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Over the last few years, venture investor interest in the game industry has skyrocketed. The industry is no longer just about video games; as cross-media experiences like Fortnite have shown, game developers are embracing multiple forms of entertainment at once. Game technologies like the Unreal Engine that power these experiences are supplementing traditional film, television and enterprise production tools, seeing extensive use in high-profile, high-budget shows like Disney’s The Mandalorian. A common investment thesis among VC and PE funds interested in the space is that there are opportunities for enabling game technologies that resemble other enterprise software solutions, like Autodesk. However, video games as an industry has not produced a publicly traded tech product whose profit opportunity is seat-based software licensing. Rather, Unity, Epic, and others who provide tools (such as Amazon and Microsoft) have shown that game technology businesses drive services, platforms, and content which offer the potential for greater returns than enterprise software licensing. Let’s step back for a moment and understand the opportunities for investors in games. Game investments typically fall into one of four funnels: Content/publishing, which is where most of the value in the industry lies, now and in the future Community platforms such as Twitch or Discord Store and distribution mechanisms such as the Epic Game Store, Steam or the App Store Enabling technologies such as Unity and Unreal Engine Game content like Roblox or Pokémon Go have the potential to become something investors are very interested in, recurring revenue platforms. However, the content must be compelling and successful to become a platform. As such, content is a hit-based business that many software investors traditionally eschew. Community platforms are a business that many startups attempt but few achieve, outside of those tied to hit content. Community platforms independent of content, such as Discord, have yet to find profitable business models — though they can get massive user numbers. And distribution is difficult for startups to break into; big tech companies (Apple, Google), po[CENSORED]r storefronts (Steam, Amazon) and console makers (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo) dominate this space. So many investors have recently set their sights on the fourth business, enabling technologies that start with games but can spread beyond games. These investors, quite rationally, are looking to apply their general expertise in enterprise software toward game tech, assuming that enterprise software and games are similar. The key assumption taking place here is that game tech follows standard technology growth models: highly scalable software that can produce recurring returns as usage increases, such as with non-game software developers like Adobe or Autodesk. The industry, however, has proven largely resistant to the creation of a wide ecosystem for startups in game tech software. It is worth analyzing the historical context. For much of the video game industry’s existence, game technologies were built by the lead programmer and an internal studio team, and considered part of a developer’s competitive advantage. Early Atari games didn’t credit their programmers for fear that their talent would be snatched away. In the 1990s and early 2000s we saw a cadre of middleware developers build solutions (lighting, occlusion, sound, physics) for developers working on their own engines (or as plugins to up and coming Unity and Unreal), but none of these firms (e.g., Umbra3D, Havok, Simplygon, FMOD) have reached Adobe or Autodesk scale. And most are now gone or have been absorbed into other companies; Umbra3D was just acquired by Amazon. This may be because there are not many game developers relative to the number of companies who need general enterprise software. Games are highly specialized software, and while the technology powering them is now becoming more ubiquitous in people’s daily lives, for much of the industry’s existence the technologies required were relegated to bit parts of a niche entertainment business. As time passed, most of the value that was in middleware became absorbed into the professional game engines such as Unity and Unreal, along with recent open-source solutions such as Godot. This eliminated the dozens of companies comprising the game middleware market as we knew it, starting around 2010 and accelerating to the point where nearly all middleware solutions are sourced from four firms (Unity/Unreal/Amazon/Microsoft) in 2021.

The flagship Navi based graphics cards have been highly anticipated ever since AMD introduced its first-generation RDNA lineup. While the first generation RDNA gave us a small glimpse of what we could expect from a flagship offering, the lineup never really introduced its own flagship variant & instead focused on the more mainstream performance-ended products. But two years later, the wait is finally over! AMD has officially launched its Big Navi graphics card lineup and it's not just the biggest Navi GPU we have seen to date but also based on the 2nd Generation RDNA 2 architecture which delivers an impressive leap in performance per watt while offering a range of new features to put AMD Radeon ack in the high-end and enthusiast market segment. The AMD RDNA 2 architecture for its Big Navi Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6900 series graphics cards has a lot to offer. In addition to architectural enhancements, you can expect hardware-accelerated ray tracing, smart access memory, Infinity Cache, and a lot more features on-deck which make the lineup one of the most competitive enthusiast families that AMD has ever positioned against NVIDIA. Some of the main features for the AMD Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards include: AMD Infinity Cache – A high-performance, last-level data cache suitable for 4K and 1440p gaming with the highest level of detail enabled. 128 MB of on-die cache dramatically reduces latency and power consumption, delivering higher overall gaming performance than traditional architectural designs. AMD Smart Access Memory – An exclusive feature of systems with AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors, AMD B550 and X570 motherboards, and Radeon RX 6000 Series graphics cards. It gives AMD Ryzen processors greater access to the high-speed GDDR6 graphics memory, accelerating CPU processing and providing up to a 13-percent performance increase on an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card in Forza Horizon 4 at 4K when combined with the new Rage Mode one-click overclocking setting. Built for Standard Chassis – With a length of 267mm and 2x8 standard 8-pin power connectors, and designed to operate with existing enthusiast-class 650W-750W power supplies, gamers can easily upgrade their existing large to small form factor PCs without additional cost. AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT "Big Navi 21 XT" GPU Powered 16 GB Graphics Card Specifications The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT will come packed with the Navi 21 XT GPU which is a cut-down SKU featuring 72 Compute Units or 4608 SPs. The card will also feature 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus interface, a 512 GB/s total bandwidth, and clock speeds of 2015 MHz base and 2250 MHz boost at reference specs. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT also packs 72 Ray Accelerators which are dedicated to real-time raytracing workloads. The card will feature a based TBP of 300W with factory-overclocked models pushing it above 350W and will arrive at a later date.In addition to the standard memory, the Radeon RX 6800 series graphics cards will also feature 128 MB of Infinity Cache on the GPU die. The cache will help boost bandwidth for higher performance at resolutions beyond 1080p HD. The 128 MB Infinity Cache boosts the standard 512 GB/s bandwidth by 3.25x, delivering an effective bandwidth of up to 1.664 TB/s across all Big Navi GPU based graphics cards. In terms of performance, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is shown to compete against the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card. The card features a 20W lower total board power & delivers better GPU performance in several AAA titles using the best API (Vulkan / DirectX 12). AMD is also bringing its Rage-mode back which is an automatic overclocking tool within its Radeon Software suite that delivers even higher performance along with a nifty new feature known as Smart Access. Gains of up to 13% were showcased with the said features as can be seen below. So for this review, I will be taking a look at the SAPPHIRE Nitro+ Radeon RX 6800 XT. The SAPPHIRE Nitro+ Radeon RX 6800 XT comes is said to feature an MSRP of around $770 US so that's just over a $100 US premium over the 649 US reference MSRP. At this price, you get a triple-fan cooling solution and a factory overclock out of the box.

Gran Turismo Sport transformed Sony’s flagship simulation racing series into a hugely po[CENSORED]r e-sport, and thus was successful at pushing the brand forward. However, series fans lamented the lack of a fully-featured single player campaign like in previous entries; the loosely RPG-inspired car collecting mode of previous titles has, after all, been a big part of the brand’s long-term success. We already know that Gran Turismo 7 on the PlayStation 5 will be a combination of the “past, present, and future”, which means it will include a full-length solo mode. However, in an interview with journalist Toshifumi Watanabe for Octane Japan – as translated by GT Planet – series creator Kazunori Yamauchi reiterated that we can expect a more traditional experience this time around. “While inheriting elements such as the [FIA] championship realized in GT Sport, Gran Turismo 7 will return to the royal purpose of full volumes like [Gran Turismo] 1-4, and provide the best Gran Turismo experience at present,” he said. The translation’s slightly strange, but we’re sure you can infer what he’s getting at here. This feels like the natural next step for the franchise, to be honest. Obviously the e-sports aspect is not going anywhere – and the multiplayer mode was so successful on the PS4, we wouldn’t want it to – but building a more traditional single player experience out of that should benefit the overall package, and we reckon this is going to be a big hit when it releases on PS5 later this year.

If you're a car enthusiast who cannot get enough of those four-wheeled machines and you also love to sprawl out in open pools and themed bars, this property in Texas is for you. Mind you, luxury comes with a heavy cost, and this one has a price tag of $8 million. It is currently on sale at Realtor. Spread out in 10 acres, this 'auto camp' houses a 10-car garage, multiple car lifts, a paint application booth, a tyre changer, and an antique memorabilia to get your fast and furious fix. The luxury property is also home to an oversized tiered pool, five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, two half-baths, outdoor fireplace, a built-in wine cooler, and an automotive-themed entertainment space with a wall full of TVs. There are additional car parking spaces in other parts of the house. (Also read | Car garage worth crores: What makes this vehicle space more expensive than homes) If you really are a sucker for automotive paraphernalia, this property is your car haven. Pictures on the property listing website show that the house features plethora of old and rusty licence plates hanging on walls everywhere. Classic automotive industry memorabilia has been framed across ceilings and walls. And if that is not enough, rusty old gas pumps sit outside on the garden floors and one of these has also been turned into a cooler in the entertainment area. An old Chevrolet pickup truck has been converted into sort of a bar, and it sits in the corner of a room with two bar chairs for visitors. Apparently a rusty Ford car sits in the garden and has been converted into a plant pot. Leaves are branching out of the opened bonnet of the vehicle. The facility was built in 2014 and is currently open for virtual tours on the property booking site.

BEIJING -- China recorded more than 2,000 new domestic cases of COVID-19 in January, the highest monthly total since the tail end of the initial outbreak in Wuhan in March of last year. The National Health Commission said Sunday that 2,016 cases were reported from Jan. 1-30. That does not include another 435 infected people who arrived from abroad. The tally for Jan. 31 is due to be released Monday. Two people have died in January, the first reported coronavirus deaths in China in several months. Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox Most of the new cases have been in three northern provinces. Hardest-hit Hebei province, which borders Beijing, has reported more than 900 cases. Beijing, the Chinese capital, has had 45 cases this month. The numbers, while low compared to many other countries, have prompted officials to tighten restrictions and strongly discourage people from travelling during the upcoming Lunar New Year, a major holiday when people typically return home for family reunions. Train trips were down nearly 75 per cent in the first three days of the holiday travel season, the official Xinhua News Agency said Sunday, citing the state railway company. The Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 12. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE REGION: -- A World Health Organization team looking into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has visited the food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was linked to many early infections. The team members visited the Huanan Seafood Market for about an hour Sunday afternoon. The market was the site of a December 2019 outbreak of the virus. Scientists initially suspected the virus came from wild animals sold in the market. The market has since been largely ruled out but it could provide hints to how the virus spread so widely. The WHO mission has become politically charged, as China seeks to avoid blame for alleged missteps in its early response to the outbreak. -- South Korea says it will maintain elevated social distancing measures for at least two more weeks as health officials raise concerns about a possible surge in coronavirus infections surrounding the Lunar New Year holidays. The country's vice health minister on Sunday pleaded with people to stay home during the holidays as he announced the government decision to extend a clampdown on private social gatherings of five or more people through the end of the holiday on Feb. 14. The government will also maintain restrictions on indoor dining in the Seoul metropolitan area for another two weeks, requiring restaurants to provide only deliveries and take out after 9 p.m. South Korea reported another new 355 cases on Sunday.

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It looks like American Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMSW.A) is about to go ex-dividend in the next four days. Investors can purchase shares before the 4th of February in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 19th of February. American Software's next dividend payment will be US$0.11 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.44 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that American Software has a trailing yield of 2.3% on the current share price of $19.21. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether American Software's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. View our latest analysis for American Software Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Last year, American Software paid out 216% of its profit to shareholders in the form of dividends. This is not sustainable behaviour and requires a closer look on behalf of the purchaser. Yet cash flows are even more important than profits for assessing a dividend, so we need to see if the company generated enough cash to pay its distribution. Dividends consumed 53% of the company's free cash flow last year, which is within a normal range for most dividend-paying organisations. It's good to see that while American Software's dividends were not covered by profits, at least they are affordable from a cash perspective. Still, if the company repeatedly paid a dividend greater than its profits, we'd be concerned. Extraordinarily few companies are capable of persistently paying a dividend that is greater than their profits. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? When earnings decline, dividend companies become much harder to analyse and own safely. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. Readers will understand then, why we're concerned to see American Software's earnings per share have dropped 6.7% a year over the past five years. Ultimately, when earnings per share decline, the size of the pie from which dividends can be paid, shrinks. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. American Software has delivered 2.0% dividend growth per year on average over the past 10 years. The only way to pay higher dividends when earnings are shrinking is either to pay out a larger percentage of profits, spend cash from the balance sheet, or borrow the money. American Software is already paying out a high percentage of its income, so without earnings growth, we're doubtful of whether this dividend will grow much in the future. The Bottom Line Is American Software an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? It's never fun to see a company's earnings per share in retreat. Additionally, American Software is paying out quite a high percentage of its earnings, and more than half its cash flow, so it's hard to evaluate whether the company is reinvesting enough in its business to improve its situation. It's not the most attractive proposition from a dividend perspective, and we'd probably give this one a miss for now. Having said that, if you're looking at this stock without much concern for the dividend, you should still be familiar of the risks involved with American Software. For example - American Software has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. Promoted If you’re looking to trade American Software, open an account with the lowest-cost* platform trusted by professionals, Interactive Brokers. Their clients from over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. *Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020 Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

Digital Artists can use various tools, and these tools include using a pen display to draw directly on the screen and their current project. The GAOMON PD1561 Pen display is a device that many artists have reviewed. This pen display currently features a 4.5-star rating on Amazon and comes with a pen that features an 8,192 pressure level. The GAOMON PD1561 Pen display features a deal that makes this pen display feature a new price of $288.99, which is 30% off the typical price of $409.99. The Amazon Deal Drops the price of the GAOMON PD1561 from $409.99 to just $288.99, saving buyers up to $121 The GAOMON PD1561 Pen display features a 15.6" screen size with ten shortcut keys, and this design ensures that artists can draw efficiently without needing to look away to use shortcut keys. The ten shortcut buttons are located on the left side of the screen, which is customizable, along with two buttons looks on the pen. These ten shortcut keys can be easily customized with various options, including zoom in/out, scroll up and down, and many others. This pen display comes included with a passive pen, which features up to 8,192 levels of pressure. This pen display comes with 8 replacement nibs hidden inside the pen holder; this allows for easy access and an easy place to store the pen when not in use. Since this pen adopts a passive pen technology, artists worry less about charging their pen stylus or replacing the battery during a heavy work session. This pen display features a Full HD resolution or a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, and this screen features support for 72% coverage of the NTSC color gamut. This screen resolution and wide support for the NTSC color gamut make this perfect for drawing and online education, and remote meetings. This pen display features Mac OS and Windows's support while being compatible with most drawing programs, including the Adobe Suite and Clip Studio Paint. The GAOMON PD1561 has a typical price of $409.99 but is currently on sale at Amazon, and this sale has dropped the price to $288.99, which allows buyers to save $121. This takes 30% off the typical price, making this a perfect time to buy this pen display for artists looking for an upgrade to a pen display.

The original Dark Souls game has just got a complete overhaul to its multiplayer thanks to one industrious modder. Inferno Plus’ Dark Souls: Remastest mod introduces classic Halo maps, power-ups, and reworks to weapons, spells, and abilities. Oh, and it removes most of the co-op restrictions from the old PC game. That’s only scratching the surface, too. The mod jazzes Battle of Stoicism up with three Halo maps and two game types that can be played by up to 18 players. You can play Team Deathmatch and try to beat the other team to 30 kills, or Capture the Lizard, which involves swiping your enemies reptile and balancing it on your head while you return to your base – it’s as amusing as you’d hope it would be. After creating a single-player version of Blood Gulch with bosses and the lot, Inferno Plus explains he set about improving Dark Souls’ multiplayer mode Battle of Stoicism. For Inferno Plus, part of the issue was that players were spawned in closer to each other and given little reason to go out and experience the maps. Recreating a selection of Classic Halo maps helps in part, but Inferno Plus reckons creating power-ups motivates players to explore the maps he’s stitched together. One of them offers a damage boost, whereas another makes you invisible. My personal favourite power-up gives you special arrows and bolts that set everything aflame. Inferno Plus has also gone about reworking heaps on the game’s weapons and spells to make them all viable. Even the campaign has got some TLC, with lots of the co-op restrictions now lifted. I’d recommend checking out Inferno Plus’ video for a full breakdown of what the mod involves, and the creative process behind it. It’s a meaty watch, but it’s fascinating. The video also features a recreation of a Red versus Blue scene – because what else are you going to do on Blood Gulch? If you’d like to download the mod, you can find it on Inferno Plus’ Patreon where you can support him, too. Instructions on how to download the mod are in the README.txt, and you can play it with your buddies if everyone has the mod installed. If you’re looking for some other RPGs to try, in the meantime, you can follow that link. Get involved in the conversation by heading over to our Facebook and Instagram pages. To stay up to date with the latest PC gaming guides, news, and reviews, follow PCGamesN on Twitter and Steam News Hub. We sometimes include relevant affiliate links in articles from which we earn a small commission. For more information, click here.

Former Erie auto dealer Adam J. Weaver is considering seeking a business loan from the city of Erie if his sentence of supervised release ends early in his federal fraud case, according to a newly filed court document. The federal prosecutor who filed the document is also arguing that Weaver's possible pursuit of a publicly funded loan is one reason a judge should refuse to keep secret a defense motion that details Weaver reasons for requesting an early end to his term of supervised release. The possible involvement of the city's loan program, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Trabold said in the filing, gives the public "a direct financial interest" in Weaver's request for early termination of his term of supervised release, similar to probation. Weaver, the former president of Rick Weaver Buick GMC in Erie, already served his prison term of four months. He has about nine months left under his supervised release sentence of three years. Weaver's request:Adam Weaver wants supervised release to end early, reasons sealed in car dealer fraud case Trabold also asked that Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone refuse to seal the defense motion to avoid adding to the impression that a wealthy defendant, such as Weaver, gets preferential treatment from the justice system. Trabold said the First Amendment and longstanding law favor openness of court records and proceedings. "Sealing the motion plainly undercuts the interest in providing the public with a more complete understanding of the judicial system," Trabold said in the filing, docketed in U.S. District Court in Erie on Wednesday. "Sealing the motion will eviscerate the public perception of fairness because the public will only know that a wealthy member of the community had his sentence cut short and will be prevented from knowing the reasons supporting Weaver’s motion," Trabold said in the filing. "Sealing the motion and keeping it away from the public will only further the public’s perception that the wealthy get special treatment in the judicial system." Of the connection between Weaver's request and a possible loan from the city, Trabold said in the filing: "Perhaps most importantly, the public has a direct financial interest in the facts and circumstances surrounding Weaver’s proposed early termination of supervised release. Weaver supports and advances his motion, in part, upon the availability of a City of Erie economic development loan if he is released early from supervised release. "Depriving the public access to the motion is plainly inappropriate when the public has an obvious economic stake in the outcome Weaver seeks," Trabold said. "If the motion is sealed, an appearance of impropriety will be impossible to escape." Trabold, who has access to the motion related to Weaver's request, did not offer specific details about Weaver's plans, according to the filing. But Trabold in the filing indicated that the plans involve a local venture. Referring to the motion Weaver wants sealed, Trabold said in the filing that "Weaver makes numerous claims about business transactions and the Erie economy which should be subject to public scrutiny." Weaver has not applied for a business loan from the city, Chris Groner, the official who manage the city's loan programs, told the Erie Times-News. Groner, the former director of the city's Department of Economic and Community development, continues to oversee the city's loan program as head of Erie County’s new Office of Capital Finance and Lending. In Weaver's criminal case, Cercone has scheduled a virtual hearing for Tuesday on Weaver's request to seal the motion for early release from supervision. Weaver's lawyers, Efrem Grail and Brian Bevan, of Pittsburgh, filed the request in December. They argued in a filing that Cercone should seal the motion to protect "confidential, sensitive, proprietary financial information about third parties," apparently referring to those that could be part of Weaver's plans.

Eat good, feel good! The Food Bank Council of Michigan teamed up with South Michigan Food Bank and Grace Health to address food insecurity and encourage healthy lifestyles with the launch of the Grace Health Fresh Food Pharmacy in Battle Creek. Made possible by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, this six-month pilot program “prescribes” home-delivered healthy food boxes for Grace Health patients every two weeks. In addition, the program offers healthy lifestyle coaching, check-ins, and support for cooking and eating healthy foods. "The idea is that when the medical team finds individuals that can benefit from eating healthier food we can provide the foods, recipes, and things to change their lifestyle to help with medical conditions," Peter Vogel, CEO of the South Michigan Food Bank, said. "Last year we distributed more than 14 and a half million pounds of food, now we are boxing more than 5,000 boxes of food every single day." In need: Report finds need for affordable migrant, H2A housing in fruit belt Focused on meeting the health care needs of underserved people in the community, Grace Health serves over 30,000 patients in Calhoun County and surrounding areas. “We are honored to partner with Grace Health to improve the health and well-being of those in need in the Battle Creek community,” Vogel said. “We know that we can demonstrate great impact by working together.” Eligible patients include those who: Manage a chronic health condition, such as diabetes or heart disease, that can improve with a healthy diet. They also must have difficulty accessing healthy food and have the ability and interest to cook fresh foods and attend coaching sessions. Enrollment begins in Feb. with a fresh food mobile distribution kickoff event funded by the Consumers Energy Foundation at Grace Health, 181 West Emmett Street in Battle Creek, on Jan. 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This mobile food distribution was available to anyone in the community in need of food. Those interested in the food pharmacy program should contact Grace Health staff at 269-965-8866 who will connect them with a program intake coordinator. West Michigan: Second fire in 1 week breaks out at Kalamazoo's Mills Street homeless encampment For more information on the Food Bank Council of Michigan, visit www.fbcmich.org.

When you think of the work of a marine biologist, shooting whales is probably not the first image that springs to mind. But for Susan Bengtson Nash from Griffith University's Humpback Whale Sentinel Program, a rifle is a key tool in her fieldwork arsenal. This is how she and colleagues collect samples from humpback whales: "We fire [modified darts] at the dorsal area of the whale [and] the recoil of the dart causes it to bounce off," says Associate Professor Bengtson Nash. The darts penetrate the whale skin and blubber, collecting the samples, before bouncing back into the water where they float until collected by the researchers. "It's a really well-established technique. It's minimally invasive — we liken it to a mosquito bite [for the whale]." The samples provide important clues about the health of the Antarctic sea-ice ecosystem, which the Humpback Whale Sentinel Program aims to monitor. But conducting scientific research in Antarctica's once-pristine environment is extremely difficult: the number of scientists allowed to visit each year is limited, the weather conditions are extreme, and it's expensive. In 2020, the number of visiting researchers was especially low due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, some research projects will have gaps in their data — an entire year or more where they don't have observations. To get around these problems, researchers in the Whale Sentinel Program collect whale-blubber samples from humpbacks during their northerly migration. Humpback whales spend the summer feeding in Antarctic waters before migrating north to breeding grounds in warmer waters. So, each winter Dr Bengtson Nash and colleagues in places like Colombia, New Caledonia, Brazil and Western Australia have been visiting humpback-whale breeding grounds in their local area to collect samples. These samples serve as a proxy for what is going on in the frigid waters to the south. Fat cell size and pollutants give clues to whale health The team now has 13 consecutive years of whale data from contributors to the program. And although the individual blubber samples are small, the amount of information they can deliver is vast. For example, the size of the fat cells in the blubber shows how much energy the whales managed to store during the Antarctic summer. Analysis of isotopes and fatty acids gives information on where their food — predominantly krill — has come from. And the concentration of persistent organic pollutants is also used as a measure of how much fat the whales have in reserve. Meanwhile, steroid hormones can be used to identify the number of pregnant females making the migration, according to Dr Bengtson Nash. "If they're low on food stores, the females are probably thinking 'I'm not going to go on the migration this year, I'm going to stay where the food is'," she says. Whale health signals changing sea ice The researchers correlated their analysis of the whale blubber with environmental data collected in Antarctica itself. And they found evidence that humpback whales are "powerful Antarctic sea-ice ecosystem sentinels". The first signal we got was in 2010/11 — it was the strongest La Nina event on record," Dr Bengtson Nash says. There was reduced sea ice and changes to phytoplankton in the whale feeding grounds. Following that season, the whales came up in poor body condition, and they also seemed to switch diet. "It seemed to show they moved away from Antarctic krill," Dr Bengtson Nash says. The next strong signal that Antarctica had experienced extreme climate conditions was six years later. "The whales came up in terrible condition in 2017." "So, we go back to our environmental data and oh look, 2017 was the worst year for sea ice on record," Dr Bengtson Nash says. Since then summer temperatures have become more extreme, exceeding 20 degrees Celsius on the Antarctic Peninsular for the first time in 2019/20. Researchers are not sure how poor sea ice levels are linked to poor whale health, but there are some clues that krill is playing a major role. Krill's key role in Antarctica Research has shown krill larvae use sea ice to shelter from predators and as a means of transport to food-rich waters, which means their distribution is expected to change as sea ice is reduced. So Kawaguchi, a krill ecologist with the Australian Antarctic program, says climate change scenarios forecast the northern range of krill will contract southwards as waters warm.

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First released back in 2007, Microsoft's cloud storage solution OneDrive is finally catching up with the times with the release of a new 64-bit version of the software. Up until now, users could only access a 32-bit version of the app to store their files, photos and other documents even if they were running a 64-bit version of Windows 10. The problem with running 32-bit software on a 64-bit version of Windows is that 32-bit programs can only access 4GB of system memory even on systems with higher amounts of memory. We've assembled a list of the best cloud storage services These are the best cloud backup solutions on the market Also check out our roundup of the best portable SSD By making OneDrive available as a native 64-bit application, users will likely see a performance increase as the software can now use more of their available RAM. 64-bit OneDrive In an update to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, the software giant explained that “OneDrive is now available as a 64-bit install for AMD64-based devices”. If you're running a system with an Intel chip don't worry as AMD owns the 64-bit architecture and all AMD64 updates are applicable to both AMD and Intel based systems, according to WindowsReport. Users interested in downloading and installing the new 64-bit version of OneDrive can find the software here. We've also featured the best external hard drives Via DE24

The company Shanghai Tainshu Zhixin Semiconductor Co., Ltd., is commonly known as Tianshu Zhixin. Tianshu Zhixin has announced its first 7 nm Data Center GPU which is stated to compete with similar Data Center offerings provided by AMD and NVIDIA. This data center GPU is called Big Island (BI) GPU, which has been tailored towards AI, HPC applications, and other industries that can benefit from utilizing a GPU. This chip has been under development since 2018, and the Tianshu Zhixin has teased that this GPU can achieve FP16 performance up to 147 TFLOPS. Tianshu Zhixin Introduces its first 7 nm GPU, called the Big Island GPU, with comparable performance to AMD's and NVIDIA's Data Center GPUs. Tianshu Zhixin's first 7 nm GPU offers over 24 billion transistors, similar to the number of resistors found in NVIDIA's newest graphics cards, the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080. Though the company did not reveal the foundry responsible for this, the packaging and fin pitch suggests TSMC is the source of this. The GPU utilizes the RTX 3080, and RTX 3090 is NVIDIA's GA102 GPU, which features 28 billion transistors; when comparing the two, Tianshu Zhixin's first GPU does feature 4 billion less, but the possible performance derived from this GPU can not be understated.The Big Island GPU is stated to be fabricated on 7 nm and 2.5D CoWoS (chip-on-wafer-on -substrate) packaging, with the details, seemingly aligning with TSMC's 7 nm node, but the foundry partner has not been revealed. This may mean that China is looking to utilize a domestic chip production technology. This idea is further encouraged by China looking to utilize domestic fabrication instead of relying on other countries for its computer components. Big Island GPU's general performance has been kept mostly a secret, but Tianshu Zhixin has stated that this GPU can achieve an FP16 Performance of up to 147 TFLOPS. For comparison, in the data center GPU market, NVIDIA's A100 and AMD's Instinct MI100 can offer an FP16 performance of up to 77.97 and 184.6 TFLOPS, respectively. This puts the Big Island GPU lands firmly between the performance provided by NVIDIA's A100 and AMD's Instinct MI100 GPU while offering support for a variety of different floating-point formations, including FP32, FP16, BF16, INT32, INT16, and INT8. The Big Island GPU has been developed for enterprise applications, like AI and other applications, not for standard desktop PCs or gaming. While the GPU itself features a similar number of transistors compared to the GPU utilized in the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090, this GPU is missing various hardware to make it useable for gaming use inside of any desktop. Some of the missing hardware includes pixel processing units, texture units, and rendering outputs. This lack of required hardware means that while this GPU will offer fantastic performance in TFLOPS, it won't compete in the gaming hardware market. The development for the Big Island chip began back in 2018. The tapeout was finalized back in May 2020 and should currently be in mass production if Tianshu Zhixin wasn't to achieve its goal of commercializing this chip in 2021. This rapid development shows Tianshu Zhixin's dedication to getting this GPU to the current market as soon as possible, intending to commercialize the Big Island GPU within this year.

The 32nd GLAAD Media Awards are due to take place in April, in celebration of of "fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues". The Awards, which have been in existence for over 30 years, honour culture, media, journalism, and creators that represent those values, and after adding video games to the list in 2018, winners have included The Outer Worlds and The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset. This year, of course, the Awards will be held virtually, like everything else. The nominations for Outstanding Video Game include several games available on Nintendo Switch: the roguelite Greek Myth-inspired Hades, which features many LGBTQ+ relationships and characters; Immortals Fenyx Rising, which allows players to mix and match various physical attributes on their character; If Found..., a story about trans identity; and Ikenfell, a game about a magical school that features nonbinary characters as well as LGBTQ+ romance. Other nominees include The Last of Us Part II, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Tell Me Why. GLAAD President and CEO, Kate Ellis, spoke about the importance of the GLAAD Awards in an unprecedented year of crisis. “As GLAAD continues to lead the fight for LGBTQ acceptance, this year’s nominees remind us that even in times of political and cultural division, diverse LGBTQ representation and visibility can enlighten, entertain, and create lasting change.” Have you played any of the nominated games? What are your thoughts on how they handled LGBTQ+ representation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, but please be civil.

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/6caf7028-cae1-44f3-9bc2-7dc2d47a23ef Samsung Electronics said a global semiconductor shortage that has hit global carmakers could also disrupt orders for the memory chips used in smartphones, as manufacturers rushed to respond to the crisis. The warning from the world’s biggest memory chipmaker comes as companies and governments grow concerned that constrained chip manufacturing capacity could derail countries’ economic recoveries from the coronavirus pandemic. The rush by semiconductor foundries to meet demand for auto chips means many are now operating at full capacity, limiting their ability to take on new orders, which could in turn slow deliveries of chips designed for mobile devices. Samsung said on Thursday that this squeeze on foundries, and any subsequent slowdown in mobile device orders, could affect demand for its Dram and Nand memory chips, which enable smartphones and tablets to perform multiple tasks at once. “Because of the foundry supply shortages that have become an issue globally, the supply issue of other semiconductor parts could affect mobile demand, so we are closely watching the implications,” said Han Jinman, executive vice-president of Samsung’s memory chip business. Global semiconductor players are already moving to address shortages Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/6caf7028-cae1-44f3-9bc2-7dc2d47a23ef Samsung is also considering urgently expanding foundry capacity. The company’s foundry business posted record quarterly revenues in the three months to December, it said on Thursday, led by strong demand for the chips used in 5G mobile technology and high-performance computers. Samsung said that a stronger South Korean won and higher production costs would hit the group’s first-quarter earnings, but its full-year outlook remained bright. Semiconductors, which accounted for nearly half of Samsung’s operating profits last year, are likely to drive an earnings increase in 2021 as chip prices rise. “The chip price increase this year won’t be as rapid as 2017-18 but we will see a steady rise with a prolonged upcycle, which will be healthier,” said Daniel Kim, an analyst at Macquarie. The company’s net profits in the fourth quarter rose by 26.4 per cent year-on-year to Won6.45tn ($5.78bn). The profits were below the Won7.3tn forecast by analysts polled by Bloomberg. Weekly newsletter

HALIFAX — Customers at The Tare Shop in Halifax are creative with their containers: Some use classic jars but others reuse yogurt containers, pots and pans or even empty glass liquor bottles. “One of our regulars who lives across the street came in with a salad bowl,” says Kate Pepler, the shop’s owner. “As long as it’s clean and empty, anything goes.” The Tare Shop is part of a new wave of package-free stores aiming to minimize the environmental impact of shopping for groceries and everyday goods. Rather than simply reducing packaging waste or ensuring it's recyclable, the goal is to eliminate it altogether. Everything from food and body care products to home cleaning and stationery goods is available in bulk to be purchased with a reusable container. The package-free retail trend fits into a broader zero-waste lifestyle movement seeking to encourage more sustainable and mindful shopping habits, and it shows no signs of abating due to the pandemic. Stores such as Pepler's are building on norms from natural food stores that have long allowed customers to use their own containers for products like dried beans and grains. In 2016, national retailer Bulk Barn began allowing customers to bring their own containers, though they have paused the practice during the pandemic. But the new wave of package-free stores isn’t just an expansion of the “hippie and granola” market of the boomer generation or a new take on a discount bulk retailer, says consumer behaviour expert Nicole Mead. “They're offering a lifestyle and an image,” says Mead, associate marketing professor in the Schulich School of Business at York University. “Consumers want an experience with a certain boutique esthetic and a carefully curated selection of products.” Millennial and gen-Z consumers want sustainable products but in a “chic, high-status, Instagrammable sort of way,” she says. “It's not just about environmentalism or sustainability or reducing waste,” she says. “That’s a huge part of it, but consumers also want their consumption to have a sense of purpose, to feel authentic and maybe even virtuous.” Dayna Stein, the founder of Bare Market in Toronto, says she focused a lot on the esthetic appeal of the package-free goods shop before opening the store last year. “We felt that if the space was inviting and a place that people would want to spend time in and take photos of, it would help incentivize that behaviour change that we're trying to see.” The shop, which sells everything from bulk hairspray and makeup to bulk essential oils and ketchup, set out to expand the availability of bulk items beyond dried food, Stein says. While the store encourages people to bring their own containers, it also operates a deposit program on glass jars for online orders or if someone doesn’t have their own container in-store. Most package-free stores are considered essential and have remained open during COVID-19. Stein says Bare Market moved entirely to a deposit program at the outset of the pandemic when sales moved online, but since September, customers have been able to bring their own containers into the store again. Indeed, most independent shops are allowing customers to bring their own containers as long as they're clean. They're also requiring customers use a different clean scoop or funnel for every product to avoid cross-contamination, something most did before COVID-19 as well. While the package-free retail trend appears to be growing, some question the practicality of it for certain consumers. “In terms of sustainability, it’s a perfect way to reduce packaging,” says Saibal Ray, a professor in the Bensadoun School of Retail Management at McGill University. “The problem is the implementation of it is difficult.” Some shoppers have trouble remembering to bring reusable bags to the grocery store, let alone dozens of clean empty containers, he says. “There’s clearly a market for package-free stores, but it may not be that practical for a larger family." Even so, Pepler's customers have embraced the concept. While The Tare Shop started with 40 bulk “household standards,” Pepler says she has since expanded her inventory to more than 200 items based on customer requests. “We now sell package-free tofu and also corn tortillas that are both made locally,” she says. “The nice thing is you can just buy the exact amount you need, so there’s also less food waste.” A second location of The Tare Shop opened in Dartmouth earlier this month. “Demand has been really positive even throughout COVID,” Pepler says. “I’m honestly blown away by how many people are interested in living a lower-waste lifestyle.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2021. Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press

An advice network that has helped deliver the government's Covid-19 hotline could lose 45 staff under proposed welfare cuts. The Department for Communities (DfC) draft budget includes cuts to welfare reform mitigations and homeless support. It said the 2020-2021 budget presented "very significant challenges". The plans are out for consultation and no final decisions have been made, it added. Earlier this week, it was reported that Stormont has yet to spend £300m earmarked for Covid-19 pressures. Advice NI said the proposed Department for Communities cuts amounted to a £1.5m funding reduction for the sector. Bob Stronge, from the organisation, said it had been given no warning of the proposals, which would cut support to Northern Ireland's most vulnerable. According to an equality impact assessment, the draft budget also makes no allocation for commitments made under the New Decade, New Approach Deal, including: changes to legislation to ensure people diagnosed with a terminal illness get "necessary and fast-tracked support" £57.7m recommended by the NI Human Rights Commission to support people affected by welfare reform changes £28.8m to offset the two-child policy, which caps family child benefits payments to two children only Speaking to Good Morning Ulster, Mr Stronge said: "My staff were absolutely devastated. They've been working flat-out. "We have stretched and strained and we've helped with the government Covid-19 community helpline, and to be treated in this way - the sector is very angry about this reduction." Draft budget will 'intensify hardship' Ulster University social security expert Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick said, if adopted, the budget would put more people in Northern Ireland into poverty. The equality impact assessment of the draft budget also found NI would be the only region in the UK without the resources to support people facing unemployment. Dr Fitzpatrick said: "It absolutely will increase poverty levels here in NI and indeed increase destitution where people will not be able to afford the very basics. "It's also particularly concerning that they didn't get the extra £31m for staff to deliver Universal Credit and this will increase the waiting time for new claimants." Unspent Covid cash could 'get surgery going again' Almost £300m funding for Covid pressures 'unspent' She said claimants having to wait longer for their benefits would "intensify hardship". In a statement, the DfC said: "It is clear that the draft budget presents very significant challenges for the executive and across departments with a constrained Spending Review outcome, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and an economic crisis. "The equality impact assessment on the draft budget position is an important part of the decision making process and once finalised will be provided to the Department of Finance to inform the executive's consideration of the final budget allocation."

Shares in a US games company have soared more than 300% in the past week - the result of a fight between private and professional investors. Video games bricks-and-mortar retailer Gamestop is arguably something of a relic in a world moving online. But its share price soared another 120% in Wednesday trading in New York. Analysts blame tech-savvy young day traders, who they say are taking on hedge funds in a conflict with generational overtones. And the phenomenon could be spreading to Europe, with several stocks subject to unusual fluctuations in Wednesday trading. It's a battle between Wall Street pros and upstart investors using social media platforms such as Reddit, analysts say. And at the moment, the upstarts have the upper hand. It is, says Neil Wilson from markets.com, getting weird: "We are seeing some serious funny business in some corners of the market." "Will it end badly?" asks Thomas Hayes, managing director at Great Hill Capital hedge fund. "Sure. We just don't know when." What's driving up the Gamestop price? Certainly not any good news coming out of the company. Gamestop - described as a "failing mall-based retailer" by one professional investor - made a loss of $795m in 2019, and probably several hundred more in 2020. But that's not deterred an army of social media day traders, with access to free and low-cost trading platforms such as Robinhood, and who probably have a lot of time on their hands during lockdown. They've been swapping tips and ramping up prices via Reddit's chat thread wallstreetbets. Gamestop is not the only stock in their sights - Blackberry, AMC and Nokia Oyjis are others - but is currently the battleground between the Goliaths like hedge funds and big investors, and the Davids who make up Reddit's private punters. Key to what's going on is "shorting", where, say, a hedge fund borrows shares in a company from other investors in the belief that the price of stock is going to fall. The hedge fund sells the shares on the markets at, for example, $10 each, waits until they fall to $5, and buys them back. The borrowed shares are returned to the original owner, and the hedge fund pockets a profit. That's the somewhat simplistic theory, anyway. $2bn losses Gamestop is the most shorted stock on Wall Street, with some 30% of the shares thought to be in the hands of hedge fund borrowers. But Reddit's retail investors have embarked on a frenzy of share buying and options trades, pushing up the price and putting a "short squeeze" on the pros. In this supercharged trading environment, the big Wall Street investors rush back into the market to limit their losses, with the demand pushing up the price still further. One hedge fund, Melvin Capital Management, reportedly had to be bailed out with more than $2bn to cover losses on some shares, including Gamestop, while another short-seller, Citron Research, has also withdrawn from the fray. For many Reddit investors, it's not just about making money. They smell blood. Analyst Neil Wilson says that from reading the Reddit chat threads, the day traders' battle with Wall Street is clearly personal. "Among the many aspects of this story that are strange, what is so unusual is the peculiar vigilante morality of the traders pumping the stock. They seem hell-bent on taking on Wall Street, they seem to hate hedge funds and threads are peppered with insults about 'boomer' money. "It's a generational fight, redistributive and all about robbing the rich to give to the millennial 'poor'." But many big investors are refusing to budge and continue to hold their Gamestop stock at rock-bottom prices. They believe the tide will turn on Reddit's herd instinct and Gamestop shares will come back to earth. "These are not normal times and while the [Reddit] thing is fascinating to watch, I can't help but think that this is unlikely to end well for someone," Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid said. In the meantime, some European stocks appear to have been targeted in similar fashion by day traders. They include media company Pearson, which saw its share price surge nearly 14% in London trading on Wednesday, and German drugs firm Evotec, which rose 9.6% in Frankfurt. Tears and headaches In another surprise twist, the unprecedented rally was given a further boost by Elon Musk. The billionaire Tesla boss tweeted the word "Gamestonk", along with a link to the Reddit message board that had been pumping the stock. For its part, Reddit said it had not been contacted by the authorities over the stock price movements. "Reddit's site-wide policies prohibit posting illegal content or soliciting or facilitating illegal transactions. We will review and co-operate with valid law enforcement investigations or actions as needed," a spokeswoman said. The market turmoil has even come to the attention of new US President Joe Biden, with the White House saying it is "monitoring the situation". For stock market veterans, it's an example of the madness of speculative trading that can only end in tears. And for regulators, it's a headache, as they are the ones who should be cracking down on market mani[CENSORED]tion. Jacob Frenkel, a former lawyer at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the main US financial regulator, said: "Such volatile trading fuelled by opinions where there appears to be little corporate activity to justify the price movement is exactly what SEC investigations are made of." However, other experts believe Reddit's legion of investors represent a generational shift in attitudes to money and use of new technology. "I don't think this is a fad," said John Patrick Lee, a video game investment expert at VanEck. "A retail trader will not lean on Wall Street to manage their money and I definitely now see an antagonistic relationship between the old guard [Wall Street] and individual traders who are on the rise," he said.

By Jeanny Kao and Yimou Lee TAIPEI (Reuters) - Major Taiwanese chipmakers are willing to prioritise supplies for auto makers amid a global shortage of chips for the industry, the island's economics minister said after meeting with company executives. Automakers around the world are shutting assembly lines due to the shortages, which in some cases have been exacerbated by the former U.S. administration's actions against Chinese chip factories. "Chipmakers are willing to follow the government's request and try to support auto chips as much as they can to support production in the U.S., Europe and Japan," Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua told reporters. The issue has become a diplomatic one, with German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier writing to Wang to ask her for help in addressing it. Wang also said the United States, European Union and Japan had also been in contact. The chipmakers are prepared to negotiate with clients of other products to see which clients are willing to delay or cut orders and will try to boost production, Wang said. "For example, if their capacity is at 100% now, they will try to raise it to 102% or 103%, with the extra capacity going to make auto chips," she added. She met executives from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), United Microelectronics Corp (UMC), Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp and Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. Vanguard declined comment ahead of quarterly earnings next week but noted the company's chairman had said this month he expects a 15% increase in demand for auto chips this year. UMC Co-president Jason Wang told an investor's call after the minister spoke that they would try their best to help ease the auto chip shortage by prioritising supply. "Hopefully we can relieve some of the pressure," he said. The other two companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The chip firms told Wang that they were at working at full capacity. Business is booming for Taiwan's tech firms as the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work drive demand for laptops, tablets and smartphones.