It’s easy to forget that your Fire TV Stick is visible on your network. After all, it’s a plug-and-play media streamer that's simple to set and forget. However, any internet-connected device is going to be visible to anyone snooping on your traffic, such as your internet service provider. Even if all you’re doing is accessing standard platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime with your Fire TV Stick, your ISP can sell your data habits to advertisers to target you with ads. A virtual private networkprevents your ISPfrom snooping on your streaming habits. The case for a VPN grows stronger if you want to access region-locked content that's not available where you live. Loading a VPN service onto your Fire TV Stick will unlock regional catalogs, but keep in mind that doing so almost certainly violates the terms of service of the streaming service you are using. There’s no denying that many users pirate media or access media servers with illegally sourced content using Fire TV Sticks. A VPN could theoretically keep your ISP from detecting that sketchy content, which would save you the headache of any threatening letters. However, we don’t condone using a VPN to cover up any illegal activity. It’s best to familiarize yourself with your local laws and regulations before engaging in any peer-to-peeractivities or file-sharing. Depending on your need for coverage, installing a VPN on a Fire TV Stick can be easy or difficult. Here, we discuss each method in detail and walk you through the setup process.Set Up Your Fire TV StickBefore loading up a VPN, you need to set up the Fire TV Stick as normal. You can skip this step if you’ve already done this, but we’ll leave a quick how-to below if you haven't yet configured the device. Plug the Fire TV Stick into your TV’s HDMI port and plug the power adapter into a nearby outlet.If your TV doesn't automatically switch to the correct input, make sure the included remote has batteries and that your TV is on the correct input.Follow the setup instructions and login to your Amazon account.If the Fire TV Stick doesn't prompt you for an update immediately, you should also check for updates under Settings > Device > Check for System Update. We recommend downloading the Fire TV app on your smartphone as well, since typing and searching on a remote can be a chore. After that, you’re good to go. You should be able to navigate the interface and download applications. Recommended by Our EditorsHow to Install a VPN From the Apps SectionSome VPNs can be installed the same as any other app on the Fire TV Stick. Navigate to the search tab and look up “VPN” or head over to Categories > Utilities for a wider selection of useful tools. Most of the major VPNs are here, including but not limited to CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, Surfshark, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN. Each of those VPNs has built-in Fire TV Stick applications that will sync with your existing account. Simply click on the application icon and hit download to install the VPN. Then, you can log in with your existing credentials or sign up for an account through the app.How to Install a VPN From an Android APKInstallation gets more complicated if your VPN of choice doesn’t have a native application. However, you’re in luck if your preferred VPN has an Android version. The Fire TV Stick runs a slimmed-down version of Android, so it is possible to sideload Android Package Kitsdirectly onto it. This isn’t a guaranteed method since some apps play better with the Fire TV Stick than others. Keep in mind that any APK you sideload wasn’t necessarily designed with the Fire TV Stick’s version of Android in mind. It could end up missing key features or not work at all. It’s not always easy to get an APK, either. You can’t just go to the Play Store and port over a downloaded app from there to your Fire TV Stick. Some VPNs, such as Private Internet Access, have the APK readily available on their websites. We go over how to get PIA on your Fire TV Stick, but you can substitute the given URL for any VPN with a web address that hosts an Android APK download link. Navigate to Fire TV Stick Settings > Device > Developer Options and enable the Allow Apps from Unknown Sources option.Navigate to the Search interface and type in Downloader.Install Downloader.Launch Downloader.On the app's main page, select the URL bar and type in the Download .apk buttonLaunch the installer and follow all the prompts.Navigate to Settings > Device > Developer Options and disable the Allow Apps from Unknown Sources option.Some VPNs don’t have public APKs available. Sites like APKMirror may have APKs for download, but proceed with caution. We recommend avoiding such sites where possible, as you’re often relying on user-provided APKs that could be hiding malware or trackers. Even if you download the APK, there’s still no guarantee that it will be compatible with the Fire TV Stick.How to Use a Media Server With a VPN on a Fire TV StickPlex and Kodi are popular media server platforms that allow users to upload content and access it anywhere. It’s pretty convenient, and Plex even has a native application for Fire TV Stick. Kodi is a bit more complicated, as you’ll need to go through the sideloading procedure we talked about earlier. Generally, you don't need to use a VPN with Plex or Kodi. ISPs don’t pick up that traffic in the same way that they do with P2P content. Your ISP can see that you’re using Plex, but it won’t be able to pick out the content you’re watching since Plex is encrypted and forwarded to you. VPNs don’t tend to work well with Plex unless the VPN has port forwarding. Even then, you could run into issues with connections and errors. However, you should use a VPN when downloading or torrenting any content for your media server. #how #install #vpn #fire #stick

Monster Closet Games is a small studio with big ambitions – and the experience to match. Most of the core team has been in the industry for 20-plus years, and they’ve worked on a number of gaming’s biggest franchises, from Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia to Far Cry and Halo. They’re currently developing an online multiplayer title codenamed Project Shrine, with plans to launch on PC and current-gen consoles.“High-level, it’s a third-person co-op dungeon raider,” says Monster Closet CEO Graeme Jennings. “You and your group get together, build synergies between your characters, and raid dungeons for treasure. It’s about working together as a team.”Teamwork is at the heart of Monster Closet’s approach to game development, and the studio plans to stay tight-knit and focused. “I’d rather have 40–50 developers who love working together, who love the way we work, and who build great games because of that,” says Jennings. “I have a genuine belief that great teams, with the right tools, can build great games.”Monster Closet’s artists and developers are used to working with a powerful tech stack of proprietary solutions. Starting over from scratch meant this wasn’t an option, so in the first few months, the team carefully curated a toolchain that would scale with their ambitions.For Project Shrine, Monster Closet is accelerating production with Unity’s engine-agnostic DevOps solutions and automations, including Unity Version Control for source control and Backtrace for error tracking. We interviewed Monster Closet’s lead online programmer, Patrice Beauvais, and CTO, Thomas Félix, to learn about what they’ve been creating and how they built a tech stack designed to scale.What did you consider when you started building your tech stack?Thomas Félix: A few of us have had different experiences with live games, and we wanted to have a solid DevOps foundation that could support that in the long term. Even though GAASis not at the core of our game, we wanted to make sure we had a powerful tech stack that would help us release and iterate quickly.We all had experience with Perforce, but we’re not necessarily big fans – it works well enough, but we had been doing things that weren’t really meant to be done with it. We were also looking at Git as a solution, but then we found Unity Version Control.On paper, Unity Version Control mixed the great approach you get with something like Git, but also something much more powerful like Perforce to manage data. We were seduced by Unity Version Control’s task branch workflows; after about six months of evaluations, we decided to give it a try. At that time, we were around six or seven people. Because the team was growing slowly, it was a nice, smooth ramp-up. We’re now at around 43 team members, and so far, so good.What was your process for testing this version control system?Patrice Beauvais: For us on the tech side, we didn’t want to have half our project on Git and half on Perforce. We know how much of a burden it is to have to use and maintain two different source code management tools – it’s common with live service games where the online systems and game data aren’t necessarily fully integrated.And a team of your size just couldn’t support that type of approach – the fact that Unity Version Control can facilitate both of those workflows is helpful?Patrice Beauvais: Totally.What kinds of problems have you encountered previously using two different version control systems?Thomas Félix: In game development, you always need to build customizations for the tools you use, no matter how good they are. Unity Version Control is a great example – even though it works well, we still found ways we wanted to tailor it to our workflows. If you have to support two source control systems, you double that work, which is always painful. Someone who’s good with Git might not be as familiar with Perforce, and vice versa. Training people takes twice as long.Patrice Beauvais: For me, the worst part is integrating data between two different version control systems. If you’re using Perforce but your data library is stored in Git, that data will need to go back into Perforce, so the two need a way to interface. Even though there are many solutions, these interactions aren’t really meant to happen, and sometimes you lose the project history. A bigger team can make it work, but I’m not going to spend six months building a solution to migrate data from Git to Perforce.It sounds like your team has used many different version control systems over the years. What are the benefits and challenges of some of the solutions you’ve explored?Thomas Félix: Let’s start with Perforce – it’s super resilient, it manages data very well, and it’s not that complex for nontechnical team members. You don’t find that anywhere else, really, except with Unity Version Control. On the other hand, the big monorepos you see in Perforce aren’t really suitable for game development – fast integration, multiple branches, that kind of thing. You can manage with Perforce, but it’s far from ideal, especially if you want to build a robust CI/CD pipeline.Patrice Beauvais: Git’s UI is great for programmers, but I probably wouldn’t ask an artist to work with it. It’s not ideal for managing large files and data, and it doesn’t support locks natively very well, yet.Thomas Félix: Unity Version Control is a better solution in many regards – the UI is tailored for content creators, so it’s great for usability. We see Unity Version Control as the perfect marriage of Git and Perforce.Programmers usually want to be in Git, and you can get pretty much the same workflows in Unity Version Control. For nontechnical content creators, it’s easy to submit their data, which solves one of the biggest problems teams run into with source control.Data loss is the worst thing that can happen to us. Code is easy to handle in every source control solution, but data is always tricky. We cannot afford to lose work, and each mistake made on the data side means paying for it a thousand times later on. We try to be very, very careful with that. With Unity Version Control, it’s a win for both our programmers and content creators.Do you have any best practices you can recommend for maintaining build integrity?Thomas Félix: For a small company like ours starting out, we knew we couldn’t afford to have broken builds because we submitted bad data or code to the main branch.With Unity Version Control, we never work in the main branch. We’re always in control of it, it’s always stable, and the mergebot actually does most of that work for us. That really resonated with us when we were trying it out, and it’s one of the first things we put in place, even when we were just five people working on the main build. It’s worked really well: The main branch is almost never down, and it’s been like that for almost two years now.How does Unity Version Control handle speed when working with large files and switching between branches and workspaces?Thomas Félix: In terms of task branches and switching back and forth, that works well, too. It takes a bit of time for people to get used to this workflow – task branches are a new concept to many people, and it’s maybe not as fluent immediately for artists as it is for programmers.That being said, every week – not every day – we do catch small problems through mergebots and our CI/CD processes, but they never enter the main branch or break the build. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but working in one branch will always be quicker than working across two – not by much, but if you step back and look at your pipeline as a whole, you start to realize it’s a much, much better way of working. At least for us, as a small-to-medium-sized company, it’s perfect.So there’s a culture and learning change you have to make to move to continuous deployment, but it seems like you’re saying you’ve already caught a lot of bugs or other potential issues before they even hit main.Thomas Félix: Totally. I would never go back to one-branch development. A team like us just can’t afford to spend days debugging or fixing problems that hit main.When we interviewed Apocalypse Studios, they discussed the “culture shift” that task branch workflows can require. They were using Perforce before Unity Version Control and talked a lot about branches versus streams. What’s your take on that?Thomas Félix: Branches and streams are quite different to me. If Unity Version Control didn’t exist, we could probably build something around streams and try to get the same thing going, but it would be complex and error-prone. In Unity Version Control, it’s much easier and much safer, because branching is what it’s built for.In Perforce, streams are the equivalent of tasks. If you’re super technical, you can make it work, but I would never put that in the hands of artists. With Unity Version Control, currently we have more than 1,000 branches – most of them are archived, and we have about 10–15 open at any given time. I’m not sure I’d like to have 1,000 project branches in Perforce.What challenges do you anticipate as you move further along in development? What challenges have you faced already?Patrice Beauvais: As we mentioned, people aren’t immediately used to the task branch way of working. For artists, it’s really new to them, so we’re careful to explain how it works and why we’re doing it.Thomas Félix: That’s true. People weren’t resistant to it or anything, but it’s definitely a cultural switch. Anyone looking to switch to Unity Version Control, like we did, needs to take that into account. It’s a better way of working, but you have to be willing to think outside the box. We started fresh, from pretty much nothing – no office, no infrastructure, and a very small team – so it was a little easier for us than it might be for other studios. Building your infrastructure in the cloud sounds cool, but it comes with challenges in terms of iteration time, costs, setup, security…. In the end it’s a win, but it took us some time to get a reliable workflow up and running.You’re also using another of Unity’s engine-agnostic solutions: our verified solutions partner, Backtrace. Can you tell us what your error tracking pipeline looks like?Thomas Félix: We use Backtrace to track every single bug in most of our applications – the first ones, obviously, being the game and the Editor. We mentioned before that we built some tools around Unity Version Control – Backtrace is integrated there, too.It didn’t take long to set it up, and it gave us access to some top-class tools, dashboards, and workflows. We were able to get a lot of the things we had in place at previous companies up and running pretty easily. After being operational for around six months, we already had visibility on all the crashes in the game, the Editor, and our tools. It wasn’t something I expected to get so early when starting a new studio, to be honest.Patrice Beauvais: It’s a super good tool. At Ubisoft, I worked on a proprietary solution like Backtrace for two or three years. Backtrace is really feature-forward – it’s even faster than what I was working on, and was easy to implement. Again, we did add our own customizations for custom data, and worked to integrate it with our server, which is on Linux.Thomas Félix: We were quite impressed by the time it took to set up Backtrace. Two or three days and we were already receiving crashes, so we decided to move forward.What did you do to ensure the process of implementing Unity Version Control went smoothly?We’ve shipped a lot of big games, and we try to use that experience to think about how we can apply it in new contexts. That’s why we ended up going with Unity Version Control, and with Backtrace as well. The tricky part is making sure we don’t invent problems we don’t have – we’re not a 1,000-person studio anymore!We’re always trying to find a balance between how we leverage our experience while reminding ourselves that we’re not trying to build the next big AAA game. We still want to make something great, and to do that, we need the best workflows – and Unity Version Control fits perfectly.What was your process for testing this version control system?Thomas Félix: The tricky part was making sure we could put it in the hands of artists, both in terms of the UX and data integrity. We worked with several artists on the team to make sure they understood how to use it. It was really important to us to nail data management for our project. The more people we added to the team, the better the feedback we got – people were happy, and we knew we were onto something.How are you using Unity Version Control’s Gluon workflow for artists?Thomas Félix: We do use Gluon, but for something else, what we call the raw data – data that’s not tied to the engine. Let’s say you’re an artist and you’re modeling a mesh: You’re using the raw data, the source file, in something like Blender. This doesn’t have to reach the engine; only the data you export from it does. This data is managed in a task branch, but we manage the source files in Gluon.These files can be really heavy – character artists using tools like Zbrush can generate files that are 2, 3, 4 GB per asset, if not more. You don’t want programmers having to sync 1 TB worth of original character meshes, so we manage those in Gluon using partial workspaces. Character artists only synchronize character files, modelers will only synchronize model files, and it’s the same for audio, textures, and so on. It’s all stored in a separate repository, away from the task branch workflow.So, to recap, you’re using Gluon for scenarios where you’re working with huge files so someone doesn’t have to download the whole repo – they can just use a partial workspace.Thomas Félix: Exactly. It’s an archived version of the original data, so we don’t use task branches for that. We don’t need to have a task branch for those materials, as long as creators submit their latest work every once in a while.What advice do you have for smaller studios looking to scale up and tackle ambitious projects, like you’re doing?Thomas Félix: That’s a good question. From day one, you need to know where you want to go. For us, we started with a small team, and we knew we wanted to grow, but we didn’t want to scale to 1,000 employees – even 200 isn’t our goal. We made many decisions – decisions that we’re really happy with! – that we might not have made if we had different ambitions.Building your infra in the cloud does make it easy to scale – just be careful, because it can cost you an arm and a leg. Always try to be in control of your workflow. If something doesn’t work, do the work to understand why. Make sure you have strong foundations, basically.Looking to optimize your game development pipeline? Get started with Unity DevOps, built to work with any engine. #aaa #vets #share #advice #setting

pixel_dreams - Fotolia News Security tests reveal serious vulnerability in government’s One Login digital ID system A ‘red teaming’ exercise to simulate cyber attacks on the government’s flagship digital identity system has found that One Login can be compromised without detection By Bryan Glick, Editor in chief Published: 16 May 2025 12:37 External security tests on the government’s flagship digital identity system, Gov.uk One Login, have found serious vulnerabilities in the live service, Computer Weekly has learned. A “red teaming” exercise conducted in March by IT security consultancy Cyberis discovered that privileged access to One Login can be compromised without detection by security monitoring tools. According to Cyberis, red teaming tests the resilience of systems by simulating the tactics, techniques and procedures of cyber attackers to show how well an organisation can detect and respond to an incident. Computer Weekly has been asked by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technologynot to reveal further details of the vulnerability while the Government Digital Serviceseeks to fix the problem. Compromising the highest levels of access to a system risks exposing personal data and software code to any cyber attackers able to exploit the vulnerability. A government spokesperson said: “Delivering best practice, we routinely conduct red teaming exercises to test security infrastructure. Where issues are found, we work urgently to resolve them.” The existence of a serious current vulnerability will raise further concerns over the security of One Login, which is intended to be the way that citizens prove their identity and log in to most online government services. There are already six million users of the system, and it is used to access more than 50 online services. Last month, Computer Weekly revealed that GDS was warned by the Cabinet Office in November 2022 and the National Cyber Security Centrein September 2023, that One Login had “serious data protection failings” and “significant shortcomings” in information security that could increase the risk of data breaches and identity theft. GDS said the concerns were “outdated” and arose “when the technology was in its infancy in 2023”, despite One Login being used at that time to support live services. “We have worked to address all these concerns as evidenced by multiple external independent assessments. Any suggestion otherwise is unfounded,” said a spokesperson, at the time. A whistleblower first raised security concerns about One Login within GDS as long ago as July 2022. The issues identified included system administration being performed through non-compliant devices with a risk of transmitting security vulnerabilities, such as malware or phishing attacks, that could compromise the live system. The NCSC recommends that system administration for key government services should be conducted from a dedicated device used only for that purpose, known as a privileged access workstation, or alternatively to use only “browse down” devices, where the security level of the device is always the same or greater than the system being managed. The whistleblower warned that a lack of PAWs and use of browse-up administration were significant risks. Computer Weekly subsequently revealed that the One Login team has yet to fully meet NCSC guidelines – the system only complies with 21 of the 39 outcomes detailed in the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework– an improvement on the five outcomes it successfully followed a year ago. The One Login development team is also yet to fully implement the government’s Secure by Design practices, although GDS said the system “meets these principles”. Earlier this week, we further revealed that One Login had lost its certification against the government’s own trust framework for digital identity systems, after a key technology supplier allowed its certification to lapse and, as a result, One Login was removed from the official accreditation scheme. In a meeting with private sector digital identity providers this week, DSIT secretary of state Peter Kyle explained how One Login will underpin the forthcoming Gov.uk Wallet, which will be used to deliver digital versions of key government documents, such as driving licences. Kyle talked about the “rapid journey” he hopes the government will take in delivering digital identity services for citizens and stressed the importance that such systems are “delivered safelysecurely”. The government spokesperson added: “Gov.uk One Login follows the highest security standards for government and private sector services – including dedicated 24/7 eyes-on monitoring and incident response. As the public rightly expects, protecting the security of government services and the data and privacy of users to keep pace with the changing cyber threat landscape is paramount.” Questions are also being asked in Parliament about the security of One Login. In recent weeks, Liberal Democrat peer and digital spokesman Tim Clement-Jones and Conservative peer Simone Finn have separately submitted Parliamentary questions to DSIT asking for reassurances about the system. Finn asked whether the government has “quantified the likelihood and potential impact of insider threats, unauthorised privileged access, and production environment compromise within One Login”. In response, DSIT minister for the future digital economy and online safety, peer Maggie Jones, said: “The Gov.uk One Login team collaborates closely with the NCSC to assess and mitigate risks associated with insider threats, unauthorised privileged access, and production environment compromise, aligning with the Cyber Assessment Framework outlined in the Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022-2030. “While assessments of insider threats have been made, copies of these assessments will not be placed in the Library of the House, as they are part of ongoing security measures and internal governance processes.” Clement-Jones asked: “What stepstaking to address security issues in the One Login digital identification system?” Jones replied: “One Login follows the highest security standards for government and private sector services. As the public rightly expects, protecting the security of government services and the data and privacy of users to keep pace with the changing cyber threat landscape is paramount. “Security best practice is followed with a number of layered security controls which include: Security clearances for staff with ‘Security Check’ clearance required for all developers with production access; identity and access management controls that block staff from viewing or altering personal information; a secure by design and compartmentalised system architecture; technical controls around building and deployments; logging and monitoring to alert on access to environments that contain personally identifiable information; and robust procedures for addressing any unauthorised or unaccounted for access.” Speaking to Computer Weekly about the security concerns, Clement-Jones said: “How is the government’s flagship digital identity system failing to meet standards so badly, given that it is expected to shortly form an essential part of our immigration controls? We need answers and quickly.”  about One Login Companies House goes live with One Login ID verification – People can verify their identity with Companies House using Gov.uk One Login as the central government body becomes the 36th service to start using the digital identity system. GDS goes serverless to bring personalisation to online government services with One Login – GDS has opened up about the reasons why it’s opted for a serverless infrastructure to underpin One Login, and how it hopes the system will provide UK citizens with a more personalised experience. One Login digital identity project makes headway – Government services are lining up to work with the GDS on its One Login digital identity system, according to its director of digital identity, Natalie Jones. In The Current Issue: UK MoJ crime prediction algorithms raise serious concerns Interview: Markus Schümmelfeder, CIO, Boehringer Ingelheim Download Current Issue GraphQL as an ‘essential protocol’ for AI-API orchestration – CW Developer Network Mind the insight-to-impact gap, Qlik captures analytics ‘in the moment’ – CW Developer Network View All Blogs #security #tests #reveal #serious #vulnerability

His girlfriend Taylor Swift may own homes on both coasts, but Travis Kelce’s house is located a bit closer to his office, so to speak. The NFL star has played for the Kansas City Chiefs since 2013 and currently resides in a million mansion in Leawood, Kansas.The Cleveland, Ohio, native was first romantically linked to Swift in 2023, when he attended her concert at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and spoke about her on New Heights, the podcast he hosts alongside his brother, fellow football star Jason Kelce. Swift subsequently attended a few of Travis’s football games, and by October of that year the pair were seen holding hands at an SNL party, confirming their romance. Kelce purchased his current home not long after this—and it feels safe to say that his newfound need for additional privacy may have been a factor in his decision to upgrade his digs.Not much is publicly known about where the tight end lived in the early days of his NFL career, but below, we unpack what we do know about Kelce’s real estate investments.Suburban starter homeIn 2019, Kelce paid for a 10,000-square-foot house in a Kansas City neighborhood known as Briarcliff West. The property was built in 1995 and has everything a suburban home should: three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool, wine cellar, theater room, and a backyard fit for entertaining. Though he’s since upgraded, it seems that Kelce still owns this pad.Private, wooded mansionTaylor Swift went onto the field to congratulate Travis Kelce after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl this year. Photo: Michael Owens/Getty ImagesKelce’s most recent property acquisition came right after he was publicly linked to Swift—and therefore needed a bit more privacy. The million mansion is located in the desirable suburb of Leawood, Kansas, which is about a 20 minute drive southwest of Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs play. With 17,000-square-feet and nearly 3.5 acres to sprawl out, the grand estate is nothing short of spacious and secluded. The castle-like stone home was built in 1998 and has six bedrooms and six bathrooms, plus a six car garage, wine cellar, tennis and pickleball courts, a miniature golf course, and a pool that the listing referred to as “Beverly Hills–style,” according to Realtor. In October of 2024, the Daily Mail reported that Kelce was in the process of adding a 396-square-foot underground space to the home, which would house a golf simulator. #travis #kelces #house #kansas #city

Last updated May 15, 2025: Checked for new Arise Crossover codes!Want to grab some free cash with Arise Crossover codes? You're in the right place. We've compiled all of the active codes currently available in the popular Roblox open-world anime action game, so you can get your hands on some useful resources instantly.Working Arise Crossover CodesBelow, you'll find all of the currently active and working Arise Crossover codes in May 2025 that you can redeem for free rewards:LOADOUTSFIX - RewardsLOADOUTS - RewardsLOADOUTS2 - RewardsUPGRADES - RewardsAll the codes above have been tested as working at the time of submission. However, codes with unknown expiry dates may stop working at any time. Spotted a new code we haven't included or tried one only to find it's expired? Let us know by reporting them here.Expired Arise Crossover CodesThe following Arise Crossover codes have expired and can no longer be redeemed as of May 2025:QUESTSALIENS1MLIKESWINTERRAIDEASTERGZIRUENCHTICKETTICKETSDUSTSPotionsBetaCOFFINRUNESUPDATEDRAGONBLUEAlphaTesterTESTERQATESTERHow to Redeem Arise Crossover CodesTo redeem Arise Crossover codes, boot up the game and, once you’re in, follow the steps below:Look at the icons on the left-hand side of the screen. In the top left-hand corner of the icon menu, you'll see an icon with a shopping basket.Click the shopping basket to be taken to the in-game shop. Scroll to the bottom of this shop menu or press the codes icon on the right of the pop-up box and you'll find the codes bar.Enter your code into this bar and then click send to redeem it.Why Isn't My Arise Crossover Code Working?If your Arise Crossover code isn’t working, it’s likely due to one of two scenarios. The first is that the code was inputted incorrectly. Check the spelling and that the case is correct, then redeem again. You can even copy and paste the codes directly from this article over to Roblox if you want to make sure you’re inputting them correctly.The other possibility is the code has expired or you’ve already used it. In this scenario, you should see an error message pop up at the top of the screen informing you that the code has already been redeemed or is invalid.How to Get More Arise Crossover CodesIf you're on the hunt for new Arise Crossover codes, you'll probably want to make your way over to the game's official Discord server. Once you're a member, you'll be able to access the codes channel, where you'll find new codes whenever they're published. What is Arise Crossover in Roblox?Arise Crossover is an open-world action game with a unique twist. It's world is comprised of multiple anime-inspired lands, with players able to travel to islands ripped directly from Solo Leveling, One Piece, Naruto and more. While exploring this familiar landscape, they'll be able to battle enemies native to each world, levelling up their character, unlocking new powers and completing dungeons.Callum Williams is an IGN freelancer covering features and guides. When he's away from his desk, you can usually find him obsessing over the lore of the latest obscure indie horror game or bashing his head against a boss in the newest soulslike. You can catch him over on Twitter at @CaIIumWilliams. #arise #crossover #codes

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More The importance of databases to modern enterprise AI operations cannot be overstated. Data helps to train and ground AI, and multiple research reports show that without proper data, AI efforts tend to fail. With trends like vibe coding and agentic AI, it’s also increasingly important to have database technology that can be spun up as needed in a serverless approach to modern development efforts. In that environment, it should come as no surprise that databases are a particularly valuable commodity.  This week, that fact was on display with Databricks‘ acquisition of privately held serverless PostgreSQL startup Neon, which was founded in 2022. The deal is reportedly valued at a staggering billion, which is shocking given that barely two years ago, the company raised million in a series B round of funding. What is also particularly interesting is that Databricks itself is a data vendor, with its data lakehouse platform. At various points in the company’s history, it has positioned itself as an alternative to traditional databases, providing a data lake structure where users can make queries. So what was missing, and why did Databricks need to spend a billion dollars? What does it mean and say about what enterprise AI really needs? Functionally, it’s all about meeting developers’ needs to build agentic AI applications. According to Neon, over 80% of the databases created on its platform were created by AI agents. What is serverless PostgreSQL and why does it matter? While Neon is a startup, the core database technology that it’s based on is not new. PostgreSQL is one of the oldest and most established open-source database platforms, dating back to 1996. It’s a relational database technology, meaning it has tables and rows alongside extremely stable features that organizations have trusted for decades. The core open-source PostgreSQL database is now updated in a yearly release cadence. The most recent stable update was PostgreSQL 17, which debuted in Sept. 2024. As an open-source technology, PostgreSQL has enjoyed broad adoption and contributions. At one point, it was often compared to other proprietary relational database options, including Oracle as an alternative option. In 2025, though, PostgreSQL stands on its own. DB-Engines currently ranks PostgreSQL as the fourth most popular database in use today, behind Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and Oracle. The state of PostgreSQL 2024 report from Timescale identifies the open-source database’s rising prominence as the database of choice for AI applications. The database’s well-established and understood nature and broad availability are among the numerous factors that make it attractive. PostgreSQL on its own is just the database, though. Running it as a serverless offering is an operational and deployment activity. The promise of any serverless database is ease of operations. Rather than requiring a dedicated database deployment that continually runs with dedicated resources, serverless is spun up on demand as needed. It’s a deployment option that is particularly attractive to developers as a way to build applications quickly. AI-based development is even more appealing as databases can be built and deployed programmatically. The serverless PostgreSQL landscape has a lot of vendors Every cloud hyperscaler has some form of PostgreSQL service and has for years.  Google has multiple offerings, including AlloyDB, Microsoft has Azure Database for PostgreSQL, while AWS has Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and Amazon Aurora. Each of them also has some flavor of serverless offering, that is, a database available on demand. Numerous smaller vendors exist, including Timescale, EDB and NetApp Instaclustr. In fact, nearly two years ago, Databricks acquired serverless PostgreSQL vendor bit.io, which was also an early rival of Neon. As it turns out, the goals and capabilities of bit.io are quite different from Neon. “Together with the Neon team, we look forward to building the most developer and AI-agent-friendly database platform,” Phil Shin, senior director of corporate development and ventures at Databricks, told VentureBeat. “In contrast, the bit.io acquisition was not actually about Postgres but targeting developer experiences, especially in the trials and self-service process.” Shin added that the bit.io acquisition had a big impact on Databricks’ seamless signup experience.  How serverless PostgreSQL fits into the enterprise database landscape While Neon has only been around for a few years with its serverless PostgreSQL implementation, commercial vendor EDB has been in business since 2004. EDB has a series of its own commercially supported PostgreSQL offerings. Matt Yonkovit, VP of Product for EDB, told VentureBeat that the acquisition of Neon is a strong vote of confidence in Postgres as a foundational technology for AI and analytics.  “It reinforces what we’ve long believed: Postgres is increasingly central to modern data stacks,”  Yonkovit said. “Serverless is a great fit for dev/test environments and for quickly jumpstarting AI projects—but as those use cases scale, enterprises need the performance, compliance, and control of a sovereign platform.” Yonkovit noted that serverless is well-suited for short bursts and smaller workloads. It can scale up and down quickly or shut off entirely when idle, which significantly reduces costs associated with compute, power and storage. However, in his view, there are tradeoffs. “A significant challenge with serverless is that sovereign data management can become messy because you can’t control where the data is processed unless you have a well-restricted pool of resources,” Yonkovit said. The power of serverless PostgreSQL for agentic AI Neon’s serverless PostgreSQL approach separates storage and compute, making it developer-friendly and AI-native. It also enables automated scaling as well as branching in an approach that is similar to how the Git version control system works for code. Amalgam Insights CEO and Chief Analyst Hyoun Park noted that Databricks has been a pioneer in deploying and scaling AI projects.  “One of the big challenges in AI is managing the storage and compute associated with the data,” Park told VentureBeat. “Each of these needs will be increasingly hard to predict in an agentic world where end-user prompts and requests may quickly lead to unexpected demands in storage or compute to solve the problem. Park explained that Neon’s serverless autoscaling approach to PostgreSQL is important for AI because it allows agents and AI projects to grow as needed without artificially coupling storage and compute needs together. He added that for Databricks, this is useful both for agentic use cases and for supporting the custom models they have built over the last couple of years after its Mosaic AI acquisition.  What it means for enterprise AI leaders For enterprises looking to lead the way in AI, this acquisition signals a shift in infrastructure requirements for successful AI implementation. Data is critical for AI; that’s not a surprise. What is particularly insightful, though, is that the ability to rapidly spin up databases is essential for agentic AI success. The deal validates that even advanced data companies need specialized serverless database capabilities to support AI agents that create and manage databases programmatically.  Organizations should recognize that traditional database approaches may limit their AI initiatives, while flexible, instantly scalable serverless solutions enable the dynamic resource allocation that modern AI applications demand.  For companies still planning their AI roadmap, this acquisition signals that database infrastructure decisions should prioritize serverless capabilities that can adapt quickly to unpredictable AI workloads. This would transform database strategy from a technical consideration to a competitive advantage in delivering responsive, efficient AI solutions. Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI. Read our Privacy Policy Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here. An error occured. #billion #database #bet #what #databricks

Digital empathy.The title of the article, “Digital Empathy: How product teams can support users with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges,” and a gradient blobUsing human psychology to “hack” a good user experience is not a new concept. In fact, understanding psychology and tactically applying those principles is user experience design at its core.The connection between psychology and product design is one of the main reasons I chose to transition careers from mental health social work; I entered the product design industry with over a decade of deep understanding of psychology and human behavior.According to the World Health Organization, about 1 billion people worldwide live with mental illness. Rates of adults suffering from depression have risen 8.7% from 2017 to 2023, and about one-third of US adults experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.A graph from the Gallup depicting the rising trends in depression from 2015 to 2023.On top of that, the Federal Trade Commission has reported a rise in commercial companies using sophisticated digital designs called “deceptive patterns”, manipulating users into giving up their money and personal data. These deceptive patterns exploit human psychology, especially in the most vulnerable users, like those with mental illnesses.Seeing the rise in mental illness and the simultaneous growth in deceptive patterns and bad UX, I began to connect product design, accessibility, and mental illness. Or rather, I have begun to expand my understanding and definition of accessibility to include mental illness. I began to ask myself:What does it mean to design products that are more accessible to those with mental illness?Co-creationThe process of designing and building products that are accessible to those with mental health disorders should always start with the people who live with mental illness. This idea is probably not surprising or groundbreaking for most product designers because empathy and the user are centered in the standard design process. However, due to the vulnerabilities those with mental illnesses have, the collaboration and co-creation process should be altered and adjusted to accommodate their needs and ensure an emotionally safe environment.An emotionally safe environment is one where someone “feels safe to express emotions, security, and confidence to take risks and feel challenged and excited to try something new”.When conducting research with participants who have mental health conditions:Create a comfortable, judgment-free environment. Adjust your style and methods based on the individual participants if possible to help them feel comfortable.Ensure that the participants know what is expected of them. When possible, explain the research structure, what your goals are, what types of responses you are looking for, and the time commitment.Be flexible with session timing and structure. Allow breaks when possible, and pay close attention to participants’ body language and facial expressions to catch discomfort that might not be expressed verbally.Offer multiple ways to participate.Provide clear explanations of how their information will be used, including where and how it will be stored, and who will have access to it.Follow up sensitively after sessions to ensure participants feel supported.Simplify and streamlineOne of the most important and impactful ways to design for those with mental illnesses is to reduce cognitive load. In addition to benefiting those with mental illnesses, reducing cognitive load leads to better experiences for most users, making it an easy sell to skeptical stakeholders.“In the field of user experience, we use the following definition: the cognitive load imposed by a user interface is the amount of mental resources that is required to operate the system. Informally, you can think of mental resources as ‘brain power’ — more formally, we’re talking about slots in working memory.” -Kathryn WhitentonOur brains, similar to machines or computers, have limited processing power. Those with mental illnesses can have even less capacity to process new information and make decisions. Basic usability principles can help with this, like chunking or framing content, optimizing response time, and embracing minimalism.Users experience cognitive load when interacting with products.Taking it a step further, I have found the following strategies help those with mental illness when using the products I am designing:Simplify designs further: Avoid using unnecessary images or videos in the UI, narrow down the typography and color palettes, and lean into the use of white space. Allowing the UI room to breathe helps users understand what decisions they need to make and reduces cognitive load.Step-by-Step Processes: Lead users on a streamlined journey through your product or feature with simple, bite-sized steps. Make sure the path is clear to users at all times, and they know what they should do next. This is particularly important for onboarding experiences because this is the user’s first introduction to the product, and reducing the learning curve will lead to a better experience.Limit Choices: Hold the user’s hand and give the illusion of freedom while limiting the number of decisions on one screen. There is not an exact science or number of choices for one page, but use a critical eye on your designs and think through ways to limit the decisions users have to make.Offload tasks: Look for anything in your design that requires user effort. Reading text or remembering information are key examples. Then look for alternatives: can you auto-fill information to prevent the user from having to memorize? Can you show a picture or video instead of forcing them to read? It’s not possible to shift all tasks away from users, but every task you automate leaves more cognitive space for the decisions that truly are necessary.Soften copywriting and avoid shamingShame is an extremely distressing emotional experience that can be debilitating to those with mental illnesses. Shaming, confronting, or aggressively persuading users has very serious consequences, both for the user and for the product. It is such a distressing experience that users with mental illnesses will begin to develop a poor impression of the brand, or worse, abandon the product altogether.As Regina Jankowski quotes Angie Chaplin in an article for Inclusion Hub: “If I feel something is a trauma trigger for me, then I will scroll past it.”How do you avoid shaming or confrontation in designs?A popup that uses shaming language to pressure users into providing their personal information.Use supportive language and avoid accusatory wording. Do not blame the user for mistakes or errors, and instead shift the focus to the abstract or the platform.❌ “You entered an invalid email”✅ “We couldn’t recognize this email”2. Design more thoughtful error states. Be specific about the error or issue presented, provide a path forward, and avoid technical jargon that could alienate users. Additionally, ensure that an error state only appears after the user has completed an action incorrectly, and not while they are attempting to finish. For example, an input box should not display an error message while a user is still typing, and should only appear once they have completed the task.❌ “The information provided doesn’t match our records. Please try again.”✅ “The username entered does not match our records. Please double-check and try again, or create an account here.” ;3. Frame messages positively. Highlight progress completed instead of work remaining, celebrate small wins, and use an encouraging tone. Avoid pressuring users to make decisions, and include inclusive language.❌ “20% remaining”✅ “80% completed”A screenshot depicting a progress bar that highlights the amount of work completed instead of the amount of work left to do.Providing control and safetyPeople with mental health conditions often experience feelings of powerlessness or anxiety when faced with unpredictable situations. Designing products that give users a sense of control can significantly improve their experience.Clear escape routes: Always provide obvious ways to exit processes or return to a previous state. Ensure that “back” and “cancel” options are prominently displayed, and confirm before irreversible actions.progress automatically: For users with attention difficulties or those who may need to step away suddenly, automatically save their progress so they don’t lose work or have to start over.Customizable experiences: Allow users to adjust aspects of the interface that might be triggering, such as animations, sounds, or high-contrast visuals. Consider options to:Reduce motionControl notification frequencyToggle between light/dark modesAdjust text sizeTurn off time-based featuresConclusionDesigning with mental health accessibility in mind is not just an ethical imperative — it’s good business. By creating products that are accessible to those with mental health challenges, we create better experiences for everyone.The principles outlined here — co-creation, simplification, thoughtful communication, providing control, and mindful content presentation — form a foundation for more inclusive design practices. These approaches reduce barriers for those with mental health conditions while simultaneously improving usability for all users.As designers and product creators, we have the power to shape experiences that either add to the mental burden our users carry or help lighten their load. By integrating these principles into our work, we can create digital spaces that support well-being rather than detract from it.Remember: accessibility isn’t just about accommodating physical disabilities — it’s about making our products work for diverse minds as well.Additional resourcesInterested in learning more about accessibility, mental illness, deceptive patterns, and product design? I’ve collected a few resources that could help.Microsoft’s Mental Wellbeing Prompts for Product CreatorsThis resource assists in thinking through the factors that make for positive and productive experiences for those with mental health concerns. These prompts can help product creators keep mental wellness in mind when developing inclusive products.Nielsen-Norman Group’s Psychology and UX Study Guide, written by Tanner KohlerThis study guide centralizes many resources and articles related to psychology and product design.What are Dark Patterns in UX? by Jay HannahAn excellent overview of deceptivepatterns in UX to guide designers away from making manipulative choices that exploit users.Inclusion HubA community, directory, and resource hub for those attempting to make inclusive products.Supporting users with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story. #supporting #users #with #depression #anxiety

What just happened? TP-Link, the most popular router brand in the US, could be banned in the country. The ongoing saga over the firm's alleged links to China and anti-competitive behavior has led Republican lawmakers to urge the Commerce Department to ban sales of the company's products. The seventeen senators and representatives wrote a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick this week to support the ongoing investigations into TP-Link. The company is being investigated by the Commerce, Defense, and Justice Departments over whether its China ties pose a security threat and whether the firm engaged in predatory pricing to undercut competitors and dominate the US market. The group essentially claims that TP-Link's cheap prices have helped it become the number one router brand in the US, thereby allowing the Chinese government to launch cyberattacks and surveillance programs against the United States using the devices. The letter also urges Lutnick to prohibit further sales of TP-Link networking products in the United States. The group goes on to accuse TP-Link of having a close association with the Chinese Communist Party, using predatory pricing to eliminate "trusted" US alternatives, and embedding foreign surveillance and destructive capabilities into US networks, all of which make it a "clear and present danger." The letter states that Chinese state actors have exploited TP-Link small and home officenetworking devices to wage cyberwarfare against the United States. It's also claimed that TP-Link is the only router company that refuses to engage in industry efforts to remediate Chinese state-sponsored bots. // Related Stories "Each day we fail to act, the CCP wins while American competitors suffer, and American security remains at risk," wrote the lawmakers. In a statement responding to the letter, TP-Link told PCMag, "The allegations are categorically false, and we look forward to setting the record straight about our company." "To be clear, TP-Link is not a state-sponsored company, has no 'deep ties' to, and is completely independent from, the Chinese Communist Party." Nine of sixteen best-selling routers on Amazon are TP-Link brands, including the top three models. It's estimated that 60-65% of homes and small businesses in the US use the routers, whose cheap prices help make them so popular. In October 2024, Microsoft exposed "CovertNetwork-1658," a Chinese-run botnet siphoning credentials from Azure since August 2023 via password-spray attacks. The network marshalled 16,000 hijacked SOHO routers, cameras and other IoT nodes – chiefly TP-Link models. The company's routers have a history of vulnerabilities: a CVSS-10 flaw hit the Archer C5400X in May 2024, and 2023 reports tied Chinese state actors to custom malware installed on TP-Link routers. The latter incident arrived soon after the US government said Mirai Botnet operators were using TP-Link routers for DDoS attacks. TP-Link, founded in 1996 by brothers Zhao Jianjun and Zhao Jiaxing, established its US arm in 2008 to handle marketing and support in North America, though ownership and operations remained tied to its Shenzhen-based parent. In 2024, TP-Link USA merged with the company's non-Chinese operations to form TP-Link Systems Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California – a move intended to create an "organizational separation," with distinct ownership, governance, R&D, and supply chains on each side. #lawmakers #say #tplink039s #rockbottom #prices

Last week, Epic Games announced that it had submitted Fortnite to the App Store in the United States. The move followed an injunction in which a federal judge said Apple couldn’t charge a 27% commission on out-of-app purchases initiated through in-app links. In a new statement today, however, Epic says that Apple has “blocked” this submission… In a statement posted on social media, Epic Games said: “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.” There’s no word on why Apple rejected Epic’s Fortnite submission. It’s also unclear why the game is no longer available via the Epic Games Store in the EU. Before today, Fortnite had been available to download for iPhone users in the EU through Epic’s alternative app marketplace as well as AltStore PAL. The version of Fortnite submitted by Epic used both Apple’s In-App Purchase system as well as an external payment option through the Epic Games Store. Fortnite has been unavailable through the App Store since 2020 when it added a backdoor payment option to circumvent Apple’s App Store Guidelines. Epic is trying to use its EU developer account to bring Fortnite back to the App Store after Apple terminated its original U.S. account. In the legal battle between Apple and Epic, a judge ruled that Apple was lawful in its decision to terminate Epic’s developer account for deliberately breaking App Store Guidelines when it added the Fortnite direct payment option. As such, Apple has no legal obligation to allow Fortnite back in the App Store. In 2021, the ruling concluded: Apple’s termination of the DPLA and the related agreements between Epic Games and Apple was valid, lawful, and enforceable, andApple has the contractual right to terminate its DPLA with any or all of Epic Games’ wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities under Epic Games’ control at any time and at Apple’s sole discretion. We’ll keep this story updated as the situation continues to evolve. My favorite iPhone accessories: Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.  Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel #apple #blocks #epics #attempt #bring