019 to 2020. And if you look at a map of where heart disease is more common, it looks uncannily like a map of MAHA supporters (including in West Virginia). .Heart Disease Death Rates, 2018–2020 for Adults, Ages 35+, by CountyCDC The first items in a list of CDC recommendations for preventing heart disease are all about food: Choose healthy meals and snacks high in fiber and limit saturated and trans fats, salt, and sugar. This sounds like a recipe for avoiding UPFs. But it could also be a recipe for substituting whole grains and fruit and vegetables for red and processed meats, which punch the double whammy of being meat and UPFs. Is RFK, Jr. Making America Healthy Again? Let’s celebrate Kennedy’s move away from UPFs, an important step toward improving Americans’ health. But why does our top health official publicly tout beef tallow, French fries, and double cheeseburgers, when we know that Americans’ consumption of saturated fat and meat lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease? Or has he weighed in on ultra-processed meats, like Slim Jim’s, which with sales at $3 billion last year is America’s fastest growing snack?NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 01: Amanda Barrett (L), 18-years-old, watches her mother Eve Barrett peel a ... More mold-covered layer of paint off a wall as the family sees what is left of their home in the Lakeview District October 1, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The people of New Orleans are still cleaning up over a month after Hurricane Katrina hit the area. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Getty Images It’s hard to understand what is going on in RFK’s brain. He gloms on to a limited number of studies suggesting health risks of eating seed oils, while ignoring saturated fats and even encouraging Americans to eat fast foods. He wants to rout out corruption in the food and pharmaceutical industry, yet uses his position to sell Make America Tallow Again hats and T-shirts. He says he believes climate change poses an existential threat, yet on his second day in office eliminated funding for research on heat waves, indoor mold after flooding, and other NIH climate change and health programs. And in his big May report on children’s health, he ignores the largest causes of death for those under 19--gun violence and accidents. Raise your hand if you want Secretary Kennedy to conduct a public truth-telling once a month.

Baphomet Member Dec 8, 2018 21,923 Whether it be local or global , what is your most enjoyable experience with a multiplayer game? I love FFXIV and I am really enjoying WoW but my favorite multiplayer experience is probably not something most people would pick... My favorite is Dokapon Journey: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LciL9eWBUdI I have so many fond memories playing this with 2 of my closest friends during my early 20's. We would play at their house (they were brothers) until 3am every weekend.  Flipmenex Member Oct 27, 2017 2,283 PES 6. Or pretty much any PS2 Pro Evolution Soccer games. Still the best football games ever.  Shinobido Heart Member Dec 23, 2017 10,187 Probably Uncharted 3 multiplayer.   Cess007 Member Oct 27, 2017 15,493 B.C., Mexico Super Smash Bros Melee Followed very closely by Perfect Dark and CoD2.  Dogui Member Oct 28, 2017 11,019 Brazil Crash Team Racing. Still the goat kart racer.  Rosebud Two Pieces Member Apr 16, 2018 51,243 Fortnite   hydruxo ▲ Legend ▲ Member Oct 25, 2017 22,735 It's between CoD 4 and Destiny/Destiny 2. I think CoD 4 was the first MP game where I was truly addicted. I was so into it I even joined a clan and did some tournaments and I've never done that with any game. Then Destiny/Destiny 2 had its share of highs and lows but it was such a fun experience going along with those games for 10 years. Most of my friends that I still play with online today are from Destiny back in 2014. Some of my favorite gaming memories of all-time came from Destiny.   Lifejumper #1 Celtics fan / #7 Serbia fan Member Oct 25, 2017 30,000 Halo 2/3   Sargerus ▲ Legend ▲ The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 22,473 A tie between Halo 3 and MW2 (2009).   JhOnNY_HD Member Dec 13, 2020 1,076 Local: Perfect Dark Online: Destiny & Warhawk  atony7 Member Apr 6, 2025 147 Smash Ultimate   Solitude Member Nov 11, 2020 2,033 United Kingdom Uncharted 2 for me.   rawr its ry Member Oct 27, 2017 719 Halo 3, WoW from original to WoTLK or Street Fighter 4   mietek Member May 9, 2025 46 Halo 3   derFeef Member Oct 26, 2017 19,323 Austria For me personally it is a toss-up between Counter-Strike 1.6 and Anarchy Online. Both amazing times playing these games, meeting great people and forming friendships. It can't be recreated.  turbobrick Member Oct 25, 2017 14,451 Phoenix, AZ overwatch/overwatch 2. Its just been consistently fun the entire time I've been playing it. I do have a lot of nostalgia playing counter-strike back in the day, so its a close runner up.  CloseTalker Sister in the Craft Member Oct 25, 2017 38,114 I have had remarkably few multiplayer experiences that have measured up to my enjoyment of the Spies vs Mercs mode in Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. And it has to be that version specifically, none of the others were as good   SupersonicHypertonic Member Apr 20, 2022 3,523 Between halo 3, COD:MW2 (the original) Titanfall 2 and Mario Kart 8. Some of the most fun I've ever had and played with a lot cool people online and in person.   Jameson Member Nov 23, 2017 1,096 WoW   MadJosh04 Member Nov 9, 2022 2,824 Halo 3   Mr. Poolman The Fallen Oct 27, 2017 8,159 Unreal Tournament, can't tell how many lunch breaks I forgot to play this at an old work I had. Also taught me about mods  Fossora Member Jun 14, 2023 2,445 It has to be WoW or OSRS. For non-MMOs, probably Dota.  Skel1ingt0n Member Oct 28, 2017 11,501 PVP: Halo 2 PVE: Phantasy Star Online Eps I&II LITERALLY more than 5,000 hours dumped into those two games. EDIT: Honest to God I could be completely satisfied with just Halo 2's 1-bomb assault on Headlong until the end of time if it had a huge community and dev support for tweaks.  Rockodile Member Dec 7, 2018 1,254 Probably Halo 2   Protein Carbs Fat Member Jun 24, 2024 97 World of Warcraft   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,871 Halo Infinite and Titanfall 1.   Rygar 8Bit Member Oct 25, 2017 17,781 Site-15 Half-Life is #1 king for me no other game has come close. the amount of total conversion mods were crazy. Counter Strike, Team Fortress Classic, Day of Defeat, The Specialists, Natural Selection, Vampire Slayers, Firearms, Science & Industry, Sven Co-op, Brainbread, Earth Special Forces. These mods lasted me almost 10 years of daily play. After that I'd rank the rest of my top 10 as: Ultima Online Star Wars Galaxies Diablo 2 Nox Starsiege Tribes Phantasy Star Online Battlefield 4 Unreal Tournament Aliens vs Predator 2 Age of Empires 2  UraMallas Member Nov 1, 2017 24,473 United States PvP is Halo PvE is Gears  Jakenbakin "This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance Member Jun 17, 2018 14,387 Rocket League is my favorite, but some others I've enjoyed Trackmania (the Wii version had hundreds of hours played in my garage lol) Super Smash Bros (Brawl mostly just for timing) New Super Mario Bros Wii Mario Party's Jackbox Zombi U Borderlands Dead Nation Overcooked Game & Wario was weirdly a huge hit with my friends Nintendoland Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 1+2/Champions of Norrath 1+2 Obscure 1+2 Pixeljunk Eden/Monsters Boom Blox Guitar Hero/Rock Band bit.trip Beat is not multiplayer, but my friends and I would set there stoned out of our minds jamming to the tunes taking turns lol  Stibbs Member Feb 8, 2023 4,258 The 518 Destiny probably, arguably the most important game in my personal life   JMY86 Member Oct 27, 2017 7,640 United States Battlefield 1942   panic Member Oct 26, 2024 83 Battlefield. Played all of them.   Indelible Member Oct 27, 2017 17,116 Canada Local: WCW/NWO Revenge for N64 Online: Titanfall  FLX-II Gargantuan Generousness Guaranteed Member Oct 28, 2017 456 Unreal Tournament 2004   ethanradd Member Oct 30, 2017 2,230 The Division 1, absolutely beautiful game, some really talented people at Ubisoft worked on that game.   PianoBlack Member May 24, 2018 7,522 United States This is tough but let's go with PlanetSide. At its best, it was unmatched.   overcast Member Oct 25, 2017 15,252 Rocket League followed by Gears/COD4. At its peak, Overwatch had its hooks in me like nothing else.   Bessy67 Member Oct 29, 2017 13,055 Mass Effect 3. Nothing else has scratched quite the same horde mode itch. The classes, the enemy types and factions, the weapons, and the biotic/tech combos just all blended together so well to make what is to me the best co-op PvE experience I've ever played.   VoidShaman Member Jul 11, 2023 1,381 Right now it is a tie between Warframe and Final Fantasy XIV, with Space Marine 2 coming in as a very close third.   Rygar 8Bit Member Oct 25, 2017 17,781 Site-15 PianoBlack said: This is tough but let's go with PlanetSide. At its best, it was unmatched. Click to expand... Click to shrink... True, how there are no other games like it is baffling. Planetside 1&2 are amazing.  julian Member Oct 27, 2017 18,995 For more than just 2 players, Saturn Bomberman.   TheBaldwin Member Feb 25, 2018 8,766 Halo 2/3. Hell now I can just cheat with Halo Master Chief Collection. Honestly I could play that collection until the end of time and be satisfied. Other mentions would be Rainbow Six Siege, GTA4 Online (Yes 4, not 5), Team Fortress 2, and Bad Company 2  Mudcrab Avenger Oct 26, 2017 3,963 The original DayZ mod for ARMA 2 before the bandit changes   PianoBlack Member May 24, 2018 7,522 United States Rygar 8Bit said: True, how there are no other games like it is baffling. Planetside 1&2 are amazing. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Seriously! Time for my annual "where is the StarCraft / Halo PvPvE take on PlanetSide??" post.  maze001 Member Sep 18, 2024 665 Halo 3 or Street Fighter 4 Spent countless hours on both too hard to pick one  Last edited: Today at 8:33 PM Grenlento Member Dec 6, 2023 1,801 I guess the early VS games (X-Men CotA & XvSF in particular) in arcades. It was the first time I made IRL friends from gaming.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,871 UraMallas said: PvP is Halo PvE is Gears Click to expand... Click to shrink... Franchise is cheating. Pick one 😉   Rygar 8Bit Member Oct 25, 2017 17,781 Site-15 PianoBlack said: Seriously! Time for my annual "where is the StarCraft / Halo PvPvE take on PlanetSide??" post. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Every time someone asks how a Starcraft MMO could even work I just constantly shout make it like Planetside. You take the 3 way war of Planetside, you add some base building type stuff like from Natural Selection and you make one of the best games ever made.  Razgriz-Specter Member Oct 25, 2017 34,508 Socom Rainbow 6 Vegas 1 COD4  EllaJay Member Dec 10, 2024 137 Left 4 Dead 2. It has one of the best communities. I made so many friends in random matches. I still play it sometimes but I wish they'd make a new one.  

Doom The Dark Ages – not a cheap game (Bethesda) The Friday letters page blames Sony for the decline of Bungie, as one reader thinks they’ve guessed the secret of Super Mario on Switch 2. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Top three I was considering buying Doom: The Dark Ages but was shocked to find that the game is £70 on PC. I know it’s that on console too but normally PC games are at least £10 cheaper, although I’m not sure why. So we’ve got a game that is single-player only, can be beaten in around 13 hours, and is not only the most expensive a console game can be but the same on PC too. How many different ways can Bethesda find to put me off buying the game?I wonder if this is an attempt by Microsoft to push people towards paying for Game Pass, but I can assure them that is not going to work on me. I’ll just buy the game on Black Friday, when I’m sure it’ll be at least half price – just like Doom 2016 was by that same point. Video games might not have seen much of a price rise over the decades, I understand that, but what these companies seem to forget is that back in the SNES days most of us were only getting two or three games a year, because they were so expensive. If Microsoft and whoever wants to go back to those days then fine, but I can tell you Doom is not going to be one of my three for 2025.Sonny GC: PC games are usually cheaper because there’s no licensing fee to pay to publish them, as there is on consoles. Expect nothing So basically Sony are wasting another year? Possibly no summer showcase at all and if it is it’ll just be a bog standard State of Play? That is just tragic at this point. We’ve had three years of them acting like this and I have no idea why or what would convince them to stop and go back to how they used to be. I guess the assumption has to be that they’re never going to now.We’ve got Ghost Of Yōtei this year and the Returnal sequel next year and I think that means nothing else is imminent. If they had something coming out between those two, I think we would’ve heard about it by now. We might get more games published but not made by them, like Death Stranding 2, but I’m not even sure if that’s hoping for too much at the moment.Scooby Tears of the Mushroom Kingdom How did Nintendo shake up the long running Zelda franchise? They went open world with Breath Of The Wild. How are Nintendo shaking up the long running Mario Kart franchise? They’re going open world with Mario Kart World (it’s in the name!) for the Switch 2 release.So, what do I predict they’ll do with the next mainline Mario game to shake up the franchise? No, I’m not going to predict anything because it’s a fool’s errand to predict Nintendo!ttfp saylow (gamertag) Now playing: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom (rescued from the backlog) and Crime Scene CleanerEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Hands-on management I have been hearing about Bungie having bad management for years, long before Sony bought them, so I’m not sure why this has never been solved. Obviously, they’re the ones in charge, so there’s not much the workers can do, but Sony certainly could, and should’ve, knocked some heads together.In that sense it’s hard not to at least partially blame Sony for the mess that Bungie has got into. They bought them but don’t seem to have had a plan for what they were going to do with them. It makes me wonder whether these companies are just bought like trophies, with no real idea of how they could be used effectively. I remember when Sony bought Bungie the rumours were that they did it just as much to stop Microsoft from getting hold of them, who would’ve presumably used them to revitalise Halo. But then what has Microsoft done to change or improve Activision? As far as I can see nothing has changed and they certainly haven’t started making more games or bringing back any of their old franchises. The average person probably has no idea they even changed hands.Whisper No answer I have been trying for hours to find a direct link to GAME online UK customer services contact details, to raise an issue with a faulty controller purchased in April of this year.Although on the GAME website there is information regarding contacting customer services every link you follow sends you to drop down menus that do not meet the criteria I’m looking for. I have accidentally but more successfully had immediate contact with GAME SA via WhatsApp or email but as for GAME UK, no response at all. Is this a purposeful ploy on behalf of GAME online UK to make their customers so frustrated they give up?!Lorraine First impressions I just wanted to say thank you to GC for their preview of the Nintendo Switch 2. I just finished reading the feedback, from the press event in Paris. It was a very informative piece and I’m modestly relieved to see positive impressions. I am pleasantly unsurprised to see the Welcome Tour was the lowest point of the event. Of course, you had to expect that GC. It did put someone to sleep, after all.I’m glad to also see that Cyberpunk 2077 is a winner as well. It was a dumpster fire on PlayStation 4, so it’s extremely important that it was ported sufficiently enough to ensure the same issues never bore fruit. Mario Kart World is shaping up to be a wonderfully delicious experience and I’m deeply glad for it, since I’ve brought the bundle. It was important that my investment is paying off. I also am curious to see how the titles that we’ve yet to see test footage run on the system, namely Star Wars Outlaws and Borderlands 4. I’ve also heard that the upcoming James Bond title will be ported; very interesting to hear. I wasn’t expecting that at all and it’s definitely something to keep an eye on. But we know nothing of the title yet, so that’s essentially a long time away. That’s all my thoughts. So, I’d like to thank GC again and I am indeed much more positive. With two weeks left until launch day, hopefully the positive momentum continues.Shahzaib Sadiq Giving it a chance I’m glad that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has done well, despite all the negativity before it was released. Ubisoft brought some of it on themselves, but it reviewed well and I took a chance and was very impressed by it. It has some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen and while the gameplay is a little predictable for the series it’s still a lot of fun.It makes me want to try out Star Wars Outlaws too, as that good a bad rap before it was released as well, mostly just because it was a Ubisoft game, as far as I can tell. So I’m going to try and pick it up next time I see it on sale. I’m not a fan of any company but I don’t think it’s right to dismiss any game just because of who made it.Arnie All in good time I definitely agree that Rockstar’s best game is possibly Red Dead Redemption and taking nothing away from Grand Theft Auto due to the more interesting new ideas involved in the game. One of these was getting a bounty on a person and being able to hogtie a target and take them back alive if possible, which was just like a Western film.Literally. you had every location going, with the great plains, the forests, the variety of frontier towns with the characters doing an amazing job creating the best drama out there. And of course, the mountain ranges and across the border to the desert region and Mexican villas, amongst their own unique landscapes. The city is awesome in GTA and the night life and sunrise appearing on the horizon, with your favourite radio station blasting a belter of a tune, is how gamers fell in love with GTA. But Red Dead just made it work over a 100-odd years prior. A future Red Dead Redemption 3 would be an incredibly exciting experience to dream about, with all the amazing possibilities that Rockstar’s clever devs can give us. But hey, GTA 6 soon and I’ll go with that for now.Alucard Inbox also-rans I’m still kind of shocked that Monster Hunter Wilds is the best-selling game of the year. I know of literally no one in the real world that is even aware of the franchise. Good for Capcom though, I guess.FocusReally excited about the fan campaign for Star Wars Battlefront 3. I’m not sure it’ll work, given the costs involved, but I’d love to see it, given all the new shows they could base maps on. I want to play as K-2S0!Gordo More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. 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President Donald Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz has already been ousted for using a bottom-shelf Signal clone for official messaging — but the fallout from that debacle is still getting worse and worse.As Reuters reports, a hacker who accessed information from TeleMessage, an Israeli messaging app that was sold to the government to archive messages from Signal and other services, obtained data from way more Trump officials than previously thought.It's been an especially tough year for Waltz. After being caught accidentally adding Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, to a Signal group chat about Yemeni bombing plans, the Trump adviser was photographed using TeleMessage's Signal clone during a Cabinet meeting just before news broke that it had been hacked. Though Waltz was ultimately fired , the hits have continued in his absence.With the help of the nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, which publishes hacked information of interest to the public, Reuters found more than 60 government officials whose information had been accessed from TeleMessage.Those officials range from staffers with the State Department and the White House to disaster responders and Secret Service members, and although the messages the British wire reviewed were often fragmentary, its reporters were still able to see those federal employees' phone numbers.Outsiders are also corroborating. People outside the government, whose numbers were in the breached message cache, including one person who'd been applying for disaster aid and another from a financial service company, confirmed to Reuters that they had indeed been messaging with Trump administration officials.The White House, to its end, said in a statement that it was "aware of the cyber security incident" but didn't offer any additional details.As Wired reported when the TeleMessage photo was first published, it appears that the app's archiving capabilities essentially nullified any security promises from the app, which was recently purchased by an Oregon-based company called Smarsh.The person who hacked the government's Telemessage server told Wired in a followup story that breaching the app "wasn't much effort at all," and that it only took them about "15 or 20 minutes."As that hacker explained, an issue with the the app's "hashing," which is supposed to obfuscate passwords, accidentally made it easy to figure them out.Once they were in, the hacker was presented with a file literally titled "heapdump" that included the login credentials of people who used the app — and because is archiving effectively un-encrypted the messages sent, they partially accessed those too.Though the extent of this breach and other details about the scandal remain unclear, it's abundantly obvious that the Trump administration has a security problem so bad that it makes Hillary Clinton's private email server look like Fort Knox.More on Telemessage: Trump’s Deportation Airline Just Got Hacked by AnonymousShare This Article

Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region Highlights Perseverance explores Krokodillen, a potential Mars water site Clays and carbonates found, hinting at ancient wet conditions New rover strategy allows sample swaps for flexibility Advertisement NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is now exploring a new region on the lower slope of Jezero Crater's rim. This region "Krokodillen," named after a mountain ridge on the island of Prins Karls Forland, Norway, Krokodillen (which means “the crocodile” in Norwegian) is a 73-acre (about 30-hectare) plateau of rocky outcrops located downslope to the west and south of Witch Hazel Hill. Previous studies suggest that this region contains some of the oldest rocks from the Noachian period, the earliest geological era of Mars. This region gives a chance to study the environmental history of Mars because it marks a key boundary between ancient crater rim formations and younger plains.Minerals and the indication of waterAs per preliminary studies over this region, signs of clay, olivine, and carbonate minerals have been found. Krokodillen plateau contains rocky outcrops rich in clays, minerals that only form in the presence of water. Their discovery hints at a wetter ancient Mars and raises the potential for finding preserved organic compounds — the chemical signatures of life.These findings build on previous discoveries, such as at “Cheyava Falls” in 2024, where potential biosignatures were found. If similar clues emerge at Krokodillen, it could suggest multiple episodes of possible habitability in Mars' deep past.Perseverance is currently examining a site within this region called "Copper Cove," where it's believed that Noachian-era rocks, among the oldest on Mars may be found.Sampling StrategyPerseverance rover has arrived at Krokodillen with a new sampling strategy that allows for leaving cored samples unsealed in case of finding more scientifically compelling geologic features. The rover has collected and sealed two regolith samples, three witness tubes, and one atmospheric sample. It has also collected 26 rock cores and sealed 25 of them.The rover's most recent unsealed sample is a rock core called "Bell Island," which contains small round stones called spherules. If a new sample is needed, the rover could be commanded to dump the previous sample. The engineering sample team assessed whether leaving a tube unsealed could diminish the quality of a sample, but the team believes it is a minor concern for the opportunity to collect the best and most compelling samples. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Gadgets 360 Staff The resident bot. If you email me, a human will respond. More Related Stories

Artur Debat/Getty ImagesGenerative AI is an astonishing technology that's not only here to stay but promises to impact all sectors of work and business. It's already made unprecedented inroads into our daily lives.We all have a lot to learn about it. Spewing out a few prompts to ChatGPT may be easy, but before you can turn all these new capabilities into productive tools, you need to grow your skills. Fortunately, there is a wide range of classes that can help. Also: I let Google's Jules AI agent into my code repo and it did four hours of work in an instantMany companies and schools will try to sell you on their AI education programs. But as I'll show in the following compendium of great resources, you can learn a ton about AI and even get some certifications -- all for free.I have taken at least one class from each of the providers below, and they've all been pretty good. Obviously, some teachers are more compelling than others, but it's been a very helpful process. When working on AI projects for ZDNET, I've also sometimes gone back and taken other classes to shore up my knowledge and understanding.So, I recommend you take a quick spin through my short reviews, possibly dig deeper into the linked articles, and bookmark all of these, because they're valuable resources. Let's get started. Course selection: Huge, more than 1,500(!) AI coursesProgram pricing: Free trial, then $39.99/moLinkedIn Learning is one of the oldest online learning platforms, established in 1995 as Lynda.com. The company offers an enormous library of courses on a broad range of topics. There is a monthly fee, but many companies and schools have accounts for all their employees and students. Also: Want a top engineering job in 2025? Here are the skills you need, according to LinkedInLinkedIn Learning is probably the one online education site I've used more than any other -- starting back in the late 1990s. For years, I paid for a membership. Then, I got a membership as an alum of my grad school, which is how I use it now. With so many courses on so many topics, it's a great go-to learning resource.I took two classes on LinkedIn Learning. Here's my testimonial on one of them. I also took the two-hour Machine Learning with Python: Foundations course, which had a great instructor -- Prof. Frederick Nwanganga -- who was previously unknown to me. I have to hand it to LinkedIn. They choose people who know how to teach.I learned a lot in this course, especially about how to collect and prepare data for machine learning. I also was able to stretch my Python programming knowledge, specifically about how a machine learning model can be built in Python. In just two hours, I felt like I got a friendly and comprehensive brain dump.You can read more here: How LinkedIn's free AI course made me a better Python developer.Since there are so many AI courses, you're bound to find a helpful series. To get you started, I've picked three that might open some doors:ChatGPT Tips for the Help Desk: Learn to apply strategic planning, prompt engineering, and agent scripting, as well as other AI techniques, to AI operations.Machine Learning with Python: Foundations: Get step-by-step guidance on how to get started with machine learning via Python.Building Career Agility and Resilience in the Age of AI: Learn how to reimagine your career to adapt and find success in the age of AI. It's worth checking with your employer, agency, or school to see if you qualify for a free membership. Otherwise, you can pay by month or year (the by-year option is about half price).A company representative told ZDNET, "LinkedIn Learning has awarded nearly 500K professional certificates over the past 2.5 years. And, generative AI is one of the top topics represented." Show more View now at Linkedin Learning Course selection: 93Program pricing: Free during the Skills Fest, mostly free afterMicrosoft earned itself a Guinness World Record for its online training session called Skills Fest, which ran in April and May of 2025. This was a mixed combination of live and on-demand courses that anyone could take for free. The only cost was giving up your email account and registering with Microsoft.Also: You can get free AI skills training from Microsoft for a few more days, and I recommend you doHere are three courses I took. The Minecraft one was adorable, and I recommend it for a kids' intro to generative AI.AI Adventurers: A Minecraft Education presentation about the basics of generative AIBuilding applications with GitHub Copilot agent mode:AI for Organizational Leaders:Not all the courses are available on demand. After Skills Fest ends, you should be able to get to the course catalog by visiting this link. There's a Filters block on the left. Click On-Demand and then Apply Filters. You should see a bunch of courses still available for you to enjoy. Show more View now at Microsoft Skills Fest Course selection: Quite a lotProgram pricing: Many free, some on a paid subscriptionAmazon puts the demand in infrastructure on demand. Rather than building out their own infrastructure, many companies now rely on Amazon to provide scalable cloud infrastructure on demand. Nearly every aspect of IT technology is available for rent from Amazon's wide range of web services. This also includes a fairly large spectrum of individual AI services from computer vision to human-sounding speech to Bedrock, which "makes LLMs from Amazon and leading AI startups available through an API."Also: I spent a weekend with Amazon's free AI courses, and highly recommend you do tooAmazon also offers a wide range of training courses for all these services. Some of them are available for free, while others are available via a paid subscription. Here are three of the free courses you can try out:Foundations of Prompt Engineering: Learn about the principles, techniques, and best practices for designing effective prompts. Amazon Bedrock -- Getting Started: Learn about Amazon's service for building generative AI applications. Twitch Series: AWS Power Hour Introduction to Machine Learning for Developers: This is a recording of a Twitch-based learning chat series. It helps you learn the foundations of machine learning and get a practical perspective on what developers really need to know to get started with machine learning. In addition to classes located on Amazon's sites, the company also has quite a few classes on YouTube. I spent a fun and interesting weekend gobbling up the Generative AI Foundations series, which is an entire playlist of cool stuff to learn about AI.If you're using or even just considering AWS-based services, these courses are well worth your time. Show more View now at Amazon Course selection: Fairly broad IT and career buildingProgram pricing: FreeIBM, of course, is IBM. It led the AI pack for years with its Watson offerings. Its generative AI solution is called Watsonx. It focuses on enabling businesses to deploy and manage both traditional machine learning and generative AI, tailored to their unique needs.Also: Have 10 hours? IBM will train you in AI fundamentals - for freeThe company's SkillsBuild Learning classes offer a lot, providing basic training for a few key IT job descriptions -- including cybersecurity specialist, data analyst, user experience designer, and more. Right now, there's only one free AI credential, but it's one that excited a lot of our readers. That's the AI Fundamentals learning credential, which offers six courses. You need to be logged in to follow the link. But registration is easy and free. When you're done, you get an official credential, which you can list on LinkedIn. After I took the course, I did just that -- and, of course, I documented it for you.My favorite was the AI Ethics class, which is an hour and 45 minutes. Through real-world examples you'll learn about AI ethics, how they are implemented, and why AI ethics are so important in building trustworthy AI systems. Show more View now at IBM SkillsBuild Course selection: Nearly 90 AI-focused coursesProgram pricing: FreeDeepLearning is an education-focused company specializing in AI training. The company is constantly adding new courses that provide training, mostly for developers, in many different facets of AI technology. It partnered with OpenAI (the makers of ChatGPT) to create a number of pretty great courses.I took the ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers course below, which was my first detailed introduction to the ChatGPT API. If you're interested in how coders can use LLMs like ChatGPT, this course is worth your time. Interspersing traditional code with detailed prompts that look more like comments than commands can help you understand these two very different styles of coding.Read more: I took this free AI course for developers in one weekend and highly recommend itThree courses I recommend you check out are:ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers: Go beyond the chat box. Use API access to leverage LLMs into your own applications, and learn to build a custom chatbot.Evaluating and Debugging Generative AI Models Using Weights and Biases: Learn MLOps tools for managing, versioning, debugging, and experimenting in your ML workflow.Large Language Models with Semantic Search: Learn to use LLMs to enhance search and summarize results.With AI such a hot growth area, I am always amazed at the vast quantity of high-value courseware available for free. Definitely bookmark DeepLearning and keep checking back as it adds more courses. Show more View now at DeepLearning Google Generative AI Leader course Designed for business leaders Course selection: 5Program pricing: Free to learn, $99 for a certificateGoogle is offering a 7-8 hour program that teaches generative AI concepts to business leaders. This is a pretty comprehensive set of courses, all of which you can watch for free. They include: Gen AI: Beyond the chatbot: Foundational overview of generative AIGen AI: Unlock foundational concepts: Core AI concepts explained Gen AI: Navigate the landscape: AI ecosystem and infrastructureGen AI Apps: Transform your work: Business-focused AI applicationsGen AI Agents: Transform your organization: Strategy and adoption of AIThere is a small catch here: If you want the actual certificate, you need to pony up $99 and take a 90-minute exam. But if you're calling yourself a business leader and want the recognition, I figure $99 is probably a fair price to pay for anointing yourself (with a Google seal of approval) as a generative AI business leader.Also: Google offers AI certification for business leaders now - free trainings includedI took the foundational learning module, which was mostly text-based with interactive quizzes and involvement devices. It provided a good overview for someone just getting into the field, and I'm sure the remainder of the classes are equally interesting. Show more Course selection: Thousands of courses on AI aloneProgram pricing: Free trial, then $20/mo. Courses are also sold individually.Udemy is a courseware aggregator that publishes courses produced by individual trainers. That makes course style and quality a little inconsistent, but the rating system does help the more outstanding trainers rise to the top. Udemy has a free trial, which is why it's on this list.  I spent some time in Steve Ballinger's Complete ChatGPT Course For Work 2023 (Ethically)! and found it quite helpful. Clocking in at a little over two hours, it helps you understand how to balance ChatGPT with your work processes, while keeping in mind the ethics and issues that arise from using AI at work.Udemy offers a $20/month all-you-can-eat plan, and also sells individual courses. I honestly can't see why anyone would buy the courses individually, since most of them cost more for one course than the entire library does on a subscription.Also: I'm taking AI image courses for free on Udemy with this little trick - and you can tooHere are three courses you might want to check out:ChatGPT Masterclass: ChatGPT Guide for Beginners to Experts!: Gain a professional understanding of ChatGPT, and learn to produce high-quality content seamlessly and grow your earning potential.Discover, Validate & Launch New Business Ideas with ChatGPT: Learn how to generate startup ideas, evaluate their potential, and test them with customers in real life.Midjourney Mastery: Create Visually Stunning AI Art: Learn how to use Midjourney to create art.One of the more interesting aspects of Udemy is that you may find courses on very niche applications of AI, which might not suit vendors offering a more limited selection of mainstream courses. If you have a unique application need, don't hesitate to spend some extra time searching for just the right course. Show more View now at Udemy Course selection: One AI courseProgram pricing: FreeGoogle's Grow With Google program offers a fairly wide range of certificate programs, which are normally run through Coursera. Earning one of those certificates often requires paying a subscription fee. But we're specifically interested in one Grow With Google program, which is aimed at teachers, and does not involve any fees.The Generative AI for Educators class, developed in concert with MIT's Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education, is a 2-hour program designed to help teachers learn about generative AI, and how to use it in the classroom. Also: Google and MIT launch a free generative AI course for teachersGenerative AI is a big challenge in education because it can provide amazing support for students and teachers and, unfortunately, provide an easy way out for students to cheat on their assignments. So a course that can help teachers come up to speed on all the issues can be very powerful.The course provides a professional development certificate on completion, and this one is free. Show more View now at Google Why should you trust me? I've been working with AI for a very long time. I conducted one of the first-ever academic studies of AI ethics as a thesis project way back in the day. I created and launched an expert system development environment before the first link was connected on the World Wide Web. I did some of the first research of AI on RISC-based computing architectures (the chips in your phone) when RISC processors were the size of refrigerators. I also wrote and deployed the AI Editor, a generative AI tool that built news and content dynamically. That may not seem like much today, but I did it way back in 2010, when I had to create a generative AI engine from scratch. At that point, to work, it had to be distributed across five individual servers, each running one agent of a team of clustered AI agents.Also: Six skills you need to become an AI prompt engineerI also have a master's degree in education, focusing on learning and technology. My specialty is adult online learning, so this kind of stuff is right up my alley. When it comes to the courses and programs I'm spotlighting here, there's no way I could take all of them. But I have taken at least one course from each vendor, in order to test them out and report back to you. And, given my long background in the world of AI, this is a topic that has fascinated and enthralled me for most of my academic and professional career.With all that, I will say that the absolute high point was when I could get an AI to talk like a pirate. Show more Some companies are promoting micro-degrees. They seem expensive, but fast, but are they any good? Let's be clear: A micro-degree is not a degree. It's a set of courses with a marketing name attached. Degrees are granted by accredited academic institutions, accredited by regional accrediting bodies. I'm not saying you won't learn anything in those programs. But they're not degrees and they may cost more than just-as-good courses that don't have a fancy marketing name attached. Show more So, do certificates have any value? Yes, but how much value they have depends on your prospective employer's perspective. A certificate says you completed a course of study successfully. That might be something of value to you, as well. Also: Want a job in AI? Check out these new AWS AI certificationsYou can set a goal to learn a topic, and if you get a credential, you can be fairly confident you have achieved some learning. Accredited degrees, by contrast, are an assurance that you not only learned the material but did so according to some level of standard and rigor common to other accredited institutions.My advice: If you can get a certificate, and the price for getting it doesn't overly stretch your budget, go ahead and get it. It still is a resume point. But don't fork over bucks on the scale of a college tuition for some promise that you'll get qualified for a job faster and easier than, you know, going to college. Show more Other learning resources you'll probably loveYou can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly update newsletter, and follow me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.Want more stories about AI? Sign up for Innovation, our weekly newsletter.Artificial Intelligence

May 22, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Software Security Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered multiple critical security vulnerabilities impacting the Versa Concerto network security and SD-WAN orchestration platform that could be exploited to take control of susceptible instances. It's worth noting that the identified shortcomings remain unpatched despite responsible disclosure on February 13, 2025, prompting a public release of the issues following the end of the 90-day deadline. "These vulnerabilities, when chained together, could allow an attacker to fully compromise both the application and the underlying host system," ProjectDiscovery researchers Harsh Jaiswal, Rahul Maini, and Parth Malhotra said in a report shared with The Hacker News. The security defects are listed below - CVE-2025-34025 (CVSS score: 8.6) - A privilege escalation and Docker container escape vulnerability that's caused by unsafe default mounting of host binary paths and could be exploited to gain code execution on the underlying host machine CVE-2025-34026 (CVSS score: 9.2) - An authentication bypass vulnerability in the Traefik reverse proxy configuration that allows an attacker to access administrative endpoints, which could then be exploited to access heap dumps and trace logs by exploiting an internal Spring Boot Actuator endpoint via CVE-2024-45410 CVE-2025-34027 (CVSS score: 10.0) - An authentication bypass vulnerability in the Traefik reverse proxy configuration that allows an attacker to access administrative endpoints, which could then be exploited to achieve remote code execution by exploiting an endpoint related to package uploads ("/portalapi/v1/package/spack/upload") via arbitrary file writes Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-34027 could allow an attacker to leverage a race condition and write malicious files to disk, ultimately resulting in remote code execution using LD_PRELOAD and a reverse shell. "Our approach involved overwriting ../../../../../../etc/ld.so.preload with a path pointing to /tmp/hook.so," the researchers said. "Simultaneously, we uploaded /tmp/hook.so, which contained a compiled C binary for a reverse shell. Since our request triggered two file write operations, we leveraged this to ensure that both files were written within the same request." "Once these files were successfully written, any command execution on the system while both persisted would result in the execution of /tmp/hook.so, thereby giving us a reverse shell." In the absence of an official fix, users are advised to block semicolons in URL paths and drop requests where the Connection header contains the value X-Real-Ip. It's also recommended to monitor network traffic and logs for any suspicious activity. The Hacker News has reached out to Versa Networks for comment, and we will update the story if we hear back. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Epic Games has made a set of over 50 assets for creating a gritty urban alley environment available to download for free from Fab, its new online marketplace.Games environment artist Emran Bayarti‘s modular Downtown Alley asset pack is part of the latest set of time-limited free content released on Fab, and will be free until 3 June 2025. Over 50 modular 3D assets for building a city alley environment The Downtown Alley pack is a set of assets for building a back alley from a contemporary city – it could be anywhere from the 1980s onwards, we think – with English-language neon signs.It comprises over 50 meshes, with LODs, of up to 33,000 polygons, with textures up to 4,096 x 4,096px in resolution. The assets include modular wall parts, ground parts, fire escapes, plus objects for set dressing like trash, dumpsters and smaller trash cans. System requirements and availability The Downtown Alley is available as an asset package for Unreal Engine 4.19+ and 5.0+ under a Fab Standard license.The terms of the Fab Standard license permit content to be used in “any engine or tool”, including for commercial projects, subject to the restrictions set out in the Fab EULA. Get Emran Bayarti’s Downtown Alley modular asset kit from Fab (Available free until 3 June 2025) Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.