Blackfire

What makes an NUC, an NUC? The acronym stands for Next Unit of Computing, and it was created as an attempt by Intel to completely reinvent what a computer is at its core. Mostly NUCs were about squeezing a whole PC's worth of components into a tiny, compact chassis. But that's not strictly true of the new Intel NUC 13 Extreme. It's comparatively massive compared to the NUCs we've seen before. The NUC 13 Extreme is about as big as some weak-hearted enterprise PCs—think of your run-of-the-mill HP office unit. That means it's definitely smaller than your average gaming PC but a big size creep on the small form factor Hades Canyon NUC I've tried out in the past. That Hades Canyon NUC really was a beautiful piece of kit, but it wasn't half as powerful as the NUC 13 Extreme. The NUC 13 Extreme is extremely well-provisioned for something of a small form factor PC. That's partially due to its cleverly routed case, which offers ample room for a high-end graphics card, a 750W PSU, and the Compute Element. The Compute Element within the NUC 13 Extreme is the more NUC-like piece of the NUC 13 Extreme. It encompasses an Intel Core i9 13900K CPU, custom motherboard, 32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM RAM, Wi-Fi card, 1TB SSD, and I/O provided by the Z690 chipset. That's all on a single, removable board, and is basically what comprises any other NUC in its entirety, but the NUC 13 Extreme also sees Intel jam a whole RTX 3080 Ti inside for serious gaming performance. CPU: Intel Core i9 13900K GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti RAM: 32GB DDR5-4800 Kingston SO-DIMM SSD: 1TB Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Type-C ports | 6x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (rear) | 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (front) | 1x USB Gen2x2 Type-C (front) | Wi-Fi 6E | 3.5mm jack Price: $1,698for barebones kit (no GPU, SSD, Memory, or OS) / $3,368 for RTX 4070 Ti version That's what you get with the NUC 13 Extreme: beefy gaming performance. This NUC offers up a slot for a discrete graphics card, up to a length of 313mm, a triple-slot, and 450W power demand. That means you can feasibly fit pretty much any modern graphics card in the NUC 13 Extreme, even an RTX 4080 Founders Edition, which I may have installed for entertainment purposes. It even has a 12VHPWR connector should that be of any use for your choice of GPU Intel's provisioned the particular NUC I have for testing with an RTX 3080 Ti. It's no slouch. That card is a bit of a menace when it comes to 4K gaming, delivering 1440p easily in excess of a 144Hz refresh rate for the most part, and more than playable 4K frame rates. I love the NUC 13 Extreme for its unassuming and diminutive design but how it also rips through most games you throw at it. I can't find many ways to fault the NUC 13's design. The graphics card is mounted outwards on the other side to warm your feet while you game, but generally runs pretty cool. It definitely benefits from being a very compartmentalised PC—the graphics card isn't choking for air—though admittedly there is no case fan actually blowing over the graphics card, which can make it run a little hotter with increased ambient temperature.

With each new year we get a new version of Android, and this year it’s Android 14’s turn. So you can expect a major upgrade to your phone, with new features and potentially a new look, once Android 14 – or Android Upside Down Cake as it’s codenamed – rolls out. We’ve probably got a while to wait until it does formally arrive, but the operating system update has already been announced, and a Developer Preview of it is now available. We’re expecting that public betas will likely launch soon too, and with them, we'll likely learn a lot more about what’s in store. Below, you’ll find details of when Android 14 might launch in both beta and finished forms, along with all the other information we have about Android 14 so far; both rumored and confirmed. As soon as we hear anything new we’ll also add it to this article, so check back soon for updates. We’ve probably got a while to wait until it does formally arrive, but the operating system update has already been announced, and a Developer Preview of it is now available. We’re expecting that public betas will likely launch soon too, and with them, we'll likely learn a lot more about what’s in store. Below, you’ll find details of when Android 14 might launch in both beta and finished forms, along with all the other information we have about Android 14 so far; both rumored and confirmed. As soon as we hear anything new we’ll also add it to this article, so check back soon for updates. Google has revealed a timeline for the roll out of Android 14 versions, with the first public beta expected to land sometime in April, so that’s the earliest we’d suggest trying it out, and even then you should be prepared for bugs and unfinished features. The final beta is planned for July, with the actual finished release not being given a month yet in the timeline, but August or September seems likely, as there’s unlikely to be a huge gap between the final beta and the finished release. Plus, August and September have been the most common release months for new Android versions in recent years – though Android 12 didn’t launch until October of its release year. Another important date to note is May 10, as that’s when the Google IO 2023 developer conference is scheduled to take place. We’ll likely see one of the betas roll out there, with new features possibly also set to be announced at this event.

Name of the game: Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice Price: $29.99 Link Store:HERE Offer ends up after X hours:Offer ends 30 March Requirements: MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 8 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit Processor: Intel Core i3-2100 | AMD FX-6300 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 | AMD Radeon HD 7950 DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 25 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX 11 Compatible RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 8 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K | AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | AMD Radeon RX 570 DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 25 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX 11 Compatible

Nick Movie: Control Time:2022 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: Netflix Duration of the movie:1h 30m Trailer:

The latest round of model-year updates for the F-Type will be the last as Jaguar gears up for an all-electric future. Production is expected to cease in early 2024, and that will mark the end not only of the F-Type but three-quarters of a century of the British brand building petrol-engined sports cars – a history that stretches all the way back to the XK120 of 1948. It’s a legacy of which Jaguar is rightly very proud. It's also a milestone that was too good to miss for Jag’s marketing department, and that largely explains the existence of the new F-Type 75. There has been little in the way of re-engineering here; this is effectively the same facelifted car that went on sale in 2020, save for a few software tweaks to meet the latest round of emissions standards. Instead, the F-Type 75 has what Jaguar describes as a ‘carefully curated’ specification. Gloss black 20in alloy wheels (five-spoke on this P450 and 10–spoke on the more powerful P575 R) fill the arches, while the badge on the grille has also been painted black (it was previously red). There’s more: Giola Green metallic paint (pictured) joins the colour palette, 12-way adjustable Windsor leather seats (heated and cooled) now come as standard and there’s a handful of F-Type silhouettes on the front wings, sill plates and dashboard. Nothing that’s going to elevate the F-Type above newer, more capable offerings, then, but this is a timely opportunity to reconsider if a generously equipped V8 F-Type is still a good buy (if you want a V8, it will be a 75 edition, although the 2.0-litre P300 remains on sale in lower-spec R-Dynamic form). The supercharged 5.0-litre engine is as strong as ever. We drove the 444bhp F-Type P450 Convertible in rear-wheel-drive form, understudy to the indecently rapid 567bhp P575 R. The lesser motor needs plenty of revs before really coming alive, but that just means you can leave your foot in for longer and enjoy the noise it makes Since the introduction of a petrol particulate filter a few years back, driving an F-Type hard is no longer quite the eardrum-maiming experience it once was. These things are relative, though: this is still a hilariously loud car, especially with the sports exhaust turned up to full volume and particularly when there’s no roof getting in the way. It’s as quick as you would really want it to be, too, because the F-Type isn’t really the lightweight, nimble-footed type of sports car. With fluids and a driver, the Convertible P450 is knocking on the door of 1800kg (for context, the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS weighs 1480kg and the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet 1650kg), and that conspires with other factors to prevent the Jag from conjuring the last word on outright agility and poise. Dial in Dynamic mode and you feel the suspension stiffen and the steering weight up, but there’s still a hint of softness about the handling responses that you wouldn’t experience in, say, the 911 Cabriolet. Crucially, though, while this does slow you down a bit along acutely meandering roads, it doesn’t detract from what’s fundamentally a playful and engaging experience. Despite those 20in rims, the F-Type 75 rides fairly quietly and, when the dampers are set to Normal mode, with a good degree of suppleness. Long distances are dispatched agreeably, where the softer side of the car’s chassis tune comes into its own. The tiny wind deflector between the roll hoops does an admirable job of keeping out bluster, too. If you’re tempted by the F-Type’s old-school charms, I reckon a hard or soft-top P450 in rear-drive form is the way to go. The range-topping R (especially the Coupé) is a more serious machine but also has a much more serious price tag of north of £100,000. That sort of money that would get you a lot of 911. Not that the P450 is exactly a bargain: it’s still priced well above the Boxster GTS. Discounts will narrow that gap significantly, though, and the F-Type’s more relaxed, easygoing nature, noisier (if not necessarily stronger) performance and enduring elegance gives it almost as much appeal today as a decade ago. . [https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/jaguar/f-type/first-drives/jaguar-f-type-convertible-75-p450-rwd]

A calf who tore through the streets of Brooklyn after escaping his fate at a slaughterhouse earlier this week has been taken in by a New Jersey animal sanctuary, where he will get to live out his life. Stewie, a roughly 4-month-old calf, brought chaos to Canarsie on Tuesday, with video showing him dodging cars and a crowd of people who frantically chased after him. It was not clear exactly how he managed to escape, but the calf could be seen repeatedly evading his pursuers. Workers at a nearby pizza shop joined the pursuit, with Vincent Fontana, manager of Original Pizza, telling NBC New York he was concerned about the calf getting hit by a car and didn't want anyone to get hurt. After several minutes of freedom, the calf was caught at Avenue M and East 95th Street, the outlet reported. Stewie was taken back to the slaughterhouse, where his fate seemed sealed. But that's when the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage, New Jersey, stepped in, reaching out to the slaughterhouse and asking to take the calf in. In a Facebook post Wednesday, the sanctuary implored its followers to contact Saba Live Poultry, where it said Stewie was being held, to urge them to release him into the sanctuary's care. In an update, the sanctuary said the owners had agreed to let the calf live out the rest of his days at the rescue site after a number of supporters said they flooded the company with calls. "THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT," the sanctuary said. The sanctuary did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News and calls to Saba Live Poultry were unanswered. In a video shared by Mike Stura, founder and president of Skylands, Stewie could be seen standing in a trailer surrounded by hay. "I got him. You're safe, buddy," a voice appearing to be Stura's says. In a separate post, the sanctuary also clarified that "the kid is a he" after some confusion. "It has been a very stressful past couple of days, but worth it totally," the sanctuary said in the post. A number of animals already reside at Skylands , including Freddie the cow, who similarly made headlines after escaping a slaughterhouse in Queens back in 2016. All of the animals at Skyland Animal Sanctuary and Rescue are special," the sanctuary says on its website. "Every one of them has been rescued for the sole purpose of providing him or her a safe place to live a long and happy life with others of their kind. They all have a story and a name." Now, Stewie will be the latest animal to call the sanctuary home, bringing quite the story with him. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sanctuary-cow-escaped-slaughterhouse-brooklyn-rcna76469]

Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, President Vladimir Putin has said. President Putin said the move would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements and compared it to the US stationing its weapons in Europe, according to Russian state media. Moscow would not be transferring control of its arms to Minsk, he added. The US said it did not believe Russia was preparing to use the nuclear weapons after the announcement. "We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture," the US Defense Department said in a statement We remain committed to the collective defence of the Nato alliance." Belarus shares a long border Ukraine, and with Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. This will be the first time since the mid-1990s that Moscow will have based nuclear arms outside the country. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 meant weapons became based in four newly-independent states - Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan - with the transfer of all warheads to Russia completed in 1996. The Belarusian regime is a firm Kremlin ally and supporter of the invasion of Ukraine. President Putin told Russian state television on Saturday that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. "There is nothing unusual here either," he said. "Firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries." Russia will start training crews to operate the weapons from next week. The construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be completed by 1 July, President Putin added. A small number of Iskander tactical missile systems, which can be used to launch nuclear weapons, have already been transferred to Belarus, President Putin said. He did not specify when the weapons themselves would be sent. The announcement to station weapons in Belarus comes only days after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, during which Russia and China issued a joint statement saying "all nuclear powers must not deploy their nuclear weapons beyond their national territories, and they must withdraw all nuclear weapons deployed abroad." On Sunday, a top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia's plans are a "step towards internal destabilisation" of Belarus and predicted anti-Russian sentiment in the country would grow. "The Kremlin took Belarus as a nuclear hostage," Oleksiy Danilov wrote on Twitter. And exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said that Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons "grossly contradicts the will of the Belarusian people". President Putin's comments come after President Zelensky renewed his plea for more military support from his Western allies. Earlier this week, some 18 countries signed an agreement to supply the war-torn country with at least one million artillery shells over the next year. But in an interview with a Japanese newspaper, President Zelensky said Ukraine could not launch a potential counter-offensive in the east of the country until further ammunition arrived. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65077687]

At least 26 people have died in Mississippi and Alabama after a tornado tore through the southern US states. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, and the Mississippi state government has declared a state of emergency. In Rolling Fork, crushed cars, bricks and glass litter the streets - the town has been almost entirely wiped out. One resident told the BBC he was lucky to survive after seeking shelter in his bath tub. Approaching the neighbourhood in western Sharkey County, there is little indication of anything unusual. The lush farmland that surrounds it is completely untouched, the trees aren't even bent out of shape by wind. Then, suddenly, you see the houses that were in the tornado's path. They have been totally obliterated. In this rural town of only 2,000 people, where one fifth of residents live below the poverty line, dozens of buildings have been flattened by the fury of the tornado. Homes where family and friends had gathered less than 24 hours before, ready for the weekend, have been reduced to rubble. Timber frames have been snapped into pieces. There are upturned washing machines, but it is impossible to identify anything that might have been a kitchen. Amongst the rubble, there are vehicles that have been tossed around. There is the occasional children's toy and other signs of the lives that were lived here just hours earlier The tornado hit in the middle of the night - people had been sleeping and had not heard the alerts. For many the first indication that something terrible was happening was the noise. Francisco McKnight told the BBC it was a miracle that he is alive. The only warning he had was the sound, he said - he had never heard anything like the noise of the wind on Friday night and never wants to again. He took one look outside and then ran into his bathroom and got into the bath tub. He said that was what saved him. The only part of his home that is still standing are parts of two of the bathroom walls. The tornado lasted just five to 10 minutes he said, and he sat in the tub as the rest of his home was ripped away. For now, he is staying in one of the shelters that have been set up in the area. He does not know what he will do next, but he says somehow he will rebuild his life. Mississippi state governor Tate Reeves visited Silver City and Winona on Saturday to meet affected residents who had been hit by the tornado's fury. Sharing an update on Twitter, Mr Reeves described the situation as a "tragedy", writing: "We are blessed with brave, capable responders and loving neighbours. Please continue to pray." Mr Reeves requested an expedited disaster declaration for the region and said: "We're going to fight like hell to make sure that we get as many resources to this area as possible." The search and rescue efforts will continue in Mississippi as more storms are predicted to hit parts of Alabama and Georgia early on Sunday and potentially bring large hail. US President Joe Biden also offered his support for the affected region. He described the images coming out of Mississippi as "heartbreaking". On Sunday, the White House stated that President Biden ordered federal aid to support local recovery efforts in areas affected by the tornadoes, including grants for temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65078588]

Dear @Angrry.exe™, Wishing you a very happy birthday! May this special day be filled with joy, laughter, and all the things that make you happy. It's been a pleasure working with you, and I appreciate all the contributions you've made to our community. I hope this year brings you success in all your endeavors and that you enjoy good health, peace, and prosperity. Once again, happy birthday, and may you have many more to come!

Voted

Another day, another 27-inch high-refresh 1440p gaming panel. Today's muse is the new BenQ Mobiuz EX270QM, superficially a dead ringer for the Alienware AW2723DF we perused recently(opens in new tab). Both are premium 27-inch IPS panels with 1ms claimed response and DisplayHDR 600 certification. The main differentiator, on paper at least, is that the Alienware will do 280Hz while this BenQ tops out at a 'mere' 240Hz. Well, that and pricing. This BenQ is actually the costlier of the two, currently weighing in around the $700 mark. Both are fairly new models with some likely shiny-shiny premium features attached. Pricing hasn't fully settled down, but we suspect it will be pretty close between the two in the long run. Anyway, aside from those highlights the BenQ Mobiuz EX270QM is rated at 600 nits peak brightness and is claimed to be good for 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut, which is pretty impressive. Screen size: 27-inch Resolution: 2560 x 1440 Brightness: 600 nits peak Response time: 1ms Refresh rate: 240Hz Viewing angle: 178° H&V Contrast ratio: 1000:1 Features: IPS panel, 98% DCI-P3, Freesync Premium Pro, NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, USB hub, RGB lighting Price: $699 | £709 Oh, and while local dimming is in the feature set, it's of the edge-lit variety. BenQ doesn't quote the number of zones, but we'd be very surprised if it wasn't exactly the same 16 zones as the Alienware's panel. So, we're not talking about true HDR capability courtesy of proper full-array local dimming. It's more of a checkbox feature to enable HDR 600 certification than a useful technology for improving HDR performance. So it goes with current HDR certification. The first few rungs on the ladder aren't truly HDR capable, if we're honest. As for connectivity, there's DisplayPort 1.4 and a pair of HDMI 2.1 sockets. The latter two are another differentiator from the Alienware in that they support the panel's maximum 240Hz refresh. The Alienware's HDMI 2.0 connections top out at 144Hz, meaning you have to stick to DP if you want the full 280Hz experience on it. Elsewhere, there's some token RGB lighting on the rear of the chassis plus an integrated 2.1 speaker system with a 5W subwoofer, which is a little unusual. So, too, is the bundled IR remote control. The remote is something of a BenQ signature feature that possible goes a little way towards justifying the relatively elevated overall pricing. But only a little. Speaking of the chassis, it conforms to the same design ethic BenQ has favoured for its Mobiuz panels for a while now. The rear of the panel enclosure looks pretty slick, but the forward view, with its fairly hefty chin, is a touch dated. Certainly, the Alienware AW2723DF looks more contemporary and feels more expensive despite actually costing less. So, can this BenQ justify that pricing in terms of image quality and the gaming experience? It certainly makes a strong initial impression. While it's really very similar to the Alienware in most regards, it offers slightly punchier and cleaner white tones. It really is very nicely calibrated out of the box https://www.pcgamer.com/benq-mobiuz-ex270qm-gaming-monitor-review/

TikTok's infinite stream of lip-sync videos, illusions, and air fryer recipes might seem innocent enough, but the app is now facing the very serious threat of a US ban. Over the past few months, TikTok has been in the eye of a political storm that has seen it banned from government devices in the US, the EU, and now the UK. But it's the very real prospect of an outright TikTok ban in the US that's worrying the app's millions of users. The US government, including the current Biden administration, has been investigating TikTok and its relationship to its China-based parent company for several years now. The app has responded to allegations that it collects and stores the data of American users by making several changes, including moving all of its US data to Oracle's servers(opens in new tab). But none of this has sated US concerns that the app poses a national security threat and the TikTok CEO will soon appear before Congress to defend the app. So what does this all mean for TikTok's hundreds of millions of global users, and in particular the 150 million who live in the US? Here's everything you need to know about the prospect of a TIkTok ban in the US. So what does this all mean for TikTok's hundreds of millions of global users, and in particular the 150 million who live in the US? Here's everything you need to know about the prospect of a TIkTok ban in the US. The main accusation behind the potential TikTok ban in the US is that the app poses a threat to national security. But wait, aren't most TikTok videos just frivolous video game walkthroughs and TV show clips? Yes, but the problem is less the content and more what TikTok might allegedly be doing with the underlying data it gathers – about your likes and comments, and also where you are in the world and who you interact with. For example, in February FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed "extreme" concern about the potential for China to "weaponize" data gathered from TikTok's US-based fans. This stems from the fact that TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance – and Chinese law allows its government to force any company to hand over data they're holding on their servers. Another accusation made by Wray was that the Chinese government could strong-arm TikTok in a way that would allow it to "control the recommendation algorithm", therefore giving it huge potential influence given that more people than ever get their news from TikTok and YouTube. https://www.techradar.com/news/tiktok-ban-will-the-app-be-banned-in-the-us-and-how-would-that-work

King Charles III's state visit to France has been postponed after a request by President Emmanuel Macron, Downing Street says. The president said "we would not be sensible and would lack common sense" to go ahead after unions called a day of pension protests during the visit. The trip to Paris and Bordeaux had been due to begin on Sunday. But both cities were caught up in violence on Thursday, some of the worst since demonstrations began in January. Buckingham Palace said the decision to postpone the three-day visit by Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, was due to the "situation in France". Their Majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found," the statement added. President Macron said that from the moment on Thursday night when unions announced a 10th national day of action for Tuesday, two days into the state visit, he felt it would be inappropriate for the King and Camilla to travel. "As we have considerable friendship, respect and esteem for His Majesty and the Queen Consort and the British people, I took the initiative this morning to call [the King] and explain the situation... Common sense and friendship led us to suggest a postponement. The UK government added the decision had been "taken with the consent of all parties". Mr Macron said France had proposed moving the trip to early summer, "when things calm down again The decision is a significant loss of face for France and for President Macron. This was supposed to have been a showcase for France, introducing the new monarch to the best of French life and cementing a newly awakened friendship. The president's opponents on the left and right reacted fast. Eric Ciotti of the Republicans said the cancellation brought "shame on our country" while Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the far left was delighted the "meeting of kings at Versailles" had been broken up, adding that "the English" knew that France's interior minister was "pathetic on security". The protests had made the trip impossible. Several French cities saw violence on the sidelines of Thursday's largely peaceful demonstrations that attracted more than a million people. The entrance to the town hall in Bordeaux was set alight. In Paris, tear gas was fired and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said 903 fires were lit, in a city where refuse has been left uncollected since 6 March. Hundreds of police officers were hurt across France, but protesters were injured by stun grenades and the Council of Europe said there was no justification for "excessive force" by authorities. For much of Friday morning, French officials had sought to reassure the public that the state visit, from 26 to 29 March, would go ahead and that security was in place. Some UK journalists had already travelled to Paris to cover the event. This was a hugely important trip for the King: a first state visit, and to one of the UK's closest and oldest allies. The King and Camilla were due to ride along the Champs-Elysées in the heart of Paris and have a banquet at Versailles with President Macron. Camilla was expected to open an art exhibition at one of the main Paris attractions, the Musée d'Orsay. They were then expected to head to Bordeaux. But every step of the visit was at risk of being targeted by protests and eventually it was cancelled. Even the people who roll out the red carpets were planning strike action. Interior Minister Mr Darmanin said earlier on Friday that there were "no known threats" to the King. Bordeaux Mayor Pierre Hurmic said the trip to his city had been adapted so it "can go ahead under the best security, so as not to expose the King to the slightest difficulty". However, facing the prospect of showing the King through rubbish and graffiti-strewn streets, with every public appearance smothered in security, and every movement threatened by strikes, the French president made the obvious choice. It may have been a joint decision with the UK government, but he was the one under pressure. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65064510

SEOUL, South Korea — A young lonely zebra had a rare day out when he ran away from a zoo in Seoul and trotted around the streets of the South Korean capital, before being sedated and captured a few hours later. Sero, a 3-year-old male whose Korean name refers to his vertical stripes, escaped from the Seoul Children’s Grand Park zoo Thursday afternoon by breaking through the wooden deck around his enclosure, according to zoo officials. In the hours that followed, Sero ran amok in a nearby residential area in eastern Seoul as people looked on in shock. Social media was instantly flooded with photos and videos of the zebra bumping into traffic and galloping through narrow alleyways. “Watching a video of Sero in the middle of traffic, I was so moved that the drivers were being so careful with our Sero,” Cho Kyung-wook, the head of the animal welfare department at the zoo, told NBC News in a telephone interview Friday. After Sero was reported missing from the zoo around 3 p.m. local time (2 a.m. Thursday ET), zoo officials, firefighters and police officers began a wild chase across the busy streets of the densely po[CENSORED]ted city of about 10 million people. The zebra was eventually cornered and felled by a tranquilizer dart, after which he was brought home safely around 6 p.m. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to property. Cho said Sero’s behavior had changed after the loss of both his parents in the last two years, leaving him alone in his enclosure. “Sero’s misbehaving started especially after losing his dad” last year, she said. “He would refuse to return to his pen and ignore the callings of his handlers.” Sero, who Cho said has a curious personality, would peek through the fence at the kangaroo family next door, that didn’t exactly take him in. “There was nothing major, but from time to time Sero would be bitten by the kangaroos,” Cho said. Zoo officials have tried to ease Sero’s apparent loneliness to some success. Before his city adventure, the zebra’s relationship with his handler had been improving as she plied him with apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and other special treats. But food can only do so much. So the zoo has another plan in the works for Sero: a girlfriend. As soon as the other zebra turns 3 next year, she will join Sero from another South Korean zoo. “The lesson we have learned from Sero’s escape is that we need to expedite the remodeling of the zoo as soon as possible,” Cho said. “We have a very old zoo and a lot needs fixing, including better security. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/seoul-zebra-escapes-zoo-rcna76473

@@CharliAviless Has been Add to Our team Welcome ❤️. @ThunderStorm.Has been add to Our team Welcome mate

@[X]pErT- Has Been Added to our team Welcome mate @HoldFire 流Has been added to our Team Welcome back

Voted

Google's Bard AI-powered chatbot is finally here, with a much more welcoming interface that will appeal to a lot of people, no matter how technically proficient they are. It has some nice quality-of-life improvements over other chatbots, such as previewing drafts, but a lack of clarity over sources means it's less reliable than Bing. Google Bard, the search giant's answer to ChatGPT, is finally here. But was it worth the wait? And how does it compare to the many other AI chatbots springing up all over the web? Well, the first one is easy to answer. Based on our initial impressions, Google's decision to hold it back until it was properly ready for human consumption was a good one. After all, Bard had a less-than-impressive debut, returning an incorrect answer to a question during its launch. The second one is much harder - and we won't pretend we can fully judge it against Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered Bing until we've spent more time with it. However, several things are immediately apparent within seconds of using it - including just how nicely designed it is, and how fast it is; sometimes scarily so. Off the bat, the user interface (UI) of Google Bard surpasses ChatGPT’s dark and dreary layout. The UI is bright and carries the Google motif we’ve grown accustomed to. Everything feels reassuringly familiar, despite the fact you’re interacting with a completely new product. The layout is clean and you're met with a bunch of new features, such as the option to speak to Google Bard (though you still must hit enter) and the ability to see all the different drafts Bard considered before returning your first response. You can edit the text of questions already asked and restart the conversation from any point, and depending on your prompts or questions, a little button shows up underneath Bard’s response that lets you Google the response and see if there are any related searches. Overall, we’re looking at a slick and sophisticated user interface that screams polished, poised and ready to go. In terms of performance, it’s hard not to be blown away by Bard. As soon as you enter the chat you’re greeted with a helpful and rather endearing introduction from Bard (an incredibly sweet name, Google). It admits it won’t get everything right and welcomes feedback, before giving you a revolving list of potential questions. Bard’s tone of voice and temperament is strikingly human and incredibly easy to talk to; you feel like you're chatting with a friendly face. It’s unassuming and charming, incredibly helpful, and always ready to apologize and admit its failings. The chatbot seems just as excited to talk to you as you are to talk to it. In comparison to other chatbot models such as Bing AI and ChatGPT, the response time between putting in a prompt and having the bot respond is astoundingly fast. Bard was quick to respond no matter the nature of the prompt, whether we were asking it how it was trained and the different ways we can interact with it - did someone say Alexa integration? - or asking it to write a review of a product that doesn’t exist.. We asked Bard to write a review for a makeup product that doesn't exist and we're pretty amused by the response and kind of wish the Flimmery was a real thing. It's pretty remarkable how much it was able to spawn out of our brief prompt and fill in the gaps for the imaginary product. Whereas other chatbots let you sit and watch the bot ‘think’ of a response, Bard spits out lengthy answers in a blink. We’re very excited to chat with Bard more and see what else it can do, but so far we’re very impressed https://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-bard

Volkswagen has confirmed that it will reveal a California camper version of the Multivan later this year. Speaking at the company’s annual press conference, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles CEO Carsten Intra announced plans to grow the California brand. He said: “We want to expand the range around the business with our camper models and offer what people really like in our products - what we call the ‘California feeling’. It includes digital services for the California community, new services to complement the purchase of a vehicle and the presentation of a new California vehicle based on the Volkswagen Multivan. This is what we are planning for later this year.” The Multivan California will replace the current Volkswagen California 6.1, which is based on the outgoing Transporter van. The only Transporter 6.1-based model still on sale in the UK, it is priced from £60,398. The Multivan signalled a shift in the brand’s commercial vehicle line-up, doing away with the Transporter’s underpinnings in favour of the MQB platform, which underpins most Volkswagen cars. Volkswagen has yet to confirm any details of the Multivan California, but it may become the only plug-in hybrid camper van on sale. The rival Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo and Ford Transit Custom Nugget are available with diesel engines only. As for the long-awaited Volkswagen ID Buzz California, Intra said this will arrive in 2025, following the release of a long-wheelbase model later this year. This LWB variant – slated to offer greater seating flexibility than the current model – will also be sold in the US. Volkswagen R&D boss Kai Gruenitz previously told Autocar that “it will have three rows and seven seats, and you can pull them all out of the back,” as well as rotating captain’s chairs. He also confirmed that a performance-focused ID Buzz GTX will also be revealed later this year, offering 335bhp and a bespoke interior https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-volkswagen-multivan-california-confirmed-2023-reveal

Researchers in Australia have made a big discovery: a super-size species of trapdoor spider found only in Central Queensland. The arachnid has been dubbed Euoplos dignitas — a name "derived from the Latin "dignitas," meaning "dignity" or "greatness" — “reflecting the impressive size and nature of the spider,” scientists with the Queensland Museum said in a statement. The spider lives in open woodland habitats and builds its burrows in the black soils of the Brigalow Belt in Central Queensland, which is on the northeastern coast of Australia. The species has lost much of its habitat to land clearing, which most likely makes it an endangered species, the scientists said. While the Australian team did not detail how big their find is, trapdoor spiders are typically up to 1.5 inches long and nest underground, according to National Geographic. They are hairy tropical spiders, and their bites can cause pain and swelling in humans. According to Britannica, the spiders construct burrows in the ground and build silken-hinged doors. The spiders then feed by quickly opening the trap doors and grabbing unsuspecting insects that pass by. In a video posted to announce the Australian discovery of the giant creepy crawler, Michael Rix, the principal curator of arachnology with the Queensland Museum Network, said the experts were excited to “scientifically document this new species.” Jeremy Wilson, a research assistant in arachnology with the Queensland Museum Network, said in the video that the research is exciting because “you just never know what you’re going to find.” Wilson said naming the new species has real-life positive ramifications, because being a known species means “it can be protected.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/super-sized-trapdoor-spider-discovered-australia-rcna75955

Name of the game: STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order Price: $3.99 USD Link Store: Press here Offer ends up after X hours: Offer ends 30 March SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: 64-bit Windows 7/8.1/10 Processor: AMD FX-6100/Intel i3-3220 or Equivalent Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7750, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or Equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 55 GB available space RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: 64-bit Windows 7/8.1/10 Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 1700/Intel i7-6700K or Equivalent Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: AMD RX Vega 56, Nvidia GTX 1070/GTX1660Ti or Equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 55 GB available space