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Legal battle now moves to the Washington State court In what is rapidly resembling a game of legal checkers, beleaguered social media platform Parler has withdrawn its Federal lawsuit against Amazon, and instead filed a new one, but on different grounds, in Washington State court. The supposed "free speech" app was infamously knocked offline after Amazon Web Services (AWS) decided to withdraw the infrastructure that powered the social platform following concerns over its content moderation policies. Parler responded with an antitrust lawsuit against AWS' parent company, which it has now withdrawn in favour of a new case for breach of contract and defamation, alleging a conspiratorial agreement between Twitter and Amazon, according to documents shared by NPR. Host your website with the best web hosting services These are the best cloud computing services And here are the best business web hosting providers Changing tactics In its new lawsuit, Parler claims that instead of any issues with its content moderation policies, it was AWS’ tie up with Twitter, which Parler calls as its principal competitor, that was one of the main reasons for AWS booting Parler. Parler further alleges that AWS was aware of its negotiations with the then-US President Donald Trump, to hop onto Parler, following his ouster from Twitter and Facebook. Had the transition materialized, Parler claims, the social platform would have become a “huge threat to Twitter in the microblogging market, and to Amazon itself in the digital advertising market.” In a statement to The Verge, an Amazon representative dismissed these new claims as meritless citing the evidence it submitted in the Federal lawsuit. “As shown by the evidence in Parler’s federal lawsuit, it was clear that there was significant content on Parler that encouraged and incited violence against others, which is a violation of our terms of service,” notes the representative.

Kid friendly coding The Raspberry Pi Pico has been with us for just over a month and in this short space of time, there have been many projects for every level of user. But for those just starting their journey with code it can be a little daunting, and this is where block based languages such as Scratch come in to their own. Block-based Integrated Platform for Embedded Systems (BIPES) is a block based coding environment for MicroPython devices and in the latest release it now supports the Raspberry Pi Pico and other RP2040 based boards. The BIPES project was created just over a year ago and it supports many boards such as the ESP8266, ESP32, BBC micro:bit and now the Raspberry Pi Pico and other RP2040 based boards. BIPES works with Google Chrome and writing code for a project is made easy via a web interface which is written in Blockly. Before any code can be written, we first need to enable Experimental Web Platform features in chrome://flags so that we can use Web Serial to talk to the Raspberry Pi Pico, luckily we only have to do this once. After setting the board to Raspberry Pi Pico and then connecting to the Pico via the Console tab we have a web REPL (Read Eval Print Loop) interface where we can write MicroPython in the browser and interact with the board. Moving to the Blocks tab we see a range of blocks categorized by their function, and there we can also see special blocks for use with the Raspberry Pi Pico. We took BIPES for a quick test and managed to flash the internal LED of the Pico in just a few minutes. With BIPES we can write block based code, switch to Python to see the real code that makes our project and interact with REPL, all from one browser window. The BIPES blog has a selection of example project to read both digital and analog GPIO pin values, control LEDs with PWM and work with a temperature sensor. It is still early days for Raspberry Pi Pico and BIPES, some key functionality, notably managing Python files on the Pico. Right now we can download our block based code as an XML file and share it with others who can upload it to the BIPES site which converts it back to blocks that can be written to another Pico. If you've already got a Raspberry Pi Pico and some eager makers in your home, then BIPES could be the tool to introduce the world of making to a younger audience.

Game Information Initial release date: February 23, 2021 Software developer: Heliocentric Studios Publisher: Tim 17 Type: RPG, Adventure video game, Indie game, Shooting game, Fighting game, Adventure Basic Information: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows It’s no secret that Zelda is one of the most successful RPG franchises ever made. But across its 35-year history, Nintendo has yet to give it a chance to shine on PC. However, that hasn’t stopped other developers from creating Zelda-inspired games for us to play. Of the many Zelda-like titles I’ve played over the years, Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos might just be the best. Rogue Heroes is a top-down, retro-inspired 2D action RPG published by Team 17. I know them best for Worms, but it’s also responsible for The Escapists, and Overcooked. They have a reputation for publishing some of the most polished indie games on the market. A trend that Rogue Heroes follows. As for developer Heliocentric Studios, it’s previously made Magnetta and Gran Vitreous. Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is its first large-scale release. Dungeon diving Given its roots as a Zelda-inspired RPG, Rogue Heroes‘ focus on dungeons should come as no surprise. The dungeons are partially randomly generated but not in the way you may expect. Each dungeon will have a selection of man-made rooms assigned to every floor. Upon entering that floor, Rogue Heroes will then generate a layout using these rooms. This has its pros and cons. On one hand, having man-made rooms avoids the biggest issue that true random generation tends to cause: generic layouts. Each floor is diverse and features interesting puzzles with combat scenarios reminiscent of the best ’80s RPGs. Speaking of combat, Rogue Heroes plays like a more refined Link to the Past. You have a sword, bombs, bow, grappling hook, and all of the usual things you’d expect from a game of this nature. Being so similar to such an iconic RPG is by no means a bad thing, but don’t go into Rogue Heroes expecting any huge innovations in this department. Rogue Heroes‘ unique method of generating floor layouts can result in some bizarre dungeons. In one instance, I ended up with a singular floor that took over thirty minutes to complete. Given that each dungeon consists of three floors, that can make for a lengthy run. However, on another attempt, the room to unlock the boss key and the boss room itself spawned next to each other at the start of the floor. This resulted in me clearing the floor in less than three minutes despite the map showing another fifteen or so rooms that were seemingly unnecessary. Regardless of this slight oversight, most of the time dungeons work as intended. And thanks to Rogue Heroes‘ dynamic difficulty, they never feel too easy or too hard. In Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos, there is no set difficulty setting. Instead, you spend gems gathered in the dungeons to upgrade your stats, equipment, and town. This means that that the best players can try to conquer dungeons whilst being underequipped while more casual players can take their time. It’s a well-implemented alternative to a traditional difficulty system. I’d imagine this makes Rogue Heroes a prime game for speedrunners to conquer. Creating a community The biggest aspect that helps Rogue Heroes differentiate itself is its town management. This isn’t just a game about beating dungeons and finding loot. Instead, throughout your adventure, you unlock new activities through the purchasing and upgrading of buildings. Many of these buildings are required to upgrade your stats. For example, the blacksmith provides access to an array of sword upgrades including base damage, critical hit chance, and weapon reach. Also, there are other shops that allow you to stock up on items before heading into a dungeon. Perhaps most interestingly, you can unlock magic threads that allow you to change your class. Every class has a unique ability, and varying levels of attack, defense, and mobility. These classes let you fine-tune exactly how you want to approach each dungeon. A knight is great for powering through combat but moves slowly. In contrast, the Ranger is frail but can skip around enemies without being touched. There are even some less traditional fantasy classes like the Reaper, a relatively balanced class that possesses the ability to gain health back from downed enemies. Some of Rogue Heroes‘ passive effects aren’t working properly as of writing this review, but developer Jonno has confirmed that Patch 2 will address this. At the start of Rogue Heroes, the only building in your town is a broken-down house that you live in. As you work your way through dungeons you’ll get more and more gems to upgrade your town. To take down the end-game content you’ll require not only all of the town built but most of the upgrades purchased from each building. This gives you plenty to do and adds a good amount of replay value for those looking to get the most out of Rogue Heroes. However, be aware that this can make Rogue Heroes a little grindy in some parts. It’s by no means MMORPG levels of grinding, but it can be necessary to lose in a dungeon in order to return to town and upgrade yourself. Consider it to be a sort of roguelite but with less punishments for failure. Retro-inspired The colorful, modern pixel art style that Rogue Heroes uses is one of my personal favorites. We’ve seen similar approaches work in the past with games like Stardew Valley and Terraria. It’s a safe but sure method of delivering a great-looking game without spending millions on engine development. As long as there is a talented artist or two onboard, you’re bound to end up with some gorgeous visuals. Performance-wise, Rogue Heroes runs fine, but it could be better. There is a hard 60 frames per second cap that I couldn’t find a way around. This is a little frustrating as most PC gamers could easily make the most out of higher refresh rates with a game like this. Although I’d be lying if I said this ever seriously impaired my ability to enjoy playing the game. Given its retro visuals, just about any passable PC should be able to reach 60 FPS fine. The Steam store says that the minimum requirement is a GeForce GT 320, so as long as your GPU isn’t a Mayan artifact you should be good. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is in a bit of a state right now. Be it net code or sync issues, online gameplay suffers from nasty latency and input delay. However, the devs are already aware of this and a fix doesn’t look too far away. If you intended to play Rogue Heroes as a multiplayer game, I’d wait for a patch or two first. A worthy throwback Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is something we’ve seen before. At its core, it’s a retro-inspired action RPG with a secondary town-building mechanic attached to it. And yet that simplicity is not a negative. Instead, developer Heliocentric Studios has managed to create something that does exactly what it set out to. At no point during this review did I question the purpose behind Rogue Heroes. It’s a fun throwback title that doesn’t do much wrong, and the few problematic things have already been identified by the developers. Having a passionate team behind any game that is willing to listen to feedback so openly is a huge positive. From the start to the end of this review, Rogue Heroes kept me non-stop entertained. For me, that’s far more impressive than creating a needlessly complicated game just for the sake of it. Perhaps the steepest praise I can heap upon this is that most games I review don’t get touched again after I’ve finished working on them. But Rogue Heroes will be staying in my Steam library for the foreseeable future. And for such a reasonable price, you can’t ask more from a game than that. System Requirements OS: Windows 7. Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2.4 GHz | AMD FX-4350. Memory: 4 GB RAM. Graphics: GeForce GT 320, 1 GB | AMD Radeon R7 240, 2 GB. Storage: 300 MB available space.

Welcome

DH1 better than DH2 , Nice song ❤️

Have you ever taken the doors off your car for a drive on a nice day? It’s an absurd question for most of us. But it’s a perfectly normal one for Jeep Wrangler owners. Even for them, though, taking the entire door off is a commitment. So, one of the most popular aftermarket Jeep products for most of the last 30 years has been half-doors. They allow the open-air off-road experience unique to the iconic Jeep, while still giving some protection to the lower body. Jeep has never offered half-doors itself. Until now. Half-doors are now available on every trim level of 2021 Wrangler except the hybrid 4xe, and Jeep says they will migrate to the hybrid this spring. Buyers don’t have to commit to just having half a door – the dual-door group comes with full-size doors attached to the vehicle, and half-doors packed in the cargo area. Buyers won’t give up much functionality when they attach the mini doors, either. They’re wired so that power mirrors, power locks, and blindspot protection all continue to function as normal. They even ship with plastic windows with liners that match the soft top…in case you should want the experience of full doors back as soon as you install your half-doors, we guess?

Mussels are relatively cheap, but they scrub up very well: this dish oozes opulence with its rich Asian aromas This is a star of a dish: rich and aromatic, sophisticated, yet entirely doable; it is also cheap, which is an added bonus. Depending on where you buy them, mussels can take a bit of scrubbing and some tugging to remove the beards, but I find the task rather pleasing and it makes the resulting feast all the more satisfying. Do this in advance, and the curry sauce, too, if you want, so you can have a glass of wine and produce the dish as if by magic. Mussels with coconut, turmeric and jasmine rice It is well worth seeking out fresh curry leaves – they can be kept in the freezer and add a wonderfully heady earthiness to any dish. Prep 20 min Cook 40 min Serves 3-4 3 tbsp rapeseed or groundnut oil 1 large onion, peeled and chopped Salt and black pepper 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 large knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp ground coriander 2 x 400ml tins coconut milk 2 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste 375g jasmine rice, unwashed 1.5kg mussels, cleaned For the temper (optional) 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 heaped tsp black mustard seeds 16-18 curry leaves Warm two tablespoons of the oil in a medium pan over a medium heat, add the onion, season with a few pinches of salt and fry for 10 minutes, until coloured and soft. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, cook for another three minutes, then add the spices and stir-fry for a minute. Pour in the coconut milk and 150ml water, season to taste with the fish sauce, then bring to a simmer and leave to cook very gently while you make the rice. Wash the rice once under cold, running water, then tip into a pan and add 650ml cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down the heat to its lowest setting and leave to cook undisturbed for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside somewhere warm, still covered. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over a high heat in a wok or other large pan for which you have a lid. Once smoking, throw in the mussels, shake once and cover the pan. Cook for a minute, then pour in the coconut milk mixture and cook for a few minutes more, until the milk is simmering and the mussels have opened (discard any that don’t). For a final flourish, warm the tempering oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the mustard seeds and, as soon as they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and cook until crisp and translucent, then take off the heat. Fluff the rice with a fork, then divide between bowls, ladle the mussels on top and spoon on the temper to finish. And for the rest of the week … This sauce works beautifully with all kinds of fish, so do experiment; I also like it on potatoes and spinach, or cauliflower, for a midweek vegetable curry.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the United States will provide $ 191 million in additional American humanitarian aid to Yemen. The US Secretary added, during the donors ’conference for Yemen held under the auspices of the United Nations, that we are committed to giving priority to the interest of the Yemeni people in our policy, but the Houthis must stop their attack on the Yemeni governorate of Ma'rib, saying:“ We need more donations to help Yemen. ” For his part, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: “The humanitarian situation in Yemen has become worse over the past weeks. Because of the Houthi attack on Marib (...), our joint responsibility is to provide the means to end the Yemeni crisis. ” The UAE called for a "strong international response" to the terrorist Houthi militia attacks. "The terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi coup militias require a strong international response," said Reem Al-Hashemi, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, held under the auspices of the United Nations. The UAE announced “prior to the holding of the donors’ conference, its intention to provide 230 million dollars in additional support to the people. The supervisor of the King Salman Relief Center, Abdullah Al-Rabiah, announced the commitment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with an amount of 430 million US dollars. To support the "Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2021".

What is the Kindle Unlimited price? The Amazon Kindle Unlimited price includes unrestricted access to a whole library of ebooks and more, which means you're covered for all your reading needs whatever you feel like getting stuck into. However, it's not included in the Amazon Prime price. It's worth remembering that you can only store up to ten titles on your device at once, however, though it's easy to swap these titles out so you'll never get stuck paying for something you don't ultimately enjoy. One of the latest subscription services to hit the Amazon suite, Kindle Unlimited not only offers free books for your cash, but you can also grab free magazines and even free Audible audiobooks with select titles. The Amazon Kindle Unlimited price is $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$ 13.99 a month, with unlimited access to over one million books, two thousand audiobooks, and a wide selection of magazine subscriptions. That's a fantastic price considering an Audible subscription will set you back far more per month, and can offer fewer audiobooks for your money. It's worth noting that this subscription operates on a 'borrowing' service, so you'll only be able to hold 10 titles in your library at a time, and these will not be available once the membership ends. The Kindle Unlimited price remains the same whether you're a Prime member or not, and is not automatically included in your Prime subscription. Plus, you can always find a free trial if you want to test out the service before you put any cash on the table. Is the Amazon Kindle Unlimited price worth it? Rather than spending money on individual ebooks, magazine subscriptions, and audiobooks, it is far more cost effective to wrap all those products up under the Amazon Kindle Unlimited price. With a massive range of titles on offer, you'll never be stuck for choice, but perhaps the feature that lends the most value to this subscription is those Audible audiobooks. If you want flexibility in how you consume your books, you can easily jump between reading the content on your screen and listening to an Audible narration. Considering an Audible subscription itself will set you back $14.95 / £7.99 / AU$16.45 for fewer audiobooks per month, Kindle Unlimited really is a no-brainer. The only hiccup comes from the fact that you are limited to the 2,000 Kindle Unlimited titles with this feature available. However, if you're after the option of an audiobook narration rather than simply seeking out audiobooks themselves, this is a fantastic offer. If you want to check if the price will be worth it for your own reading habits, you can always grab a Kindle Unlimited free trial to scope out the experience before you buy. Is the Amazon Kindle Unlimited price included with a Prime subscription? Amazon Kindle Unlimited isn't included with a Prime subscription as standard, and unfortunately there are no price reductions available for Prime members. Prime Reading is the Prime-member equivalent automatically included with your subscription, but offers a reduced range. Which ebooks are included in Kindle Unlimited? Kindle Unlimited does not provide full free access to the entire Kindle library. Instead, a selection of more than a million titles are included in the Kindle Unlimited offering. You can easily browse the books and magazine subscriptions that are covered from the Kindle app to get a sense of what's on offer here, however there's a fantastic range of genres to choose from, plenty with their own Audible narrations as well. Do I need a Kindle ereader to use Kindle Unlimited? You don't need a Kindle ereader to take advantage of the free books on offer with Kindle Unlimited. In fact, you can use Kindle Unlimited on a massive range of iOS, Android, Mac and PC devices thanks to the Kindle App. Plus, you can sync your progress across all your devices to make sure you never lose your place.

Not long to wait! AMD's Radeon RX 6700 XT announcement is still a few days away, but it seems that Videocardz has managed to source images of the latest cards from Asus. Until we get the official announcement on March 3rd, take this news with a grain of salt. We believe the Radeon RX 6700 to be on the Navi 22 GPU with 40 CUs, and 2,560 Stream Processors, and 12GB of GDDR6 memory. Basically, this card should be the RDNA2 replacement for the last-gen RX 5700 XT. As such, it should have a much lower TDP than its higher-tiered brethren, giving AIB partners such as Asus more wiggle room to develop more compact coolers for this GPU. Radeon RX 6700 XT TUF Gaming However, it seems Asus went all out on the 6700 XT TUF Gaming. The card looks almost identical to the RX 6800 variant with a width approaching three PCI-e slots and a beefy triple fan heatsink. Aesthetically both cards share the TUF Gaming logo at the top right and the "tire track" design flowing down the middle of the card, as well as on the bottom right and top left edges. But unlike the 6800, Videocardz says the 6700 XT TUF Gaming has a different heatpipe layout and a narrower PCB compared to other TUF Gaming Radeon cards. As well as a 6-pin + 8-pin layout for the supplementary power connectors. This means that the RX 6700 XT should have the lowest TDP so far of any RDNA2 GPU, which should help keep thermals and acoustics low. The RX 6700 XT Dual, is presumably a cheaper dual-fan option for the new GPU. The card has a near 3-slot width like its bigger brother, and is aesthetically similar to other Dual cards from Asus; with the multi-toned black trim, plus the silver/purple accents to the top of the card. The RX 6700 XT Dual will feature the same supplementary power configuration as the TUF with a single 6-pin and a single 8-pin.

Game Information Initial release date: 2020 Series: Yakuza Software developer: Studio Ryo Ga Gotoku Publisher: Sega Composer: Saori Yoshida; Aoki Chihiro; Yuri Fukuda; Hidenori Shoji Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One Editor's note: The PS5 version of Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be available on March 2, complete with the graphical and performance perks afforded by the new generation of hardware--and the PS4 version can be upgraded for free, though save data does not transfer. After spending some time with the PS5 version, we can confirm that the game looks and plays as great on PS5 as it does on Xbox Series X. We've updated this review and the score to include the PS5 version of the game. The original review, based on the Series X version and first published on November 4, 2020, follows. After the conclusion of the series' previous anthology with Yakuza 6, there were big Kiryu-sized shoes to fill. As our new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban steps into the spotlight for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, developer RGG Studio proves it can still capture its signature blend of gripping melodrama and absurdist humor while creating something genuinely fresh for the long-running franchise. The reinvention isn't just in the transition from action-brawler to turn-based combat, which is a great take on traditional RPG battles. It's that the party dynamic in Like a Dragon enables a new kind of storytelling that the series hasn't explored before, one that focuses on the power of embracing friendship and fighting together every step of the way. Like a Dragon starts anew, providing an entry point for those who have never played a Yakuza game before. But it wouldn't be a proper series entry without the core tenets that define Yakuza--things like captivating exposition-heavy cutscenes, exciting over-the-top fights, and a wealth of side activities that flood the streets of a lifelike Japanese city. In true Yakuza fashion, the tangled web of alliances, betrayals, secrets, and shifts in power across different organizations serve as the foundation for much of its character-driven story. And it's as sweet as ever here. Kasuga, Number One Ichiban has a familiar background: born from nothing, scraping by in Kamurocho until a father figure with yakuza ties digs him out of serious trouble. Ichiban's life revolves around that man, Masumi Arakawa, and he eventually follows in his footsteps by pledging himself to the Tojo Clan. Much of what propels Like a Dragon is the connection these two share--from Ichiban taking the fall for a family crime to uncovering why he'd been left for dead in another city after his 18-year prison sentence. Things change in time, and that good-natured kid who grew up loving Dragon Quest (literally in-lore) and doing harmless errands for the gang now has a lot to learn about the criminal underworld as he re-enters society. Loud, goofy, naive, but always well-meaning, Ichiban sometimes lets his immaturity get the best of him. Others are there to help him learn and grow, and he never wavers in his dedication to the people around him. It rubs off on his companions, whose circumstances unite each of them as you unravel the mystery behind Ichiban's exile to Ijincho, Yokohama (where most of the game takes place). Your core squad of Adachi, Nanba, and Saeko enter the scene for their own reasons--Adachi is the ex-detective whose goal is tied to yours, Nanba is the homeless man who saved your life and has more to him than he lets on, and Saeko is the barmaid who reciprocates the unconditional support she gets from the crew after a personal tragedy. The Friends You Make Along The Way Sometimes their motivations for sticking around for Ichiban's messy yakuza business aren't always convincing, but over time, the friendships they form become all the conviction they need. The familiar theme of deep emotional bonds is what Like a Dragon uses to bring something new to the series' strong, established style of storytelling--the party system isn't just an excuse to provide you with a team during the RPG combat. Throughout the story, the cast gets into trouble, fights their way out, drinks, and celebrates together, and they carry each other to the end. Much of the Yakuza series thus far was about the struggles of Kazuma Kiryu, a man who has a heart of gold, yet always kept everyone at arm's length. Like a Dragon, however, flips the script and explores the power of letting people in, and it embraces the uplifting social dynamic its characters create. Each main cast member has their own life stories to tell and gets a bit of the spotlight with Ichiban throughout the main campaign. But some of the more personal moments come through in what are called Drink Links--basically Persona-style social link scenarios where party members open up about their personal lives over glasses of whiskey at their home bar called Survive Bar. You increase a bond rating with them, improve social stats, and unlock combat perks along the way; more importantly, you really get to know the characters who are fighting alongside each other. The Drama Of Yokohama That general sentiment can also be applied to the Ijin Three, the trio of gangs that uphold a delicate balance in Yokohama--it consists of the Japanese Seiryu Clan, the Korean Geomijul, and the Chinese Liumang. The unnerving tension between them enriches the narrative, as these organizations become important for chasing the truth. A few of their members (who I won't reveal for spoiler reasons) are great standouts as the story develops, and also bring out a bit of Asian diversity, giving Korean and Chinese characters more nuanced portrayals than in previous Yakuza games. In Like a Dragon, your enemies today could be your dearest allies tomorrow, and vice versa. Internal rifts and philosophical differences will always destroy organizations from the inside. When one group dedicates itself to good deeds to help the less fortunate, others see it as a chance to prey on the helpless and seize power. It's an ever-evolving game of 4D chess you'll see play out, and it instills an eagerness to see what happens chapter after chapter. Another piece of the bigger picture is right-wing nationalism, portrayed by a group called Bleach Japan. While Like a Dragon's climactic political drama leans on the outlandish villainy of a power-hungry few, it takes narrative opportunities to express clear opposition to anti-immigration, anti-sex work, and anti-poor politics in key story beats, and these themes also become part of what drives Ichiban and company. I've made it quite clear that I'm a sucker for Yakuza's melodrama. However, I'm willing to admit that Like a Dragon has one too many simple plot twists, which can come across as a way to elongate the main story. Perhaps it bites off more than it can chew at the tail-end where plot points are introduced as quickly as they are resolved. They're not bad story beats per se, but they can feel overbearing when there's already enough enticing narrative established. Regardless, Yakuza has built a reputation on captivating drama and strong characterizations, and it's those expectations that its games will be judged by. With that criteria in mind, Like a Dragon hardly ever misses. Like A Dragon Quest Ichiban's eccentric personality is a force of nature, and it's even what fuels the combat system. His imagination runs wild, and in his mind, he sees himself and his friends as the heroes of the day, just like in Dragon Quest (Ichiban's words, not mine). Enemies transform into possessed beings or extremely silly delinquents like aggressive chefs, unhinged nudists, or just bad dudes with glowing red eyes--some with punny names like "capitalist punisher" for evil salarymen or "hands catcher" for evil baseball players. And your own party members transform into their equipped jobs with sometimes ridiculous costume changes. His reverence for Dragon Quest is charming, and shows that he really is a kid at heart; it's part of what fills him with the determination to keep fighting, even in the most dire of situations. Like a Dragon asks you to suspend your disbelief more so than previous Yakuza games to accommodate Ichiban's child-like imagination, and you know what? I'm here for it. Like a Dragon uses a rather straightforward turn-based combat system with standard attacks, special moves (sometimes enhanced by simple QTE button prompts), and spells of different affinities and status effects. Managing your party's various capabilities and strategizing to dispatch enemies in smart ways is at the core of the fun. How you handle your turns in relation to the enemies you face in any given battle presents a familiar but engaging puzzle-like challenge of devising the best course of action. When you barrel down consecutive fights in dungeon-like scenarios, combat maintains a steady, enjoyable flow, whereas the bigger set-piece boss fights test your command of the system. What was used as an April Fools' gag actually comes together remarkably well for Yakuza's own RPG debut. Combat is also an opportunity for the game to crank up Yakuza's tradition of ridiculous over-the-top moves, and it's a big reason why combat is exciting to engage with. The spirit of the series' wild heat actions comes through in the skills you'll learn, like summoning aggressive fans by performing a musical act or leaping through the air to spit literal fire upon your enemies. The intricacies of combat are driven by the job system, which is essentially a set of swappable character classes that play differently with their own unique abilities. And as long as you build up a good variety of healing, buffs, and strong attack types, you'll be in good shape. Like a Dragon isn't without its faults, however. It's quite apparent in the last few chapters that the game began to rely on long drawn-out fights. I still had to stay sharp and maximize damage with each turn or use heals and buffs at opportune times to stay alive, but some of these moments boiled down to a war of attrition. Although I love that Like a Dragon can be really challenging, a little grinding is required to even survive against some bosses. Thankfully, there's a late-game combat arena side activity that offers a ton of EXP and useful items, but the necessity of it breaks some of the momentum as you heard towards the conclusion. (And beware that there is a point in the story where you're required to have lots of money, and if you haven't invested time to make money, well you better get on it.) There's More To Life Than Fisticuffs It's not all drama, fighting, and silly superpowers, though. While the location of Kamurocho has become a sort of character itself, the much larger Ijincho (a mashup of the real Yokohama) does offer its own distinct vibe. Compared to Kamurocho, it feels like taking a deep breath of fresh air when you walk through the open spaces of Hamakita Park, shopping outlets on Isezaki Road, and the streets of Chinatown. Even the alleyways and homeless camps of the lower-class areas breathe life into Ijincho in equal measure. The city is bustling with things to do outside of the main story, as is Yakuza tradition. My personal favorite of karaoke is back. The rhythm minigame presents another avenue for the characters to express themselves in an especially charming fashion. Nanba brings back the classic "Baka Mitai," and Adachi belts out his own performance of "Machine Gun Kiss." Saeko's friendship anthem "Spring Breeze" warms my heart as she plays the piano while the rest of the gang enthusiastically cheers her on. And Ichiban's own song, "The Future I Dreamed Of," showcases his own inspirations as he reflects on his upbringing. When a few other characters join the party, the karaoke playlist grows. Having it back at Survive Bar, where everyone meets up and drinks together, really creates a homelike atmosphere for Like a Dragon. One of the very important money-making minigames is Ichiban Confections, the business management simulator. You help a family business grow from selling sweets at a hole-in-the-wall shop to becoming C-suite executives with multiple ventures featured in commercials. It's goofy as hell but quite involved, as you need to manage employees, assign jobs, and make investment decisions. You also have to play a separate and hilarious minigame where you frantically argue with shareholders to earn their support. There's also Dragon Kart, which is an entire kart-racing minigame with its own ridiculous side story and tournament-style challenges. The last one I'll mention is the quiz minigame, which exists under the guise of an adult school where Ichiban learns about history and culture (and even has its own Sega-themed quizzes), helping him improve social stats. These activities are lively and rewarding in their own small ways, whether it's money, perks, gear, or genuinely funny side stories that build up the wild life of Kasuga Ichiban. Even after spending 40 hours with Yakuza: Like a Dragon to complete its main story and experience a decent chunk of optional content, there's still more to see and do with substories and conclusions to optional quests. The Future Is Bright For Yakuza As the game executes on a melodramatic, multi-faceted conclusion typical of a Yakuza game, you're encouraged to reflect on the hardships and tragedies Ichiban had to endure. It's rare, however, to also see the protagonist of a Yakuza game also do the same. You can see the journey, the struggles, the challenges, the growth, and the friendships worn plainly on his face. Yakuza has a penchant for exaggeration, this game really goes for it, and it works. Ichiban is an expressive character, sometimes to the point of parody, but it's endearing and often inspiring. Ichiban is an idealist and a bit naive, but he's also what his friends have made him through their own personalities and their sense of justice: a hero. At so many moments, I stood up screaming at my TV in absolute excitement (and shed a few tears here and there), seeing how Ichiban develops, and how Like a Dragon ties back into the broader Yakuza lore for long-time fans. Ichiban stands tall among the legends that the Yakuza games have created, and Like a Dragon isn't shy about drawing from that well again. Maybe it's a bit on the nose, but for me, I can't help but feel a reinvigorated passion for the franchise. For RGG Studio's first crack at an RPG, it's a damn fine result. It delivers what I love most about Yakuza and introduces new ideas that largely pay off. Ichiban isn't doing it alone, either. He has friends and mentors, ones who've helped him fight and overcome personal tragedies. It was an absolute thrill to watch him grow, and that's what's most important for a game so focused on its characters. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a passing of the torch, and a fantastic entry in a beloved franchise that proves that it's in good hands with Kasuga Ichiban. System Requirements Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. OS: Windows 10. Processor: Intel Core i5-3470 | AMD FX-8350. Memory: 8 GB RAM. Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660, 2 GB | AMD Radeon HD 7870, 2 GB. Storage: 40 GB available space.

ofc DH1 , Legend Eminem

welcome

Few things divide us like the damned check engine light, it seems. A study shows 36.1 percent of us run the car to a mechanic within a week of seeing that dreaded little icon in the instrument panel. But another 25 percent just leave it on forever. Reviews.com found the disparity with a survey. They asked 1,239 American drivers how they respond to the appearance of the check engine light. Answers vary from having it immediately investigated to “oh, that’s not supposed to be on?” A total of 29.6 percent fell in the middle, with waits of between a week and a year to have the light checked out. Demographically, two big trends appear in the data – men are nearly twice as likely to ignore the light indefinitely than women (32 percent vs. 18.4 percent). Those over 45 are more likely to attend to it immediately (43.4 percent of them do) than those under 35 (26.6 percent). We’d fall on the side of checking it, but we say that thanks to a little-known fact…there’s a way to check it for free. Major auto parts stores, including AutoZone, O’Reilly’s, and Pep Boys, will usually do it for you at no cost. They simply plug a tool into your car that reads any error codes (it’s called an OBDII scanner, and you can buy one yourself for less than $50 if this happens to you often enough to justify it) and tell you what the car thinks is wrong. Since the problem can be as simple as a loose gas cap, that can enable you to turn the light off for free. And if you’re dealing with something much more expensive, at least you’ll know how urgent the problem is.

The joys of chocolate containing full-spectrum high-potency CBD+ I’ve always been fantastically suggestible; the mere sniff of someone being ill and I imagine I am, too. So the first time I tried Melt’s CBD chocolate I only read the instructions of what constituted a daily portion after I had exceeded it. I only read the instructions of what constituted a daily portion after I had exceeded it It was school run time and I convinced myself I was stoned; it didn’t help that I’d watched a Grace and Frankie episode (highly recommend the series) the day before where they’d all got high. I mean I probably wasn’t, but the chocolate was great and not difficult to over-eat. Melt makes chocolate of an almost preternatural smoothness. The way it (ha!) melts on the tongue surprises me every time. Its ‘library’ box of bars with London along the spines makes a great present. All the bars are hand made and plastic-free hand-wrapped in the Melt kitchen in the capital. The library boxes cover most chocolate tastes, coming in three varieties: vegan; nuts and salt; fruit and nuts, £57 for seven bars. The new CBD bar is called Dr Watson Hemp Dark chocolate. It contains full-spectrum high-potency CBD+, whatever that really means, in a 70% cocoa chocolate (I guess putting it in milk would be dangerous) and costs £15.99 for a 90g bar. I tested it at the end of a day so stressful I had appealed on Twitter for vodka shots and a chain saw. I received neither so decided to give this a go. I had one piece – sublime – and, reader, everything was very OK.

The US State Department said in a statement, "The immediate withdrawal of the Eritrean forces and the Amhara forces from the Tigray region is essential to the cessation of hostilities in the region." The US State Department affirmed, “The United States is deeply concerned about the atrocities that have been reported, and the deteriorating general situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia,” noting “the need to declare a cessation of hostilities by all parties to the conflict, and to allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid in Tigray.” “. She stressed that "the United States is committed to working with the international community to achieve these goals and to achieve this goal," revealing that "the United States Agency for International Development will deploy a response team in Ethiopia, to continue providing assistance and saving people." The statement pointed out that the US State Department communicated with the Ethiopian government regarding “the need to end the violence in the Tigray region and hold those responsible for the violations accountable,” in addition to “the need for unimpeded humanitarian aid to reach Tigray, and to allow a full and independent international investigation into reports of human rights violations. Human rights, abuses and atrocities. "ethnic cleansing" A confidential US government report revealed that Ethiopian officials and allied armed factions are leading a "systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing" in the war-torn Tigray region, northern Ethiopia. The report, of which the American newspaper "The New York Times" obtained a copy, said that armed men and officials from neighboring Amhara province, who entered Tigray, "intentionally and efficiently make Western Tigray into an ethnically homogeneous region through the systematic use of force and intimidation." The report, written earlier this month, paints in strong terms a documented picture of the land of looted homes and abandoned villages, where tens of thousands of people face an unknown fate. The newspaper pointed out that “Amnesty International” said in a second report, published on Friday, that “soldiers from Eritrea” systematically killed hundreds of civilians in Tigray in the ancient city of Axum, over a period of 10 days in November, and shot some of them in the streets. On the other hand, Ethiopia rejects the criticism of its campaign in Tigray, and describes its critics as "agents" of its enemies there. Abiy Ahmed launched a military campaign in Tigray on November 4 after months of tension with the ruling party in the territory, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which ruled Ethiopia with an iron fist for nearly three decades, until Abe came to power in 2018.

DH1 Better than DH2 , I love this song ❤️

Winner @HiTLeR. 7-0 😛 Ebl3 @-Happy boy T/c

Patch KB4601382 is a preview update, though, with the usual caveats Windows 10 has received a preview version of a cumulative update, and it’s one that gamers might want to apply if they’ve been having any kind of trouble with stuttering or flickering (or indeed other rendering issues) when playing certain games. As Microsoft states, patch KB4601382 (for Windows 10 May 2020 Update and October 2020 Update) applies the following fix: “Updates an issue with screen rendering after opening games with certain hardware configurations.” We solve 100 common Windows 10 problems How to speed up Windows 10 How to uninstall a Windows 10 update As it’s in preview, you’ll have to manually find and install this bunch of fixes via Windows Update (this patch will be next month’s cumulative update when it lands on March 9 – but folks who are exasperated with the bugs that it cures may just want to grab it now to save them from another week of pulling their hair out). As mentioned, as well as the problems with games, there are other fixes here. These include several display-related bugbears like an “issue that might cause video playback to flicker when rendering on certain low-latency capable monitors”, and incorrect refresh rates showing under advanced display settings when it comes to HDR-capable monitors. KB4601382 also delivers a solution for unexpected screens popping up in the Windows 10 setup experience (initial out of box installation process, that is). Caution first If you’re not affected by any of these issues, or at least not bothered by them to any pressing degree, it’s best to steer clear of a preview update – because as the name suggests, these are still in testing, so may be rough around the edges or have unintended consequences in one form or another. Strictly speaking, it’s best to wait for the finalized patch (indeed, as we’ve seen many times in the past, even the finished version can mistakenly introduce fresh bugs – so preview updates need to be treated with some caution).

The sRGB color space explained sRGB stands for Standard Red Green Blue and is a color space, or a set of specific colors, created by HP and Microsoft in 1996 with the goal of standardizing the colors portrayed by electronics. sRGB is the most popular color space used today and the one used for Windows, most web browsers and most console and PC games, unless they’re HDR. When looking for the best gaming monitor, TV or other electronic, you may notice a product claiming to cover a certain percentage of the sRGB color space. This tells you how much of the sRGB color space the monitor is supposed to be able to reproduce (how accurately it does so is another story that can only be confirmed via testing). A monitor or other device’s color gamut tells you which color space or spaces the device can reproduce and how much of said space(s) it can portray from 0-100% or even greater. Besides sRGB, other common color spaces include Adobe RGB and DCI-P3, which are both larger -- or encompass more colors -- than sRGB. range of colors the human eye can see. Within that range of colors is a white triangle, which outlines the colors the sRGB standard entails. If you tried to look at an image with colors outside of that triangle on an sRGB monitor, for example, those other additional colors would look inaccurate and undersaturated. Other popular color spaces are also defined in the diagram below. Color spaces define their range of colors via specific coordinates on the chromaticity chart above. Coordinates for sRGB colors are based on the (International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector’s (ITU-R’s) BT.709 standard [PDF], which is also known as Rec .709 and ITU 709 and was created for HDTVs. sRGB vs DCI-P3 While sRGB is the standard, other color spaces can be desirable. For example, Adobe RGB, while not an international standard, is popular in professional environments as it offers a broader range of colors and was made by Adobe, bringing obvious appeal to users of software like Adobe Photoshop. DCI-P3 is another popular space that’s similar to Adobe RGB in terms of the colors it covers but targets video and is internationally standardized. DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB are similar and both larger (covering more colors) than sRGB. If accurate, a DCI-P3 monitor has a 25% wider color gamut than an sRGB monitor. Another difference between sRGB and DCI-P3 is that the latter can handle 10-bit color, key for HDR content. Speaking of HDR, DCI-P3 is also the color space HDR content uses, so if you want the best HDR monitor or display, you should look for something with significant DCI-P3 coverage. Full sRGB coverage wouldn’t do the format complete justice. If you watch HDR content on an sRGB monitor, (assuming it supported the HDR format), you wouldn’t be accessing the full range of colors available in that media. But if you want a good HDR screen that also allows you to view Windows and SDR content accurately, you should ensure that the display also has an accurate sRGB mode, where it properly shifts the color gamut to sRGB’s range of colors. We’ve found that for SDR gaming and entertainment, offering more color than sRGB calls for -- whether by oversaturating the sRGB color space or using DCI-P3 -- can be enjoyable, even if it’s not entirely accurate. In fact, many screens we test these days offer more than 100% coverage of sRGB, making content made in the sRGB color space look more saturated than perhaps the content creators intended.

Game Information Initial release date: December 3, 2020 Software developer: MyDearest Inc. Series: MyDearest's Chronos Publisher: MyDearest Inc. Type: Adventure video game Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows Virtual reality gaming has proven to be a shockingly versatile medium. What was once thought of as the haven for shooters and on-rails action games has evolved into a platform that can deliver experiences that were never even imagined 20 years ago. Thanks to this shift in perception, we are now seeing games like Altdeus: Beyond Chronos taking center stage. But is it possible for a title to exist in the middle ground between gaming and animated film or novel? What would a futuristic Earth be without monolithic beasts, hell-bent on extinguishing the flame of humanity? In this case, the beings vying for the planet are hulking organic creatures named Meteroa. You’re a member of Prometheus, an elite, mech-infused defense force, filling the role of a manufactured human by the name of Chloe. Fortunately for you, at this point in Earth’s history biomechanics have evolved to the point that artificial humanity is almost considered to be proper homo sapiens. Getting to know the team The rest of the Prometheus squad is a ragtag bunch of odd individuals, all of which slot into pretty stereotypical roles. Julie, a non-combatant member of the team, specializes in the scientific exploration of the Meteroa. Just know that she has scientific tendencies that follow more along the lines of Otto Octavius than Louis Pasteur. On the opposite end of the sanity spectrum is Yamato, who is a young, ambitious pilot, that could also use a heavy dose of maturity. Lastly, Aoba is the tactical head of the team that leads from behind a desk, rather than the deck of a mech. Several other additional characters including AIs, military leaders, and the like, all make appearances throughout the campaign, but none are more crucial than the character of Coco Kokonoe. Coco is a young girl who is suffering from a debilitating condition that causes all of her human functions to slowly break down. Early on in her deployment, Chloe is in charge of caring for Coco, which acts to bond these two characters together. I don’t want to give too much of the story away. However, I will note that though the inclusion of Coco initially feels out of place, over time, she proves to be even more crucial than the likes of Chloe. To understand Altdeus: Beyond Chronos is to be confused. Yes, I realize that sentence makes virtually no sense out of context, but hear me out. Altdeus is a narrative-driven experience that evolves with every decision made. There are countless moments where you hear a piece of dialog or internal self-narration and think to yourself, “what in the bloody hell does that mean?” Most of the time I simply blew off these weird interactions as potential localization quirks and proceeded onwards with the story. Only upon replaying the same scenes again, after completing my first go-round with the campaign, do these seemingly nonsensical ramblings become clear. Many times, these comments will be a moment of self-reflection or character winking down the proverbial lens at the viewer. I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that replaying through scenes plays a pivotal role in the overall exposition. There’s even a story mechanism used to explain these multiple replays, but I don’t want to spoil that aspect of the experience. Just know that if you’re confused, use that as your trigger to pay closer attention. It will pay off in the long run. An infinite loop Each time around the horn there will be new scenes that are added to the storyline. This new content is driven by dialog choice options, as well as successes or failures in the rare battle or puzzle. Along the same lines, new dialog trees are provided upon replay. These additional options can further build out the opportunities to further explore this alternate interpretation of Earth’s future. You should take the opportunity to dig into each character’s back-story because their motivations will certainly keep you guessing. If you’ve been reading between the lines of this review, you may have picked up on the fact that I’ve never used the term “game” or “player” when describing Altdeus: Beyond Chronos. This was very intentionally done because I don’t think this should be considered a game. Essentially, this is a lightly interactive VR experience that allows very limited opportunities to interface with the action. Depending upon the playthrough, you may participate in a couple of different battles, but that isn’t anywhere near as exciting as it sounds. Battle sequences amount to a handful of glorified quick time sequences, where you have to digitally press buttons. Otherwise, you’re just observing the action from the deck of your mech. Seriously. That’s pretty much about it, aside from the exposition dumps that also take place in between the different steps in the battle. Supposedly you’re piloting a mech, yet you have literally no control of the machine whatsoever. So long story made painfully short, you get to participate in fights the same way that the Secretary of Agriculture is a member of the United States cabinet. I mean, sure, they are in “the room where it happens.” But are they crucial to the process? The short answer is: probably not. A vast majority of the experience of Altdeus: Beyond Chronos is spent in conversation. Now, don’t get me wrong. Calling it “conversation” is fairly generous, considering that a majority of the story happens around Chloe as opposed to it happening to her. There are usually a couple of opportunities in each scene to select from a handful of potential dialog options, to progress the story. The problem is, the possibilities that you have to choose from don’t definitively spell what binary decision is being made. There were numerous times where I looked at the available two- to three-word dialog descriptions, attempting to discern which was the actual “right” answer, only to pick completely incorrectly by total accident. While this isn’t a huge deal, considering you get the opportunity to experience each sequence numerous times, it would’ve been nice to get a bit more detail as to what I was selecting. Instead, I was left feeling like control of an already limited experience is being ripped away even further. Watching the show One of my biggest beefs overall was lack of immersion, despite everything existing in a VR space. What had the potential to be genuinely awe-inspiring was instead, rather generic. Across the entire campaign, there are only a handful of different settings, which are reused for scene after scene of exposition dumps. Worse yet, most settings were completely devoid of interactive elements, which defeats the purpose of the medium, entirely. It was honestly more akin to watching a film on a stationary IMAX screen than anything of the virtual reality variety, which ultimately proved to be rather disappointing. Normally, the dialog would progress by pressing the trigger on either of the motion controllers. This would then advance the conversation by a sentence or two, most of which you were barely involved. However, if you pressed and held the trigger, this would then unlock the free-rolling dialog, where you can just sit back and watch, while simultaneously further driving home the fact that this was more an interactive film/novel than an actual game. After all, nothing says “all-consuming VR action” like watching other people talk, am I right? The ceiling for Altdeus: Beyond Chronos was sky-high. However, what could have been an interactive tour de force is instead, a rather repetitive chore of an experience, that completely loses sight of the medium’s strong suits. If you’re a narrative nut, this will certainly scratch the itch, but if you’re going in expecting massive mech battles, plan on being very disappointed. This is an experience where you will get out what you put in, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. System Requirements OS: Windows 10. Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4590. Memory: 8 GB RAM. Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970/AMD Series 400. Storage: 2500 MB available space.

DH2 is better than DH1 , amazing song