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EVs are Just a Fraction of Total Industry Sales Watching the coverage of Tesla or the lastest EV announcements from mainstream automakers like the Cadillac’s Lyriq reveal, the Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV, or Volkswagen I.D.4 electric, one would come away with the impression that electrics account for a major share of new vehicle sales. However, while Tesla has been able to sell over 200,000 electric cars in a single year, total industry share for electrics remains under two percent in a market that had been selling between 16 and 17 million units before the COVID-19 pandemic. EVs have a foothold, but until mainstream brands offer competitively priced electrics nationally don’t expect the picture to change much. Other than Tesla, only the Chevy Bolt EV is available in most states. Electric Cars Still Cost More Than Conventional Cars Proof of the disparity can be seen in the price difference between the Hyundai Kona and the Kona EV. The Kona base model starts at about $20,000, however, the EV, which costs around $38,000 is a higher trim model. Taking even the SEL Plus trim, the Kona tops $25,000. Even with the federal tax credit of $7,500, the EV still comes in about $5,000 more than a well-equipped gas model. Charging Infrastructure is Far From Mature There are more charging stations popping up all around the country thanks to the efforts of Tesla and operators like ChargePoint and Electrify America. However, that infrastructure still needs to grow before it’s as convenient as refilling at a gas station. Not only is there a need to be more places to plug in, but there must be greater DC fast charging capability in order to make replenishing your battery as convenient as stopping for a fast food meal. Range Remains an Issue How far an EV can go between charges is an ongoing area of concern and anxiety. However, it is getting better. Already the Tesla Model S has a version that promises more than 402 miles of range. Even mass-market offerings like the Hyundai Kona and Chevrolet Bolt promise nearly 260 miles of range. Still, a large number of EVs, like the Nissan Leaf and VW eGolf are just now cracking that the 200-mile limit. Many others still have base battery pack ranges of about 150 miles. Limited Model Choice Currently, the types of EVs you can buy include primarily small hatchbacks. There are also a few higher-priced sedans like the Tesla Model 3 and Model S. Also on the spendy side are crossovers like the Audi E-Tron, Jaguar I-Pace Telsa Model Y and Model X. That’s about to change as there is a slew of promised pickup trucks like Rivian, GM’s Hummer EV, Tesla Cybertruck, and a Ford electrified F-150. There will also be any number of performance EVs like the Porsche Taycan and full-size SUVs. However, remember that many of these offerings will compete in luxury or truck segments with price tags higher than $50,000. Government Incentives Help, But They’re Not Permanent The tightly touted $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles still exists. However, it is limited to the first 200,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrid sales by the manufacturer. At that threshold, the incentives phase out, cut in half over six-month increments until they are no longer available. Currently, Tesla and GM have run out of these credits, Nissan will be next. As more electric cars and PHEVs become available and are sold, other makes will also lose the ability to offer the credits. While the possibility of extending the program has been raised, there is no current legislation to save the program. Patience, Patience Electric vehicles are a long-term product play by manufacturers. The industry just can’t flip a switch and undo over a century of progress in making internal combustion clean and affordable. The fact that about two percent of the market is buying electrics means that 98 percent aren’t. Until electric cars become more affordable, offer greater range, faster charging, and more model choices, EV facts suggest the going will be much slower than the EV hype suggests.

Two impressive 12-minute meals for four: a fusion stir-fry with cauli as a healthy sub for rice, and an Indian-inspired spinach and cheese frittata Since starting MOB Kitchen in 2016, we’ve had one consistent piece of feedback on our recipes: the Mob love the quick ones. But this isn’t a casual cooking experience. There’s no lounging around the kitchen chatting if you want to get it done inside 12 minutes. It was a massive challenge getting these recipes in under time, but, with lots of chopping and changing, we have nailed it. Chorizo cauliflower fried rice (pictured top) Sometimes, we want a healthier version of our favourite dish, and this is for then. Cauliflower “rice” works perfectly here, because it soaks up the flavour from the chorizo, ginger, garlic and soy. Prep 3 min Cook 9 min Serves 4 225g chorizo ring Olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger 1 small pack mixed baby corn and mangetout 1 medium cauliflower 250g frozen podded edamame beans 4 medium eggs 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 handful fresh coriander Chilli sauce, to serve Peel the chorizo and cut it into long, diagonal slices. Set a large frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle in a little oil. Add the chorizo, then finely grate the garlic and ginger straight into the pan. Chuck in the baby corn and mangetout, then fry, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop the cauliflower, then pulse to the texture of rice in a food processor (work in batches, if you need to) – this will take only 30 seconds at a time. Tip the cauliflower rice straight into the frying pan, turn up the heat, add the edamame and give everything a good mix. Push the contents of the pan to one side, then crack the eggs into the free space. Use a spoon to scramble the eggs together, then stir in the cauliflower rice from the sides and fry for two minutes more. Pour in the soy sauce and give everything a final mix. Tear over the coriander and drizzle with chilli sauce, and serve at the table straight from the pan for people to help themselves. Saag paneer and pea frittata The flavours of saag paneer in a frittata? It’s a 10/10. One for the meal prep Mob – this is a great dish to take for lunch the next day. Serve with plenty of mango chutney and hot sauce.

While French Prime Minister Jean Castex warned that the third wave is witnessing the presence of many variants of Corona, the French Ministry of Health announced that a new strain of the virus had been found in the Brittany region, adding that the initial analysis did not show that this strain is more dangerous or transmissible than others. The ministry indicated that the new strain was found in a group of cases at a hospital center in Lanyon, and many of them were not detected by the polymerase chain reaction tests known as PCR. French officials explained that researchers at the Pasteur Institute for the Sciences of Biology, Microbes, Diseases and Vaccines are investigating whether genetic modifications should be made to discover the new strain, noting at the same time that the discovery of new strains is a natural process, as viruses evolve over time to survive. The officials added that at present, only three types of the new Corona virus are considered to be of concern, namely the British, South African and Brazilian strain.

Expanded Google Meet layout is coming to iOS and Android Google Meet is getting a significant upgrade when it comes to making calls on a mobile or tablet device. The video conferencing service has revealed it is currently rolling out updates to both its iOS and Android apps to allow many more participants to be seen on certain devices. The upgrade will mean that Google Meet users can now see up to 8 video feeds on phones, and up to 48 video feeds on selected iPads. These are the best business webcams for working from home Also check out our roundup of the best headsets for conference calls Everything you need to work from home right now More the merrier "We’re expanding tile view layouts for Google Meet on iOS and Android to deliver a consistent user experience across platforms," Google wrote in a blog post announcing the update. The new feature will be switched on by default, so when you join any new Google Meet call on a tablet or mobile device, the new grid layout (pictured below) will auomatically be displayed. There's no admin control for the new feature, meaning you'll just have to update your app when required, and the update will be available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and G Suite Business customers - and it'll also be available if you're using Google Meet with a personal Google account. Gradual rollout is in progress now for iOS, covering both mobile and iPad devices, with rollout to Android to begin around the end of March. The news comes shortly after Google Meet, which can support up to 100 participants on desktop devices, announced it will be upgrading its breakout room facility. Users can now set up breakout rooms before starting a meeting using Google Calendar, which it says will makes things easier for both teachers and meeting facilitators. The services also recently tweaked its privacy settings to shield information regarding external participants, making it easier for admins to follow up on calls hosted within their organization, while taking steps to ensure the privacy of external participants. Going forward, while the organizer’s email for meetings inside the organization will be clearly visible, the email address for those who organize external meetings will be obscured.

Oversupply without the "over." The winter storm that savaged Texas in February might affect the tech industry for months to come. TrendForce said today it expects the shutdown of Samsung's fab in Austin to contribute to a quarter-over-quarter increase in NAND flash pricing. The research firm said that NAND flash pricing could rise 3-8% in the second quarter as supply of NAND flash controllers tightens. Samsung is a critical supplier of those controllers, which means delays to its fab's re-opening will affect the entire industry. The predictions follow a DigiTimes report claiming the disruption of controller supply could halt production of up to 75% of Samsung's PCIe SSDs in March. Samsung's plan is to resume NAND flash controller production in April and shipping in May. TrendForce said that limited supply will be paired with higher-than-anticipated demand from notebook manufacturers scrambling to keep pace with the pandemic-induced rise in consumer interest. The research firm also said it expects both of those factors, along with "bids from Chinese telecom operators and increased IT equipment purchases from small and medium businesses globally" to help stabilize the enterprise SSD market in 2Q21. These increases won't offset the decline from 1Q21, when TrendForce put client and enterprise SSD pricing down 5-10% and 10-15%, and supply could level out soon. The firm predicted an up to 10% increase in NAND flash bit output next quarter. But for now it seems the industry will have to wait with bated breath for Samsung to resume normal NAND flash controller production at its Texas factories. Until then, manufacturers are expected to stockpile however many SSDs they can get acquire.

Game Information Software developer: TipsWorks Publisher: Giant Games Platform: Microsoft Windows Type: RPG, Action, Adventure My hopes for Pascal’s Wager weren’t exactly high upon learning that it was a port of a mobile game. They dipped a bit more when I realized that, not only was the game released on iOS last January, but that it was also a Souls-like. How good could a mobile Souls-like possibly be? Somehow, the answer is “very.” Pascal’s Wager may not be exceptionally lengthy or break much new ground, but it makes up for it with unique mechanics, strong design, and tight controls. On top of that, it’s the only Souls-like I’ve played that seems to have any interest in catering to audiences beyond the “git gud” crowd. Pascal’s Wager is all about Terrence, an old knight who used to follow the orders of his nation’s church. But when his wife is exiled and becomes a witch, he embarks on a request to find her, learning that there’s more than meets the eye regarding her situation. The storytelling isn’t particularly good here. It’s mostly a standard narrative buffeted by Dark Souls-esque vagueness. Dialogue with NPCs has a lot of that “what the hell are they talking about?” attitude imbued within. There are some mildly interesting concepts, though, even if they won’t be sufficient motivation on their own. The same can be said for the voice acting. Most of it is quite poor. Pascal’s Wager is a Chinese game, and, while the dialogue is all in English, much of it clearly isn’t recorded by professional actors. For instance, Viola is voiced by a person who doesn’t appear to be quite sure as to how inflection in English is meant to function. The vast majority of the dialogue is voiced similarly. The game’s art design is much better, with visually distinct levels that ooze with atmosphere. Abandoned villages punctuated by ruined homes and grey castles with crumbling walkways are par for the course. Visually, however, the game is dated, coming across like a higher-tier product circa 2012 or so, with awkward facial animations and less-than-stellar texture work. Again, it’s a port of a mobile game. A little different When I said Pascal’s Wager was a Souls-like, that means it includes most of the trappings you’d expect. More specifically, the game uses a mixture of ingredients from a variety of games in the sub-genre, plus some of its own additions. You’ve got a stamina meter that depletes when you do anything, blocking and dodging, dropping currency upon death, bonfire equivalents, and debilitating status effects. But it’s got the map and level-based structure of Nioh, so there’s no interconnected world. You don’t find new weapons and armor, nor do you upgrade your gear. The game has five characters, each with their own weapons, level, and skill tree. They all play in a notably different way and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Terrence will always be in your party, but you’ll select a second warrior from the group’s train hideout prior to departure. Each character has their own potions that refill upon resting and they share an overall character level, so you don’t need to grind levels for each one. If a character dies during a level, the game automatically switches to the next, effectively granting two lives. You’ll likely also need to swap between characters even if you tend to avoid damage, as each character’s sanity depletes with combat. If it empties halfway, they get a penalty and a buff. If it becomes completely empty, your character will be attacked by a ridiculously strong shadow creature. Each character plays remarkably different, although they all generate rage with their attacks. Terrence is the all-rounder of the bunch, carrying a rapier in one hand a broadsword in the other. The rapier is used for quick attacks and the broadsword is for slower, more powerful ones that interrupt foes. He can also block some attacks. Norwood carries a giant coffin that he’s able to use after beating enemies with his fists and can block most strikes. Viola has a bayonetted rifle that can shoot enemies with special bullets, or use a three-hit combo that interrupts most foes. Benita fights with a whip, each strike leeching off of her own health. But she can heal herself using rage or a skill that allows her to steal blood from her foes. She also has special buffs that no one else has. Finally, Jerrold, Pascal’s Wager’s DLC character, fights with a rapier and has a massive amount of stamina. He can also hit enemies with his cape and put damage-increasing stack marks on them using rage. There’s a lot to keep in mind, especially since they all have unique special moves that use rage. The wages of sin As you can see, there’s quite a lot to Pascal’s Wager. There aren’t a great many levels, though. The story can likely be beaten in as little as 10 hours, but that’s if you rush. Completing the game thoroughly and along with the two major DLC offerings will likely take most players closer to 20 hours. The level design has a substantial amount of quality, and the game has a decent-sized bestiary that’s well placed and interesting to fight. The combat itself is similarly up to scratch, as it’s responsive and snappy, even if the damage balance felt somewhat wonky to me occasionally. Difficulty wise, Pascal’s Wager is par for the course. It’s challenging without indulging in some of the bullshit of which other entries in the sub-genre are so fond. Unlike practically all of those, though, this one has two options that allow players to mitigate its difficulty. The first is an egg that can be obtained in a shrine during the game’s first level. It reduces enemy damage by 50%, although it doesn’t tell you this. I grabbed the egg not knowing what it was, and then wondered why the enemy damage was so low. But it can be returned by ringing any of the game’s bells and journeying back to the map that houses the spot where you acquire it. The other option is to switch the game to casual mode. This cannot be turned off, but will be welcome to many, especially as the damage-reduction egg doesn’t appear in Pascal’s Wager‘s new game plus. Casual mode reduces enemy damage and health and will make for a much easier time. As the game is a Souls-like, the toughest encounters are naturally the boss fights. These vary a bit. Some are rather interesting and enjoyable, while others can be tedious slogs. One boss, a giant immobile creature that routinely dropping poison, was such a pain that I elected to go get the defense egg back instead of butting my head against it. I could have beaten it normally, but I just didn’t want to due to how unenjoyable I found the fight. Also, one of the DLC bosses’ defense is abnormally high, as I barely did any damage to him even though I’d been consistently leveling up by killing damn near everything in my path. Another interesting feature of Pascal’s Wager is that bosses drain sanity more than regular enemies. When your sanity meter runs out during most boss fights, the boss gets a newer, tougher form. You can chug sanity potions to stop this from happening, but the game wants you to fight them, as the super forms drop items you need to get the game’s true ending. An egg comes out of a chicken Overall, Pascal’s Wager is likely my favorite Souls-like that wasn’t developed by FromSoftware. It’s got a decent amount of content, above-board level design, solid controls, and enjoyable gameplay. Some of the characters are considerably less useful than others, and upgrading their skill trees makes it impractical to not focus on specific ones. And some of the game balance is iffy. Regardless, this is a game I can easily recommend to anyone who likes the subgenre. And because of its difficulty options, it’s the first one I can recommend to pretty much anyone who enjoys action games. System Requirements Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. OS: Windows 7 SP1 64bit, Windows 8.1 64bit Windows 10 64bit. Processor: Intel Core i3-2100 / AMD® FX-6300. Memory: 4 GB RAM. Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 750 Ti / ATI Radeon HD 7950. DirectX: Version 11. Storage: 25 GB available space.

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Google Chrome is now more responsive and memory-efficient Google has provided further information about the upgrades delivered with Chrome 89, the latest version of its popular web browser. In a blog post, the company describes a range of performance boosting tweaks, which manifest differently depending on the operating system in use. “Boosting performance while adding features, functionality and improving security requires deep and continuous investment,” wrote Google. Check out our list of the best VPN services right now Here's our list of the best Windows 10 VPN services available We've built a list of the best Mac VPN services on the market “In this release, we’ve dug deep into the core of Chrome, upgrading how we allocate and discard memory, and even how we build, package and run Chrome, to make today’s Chrome even faster and more memory efficient.” Google Chrome 89 According to Google, Chrome is now much more intelligent about the way it uses and discards memory that the foreground tab isn’t using, allowing the browser to reclaim up to 100MiB per tab across all platforms. On macOS, meanwhile, tab throttling techniques applied to background tabs have led to 8% memory savings and an improvement of up to 65% on Apple Energy Impact score, which makes for a cooler and quieter Mac. The Windows and Android versions have been kitted out with a more efficient memory allocator, called PartitionAlloc. This change has led to memory savings of up to 22% in the browser process, 8% in the renderer and 3% in the GPU on the Windows version. Google also claims Chrome is now 9% more responsive on Windows. Specific to the Android edition, Google has developed a cunning new way to boost start-up speeds, using so-called Freeze-Dried Tabs. These tabs are saved by the browser when closed and are said to be “similar in size to a screenshot, but support scrolling, zooming and tapping on links”. By loading up Freeze-Dried tabs when the browser is reopened, Chrome can present content more quickly, while the fully fledged tab is generated behind the scenes. The company makes no specific mention of performance gains on iOS, however, and did not respond immediately to our request for clarification over the benefits of Chrome 89 to iPhone and iPad users.

Begone, latency. Up to 50 percent reduction! Overwatch players with Nvidia graphics cards got some welcome news today: experimental support for Nvidia Reflex was added to the Public Test Region (PTR) that allows players to test new features before they’re added to the game proper. Nvidia Reflex debuted in September 2020 in an effort “to optimize every aspect of the rendering pipeline for latency using a combination of SDKs and driver optimizations,” the company said, and give its customers an in-game advantage. Riot Games and Epic Games quickly added Nvidia Reflex support to Valorant and Fortnite, respectively, and other developers have followed suit. Popular titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six: Siege all support the technology. Not all Nvidia Reflex support is created equal, however, and its performance improvements can vary quite a bit based on the system in question as well as the level of support a developer chooses to add to a specific title. It’s not simply a switch to flip. Those details were also missing from Nvidia’s collection of Nvidia Reflex-compatible games, mice, and monitors; it’s nothing but “TBD” across the entire row. More information will probably become available as the technology leaves the PTR. Blizzard did say in its patch notes that it’s also testing support for the Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer, which is supposed to improve input latency measurements, but that feature requires a compatible mouse and monitor as well as an Nvidia GPU. Nvidia said that Nvidia Reflex can be enabled in the Overwatch PTR by going to Options and then Video settings. The feature should start to reduce system latency right away. Hopefully it makes it that much easier to click on some heads.

Game Information Initial release date: March 8, 2021 Software developer: Milestone Publisher: Milestone Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Ceres S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One Type: racing video game, simulation game Engines roar, pulsating in anticipation of the race’s start. Riders sit prone, repeatedly applying the throttle. The crowd provides an anxious, throbbing of excitement, eagerly awaiting the chance to erupt. All of these elements coalesce in one singular moment, when the gate drops, gas floods into pistons, and all hell breaks loose on the track. Monster Energy Supercross 4 embody everything that makes crotch rocket duels so great, however, the crowd may be let down before the racers hit the final straightaway. It’s rather difficult for me to wrap my brain around certain annualized franchises. Major sports brands like Madden, FIFA, and NHL make a bit more sense in my mind, for whatever illogical reason. Yet when they attempt to do the same thing with a Supercross series, it almost rings a bit disingenuous. Mercifully, it appears that there are plenty of major enhancements this season, many of which help to justify Milestone going back to the well so goddamn quickly. Flooding the engine From the first moment in the starting blocks, Monster Energy Supercross 4 does its best to fully immerse you into the action. Once you’ve reached certain stat levels (more on that later), making your way around the course is frantic and borderline overwhelming. That said, the argument could be made that anytime you share a tiny track with over 20 other competitors, this would be the expected experience. Everything from taking hairpin turns to plowing through deep hills of sand reinforces the game’s authenticity. Tracks look fantastic in motion, despite the rather bland texture work. To be fair though, there are only so many ways to approach the appearance of dirt-covered tracks, without it veering out of simulation land. One aspect of the overall presentation that’s troubled the franchise year after year is extremely inconsistent physics behavior. It doesn’t take much effort to take a turn improperly, resulting in your rider hurtling into the cheap seats. Additionally, any time where you land a jump either on top of another competitor or one of the obstacles lining the track, you should probably say a quick prayer. Divine intervention seems to be the only thing preventing you from either crumpling into a heap upon impact or getting hung up, while simultaneously clipping through some odd piece of geometry on the track itself. Career defining Boy oh boy, do I love losing races. No, seriously. I mean, that’s the only way to explain my early performance in Monster Energy Supercross 4’s career mode. I made the mistake of bypassing any exhibition races in favor of diving directly into the single-player career. So, without any experience with the series, I hit the track with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, due to my minimal stats early on in the campaign, I was bringing up a very distant rear of the field in damn near every race. The sad part was, the way the career mode is designed, I would’ve sucked like the vacuum of space, even if I was a god-tier expert. Yes, you did just read that correctly. Regardless of whether I was a newcomer or veteran, I was predestined to start my career with a horrible, skid mark of a losing streak that would make even the Detroit Lions envious. Realistically speaking, if this was your first ever professional race, would you really expect to go home with the gold? As such, you start with the most barebones driver and bike possible, with little chance at accomplishing anything beyond crossing the finish line while still possessing a pulse. Playing the game early on reminded me of an old phrase that I frequently recited in college: “Ds still get degrees!” In this case, you are forced to endure numerous non-competitive races, all in the name of mindless grinding. Fortunately, much like in the aforementioned phrase, even if you’re lapped by a kid who looks like he still had training wheels, you’ll still get paid. Above all, just focus on finishing the race, and everything else will fall into place. Personal growth In the week leading up to the next race in career mode, there are up to three opportunities to participate in skill-centric training drills. Don’t get too excited though, because a vast majority are simply variations on racing, where you’re the only person on the track. While these challenges seemed rudimentary at best, the game still struggled with determining if I had crossed through a checkpoint, if I did so while in the air. It was just frivolous issues like this that morphed training from something that could have been fun into a legitimate chore to complete. Eventually, through the process of leveling up fundamental stats such as scrubs, whips, cornering, and braking, you can become far more competitive. Along the same lines, there’s the option to dump coinage into purchasing new parts and upgrades for your bike. Even for a non-gearhead such as myself, they do an effective job of showing the stat benefits when equipping certain enhancements. Before long, I was kicking ass and looking for larger challenges. Unfortunately, the continual climb to be competitive took way too long to reach its apex. Luckily, the single-player career isn’t all that Monster Energy Supercross 4 brings to the table. In conjunction with the campaign, the Compound mode allows for you to take your created player to their own dedicated island in the middle of nowhere, in search of new challenges. You essentially are allowed to tool around the island where ever you’d like, taking advantage of the five additional tracks and numerous unlockables. Even better yet, any substantial events or discoveries will also provide valuable resources to use leveling up custom your racer. Despite the action on the track feeling and looking fairly authentic, when character models are shown in cinematics or otherwise, they looked straight out of the Pentium era. I mean, there are only a handful of character models to begin with, each of which has fairly limited customization options. Why these haven’t been polished up to coincide with the shift in platform generations is beyond me, but I’ve legitimately seen cadavers with more going on behind the eyes than these glorified haunted mannequins. There may be plenty of new elements going into this season of Monster Energy Supercross 4, but these additions somehow manage to take away from the approachability. This is never a good sign, especially for a series that is already tough enough to breach. Though it makes decent steps in the right direction, the underlying lack of polish and senseless grinding keeps the experience from taking home the checkered flag. System Requirements Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. OS: Windows 10 Home (x64) Processor: Intel Core i5-4590. Memory: 8 GB RAM. Graphics: GeForce GTX 660. DirectX: Version 11. Storage: 17 GB available space. Sound Card: DirectX compatible.

Paint 3D, 3D Viewer and more are getting the boot One of the most annoying things about getting a new PC or laptop is undoubtedly having to go through and uninstall the bloatware that many OEMs still package with their devices. However a new Windows 10 update may be about to end this frustration for good by making it optional for extra software to be installed. The changes, set to arrive in the upcoming Sun Valley Windows 10 update, will mean users can tailor exactly which tools and services are downloaded and installed onto their devices. tHere's our list of the best business computers right now We've built a list of the best mobile workstations around Check out our list of the best workstations on the market Bye bye bloatware This crackdown will also include Microsoft's own products, as the company recently revealed it would allow users to remove software previously included in its Creators Update offering, including the likes of 3D Viewer and Paint 3D, after finding out many users simply never used them. Windows 10 Build 21332, released to Dev Channel Insiders now, is the first edition to allow users to remove the likes of Paint 3D - although users who do want the tool can still download it from the Windows Store. "3D Viewer and Paint 3D will no longer be preinstalled on clean installs of the latest Insider Preview builds. Both apps will still be available in the Store and will stay on your device after an OS update. So, if you upgraded your PC like normal, you shouldn’t see these apps changed in your app list," Microsoft wrote in its release notes. Also seeing the exit is Math Input Panel, which allowed users to write mathematical formauls and insert them into documents using input tools such as styluses. The app is remaining as an optional feature titled “Math Recognizer” which can be installed via Settings > Apps > Apps & features and clicking “Optional features”. The changes are already rolling out now in preview builds and updates to Windows 10, with the release of Sun Valley later in 2021 due to set them in stone. Windows 10 Creators Update was released to great fanfare back in 2017 as Microsoft looked to open up the possibilities of what users could make with their devices. "We believe that everyone is a creator at heart and that creativity is an essential human trait. And, no matter who you are, Windows 10 is built to empower the creator in all of us," the company said in its launch.

Save big on some great cases for your custom PC build. Planning a new custom PC build? You need a case, unless you have one you're carrying over from a previous build. Or maybe you’re taking the chef-like decision to go for a deconstructed look, which generally we would advise against. Jokes aside, when it comes to cases, Corsair makes some great shells, with premium construction and plenty of visibility to see your components and any RGB. And right now at Newegg, you can get up to 31% off list prices in a sale this weekend. More: Best PC cases Best power supplies Best CPU deals Corsair Obsidian Series 750D: was $159, now $109 at Newegg Get $50 off this utilitarian beast of an ATX Full Tower case — offering spacious room for expansion flexibility and advanced cooling options. It also comes with three included Corsair AF140L high-airflow 140mm intake and exhaust

Game Information Initial release date: February 4, 2019 Engine: Source The designer: Maki McMeldish Software Developers: Respawn Entertainment, Panic Button Games Awards: British Academy Video Games Awards for Multiplayer Game, The Game Award for Best Multiplayer Game Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows In a sense, Apex Legends is not the same game that we reviewed back in February 2019--the roster of playable characters has doubled to 16, three full maps are in rotation, and several different modes (including ranked) are included. There's also a story that's delivered weekly via map changes and comics that have built the game's lore. Additional features have been implemented, like clubs for players to join, cross-play support, and limited-time events. On top of all that, seasonal content introduces substantial meta changes, daily/weekly challenges, and rewarding battle passes, transforming Apex Legends into something greater. And yet, despite these adjustments, the core of Apex Legends remains intact. It's still a squad-based battle royale that encourages teamwork with an excellent ping system, where you begin each match picking from a roster of hero characters that possess unique abilities in order to fulfill different roles in battle. The core principles that made Apex Legends work so well back when it first launched haven't changed over two years later. All of which is to say, Apex Legends is still really fun and worth jumping into if you haven't yet. And now you're able to do so on Nintendo Switch. But just because you can play Apex Legends on Switch does not mean you should. This port works, but only in the loosest sense of the term; this is the worst way to play Apex Legends. To the credit of developer Panic Button (a studio responsible for a dozen Switch ports, including Rocket League, Doom, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus), I'm amazed Apex Legends works on Switch at all. This is an online multiplayer game that hosts up to 60 players in a match, each of which take place on some pretty large maps. I've only had one crash in my five hours with the port; it was during the character selection process, and the Switch managed to reboot the game fast enough for me to rejoin my squad just as we touched down on the ground. And if I can humble brag for a second, we still went on to win that match. None of that changes the fact that it feels like the Switch is barely making it work. On Switch, Apex Legends targets 720p resolution while docked and 576p in handheld--numbers that closely resemble the resolutions on baseline Xbox One, which also targets 720p but can fall short. However, it's not the same, as the Switch port seemingly manages to reach those resolutions only by compromising on graphical detail, draw distance, and the speed at which assets are loaded. So on Switch, you might see a building in the distance, but it won't have nearly the same level of graphical detail as it would in the other versions of the game. And on top of that, though the Switch port targets 30 frames per second, you can tell that it dips below that. That's all a very technical, gobbledygook way of saying that Apex Legends looks muddied on Switch, whether docked or in handheld, especially in comparison to playing it on Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, or PC. Now, on a surface level, this just means the Switch port is less pretty, which has no gameplay ramifications (but still makes me sad). When first turning on the game and looking down at Kings Canyon, I couldn't help but mutter, "Look how they massacred my boy." But in a more substantial way, these drawbacks in resolution and frame rate put you at a disadvantage when you're fighting against someone who's playing on any other system--because, on Switch, it's harder to see people from farther away and it's more difficult to discern individual bullets. In a fast-paced battle royale like Apex Legends, knowledge is power and the ability to make split-second decisions with the information you have can be paramount for success--and that's just harder to do on Switch, which can lead to frustrating losses when you're put into a match with Xbox, PlayStation, or PC players. As an example, let's look at guns. In Apex Legends, guns that typically pack the most punch are the ones with semi-automatic fire. You're getting a slower fire rate in exchange for increased firepower, encouraging you to take your time with aiming instead of just squeezing the trigger. This gives you options: If, say, you're carrying heavy ammo, do you want to use the M600 Spitfire and rush enemies with a flurry of bullets or rely on the 30-30 Repeater where each individual bullet can be charged if you wait a breath between shots. But on Switch, where the frame rate regularly fluctuates below 30fps, it can prove difficult to land shots with something like the 30-30 Repeater that relies on precision, because your image isn't keeping pace to accurately track their movement and animations, making it more difficult to line up shots. This is less of a problem at close range where pinpoint precision matters less and tracking targets is easier. But at that range, automatic weapons like the Spitfire typically excel over the 30-30. And granted, as Phil Hornshaw points out in GameSpot's original Apex Legends review, this game's meta does naturally skew toward close-range weapons like shotguns, so you'll probably be regularly fighting up close anyway. But there are situations where a mid- to long-range semi-automatic weapon is preferable. On Switch, where I'm not really afforded that option, it seems like there's an unfair advantage to anyone else in the match who's playing on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC. Thankfully, you can disable cross-play, but that does limit you. The pool of players you'll be able to match with will be significantly smaller, increasing the likelihood that the game may struggle to connect you to similarly skilled players. This could mean that every so often you'll either have a longer wait time to get into a game or you'll quickly get matched up with players who either won't put up a fulfilling challenge or prove to be too frustratingly good for you to take on. And of course, if your friends are already playing on other platforms, turning off cross-play means you can't team up with them. So although disabling cross-play is an option, it isn't a satisfying solution to the overarching problem: that the Switch just isn't the ideal way to play Apex Legends. Given the fast-paced nature of Apex Legends' fights, it can also be a bit of a struggle to play with the Switch's Joy-Con controllers. Thankfully, I don't have too much drift on my pair, but the analog sticks still proved to be a frustrating hassle for the game's competitive demands, especially in handheld mode, which feels like a very unnatural way to play a first-person shooter. Motion control (which is enabled by default) does not help--in fact, it's worse. You can't achieve the level of precision you need for a competitive first-person shooter like Apex Legends by using your Switch or controller to move the camera. My enjoyment of the Switch port improved immensely once I started using a proper gamepad/controller (a PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller in my case). And on that note, I did have moments of fun playing Apex Legends on Switch. Panic Button has managed to take a game that I love and make it work just well enough on Nintendo's hybrid console. I don't want to keep playing it on Switch with its many technical concessions (nor do I want new players to be introduced to Apex Legends this way), but this port is--in its current state--a decent last resort. If your only way to play Apex Legends is on Switch, then you now have that option. Just know that you're signing up for something less than ideal. APEX LEGENDS MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS OS: 64-bit Windows 7. CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz / AMD FX-4350 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor. RAM: 6GB. GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 / Radeon HD 7730. GPU RAM: 1 GB. HARD DRIVE: Minimum 22 GB of free space.

Yes @XZoro™ ?

The 2021 Kia Niro, available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, is getting a few technology upgrades and a slight price jump for 2021. The little SUV has been well-reviewed. Despite the increase, many driver aids remain added-cost options rather than standard equipment. New for 2021, a rear-seat occupant alert helps to prevent drivers from forgetting little ones or pets in the back seat. Smartkey-equipped vehicles now come with remote engine start. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on the optional 8-inch touchscreen. And navigation-equipped Niro models boast 10 years of free map updates. The DriveWise suite of driver aids now automatically slows down the vehicle for curves if smart cruise control is turned on, but that only applies to vehicles with navigation and Smart Cruise Control, which are options. Prices are up, but only by $100 at the low end and $215 at the high end. 2021 Kia Niro Hybrid: LX: $24,690 LXS: $26,090 Touring: $28,390 Touring SE: $30,950 EX Premium: $32,950 2021 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid: LXS: $29,590 EX: $33,390 EX Premium: $36,550

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts In the UK, the clocks go back by one hour in late October, seven to eight weeks before the winter solstice. However, they don’t go forward seven or eight weeks after the winter solstice in mid February. Instead we wait another six weeks, until late March. The amount of daylight by mid February (about 10 hours) is similar to that of late October. Why do we wait so much longer? Readers reply Why we change the clocks at all is the question. Stobbold Changing the hour has always seemed a poor way of addressing the issues. In the summer, we have light far earlier, and far later, than we really know what to do with. For several weeks In the winter, it is dark at both ends of the day. It seems there is only a limited period, spring and autumn, when the precise time of dawn and dusk really matters. And the importance of that time, and where it falls within our daily lives, varies depending on the patterns of our lives, including precisely where we live. That is, it is an individual assessment. I feel it can take the best part of a fortnight to fully adjust from the hour change. Which is a bigger impact on me than would be not changing the hour at all. polygonum In a way, the wrong question is being asked here. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is ineffective if the length of day is less than 12 hours, so there is a school of thought that says that clocks should be put back at the end of September after the autumn equinox. Interestingly, when the Netherlands introduced DST in the 1970s they chose the last weekend in September for putting clocks back, and it was only when much of Europe agreed to synchronise the clock changes that it was decided to delay the autumn change to conform with British practice. One consequence of the delayed autumn change is to abruptly switch many commuters driving home from driving in the light to doing so in the dark – a September change would give them time to gradually adapt. Rod Davis, Bristol DST seems to have been brought into being largely to save fuel for heating, initially by Germany during the first world war, and soon copied by other countries in temperate, day-length-changing latitudes. Perhaps one reason for the asymmetry is that because the ocean retains heat, there is less need for heating in the earlier part of winter, but during the first few months of the year it stays colder, until the ocean has had enough solar input to warm up the land. The asymmetry might also be connected to agriculture and the timing of planting seasons, which again would be largely dependent on spring warmth. greendreamer The asymmetry that Mark Stephenson notes has been built into the system almost from the beginning. Peacetime shifts have been in October since 1920, even when the shift forward was as late as mid-April. I suspect it’s mostly about giving farmers an extra hour of daylight to bring in the autumn harvest. Though the fact that October weather tends to be better than March weather for evening activities probably doesn’t hurt. Changing to year-round summer time is attractive in theory but unpleasant in practice. With the current system, almost everyone in the country who works 9-5 will arrive at work in daylight every day of the year. On year-round summer time, even Londoners – who get some of the earliest winter sunrises in the country – would arrive at work in darkness for a few weeks every winter. People don’t like getting up in darkness, and this was the main reason why the experiment with year-round summer time in 1968-71 was dropped. Pete Appleyard It’s very clearly based on when it snows in New England in the US. I live there, and not long after we turn the clocks back and deprive ourselves of that precious hour of light, the snow comes to make sure that we are huddled inside. Right in the middle of March we spring forward in desperate hopes that it will make the snow finally go away, although often it responds with a tantrum blizzard. The timing is close to exact, at least before global warming. I don’t know how the snow managed to reach this arrangement or why it’s observed in other places, though. Thomas1178 I should imagine it’s to do with what time it gets light in the morning, rather than overall amount of day light. If people are used to getting up in daylight in February (which most people working an “average” 9-5 job will be) then plunging them into darkness again, if only for a few weeks, might feel unpleasant. lexicon_mistress I wondered this for a long time and couldn’t find a satisfactory answer until I came across an explanation based on the fact that the daylight “expands” asymmetrically post winter solstice. Apparently it gets lighter in the evenings more quickly than in the mornings until a certain point in the year, and the move forward to BST earlier would make mornings disproportionately darker. All something to do with the timing of the sun’s zenith and how it relates to our clock-measured midday. Bobposter We used to put our clocks forward in early March. In the 1970s, following the oil shock, other European countries also adopted summer time. But they mostly went forward in late March, close to the equinox. Thus through the 70s we had a week or two on the same time as the Netherlands, Belgium and Federal Germany before they pulled ahead in late March. Eventually we harmonised clock change dates to the current system. As to late March rather than early? The best reason must be that the seasons lag behind the sun. It’s not uncommon for early March to have heavy frost and snow in the mornings especially in continental Europe. October generally rarely suffers in the same way. Duncan Stewart, Denbighshire I’ve never understood why we bother to change the clocks, given that we can’t actually change the amount of daylight we get, whatever people like to say about getting an “extra hour” of daylight when the clocks go forward. Surely it would be better to adapt one’s day to the best fit with the available hours of day/night. Changing the clocks twice a year is a pain in the neck. Robskydiver Could be worse. For example, I was on a road trip a few years ago and Arizona doesn’t observe DST, but the Navajo nation does, so traveling from Utah through Arizona to the Navajo nation involved changing my clocks twice. In a few hours. For even more fun, Beijing insists that all parts of China are on Beijing time, so the sun rose in Tibet when I was there around noon. And if you think, fine, so you just open stuff around noon, no, Beijing doesn’t really go for that either. (I don’t know if that’s changed since they cut off tourism, though.) Thomas1178 It’s fairly straightforward, if a bit dumb. Let’s use a northerly city like Glasgow as an example (exact times will vary depending on location). Remember, the “target” dawn time is always after the change, so you have to wait till late March for dawn to be before 6am, to hit a target of dawn at 7am, post change. Similarly you wait no longer than October for dawn to be at 8am to hit the same target of dawn at 7am, post change. Now, if you wanted a “symmetrical” (or, indeed, logical) clock adjustment window, relative to the equinoxes, if your target dawn time (post change) was 7am going in, your target should be 6am coming out (because clock numbers are just arbitrary markers, and daylight hours are now contracting). But because the change window system is based around trying to officiously make dawn hit the same arbitrary number (post change) coming in and out, like it’s a train timetable or something, the whole window is now skewed later in the calendar year by about a month. I’m presuming this arose because proposing a common (post change) target time for dawn at either end of the year was simply an easier concept to “sell”. But it just makes an already very stupid idea even stupider. The fact that the UK opted to stay in DST, in the face of flexible working and now mass working/schooling from home and staggered working/school hours for the foreseeable future anyway is the very apex of “don’t move my cheese”, tradition over practicality, “it’s broke, but let’s not fix it”, “don’t scare the horses”, nimby – *cough* – “modern” (rotflmao) British conservatism.

The massive eruption of the Italian volcano of Mount Etna released a huge, towering cloud of ash and lava on Sunday, which fell on the villages of Sicily, in an explosion that is the latest in a series of volcanic explosions erupting since mid-February. The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said that the massive explosion that occurred at 2 am, was the tenth explosion of this magnitude since February 16th, when Europe's most active volcanoes began to show the power of nature, and dyed the night sky orange and red. The mountain continued to rise throughout the night due to the increasing earthquakes. Ash and small lava fell on eight villages on the slopes of Etna on Sunday morning, while lava flowed from the southeast crater slowly on an uninhabited side of the mountain, as it had been doing for the past three weeks, the institute said. The plume of ash and lava reached a height of 10,000 meters on Sunday, according to scientists who monitor volcanic activity with specialized tools from an observatory in Etna, eastern Sicily. Locals removed traces of ash and lava stones from the front stairs of their homes and balconies. Residents used to cover their parked cars in the open air with carpets, blankets and cardboard sheets to facilitate cleaning after each explosion. The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said that the winds helped carry ash eastward, while there were no reports of injuries or serious damage after the recent explosions. From time to time, Etna volcano, which is geologically active, grows loud and loud in its explosions, as it did recently. By midday, volcano activity had slowed somewhat as the lava flow ended, although the volcano continued to spew "weak ash emissions" from the southeast crater. The institute said in a statement that the volcanic tremors returned after a few hours again. Scientists at the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology say there is no way to predict the likely timing of the lull in the current round of particularly strong volcanic activity.

Custom functions at the press of a button! Streaming online doesn't have to cost a fortune with DIY systems like StreamPi. Using a Raspberry Pi, you can create a custom stream deck experience totally catered to your streaming needs. It's a cross-platform, open-source application designed to integrate with common platforms used by streamers, and it's triggered with touchscreen buttons. The StreamPi website lists Samuel Quinones and Debayan Sutradhar as its primary developers. The app is currently designed to work with both Linux and Windows machines. Users can program custom functions that work with apps like OBS, Spotify, and recently new additions like Twitter, Command Line, and more. There are also plans in the works to expand support with additional programs like Discord. The Raspberry Pi runs StreamPi and accepts input from the user, which triggers events using any of the supported applications. It also features themes for the interface that can be changed and customized with a little programming. You can also see the device in action — the team behind the project posted a demo of a Raspberry Pi 4-powered system on Twitter.

Game Information Initial release date: September 13, 2018 Software developer: RedRuins Softworks Publishers: RedRuins Softworks, HypeTrain Digital Basic Information: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Type: adventure video game, action game, indie game, adventure, simulation It isn’t wholly uncommon for Early Access games to begin ambitiously, only to drastically reduce scope when the finish line eventually gets crossed. Breathedge starts off strongly, albeit with problems telegraphing its mechanics and progression. The Early Access content provided a large, connected sandbox with base building and a lot to upgrade and explore. The 1.0 version launches this week with the rest of the game’s chapters, unfortunately changing gameplay genres and its focus along the way. There’s still a lot to like, but anyone who was expecting more of what made the game’s previous content so enjoyable will likely be disappointed. Breathedge is often described as “Subnautica in space,” and that’s not wrong for the first three chapters. One of the main differences is that the story progresses in a more linear fashion and, notably, focuses on comedy instead of horror. You play as Man, whose grandfather has just passed away. While accompanying the coffin to the funeral service, however, things go screwy. Man’s ship is badly damaged and his grandfather’s coffin is sucked out into the final frontier. He’ll need to not only survive in the vacuum of space, but delve into the mysterious titular company and its army of corpse-powered coffin robots. The narrative in Breathedge can be a bit confusing, but it is generally funny. A lot of the jokes can fall flat, but many others elicited a fair amount of laughter from me, especially during cutscenes. Man is joined by an AI known as Spacesuit and, since Man doesn’t talk, most of the game’s dialogue sees Spacesuit quipping at length. I found a lot of Spacesuit’s lines to be less funny than they could have been due to how quickly he speaks. He rattles lines off like Yahtzee but without the personality, or an overly bland auctioneer, which I feel is a missed opportunity. Instead, I lost out on a significant amount of the dialogue. At least the game stays the same level of funny in the post-Early Access stuff, regardless of how much the structure changes. Get a lungful When the game first starts, you find yourself in a wrecked shuttle. You need to plug a leak with gum in the airlock and then you watch an instructional video (literally on VHS) before heading out into space. At first, you’ll only have 75 seconds worth of oxygen. You can’t last long in the vacuum, but you’ll need to gather little bits of metal to make a bludgeon for collecting more metal. Gradually, you’ll strike out and explore the surrounding area, all the while finding new materials and blueprints, followed by returning back to drop off the excess and craft new items and gear. It’s a solid loop, but the issue is that it doesn’t explain itself well at all. It can be horribly unclear as to how you’re supposed to move forward. I appreciate the hands-off approach, but not when I feel like the only way to progress is to watch YouTube videos. However, this intro section is equal parts exhilarating and daunting. You can craft oxygen stations and refill your breath gauge with them. When you actually get to your destination, the feeling of accomplishment is notable. From there, Breathedge grows considerably. This sandbox is large and it becomes more easily manageable fairly quickly. It doesn’t take long until you have massively extending your breath gauge and are now zipping through space on a rocket-powered vacuum cleaner. Your supplies will grow, and you even put together a base. This section is when Breathedge is at its best. Exploring the areas is fascinating and compelling. It does repeat some of the signposting issues, though. For one, the game makes no effort to explain base building beyond a brief introduction. I had to once again track down a YouTube video just to learn how to connect two modules (you need a single corridor by itself — no airlock.) I couldn’t even figure out how to get into one location because I didn’t know that I could actually swim in giant globs of mayo. Still, I relished this part of the game. And then everything I’d amassed was gone in the blink of an eye. Super corridor crawler Once you finish the Early Access portion of Breathedge, it ceases to be a space survival game. You travel around chapter four’s map in a ship, but you’re limited to shooting occasional enemies or docking at a few specific places. There is no freedom, nothing to survive, and the exploration is practically gone. Instead, you’ll run through linear corridors towards icons. The corridors are littered with items that you can pick up and carry back to your ship. If you try and pick most things up, you’ll find yourself running back and forth constantly in straight lines. Just like the previous part, your inventory is all too small. And the game gives you far too many food and drink items. Keeping your hunger and thirst meters up is a no-brainer. Your base and everything are stuck in another map entirely. At one point, the game mocks you for thinking you can go back to it right away. Once you leave that sandbox, the rest of the game is like this, too. It’s more of a comedic walking simulator with crafting. Certain issues persist from the sandbox portion, but they’re intensified here due to the less interesting nature of running back and forth down the same corridors. You’ll enter an area, grab resources until your inventory is full, go back to the ship to drop them off, and then press onward. Then you’ll hit the icon, realize you have to craft something, and you run all the way back to your ship’s processor to make what you need. Finally, you’ll run back and use the thing. Rinse and repeat. At the end of one of these areas, I had to run back and forth between my ship and the last area twice. It’s egregious. What have ye done? The last two sections of the game are even more linear, focusing on another space station each. There are a couple of boss battles to break up the walking, but they’re punctuated by hiding behind cover while you wait for enemies to stop firing lasers at you. I was invested until the end, and Breathedge had more laughs in store. The walking simulator stuff isn’t bad by any means, it’s just a far cry from what the game does best. The sandbox section took me about 12 hours (not counting several hours of reloads) and the subsequent walking sim parts took about six. Overall, I enjoyed Breathedge. The ending has some stylish scripted content, even if the final “boss battle” is more of an annoyance than anything. I’d also like to mention that the last section has a ton of materials to pick up for practically no good reason whatsoever. Plus, you’re so far away from your storage by then that your inventory is going to be full regardless. If the fact that the game practically abandons so much of what it accomplishes partway through doesn’t sour the entire experience for you, this is is still an enjoyable game worth playing. And you can always go back to the sandbox to keep building after the campaign is finished. Or you could have just picked the sandbox mode to begin with. System Requirements Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. OS: 7, 8, 10 (x64) Processor: Intel core i3 (3rd generation) Memory: 8 GB RAM. Graphics: GeForce GTX 660. DirectX: Version 10. Storage: 7 GB available space.