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Analogue's recent firmware release includes an emulated PDP-1 minicomputer and working version of 1962's "Spacewar!" Originally expected at the beginning of this year, Analogue's 1.1 firmware beta release expands the Pocket's feature set and includes several additions focused on extending the capabilities of 3rd party developers. These additional capabilities provide developers with OS-level tools, settings, and configurations required to successfully create and deploy new cores for the system using the device's field programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware. Cores equate to functionality that mimics a computing or console platform at the hardware level. Unlike ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) that are designed and fabricated for a single purpose, FPGA's use configurable logic blocks and programmable interconnects that allow reprogrammed components to serve different functions using the same hardware. This reprogrammable capability provides developers with a flexibility not typically available on other consoles and platforms. Analogue demonstrated the system's potential by including a fully functional implementation of what some deem the first real video gaming platform, the Programmed Data Processor-1 (PDP-1). This DEC minicomputer (an ironic term by today's standards) provided the foundation for Spacewar!, a space combat game developed by computer scientists working with MIT's PDP-1 implementation in the early 1960's. The original specs of the minicomputer may be surprising for anyone not familiar with 1960's computer technology. Released in 1959 for the low price of $120,000 (well over the $1 million mark in today's dollars), the PDP-1 weighed in at a chunky 1,600 lbs. and provided a 4,096 word memory capacity made available via magnetic tape.The gigantic main cabinet and peripherals, pictured below at the Computer History Museum, offered users computing power that was roughly equivalent to handheld electronic organizers and calculators as far back as the mid 1990s. Eat your heart out Palm Pilot. Spacewar! was developed by several computer scientists and engineers at MIT in 1962. The space-based, two-player dogfight wasn't just a novel first attempt and creating a computer game. The game's mechanics and elements would go on to provide the physics models, controls, and gameplay for some of the most po[CENSORED]r titles ever created, including the 1979 classic Asteroids. Since then, the game has been continuously recognized as one of the most important breakthroughs in computer gaming history, has been named to numerous lists citing the top video games of all time, and was even nominated to be preserved in the official game canon of the United States Library of Congress. https://www.techspot.com/news/95474-openfpga-initiative-looks-preserve-video-gaming-history-through.html

U.S. stock-index futures rise, putting equities on track to reverse two consecutive days of losses, as investors look past Pelosi's Asia visit and ahead to key economic data. Stocks were set for a moderately positive open on Wednesday following two consecutive trading days of losses as investors looked past House Speaker Nanci Pelosi’s contentious visit to Taiwan and awaited key economic data. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 0.4%, or 104 points higher, while S&P 500 futures were up 0.35% and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.21%. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note moved higher to 2.781% as investors assessed Pelosi’s controversial Asia trip and looked ahead to Friday’s jobs report. Oil prices fell about 1% in early trade on Wednesday, reversing gains from the previous session ahead of a meeting OPEC+ producers that will determine how much global supply will be released going into the fall. Pelosi met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in Taipei, where Tsai thanked Pelosi for her support of democratic values and said she was committed to working with the U.S. over security in the Taiwan straits. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, had warned Pelosi and the U.S. administration not to set foot there, with Chinese officials threatening unspecified military countermeasures in response to her visit. Taiwan is a democratic self-ruled island that China sees as a runaway province, and Beijing has been vocal about its opposition to Pelosi’s trip. On the economic data front, investors this week are awaiting the July nonfarm payrolls report slated for release Friday for further clues into the state of the economy and the job market. Analysts polled by FactSet are expecting 250,000 new jobs were added to the economy last month following June's 372,000 gain. Before then, Services PMIs data will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET Wednesday, and factory orders will be revealed at 10 a.m. ET. Both data points will be important for investors as they track the slowdown of the U.S. economy. Among specific stocks, Robinhood (HOOD) - Get Robinhood Markets Inc. Report shares were higher in premarket trading after the company said it is slashing nearly a quarter of its full-time staff, the second round of layoffs this year. The online brokerage once synonymous with meme stock trading and other high-risk retail bets on stocks said it will cut some 23% of its workforce as it continues to reel from a sharp slowdown in trading activity. The layoffs come alongside a broader company reorganization, Vlad Tenev, Robinhood’s chief executive, said in a message posted to the company’s blog. In the statement, Tenev said the previous round of layoffs in April “did not go far enough” in helping the company cut costs. Starbucks (SBUX) - Get Starbucks Corporation Report shares were also higher in premarket trading Wednesday after the coffee-chain giant said U.S. customer demand remains strong, despite higher spending on labor and inflationary pressures weighing on costs. The Seattle-based company said global same-store sales for the three months ended July 3 were up 3% from the same period last year. U.S. same-store sales increased 9%, while those in the chain’s China market plunged 44% amid the country’s renewed Covid-19 related shutdowns and other restrictions during the period. However, the gains were offset by increased employee wages and training as well as costs for ingredients, which hurt store-level profit for the period – even as higher prices partially offset the costs. Starbucks said prices are around 5% higher compared with a year ago. Airbnb (ABNB) - Get Airbnb Inc. Report shares, meanwhile, were down more than 6% as a weaker-than-expected outlook overshadowed otherwise strong quarterly results. The San Francisco-based company posted $2.1 billion in revenue in the three months through June, up 58% from the same period last year as people continued to book suburban rentals despite hosts raising prices. Airbnb reported a profit of $379 million in the period, topping analysts’ projections for a profit of $295 million and compared with a loss in the year-earlier quarter. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/stock-market-today-e2-80-93-83-stocks-rise-as-investors-await-key-economic-data/ar-AA10ge9J

Tracy Murphy of animal sanctuary Asha’s Farm Sanctuary was arrested yesterday and charged with grand larceny in the third degree. A warrant for her arrest was issued and executed, along with the retrieval of two cows that she claimed to have rescued but is formally charged with stealing. The animals seemingly belong to Scott Gregson, a beef farmer in Newfane, New York. Gregson had asked Murphy to return the cows, which she claimed had wandered onto sanctuary property. She offered to buy their freedom instead. The two have been embroiled in a disagreement for a number of weeks. Residents of the town gave support to Gregson in the form of placards and roadside banners. “Release the beef” and “Don’t mess with farmers” were common themes. What will happen to Tracy Murphy? Following her arrest, animal activist Murphy was taken to SP Lockport for processing. She was then moved to Niagara County jail for arraignment. Her lawyer, Matthew Albert, claims her rights are being violated and that she has a legal entitlement to retain the cows. “They’re entitled by law to hang onto these animals until that lien is paid, that never happened here,” Albert said in a statement. “They’re not following the Lien Law 183 and if they were, my client wouldn’t be charged criminally.” New York State Lien Law states that a boarding stable can consider animals as collateral against boarding or upkeep fees. Animals can be surrendered, in lieu of payment. Murphy states that Asha’s Sanctuary is entitled to a $100 per day boarding charge. #AshasFarmSanctuary is under attack by sick harmers. they recently saved two cows and the beef farmer found them somehow. since then they've received multiple death threats which the @nyspolice refuse to act on. PLEASE DONATE to them if you can and SHARE FAR & WIDE. State troopers worked with the Niagara County District Attorney’s office and claim the Lien Law is not applicable in this case. “During the investigation we did look at some of the law that she proposed to owner of the cow’s attorney and things like that. So we looked into those and we worked with the Niagara County DA’s office and those laws that were provided in the books for a very long time under the Newfane town court doesn’t apply to this,” state trooper James O’Callaghan said in a statement. He added: “The cows in question did have a working fence and wasn’t broken at any time. And with that Murphy never filed anything with the Newfane town courts so that’s why we were able to move forward with a criminal arrest.” https://plantbasednews.org/news/activism/animal-sanctuary-owner-arrested/

The expressions of mutual support and admiration were broadcast on live TV and went off without a hitch. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi re-affirmed her support for Taiwan, declaring Wednesday that American resolve to preserve democracy on the self-governed island remained “iron-clad.” A grateful Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen then bestowed on the San Francisco Democrat the turquoise sash and medal of the Order of Propitious Clouds in honor of Pelosi's contribution to U.S.-Taiwan relations. But while those ties might have been strengthened during a visit lasting less than 24 hours, the biggest consequences of Pelosi's trip are expected to unfold in the coming days, weeks and even months, analysts say, as China reacts furiously to what it deems an affront to its sovereignty over Taiwan. The result is likely to be increased instability in Asia home to more than one-third of the world's po[CENSORED]tion and greater challenges for the U.S. Beijing began rolling out punitive measures even before Pelosi left for South Korea on Wednesday, adding hundreds of products, including fruit and fish, to a list of banned Taiwanese exports to China to step up economic pressure on the island of 23 million, which counts the mainland as its largest trading partner. Taiwanese government websites also experienced a spate of cyberattacks while Pelosi was in Taipei. On Thursday, China is scheduled to launch an unprecedented four-day military exercise in waters surrounding Taiwan. The live-fire drills, which will include naval assets and missile tests, are expected to paralyze one of the world's most important commercial waterways and normally busy air traffic. While experts say China has no intention of starting a war for now, the risk of a miscalculation leading to an errant encounter with nearby U.S. or Taiwanese military units is uncomfortably high. On Wednesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said China's plans were tantamount to a blockade, infringing on Taiwan's sovereignty and international laws. In addition, U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea are increasingly unnerved by China’s willingness to project its military strength. Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund, a nonpartisan public policy think tank, said Pelosi's visit has inflicted potentially irreparable damage to the already-tense ties between Washington and Beijing. "We all know how bad this relationship has been in the past year,” Glaser told reporters Tuesday. “This visit by Nancy Pelosi is just going to take it to a new low. I think that it's going to be very difficult to recover from that.” Pelosi's visit — which was aimed at strengthening democracy in Asia has threatened to upend the delicate balance that governs U.S. and Chinese dealings with Taiwan. China claims the island as part of its territory, although Taiwan is ruled by a democratically elected government that considers itself politically and culturally separate from Beijing. The U.S. acknowledges China’s position but doesn’t endorse it, maintaining informal relations with Taiwan. As the U.S. and China spar over everything from tariffs to technology, Taiwan is possibly the most inflammatory point of discord between the two countries, and the one experts consider most likely to lead to military conflict. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has staked part of his credibility on the idea of unifying with Taiwan, by force if necessary, and has little incentive to moderate his stance. His hard-line approach has helped put him on the verge of securing a historic third five-year term as president. “He’s benefited so much from behaving this way. It only reinforces this behavior in the future,” said Alfred Wu, a professor of Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore. “There’s no reason to reverse course.” Equally, Pelosi’s visit and China’s aggressive response to it has likely strengthened support for Taiwanese leader Tsai’s administration and driven more voters to her Democratic Progressive Party ahead of local elections in November. In a sign of how political support for China has dissipated, even the more China-friendly Kuomintang opposition party said it welcomed Pelosi’s visit Tuesday. “The Tsai administration and DPP will tout Pelosi’s visit as a foreign policy success, that it was able to strengthen its relations with the U.S.,” said Brian Hioe, a founding editor of the Taiwan-based media outlet New Bloom. Greater electoral success for Tsai’s coalition, known as the pan-green camp, will inflame Beijing further at a time when it’s already convinced that Washington is driving Taiwan toward independence with visits by high-level officials such as Pelosi. The U.S. disagrees and says it still adheres to its long-standing “one-China” policy. U.S. officials have repeatedly said they support the status quo. One major concern for China is that Pelosi’s stop in Taiwan will embolden high-ranking officials from other countries to visit as well, strengthening diplomatic support for an island that Beijing works hard to isolate. The Guardian reported this week that Britain’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee is planning its own trip to Taiwan to show its support later this year. According to the British newspaper, China’s ambassador to the U.K. has opposed that possibility, warning of “severe consequences” and not to “dance to the tune of the United States.” “Speaker Pelosi opens up the door more widely for Taiwan," said Fang-Yu Chen, assistant professor of political science at Soochow University in Taiwan. “I think there will be more high-level visits for Taiwan in the coming years.” Another consequence of Beijing’s strong reaction to Pelosi’s visit could include a re-thinking of security policy for China’s neighbors. The U.S. has already bolstered defense ties with countries such as Japan, South Korea and Australia in response to China’s growing power, but that could extend to other countries if the Taiwan situation becomes more volatile. On Wednesday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced a strategic review of his country's military, driven by rising geopolitical risks and China's own military buildup. “Countries in Southeast Asia are also watching with great interest because if the Chinese are able to pull off a drill of this scale around Taiwan, they can imagine similar scenarios in the South China Sea,” said Collin Koh, a research fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies. Given its proximity to Taiwan, Japan has tried to deepen security ties with the island, sending a delegation there last month that included former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. On Wednesday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno expressed concern over China’s planned military drills, which could serve as a dress rehearsal for a blockade that extends to Japanese and South Korean waters. Such fears failed to dispel the excitement of some Taiwanese over Pelosi’s brief presence among them. One bakery in Taiwan’s Changhua county garnered attention for adding a free egg-yolk pastry to box orders for every hour Pelosi remained on the island. As Pelosi prepared to depart, she shook hands and posed for photos with Taiwanese officials, U.S. representatives and airport workers on the tarmac before her 6 p.m. flight to South Korea. With a few final waves, she and the rest of her delegation disappeared into the aircraft, leaving Taiwan in potentially graver peril than when she arrived. https://news.yahoo.com/news-analysis-pelosi-leaves-taiwan-135128659.html

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Nickname: @FazzNoth Video author: MKIceAndFire Name of the game: Marvel's Avengers Link video: Rate this video 1-10: 9/10

Apple iPhones of at least nine US State Department employees were hacked by an unknown assailant using sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, according to four people familiar with the matter. The hacks, which took place in the last several months, hit US officials either based in Uganda or focused on matters concerning the East African country, two of the sources said. The intrusions, first reported here, represent the widest known hacks of US officials through NSO technology. Previously, a list of numbers with potential targets including some American officials surfaced in reporting on NSO, but it was not clear whether intrusions were always tried or succeeded. Reuters could not determine who launched the latest cyberattacks. NSO Group said in a statement on Thursday that it did not have any indication their tools were used but canceled access for the relevant customers and would investigate based on the Reuters inquiry. "If our investigation shall show these actions indeed happened with NSO's tools, such customer will be terminated permanently and legal actions will take place," said an NSO spokesperson, who added that NSO will also "cooperate with any relevant government authority and present the full information we will have." https://gadgets360.com/internet/news/iphone-hack-us-state-department-spyware-nso-group-apple-2636720

A software issue error has caused a massive spike in Queensland's COVID-19 case numbers, which include infections dating back to last month. The state recorded 18,678 new cases today, but Queensland Health said those include infections from as far back as June 10. That means the case numbers in recent weeks have been higher than those reported in daily totals, which have been between 8,000 and 9,000 in recent days. Out of the 18,678 cases, 4,713 were from the latest reporting period. A department spokesperson told the ABC that the administrative error was due to a backlog of data being loaded into the system, with dates ranging from June 10 to July 23. The spokesperson said that while some PCR tests were not tallied, patients were informed of their positive result. Acting Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken said the issue was with a number of private laboratories catching up and reporting. "As part of their normal process, treating doctors were notified, the patients were notified. This is just an issue with some of the pipeline of IT systems talking to each other. "I think it's more of a software issue that we're working through with providers." Hospitalisations drop There are 30 people with COVID-19 in intensive care units and 861 in hospitals, down from 906 yesterday. It is the fifth day in a row that hospitalisations dropped. Dr Aitken said it was unclear whether the peak had been reached. "I think it's too early to say. 'Cautiously optimistic' would be the phrase I'd use at the moment," he said. "We've had a couple of days in a row where we've had numbers drop and, hopefully, that means people are doing all those things we've talked about." Dr Aitken said it was reassuring that booster numbers had increased. "We know that, since the announcement of access to booster doses, there had been a three-to-four times increase in booster dose uptake," he said. "People are doing those things and, hopefully, we're starting to now see a change in the numbers as a result." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-30/qld-coronavirus-covid-cases-update-administration-error-backlog/101272612

Analogue Co.’s Pocket has always turned heads: first for being the most authentic-seeming Game Boy replacement ever announced, then for taking an extraordinary length of time to finally come out. But come out it did, and it was pretty good. For some, its biggest drawback was that it required old, increasingly expensive physical cartridges to play games, as (for the most part) it couldn’t just load convenient ROM files. The Pocket really needed something the kids call a “jailbreak,” at least if it was going to fulfill the fantasy of being the ultimate Game Boy device. Today, that jailbreak just slipped in the side door. A little place-setting: When the Pocket finally shipped last December, it had only the most barebones operating system and lacked many of the system’s promised features, like save states that backed up your game progress. (Analogue also didn’t release the originally announced Atari Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket, or TurboGrafx-16 cart adapters.) Early adopters, glad as they were to have their uber Game Boys with beautiful retina-quality screens, realized it’d be quite some time before the device in their hands was actually finished. The same was true for would-be developers eager to make the powerful portable do fun new stuff. The Pocket contains two field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), which programmers can reconfigure to closely approximate the hardware of another device. They are wonderful for simulating classic video game systems, and hobbyist developers could surely put them to great use, perhaps by developing new FPGA cores meaning software that tells the FPGAs how to configure themselves—to simulate even more consoles. But that feature was delayed too. Fast forward to today. At 8:01 a.m. PT Analogue finally released a new version of the Pocket’s Analogue OS. Today’s Analogue OS v1.1 beta adds the long-promised “Library” and “Memories” features; the first displays information about games you insert, the second is basically save states. The v1.1 beta also finally opens the system up to developers, under the moniker “openFPGA.” As an example of what hobbyists can accomplish with the newly unlocked FPGAs, Analogue released an openFPGA core that simulates Spacewar!, one of the first video games. And that was it. A nice and necessary update, but it wasn’t the jailbreak many folks’d been hoping for, either. See you in another six months! (Actually, Analogue being Analogue, more likely eight.) But then. Some three hours later at 11:23 a.m., a Github account called Spiritualized1997, created less than 24 hours prior, uploaded a repository called openFPGA-GBA; one minute later, it uploaded another called openFPGA-GB-GBC. Each repository contained a single downloadable file. “To play Game Boy Advance on your Pocket follow these instructions,” said the instructions accompanying the GBA repository, outlining five steps to install a v1.0.0 Spiritualized1997 GBA core on the Pocket and get it running ROM files. The second repository offered similar instructions, but for a core that ran Game Boy and Game Boy Color ROMs. So to recap: Today Analogue Pocket got the ability to run third-party FPGA cores. Three hours and 22 minutes later the Pocket’s two most po[CENSORED]r supported handhelds mysteriously received new, third-party FPGA cores that could Do The Thing that everyone’s wanted the Pocket to do since it came out: load games from ROM files stored on a microSD card. Is this…is this finally the jailbreak? Yes, yes it is. Or rather, the jailbreak’s finally started, because today’s two v1.0.0 Nintendo cores are just the first wave of what is clearly going to be a longer, more sustained rollout. So what is happening here? Who is Spiritualized1997, and how the hell did they develop and release GBA and GB/GBC cores for the Analogue Pocket just three or so hours after today’s Analogue OS v1.1 beta release made running such things possible? Why is their account so new? Most observers’ theory which, to be clear, Kotaku cannot confirm is that Spiritualized1997 is Kevin “Kevtris” Horton, a legend in the emulation scene and the FPGA emulation guru behind all of Analogue’s FPGA-based game machines. He’s worked on the Analogue NT mini (which played 8-bit NES games), the Super NT (SNES games), the Mega Sg (Sega Genesis games), and of course the Pocket. Horton has a history (you’re now thinking of a Dr. Seuss book) of releasing unofficial “jailbreak” firmware for the Analogue Co. consoles he’s helped develop, starting back in 2017 when he uploaded the first jailbreak firmware for the NT mini. “The Core Store is officially open for business!” he wrote on the AtariAge forum, referring to the potential to make the NT mini run games from a variety of systems, when until then it had only played 8-bit Nintendo games loaded off of physical cartridges. In case that left any doubt, he added, “Yes, this means that it runs ROMs now!” And that’s how it’s gone for all the Analogue consoles since. Horton (and Analogue) got a little more discreet after the NT mini jailbreak, instead releasing the jailbreak firmwares through intermediaries like emulation scene mover-and-shaker Smokemonster. But folks in the scene, with a wink and a nod, understand where these po[CENSORED]r, hardware-enhancing bits of software really come from. (Prior Analogue consoles have been closed platforms, so who else could have made them?) That’s why many people considered it a given that the Analogue Pocket’s wonderful hardware would itself get liberated to play games from ROM files. It’s been a long eight months, but today’s surprise Spiritualized1997 FPGA cores are pretty much exactly what Pocket owners wanted, just in a slightly different form than usual—discrete FPGA cores loadable through the Pocket’s new openFPGA feature. That’s made this “jailbreak” seem a little more subtle than usual. It’s not a firmware replacement, but alternate cores you run off the microSD card. The end result is the same. Again, this is only the start of a longer jailbreak process that will play out over the coming months. After all, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance are just three of the handhelds people want to play on Pocket, not to mention folks clamoring for it to support TV-based consoles like Genesis and SNES. The Spiritualized1997 FPGA cores, both at a nascent v1.0.0, are also missing a few features enjoyed by the Pocket’s official built-in cores, most notably screen filters. These and further enhancements are coming; the missing filters are apparently just because the openFPGA API is still immature. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/there-it-is-analogue-pocket-just-got-its-long-awaited-jailbreak/ar-AA107xuZ

Today, the full House will consider legislation that would ban assault weapons for the first time in nearly two decades, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a letter to Democratic colleagues. The measure stands virtually no chance of in the evenly divided Senate but Democrats hope that House passage will send a message that the party is serious about gun-safety legislation following a spate of high-profile mass shootings across the country. Earlier Friday, Pelosi held a ceremony to celebrate passage of the $280 billion Chips and Science Act, a measure that would subsidize domestic semiconductor manufacturing and invest billions in science and technology innovation. The legislation now goes to President Biden for his signature. Meanwhile, Pelosi did not say whether she intends to visit Taiwan when asked about an upcoming trip to Asia during her weekly news conference. Her office has been silent on her plans to this point, citing security issues. Some Biden administration officials are concerned that Chinese leaders would see a visit by Pelosi to Taiwan as a provocation. Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, who lives in Moscow, worked for nearly eight years with Russian officials to fund and direct the U.S. groups, according to the indictment filed in Florida. The 24-page indictment does not name the groups but charges that Ionov also advised the campaigns of two unidentified political candidates in Florida. Ionov “allegedly orchestrated a brazen influence campaign, turning U.S. political groups and U.S. citizens into instruments of the Russian government,” Matthew Olsen, head of the Justice Department’s national security division, said in a written statement. In 2017 and 2019, Ionov allegedly monitored and supported the campaigns of two Americans running for local office, identified in court papers only as Unindicted Co-Conspirator-3 and Unindicted Co-Conspirator-4. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that the president has contacted Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to offer his support in the wake of floods that have killed at least 16. Biden also issued a major disaster declaration for Kentucky on Friday as many people remained without power from disastrous flooding. Biden also ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts, Jean-Pierre said. “The White House is continuing to closely monitor the devastating flooding in eastern Kentucky,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “Our hearts break for the families of those who have lost their lives or are missing.” Biden left Beshear a voice mail, Jean-Pierre said, and expects to talk to him at some point later in the day. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground Friday, touring flood-damaged areas with Beshear and local officials. FEMA also deployed rescue personnel to assist with efforts, Jean-Pierre noted. “Unfortunately, Kentucky is no stranger to catastrophic climate events, and the federal government will continue to provide assistance,” Jean-Pierre said. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/post-politics-now-house-to-take-up-assault-weapons-ban-today-pelosi-tells-colleagues/ar-AA1060dD

Bees have long impressed behavioral scientist Lars Chittka. In his lab at Queen Mary University of London, the pollinators have proved themselves capable of counting, using simple tools, and learning from nest-mates. What really surprises Chittka, however, are the nuances in the insects’ behavior. In 2008, for instance, a study from Chittka’s lab looked at how bumblebees reacted to a simulated attack by a fake spider on a flower. The bumblebees later approached suspect flowers cautiously and sometimes left even spider-less flowers quickly“as if they were seeing ghosts,” Chittka recalls. By contrast, the bees were seemingly more upbeat after receiving a sugar treat. To Chittka, these observations defy a long-held view that insects are robotlike, controlled by hardwired cognitive programs. Rather, bees’ behavior seems to be influenced by subjective experience a perception of “pleasant” and “unpleasant.” Chittka said he suspects more and more that “there’s quite a rich world inside their minds.” Early in his career, Chittka never protested when his colleagues opened bees’ skulls and inserted electrodes to study their nervous system. But he now wonders whether such procedures might create “potentially very unpleasant situations” for the insects. Like most invertebrates any animal without an internal skeleton insects tend to be legally unprotected in research. Regulations intended to minimize suffering in vertebrates such as rodents largely don’t apply. Some countries have already improved the welfare of select invertebrates, such as octopuses, squid, crabs, and lobsters. But there’s disagreement over whether other invertebrate species a kaleidoscopically diverse cast of animals also deserve protection. Some scientists believe species with relatively simple brains, such as insects, or perhaps even those with no central nervous system at all also deserve ethical consideration, although the details are under debate. None of the experts who spoke with Undark argued that research on these invertebrate species should stop. Some organisms, including widely used species of fruit flies or nematode worms, have long led to breakthroughs in genetics, cell development, and other biological processes, and have played important roles in almost a fifth of Nobel Prizes for Physiology or Medicine that were based on animal research. Many scientists are also shifting their research from vertebrates to invertebrates to avoid ethical bureaucracy associated with animal-welfare regulation. Still, recent research is prompting some scientists to rethink traditional research ethics. As Adam Hart, an entomologist at the University of Gloucestershire, puts it, “I think we are at a point where people are willing to entertain the idea that perhaps ethics isn’t just something for animals with backbones.” The rationale to legally protect animals in scientific research typically rests on their presumed ability to feel pain and suffer one facet of consciousness or sentience. Nearly all animals are capable of physically detecting injuries and displaying reflexes to avoid a threat. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they experience pain, which is not just a sensory experience, but a cognitive, conscious experience of harm and suffering. Establishing that an animal experiences pain is tricky, but there are some behavioral clues that go beyond simple reflexes including coping mechanisms such as nursing wounds and learning from previous injuries. “It’s kind of complicated,” the animal behaviorist Jennifer Mather, of the University of Lethbridge, says. “But we can get a decent idea of whether they have something that we would call pain if it were in us.” Scientists have long observed that vertebrates display behaviors consistent with a conscious experience of pain, such as avoiding situations in which they’ve been harmed or withdrawing from social activity. Legislation to protect vertebrates dates back to at least 1876, when British parliament passed the Cruelty to Animals Act. Today, in many countries, regulations mandate that the use of vertebrates in research be scientifically justified and limits any possible suffering. Standing committees at universities and research institutions typically provide oversight, reviewing research proposals and deciding whether a specific approach is justified. But invertebrates have historically been deemed incapable of conscious experiences such as pain. The resulting scarcity of regulations means that for most invertebrate species, there’s not much to stop scientists from, say, using large numbers of individuals for a particular experiment, amputating limbs without using anesthetic, keeping them in cramped containers, or dissecting them live. Invertebrates are largely left “open to do whatever you want with them,” Mather says. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/07/insect-invertebrate-pain-research-experiments/671000/

Steeler Nation is in Latrobe today as the team wraps up its first week of training camp. To finish up the first week, plenty of fans will be in attendance. Latrobe is expected to see nearly triple the number of fans who attended the first public practice. There are expected to be about 15,000 people at Steelers training camp today. STEELERS TRAINING CAMP: Fans come from all over for Steelers' first public practice at Saint Vincent College since 2019 Steelers 2022 Training Camp Fan Guide Business owners ready to see familiar faces as Steelers return to Latrobe Steelers return to Saint Vincent College for training camp for first time since 2019 Steelers unveil 2022 training camp schedule That shows you just how deep Steeler Nation is. We're only a few days into camp but on the days fans have been able to attend, those fans have not been disappointed. They've been amazed at how good rookie receiver George Pickens has looked going up for catches, and obviously, there's a close watch on first-round pick Kenny Pickett's place on the quarterback depth chart. If you haven't been to a Steelers training camp practice before and today will be the first time, there are a few things to keep in mind! St. Vincent's campus opens to fans at noon, practice begins at 1:55 p.m., and while practice is free, fans do need a ticket to enter. Those can be found on Ticketmaster. Training camp has always been a great experience for the fans and it's a homecoming of sorts since the Steelers have not been in Latrobe since 2019 due to the pandemic. Fans will be able to get their gear signed, younger fans can take part in football drills and other activities for the fan experience. Stick with us here on air and at KDKA.com for coverage of 2022 Steelers Training Camp! https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/thousands-of-fans-expected-in-latrobe-for-steelers-open-practice/

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When it comes to over-the-top roleplaying games, it’s hard to beat the bonkers worlds and stories I’ve come to expect from the Xenoblade Chronicles saga. With Xenoblade Chronicles 3, massive improvements have been made to combat, quest design, and the RPG sandbox, while retaining the absurd and awesome environments, and a laser-focus on great characters and an impressive (if convoluted) story. Of course, while this third entry evolves in some key areas that make the epic journey more consistently fun than the two mainline games that came before it, it also repeats some of the same mistakes, including sloppy writing, weak bosses, and graphics that often leave something to be desired. Even so, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is already competing for the spot as my favorite iteration of this beloved series. At the heart of any Xenoblade game is a fantastically bizarre world and an epic story that’s propelled into utter insanity by the end, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is no exception. Everything about the war-torn world of Aionios is completely foreign, from the 10-year life spans the world’s pod-grown residents live, to the constant war to power up “flame clocks” that each faction draws life from, to the Off-Seers who play flutes to release the dead as sprites of light. All of these puzzling elements unravel over the course of the extensive adventure, and being a part of that journey is uniquely satisfying in a way only Monolith Soft seems capable of pulling off. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Slideshow Even those who have never played a Xenoblade game before will be able to enjoy this extremely self-contained story. There are definitely references and tie-ins to Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2, but they’re not crucial to anything so you aren’t likely to take notice of them at all unless you know what to look for. For those like myself who have been following along from the beginning, there’s plenty to enjoy that felt like a nice reward for keeping up with the series for all these years. But while the story and world are delightfully weird, they aren’t always effectively used, especially when it comes to the extremely hit-or-miss writing that has characters retreading the same developments over and over again and beating you over the head with the story’s themes and ideas. The concepts and characters almost never stop shining, but it’s not always told with finesse, and oftentimes three lengthy cutscenes are used to accomplish what might have just as well been covered with a single line of dialogue. Some sections had so many exhaustive cutscenes occurring one after another that a painful sense of deja vu crept over me and dragged down what was an otherwise interesting development. Not to mention the fact that just about every anime story cliche in the book has been included in the maximum doses legally permitted. Add in some severe pacing problems, like one section that has you go undercover to perform menial tasks, or another that has you trotting across the world to collect pieces of metal, and I often felt like my time wasn’t being respected with so much filler padding out the adventure. Some of that is fine, but in a game that took 150 hours to complete it might’ve been better to trim out some of the unessential parts. The good news is that, even when the story drags a bit the characters shine brightly, with very few exceptions. Whether you’re hanging out with the brash meathead Lanz and his simple charms or spending time with the studious bookworm Taion, it was really hard for me to not grow to love the ragtag band of misfits and ne’er-do-wells that comprise your party. Sure, they aren’t the most original characters – I’ve definitely seen their like in half a hundred games and shows before – but after so many hours with these lovable scamps, I’ve come to regard them all as my chosen family. That’s especially true when each character is given so much time in the limelight, with every party member getting extensive personal histories and fully voice-acted optional side quests that flesh out their backstories and provide additional color. Even some of the less interesting members like Sena, the under-achieving jock who I considered the runt of the litter, still ended up winning me over in the end thanks to all the time and attention given to developing her. Of course, it wouldn’t be Xenoblade without bizarre, otherworldly locations to adventure in, and the environments in this one are suitably odd. There’s one area that takes place inside of a giant discarded sword, and another that leads you along the branches of a massive tree. Exploring these areas as you unravel the mysteries of Aionios add to the unpredictability and weirdness of the world in a really awesome way. That said, compared to some of the bonkers destinations from previous Xenoblade games, the places you visit in this odyssey are mild by comparison. There are a few highlights, but nothing that comes close to climbing up a giant dead robot’s elbow or winding up inside the body of an ancient creature. Instead you mostly explore standard settings like a snowy area, a big, sandy desert, or a large body of water with some small islands. It still captures the spirit of exploration and discovery for which Xenoblade is known and there are certainly a few surprises, but I do find myself wishing the developers had gotten a bit weirder with it considering the series’ track record. Trailer: https://www.ign.com/videos/xenoblade-chronicles-3-release-date-reveal-trailer More Info: https://www.ign.com/articles/xenoblade-chronicles-3-review

One of the best features that the AirPods have to offer is automatic audio switching. In a nutshell, the audio device stays connected to your iPhone and Mac at the same time, and can automatically switch the audio stream when needed. For example, AirPods instantly switch away from the Mac and to your iPhone when you get a call on your iPhone. After years of waiting, Google is finally bringing that facility to Android phones. The feature is rolling out for the Pixel Buds Pro starting today, but support is limited to Android phones and tablets only. Google says a handful of Sony and JBL audio gear that supports Bluetooth multipoint technology will also offer the perk soon. The company is also promising that audio switching will make its way to more devices and platforms (like Windows) "over time," but there is no concrete window as to when those plans are going to materialize. In January 2022, Google promised that audio switching will also make its way to Chromebooks and Android TV, but there is no timeline for these two in-house platforms either. Audio switching on Android works in a way that's extremely similar to its Apple ecosystem counterpart. Your earbuds and headphones will remain connected to a tablet and phone simultaneously, but only one device will be sending an audio stream at a time. If you get a phone call while watching a movie on a tablet, the audio stream will instantly switch to the phone so that you can attend the call. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/android-audio-switching-should-help-juggle-your-gadget-addiction/ar-AAZPqJa

"In the first half of 2022, I have been very impressed by the momentum generated by our General Manager model. Our focus on our products and customers’ needs continues to drive improvement in our NPS and the nature of the deals we sign. Over the first half, our core product-based strategy had a real impact. Thanks to our B2B offering, we were able to sign our largest deal of the period through a multi-million euros Axway Managed cloud contract with a new customer. Our MFT portfolio also continued to attract new customers and grow within its large installed base, while API Management pursued its development through the success of the Amplify Marketplace and Axway Open Finance offerings. We also strengthened our capabilities by acquiring a cloud integration start-up, DXChange.io, at the end of June. While we were anticipating a decline in H1 2022 compared to the good performance of the previous year, the number of Axway Managed subscription contracts signed during the period exceeded our expectations. This shift is disrupting our revenue even though we have achieved our sales forecasts, as evidenced by the satisfactory growth of our ARR. Should this trend continue, our 2022 organic growth target of between 1 and 3% may become difficult to achieve in favor of more stable and predictable revenues in the years to come. At this stage we are looking at a full-year landing in the low end of our guidance, but we will have a better picture of the situation at the end of Q3." Comments on business activity in the first half of 2022 In the first half of 2022, Axway continued to adapt to its new market paradigms at a good pace. This resulted in Axway Managed subscription growth of almost 400%, which helped ARR growth of 8.6% and builds future revenue stability. Over the first six months of 2022, in an inflationary economic environment, Axway's margin and booking performance was in line with internal forecasts. While the first half of 2021 represented a high comparison basis, Subscription revenue, which had been growing steadily between 2018 and 2021 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.5%, was slowed by several large new contract signatures for Axway Managed cloud offerings. These contracts, which, as evidenced by the continued increase in ARR over the period, generate more recurring revenue over time and do not result in any early revenue recognition. On the operational side, the company continues to implement its strategy focusing on its significant product lines and markets. This approach involved several major developments: - The company moved to an execution model with General Managers ("GM") for each core product: API, MFT, B2B and Digital Finance. Each GM oversees the strategy and budget for a product line and works closely with regional entities allowing teams to continue to get closer to the customer and their needs. - The initiative to rationalize the product portfolio, which involves 5-7% of the company's 2021 total revenue, has been launched. As such, several specialized products have been put in the process to be sold or discontinued. - In addition to its product portfolio rationalization, Axway is working to secure its market positions. As part of this plan, it was decided to serve Chinese market with partners and therefore, Axway's subsidiary in China will be closed. - As mentioned at the beginning of the year, the acquisition strategy was re-engaged with a first transaction completed at the end of June 2022. Axway acquired the India-based start-up, DXChange.io, which offers a cloud integration platform that will be leveraged across the entire core portfolio. This strategic technological acquisition will enable Axway to respond effectively to the convergence of the API Management and IPaaS markets, which are rapidly evolving towards a common framework for integration and management of hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Finally, over the first six months of the year, customer satisfaction has risen sharply breaking a new record, with a Net Promoter Score of 37 compared with 29 at the end of 2021. Axway’s customers continue to be excellent external advocates of the company’s offerings and value. Comments on operational performance in the first half of 2022 In the first half of the year, Axway generated revenue of €136.4 m, down 5.8% organically and 1.4% in total. While there were no changes in the scope of consolidation during the first six months of the year, currency fluctuations had a positive impact on revenue of €6.5 m, mainly due to the appreciation of the US dollar against the euro. Profit on operating activities amounted to €6.7 m for the period, or 4.9% of revenue. More Info: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/axway-software-accelerated-migration-cloud-154500382.html

Current quantum computers are stuck using binary processes designed for traditional computers. It’s no secret that quantum computers are advancing in both power and efficiency every day, and may eventually become a strategic asset that could even give governments advantages over one another. Simply looking at the timeline, quantum computing has come a long way in a very short period of time, having achieved quantum supremacy by demonstrating the ability to solve complex problems faster than a traditional computer back in 2019. Meanwhile, the federal government is planning for a post-quantum future where powerful quantum machines shred today’s encryption protections. NIST and private companies are currently scrambling to create new cybersecurity protections that can withstand a quantum assault. All of that points to a bright future for quantum computers, which only started generating attention and interest around 2016 with their non-traditional computing methods apparently breaking the laws of physicsto solve complex problems. However, beneath the surface, quantum computers still face a lot of obstacles. The biggest one is that while they are able to quickly solve most problems, they also return a lot of wrong answers along with the proper solutions. Imagine a student being given a lengthy exam in school, completing it in just a few seconds, and then turning it in with all of the correct answers buried within pages of incorrect responses. That student probably wouldn’t earn a very good grade. And yet, that is the kind of data that quantum computers normally send back in response to queries. This is called “noise” by quantum scientists, and every quantum computer operating today, regardless of how powerful it is, generates a lot of it. There are many reasons why quantum computers generate noise. They are very fragile, with their calculations influenced by almost any outside factor, including temperature, soundwaves, vibrations, light, invisible quantum entanglements and even background radiation. That is why most quantum machines are housed in dark, vault-like boxes that are kept close to absolute zero. Beyond environmental factors, one of the biggest reasons for the noise is the fact that a quantum computer’s qubits, which are the equivalent of traditional computing bits, are able to exist in billions of possible states at the same time, whereas traditional computer bits are either a one or a zero, with nothing in between. That is why quantum computers are able to process complex problems so quickly, but also a big reason why there is so much noise in their results. They are able to use superposition having their qubits exist in multiple states to solve a problem, but are still bound to binary computing constructs when trying to finalize their results. Several post-processing solutions have been suggested to improve quantum computing accuracy. For example, combining a traditional supercomputer with a quantum machine and then charging that supercomputer with helping to eliminate the noise might speed up the time needed to get to valid solutions, as might employing artificial intelligence to remove much of the obvious noise. Earlier this year, computer scientists suggested creating better software that would allow users to ask quantum computers better questions from the start. Most potential solutions to the quantum noise problem involve dealing with the problem after the fact. But now, several scientists have proposed a way to modify the hardware of quantum computers to finally remove their dependency on binary computing. Essentially, their new quantum computer design would allow systems to escape having to adapt to a binary environment. In an article published in Nature Physics, computer scientists Martin Ringbauer, Michael Meth and others put forward a design for a quantum processor that uses trapped ions as the core processor. This would allow their quantum machine to “think” in nonbinary ways where its qubits were not subjected to just two states of matter (the one and the zero of traditional binary computing). Theoretically, this could not only speed up calculations, but also eliminate the noise that happens when trying to shoehorn quantum computing solutions back into a binary structure. As they explain it, “Most quantum computers use binary encoding to store information in qubits the quantum analogue of classical bits. Yet, the underlying physical hardware consists of information carriers that are not necessarily binary, but typically exhibit a rich multilevel structure. Operating them as qubits artificially restricts their degrees of freedom to two energy levels.” According to the paper, what quantum computers need to improve their accuracy is the ability to operate in higher-dimensional areas known as Hilbert spaces, essentially freeing them from binary computing constructs altogether. Their new hardware design is apparently able to do that, at least in theory. They even call the bits that their machine would use qudits instead of a qubit. “Here we demonstrate a universal quantum processor using trapped ions that act as qudits with a local Hilbert-space dimension of up to seven,” the authors state in their paper. “With a performance similar to qubit quantum processors, this approach enables the native simulation of high-dimensional quantum systems, as well as more efficient implementation of qubit-based algorithms.” If quantum computers can be made to operate more efficiently, while also eliminating the noise they generate with their answers, it could boost the already fast-moving quantum development timeline. It might also complicate government efforts to create post-quantum encryption security, which currently is operating on the assumption that quantum computers will still be at least somewhat dependent on binary operations. A computer that could break that bond, could also likely break any post-quantum encryption that still relies on it. John Breeden II is an award-winning journalist and reviewer with over 20 years of experience covering technology. He is the CEO of the Tech Writers Bureau, a group that creates technological thought leadership content for organizations of all sizes. https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2022/07/new-quantum-hardware-could-allow-computers-process-information-more-naturally/374891/

US stocks ended lower Tuesday as Walmart's earnings warning added to growing alarms about the economy. The world's largest retailer cut its profit forecast, citing high inflation and changing consumer habits. Oil prices reversed lower as recession fears weighed on prospects for demand. US stocks closed lower Tuesday, extending losses from earlier in the session, as earnings news raised more fears about the economy ahead of another big rate hike from the Federal Reserve. Walmart, the world's largest retailer, trimmed its profit projections late Monday as high inflation turns consumers more cautious on spending. The sour outlook added to the shifting economic picture on Wall Street, with retail rivals like Amazon and Macy's set to report earnings next week. Meanwhile, the Fed wraps up its meeting Wednesday, and Wall Street is expecting another 75-basis-point rate hike as policymakers continue their focus on cooling down inflation. A Morgan Stanley wealth-management executive told Bloomberg TV that the recent market uptick is merely a bear-market rally and that significant dips may still lie ahead. The Fed's preferred recession indicator is signaling turmoil, as the bond market's three-month bill premium has slumped 95 basis points in July. The US is the top exporter of liquefied natural gas so far this year and has increased outbound flows 12%, with 71% of the LNG making its way to Europe and the UK. Oil prices gave up earlier gains to turn lower, with West Texas Intermediate crude falling 1.6% to $95.27 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.87% to $104.04 per barrel. Gold ticked down 0.2% at $1,716 an ounce. The 10-year yield rose 1.5 basis points to 2.805%. Bitcoin fell 4% to $20,859. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-stocks-tumble-as-earnings-add-to-worries-about-the-economy-ahead-of-more-fed-rate-hikes/ar-AA100dW1

More than 1000 animals died in Gujarat due to the infectious lumpy skin disease. The virus has spread in 15 districts of the state. A high level meeting was called by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel amid the growing cases of the infections among animals in the state. Discussions were held on how to save animals from the deadly virus. Till now, over three lakh animals have been vaccinated against the disease. Along with this, the survey and analysis of lumpy skin diseases has also been started in which survey and vaccination work is being done through 192 veterinary officers and 438 livestock exports. A 24-hour toll free number has also been started by the Gujarat government, in which the cattle owners can call the number 1962 and get information. If a case is detected in any village then all animals are being vaccinated on a large scale within a radius of 5 km. Companion Lumpy Skin Disease is spread through the virus in animals like cows and buffaloes. Shelter home is also being started for lumpy virus affected cattle. In Gujarat, this skin disease has been found in cows and buffaloes in 1,126 villages of Disis, Jamnagar, Kutch, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Morbi, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Junagadh, Botad, Gir Somnath, Banaskantha, Surat and Patan districts. Its effect has been seen in 41,242 animals. https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/lumpy-skin-disease-kills-more-than-1000-animals-in-gujarat/ar-AA1000IW