The merc with a mouth can be obnoxious in the wrong hands, but he rules in Rivals
The post Deadpool In <em>Marvel Rivals</em> References <em>Pokémon</em> And <em>GTA</em>, Is The Best His Meta Schtick Has Been In Years appeared first on Kotaku.
Author Archives: Xordac Prime
TSMC says AI demand is “endless” after record Q4 earnings
On Thursday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported record fourth-quarter earnings and said it expects AI chip demand to continue for years. During an earnings call, CEO C.C. Wei told investors that while he cannot predict the semiconductor industry’s long-term trajectory, he remains bullish on AI.
TSMC manufactures chips for companies including Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm, making it a linchpin of the global electronics supply chain. The company produces the vast majority of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, and its factories in Taiwan have become a focal point of US-China tensions over technology and trade. When TSMC reports strong demand and ramps up spending, it signals that the companies designing AI chips expect years of continued growth.
“All in all, I believe in my point of view, the AI is real—not only real, it’s starting to grow into our daily life. And we believe that is kind of—we call it AI megatrend, we certainly would believe that,” Wei said during the call. “So another question is ‘can the semiconductor industry be good for 3, 4, 5 years in a row?’ I’ll tell you the truth, I don’t know. But I look at the AI, it looks like it’s going to be like an endless—I mean, that for many years to come.”
AI Has Made Salesforce Engineers More Productive, So the Company Has Stopped Hiring Them, CEO Says
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said this week that his company’s software engineering headcount has remained “mostly flat” over the past year as internal AI tools have delivered substantial productivity gains.
Speaking on TBPN, Benioff said he has about 15,000 engineers who are “more productive than ever.” The company has redirected its hiring efforts toward sales and customer engagement roles, hiring 20% more account executives this year as it pushes its Agentforce agentic AI service.
Human salespeople remain essential for explaining the “intricacies and nuances” of agentic AI to skeptical enterprise customers, he argued. Other parts of the business have seen deeper cuts. In a separate appearance on The Logan Bartlett Show, Benioff said that Salesforce had reduced its customer support workforce by roughly 50%.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
AMD EPYC 8004 “Siena” Shows Some Nice Linux Performance Gains Over The Past Two Years
As part of my various end-of-year benchmarks, recently I looked at the Linux LTS kernel performance on AMD EPYC 9005 over the past year, the AMD EPYC Milan-X performance over the past four years, and various other performance comparisons over time to look the evolution of the Linux software performance. Another run I had carried out was looking at the AMD EPYC 8004 “Siena” series since its launch just over two years ago. Here is a look at how an up-to-date Linux software stack can deliver some additional performance gains for these energy efficiency and cost-optimized server processors.
The Richest 1% Blew Their 2026 Carbon Budget in 10 Days. Some Did It in 3
A new report underscores the vastly disproportionate role the super-rich play in driving the climate crisis.
15 Shows Like ‘Bridgerton’ You Should Watch Next
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Bridgerton, Shonda Rhimes’ candy-colored, ultra-stylized period piece has been a legitimate sensation for Netflix, adapting the Julia Quinn novel series that itself owes plenty to Jane Austen (as does just about any Regency romance). With a large, rotating ensemble—led, perhaps, by Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope Bridgerton, who is ably assisted by Adjoa Andoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ruth Gemmell, Polly Walker, and Julie Andrews (as the voice of the mysterious Lady Whistledown)—the show revels in the tropes of the literature of the era while turning up the dial on sex, scandal, and drama. With four seasons and a spin-off, Bridgerton doesn’t show signs of slowing down—but it’s hardly the only hot period drama in town.
The Buccaneers (2023 – )
While not quite going full Bridgerton in terms of hyper-stylization, this 1870s-set adaptation of an unfinished Edith Wharton novel isn’t afraid to take several liberties in terms of costuming and music (see, for example, a key second season moment set to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Looking at Me.”) The buccaneers of the title are among the so-called dollar princesses of the era: Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth) and her friends are young women from upperclass American families on the make among the British aristocracy—the Americans get titles, and the English lords get to keep their frequently cash-poor estates running. What starts as soapy mercenary mission for the strong and spirited young women becomes a hunt for true love. It’s been renewed for a third season at Apple. Stream The Buccaneers on Apple TV+.
My Lady Jane (2024)
What if we did a steamy period drama involving England’s first (if only for nine days) queen, Jane Grey? But with an oppressed class of humans who can turn into animals? Based on a book from Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, the show stars Emily Bader as the titular queenly contender, dealing with a dying king cousin, a sketchy marriage, and competition from sisters Elizabeth and Mary. The magic and shapeshifting make the whole thing sufficiently bonkers and a lot of fun, kicking off with the invocation: “She could have been the leader England needed. Instead, history remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress. Fuck that.” Stream My Lady Jane on Prime Video.
The Great (2020 – 2023)
Catherine the Great had a little bit of a moment a couple of years back, kicked off by that high-profile HBO miniseries starring Helen Mirren. This is not that. The opening credits offer up that this is an “occasionally true story,” so you know what you’re in for. No real history lessons here, but a legitimately funny political satire, and of costume dramas in general, from the guy who co-wrote The Favourite, and starring everyone’s favourite Fanning alongside Nicholas Hoult. He plays Emperor Peter III, the husband who Catherine would ultimately overthrow, and the show plays on the sexual tension (and sometimes outright lust) between this married couple/political rivals always on the verge of either killing each other or ripping each other’s clothes off. Stream The Great on Hulu.
The Gilded Age (2022 – )
Julian Fellowes made period drama buzz-worthy with Downton Abbey, and does something similar here while shifting the time and place to the 1880s in New York City. We’re introduced to the world of upper and then extremely upper-class New York City society by Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), poor relation to the estranged aunties who take her in, and Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), a young Black writer from a solidly middle-class family who becomes a secretary to Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn. Old-money Agnes and sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) live across the street from new-money social climbers the Russells (led with juicy imperiousness by Carrie Coon’s Bertha); established society isn’t keen on letting in these upstarts—though money very much talks. In one sense, the stakes here could not possibly be lower (Bertha wants a better seat at the opera! Twink footman invents a new clock!)—so why is the show so addictive? It’s been renewed for a fourth season. Stream The Gilded Age on HBO Max.
Sanditon (2019 – 2023)
Sanditon is based on Jane Austen’s final, incomplete work, which allows for plenty of creative leeway—it doesn’t have the stylistic whimsy of Bridgerton, but serves as a purer distillation of the regency-drama thrills that Austen bequeathed to us. Here, the wildly independent Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) sets out to reinvent herself while moving to the title’s growing seaside resort town (based, probably, on the real-life Worthing). She discovers that commercial prospects have drawn schemers and chancers to the area, creating a unique and vibrant social scene, with all of the balls and fancy costumes you’d expect. Naturally, romantic complications ensue when Charlotte gets judgy about the entrepreneurial Parker family and finds herself at odds with, and then getting close to, the wild youngest son, Sidney (Theo James). Stream Sanditon on PBS Passport or buy episodes from Prime Video.
Dickinson (2019 – 2021)
Dickinson is so scrupulously weird that it gets points just for being unexpected. The most surprising thing about it, though, is that it’s not merely idiosyncratic—it’s good. The show imagines the life of 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, with the conceit that she didn’t fit especially well in her own time, a fact the show reflects stylistically through the casual use of anachronisms and more modern sensibilities (think Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette or, for that matter, Bridgerton). It’s also beautifully filmed and acted, and impressively light for a show about a figure as mysterious and haunted as Emily herself. Stream Dickinson on Apple TV+.
The Decameron (2024)
Moving the clock back a few centuries and heading to Italy, The Decameron is a funny, dark, ultimately surprisingly humane (after a fashion) show that takes on Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-century short story collection with Bridgerton-esque swagger. With the plague ravaging Florence, a bunch of nobles and attendants make their way to a countryside villa to wait out the plague and drain the liquor supplies. Rules and mores are turned upside down, particularly by the servant Licisca (Tanya Reynolds), who kind of accidentally kills her lady on the way to the villa and decides to take her place. Somehow, despite being about mostly terrible people, this makes for an entirely addictive binge experience that deserved a lot more attention than it got when it was released. Stream The Decameron on Netflix.
The Tudors (2007 – 2010)
The show may play fast and loose with history, but does remind us that the Tudors were far hornier than all those archbishops would have us believe. The show’s Jonathan Rhys Meyers is quite a bit hotter and probably a fair bit more lovable than the actual sociopathic, serial-killing Henry—but many of the women characters give as well as they get (both politically and in bed), particularly Natalie Dormer’s Anne Boleyn. Stream The Tudors on Paramount+ and Prime Video.
Reign (2013 – 2017)
We didn’t come here for historical accuracy, and this CW drama isn’t offering much. Adelaide Kane stars as Queen Mary Stuart, better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, beginning the series as a teenage girlboss coming of age while also coming into her royal power. It’s soapy, sexy, and a little bit campy—which I absolutely mean as a compliment. Stream Reign on Prime Video.
Washington Black (2025)
With much of the heightened style of Bridgerton, but a steampunk aesthetic, Washington Black follows a young genius (Ernest Kingsley Jr.), once enslaved, with as inventive a mind and spirit as any Jules Verne character as he comes under the mentorship of Sterling K. Brown’s Medwin Harris. That introduction to a larger world sets our lead off on a series of adventures that are whimsical without ignoring the particular dangers and challenges to be faced by a Black man in the 19th century. In the absence of more complex narratives about real historical figures, this show (and the Esi Edugyan novel on which it’s based) at least centers the notion that Black North American history included innovation, progress, and even joy. Stream Washington Black on Hulu.
The Cook of Castamar (2021)
Let’s head over to Madrid, just a few decades earlier than Bridgerton, where Clara Belmonte (Michelle Jenner) has just taken a job in the kitchens of the Duke of Castamar (Roberto Enríquez). He’s been a virtual recluse since the unexpected death of his wife, though now the King and various family members are pressuring him to get back on the horse, literally and figuratively, and fulfill his obligations as a noble. Clara, on the other hand, had developed a bit of agoraphobia following the execution of her father, and she’s perfectly content to toil in the gloomy kitchens rather than go outside. Of course, the grieving Duke takes notice of her just as he’s being plied with marriage prospects. Plenty of characters, subplots, and sex in this Spanish import. Stream The Cook of Castamar on Netflix.
The Law According to Lidia Poët (2023 – )
A fun and fast-moving historical crime drama, the show (heavily) dramatizes the live of the real-life Poët, Italy’s first female lawyer—disbarred as the series opens in 1883 because LADY LAWYER?! WHAT? While she fights the ruling, she takes a job at her brother’s law firm where, of course, she’s the real brains of the operation, solving big cases in grand period style (and with a fair bit of sex, as well). It’s been renewed for a third season. Stream The Law According to Lidia Poët on Netflix.
Harlots (2017 – 2019)
Harlots takes the historical costume drama in unique directions, and deserved more attention than it got during its three-season run. Its women aren’t dressed in fancy dresses because they’re royalty, but because they’re high-end sex workers (if the title didn’t make clear) in Georgian England. When Margaret Wells moves her brothel to Soho, she comes into direct competition with her own former madam, who runs a high-end establishment in the same neighborhood. It’s got more sex and moves at a faster pace than more traditional period pieces, and the chess game between rival houses (as they both fight the male-dominated law enforcement establishment) makes for juicy entertainment. Stream Harlots on Hulu.
Gentleman Jack (2019 – 2022)
Though her love dared not speak its name, the real-life Anne Lister certainly had no problem putting words to it—something like five million of them across her many diaries. So many, in fact, that the production of this show necessitated new transcriptions of works that hadn’t been fully examined, despite having been written in the 1830s. Suranne Jones stars as Anne Lister, landowner and budding industrialist who returns to her inherited family estate only to discover that the neighbors are snatching coal from her land—and also that Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), a wealthy estate owner, is looking pretty fine. It’s a clever, funny series, and its use of Lister’s prolific diaries gives it a real sense of verisimilitude in its depiction of a queer trailblazer. Stream Gentleman Jack on HBO Max or buy episodes from Prime Video.
Queen Charlotte (2023)
This one’s probably obvious, given its direct relationship, but, just in case you missed it, let’s give this Bridgerton spin-off series its due. Maintaining much of the original show’s style, but with a laser focus on the title character, Charlotte rather brilliantly crafts a passionate, tortured romance between the Queen (here played as a young woman by India Amarteifio, with Golda Rosheuvel reprising the role for the framing bits), and King George III (Corey Mylchreest). The pressures of royal life and the king’s growing mental illness create a rocky road for the young couple, but their passion is moving and deeply, deeply horny. Stream Queen Charlotte on Netflix.
Breakthrough In Quantum Physics Could Finally Help Detect Light Dark Matter Particles
After almost nine-decades of scientific searching, physicists in China have finally captured the “ghost” of the universe by recording the first direct observation of Migdal quantum process that could hold the key to identifying dark matter.
In a paper published in Nature this week, a research team led by University of the Chinese Academy
Outgoing Star Wars Boss Talks New Trilogy, Ben Solo, And ‘Online Negativity’
It sounds like James Mangold’s project and others are stalled as Lucasfilm owner Disney becomes more risk-averse
The post Outgoing <i>Star Wars</i> Boss Talks New Trilogy, Ben Solo, And ‘Online Negativity’ appeared first on Kotaku.
Will Gigabyte Make A Gaming Handheld? Here’s What The CEO Had To Say
It sure sounds like Gigabyte is planning to release a gaming handheld at some point, according to comments CEO Eddie Lin made at CES, though exactly when and what differentiating features it will have are, for now, a mystery. Not just to you and us, but also to Gigabyte, which is mulling how it could separate its own brand gaming handheld
Ruby on Rails Creator Says AI Coding Tools Still Can’t Match Most Junior Programmers
AI still can’t produce code as well as most junior programmers he’s worked with, David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails and co-founder of 37 Signals, said on a recent podcast , which is why he continues to write most of his code by hand. Hansson compared AI’s current coding capabilities to “a flickering light bulb” — total darkness punctuated by moments of clarity before going pitch black again.
At his company, humans wrote 95% of the code for Fizzy, 37 Signals’ Kanban-inspired organization product, he said. The team experimented with AI-powered features, but those ended up on the cutting room floor. “I’m not feeling that we’re falling behind at 37 Signals in terms of our ability to produce, in terms of our ability to launch things or improve the products,” Hansson said.
Hansson said he remains skeptical of claims that businesses can fire half their programmers and still move faster. Despite his measured skepticism, Hansson said he marvels at the scale of bets the U.S. economy is placing on AI reaching AGI. “The entire American economy right now is one big bet that that’s going to happen,” he said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Ubisoft Says ‘Don’t Worry’ As Division 3 Boss Heads To Battlefield After Previously Denying He Was Leaving
Rumors about The Division producer Julian Gerighty’s departure started in October, which developer Massive Entertainment promptly denied
The post Ubisoft Says ‘Don’t Worry’ As <i>Division 3</i> Boss Heads To <i>Battlefield</i> After Previously Denying He Was Leaving appeared first on Kotaku.
New Cinelli Zydeco Washboard is a gravel bike you’ll want to ride everywhere
Cinelli says its new Zydeco Washboard gravel bike has enough versatility to adapt to your ride, whether you’re using it for commuting, bikepacking or a mix of on- and off-road riding.
If that makes it sound as though the Zydeco Washboard is a bit of a catch-all bike, that’s exactly the point. Cinelli says its latest gravel bike, which launched at the Velofollies trade show in Belgium, will adapt to your ride.
“The Zydeco Washboard is a modern, multipurpose gravel platform designed for riders who want one bike that does it all,” Cinelli claims.
- Read more: Best gravel bikes in 2026 – top-rated carbon, aluminium, titanium and steel gravel bikes reviewed
Two models, one frame
The gravel bike is available in two models, the Sport and Allday. Both models share the same aluminium frame, which is dotted in mounting points for racks, mudguards and more, so you can adapt either Zydeco Washboard to your riding needs.
Cinelli wanted the Zydeco Washboard to have a modern aesthetic, which means the bike gets a cockpit with semi-integrated cable routing, a flared handlebar and a tapered top tube.
The bike also has a modern look thanks to the slightly dropped seatstays, which Cinelli says introduces some extra flex and comfort, even if this is limited due to the frame material.
One feature that makes it modern in another way is the Universal Derailleur Hanger, which means you’d be able to fit a new SRAM groupset, even if the Sport and Allday models at Velofollies both had Shimano Cues groupsets.
The Washboard frame also has a yoke design at the chainstay, where the tubing is welded to a thinner section of metal that runs between the crankset and tyre. Cinelli opted for this design to keep tyre clearance generous at 45mm.
As you might expect from an entry-level and practical gravel bike, the geometry is relatively upright for comfort. But if you slam the stem for a racy feel, you still ride the bike “very fast”, according to a Cinelli spokesperson at Velofollies.
Where the Sport and Allday differ is their fork and finishing kit. The Sport has a carbon fork, while the Allday sticks to aluminium.
The Sport also has a higher-spec Cues 1x drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes, whereas the Allday has a 2x Cues drivetrain and cable-actuated brakes.
Cinelli says both bikes are affordable, with the Sport costing €2,300 and the Allday €1,500.
Cinelli’s gravel bikes get their ‘Zydeco’ name from the up-tempo music genre that originated in Louisiana. The music is often played with a washboard. Cinelli chose to name its latest bike after the percussion instrument because of the music, but also because gravel trails can feel like a washboard under your wheels.
More from Velofollies
- Van Rysel reveals FTP2 Concept Bike that will double your power and reach speeds over 100kph
- New Schwalbe Pro One Allroad combines road-tyre speed with gravel toughness for “extreme conditions of Paris–Roubaix”
- Pinarello adds a drop handlebar to its XC hardtail to create ‘monster’ gravel bike
- New Nukeproof Tracker is a bargain range of ‘kick-ass’ hardtails
Google’s Leading AR Glasses Partner XREAL Files Patent Lawsuit Against VITURE
AR glasses maker XREAL has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States against affiliates of VITURE, its direct competitor.
Filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the suit alleges that Eden Future HK Limited and Beijing Xingzhe Wujiang Technology infringed Xreal’s US Patent No. 11,988,839, which covers optical system technology used in AR glasses.
The suit was brought by Xreal subsidiary Matrixed Reality Technology, the company reveals in a press release.
The suit argues that the company’s patent, which was issued in May 2024, is based on an application originally filed in 2018. Essentially, Xreal claims the patent describes foundational optical architectures that address challenges in wearable AR devices, including image quality, field of view, ergonomics, and lightweight design.
According to the complaint, multiple Viture-branded products have been sold or imported into the US—including the Viture Pro, Luma Pro, and Luma Ultra—which allegedly infringe one or more claims of the patent.
The US action follows a similar suit in Europe, as detailed by Android Central. In November 2025, Munich’s First Regional Court granted a preliminary injunction against Eden Future HK Limited, finding a strong likelihood that certain Viture products infringed Xreal’s European patent.
The injunction restricts the sale, offering, and import of specified AR products in Germany, including the Viture Pro XR, with language suggesting potential applicability to additional models.
Xreal reports holding more than 800 patents and patent applications worldwide, including over 50 in the United States and more than 75 in Europe.
This follows a considerable shift in the overall funding landscape, as companies look to seize consumer interest and market share of the growing smart glasses and AR segment.
In September 2025, the San Francisco-based Viture announced it had secured $100 million in Series B financing, which the company earmarked for global expansion of its consumer XR glasses.
In kind, Beijing-based Xreal announced earlier this month it had also raised $100 million in a recent funding round, which follows a renewed hardware partnership with Google, making it the company’s leading AR glasses partner and announcement of ROG XREAL R1, a pair of high refresh rate AR glasses meant to appeal to traditional gamers.
Additionally, Meta has undertaken a strategic restructuring of its Reality Labs XR division, as it shifts focus from VR headsets and its metaverse ambitions and doubles down on AI and smart glasses.
The post Google’s Leading AR Glasses Partner XREAL Files Patent Lawsuit Against VITURE appeared first on Road to VR.
Feds give Tesla another five weeks to respond to FSD probe
Late last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened yet another investigation into Tesla and its partially automated driver assist systems. This time it was about FSD (again), which has been the subject of more than 60 complaints to the regulator after Teslas operating under FSD either ignored red traffic lights or crossed into oncoming traffic. As part of the preliminary investigation, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has asked Tesla for more information on the problem. This week, it told the automaker it could have a five-week extension on its homework.
To be fair to Tesla, NHTSA has asked for a comprehensive amount of information: a list of every Tesla produced and sold or leased in the United States, including whether or not that car had FSD and which version; cumulative data on how many US Teslas have FSD and how often it’s used; and a list of all the customer complaints, field reports, incident reports, lawsuits, and other data related to FSD ignoring traffic laws.
For each incident involving a crash, Tesla must give NHTSA a summary of the incident, including “causal and contributing factors.” Further questions require information on FSD use by crashed cars; any alert shown to the drivers; what work, simulation, or otherwise Tesla has conducted to ameliorate the problem; any modifications or changes to FSD hardware or software; an explanation of Tesla’s theory of operation for traffic lights and stop signs; and Tesla’s assessment of the problem.
How AMD Is Fighting To Keep Radeon GPU Prices Stable Amid The Memory Crisis
There is a whole lot of uncertainty in the PC gaming landscape over the core hardware needed to crank out high frame rates in demanding titles, and this time it’s because the AI market is feasting on all of the memory capacity it can procure. This has led to rumors of ASUS (and, by extension, NVIDIA and it’s other add-in board partners) effectively
How to Protect Your Credit Cards From ‘Web Skimming’ Scams
You have probably heard of skimming, a type of fraud in which criminals install physical devices capable of capturing your payment card details on ATMs, gas pumps, and point-of-sale terminals. If you enter your debit or credit card into one of these fake card readers, your data is stored for later download or transmitted wirelessly in real time to a device controlled by scammers, who will use the information to steal from your accounts.
Unfortunately, online shoppers aren’t immune from this scheme. Web skimming is a type of cyberattack that uses malicious code to steal card data during checkout, and researchers have identified an ongoing campaign targeting major payment providers and, by extension, consumers.
Online credit card skimming
Web skimming attacks, broadly referred to as “Magecart” campaigns, are initiated when malicious JavaScript is injected into e-commerce websites and payment portals. When a checkout page loads, the skimmer replaces it with a spoofed form that collects card numbers, expiry dates, card verification codes, and billing or shipping addresses—everything threat actors need to turn around and use your card for fraudulent purchases.
The fake payment forms use legitimate-looking branding and styling to minimize suspicion. Once payment details are transmitted to the attacker, the user gets an error message and is redirected to the real checkout page, a flow designed to make you believe that you’ve simply entered your information incorrectly.
Web skimmers are typically designed to avoid detection and may even self-destruct, making them difficult to identify even for site admins. They also utilize bulletproof hosting, which shields cyber actors from takedown requests and law enforcement action.
How to protect your payment card
Unfortunately, consumers can’t do much about the presence of web skimmers, but they can play defense against them. Red flags of an online shopping scam are also red flags for skimming—for example, deals and discounts that are too good to be true are indicators of a possible fraudulent vendor or malicious site, where you may be more likely to have your card details stolen. Shopping with reputable vendors will reduce (though not entirely eliminate) the risk. You should also be vigilant about any unusual steps during checkout, such as redirects or error messages, and abandon any suspicious transactions.
If you suspect that your payment details may have been stolen, keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized activity, and enable transaction alerts for real-time updates. Remember that credit cards offer more security protections than debit cards. You could also use virtual cards for online purchases, which allows you to keep your actual card details private and protect you from further fraud. (Note, however, that virtual cards have some drawbacks. For example, you may lose some protections offered by your primary card provider and have a tougher time obtaining refunds.)
China Clamps Down on High-Speed Traders, Removing Servers
An anonymous reader shares a report: China is pulling the plug on a key advantage held by high-frequency traders, removing servers dedicated to those firms out of local exchanges’ data centers, according to people familiar with the matter.
Commodities futures exchanges in Shanghai and Guangzhou are among those that have ordered local brokers to shift servers for their clients out of data centers run by the bourses, according to the people, who said the move was led by regulators. The change doesn’t only affect high-frequency firms but they are likely to feel the biggest impact. The Shanghai Futures Exchange has told brokers they need to get equipment for high-speed clients out by the end of next month, while other clients need to do so by April 30, the people said.
The clampdown will hit China’s army of domestic high-frequency firms but will also impact a swathe of global firms that are active in the country. Citadel Securities, Jane Street Group and Jump Trading are among the foreign firms whose access to servers is being affected, the people said, asking not to be named as the matter is private.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google Patents A Game-Changing Way To Swap Phone Batteries
Google has filed a patent for a glue-free, mechanically interlocked battery system that could make future Pixel repairs dramatically simpler. If this concept makes it to production, it’d be a major right to repair win for the company (and users).
The patent (filed in April last year and discovered by Hypertxt.ai) describes a mechanical
Ferrari doing what it does best: The 12Cilindri review
It has been nearly 80 years since Ferrari unleashed its first V12-powered sports car upon the world with the 125 S. In 1947, its debut year, the 125 S secured Ferrari’s first-ever race victory for the automaker, along with five other wins in the 14 events it competed in that season.
Although it was soon replaced by the 159 S, the success of the 125 S kickstarted Ferrari’s storied history of producing some of the most desirable 12-cylinder performance cars known to man. And while the Italian automaker has come to embrace forced induction and electrification in recent years, its legacy of building stunning front-engine, rear-wheel drive machines with spectacular V12s stuffed into their engine bays continues with the 12Cilindri Spider.
Ferrari hasn’t shied away from leveraging cutting-edge technology in the development of its latest models, but the company also understands the value of a good throwback. As the successor to the 812 Superfast, the 12Cilindri boasts clever performance technologies, like a sophisticated active aero system and a four-wheel steering system that can manage each corner independently to enhance response, but it’s ultimately an homage to the heady days of late ’60s luxury grand touring. The exterior styling takes obvious inspiration from the 365 GTB Daytona, while its lack of all-wheel drive, turbocharging, and electric assistance bucks trends that have become nearly inescapable in modern performance cars.
Rapha reveals first kit collection with USA Cycling
Rapha has released its first designs for USA Cycling, with the new kit collection spanning road, track, mountain and BMX.
The brand will be the kit provider for the USA’s cycling athletes from 2026 through to the end of 2029, which will see it supply the home nation at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Rapha says the kit “evokes the lightness and grace of a rider in full flight” and “mirrors the explosive energy of a new generation of American talent”.
The collection is said to draw inspiration from the 1984 Games, which the brand calls a watershed moment for American cycling – the home nation took nine medals in Los Angeles.
Recognisable elements from the Stars and Stripes are blended with a sense of movement.
Rapha says a lightspeed pattern is at the centre of the designs, adding to a long tradition of using patterns to express motion and speed in sportswear.
Aesthetics are matched with functional performance, with the pattern said to be a response to a specific request from USA Cycling athletes for a lighter-coloured kit suited to hot conditions.
Stars and Stripes detail features on the sleeves of the Rapha USA Cycling jerseys, with the left arm showcasing a navy Rapha armband and script logo.
Five unique ‘story labels’ are part of the collection, celebrating the full range of USA Cycling disciplines.
Fran Millar, Rapha CEO, says: “This kit represents over a decade of world-class competition and innovation. We’ve left no stone unturned so that when USA Cycling athletes show up for their country, they can stand on the start line with total confidence.”