Starting January 1, 2024, Penguin Random House will no longer be distributing Wizards of the Coast’s seminal TTRPG product, Dungeons & Dragons. The announcement was made via email to various retailers. io9 obtained a copy of this email for confirmation. There is currently a distributor portal live on Wizards’ site.
Source: Gizmodo – Dungeons & Dragons Will No Longer Be Distributed Through Penguin Random House
Russia’s communications watchdog plans to block VPNs from March 1 next year, a Russian senator for the ruling United Russia party said on Tuesday. From a report: Demand for VPN services soared after Russia restricted access to some Western social media after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Senator Artem Sheikin said an order from the Roskomnadzor watchdog would come into force on March 1 that would block VPNs. “From March 1, 2024, an order will come into force to block VPN services providing access to sites banned in Russia,” Sheikin was quoted as saying by state news agency RIA.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Russia Plans To Block VPN In March 2024
Week six sees the Texas A&M Aggies smashing it up with Alabama’s Crimson Tide in a crucial battle for SEC West supremacy this Saturday. Both teams are 2-0 in their division, and both teams are out for blood.
Source: LifeHacker – Where to Watch the Alabama Vs. Texas A&M Game
Amazon is shutting down its short-lived audio app known as Amp, which previously offered a music library for users to create and broadcast custom DJ sets, according to reports by Bloomberg. Amazon’s Amp was available on Android and iOS and has only been live since March of 2022. While a pandemic bubble might have given it some attention, it never really took off. The tool was designed to allow creators to make custom content as modern DJ hosts. On this mobile-forward app, users could overlap conversations and chit-chat with live music, similar to what you would hear on a traditional radio station.
But as we all know, radio is dying as it is. And it’s no question that competition in the streaming space is hot. A lot of creators in the niche subset of online DJing might have already been on mainstream platforms like YouTube and TikTok or on more music-focused platforms like Stationhead or Tidal. The app was even initially reported as “something of a Clubhouse competitor.” Yet, Amazon did not explicitly cite why they made the decision to kill Amp altogether, or how far off it was from saving. In a memo to Bloomberg, Steve Boom, who led Amp at Amazon said that the decision was “not made quickly or easily.”
It may have something to do with the fact that it just never picked up in the mainstream as Amazon would have liked it to. When our very own James Trew put it to the test, he said he had trouble getting listeners. The mobile-first platform had some unusual limitations for how content could be created and listened to — all in all, probably playing to its downfall. For example, you could only play two songs from the same album within a three-hour period, which is a considerable amount of time to block off a DJ from being able to create a truly custom set.
The axing of Amp follows a series of cuts from the big box retailer, namely its Halo division which it dissolved back in April and Amazon Scout, a robot delivery service it killed before it could even start, around this time last year. This could signal some internal restructuring is still well underway at Amazon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-live-audio-streaming-platform-amp-closes-up-shop-214652658.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Amazon’s live audio-streaming platform Amp closes up shop
With the much-delayed Mesa 23.2 finally having been released last week, Mesa 23.1.9 is out the door as the last planned maintenance release for that open-source driver series introduced back in Q2…
Source: Phoronix – Mesa 23.1.9 Released To End Out The Series
Enlarge / Vials of quantum dots with gradually stepping emission from violet to deep red. (credit: Antipoff/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Once thought impossible to make, quantum dots have become a common component in computer monitors, TV screens, and LED lamps, among other uses. Three of the scientists who pioneered these colorful nanocrystals—Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov—have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.” The news had already leaked in the Swedish news media—a rare occurrence—when Johan Aqvist, chair of the Academy’s Nobel committee for chemistry, made the official announcement, complete with five flasks containing quantum dots of many colors lined up before him as a visual aid.
A quantum dot is a small semiconducting bead with a few tens of atoms in diameter. Billions could fit on the head of a pin, and the smaller you can make them, the better. At those small scales, quantum effects kick in and give the dots superior electrical and optical properties. They glow brightly when zapped with light, and the color of that light is determined by the size of the quantum dots. Bigger dots emit redder light; smaller dots emit bluer light. So, you can tailor quantum dots to specific frequencies of light just by changing their size.
Physicists had thought since the 1930s that particles at the nanoscale would behave differently. That’s because, according to quantum mechanics, there is much less space for electrons when particles are that small, squeezing electrons together so tightly that material properties can change dramatically. Scientists succeeded in making nanoscale-thin films on top of bulk materials in the 1970s that had size-dependent optical properties, in keeping with those earlier predictions. But making those films required ultra-high vacuum conditions and temperatures near absolute zero, so nobody expected them to have much practical use.
Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Colorful quantum dots snag 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Android users rejoice, you’re finally being treated with the dignity you deserve. Google announced a couple of cool things at their Pixel event today. One of the smaller announcements that stood out was regarding the software policy for the Pixel 8. Google guarantees seven years of OS updates for its latest phone.…
Source: Gizmodo – You Get Seven Years of OS Updates with the New Pixel 8
Before the explosion of streaming services, watching a rousing cricket match could be a sticky wicket in the United States, but these days, it’s easy, mate. Badgers (extreme cricket fans) can watch all 48 matches from cricket’s ICC ODI World Cup from their living rooms, even if they don’t have cable TV, so there’s no…
Source: LifeHacker – Where to Stream the 2023 Cricket World Cup
Alongside the Pixel 8 and Android 14, Google today launched the new Pixel Watch 2 — a $350 second-gen smartwatch featuring a faster processor, overhauled sensor array, and longer battery life. The Verge reports: At a glance, the main difference is that the screen sits flush with the digital crown, where the original had a slight cutout. Another change imperceptible to the naked eye: the body is now made of 100 percent recycled aluminum instead of stainless steel. The result is a slightly lighter watch, but not by much. The Pixel Watch weighed 36 grams, while the Pixel Watch 2 is 31g. That’s a bit disappointing, considering the Watch 2’s price remains the same as last year. We’re looking at the same 41mm case size and OLED display on top. But flip the watch over, and you’ll find a completely different sensor array. Instead of a single line of LEDs, there are now multiple LEDs and photodiodes to take measurements from several angles and positions. That then feeds into an algorithm that Fitbit CEO James Park says is 40 percent more accurate for vigorous activities.
This year, Google also added a skin temperature and continuous electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor. Both help enable proactive stress tracking, which Fitbit introduced with its Sense 2. The EDA sensor detects minuscule amounts of sweat, which can help determine bodily stress when combined with metrics like heart rate variability, heart rate, and skin temperature. As with the Sense 2, you’re supposed to get a slightly delayed notification when a stressful event has been detected. You’re then encouraged to log how that event made you feel. Battery life was a major pain point when the Pixel Watch first launched. Park acknowledges that you couldn’t use the always-on display on the first-gen watch if you wanted that 24-hour battery life. This time around, he says that the team has worked hard to make sure the Pixel Watch 2’s 306mAh battery can get 24 hours with the always-on display enabled. Users should also be able to get a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes and a full day’s worth in 75 minutes. Helping that should be Wear OS 4 — which Google says ought to extend battery life — and the new, more power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 processor. (Speaking of Wear OS 4, Google says that, at first, it’ll be exclusive to Pixel Watch 2.) Other features include the ability to automatically record workouts and do heart rate zone training; a new Safety Check feature that will alert your loved ones of your location after a preset timer expires (e.g. taking an Uber across town or going on a late-night walk); and support for Google services like Gmail, Google Wallet, and Calendar.
You can learn more about the Pixel Watch 2 here.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – The Pixel Watch 2 Adds New Sensors, Longer Battery Life, and Better Accuracy
French police arrested five former Ubisoft employees this week for sexual assault and harassment allegations dating back to 2020. The French newspaper, Libération, first reported that police detained two chief executives on Wednesday while another three were arrested the previous day following a year-long…
Source: Gizmodo – French Police Arrest Five Former Ubisoft Execs Over Sexual Harassment Allegations
In Star Wars, nothing is ever really gone, especially if you’re a contemporary streaming show on Disney+ and are in need of another callback to the wider saga. This week’s Ahsoka finale gave us one such callback in its final moments, setting the stage for a fascinating arc—one rooted in Star Wars’ most esoteric Force…
Source: Gizmodo – Ahsoka Dropped One Last Major Star Wars Mystery on Us
The eBPF in-kernel virtual machine is
approaching its tenth anniversary as part of Linux; it has grown into a
tool with many types of uses in the ecosystem. Alexei Starovoitov, who
was the creator of eBPF and did much of the development of it, especially
in the early going, gave the opening talk at
Linux
Security Summit Europe 2023 on the relationship between BPF and
security. In it, he related some interesting history, from a somewhat
different perspective than what is often described, he said. Among other
things, it shows how BPF
has been both a security problem and a security solution along the way.
Source: LWN.net – [$] BPF and security
The animal kingdom is a dynamic place, filled with action, splendor, and drama. But freeze any one moment in time, and creatures’ behavior can become hilarious. These images represent the final shortlist of the 2023 annual Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards competition. Previous finalists have included a lion…
Source: Gizmodo – The Top Comedy Wildlife Photos of 2023
Google hosted its Pixel 8 event today and announced several interesting developments. Their newly-released Pixel 8 phones were the star of the event, with the Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Watch 2 bringing up the rear. There were also a few announcements on AI, Android 14, and the Bard Assistant.
Source: Gizmodo – Everything Google Announced at Its Big Pixel Event
The Google Pixel Watch 2 looks to build off everything that Google did right with the original Pixel Watch, which was released in 2022. But how does the second generation of the wearable stand up against the first? Is it worth upgrading? Here are the big differences between the two Google-branded wearables.
Source: LifeHacker – The Differences Between the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2
Enlarge (credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg)
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon, alleging that the online retailer was illegally maintaining a monopoly. Much of the FTC’s complaint against Amazon was redacted, but The Wall Street Journal yesterday revealed key details obscured in the complaint regarding a secret algorithm. The FTC alleged that Amazon once used the algorithm to raise prices across the most popular online shopping destinations.
People familiar with the FTC’s allegations in the complaint told the Journal that it all started when Amazon developed an algorithm code-named “Project Nessie.” It allegedly works by manipulating rivals’ weaker pricing algorithms and locking competitors into higher prices. The controversial algorithm was allegedly used for years and helped Amazon to “improve its profits on items across shopping categories” and “led competitors to raise their prices and charge customers more,” the WSJ reported.
The FTC’s complaint said:
Read 24 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Report: Amazon made B with secret algorithm for spiking prices Internet-wide
A new report claims that Sega’s recently canceled online extraction shooter, Hyenas, was the publisher’s most expensive game production ever, beating out even Sega AM2’s historically pricey adventure game Shenmue, which famously cost $70 million in turn-of-the-century dollars to develop.
Source: Kotaku – Report: Sega Just Canceled Its Most Expensive Game Ever
Major fossil fuel companies have committed tens of millions of pounds in funding to UK universities since 2022, it can be revealed, despite many of these institutions having actively pledged to divest from oil and gas. From a report: According to freedom of information requests submitted by the climate journalism site DeSmog, more than $50m in research agreements, tuition fees, scholarships, grants and consultancy fees have been pledged to 44 UK universities by 32 oil, coal and gas companies since 2022. The largest contributors were Shell, the Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas, and BP. These three companies account for more than 76% of the total figure awarded, having given $25.5m, $6.30m and $5.94m respectively.
A further 10 companies made up nearly 21% of the remaining contributions during this period: Sinopec, Equinor, BHP Group, Total Energies, Eni SPA, Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Scottish Power, Kellas Midstream and Ithaca Energy. Previous reporting from openDemocracy and the Guardian found that between 2017 and December 2021, $108.1m in funding was given to UK universities by some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies. These partnerships have shown no sign of abating, and DeSmog’s research shows an additional $50m has been pledged since 2022, even after 102 higher education institutions promised to stop taking funding from the fossil fuel industry.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – UK Universities Take Million in Fossil Fuel Funding Since 2022
Part of what makes going to a Disney park so magical is trying to figure out how any of it is possible. How do the structures of the rides blend so perfectly into the park? How do they launch fireworks like this every night? Who’s making all of this food? Disney normally prefers to keep all of that a mystery but it doe…
Source: Gizmodo – Dissect Disney Rides and More With the Trailer for Behind the Attraction Season 2
New World, Amazon Games’ fantasy MMO, has finally added horses to its previously horseless (and entirely mountless) setting of Aeternum. First released in 2021, New World has had players clamoring for rideable critters ever since, and although the privilege of straddling a horse, lion, or other mount, available only…
Source: Kotaku – Amazon MMO Finally Adds Horses, Skyrockets In Popularity
