If there can be such a thing as bureaucratic “shock and awe,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin tried to unleash it Wednesday.
He unveiled the Trump administration’s widely anticipated assault on regulation on all fronts at once, announcing 31 separate actions to roll back restrictions on air and water pollution, hand over more authority to states and relinquish EPA’s mandate to act on climate change under the Clean Air Act.
“These announcements represent the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States,” an EPA representative wrote in one of a slew of press releases. Zeldin said the moves would lower the cost of living, create jobs and revitalize the economy. In a video posted on the social media site X, Zeldin exulted over the plan to rescind the EPA’s 16-year-old determination that greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare, known as the endangerment finding.
Some guys ponder the Roman Empire. I prefer to think about what Achilles meant when he encountered Odysseus in the underworld and told him he’d rather have lived a slave than died a hero. I’m not a history buff, but I have a massive affection for ancient Greek history and literature. Christopher Nolan directing an…
The US Environmental Protection Agency is throwing out fuel economy regulations that were planned to go into effect from 2026 through 2032. The new regulations would have required automakers to sell many more electric vehicles than they currently do, although due to lobbying, the previous administration softened the rules to allow for more plug-in hybrid EVs alongside battery EVs.
This was widely expected to happen; the first Trump administration was tireless in its attempts to roll back vehicle pollution controls. Then, its argument in favor of more pollution was that fuel economy standards would kill people. Now, things are less strident: We will suffer more smog and climate change in the name of consumer freedom.
“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration. As we reconsider nearly one trillion dollars of regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
XR Games, the studio behind Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded (2024) and Starship Troopers Continuum (2024), announced a new rhythm game for Quest called BEATABLE, which uses hand-tracking to turn any table into a musical instrument.
Matching up your physical environment with a virtual one is usually pretty immersive on its own, as you can ‘feel’ the world around you for another layer of suspended disbelief.
Now, Beatable takes it one step further by letting you use your own table as a musical instrument, so you can physically tap, snap, and clap to the beat using just your hands—a sort of “real-world haptics” that controller-based rhythm games simply can’t provide.
But no controllers here, as Beatable is a hand-tracking-only game, which promises fast calibration for precise and responsive hand-tracking—pretty important when you need to hit the beat right on for full marks.
VR YouTuber and a rhythm action expert ‘Naysy’ has also signed on to help out XR Games, offering gameplay insights throughout development, and appearing in the game’s trailer (seen above).
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been so addicted to a rhythm game. I absolutely love VR rhythm games and I think BEATABLE really offers a unique take on the genre,” says Naysy. “The physical interaction paired with hand tracking just makes perfect sense and creates a truly fun immersive experience. I’m in love with this game and can’t wait for everyone to experience it.”
Beatable is slated to launch in early access on April 10th on Quest 2 and above. Pre-orders are now live, priced at a 10% discount, bringing the game to $9.
Britain’s competition watchdog has concluded that Apple and Google are stifling competition in the UK mobile browser market, following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The inquiry found Apple’s iOS policies particularly restrictive, requiring all browsers to use its WebKit engine while giving Safari preferential access to features.
Apple’s practice of pre-installing Safari as the default browser also reduces awareness of alternatives, despite allowing users to change defaults. Google faces similar criticism for pre-installing Chrome on most Android devices, though investigators noted both companies have recently taken steps to facilitate browser switching. The probe identified Apple’s revenue-sharing arrangement with Google — which pays a significant share of search revenue to be the default iPhone search engine — as “significantly reducing their financial incentives to compete.”
Your neighbor might be all smug after bringing home a 98-inch TV to host last season’s Super Bowl party, but if you want to one-up him, Samsung is offering a totally bonkers bundle just in time for March Madness, the annual NCAA college basketball single-elimination tournament. Called the Buzzer Beater Bundle, Samsung is packaging up a whopping
This is no time to be making inferior scrambled eggs—each shell must be cracked with a purpose and cooked to perfection. While you’ve probably scrambled a good few eggs in your time, it’s important to know that there are multiple ways to set up your scramble, and each way delivers a different result. Find out if you’ve actually been scrambling up the perfect egg, or if you need to switch your method.
Heat and added ingredients
There are plenty of ingredients that can alter the texture of your eggs, so I wanted to keep the components consistent to zoom in on which texture results from each scrambling tool (whisk, fork, immersion blender, and jar shaking).
The addition of mix-ins like chopped meat, herbs, or cheese and using water, milk, cream or nothing at all can change things (some more than others). Of course, it depends on what you’re hungry for that day, but I will say this: too much of any liquid can lead to rubbery scrambled eggs. In an effort to evaporate the excess moisture you may resort to cooking the eggs longer and the proteins will constrict until they’re tight and chewy. Always use a small amount if you use any liquid at all, about a teaspoon per two eggs.
If you’re completely starting from scratch with how you like to cook scrambled eggs, then you might want to read a bit more about cooking them low and slow or hot and fast. Low and slow can lead to more custardy eggs with tiny, porridge-like curds. Hot and fast will give you larger hunks of egg.
How to scramble your favorite eggs
In these tests I prepared the mixture the same way every time—two eggs with a half-teaspoon of heavy cream and a pinch of salt—and cooked them in a lightly buttered pan over low heat just bridging on medium. I was surprised to note the results. There is no wrong scrambled egg, by the way. Some folks like them dry and some like them custardy. Either way, here’s how to achieve the best one for you.
Regular fork scramble
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I expected this to yield the most clumpy egg, and firm pieces. Surprisingly, a classic fork scramble for 20 to 30 seconds yields a soft, medium curd. Compared to the immersion blender and the whisk, fork scrambling is actually a pretty gentle way to handle your eggs. The eggs ended up tender and silky.
Immersion blender
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
As expected, running the immersion blender for 30 seconds created a heavily aerated mixture—the egg liquid nearly doubled in volume in that short blending time. This resulted in quick-cooking, fluffy ribbons of egg. The fine bubbles cooked quickly along the sides of the pan and naturally I’d swipe along the sides to stir them into the center. This scramble was more firm and fluffy and the texture was light.
Shake ‘em in a jar
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I don’t usually shake my eggs, but I might start. My eggs, salt, and cream went into a small jar (an old amarena cherry jar from Trader Joe’s. IYKYK.) and I shook the heck out of it for about 30 seconds (with the lid on, of course). Even though I shook it vigorously, this method is one of the more gentle scrambling methods. Instead of using a metal tool, which adds air to the mix, the jar contains the eggs as they break up against the walls.
This scramble was soft and silky, even more so than with using a fork. It’s easier to get small curds with this mixing style. I didn’t go full-porridge here, but if you do like a creamy, porridge consistency then you should start jar-shakin’ and cook them on very low heat.
Whisked
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I expected whisked eggs to be similar to fork-scrambled, but things turned out differently again. Quickly whisking my eggs led to similar results to using the immersion—firm, fluffy ribbons. You can see that the ribbons are shorter (more like chips) than what the immersion blender produced. I could argue that they were less firm than the immersion, but if I had to do a blind taste test, I’d probably confuse the two.
The pattern from these four tests comes down to aeration. The more you agitate your eggs and add air bubbles to them, the fluffier and firmer they will be. Obviously the immersion blender has a lot of power behind it so you’ll get plenty of foam with an appliance like this. The whisk is designed to whip air into liquids so, again, more foam.
The more gentle you are with your scramble—a four-tined fork or a simple shake—keeps your egg mixture tender and silky, with fewer bubbles incorporated. I thought I’d be immersion blending my scramble from here on out, but I very well might become a jar shaker. Life is unpredictable, isn’t it?
This is a video of guitarist Mat of Artificial Fear performing a heavy metal cover of the theme song from ‘Severance’. It’s a tasty jam (like strawberry balsamic or peach apricot). I’m actually in the process of rewatching the first season of ‘Severance’ with my girlfriend’s intention of binging Season 2 as soon as it’s all released. Because if there’s one thing she loves to do, it’s tear through a show we waited 3 years be released in just two days. Personally, I like to savor and marinate on the things I watch, but she’s like a puppy who just ripped open a bag of dog food while its owners are away.
Wireless dropper posts are one of the most effective upgrades you can make to your mountain bike, with effortless actuation and little required maintenance making them easy to live with.
The only problem is the price, with even the cheapest models costing £400 / $500.
OnlyMotion has set out to fix this with its wireless electronic conversion kit.
The brand says the device enables you to upgrade your existing dropper post, providing instant, effortless control.
OnlyMotion is currently seeking backing on Kickstarter for the wireless actuator, with early-bird buyers able to secure the device for $174.
Wireless upgrade
The brand says the actuator is strong enough to lift 200 times its own weight. OnlyMotion
OnlyMotion says the patent-pending actuator integrates directly into the seat tube, shielding it from dirt and water, ensuring long-term reliability in all conditions.
It is also IPX7-rated, meaning it should be able to deal with wet winter trails.
The system works using a brushless motor that actuates the dropper post in the seat tube. This is then connected to a remote on the handlebar.
It appears the production model is fully wireless. OnlyMotion
OnlyMotion says the system is wireless, but in some teaser trailers, the actuator and remote appear to be connected via wire, while in others they look to use a wireless network.
The remote looks practical, with the paddle not exposed to damage, unlike some other designs. OnlyMotion
The wireless remote itself is ring-shaped and made from 7075 aluminum, featuring a large paddle that should help with easy activation.
An LED indicator on the remote shows battery information, as well as connectivity status.
The brand says the device is currently compatible with the Fox Transfer, Bontrager Line, Race Face Turbine R and OneUp V2 & V3 posts, with more to follow in the near future.
Dropper insertion is already an issue on some frames. Andy Lloyd / Our Media
While the brand says the device is compatible with a host of dropper posts, that’s not to say it will work with your setup, because the extra length added to the post may cause insertion issues depending on your frame.
The device charges via USB-C and is said to last for 150 hours of riding per charge, which OnlyMotion equates to 4,000 actuations.
OnlyMotion says charging is fast, with 10 minutes giving the system enough juice for a day’s riding.
Although most people will just take new Street Fighter 6 characters through Arcade mode or online, that isn’t the only new content added with them. They also become available in the World Tour mode, making it possible for your Avatar character to become their disciple. Increasing your bond with them will give you fun…
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max may be getting vapor chamber cooling to optimize the performance of their A19 Pro processors, according to a leaked source. If true, this will prove that Apple is finally taking CPU throttling seriously (especially due to heat build-up over time when playing AAA games or rendering video). This is one area where
A slab of rock at an Australian high school, a boulder in a parking lot, and a bookend in a private collection feature 200-million-year-old dinosaur footprints.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has determined that the country’s mobile browser markets are “not working well for consumers and businesses” and “holding back innovation.” Most of the watchdog’s ire is directed at Apple for policies such as requiring mobile browsers to use its engine, WebKit and, thus, limiting competitor’s abilities to differentiate from Apple. The report also points out that Safari has received access to key functions of WebKit and the operating system, earlier or to a greater extent than its competitors. This final report ends an investigation that began nearly four years ago.
The CMA released a preliminary report in November, but has since removed two issues, thanks to updates from Apple, along with Google. In December, a software update at Apple changed how people can swap their default browser, while Google shared new evidence around its prompts created to encourage Android users to have Chrome as their default browser.
The concerns around limiting innovation and growth remain. The independent inquiry group in charge of the final report, however, pulls its recommendation from another ongoing probe. In January, the CMA began investigating whether Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems, including their mobile browsers, should be given Strategic Market Status (SMS). This designation would allow the CMA to have greater regulatory powers over Apple and Google, as well as issuing pro-competition directives.
If Apple and Google do receive an SMS designation, then the inquiry group recommends the CMA imposes “measures which could enhance the ability of other browsers to compete by offering new, innovative features to consumers, as well as enabling users actively to choose their preferred mobile browser which could drive competition.” It could take until the fall for the CMA to make a decision on Apple and Google’s SMS status. It’s unclear what, if any, steps the watchdog might take in the meantime to mitigate this report’s concerns.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-watchdog-finds-apples-mobile-browser-policies-are-restricting-innovation-140049033.html?src=rss
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Practicing a new language can be fun, but premium language apps can be expensive. Babbel makes it easier with practical, bite-sized lessons designed for real-life use, focusing on conversations you’d actually have—ordering food, chatting with the locals, asking for directions (read PCMag’s in-depth review of Babbel to learn more—and right now, its lifetime subscription is on sale for a huge discount. Normally $599, it’s currently 71% off on StackSocial, bringing the price down to $169.99, plus you can use the promo code LEARN40 to knock off another $40, dropping the final price to just $129.99. The sale ends March 23. That’s a one-time payment—no recurring fees, no monthly charges—for lifetime access to all 14 languages (including French, German, Italian, and Spanish), making it cheaper than Babbel’s regular one-year plan at $215.40 (usually discounted).
Babbel’s lessons take just 10 to 15 minutes, so you can easily squeeze your practice into a commute or coffee break. And, unlike other language-learning apps that rely on repetitive vocabulary drills or random gamified exercises, Babbel follows a structured, linguist-designed curriculum that progressively increases in difficulty, so you don’t plateau after the basics (earning itself a place in PCMag’s “The Best Language Learning Apps for 2025” roundup). Plus, it’s not just passive learning—you get writing, speaking, and listening exercises with speech recognition technology to fine-tune your pronunciation, creating a far more immersive experience. Of course, dedication is still key, and no app will make you fluent overnight, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, this Babbel lifetime subscription gives you the tools to succeed—without the burden of ongoing costs.
Parents who are worried about their children being on Roblox should not let them use it, the chief executive of the gigantic gaming platform has said. From a report: The site, which is the most popular in the UK among young gamers aged eight to 12, has been dogged by claims of some children being exposed to explicit or harmful content through its games, alongside multiple reported allegations of bullying and grooming.
But its co-founder and CEO Dave Baszucki insisted that the company is vigilant in protecting its users and pointed out that “tens of millions” of people have “amazing experiences” on the site. When asked what his message is to parents who don’t want their children on the platform, Mr Baszucki said: “My first message would be, if you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox.” […] “That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions,” he told BBC News in an exclusive interview.
Spectre Divide is a neat tactical shooter that struggled after server issues at launch, mixed reviews on Steam, and $90 shop skins that rankled some players. It’s now shutting down less than a month after coming to consoles and just over a year after securing $30 million in investment funding.
With Mythic Realms, developer Petricore has created a novel and compelling MR/VR game which successfully blends multiple genres and play modes into something special.
The game’s hook is the way it transforms everyday spaces into magical places through its innovative use of mixed reality. In Mythic Realms, the player’s living room becomes the backdrop for a Tolkien-esque fantasy in which antagonistic goblins and deadly dragons perch on your couch just as easily as the family cat. With weapon in hand, it’s up to us to hack and slash our way through roguelite combat that’s hectic and challenging.
Equally welcome is the way the game balances the physically intense combat of its MR part with the relaxed crafting and kingdom-building found in its more traditional VR part.
The Facts
What is it?: A genre-blending mixed reality roguelite fantasy RPG which brings adventure into the player’s living room. Platforms: Meta Quest (Reviewed on Quest 3S) Release Date: March 13th, 2025 Developer: Petricore Price:$19.99
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We leave our VR kingdom to enter MR combat and do some fishing.(Captured by UploadVR on Quest 3S)
The Gameplay Loop
Mythic Realms’ gameplay loop will be familiar to those who’ve played roguelite games before, albeit with an MR/VR twist.
We begin in a central hub, which in Mythic Realms is a fully realized VR kingdom. At first, it’s an unestablished place— just a small assembly of homes. But from this initially humble village we’re at least able to choose our starting equipment, accept quests, and launch into an expedition to one of four biomes.
These expeditions are where the bulk of Mythic Realms gameplay takes place, and where the game shifts to its impressive and novel mixed reality mode. This is also where we begin the roguelite portion of the experience, wherein we fight monsters, mine and gather resources, and try our best to survive and defeat the boss of the biome.
When our expedition ends, either by choice or by taking one too many enemy arrows to the neck, we return home to our VR kingdom. Here we unload any gathered resources and gold, and use these currencies to grow our kingdom.
Wood hewn from the forest and ore mined from the living rock can be used for buildings, bridges, and to further expand the kingdom. Resources can also be used to craft new and better weapons and armor items in an interesting race-against-the-clock mini-game which involves hammering and cutting with both hands. Fish, caught during expeditions, keep the kingdom’s ever-growing population fed and happy, a status which is also achieved by fulfilling quests.
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Mythic Realms- Crafting in VR (Captured by UploadVR on Quest 3S)
It’s a classic gameplay loop, and one which effectively incentivizes the inherent fun of the game. Kill stuff, mine stuff, and craft stuff so that we can kill scarier stuff, mine tougher stuff, and craft cooler stuff, ad nauseam.
Similar also to many roguelite games, there are consequences for failure. If we successfullyescape the biome, either by leaving via the rare and optional escape points which sometimes appear mid-run, or by defeating the final boss, we get to keep all the gear and loot that we’ve collected. But if we die, we lose all our gear (though not our loot) and are forced to return ill-equipped and embarrassed to the kingdom.
We repeat this until we eventually unlock all three biomes, and a fourth mystery zone with its final boss.
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Mythic Realms- Resource gathering in MR (Captured by UploadVR on Quest 3S)
How’s it Feel?
Mythic Realms’ most interesting feature is its MR gameplay, which transforms whatever space the player is occupying into, well, a mythical realm!
At launch, the game prompted me to map my surroundings. This required walking around my living room for about 30 seconds. Then the game gave me the option of fine-tuning the spacial map for increased accuracy, or to manually add any furniture that the system may have missed. I chose to make no map adjustments for two reasons: I wanted to see how Mythic Realms and my Quest 3S would handle mapping the space on its own, and I’m lazy. Luckily, the auto-mapping worked great.
Within just a few moments, I launched into the game’s first biome. Here my living room transformed into a leafy forest. Trees sprouted alongside my basset hound’s bed. Ivy climbed over the top of the open walls and draped along my fireplace mantle. A treasure chest spawned atop my coffee table and delicate wildflowers sprouted from the seams of my hardwood floors.
The effect is simple, and it’s not always perfect. Sometimes objects get clipped awkwardly, and occasionally things were misaligned. But there’s something special about the space you live in every day transforming into something magical and wild.
Three mystical emblems hovered in places around the room. Touching any of these emblems launches one of several different event types. For example, grabbing an axe or pick will cause a giant tree or rock to sprout somewhere in the play area. Approach these and slash with the pick or the axe and we can gather wood and ore. The fishing pole creates a magical spring full of fish; grab the rod and reel and we can enjoy a timing-based fishing mini game. A treasure chest gives up some gold, and emblems for shopkeepers and heroes offer their own special rewards.
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Mythic Realms- Combat in MR (Captured by UploadVR on Quest 3S)
Then there’s the most important event emblem— the sword! This begins a combat phase. Depending on the biome and how far along we are in our quest, combat phases present a variety of types and quantities of enemies. Early on, we may fight a single skeleton knight or a simple slime. Later, we’re swarmed by flying dragons, wraiths, and a team of skeletons all with different attack traits, and all at the same time. They materialize out of the air, or claw their way through the floor, or lurch incongruously from behind a couch.
The first time I saw a skeleton knight, I was startled. Though the game’s general aesthetic is whimsical and cartoony, the sheer size of the monster and the speed of its approach were daunting in ways that I didn’t anticipate.
Then I remembered I was holding a sword.
Combat is straightforward and engaging, with a few interesting wrinkles. Enemies approach, attack, and shield themselves in predictable ways, but a “critical strike” game mechanic adds depth and variety. These critical strike zones are marked with small targeting reticles, and by striking a goblin on its long, pointy ear or shooting a skeleton in the knee, for instance, that enemy may be staggered or stunned.
This isn’t as easy as it sounds, and combat quickly becomes hectic in later stages where the play area is simply swarming with enemies. I exercise daily, but halfway through my run through the first biome, I realized I was sweating. (Let’s see you stay cool when a mage, knight, and archer are all trying to kill you in your living room.) Mythic never reaches Beat Saber levels of caloric burn, but there is some cardio burn to be found here.
Comfort
Mythic Realms uses artificial stick-based locomotion for movement in VR mode. In the game’s primary MR mode, movement is handled by moving in a real-life space. The game would be challenging to play seated, if not impossible.
VR Movement Mode Options:
Vignette enabled by default
Snap Turning (in 30, 45 and 90 degree rotations) disabled by default
Teleport disabled by default
Weapons come in three class types for melee, magic, and ranged, and each brings their own dynamics and tactics. These can be upgraded mid-run, or entirely new weapons can be bestowed on the player in special circumstances. My bow and arrow, for instance, were upgraded to dual-wield crossbows, letting me finally live out the Legolas-to-John Wick transformation fantasies I never knew I had.
Our equipment, HP, and stats are intelligently displayed in a hovering HUD along with a roadmap which shows our place in the biome, how many events we’ve completed, and how many must still be completed before we reach the biome’s boss.
This roadmap also displays symbols which give an idea of upcoming major events, including potential exit points from which we can flee to our kingdom, extra-difficult enemy events, shopkeeper spawn points, and more. This lends light strategy elements to the gameplay and creates a risk/reward calculation that’s critical to any good roguelite.
Do we stay and fight to gather that next rare item that we know is just a zone or two away, or do we get out while we can? Do we have enough HP to take down the boss, or would it be smarter to regroup and live to fight another day?
Mythic Realms Review – Final Verdict
Mythic Realms is a compelling MR combat game, a casual kingdom-building and item-crafting sim, and a moderately strategic roguelite all at once. It looks beautiful, sounds great, and transforms our everyday space into one which is magical and fantastic.
UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.
