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Will also push adoption of containers A new study by po[CENSORED]r open source web server NGINX has revealed a significant spike in the number of apps built with microservices. The company’s sixth annual survey focussed on discovering trends in app development and deployment. It was primarily interested in how the community was using microservices, containers, and infrastructure platforms, and their associated challenges. “We’re seeing a big shift from monolithic to microservices‑based apps. More than ever before, organisations are looking to build platforms with greater resilience and faster deployment capabilities,” said Dor Zakai, EMEA Senior Director for Solutions Engineering, NGINX at F5. We've put together a list of the best DevOps tools available These are the best laptops for programming in the market Check out these best cloud computing services Rising tide lifts all boats More than half of the 600 respondents were using microservices, reaffirming the trend that an increasing number of organizations are migrating from monolithic to microservices‑based apps. Further breakup reveals that while 34% were using microservices in some apps, 20% relied on it for a majority of their apps, and 6% were exclusively using microservices for their apps. Moreover, the move to microservices also accelerates the adoption of other related technologies, particularly containers. The survey reveals that containers are twice as po[CENSORED]r as other modern application technologies, with 34% of respondents using them in their production environment. As organizations continue to move beyond basic container use, NGINX points out that the findings of its survey are in line with Gartner’s, which predicts that 75% of global organizations will be running containerized applications in production by 2022.

One investor is considering filing a lawsuit due to 'Misrepresentation.' Among the numerous issues surrounding CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, the Poland developer faces another challenge. The company could soon be facing a class-action lawsuit that accuses the developer of "misrepresentation in order to receive financial benefits." As reported by The New York Times, Warsaw attorney and CD Projekt Red investor Mikołaj Orzechowski has brought forward a motion to accuse the company of pulling the wool over investor's eyes. "My name is Mikołaj Orzechowski, I am a Warsaw attorney and at the same time a CDPR investor. In connection with the recent events - and in particular the suspension of the sale of the CYBERPUNK 2077 product, we are currently analyzing, together with the law firm's team, the grounds for bringing a class action together with the notification of the possibility of committing a crime under Art. 286 of the Penal Code. - misrepresentation in order to obtain financial benefits" states Mikołaj Orzechowski. But Orzechowski isn't the only one going after the company. There are at least three others, as shared by a Yahoo Finance and Business Wire press release. These include New York firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP, the Los Angeles-based Schall Law Firm, and the investor rights law firm Rosen Law. All are urging any investors who've lost money to contact them. This idea of a lawsuit comes after several companies, including Microsoft, Sony, Best Buy, Gamestop, and even CD Projekt Red changed their refund policies to accommodate the game's frustrated owners. These refunds may reversed the previous announcement that Cyberpunk 2077 made up all its investment costs on its release.

Game Information Initial release date: November 6, 2012 Series: Hello Author: Christopher Sklerf Software Developers: 343 PPG, Rockstar Dundee, Splash Damage, Certain Affinity Awards: Spike Video Games Award for Best Graphics, Spike Award for Best Xbox 360 Game Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows I used to joke that Microsoft needed to rename Halo’s primary protagonist “Master Thief,” because that bastard has stolen more hours and money from me than I’m willing to admit. Having never owned an original Xbox, ironically enough, that means that my first Halo experience was actually on PC. Thankfully, Xbox Games Studios and 343 Industries have seen fit to port their uber-collection of Master Chief titles to PC, albeit taking their damn sweet time in the process. Now that the Halo 4 installment is available for PC, does it still hold up? Quite a bit has changed in the last eight years. One of the biggest unknowns from the launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection was: how would the game fare? After it was beaten into oblivion upon its initial launch, 343 Industries opted to pace itself and focus on releasing one game at a time on PC. This approach seems to have paid dividends, while also allowing keyboard jockeys the chance to progressively savor each morsel of John 117’s career. Personally, I was always on the fence about Halo 4 in general. However, given the opportunity to come in with a fresh set of eyes that were no longer dealing with serious franchise fatigue, my takeaways were far more positive this time around. A new beginning If you’ve been keeping track at home, at the end of Halo 3 Master Chief and Cortana were afloat in a vessel, lost in deep space, and awaiting their next call to arms. Fast forward four years, and it feels like things haven’t changed much in the galaxy, aside from the Flood going the way of the dodo. Instead, the Forerunners have taken their place, and the game is immeasurably better because of it. As the two main protagonists make their way towards the Forerunner planet of Requiem, it becomes very apparent that the UNSC is in some serious trouble. Out of nowhere, the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn appears and is caught in the planet’s gravity well. Slowly but steadily, the vessel begins its crash landing into the installation’s surface. In an attempt to warn the ship about their impending doom, Chief and his faltering AI try to send an emergency. Unfortunately, they ended up making the situation infinitely worse by accidentally releasing the Didact instead. This mean son of a bitch is a misguided remnant of the Forerunners, intent on enslaving all of humanity inside of Promethean husks. After all, what better way to avoid being absorbed by the Flood than to not have any organic material at all? Without going too much deeper down the narrative rabbit hole, there is one other key point established very early on in the campaign: Cortana is going rampant. For those not versed in the AI lore of the Halo universe, after about seven years of deployment, AIs begin to develop a chronic case of what I believe is technically referred to as the “herp-a-derps.” Their mental faculties eventually reach such an elevated level that they literally analyze themselves to death. So along with trying to prevent the Didact from unleashing all sorts of hell on humanity, Chief is stuck dealing with a glitching AI that he’s doing everything in his power to protect and salvage. After spending so many moons in the orbit of developer Bungie, it was great to see 343 Industries get a chance to stretch its wings. The developer managed to craft a storyline that felt like it was far more complex than had previously been seen in the franchise. This was then further augmented by the addition of the episodic Spartan Ops content, which I hadn’t had the chance to re-experience since I blew through them in 2012. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well this additional campaign both built upon the existing canon, while also setting the stage for the next generation of Halo storytelling. Easily the biggest improvement of this installment, gameplay-wise, is the substantial boost that the Forerunners/Prometheans provide the weapon arsenal. In previous iterations, the Flood would essentially repurpose either UNSC or Covenant firearms and brought very little else to the table. The Prometheans, on the other hand, are known for their advanced technology and bring their own broomsticks to the battle. Every newly-introduced weapon has a decidedly high-tech appearance, performance, and even sound, despite essentially being equivalents to previously-established armaments. I know it might not seem like much on paper, but having a fresh set of ways to dispatch enemies was a step in the right direction. Another benefit of having a third faction that isn’t just a glorified zombie (still looking at you, Flood) is that it provides a chance to restructure the AI behaviors in combat. Both of the opposing forces were more lifelike and responsive than previous installments. Enemies will react to sound, flinch when a shot ricochets near them, or even run for cover when they can’t see UNSC opposition. Plus, the Promethean ability to disappear and rematerialize in a new location across the battlefield continuously kept me on my toes and swearing at the monitor. Picture perfect While there are plenty of items that can be debated about Halo 4 as a whole, one factor that isn’t up for discussion are the stellar visuals. I remember being blown away at how good it looked even back in the Xbox 360 era. Yet, somehow, 343 and company managed to go in and make it look even better with the aid of modern technologies. Every aspect of the presentation has been improved from the texture work all the way down to the smooth-as-silk animations. The insane level of polish is even more apparent when playing using either the 120fps or uncapped framerates. Hell, even cutscenes appear to have been given a healthy dose of TLC. Top-to-bottom, the PC version of the experience is superior to the console installments in damn near every way. And what would a review of a mainline game in the Halo franchise be without touching on their storied multiplayer modes? Considering the budding eSports community that has sprung up around the game, it’s safe to say that the first Microsoft-only installment did its best to continue that trend. Granted, it will never be able to hold up to the gold standard that was the Halo 2 and 3’s multiplayer suites, but that sort of comparison isn’t really fair to any of the parties involved. It’s like comparing apples to Volkswagens if they were both equipped with machine gun turrets. Many of the advancements on the multiplayer side were mainly to bring it into parity with the expectations of the Call of Duty crowd. Thankfully, the addition of weapon loadouts, killstreaks, and an overall increase in match pace helps to modernize what had otherwise been in stasis since Halo 3. Along with these very necessary enhancements, the game didn’t lose sight of where it came from, as most of the larger maps are where the real fun is at. These massive, sprawling stages do a great job of encouraging and rewarding exploration, while also allowing the fun of 8v8 Big Team Battles to shine through. Missing the target Despite being shockingly solid, that isn’t to say that everything is perfect. At the risk of sounding like a console fanboy, it just never felt right to me playing on a mouse and keyboard. (Yes, I know. For shame!). Perhaps the fact that I originally played the game from behind the sticks is coloring my perception slightly, but for some reason, it just felt a bit, well, off. After numerous hours stuck behind the keys, playing Destiny on PC, the comparable default control scheme for Halo 4 was terrible. Press “C” to run? Press “1” to switch between all weapons, instead of each being mapped to its own key? “Shift” to use armor powers? Thank Christ for the ability to remap keys, because otherwise I would’ve been hosed beyond all belief. If you’d told me six years ago that the Halo: The Master Chief Collection would end up coming to PC, especially after the disasterbacle that was its launch on Xbox One, I would’ve laughed in your face. Yet, somehow Microsoft has managed to right the ship, with Halo 4 delivering the most expansive and impressive PC outing to date. A hopeless rescue mission has never been this much fun. System Requirements OS: Windows 7. Processor: Intel Core i7-975 | AMD A12-9800 APU. Memory: 2 GB RAM. Graphics: GeForce GTS 450 | Radeon R7 Graphics. Storage: 55 GB available space.

Battle Canceled T/c

Move should help Github improve user experience Online code repository GitHub has announced that it has done away with all non-essential cookies on its website. The move means it is no longer required to display the cookie banner, which has thus been removed from all its pages. “No one likes cookie banners,” declared GitHub’s CEO Nat Friedman, while announcing the move. He added that GitHub has been looking for a solution to balance their dislike of cookie banners while conforming to legislation such as GDPR that helps protect users’ privacy. “After a brief search, we found one: just don’t use any non-essential cookies. Pretty simple, really.” We've put together a list of the best laptops for developers And here's our roundup of the best Linux distros for developers Also, check out our list of the best Python course No more cookies Friedman explained that GitHub has removed all non-essential cookies, which means the site doesn’t send any information to third-party analytics services. He also assured that the platform also doesn’t use any cookies for displaying ads and tracking users across the web. Reports quote an unnamed GitHub spokesperson who says that the website now only sets nine cookies for essential functions like logging in, and even these might be reduced in the future. The legislation exempts these cookies from the notification requirements, which while good in principle are generally panned for breaking the user experience of websites. "We recognize that even the best cookie banner is a sub-par user experience, and decided to put developers, their privacy, and experience first," assures the spokesperson. GitHub is one of the first major platforms to make this move, and could perhaps set off a much welcome trend.

More competition for Intel. With the Apple M1 in the hands of consumers and Amazon currently working to shift its Azure servers from Nvidia’s processors to its own in-house chips, it’s clear that major tech industry players are keen to bring more and more of their production lines as close to home as possible. And according to a new report from Bloomberg, Microsoft’s gearing up to be the next company to transition to in-house chips. At least for some of its products. “Microsoft Corp. is working on in-house processor designs for use in server computers that run the company’s cloud services,” Bloomberg writes. “It’s also exploring using another chip that would power some of its Surface line of personal computers.” Like Amazon’s Graviton 2 chips, these processors will be Arm-based, which makes sense. Windows on Arm already exists, so Microsoft’s familiar with it. But since Nvidia owns Arm, the goal here is probably to reduce reliance on Intel rather than to make the company’s computing perfectly bespoke. This also isn’t the first time Microsoft’s explored using self-developed chips, though they’ve mostly been made in collaboration with other companies until now. Microsoft already uses an Arm-based chip that it’s co-developed with Qualcomm, the SQ2, in its Surface Pro X tablet. The Surface Laptop 3 also uses a custom Ryzen chip, and the company’s long used custom processors co-developed with other manufacturers in its game consoles, like the Xenon chip it made with IBM. But using custom chips in its servers is a first for the company. Which also points to another potential reason for the move: as companies recover from the pandemic, they’re facing pressure to become more self-reliant. Still, according to Bloomberg, this move has been in the works for a while, as Microsoft’s spent the last few years recruiting more and more processor engineers. Intel’s long been able to rely on its business sales when its consumer chips fall behind, but according to Bloomberg, Intel’s stock is now down 21% this year as more and more companies distance themselves from it.

Game Information Initial release date: 2020 Software developer: Romero Games Ltd. Publisher: Paradox Interactive Engine: Unity Designers: John Romero, Brenda Romero Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Mac OS Hollywood has often glorified the criminal underbelly of society. Indeed, many films, TV shows, novels, and games sprang up from creative minds all looking to give people a glimpse at the mafia or various syndicates. Enter Empire of Sin, the newest title from Romero Games (a studio founded by John and Brenda Romero). It’s the most recent in a long line of media depicting the gangster culture of the Prohibition-era United States. In a way, you can think of Empire of Sin as a modern-day version of Gangsters: Organized Crime or Omerta – City of Gangsters. If you haven’t tried those titles, then think of it as XCOM with a dash of Mafia and Total War, all wrapped up in The Untouchables. Gangster’s paradise When you start a new campaign in Empire of Sin, you’re presented with 14 choices on which mob boss to pick. Of course, you’ll see the infamous Al Capone and Angelo Genna. There are also some relatively lesser-known figures such as Daniel McKee Jackson, Stephanie St. Clair, and Sai Wing Mock. You’ll even find some unique personages like Elvira Duarte, a character based on John Romero’s own great grandmother. Each boss has their own unique set of skills that make them a nightmare for their rivals. For instance, Al Capone’s empire bonuses provides upgrades to breweries and brothels at a lower cost. Meanwhile, his diplomatic bonus allows him to increase his faction’s rating passively while in a defensive pact. As for the alluring Goldie Garneau, she earns more from speakeasies (bars) and her casino upgrades are cheaper. Her diplomatic bonus lowers her threat generation to help negate problems with other bosses. Furthermore, bosses have combat abilities that make them extremely deadly in a fight. Capone’s got his Rain of Fire ability where he pumps enemies full of lead using a Tommy Gun. As for Frankie Donovan, he can use Unleash Fury to beat down foes with melee strikes. Meanwhile, Salazar Reyna has the Santa Muerte where he spins in a circle while shooting his dual-wielded revolvers. Bosses also have a particular storyline quest that you can complete. These add flavor and fluff to the way you approach the sandbox campaign. Building your criminal organization All of the above will have you thinking that Empire of Sin has a ton of replay value. Sadly, it doesn’t. Boss abilities rarely, if ever, make each playthrough unique. For instance, the first campaign I finished was Al Capone’s. In that run, I played fairly aggressively, eliminating the competition with ease. On my second playthrough as Goldie Garneau, I attempted a more peaceful game while looking to ally and befriend various syndicates. Halfway through, I decided to try a third run as Frankie Donovan. The problem, however, was that Empire of Sin‘s sandbox remained all too similar. You start out in a particular suburb of Chicago and, as you zoom out, you’re shown an expansive map in a pausable, real-time interface. Next, you recruit more gang members, and then you take over various “rackets.” Likewise, you could ransack or raze locations held by random thugs (minor factions), or just buy vacant buildings. From there, you upgraded facets such as ambiance and word of mouth to keep customers coming in, security to have extra guards, and deflection to prevent police raids. If you’ve got breweries, you can start producing more alcohol. Since this is Prohibition-era Chicago, the more alcohol you’ve got, the bigger the financial boost you’ll gain when it comes to demand. Unfortunately, this concept itself felt too opaque and confusing. There were moments when I’d get notifications that the neighborhood was “bustling” (which meant business was booming). Then, within seconds, I was told that it dropped down to “mediocre” status. There are also methods to keep the cops off your back such as giving them bribes or asking for protection. You may also engage in diplomatic deals with other syndicates. However, I found that these mechanics felt clunky, too. Even a relatively peaceful game made increasing your rating (so the police can protect you and so bosses could trust you) an uphill climb. Therefore, it was better to just duke it out with the other gang leaders rather than doing sitdown meetings or engaging in diplomacy. Indeed, taking out all the other mob bosses is the only way to actually win the game, making the entire process feel repetitive regardless of your leader. Your Empire of Sin crew Whether you’re engaged in a firefight against crime lords, thugs, or the local police, your boss needs to have their crews backing them up. Empire of Sin has over 50 unique characters for you to hire, each one belonging to a particular class with their own skills and perks. I have a few gripes here. The first is that you can only hire new recruits based on notoriety and you’re limited to just 10. Your reputation increases depending on actions such as killing enemies or completely annihilating another faction. This leads to subsequent playthroughs where you always end up with the same characters. Again, this lowers the replay value since you still follow the same progression if you want better soldiers. The second is that every gang member has a particular relationship seen in the “Black Book.” If someone hates another character (a big red middle finger symbol), that person won’t join your gang at all unless you fire their enemy. It’s a bit pointless since underlings that have been with you for a long time gain new traits and have increased loyalty. Now, if they have a lover (a heart symbol) or friend (green thumbs up), this is where Empire of Sin goes from “that’s a neat feature” to “this looks like it wasn’t tested properly.” The issue occurs when a character’s lover or friend has been hired by a rival faction. Your hired gun won’t attack that character. But, if said character is killed, there’s a 50/50 chance that your underlings would leave your crew. As far as I know, there’s no way to “poach” someone off another crime lord. As such, you might need to reload a few saves prior to these battles if you want to have RNG in your favor. Turn-based tactics and Tommy Guns Some of the recent turn-based tactical games I reviewed this year include XCOM: Chimera Squad, Gears Tactics, and Othercide. Mind you, those games had something unique and special that made them stand out. Regrettably, Empire of Sin follows a more rudimentary approach. There’s little that differentiates it from a generic title in the genre. Characters take turns, they’re placed on tiles, they have two action points that can be used to move or attack (although attacking ends their turn), and they can do an overwatch or use cover to mitigate damage. There are also executions, finishers that units perform when an opponent is bleeding out. These happen to increase notoriety as well. I’ve only seen three types, including the razor slash to the neck which seems to be the most common. It’s disappointing when you realize that you’re just going through the motions. More often than not, I found myself running in with guns blazing if I’m eliminating thugs. But, if I’m attacking a safehouse or well-defended racket/building, it turns into an “overwatch fest.” That means a bunch of my units are just waiting for the AI to move and get pelted with potshots. Heck, if I’m using Al Capone, I’ll pop his Rain of Fire ability and watch as AI opponents happily wade through his Tommy Gun bullets. Additionally, Empire of Sin‘s skills and classes do need a rework. Since you’ve got only single-use healing items, Doctor-class healing abilities become invaluable. Character classes that can use rifles and sniper rifles tend to be extremely helpful, too, compared to the rest. If enemy pistols can shoot across the entire room, then short-range shotguns and submachine guns just won’t do the trick. Making you an offer you can refuse Make no mistake, Empire of Sin is an ambitious title from Romero Games. It’s chock-full of activities, mechanics, and systems that can be overwhelming when you first try them out. In a way, all of these ideas are good, at least on paper. The downside is, once you apply them in a campaign, very few mesh well while others remain problematic. Worse, you have to consider a number of bugs and gameplay issues such as characters suddenly coming back to life after being downed. Likewise, there were instances when some of my characters couldn’t be used during a battle — I wasn’t given any information or prompt as to why this happened, and my units were just idle in a corner. There’s even an odd occurrence when you promote someone as a mole to infiltrate a rival faction, but the options are severely limited. Oh, and there’s also that weird electric slide movement animation that everyone does. I do believe some of these issues will get fixed in a post-launch patch, so that’s worth the wait. At the very least, I didn’t experience any crashes, slowdowns, or stuttering. In any case, an Empire of Sin playthrough can be as long or short as you’d want it to be. You can select how many neighborhoods and opposing factions/bosses exist in the game world. Unfortunately, you’ll discover that the end goal (eliminating all factions) and the means of getting there remain the same. Once you’ve experienced everything it has to offer once, you’ll realize that you can refuse the rest. With a few fixes and tweaks, we might see Empire of Sin reach its full potential. As of now, that potential is sleeping with the fishes. Official Minimum Requirements OS: Windows® 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1. Processor: Intel® iCore™ i3-530 or AMD® Phenom™ II X3 720. Memory: 4 GB RAM. Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 555 or AMD® Radeon™ HD 6790. DirectX: Version 11. Storage: 6 GB available space.

Accepted

Honda has announced several recalls affecting more than 1.4 million American cars including over 700,000 Accords and Insights. Problems range from annoying to dangerous. First, the big concerns. Honda has recalled 2006-2007 CR-V SUVs over a fire risk. The problem starts innocuously – aging seals can allow moisture to get to the wiring of the window switches. The switches could fail, or, in extreme cases, the wet wiring could trigger a fire. Honda is aware of 23 instances. The recall covers about 268,000 vehicles. Dealerships will inspect for damage, and replace the master window power switch to correct the issue. Another recall applies to 430,000 units of the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2007-2014 Honda Fit, 2013-2015 Acura ILX, and 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid. Worse-than-expected wear has been found on the drive shafts of some vehicles, especially those driven where road salt is commonly used in winter. Honda suspects that the protective coating may have been improperly applied to some drive shafts. Dealers will inspect the cars and replace any defective parts, beginning in February. In the meantime, Honda is asking drivers to always set the parking brake when parked, to prevent cars from rolling away if they have worn driveshaft parts. Finally, the company has recalled 737,000 2018-2020 Accords and 2019-2020 Insights over some electrical gremlins. Owners have reported flickering lights, windshield wipers turning on and off without driver input, inoperable defrosters, and rearview cameras, and warning lights coming on and off for no reason. The body module control software appears to be the culprit. Dealers will fix the issues with a software update. Recall repairs are, by law, done for free. Our recall center can tell you whether your car, Honda or otherwise, has been the subject of any recalls.

My family can never refuse a steamed sponge. This dates back to the first time I took them to eat at St John in London. My mum was expecting some sort of afternoon tea, I think, so when Rosy, one of the pastry chefs, sent us a massive steamed date sponge, it took her by surprise. My dad ordered a pint, my brother a coke, and we all grabbed a spoon. To this day, it’s a pudding I get asked to make on repeat, accompanied by a jug of cold cream on the side. It also offers a po[CENSORED]r alternative to Christmas pudding. Steamed date pudding with toffee sauce I used a 16cm x 16cm x 9cm pudding basin to make one large dessert, but this recipe can be split into three or four smaller individual puddings, or two medium-sized ones, depending on what vessels you have to hand. The mix can be made in advance, kept in the fridge overnight and steamed the next day; or cooked and reheated in the microwave or re-steamed. Prep 25 min Cook 1hr 30 min+ Serves 4 200g medjool dates 100g unsalted butter, softened 160g dark brown sugar 2 eggs 160g self-raising flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp fine salt For the toffee sauce 200ml double cream 70g dark brown sugar 30g unsalted butter 1 pinch flaky salt (optional) Brush the pudding basin liberally with butter and put it in the fridge. Put the dates in a pan with 400ml water and simmer until they’re tender and soft – around 15 minutes. While they simmer, make the batter, first beating the butter with the sugar, then adding the eggs and mixing well. Combine the dry ingredients except the bicarb, then add to the wet mixture, stirring well to combine. Blend the date mixture in a blender to form a smooth paste, add the bicarb and blitz for 30 seconds to a minute more (use a standard-sized blender here, not a mini one, because the mixture will expand once the bicarb has been added). Leave to cool slightly, then add to the batter. The final mix should be quite loose. Dust the buttered mould with flour and pour in the batter, leaving a 4cm space from the top if making one large pudding (or split the batter into two basins – around 450g per basin). Put a circle of baking paper directly on top of the batter and make a foil lid by taking a large rectangle of foil, folding it in half and then making a pleat in the middle. Securely fold the foil around the top of the basin. (The pleat will allow the pudding to expand in the oven, while the paper prevents it from sticking to the foil.) Tie the foil to the basin with a piece of string. Put the basin in a large, deep pan half-filled with boiling water. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for one hour 30 minutes if making a large pudding, or 45 minutes to an hour for smaller ones. Top up the pan with water if and when needed. Insert a long, wooden skewer directly through the foil top into the pudding: if it comes out clean, it’s ready; if not, continue cooking. Once cooked, carefully lift the hot pudding basin from the pan, remove and discard the foil and paper, and run a knife all around the edges of the basin. For the toffee sauce, put all the ingredients except the salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the salt, if using. The sauce is now ready to be poured over the hot pudding, but can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for three days. Put a plate on top of the basin and, holding both plate and basin with oven gloves, turn it upside down to release the pudding. Serve with the hot toffee sauce.

Former Turkish Chief of Staff Ilker Basbug described the application of US sanctions against Turkey, due to the S-400 system that was received from Russia, as “painful” due to the serious consequences on the Turkish defense capability, while the largest loser from the sanctions is the Air Force, which will suffer greatly from what sound. Basbug said in a press statement this week that it is the first time that the United States has imposed such sanctions on a member state of NATO, adding that putting Turkey in the category of America's enemies is unacceptable, according to the Turkish newspaper Ahval. Basbug added that the US sanctions represent an unacceptable situation for Turkey, and it is a "painful" situation, as he put it. The retired general said, “The application of the Katsa sanctions means that Turkey is a quasi-“ enemy ”country .. It is not a situation that can be overcome with condemnation. In this regard, the sanctions, especially in the political sense, especially the "arms embargo", are an unprecedented step, which means that relations between the two countries have reached a dangerous point, "according to Al-Ahwal newspaper. A strike to the Turkish air force On December 14, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions against the Turkish Defense Ministry agency responsible for arms contracts, as part of the “Adversaries of America” Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). As such, Turkey will now deny any export license from the United States. While the Turkish navy and land forces rely on a mixture of German, American and local designs, the air force may be the force that suffers the most from this decision, according to the aviation site, Aerotime Hub. The Turkish air fleet mainly consists of US-made aircraft, such as the “F-16” and “F4” for combat aircraft, “Lockheed Hercules” for military transport aircraft, the “E7T” aircraft as a warning aircraft, and the “Boeing KC 135” aircraft. To refuel, Bell UH1 and Sikorsky S70 helicopters. Even the American aircraft that Turkey already owns and can use after the sanctions, but they have a long life, and they will not last long without a constant supply of modern parts. For example, the latest Boeing KC-135 aircraft in the Turkish fleet is 58 years old, and despite the addition of updates, its continuation is impossible without constant import from Washington, according to the site. Although Turkey has accelerated since last May to purchase and store F-16 spare parts, in anticipation of the sanctions, this will not help much over time, and on the other hand, it is a sign of the confusion that has become the backbone of the Turkish armed forces.

Patch has been issued for the critical file upload vulnerability A WordPress plugin with more than five million active installs has issued an urgent update in an effort to patch a critical file upload vulnerability. The plugin, Contact Form 7, allows users to add multiple contact forms on their site but was recently found to contain a serious vulnerability by Astra security researchers The vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2020-35489 and a patch has been included within the Contact Form 7 5.3.2 update. The Contact Form 7 project has classified the update as “an urgent security and maintenance release” and advised users to install it immediately. We've highlighted the best website builder We've assembled a list of the best WordPress hosting companies These are the best free website builders around “Our research team led by Jinson Varghese recently discovered a high-severity Unrestricted File Upload vulnerability in the WordPress plugin Contact Form 7 5.3.1 and older versions,” the Astra blog explained. “By exploiting this vulnerability, attackers could simply upload files of any type, bypassing all restrictions placed regarding the allowed upload-able file types on a website. Further, it allows an attacker to inject malicious content such as web shells into the sites that are using the Contact Form 7 plugin version below 5.3.1 and have file upload enabled on the forms.” Double trouble The vulnerability concerns a particular part of the Contact Form 7 plugin code that does not remove special characters from uploaded file names. As such, attackers can upload file names with double-extensions separated by a special character. This could potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim’s server. The patched version of Contact Form 7 includes a regular expression validation constraint that means that special characters cannot be exploited in the aforementioned way. Other double-extension vulnerabilities have been seen elsewhere this year, including one affecting the Drupal CMS platform – a WordPress rival that is used by more than a million websites.

VR-quality specs at a discount. Professional gaming equipment often comes with pro-level prices. But this deal on the Razer Blade Pro 17 is one of the few exceptions you'll find this holiday. We reviewed this VR-ready gaming laptop back in 2019 and appreciated its modest design, battery life and overall performance. While the 1080p display is somewhat lacking, today's discount more than makes up for it. If you want to shop around, check out our list of best laptop deals for more offers and discounts on pre-built machines. We also have a page dedicated exclusively to the best deals on tech we can find this holiday and update it daily. The screen measures 17.3-inches across and has an FHD resolution. As we noted in the review, the quality here is somewhat lacking but it does have a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. Inside, you'll find an Intel Core i7-9750H processor with a base operating speed of 2.6GHz. It ships with 16GB of RAM and has a 512GB internal SSD. This size might be limiting for some gamers. Another model is available with a 1TB SSD instead. Visit the Razer Blade Pro 17 product page at Adorama for more specs, details and checkout options.

Game Information Initial release date: December 10, 2020 Software developer: Nerial Limited Publisher: The Dairymen Limited Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS Orwell’s Animal Farm is all the fun of high school literature class with less reading and substantially more stress. Why Animal Farm needed this interpretation was beyond me, but its charm and simplicity have since won me over. The virtual distillation keeps the novella’s subtext intact, tasking a few basic mechanics with driving home its themes. The turmoil of a revolution gone wrong is conveyed through nothing more than a few mouse clicks and quick decisions. It’s flawed and frustrating, but there’s an undeniable elegance to the game. Nerial’s rendition of George Orwell’s classic comes in the form of a casual resource-management game. It boosts a crispy, storybook-style look, resting on the same page for the entirety of the game. All the action happens on the farm, and there the entire game takes place. Your goal is clear: ensure that Animal Farm flourishes forever, spreading the good word of Animalism across the world. Although, we know how the story goes, so the motivation instead comes from collecting all the outcomes. Tired of the oppression they face, the animals decide to honor the dying wish of the wise pig, Old Major. They revolt against their human master and chase him off the farm. Now free from tyranny, the pigs oversee the farm animals’ new lives, creating seven commandments. But as times get tough, greed consumes the pigs, leaving the other animals at the mercy of their new masters. Orwell’s Animal Farm relegates to you the impossible task of holding the community together. Food for thought The studio is no stranger to simplicity, if its work on the Reigns series is any indication. The game cycles through a small list of obstacles that present themselves as time passes on the farm. Across the four seasons, different tasks like sowing seeds, harvesting, and repairing structures drain your resources. Dealing with these problems is as easy as choosing an animal to carry out the task. However, as their health dwindles under the weight of all their responsibilities, more severe issues rear their heads. At the heart of your work is balancing Animalism (morale), supplies, wellbeing, and defenses to fend of humans. Every event is an opportunity to increase a resource, usually at the cost of another. Every animal represents a choice; choosing one means potentially upsetting them, or sacrificing their wellbeing to achieve another goal. Upsetting certain animals may lead to their departure, or worse. But, failing to keep up with your supplies and defenses is a sure-fire way to prematurely end your playthrough. The running theme throughout your time with Orwell’s Animal Farm is sacrifice. If you force Boxer into too many tasks, he might not be around for long. If you upset one of the pigs, they may begin conspiring against the others. Each animal has their own personality and ideology, which provide insight into how they should or shouldn’t be utilized. In building these connections to the characters, you grow more invested in their wellbeing and happiness. I did everything in my power to save my favorite farm animals, but difficult choices had to be made. Until the cows come home There’s an opportunity to reflect on your choices at the regularly scheduled barn meetings. Here, you can gauge the tension and hear concerns, while deciding on future action. Napoleon and Snowball, the two shot-callers of the farm, spend a good chunk of time engaging in verbal warfare. Crucial decisions made here have long-lasting impacts on Animal Farm and its leadership. As events continue to unfold, more and more animals adopt a pessimistic outlook. The energy in the room slowly drops as the walls (quite literally) start coming down. Despite adhering to the general structure of the novella, Orwell’s Animal Farm is rife with exciting outcomes and opportunities. Your success on the farm can entice other animals to abandon their farms and join yours, for example. You can teach animals how to read, making them privy to the pigs’ deception and changing the farm dynamic. You can alter various key events outright, or at least delay them for as long as possible. Things eventually go sour, and the game challenges your control. In many ways, you too are at the mercy of the pigs. It’s often unclear what decisions led to certain outcomes, or what you could’ve done differently — it just happens. The game provides you with enough agency to give you the illusion of control. In half the scenarios you’ll find yourself in, this blanket of obscurity does a great service to the theme. And in the others, Orwell’s Animal Farm morphs into a bit of a cumbersome experience. The future is bleak Because everything generally goes the way of the book, the decision-making is rendered near-useless on many occasions. Animal Farm‘s system makes concessions to the plot of the book. The resource management approach has a lot of merit and is generally a well-implemented feature. However, the lack of consistency and predictability constantly undermine the agency of the player. This makes for more of a frustrating experience than an educational or thought-provoking one. Many other elements tied to success are also kept away from you. Measuring the wellbeing and mood of your animals is a challenge without enough visual aids. Dialogue and events repeat frequently enough to confuse you on the status of certain animals. Many subsequent playthroughs of mine have lead down the same path, despite my best efforts to explore the other extremes. Ultimately, the goal of Orwell’s Animal Farm is to trial all these different decisions. Siding with different animals prompts new dialogue and scenarios, but some decisions are more equal than others. I just can’t seem to pinpoint which ones those are. There might be a “good” ending, but I certainly haven’t seen it. Perhaps that’s part of what keeps you playing, though it may be futile. Much like the animals of Animal Farm, I was excited by the prospects and confused by the outcomes. That isn’t to say a touch of surprise wasn’t beneficial to my experience. Overall, Orwell’s Animal Farm competently translates the story to the video game medium. While it’s difficult to say whether a few hundred clicks and decisions can replace 30,000 words, the game successfully captures the spirit of Animal Farm through simple interactivity. Minimum system requirements: CPU: 1.5GHz RAM: 4 GB RAM GPU: Intel HD graphics OS: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10, 64-bithttps://gamesystemrequirements.com/ Store: 1 GB available space

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The 2020 Nissan Murano offers a sedan-like ride and handling in an SUV package, and an interior that feels a grade above its price. But it competes in a very crowded space where those aren’t uncommon traits, so it sits in a five-way tie at fourteenth in our list of the Best Midsize SUVs. For 2021, Nissan will try to make the Murano more attractive with upgrades in driver assists and cabin tech. The features now standard on the base S model include forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning. Also standard are blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, and automatic headlights. The starting price bumps up to $33,605 – a $780 increase. The mid-level SV changes little, with an entry price of $36,735. But a new Special Edition package adds a dual-panel moonroof, leatherette heated front seats, larger wheels, and a 360-degree camera. The top-of-the-line SL and Platinum grades get few content changes. The price increases just $130 for front-wheel drive, and $80 for AWD models. Still, buyers interested in a Murano might want to see if they could stretch their existing ride for another year. A complete redesign is on the calendar for the 2022 model year.

Use the yudane technique to give this plait its soft crumb, and prunes and dates to bring sweetness and richness Ilove festive breads, from panettone to povitica, stollen to houska: they provide an opportunity to learn new flavours and techniques. This festive plait achieves a soft crumb from the yudane technique, where boiling water gelatinises the starches in the flour, before being included into the dough. This allows the starches to absorb more liquid and provides a tender and fluffy texture without the need for butter or eggs. Be careful as some spices can affect the yeast, and often longer proving times are needed (cinnamon is particularly tricky). The prunes and dates bring sweetness and richness with all the added benefits of vitamins and fibre. My big tip is to buy a jar of malt extract. It gives an earthy depth to so many bakes and here provides a really shiny glaze. Makes one loaf For the yudane 50g strong white bread flour 40ml boiling water For the dough 150ml milk 30g prunes 30g dates 4g instant yeast 150g strong white bread flour 50g strong brown bread flour ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp allspice ¼ tsp ground cardamom Zest of one orange (or 10 drops of orange oil) 60g chopped dried fruits (whatever you would like, I used raisins, chopped apricots and sour cherries) 30g dark chocolate Malt extract for brushing over the loaf (or honey) To make the yudane, pour the boiling water over the flour, mix then cover and leave overnight. The next morning, warm the milk until it is just lukewarm and then blend with the prunes and dates. Put the yeast, flours, salt, spices and orange zest into a mixing bowl. Tear up the yudane and add this to the mix before pouring over the milk mixture. Bring together to a rough dough and gently knead until fully combined (it is very sticky but don’t worry). Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then add the chopped fruit and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and put in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Divide the dough into three pieces, and on a lightly floured surface roll each piece into a 40cm sausage (I find it easiest to roll each piece halfway, and then go back to roll out fully. This allows the dough to relax between rollings). Press the ends together at one end and cross over the sausages into a tight plait. Cover the plait with an oiled piece of clingfilm, and leave until it has risen by 50%. Heat your oven to 220C/200C (fan)/425F/gas mark 7. Remove the clingfilm and bake the loaf for 18 minutes. As soon as you put the bread in the oven, reduce the temperature to 200C/180C (fan)/400F/gas mark 6. Once the bread is out of the oven, while it is still warm, brush over the malt extract.

On Friday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Turkey to stop its aggressive measures that conflict with European interests. Borrell, in an article published on the European Union website, indicated that strong measures will be taken against Turkey if relations with it continue to deteriorate. He pointed out that Ankara's continued exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean caused a negative atmosphere, pointing out that the Turkish foreign agenda does not fit with the policies of the European Union. Borrell stressed that the union is looking into the possibility of launching a real dialogue with Turkey on the outstanding issues. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a phone call with European Council President Charles Michel, expressed his hope to open a "new page" between his country and the European Union, in the first contact between the two sides since Brussels imposed sanctions on Ankara last week. The Turkish presidency said in a statement that "At a time when Turkey wants to open a new page with the European Union, some are making unremitting efforts to provoke crises." Erdogan, calling for the "saving" of Turkish-European relations from this "vicious circle," expressed his desire to "re-launch" the dialogue with the European Union by "looking at the whole situation" and "on the basis of mutual interests." The statement quoted the Turkish president as saying that the immigration agreement concluded by Turkey and the European Union in 2016 could constitute a starting point for creating a more "positive" climate between the two sides. European sanctions on Turkey The leaders of the European Union decided, during a summit in Brussels, on Thursday, to impose sanctions on Turkey because of its “illegal and aggressive” actions in the Mediterranean against Greece and Cyprus, especially the gas exploration operations carried out by Ankara in recent months in the eastern Mediterranean in marine areas. Sovereignty disputes with these two countries. Days after these European sanctions, the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey, last Monday, for its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system. "We hope that the European Union will be able to adopt a constructive and rational stance towards Turkey," the statement quoted Erdogan as saying.