_Happy boy

. From a new plea to stop irreversible climate change, to new citizen-science resources focusing on protecting pollinators, here is some quick-read news from across the College. Governments are being urged to stop irreversible climate change by ensuring carbon reductions of 50% by 2030 by a new coalition of emissions research institutions and cryosphere (snow and ice) experts. The international 50:30 group includes scientists from the Grantham Institute – Climate Change & the Environment and a few governments on track for the essential reductions. Although most countries pledged carbon neutrality by 2050, and declared a “planetary emergency”, a report from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change showed virtually none are taking meaningful steps to achieve this. Impacts of higher temperature and CO2 levels will trigger global cryosphere changes irreversible on human timescales, including: sea-level rise; severe polar ocean acidification lasting 50,000 years; loss of glaciers for many centuries; and carbon emissions from melting permafrost lasting up to two centuries. Imperial’s Enterprise Lab have launched their search for the next generation of women entrepreneurs, as part of WE Innovate, the College’s flagship programme for startups led by women. The ten finalists in this year’s competition include a bio-tampon for cancer detection, a device for reading multiple lines of braille and a remote foot-care device to prevent diabetic foot ulcers. In June, the ten finalists will be whittled down to five, who will then battle it out at the competition’s grand final on Friday 25 June for their chance to win a share of the £30,000 prize fund. Find out more about this year’s projects in the WE Innovate virtual pitchbook.

Historically, many users of Microsoft Windows desktop devices have encountered the frustrating issue of letting their device go to sleep and then returning later to find some or all of their apps rearranged. Now, Microsoft seeks to mitigate this annoying glitch. The company has moved to fix this problem once enough users complained of needing to re-arrange their application windows into the correct location on their monitor, which can take away time from productivity. Microsoft has termed this issue as Rapid Hot Plug Detect (Rapid HPD). This detect feature affects DisplayPort multi-monitor setups, leading to undesired desktop arrangements. According to Microsoft, the desktop and laptop devices have this re-arrangement tendency, because they often view deep sleep mode as being unplugged from a power source. Microsoft has announced that users can now help avoid this issue by usinbg the Windows Insider Program in order to access build 21287 and higher. Once you tap into the supported build, this feature will function automatically. Users can see if they are eligible for this help feature by first checking their Windows build number by navigating to the Settings app > System > "About" tab > The build number will be located under "Windows specifications" > "OS build".Apart from a build of 21287 or above, this feature also requires a device to be connected to multiple monitors. For desktops, a minimum of two connected devices are needed and for laptops, at least one external monitor should be present. Luckily, this feature is not limited by monitor cable brand, connector type, hardware specs or manufacturer. Moreover, users can also submit feedback about this feature via the Feedback Hub app by carrying out the following steps: Reproduce the issue at hand, open the Feedback Hub app and select "Report a problem" or "Suggest a feature", make sure to include "Rapid in the summary as well as a description of the problem face to help the Microsoft team resolve the issue, select "Display and Graphics" for Category and then "Multiple Displays" for Subcategory, finish up and Submit. So far, Microsoft plans to make this help feature readily available to all users by October of 2021. Unlike other various workarounds for this bug that have existed for a number of years, the company is rolling out this formal fix with the next Windows 10 update. However, in the meantime, all interested Windows device users can follow the steps above to implement the feature right now.

AMD's next-generation Ryzen 6000 CPUs based on the Zen 3+ core architecture and codenamed, Warhol, have reportedly been canceled. The information comes from multiple leakers & insiders whose latest updates suggest that AMD has cut off Warhol from its desktop roadmap and will now be focusing entirely on its Zen 4 Raphael CPUs. AMD Ryzen 6000 'Warhol' CPUs Based on Zen 3+ 6nm Core Architecture Reportedly Canned, Ryzen 5000 XT Refresh In The Works The AMD Ryzen 6000 lineup, codenamed Warhol, was expected to feature the Zen 3+ architecture based on the 6nm process node. The lineup would have offered similar gains in performance such as the AMD Zen 2+ (Pinnacle Ridge) chips which were branded as the Ryzen 2000 parts however, it looks like AMD has decided to move away from Warhol and focus on Raphael, its next-generation Zen 4 Desktop CPU lineup. AMD's next-generation Ryzen 6000 CPUs based on the Zen 3+ core architecture and codenamed, Warhol, have reportedly been canceled. The information comes from multiple leakers & insiders whose latest updates suggest that AMD has cut off Warhol from its desktop roadmap and will now be focusing entirely on its Zen 4 Raphael CPUs. AMD Ryzen 6000 'Warhol' CPUs Based on Zen 3+ 6nm Core Architecture Reportedly Canned, Ryzen 5000 XT Refresh In The Works The AMD Ryzen 6000 lineup, codenamed Warhol, was expected to feature the Zen 3+ architecture based on the 6nm process node. The lineup would have offered similar gains in performance such as the AMD Zen 2+ (Pinnacle Ridge) chips which were branded as the Ryzen 2000 parts however, it looks like AMD has decided to move away from Warhol and focus on Raphael, its next-generation Zen 4 Desktop CPU lineup.It is likely that given the current CPU shortages and TSMC's inability to keep up with 7nm demand, AMD decided to skip Warhol CPUs and now focus its efforts on the next-generation AM5 platform featuring the Zen 4 based 5nm Raphael Ryzen CPUs. As mentioned above, there would still be an intermediary refresh for the AM4 platform as several manufacturers are readying X570S boards based on the AM4 socket and X570 chipset. These boards are expected to be announced later in May. Following is a video from Moore's Law is Dead & RedGamingTech which pretty much says the same thing:As for the refreshed Ryzen CPUs, AMD will be boosting the clock speeds & optimizing them but we shouldn't expect to see any IPC uplifts considering they will be based on the same Zen 3 cores and not the updated Zen 3+ cores. This is all just a rumour for now and there's a chance that Warhol may still exist since the previous Ryzen 3000 Refresh was announced and leaked just days before launch. We will see if that's the case.

Microsoft announced on Thursday that it's giving developers a bigger cut of the revenue on PC, increasing their share of game sales from 70% to 88%. That means Microsoft's cut of sales on the Windows Xbox app and Microsoft store is now 12%, matching the Epic Games Store. It's a great change for PC developers, who can now keep more money from their sales on the Xbox app or Epic Games Store than they do on Steam. But Microsoft's change creates a weird disparity between its PC and console ecosystems, with "Play Anywhere" games now playing by two sets of rules. For consumers, there's no difference between buying a Play Anywhere game on PC or Xbox, but publishers now receive a different cut of the revenue depending on where you click the buy button, Microsoft confirmed to PC Gamer. Some background: Back in 2016, when Microsoft was just starting to focus on PC gaming again in a big way, it introduced the Play Anywhere program, which lets you buy a game once and play it on both PC and console. Save files, DLC, and Achievements carry over. Play Anywhere was a nice perk for Xbox owners, but came with one big drawback on PC: using the Microsoft Store. Most players would prefer to buy third-party Play Anywhere games, like Resident Evil 7, on Steam instead—Microsoft's infamous UWP framework caused a lot of problems for games. For those who do like switching between playing on an Xbox and PC with Play Anywhere games, nothing has changed. For developers, though, the situation is now a little more complicated. "Purchases of Xbox Play Anywhere games made on PC storefronts will be subject to the 88/12 revenue share for PC games. Purchases of Xbox Play Anywhere games made on console will be subject to the applicable console revenue share rate," Microsoft said in a statement. So if you buy a Play Anywhere game like Yakuza: Like a Dragon on PC, Sega will get to keep 88% of the sale. If you buy it on Xbox, they get to keep… how much? Microsoft didn't say explicitly, but we know that Microsoft has always taken a 30% cut of sales, as do most other digital stores like Apple's App Store (for devs that make over $1 million a year) and Sony's PlayStation Network. Maybe Microsoft has deals with certain publishers for a smaller revenue share, but it's a safe bet that 30% is the norm. There are currently only 171 games in the Play Anywhere program according to Microsoft's website, and many of those are published by Microsoft, meaning the revenue split is irrelevant for them. But it does matter for quite a few indie games like The Darkside Detective, which was added just this month. $9.09 (70%) vs. $11.43 (88%) is only a couple dollars, but that adds up. If I were an indie developer who's part of the Play Anywhere program, I'd probably encourage fans to buy my game using a PC, even though it ultimately makes no difference to the player. It seems inevitable for things like Play Anywhere to occasionally create weird conflicts, especially at a company as big as Microsoft. As much as Microsoft has tried to make "Xbox" a brand name that applies to both consoles and PCs, there are still little discrepancies that remind us the two still operate independently. Until just this month, Xbox console players had to pay for Xbox Live Gold to play free-to-play games like Fortnite; Gold isn't required for playing any online games on PC. Xbox Game Pass is available on both console and PC, but with a different selection of games. If Microsoft wants to have one ecosystem, it doesn't really make sense to have a different revenue split across devices that are actually selling the exact same games, and maybe a future policy change will pave over this oddity. For now, at least it means developers will sometimes be getting a bigger cut.

KANAB, Utah (ABC4) – Just a short drive away from some of Southern Utah’s most awe-inspiring national parks and natural wonders rests a plot of land equally as magical for many visitors and those who call it home. Funny enough, most of the residents there are furry and walk on four legs. Situated on a massive, 4,000-acre property at the bottom of the Beehive State, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary houses and cares for over 1,500 animals, including dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, horses, and pigs. The sanctuary is operated by the Best Friends Animal Society, which was founded by a group of animal-loving friends back in 1984. Foster families sought after nearly 100 animals arrive in Best Friends Animal Society transports According to the society’s website, the group of pals, made of up of 31 friends from all over the globe, bought the land with the dream of creating a safe place for displaced animals, providing a solution to the mass animal euthanasia that was raging across the country at the time. Since the sanctuary’s early days, which included straightening used nails by hand to build the makeshift shelters, the center has developed a reputation as one of the leading animal care facilities in the country, if not the world. National Geographic has done feature stories on the sanctuary, which drew fame for rehabilitating 22 pit bulls rescued from former NFL player Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring a few years ago. Faith Maloney, one of the founders of the sanctuary, tells ABC4 that the Best Friends Animal Society’s goal of creating a “no-kill” world for animals has come a long way since the 70s and 80s. “Back then, it was terrible for animals, and we think that’s really why we started this, we became aware of how many animals were dying in our national shelters back then,” Maloney explains. “The figure that was quoted back then was that 17 million dogs and cats were losing their lives every year in the nation shelters, which is, like, unbelievable.” Spanish Fork animal shelter needs supplies for evacuated animals Back in those days, shelters didn’t just put down animals for health reasons — which Maloney says can be a humane solution — but also for space. If there wasn’t enough room for an animal, it was often killed by the shelter. With the goal in mind to provide a space with plenty of room for animals, the sanctuary was founded. Holding 4,000 acres of Southern Utah land, and using just 350 for the sanctuary itself, there is no shortage of space at Best Friends. And thanks to the efforts of groups like Best Friends, many states across the country are almost completely free of killing shelters, according to Maloney. While the sanctuary can be a great place for animals of all ages to live, and hopefully be adopted at some point, Best Friends has also become a source of tranquility for the many volunteers who come to visit from across the country. “What we see with the volunteers, particularly people who are coming out of high-pressure jobs in a city or an urban area, they really let go when they come here because it’s fresh air, everywhere you look, is fantastic, is awesome,” Maloney says. How to help endangered animals The sanctuary provides some accommodations for visitors, which Maloney says are sometimes booked a year or so in advance. While staying at the property, the volunteers can enjoy cleaning the animal’s quarters, feeding them, walking them around the area, and even having a cuddly sleepover with a new furry friend. A lot of times, volunteers go home with a new member of the family in tow. Can the sanctuary be as therapeutic for humans as it is for animals? Maloney says absolutely.

In the first months of 2021, what was good for the auto industry was decidedly good for the American economy. Spending on motor vehicles and parts rose almost 13 percent in the first quarter, making a big contribution to the increase in gross domestic product, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Strong sales of new and used vehicles were propelled by consumers who had delayed purchases earlier in the pandemic and by others who — because of the virus — wanted to rely less on public transit or shared transportation services like Uber. Two rounds of stimulus payments since late December were a big factor. Low interest rates, readily available credit, rising home values and stock prices, and strong trade-in values for used models also eased the path for consumers. In fact, demand in the first quarter was robust enough that the auto industry was able to post healthy results despite a shortage of computer chips that forced temporary shutdowns of many auto plants.The number of new cars and light trucks sold increased 11 percent from the comparable period a year earlier, to 3.9 million, according to the auto-sales data provider Edmunds.com. On Wednesday, Ford Motor reported it made a $3.3 billion profit in the quarter, its highest total since 2011. While it produced 200,000 fewer vehicles in the quarter than it had planned, the average selling price of Ford models rose to $47,858, 8 percent higher than in the first quarter a year ago, Edmunds reported. The combination of strong consumer demand and tight inventories — partly a result of the chip shortage — has produced something of a dream scenario for auto retailers. At AutoNation, the country’s largest chain of dealerships, many vehicles are being sold near or at sticker price even before they arrive from the factory. “I’ve never seen so much preselling of shipments,” said Mike Jackson, the chief executive. “These vehicles are coming in and going right out.” In the first quarter, AutoNation’s revenue jumped 27 percent, to $5.9 billion, and the company reported $239 million in profit. That was a turnaround from a loss a year ago, when the pandemic crimped sales and forced AutoNation to close stores. Editors’ Picks ‘Citizen Kane’ Is No ‘Paddington 2,’ Says Rotten Tomatoes After Covid Upended a Dying Woman’s Rome Dream, Her Twin Stepped In She Turned Her Audacious Lens on Herself, and Shaped the Future

An analysis of data from the Australian InFANT program suggests early lifestyle patterns or parental influences can help to predict obesity or BMI trajectory in early life. Miaobing Zheng, PhD, Deakin University Miaobing Zheng, PhD Using multi-trajectory modeling, researchers are providing new insight into the impact of lifestyle patterns and early life influences have on BMI and the overall health of children. Conducted by a team from Deakin University and other Australian institutions, results of the study indicate lifestyle patterns in early life, such as maternal dietary patterns and television viewing time, had a major influence on obesity scores in early life. "The findings will inform early childhood obesity prevention intervention and policy, and will be of great interest to pediatricians, researchers, policymakers and the general public," said Miaobing Zheng, PhD, study investigator and research fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University, in a statement. With the obesity epidemic’s growth expected to continue booming in the US and abroad, opportunities for early intervention represent could help attenuate the societal burden of the ongoing crisis. To develop a greater understanding of how early lifestyle patterns impact BMI z score trajectory, investigators designed their study as an assessment of data from children within the Melbourne Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) program, which included a longitudinal cohort of children followed for 15 months as part of parent-focused cluster RCT. The InFANT program was created with the goal of reducing obesity risk behaviors in children until 18 months of age. The program also included multiple additional follow-ups without interventions for children aged 42-60 months. Using data from these patients, investigators hope to use multi-trajectory modeling Investigators identified 3 unique trajectory groups based on lifestyle patterns and BMI z scores defined as: Unhealthy lifestyle patterns and low BMI z, healthy lifestyle pattern and mid BMI z, and unhealthy lifestyle and high BMI z. Overall, 439 patients from the program reached the 60-month follow-up. Among these children 30% had unhealthy lifestyle patterns and a low BMII z, 53% had healthy lifestyle patterns and mid BMI z, and 17% had unhealthy lifestyle patterns and high BMI z. Upon analysis, investigators found child birth weight (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.28- 2.79) and maternal “fruit and vegetables” dietary pattern score (OR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.01- 1.47) were associated with higher odds of placement into the healthy lifestyle pattern and mid BMI z group compared to the unhealthy lifestyle patterns and low BMI z group. Additionally, child birth weight maternal prepregnancy BMI, and higher maternal television-viewing time were associated with greater odds of placement into the unhealthy lifestyle pattern and high BMI z group. Investigators pointed out sex, breastfeeding duration, maternal country of birth, maternal “cereal and sweet foods” and “high-energy snack and processed foods” dietary pattern scores, and maternal physical activity were not associated with placement into any specific trajectory group. Further analysis into duration of breastfeeding investigators pointed out no associations were observed related to breastfeeding duration and the trajectory groups. “There is no doubt that children copy the behaviors observed in the presence of parents: healthy and unhealthy," said Liliana Aguayo, PhD, MPH, The Obesity Society member and research assistant professor from the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University, in the aforementioned statement. Of note, Aguayo was not associated with this study. "Evidence from this study highlights the importance of early childhood as a critical period for development of obesity. More research is needed to identify effective approaches to simultaneously address parent and child health behaviors."

High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell told MEPs that Brussels won't accept further intimidation by Moscow. His remarks come on the heels of Russia's decision to expel diplomats from Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia after those countries expelled Russian diplomats in solidarity with Prague. Romania also announced plans to expel a Russian diplomat. At a Wednesday debate, MEPs proposed that coordinated steps be taken by the EU as a whole. A draft resolution to impose further sanctions on Russia, will be put to a vote on Thursday, has enough support to pass. Prague has accused Moscow of being behind a 2014 explosion at one of their ammunition depots, adding to the long list of tensions between the European bloc and Russia which include the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the recent Russian war games near the border with Ukraine. ČTK Czech Republic will donate 500 oxygen tanks to help Covid-hit India The Czech Republic has approved the donation of 500 oxygen tanks to India which is facing a surge in numbers of new Covid cases. The donation, along with Austrian aid, should arrive in India early next week, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš tweeted Wednesday. Last week, the Czech PM discussed the serious situation in India with Czech Ambassador to India Milan Hovorka and his counterpart in the Czech Republic Hemant Kotalwar. Czech firefighters will buy the oxygen tanks and transport them to Vienna. Earlier this week India reported the record high numbers of 3,293 COVID related deaths and more than 360,000 newly infected. Overall, the novel coronavirus claimed over 200,000 lives. ČTK EU Parliament designates a new space agency in Prague The EP approved on Wednesday the launch of the new European space program as an umbrella program for the all of the EU's current space activities that, among others, widens the operation and enhances the tasks of the Prague-seated GSA space agency. The Prague-seated agency's enhanced tasks will require an increase in its staff, from the current 200 to up to three times as many. "With this agency, the Czech Republic is reaching the top of space technologies, which would be coordinated from there," said Czech MEP Evžen Tošenovský. The change, which EP representatives and EU member states preliminarily agreed last year, still requires formal confirmation by the Council of the EU. ČTK Based on data from the Czech Film Commission, film projects in 2021 in the Czech Republic will reach pre-pandemic levels. Due to robust film incentives, 2019 was record-breaking year for the Czech film industry, with CZK 9 billion (EUR 347 million / USD 420 million) in foreign investment flowing into the country. Large projects for Amazon, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, ZDF, and Sky are underway including the continuation of two of the largest projects ever shot in the Czech Republic to date: "Carnival Row" and "The Wheel of Time". Over half a dozen additional projects are currently in production including the Netflix feature film "Spaceman" an adaptation of the novel by Czech writer Jaromir Kalfar, and CIA thriller "The Gray Man," with Ryan Gosling. Czech-led team discovers new frog genus in Congo DR A team led by Czech scientist Vaclav Gvozdik has discovered a new genus of Hyperoliids, a large family of sedge and bush frogs, in the rainforest of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Czech Academy of Sciences, of which Gvozdik is a member, said Wednesday. Named "Congolius" the frogs are an example of convergent evolution and live only in central Congo, south of the Congo River, the research showed. Gvozdik previously made several breakthrough discoveries in Africa, such as a forgotten crocodile species in Congo and two new species of critically endangered frogs in Cameroon. ČTK

Microsoft Corp. may revise a program that shares coding flaws in its products with other companies after a suspected leak led to a sprawling cyber-attack against thousands of Microsoft Exchange email clients globally. The technology giant is weighing how and when to share data with at least some of the 81 participants in the Microsoft Active Protections Program, according to six people familiar with it including existing members who sought anonymity citing a Microsoft non-disclosure agreement. The others requested anonymity because they aren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly. MAPP grants some customers information about vulnerabilities in Microsoft's products and services days or weeks ahead of public disclosure. It is widely regarded by participants as a critical data-sharing tool to defend against potential attacks. However, Microsoft fears MAPP participants may have tipped off hackers after the company shared a critical vulnerability with its top tier of members around Feb. 18, according to four people familiar with Microsoft's investigation into the cause of the attack. Microsoft publicly released software updates to patch the problem on March 2. The company's inquiry has focused on at least two Chinese companies as possible sources of the leak, according to the people familiar with the probe. Four MAPP participants told Bloomberg News they'd recently disclosed detailed logs of network activity to Microsoft since the Exchange attack. In some cases, companies volunteered the data unprompted, while in others Microsoft requested additional data. The companies asked to remain anonymous, citing their non-disclosure agreement with Microsoft. Microsoft's vulnerability disclosure in late February was followed by one of the most efficient, wide-ranging cyber-attacks in history. Microsoft has blamed state-sponsored Chinese hackers, dubbed Hafnium, for the attack which compromised more than 60,000 government, corporate and private email systems around the world, much of which occurred over the last weekend in February. Microsoft declined to comment on potential changes to MAPP, nor would the company discuss its MAPP disclosures in February or possible leaks by participants. The company said it remained committed to the program and its wide-ranging list of members from the U.S., Israel, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, India and parts of Europe We believe there are many benefits to mutual information sharing with the security community to help protect our mutual customers against attacks," the company said in a statement. "We continue to evaluate how to best balance the benefits of this sharing with the risk of early disclosures." In response to queries from Bloomberg News, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "China resolutely opposes any form of online attacks or infiltration. This is our clear and consistent stance. Relevant Chinese laws on data collection and handling clearly safeguards data security and strongly oppose cyber-attacks and other criminal activity." China has proposed a global security standard which it says is "for the benefit of international digital governance" and urged others to work with it to safeguard global data security. "We hope the media adopts a professional and responsible attitude, relying on comprehensive evidence when determining the nature of cyberspace events, but not groundless speculation," according to the ministry's statement. Until MAPP was created, both criminal hackers and computer researchers would wait for Microsoft to disclose patches on the second Tuesday of every month, known as "Patch Tuesday." The two camps would then race to reverse engineer the patches in hopes of identifying the root vulnerability, which attackers could then exploit and defenders would attempt to protect against, according to Microsoft. Patch Tuesday still exists. MAPP was started in 2008 to give some of Microsoft's biggest customers a head start against the criminals. At least 13 Chinese companies have participated. Two of them have been removed. Hangzhou DPtech Technologies Co. was kicked out in 2012 for breaching its non-disclosure agreement, according to Microsoft. A cybersecurity researcher found that Hangzhou had leaked evidence of a critical vulnerability in a Microsoft product to Chinese hackers. Last year, Qihoo 360 Technology Co. was removed after being the target of U.S. imposed export controls due to national security concerns, according to three people familiar with the matter. A year earlier, Microsoft named Qihoo 360, Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Palo Alto Networks Inc. as the top contributors to MAPP. Hangzhou DPTech didn't respond to questions about their removal from MAPP. Qihoo declined to comment. MAPP is organized into three tiers: entry-level, advance notification and validation. Members of the validation group—mostly virus-detection firms—are invited to receive vulnerabilities sometimes weeks ahead of public disclosure. Some of the details shared with MAPP participants are subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Microsoft may elect to re-shuffle members of the top tier, according to three people familiar with options being considered by the company. The Microsoft Security Response Center, which runs MAPP, may also simply reassess how much critical intelligence they share with companies considered close to certain nations, including China, according to the people. Microsoft could also embed a unique test in pieces of its code, known as a watermark, that serve as sort of digital bread crumbs in the event of a leak. It's unclear if watermarks were used in the data distributed to MAPP participants in February, but Microsoft has previously used them and could reintroduce them in the future, according to one of the people. Microsoft requires MAPP participants to share data and vulnerabilities the same way it discloses the bugs in its products. Multiple MAPP participants told Bloomberg News that Microsoft's requests for information have surged in recent years but especially in the months since the Exchange and SolarWinds cyber-attacks. In the latter instance, which was publicly disclosed in December, Russian hackers infiltrated at least nine U.S. agencies and 100-private-sector companies after installing malicious code in software updates for Texas-based SolarWinds Corp. But there are risks for Microsoft. Many of the companies on the MAPP list are presumed to have at least informal ties with the state security apparatus in their country of domicile, meaning Microsoft's vulnerability disclosures may be shared with governments with some frequency, said one former MAPP member who asked not to be identified because of an NDA. Microsoft is unlikely to remove any Chinese participants despite the possible Exchange leak, according to two people familiar with the MAPP review. But the company could limit how much data it shares with members in China, the people said. A Chinese cybersecurity law requires corporations to provide access to their technology and assist with investigations involving crime and national security. If Microsoft were to eliminate MAPP participants in countries not politically aligned with the U.S., the company would handcuff part of its own intelligence operation. "While there are risks in partnering with Iranian, North Korean, Russian or Chinese companies, Microsoft also uses the program to its advantage," said Chester Wisniewski, a principal research scientist at the cybersecurity firm Sophos. Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said in January 2020 that the company generates about 2% of its global sales from China, or about $2.86 billion that year. The potential to enhance that revenue could motivate the company's disclosure policies, said Robert Potter, chief executive officer of Internet 2.0, a cybersecurity firm which advises the U.S. and Australian governments. "Like all large companies Microsoft has to balance maintaining market access inside of China and security considerations," Potter said. "Over time, this balance is getting harder to maintain and this introduces risks to other customers. The pressure is making that decision more binary.

Following up on the launch of the Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Toxic Extreme Edition, Sapphire has just announced the NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Special Edition. The NITRO+ Special Edition combines the incredible performance of the 6900 XT with a unique aesthetic. The Sapphire NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Special Edition Comes Factory Overclocked With A 2365 MHz Boost Clock The Sapphire NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Special Edition comes equipped with a factory overclock with a boost clock of 2365 MHz as well as a game clock of 2135 MHz. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT boasts 5120 stream processors alongside 80 compute units and 80 ray accelerators. On top of that, it comes equipped with 16GB of GDDR6 memory with 128MB of Infinity Cache. To boost your frames in games, it takes advantage of Sapphire's TriXX boost which reduces the render resolution and upscales the final output image with Radeon Image Sharpening. The card design combines aesthetics with performance. The shroud features a triple fan design that uses high-quality dual-ball bearing fans. The fan curves are customized using Intelligent Fan Control and Precision Fan Control. Alongside the cooling, the card also features dual BIOS changed through the TriXX software BIOS switch which switches the Sapphire NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Special Edition from performance mode to silent mode. On top of the cooling power the fans bring, they also feature ARGB lighting. Even the backplate features ARGB lighting. The NITRO+ logo and the eye-catching NITRO+ emblem are both illuminated by the ARGB LEDs. The side profile of the card also features ARGB illumination. All of the lighting is controlled through using the TriXX software, but can also sync up with the motherboard via a 3-pin header in the tail of the card. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Special Edition is currently available at select retailers. There are two versions of the new Special Edition card with different output configurations. The first configuration features 1 x HDMI and 3 DisplayPorts and the second configuration features 1 x HDMI, 2 x DisplayPorts, and 1 x USB-C.

Players rejoiced two weeks ago when developer Raven Software announced that Call of Duty: Warzone's despised Roze skin would finally be addressed in the next patch. For months, the po[CENSORED]rity of Roze's Rook skin has been a major source of frustration as Roze players have exploited the outfit's all-black appearance to disappear against dark backdrops and shadowy corners in Verdansk. With the skin on, it's very easy to blend into the interior of buildings, and unfortunately, that hasn't really changed since Season 3 began. I had hoped that changes to Roze meant some sort of alteration to her uniform or its color, but it turns out Raven didn't have anything that drastic in mind. "We’ve adjusted Roze in order to improve the Operators readability/visibility where sources of light are available," reads last week's Season 3 patch notes. My first impression was that Roze's visibility is only really a problem in dark areas, so increasing her visibility in the light doesn't really tackle the problem. Post-patch, the Rook outfit is as dark as ever. That's more or less the conclusion Warzone analyst TheXclusiveAce came to in his recent breakdown of Roze's post-nerf visibility. The changes employed since the start of Season 3 seem to have less to do with the Roze skin itself and more to do with the new map, Verdansk '84. The '80s remix map is generally brighter and I've definitely noticed that building interiors are more brightly lit. This naturally means that Roze players will find fewer opportunities to shroud themselves in darkness, but there are still plenty of common areas where she's still a major pain. Ace did cite some minor improvements in situations where Roze would've previously been near-impossible to see. Seeing her is now less impossible, though I'd argue she's far from a reasonable state. The larger issue at play here is Warzone's global lighting. Even after the big rewind that melted Verdansk's icy river and let the sun shine a bit brighter, Warzone is still a dark-ass game. Any operator with dark clothing can find success hiding in dark corners—the Rook skin only represents the worst example of a larger issue. It'd take a more holistic change to Warzone's look to forever nerf dark outfits. Darkness is the enemy of readability in competitive shooters. Ubisoft learned this when it brightened Rainbow Six Siege's global lighting in 2017. I still think the game looked better before the change, but the improvements to readability were way worth it. I think I'd accept the same tradeoff in Warzone, especially if it means this can't happen to me ever again. Morgan is an FPS specialist and one of PC Gamer's resident young people. He would love to spend more time playing weird stealth games and immersive sims, but he's still waiting for Warzone shaders to install.Morgan is an FPS specialist and one of PC Gamer's resident young people. He would love to spend more time playing weird stealth games and immersive sims, but he's still waiting for Warzone shaders to install.

VANCOUVER – Area residents are invited to participate in the annual Walk/Run for the Animals’ 30th anniversary celebration, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW) is staging a socially distanced event through downtown Vancouver. HSSW’s annual fundraising event provides shelter animals with food, medical care, socialization skills and playtime while they wait for their new homes. Photo courtesy of Humane Society for Southwest Washington The dog- and kid-friendly walking route will have fun stops with available food, giveaways and entertainment. Runners can run a 5K wherever they choose the week leading up to May 1 and submit their time online. HSSW’s annual fundraising event provides shelter animals with food, medical care, socialization skills and playtime while they wait for their new homes. Taking the Lead This year’s Walk/Run for the Animals’ co-chairs are Cyndi Holloway and Jason Fish. Holloway is the governmental and community affairs director for Waste Connections, and this marks her second year serving as the Walk/Run for the Animals’ co-chair. Co-chairs and committee members connect their networks to the event and support it financially. “I’m committed to HSSW and the event because Waste Connections has been an annual sponsor for numerous consecutive years,” Holloway says. “Being part of the Walk/Run has brought so much happiness – not just to Waste Connections’ employees – but also to my personal family. This event involves all ages of our community while bringing awareness of the services HSSW provides.” Fifteen HSSW sponsors and supporters teamed up to create seven interactive stops on the downtown walk route. Each stop highlights services and shows appreciation for Walk/Run registered participants and fundraisers. Photo courtesy of Humane Society for Southwest Washington Co-chair Jason Fish co-owns Main Event Sports Grill, 3 Sheets at the Harbor and The Piehole. Fish joined HSSW’s Board of Directors in 2018 and served as co-chair for Walk/Run for the past four years. His company, Main Event Sports Grill, has been a Walk/Run sponsor for many years and its downtown Vancouver location will be a route stop during the event. “I’ve adopted several dogs from HSSW, and the work the organization does is important to our entire region,” notes Fish. “Staying involved and having our company be an event sponsor is a way to thank the people for being out there and supporting the animals,” Fish says. Walk/Run for the Animals Event Day, May 1 Fifteen HSSW sponsors and supporters teamed up to create seven interactive stops on the downtown walk route. Each stop highlights services and shows appreciation for Walk/Run registered participants and fundraisers. Some sponsor stops offer participants complimentary treats like ice cream, root beer and burritos. There will also be free dog biscuits and goodie bags for dogs. Giveaway raffles range from fitness training sessions to pet-specific gift baskets. Entertainment includes a photobooth, spin-the-wheel for prizes, and balloon animals by Joe the Balloon Man. Participants can do their walk anytime between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and visit as many stops as they like. Masks are required for all participants. In addition, participants must be distanced 6 feet apart from other participants outside of their group and wait their turn to visit the business or booth. Runners complete their 5K run wherever they choose through May 1 and submit their time online to see their ranking. All registered walkers and runners will receive an event bag as well as a custom 30-year anniversary commemorative medal! Join the fun and make a difference in the lives of dogs and cats.

Despite hundreds of thousands of lost units of production from a global semiconductor shortage, U.S. auto retail sales are expected to reach record highs for April, but only time will tell when depressed inventories will disrupt those volumes. The forecast is the latest from market research firms J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. The report says the continuing demand has lessened the need for incentives and increased transaction prices and profits, demonstrating consumers' willingness to pay more and to buy pricier vehicles. The April forecast represents a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 18.1 million U.S. sales — more than the peak 17.5 million vehicles sold in 2016. With the sales pace exceeding the rate at which vehicles are being produced, compounded by significant production disruption due to the microchip shortages, there is a growing risk to the industry's ability to sustain the current sales pace in the coming months," Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power, said in a statement. Relief isn't expected until the second half of the year. Stellantis NV on Wednesday said it is extending downtime at three North American plants due to the global semiconductor shortage. Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois making Jeep Cherokee SUVs, Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario making Chrysler minivans and Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico making Jeep Compass SUVs will be down through the first week of May. Stellantis continues to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry," spokeswoman Kaileen Connelly said in a statement. As of Monday, the automaker had lost an estimated nearly 158,000 vehicles across eight plants in North America, according to AutoForecast Solutions LLC. Windsor has lost nearly 33,000 vehicles, Belvidere has lost more than 25,000 and Toluca has lost more than 42,000. Meanwhile, production of the Ram 1500 Classic pickup truck remains down at Warren Truck Assembly Plant through the end of May and crews have been cut at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant, which builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs, into June. General Motors Co. this week did say it will resume production at Lansing Grand River Assembly on Monday after the plant that makes the Cadillac CT4 and Cadillac CT5 luxury cars and Chevrolet Camaro sports car began idling on March 15. It lost more than 11,000 produced vehicles, according to AutoForecast Solutions. GM is down more than 197,000 vehicles in total in North America. Ford Motor Co. has lost more than 229,000 vehicles.

Patients with low socioeconomic status and unhealthy lifestyles had elevated risk for mortality and incident CVD, researchers reported. “Studies found that individual lifestyle factors might mediate the associations between single socioeconomic factors and health; however, the results are not consistent, and to what extent lifestyle factors mediate the associations of overall socioeconomic status with mortality and incident CVD remains unclear,” Yan-Bo Zhang, PhD student in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, and colleagues wrote. The researchers analyzed 44,462 U.S. adults aged 20 years or older and 399,537 U.K. adults aged 37 to 73 years. Mean follow-up was 11 years. Participants with low socioeconomic status (SES) had higher risks for mortality and CVD, whereas overall lifestyle accounted for 3% to 12.3% of the excess risks. According to the researchers, among adults of low SES, the age-adjusted risk for death was 22.5 per 1,000 person-years (95% CI, 21.7-23.3) in the U.S. cohort and 7.4 per 1,000 person-years (95% CI, 7.3-7.6) in the U.K. cohort. The researchers found that compared with adults of high SES, those of low SES had elevated risk for all-cause mortality (HR in U.S. cohort = 2.13; 95% CI, 1.9-2.38; HR in U.K. cohort = 1.96; 95% CI, 1.87-2.06), CVD mortality (HR in U.K. cohort = 2.25; 95% CI, 2-2.53) and incident CVD (HR in U.K. cohort = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.52-1.79). According to the researchers, adults with low SES and no or one healthy lifestyle factors had elevated risk for poor outcomes compared with adults with high SES (HR for all-cause mortality in U.S. cohort = 3.53; 95% CI, 3.01-4.14; HR for all-cause mortality in U.K. cohort = 2.65; 95% CI, 2.39-2.94 ; HR for CVD mortality in U.K. cohort = 2.65; 95% CI, 2.09-3.38; HR for incident CVD in U.K. cohort = 2.09; 95% CI, 1.78-2.46). The researchers also found that each additional healthy lifestyle factor was associated with 11% to 17% lower risks for mortality and incident CVD. “Individuals with disadvantaged SES and unhealthy lifestyles had the highest risks of mortality and incident CVD, which highlights the importance of lifestyle modification in reducing disease burden for all people, especially those of low SES,” the researchers wrote.

An Ottawa paramedic with Ornge air ambulance says the unprecedented demand to transfer patients with COVID-19 to different hospitals is creating "overwhelming" working conditions for staff. "There [are] days where you're in a small room in a corner and you're crying because it got really real or it got close to home," Natalie Lavergne, a paramedic with Ornge, a non-profit organization providing land and air ambulance service in Ontario. "There's other days where someone you thought was never going to pull through pulls through," she said on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Tuesday. As of Tuesday, 875 people with COVID-19-related illnesses were being treated in Ontario's ICUs, with 589 of those requiring a ventilator. Most patients are being transferred from the Greater Toronto Area to hospitals with ICU capacity, including hospitals in Ottawa. Last Thursday, Ornge transferred an unprecedented 80 patients between Ontario hospitals One of the hardest parts of the job, however, has been removing people from their support network, away from their friends, families and communities without consent, Lavergne said. Ontario's health agency issued an emergency order allowing such transfers in early April. "They haven't had the time … to really spend time with their loved one," she said. "As we're loading ambulances to leave, we're finding family members lined up on the sidewalk, shouting goodbyes and taking photos — trying to catch a glimpse of their mom or their dad." It's one more challenge families face, something Lavergne tries not to think about, fearing it will crush her. Ornge's helicopters have been flying more in recent weeks, she said, travelling longer distances between hospitals. "As you can imagine, the long transport times, more than three or four hours, we start to run into considerable logistics issues with patients that are so sick, so unstable and require such high amounts of oxygen." She said people in the medical world try to keep hope alive, letting other health-care workers know that the person they treated weeks ago is now recovering. "I am not sure how everyone seems to keep finding staff and vehicles and time, but every day they ask for more and every day we manage, so far, to be able to accommodate," she said.

Lauded for years as the system able to best prevent malware infection, macOS recently fell victim to an operating system vulnerability that hackers used to circumvent all of Apple's system defenses. Security researcher Cedric Owens discovered this bug in March 2021 while assessing Apple's Gatekeeper mechanism, a safeguard that will only allow developers to run their software on Macs after registering with Apple and paying a fee. Moreover, the company requires that all applications undergo an automated vetting process to further protect against malicious software. Unfortunately, Owens uncovered a logic flaw in the macOS itself, rather than the defense systems. The bug allowed attackers to develop malware able to deceive the operating system into running their malware regardless of whether they passed Apple's safety checks. Indeed, this flaw resembles a door that has been securely locked and bolted but still has a small pet door at the bottom through which you can break in or insert a bomb. Owens found that the bug worked by exploiting Apple's assumption regarding all applications allegedly including a standard metadata file called "info.plist." He soon realized he could easily craft malware that ran as a simple script, thus avoiding the multiple layers that trigger Apple's Gatekeeper and enabling evil software to fly under the radar. In fact, he discovered that this evil code could run so stealthily that macOS wouldn't even prompt the user for permission to download the app from the Internet. Further analysis showed that macOS does run a check to see whether the new application is notarized. However, if the system finds that the software bundle doesn't include an "info.plist" file, the software passes the checkpoint. Once the researchers had confirmed the bug with Apple, they learned that the Apple-focused device management firm Jamf had, in fact, detected script-based malware that fit the criteria of this threat, soon finding that a version of Shlayer adware had already actively exploited the vulnerability. With the introduction of Gatekeeper in February 2020, cybercriminals have faced a significant obstacle due to the massive decrease in at-risk users, thanks to Apple's enhanced defenses. However, groups like the attackers who developed Shlayer have had some luck tricking Apple into notarizing their malware. Using this method, hackers don't even have to worry about macOS notifying users of a new application in the first place. In response, Apple has patched the bug in the macOS Big Sur 11.3 version. Additionally, the company has upgraded its XProtect system monitoring tool to identify and notify users regarding any software potentially trying to exploit this flaw.

If you are like most people, you probably don't have a graphics card and haven't been able to purchase one. The Newegg Shuffle is currently your best option in order to get the graphics card you want. Today, Newegg is offering both NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series and AMD Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards. Today's Selection Of Graphics Cards In The Newegg Shuffle Includes Both NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Cards & AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series Cards The Newegg Shuffle is where customers can get a chance at purchasing products that are otherwise hard to find in the existing market. GPUs being one of them, Newegg is listing several custom-designed NVIDIA GeForce RTX for today's shuffle. The Newegg Shuffle occurs almost every single weekday from 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM EST to 12:00 PM PT/3:00 PM EST. If you're lucky, you will be notified if you were selected in the drawing before 9:00 PM PT/11:00 PM EST and you'll have 2 hours to check out. If you weren't selected, you'll still be notified and you can try again the next day. Newegg Shuffle (April 28th, 2021) - Selection Time Ends at 12 PM (Pacific) Following is the list of graphics cards that are available to select: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 VISION OC - $499.99 US GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 3060 ELITE - $519.99 US ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ultimate KO - $519.99 US GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 3060 Ti MASTER - $639.99 US GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GAMING OC PRO - $649.99 US GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE OC - $729.99 US GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 VISION OC - $779.99 US ASUS EKWB GeForce RTX 3070 - $819.99 US ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon RX 6700 XT OC Edition - $829.99 US GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3080 VISION OC - $1,099.99 US GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 XTREME WATERFORCE WB - $1,229.99 US GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 XTREME WATERFORCE - $1,229.99 US ASRock Radeon RX 6800 XT Taichi - $1,299.99 US ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT PHANTOM GAMING - $1,719.99 US As of the time of writing, you still have 1 hour and 45 minutes left to enter the Newegg Shuffle. If you are looking to buy a graphics card, trying your luck with the Newegg Shuffle is a good option. If you don't win, here is a guide on how to purchase the graphics card you want.

Lost Soul Aside, a fantastic-looking action RPG from Chinese studio UltiZeroGames, has resurfaced with 18 minutes of new gameplay. If you hadn't heard of this game before don't worry, because neither had I—which is nuts because this game looks right up my alley. Lost Soul Aside was originally announced back in 2016, as a one-man project from Chinese developer Yang Bing. According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, the project now has a team of around thirty people thanks to Sony's China Hero Project program. These eighteen minutes are the first real look anyone has really had at the game, with development being very quiet in the five years since the announcement. It looks pretty nuts though, reminiscent of Final Fantasy 15's outrageously stylish combat. It looks like protagonist Kazer can wield a variety of different weapons, which are all different forms taken on by his crystal dragon-headed companion. The dragon can also transform into a pair of wings, giant arms, and a rad skateboard—yes, really. It all looks very stylish and fast-paced, and something I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the future. As an added bonus, the composer for Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5 is also heading up the soundtrack for Lost Soul Aside. Cody Matthew Johnson made the announcement on Twitter, saying "the development team has been a dream to collaborate with & I can't wait to share more!" There's no solid release date yet nor a confirmation of the game hitting PC, with the team saying they "cannot answer about released platforms yet." The game's getting shown at this week's PlayStation China Showcase though, so fingers crossed we'll get some good news.A bit of a faux-weeb, Mollie will argue why your JRPG waifu is the wrong choice despite having equally awful taste. When she's not lurking in forums for nuggets of news, she's probably still failing to full combo that one song in a rhythm game she's been playing for years.

Stuart Arnold liked cars. He liked them so much that in 1973 he started a unique publication called Auto Trader, full of ads with photos that made it easier to buy and sell cars. But as that original 15-cent magazine grew into Traders for boats, planes, motorcycles and bargains of all sort, netting Arnold a fortune, he was able to indulge another passion: yachting. He began buying waterfront lots on then lightly developed Tierra Verde so he would have a place to park his sumptuous vessels — including one floated by barge from Italy — and host what became legendary onboard parties. Now, four years after Arnold’s death, his family is selling six of those lots. One has a tennis court and another an ’80s-era home that could be razed or, as Arnold did, used as a guesthouse and weekend getaway. Priced at $10.9 million, the six-lot parcel has enough space to build several new homes and dock two boats longer than 100 feet. “This is one of the largest, most unique waterfront properties ever offered in the Tampa Bay area,” says Jennifer Zales, a Coldwell Banker agent who is listing the property with Arnold’s granddaughter Fallon, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and herself a Realtor. Daughter-in-law Valerie Arnold said Arnold was “eccentric, very generous, kind and giving. He loved to watch others have a good time and never would you know how much stress or pressure he was under. His energy went into being the ringleader of a good time.” Those boisterous good times on Tierra Verde and at Arnold’s homes in Las Vegas, Key West and Clearwater stemmed from hard work and hustle. By the time he was in his 30s, Arnold had owned a bar in his native Bronx, edited a powerboat magazine in California and done marketing for a South American airline (where he met his first and only wife, a flight attendant). In 1973, to be near his parents, who had retired to Florida, he applied for a job selling used car ads for the St. Petersburg Times. But the interviewer kept him waiting so long that he left, went to a nearby art supply store and bought what he needed to cobble together a new magazine: Auto Trader. Driving around in his VW, Arnold snapped pictures of cars for sale and sold ads for $4. The ability to show what a car looked like for the price of a few photo-less lines in a classified newspaper ad proved so po[CENSORED]r that Auto Trader immediately began making money. Arnold and son Stuart Jr., who was helping him, soon moved from a tiny rented office in Treasure Island to the magazine’s own building in Largo. And the good times began to roll. As a youth, Arnold had learned to sail on Cape Cod and while attending boarding school at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg. Flush with the success of Auto Trader, he began buying boats and docking them at a marina on Tierra Verde. But as his zeal for boating grew, he acquired nearby waterfront lots with a house where he could stay on weekends, the boats a few steps from the back door. (His main home was an 8,000-square-foot Victorian in Clearwater.) Stuart Arnold liked cars. He liked them so much that in 1973 he started a unique publication called Auto Trader, full of ads with photos that made it easier to buy and sell cars. But as that original 15-cent magazine grew into Traders for boats, planes, motorcycles and bargains of all sort, netting Arnold a fortune, he was able to indulge another passion: yachting. He began buying waterfront lots on then lightly developed Tierra Verde so he would have a place to park his sumptuous vessels — including one floated by barge from Italy — and host what became legendary onboard parties. Now, four years after Arnold’s death, his family is selling six of those lots. One has a tennis court and another an ’80s-era home that could be razed or, as Arnold did, used as a guesthouse and weekend getaway. Priced at $10.9 million, the six-lot parcel has enough space to build several new homes and dock two boats longer than 100 feet. “This is one of the largest, most unique waterfront properties ever offered in the Tampa Bay area,” says Jennifer Zales, a Coldwell Banker agent who is listing the property with Arnold’s granddaughter Fallon, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and herself a Realtor. Daughter-in-law Valerie Arnold said Arnold was “eccentric, very generous, kind and giving. He loved to watch others have a good time and never would you know how much stress or pressure he was under. His energy went into being the ringleader of a good time.” Those boisterous good times on Tierra Verde and at Arnold’s homes in Las Vegas, Key West and Clearwater stemmed from hard work and hustle. By the time he was in his 30s, Arnold had owned a bar in his native Bronx, edited a powerboat magazine in California and done marketing for a South American airline (where he met his first and only wife, a flight attendant). In 1973, to be near his parents, who had retired to Florida, he applied for a job selling used car ads for the St. Petersburg Times. But the interviewer kept him waiting so long that he left, went to a nearby art supply store and bought what he needed to cobble together a new magazine: Auto Trader. Driving around in his VW, Arnold snapped pictures of cars for sale and sold ads for $4. The ability to show what a car looked like for the price of a few photo-less lines in a classified newspaper ad proved so po[CENSORED]r that Auto Trader immediately began making money. Arnold and son Stuart Jr., who was helping him, soon moved from a tiny rented office in Treasure Island to the magazine’s own building in Largo. And the good times began to roll. As a youth, Arnold had learned to sail on Cape Cod and while attending boarding school at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg. Flush with the success of Auto Trader, he began buying boats and docking them at a marina on Tierra Verde. But as his zeal for boating grew, he acquired nearby waterfront lots with a house where he could stay on weekends, the boats a few steps from the back door. (His main home was an 8,000-square-foot Victorian in Clearwater.)

In Shanghai, aerospace executive Lu Hao didn't just buy a sleek electric SUV from Nio (NIO.N), China's answer to Tesla . He bought Nio's whole vision of a future where social media, e-commerce and the daily commute converge in one lifestyle app. In the morning, the 31-year-old eats cereal bought from the automaker's Nio Life online store while chatting on its app with other Nio owners. He wears Nio gear for the drive to and from work, and in the evenings relaxes at home with a glass of Nio wine and more chat with Nio owners about how to get the best out of their cars. "Buying Nio stuff has been a part of my daily life," said Lu, "the prices are good and it is a habit to wear Nio clothes to events." Over the past two years he has spent over 220,000 yuan ($34,000) on Nio Life products, on top of the 470,000 yuan he forked out to buy his ES8 SUV to replace a Ford (F.N) Mondeo gasoline sedan. Automakers around the world have long sought to tap into brand loyalties with goods like branded t-shirts or caps. But Shanghai-based Nio's ambitions are much grander: a startup now valued at $70 billion according to its New York stock listing, it operates its own digital currency with tradeable credits that clients can gain from buying a car, attending events or even simply posting their stories on the Nio app. "Communities tend to lean towards loyalty ... that's exactly what Nio is tapping into," said Tu Le, analyst at China-based research firm Sino Auto Insights, referring to an app that Nio executives say now has around 150,000 daily users. "If Nio can continue to build the community, launch great products, and not have any major quality spills they are well-positioned to be a major player in China." However, Le cautioned, "Nio still hasn't figured out to convert more of the Nio community that haven't purchased a Nio vehicle into Nio (car) buyers, which is concerning." THE NIO LIFE Backed by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) as well as global investors betting on an electric car boom in the world's biggest auto market, Nio's huge market value - just above that of Germany's BMW (BMWG.DE) - provides a stark contrast with thus-far tiny sales. It sold just under 44,000 cars last year in China, a fraction of BMW's 2 million-plus global sales, and remained firmly in the red though it narrowed net losses significantly to $860 million. Shanghai's Lu might be among the more enthusiastic Nio owners, but he is far from alone. More than 80% of Nio customers participate in online or real-life Nio community activities, using Nio credits, apps and showrooms, according to executives who said Nio has sold over 3 million Nio Life products so far. "Deep and close contacts with customers help us adjust to the changes of auto industry more quickly," Nio's co-founder and president Qin Lihong told Reuters in a recent interview. Qin said Nio will build a user community in foreign markets when it does branch out overseas - Europe being a likely market at some stage - but will adjust to local environments. The same community message has been picked up by others. Geely, China's biggest private automaker, launched a new electric Zeekr brand with a similar strategy of city centre showrooms and lifestyle product lines. Meanwhile BMW, which has a long-time lifestyle product line, launched its car-owner app in China in last September. Nio designed its app, which make its credits different from hotel's points or airline's miles, in such a way as to try to attract customers to interact more with the company, Nio's user relations executive Calvin Shen said. "Buying a car is a less frequent activity than taking a flight or shopping at supermarket, so we need to create more everyday activities to keep customers in touch," Shen said. Buyers like Shanghai's Lu are on board with that, using some of his Nio credits to secure tickets for this year's edition of company's annual 'Nio Day' celebration. The Chengdu event, livestreamed on the app, saw the unveiling of the company's first sedan, the ET7 - now set to join Lu's collection of Nio goods.

We have all heard of immunity that results in a dramatic reduction of daily cases. Despite serosurveys indicating many metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune having reached high levels of immunity, the same cities are seeing an explosive surge. Does “herd immunity” really protect from subsequent waves? The answer is not a simple yes or no. It depends on how widespread the virus is in a community and its transmission rate. The number of daily cases depends on three factors: The number of infectious people in the po[CENSORED]tion, the number of susceptible individuals, and the rate of transmission of the virus. The rate of transmission is dependent on the nature of the virus and the extent of contact between individuals. The herd immunity concept is based on lowering the number of susceptible individuals. If sufficient individuals in the po[CENSORED]tion are immune (either through vaccination or a prior exposure), then the number of susceptible individuals drops. For example, if the immune po[CENSORED]tion is 70%, then the susceptible po[CENSORED]tion is 30%. The prediction for future cases, unfortunately, is not that simple. If the rate of transmission increases (due to change in social behaviour and increased contact) then even with a large percentage of the immune po[CENSORED]tion, a significant number of daily cases can result. THE EXPERT Dr Tushar Gore’s focus area is pharmaceuticals. He studied at IIT-Bombay and the University of Minnesota, and has worked at McKinsey and Novo Nordisk. He is the former MD/CEO of Resonance Laboratories, a niche pharmaceuticals manufacturer. Not a static number A visual representation presents the concept in a more palatable, if mostly approximate, manner. Imagine a room with susceptible and immune individuals. The virus is a ball bouncing from one person to other. If it hits a susceptible person, it sticks to the person and a new case is generated. If it hits an immune individual, it bounces on to the next individual. It can bounce only a couple of bounces after which it “dies”. In a room with a high number of susceptible individuals, and a certain number of viruses (balls bouncing around), the balls will land on many susceptible individuals and “infect” them. In contrast, in a room largely of immune individuals and with same number of balls, many balls will land on only immune individuals and “die” after a couple of bounces. Thus the number of cases in the second room will be fewer. The crucial point in this example is that the number of balls (virus particles) in the two scenarios are equal. If the number of balls in the second scenario is higher, then these will find more susceptible individuals and number of cases will increase. This point is often missed in herd immunity discussions. The “herd immunity” number is not a static number but it changes depending on the rate of transmission of the virus and the extent of virus present. Serosurveys indicated that Covid had touched 56% of po[CENSORED]tion in Delhi by January; 75% in some slums Mumbai in November, and about 30% in Bengaluru in November. The po[CENSORED]tion touched by Covid can also be estimated by the Infection Fatality Rate (IFR). This is the total number of deaths divided by the total people infected. In India, the estimate is 0.08%. So this number can be used to back-calculate the number of infections based on the number of deaths in the different cities. The table alongside shows the number of people exposed to Covid in some metros until January 31 using the method above. (Based on total deaths until January 31; there is a lag between infection and death and this is ignored for present discussion.) Using po[CENSORED]tion estimates for 2020, the estimate for percentage of the po[CENSORED]tion with prior exposure to Covid and susceptible po[CENSORED]tion is calculated. The reasons behind the recent surge are not fully understood. The one factor that is not in doubt, however, is that interaction and contact with the po[CENSORED]tion has increased since February. Such increased contact increased the virus in circulation and led to increased cases in the susceptible po[CENSORED]tion. As the table shows, there is still a large enough susceptible po[CENSORED]tion in the metros and can lead to many new cases – as is being seen now. The future trajectory depends on the nature of the virus causing this recent surge – in addition to behaviour patterns. If the virus, even in the form of a new strain, is not infecting the prior infected po[CENSORED]tion, then the good news is that we have dealt with this situation last year and managed to control it (even though the scientific reasons behind the control are not completely understood). The implication is that current cases are only amongst the susceptible po[CENSORED]tion, and, therefore, lowering activity (to levels similar to last year) will lead to control. There is some reason to believe that this is the case, based on anecdotal evidence that this wave is disproportionately affecting the higher socio-economic segments. A new virus strain indifferent to the past exposure of an individual would have resulted in all sections getting affected equally. In the other scenario, however, the fight is much tougher and questions loom about current vaccines as effective tools to fight this strain. Then we are back to square one.

Apple is following through on its pledge to crack down on Facebook and other snoopy apps that secretly shadow people on their iPhones in order to target more advertising at users. The new privacy feature, dubbed "App Tracking Transparency," rolled out Monday as part of an update to the operating system powering the iPhone and iPad. The anti-tracking shield included in iOS 14.5 arrives after a seven-month delay during which Apple and Facebook attacked each other's business models and motives for decisions that affect billions of people around the world. "What this feud demonstrates more than anything is that Facebook and Apple have tremendous gatekeeping powers over the market," said Elizabeth Renieris, founding director of the Technology Ethics Lab at the University of Notre Dame. But Apple says it is just looking out for the best interests of the more than 1 billion people currently using iPhones. "Now is a good time to bring this out, both because of because of the increasing amount of data they have on their devices, and their sensitivity (about the privacy risks) is increasing, too," Erik Neuenschwander, Apple's chief privacy engineer, told The Associated Press in an interview. Once the software update is installed—something most iPhone users do—even existing apps already on the device will be required to ask and receive consent to track online activities. That's a shift Facebook fiercely resisted, most prominently in a series of full-page newspaper ads blasting Apple. Until now, Facebook and other apps have been able to automatically conduct their surveillance on iPhones unless users took the time and trouble to go into their settings to prevent it—a process that few people bother to navigate. "This is an important step toward consumers getting the transparency and the controls they have clearly been looking for," said Daniel Barber, CEO of DataGrail, a firm that helps companies manage personal privacy. In its attacks on Apple's anti-tracking controls, Facebook blasted the move as an abuse of power designed to force more apps to charge for their services instead of relying on ads. Apple takes a 15% to 30% cut on most payments processed through an iPhone app. Online tracking has long helped Facebook and thousands of other apps accumulate information about their user's interests and habits so they can show customized ads. Although Facebook executives initially acknowledged Apple's changes would probably reduce its revenue by billions of dollars annually, the social networking company has framed most of its public criticism as a defense of small businesses that rely on online ads to stay alive. Apple, in turn, has pilloried Facebook and other apps for prying so deeply into people's lives that it has created a societal crisis. In a speech given a few weeks after the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, Apple CEO Tim Cook pointed out how personal information collected through tracking by Facebook and other social media can sometimes push people toward more misinformation and hate speech as part of the efforts to show more ads. "What are the consequences of not just tolerating but rewarding content that undermines public trust in life-saving vaccinations?" Cook asked. "What are the consequences of seeing thousands of users join extremist groups and then perpetuating an algorithm that recommends more?" It's part of Apple's attempt to use the privacy issue to its competitive advantage, Barber said, a tactic he now expects more major brands to embrace if the new anti-tracking controls prove po[CENSORED]r among most consumers. In a change of tone, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently suggested that Apple's new privacy controls could actually help his company in the long run. His rationale: The inability to automatically track iPhone users may prod more companies to sell their products directly on Facebook and affiliated services such as Instagram if they can't collect enough personal information to effectively target ads within their own apps. "It's possible that we may even be in a stronger position if Apple's changes encourage more businesses to conduct more commerce on our platforms by making it harder for them to use their data in order to find the customers that would want to use their products outside of our platforms," Zuckerberg said last month during a discussion held on the audio chat app Clubhouse. In the same interview, Zuckerberg also asserted most people realize that advertising is a "time-tested model" that enables them to get more services for free or at extremely low prices. "People get for the most part that if they are going to see ads, they want them to be relevant ads," Zuckerberg said. He didn't say whether he believes most iPhone users will consent to tracking in exchange for ads tailored to their interests. Google also depends on personal information to fuel a digital ad network even bigger than Facebook's, but it has said it would be able to adjust to the iPhone's new privacy controls. Unlike Facebook, Google has close business ties with Apple. Google pays Apple an estimated $9 billion to $12 billion annually to be the preferred search engine on iPhone and iPad. That arrangement is currently one element of an antitrust case filed last year by the U.S. Justice Department. Facebook is also defending itself against a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to break the company apart. Meanwhile, Apple is being scrutinized by lawmakers and regulators around the world for the commissions it collects on purchases made through iPhone apps and its ability to shake up markets through new rules that are turning it into a de facto regulator. "Even if Apple's business model and side in this battle is more rights protective and better for consumer privacy, there is still a question of whether we want a large corporation like Apple effectively 'legislating' through the app store," Renieris said.

NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB Gaming graphics card is expected to be unveiled by mid of May, as reported in the latest rumor from ITHome (via Expreview Forums). NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti To Be Unveiled on 18th May Followed By Launch on 26th May, Alleges Rumor As per the latest rumor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is all set to be unveiled on the 18th of May. The rumor states that the card will be unveiled along with its specifications, pricing, and a few initial performance numbers. The full performance metrics will be disclosed by independent reviewers on the 25th of May and the card will be officially available for purchase on the 26th of May. There's no word on whether NVIDIA will open pre-orders during unveiling but so far, they haven't done so with any previous GeForce RTX 30 series launch so we can expect the same for the RTX 3080 Ti. The previous rumor had stated that, unlike the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will be launched and go on sale on the same day in early June. The exact launch date of the card is currently unknown. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti will go up against the Radeon RX 6900 XT while the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will go up against the Radeon RX 6800. The RTX 3080 will hold ground against the RX 6800 XT for now. NVIDIA 3080 Ti 'Rumored' Graphics Card Specifications NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB FE (Founders Edition) graphics card is expected to feature the PG132-SKU18 PCB design and the GA102-225-KD-A1 graphics core. The GA102-225 GPU has also changed since the last time we saw them and will now feature 10240 CUDA cores within a total of 80 SM units. The GPU features a clock speed of 1365 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, both of which are slower than the existing GA102 GeForce RTX GPUs. The final NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card is expected to ship with the new GA102-202 or GA102-302 GPU core features the same specifications as the QS but is locked for mining. As for memory, the card will feature 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. Unlike the 19.5 Gbps speeds of the RTX 3090, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is said to retain the same memory speeds as the RTX 3080 at 19 Gbps. Since we are getting 12 GB memory, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti will be using a 384-bit bus interface which equals a total bandwidth of 912 GB/s. So while we see an 8 GB VRAM reduction over the previous spec, the larger bus interface should drive higher memory bandwidth. The TGP for the card is set to be the same as the RTX 3080 at 320 Watts. That's definitely needed to feed the extra cores so NVIDIA might have to optimize the clocks a bit here. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is expected to feature an MSRP of around $999 US while ITHome has reported that a price of 7999 Chinese Yuan which is equal to around $1200 US is expected in the Asian-Pacific retail market. The graphics card will rock the latest mining hash rate limiter which is supposedly hard to crack compared to the initial release which was bypassed within a few days. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series 'Ampere' Graphics Card