-Sn!PeR-

Nick: -Sn!PeR- Real name: Saad How old are you?: 20 yo Which Games you play? and for how long?(each of them): CS1.6 1h, CSGO rarely, Fall guys rarely, Minecraft 2h or so (it's been a while since last time i played), dunno what else maybe some mobile games if u count them Where are you from?(country and city): Morocco, Tangier Describe yourself(at least 50 words): I'm a chill dude, friendly and responsible, I'd prefer to stay at my room with my laptop than going out and stuff. I'm a student of mobile development currently, I spend most of my free time playing video games/watching series/active on the community, I am a taekwondo coach & athlete... Note some of your qualities: Friendly, Chill, Hard working, Honest, Creative, Sensitive kinda... Tell us some of your defects: Honesty, i dunno dude i'm kinda perfect Had you before any kind of responsabilities(describe it): In real life? as i said i'm a taekwondo coach so i gotta take care of kids and train them the right way, get into their mindset and understand them and be calm n chill n cool with them, i dunno what other 'responsibilties' i got lol On which category/categories have you been active lately?(describe your activity): Free time (journalist), Technology & Web - Special Promotions - Game platform (Virtual games reviewer), GFX Designer requests area Which category/project you want to care off?: The ones I mentioned above How well you speak english?(and other languages): I'd speak my english is very good, arabic is my original language, and a little bit of french Do you use TS3? Do you have an active microphone?: eh, we don't have a ts3 server anymore do we? For how long can you be active after you get accepted?(days, weeks, months, years): Imma be here till life hits me with some hard responsibilities or till i have literally no free time at all Contact methods: Discord (saad.tebba), Forum pm, if u want more just ask me on forum for whatsapp or instagram or whatever Last request: https://csblackdevil.com/forums/topic/338938-request-recruitment-accepted/

Conservative Rep. Ken Buck is just one of several House Republicans standing in the way of the right’s push to impeach President Joe Biden. But his high-profile seat on the key House Judiciary Committee, recent outspoken interviews railing against the House GOP’s investigative efforts, and long track record of bucking his own party have put a target on his back in conservative circles. Now, there is a serious effort underway to find a candidate to mount a primary challenge against Buck in his solidly red district in eastern Colorado, three GOP sources told CNN – the latest sign of tension as the House GOP grapples with internal divisions over everything from its agenda to former President Donald Trump. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, an ally of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and one of the most vocal proponents of impeaching Biden, said it’s up to Buck’s constituents to decide whether he is the best person to represent his district. But Greene – who has faced repercussions herself for crossing some of her former House Freedom Caucus colleagues earlier this year – told CNN there is an “unbelievable” level of frustration with Buck inside the House GOP, and said she doesn’t think he should still be able to serve on the Judiciary panel or the GOP whip’s team, which is responsible for vote counting. “This is the same guy that wrote a book called ‘Drain the Swamp’, who is now arguing against an impeachment inquiry,” Greene told CNN. “I really don’t see how we can have a member on Judiciary that is flat out refusing to impeach. … It seems like, can he even be trusted to do his job at this point?” She added: “I don’t know how we can have a whip (team member) that continues to vote against our conference bills. That’s completely wrong.” Buck declined to comment for this story, though he has taken his escalating feud with Greene public in recent media appearances. On MSNBC over the weekend, he called Greene’s impeachment comments “absurd” and forcefully pushed back on Greene’s “untrue” suggestion that January 6, 2021, defendants are being mistreated. A spokesman for the Judiciary Committee declined to comment, and the office for House GOP Whip Tom Emmer – who is friendly with Buck – did not return a request for comment. But GOP Rep. Ben Cline of Virginia, also a member of the panel, told CNN, “Ken Buck is an important member of Judiciary, and I respect him greatly.” Allies close to Buck say he isn’t afraid of a primary challenge, noting he easily beat back a GOP opponent in 2022, after facing blowback from the MAGA wing for his vocal support for former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and his decision to certify the 2020 election results. But privately, a half a dozen sources said there is growing frustration – including among the leadership ranks – with Buck, who has voted against the House GOP’s signature parental rights bill, their annual defense policy bill and the bipartisan debt ceiling deal. Buck also was among a group of Republicans who tanked a procedural vote on a gas stove bill in protest over spending levels and has openly suggested on CNN that McCarthy is just using impeachment as a “distraction” from the other issues he is facing. McCarthy is expected to make a forceful pitch at a Thursday special conference meeting on investigations among House Republicans that opening an impeachment inquiry into Biden is the next logical step, sources familiar told CNN on Tuesday. Yet one of Buck’s biggest offenses on the right has been his vocal opposition to launching an impeachment inquiry. Buck, who is a member of the ultra conservative House Freedom Caucus, has said he doesn’t believe the House has produced any evidence that Biden profited off his son’s foreign business deals and cast doubt on whether the evidence even exists – particularly significant since he a senior member on the committee that would help oversee an official impeachment inquiry. The Judiciary Committee has also been one of the key panels involved in investigations into the Biden family. Buck’s opposition has caused a headache for House GOP leaders who are working to convince not only moderate holdouts, but committee members like Buck who are positioned on the front lines of the effort. One of the GOP sources complained that Buck has been far more vocal on television – including in appearances on CNN – about his impeachment stance than he has been with his colleagues, further causing some heartburn. And Democrats have been quick to amplify Buck’s public comments, which has only added fuel to the fire. One GOP lawmaker, who serves on a different committee investigating Biden, said there’s been a lot of “grumbling” inside the GOP about Buck over his comments about their Biden probes. “I often side with Buck, but not on this one,” the member said. Another GOP lawmaker, granted the condition of anonymity to speak freely, said Buck’s position against a Biden impeachment “makes no sense” and that Buck should at least be open to supporting an inquiry given what House Republicans have uncovered so far. But, this lawmaker said even given the growing agitation, it was too soon to talk about a primary challenger for Buck. ‘I don’t think he’s on an island’ Buck may be the most public about his skepticism to his party’s impeachment efforts against the president – as well as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, another top target on the right – but he certainly is not the only one. Even some of his Republican colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee have previously raised concerns about moving forward with an impeachment effort at various points in the process as their panel’s investigation has played out. But they have been less publicly vocal in their resistance compared to Buck. “I’m sure he’ll face some backlash from the far right in his district. But … I don’t think he’s on an island on his own,” Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, a fellow member of the Colorado delegation and an impeachment manager during Trump’s second trial, told CNN. “I think a lot of the Republicans feel this way. He’s coming out and saying publicly what a lot of Republicans are saying privately.” While it is traditional for impeachment articles to proceed through the Judiciary panel, House Democrats brought their second impeachment against Trump straight to the House floor. House Republicans can only lose two Republican Judiciary Committee members if the articles move through the committee and all members of the panel vote. On the House floor, the House GOP conference can only lose four votes given the current margins in the House, though that can fluctuate with absences. Since members have been out of town for the last six weeks, sources said it is difficult to grasp just how strong the opposition is to a Biden impeachment effort within the conference. While GOP leadership has informally been taking the temperature of the conference over the summer, one source told CNN, they are waiting until members return to Congress this week to get a more official sense of where things stand. Leadership largely views Buck as a lone operator and thinks he may vote against impeachment no matter what, and aren’t working him hard to change his tune. Other members, however, are seen as more moveable. They are hoping to convince skeptics to at least get on board with an impeachment inquiry, which leadership has argued is different from an actual impeachment vote and would just strengthen their investigative powers. “We’re gonna have to find the answers,” McCarthy told reporters on Monday. “And this is all information that just has been coming forward that we’ve been able to find out. But the other information is we find that the Biden family delays everything. It benefits them to delay the information. The American public deserves to know.” Talk of a Buck primary challenge grows Buck – a former prosecutor with the Department of Justice and former Colorado GOP chairman who came to Congress in 2015 – once again finds himself in the right’s crosshairs, despite being a staunch conservative himself. Buck has drawn the ire of the MAGA wing of the party for voting to certify the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021, standing up for Cheney amid efforts to remove her from Republican leadership, and criticizing Trump’s legal issues and third presidential campaign. He also put himself at odds with both McCarthy and GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio in the previous Congress, when he teamed up with Democrats on anti-trust legislation. While Buck was the top Republican on the anti-trust subcommittee at the time, when House Republicans took over the majority that subcommittee gavel went to GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky instead. Among the names of people being floated to potentially challenge Buck in a primary, according to several sources familiar: state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, who sources said thought about challenging Buck last cycle but ultimately did not, and state Rep. Richard Holtorf, a pro-Trump Republican who is currently minority whip in the Colorado general assembly. The budding retaliation against Buck mirrors a similar playbook that members of the GOP have used against other vocal detractors who have broken out of their prescribed mold. Greene, for example, was voted out of the far-right Freedom Caucus in July for her growing allegiance to McCarthy and his leadership team. Unlike the majority of the House Freedom Caucus, Greene stood by McCarthy in his fight to become speaker and opposed members of the group who blockaded the House floor for a week over the debt ceiling deal House GOP leaders negotiated with the White House. There’s also been talk among hardliners of supporting primary challenges against other Republican members who have opposed the GOP’s agenda and criticized Trump or conservative colleagues. GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas has already drawn a primary challenger from Brandon Herrera, who posted on Instagram over the weekend that he received a tour of the Capitol with help from the communications director for hardline GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who has spoken highly of Herrera’s campaign in the past. Some Republicans, however, have speculated whether Buck would even run again, given his recent behavior, though Buck has previously said on the record he fully plans to seek reelection. “Everyone on Capitol Hill knows that Ken Buck has given up on his work with the Freedom Caucus, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee so that he can try-out for jobs with TV networks or the Biden administration” a Republican source familiar with the internal discussions told CNN. “He’s totally abandoned all principles to try and make a name for himself. It’s sad that such a formerly great member would do so.” A third GOP lawmaker was even blunter: “We call him buckle.” But Buck – who has relished in his maverick status inside the conference – so far still has allies both in the Freedom Caucus and on the Judiciary Committee. GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who is a member of both, told reporters on Monday: “You can agree to disagree. We have slightly different views about what high crimes and misdemeanors look like. I’ve studied this and looked at the history of it, and I’m more than comfortable about an impeachment inquiry. But I look forward to talking to Ken about it in person.” Source.

Earth's oceans are home to some of the most venomous species on Earth, delivering stings and bites that can kill a human in minutes. And venomous marine critters will become more common as climate change enables creatures like box jellyfish and sea snakes to gain a foothold in new regions. But what are the most venomous species in the sea? Here's a list of some of the deadliest sea creatures on Earth. Blue-ringed octopuses (Hapalochlaena) The blue-ringed octopus is found mostly coral reefs around Southeast Asia and Australia. (Image credit: Subaqueosshutterbug/Getty Images) There are four known species of blue-ringed octopus, all of which are highly venomous and can kill a human within just a few minutes. The venom contains a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, which is 1,000 times more potent than cyanide — and there is no antivenom available to counteract it. Tetrodotoxin is found throughout the octopuses' tissues, not just in specific venom glands, which makes these creatures among the few animals that are both poisonous and venomous. Blue-ringed octopuses are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. This species gets its name from its beautiful but fear-inducing rings — the markings only appear when the octopuses feel threatened or are about to dispense their lethal venom. Bites are often painless, but the venom causes paralysis that can lead to respiratory failure. The effects can occur rapidly or more slowly, so death can occur anywhere between 20 minutes and 24 hours after the toxin enters the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) Australian box jellyfish are considered some of the most dangerous animals in the ocean to humans. They live around northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Their tentacles are up to 10 feet (3 meters) long, and they have transparent bells measuring around 12 inches (30 centimeters). Venom is injected via specialized cells in the tentacles called nematocysts. Their stings are incredibly painful and can cause paralysis and heart failure within minutes if enough venom is injected. They are known to have killed over 70 people in the last century — but the number of fatalities is likely far higher due to a lack of available data. Irukandji box jellyfish (Carukia barnesi) Of the 50 or so known box jellyfish species, the Irukandji is one of the most well-known and even has a syndrome named after it — the Irukandji syndrome. The name "Irukandji" comes from the Aboriginal people in the Cairns area of Australia, where the species occurs frequently. The species is very small, growing to only 0.8 inch (2 cm) in diameter and with only four tentacles, but it packs a mighty punch. And it's not only the tentacles that pose a risk — the bell also contains venom-containing nematocysts. The sting itself is mild, but more serious symptoms can set in between 20 and 40 minutes later. These include severe pain, muscle cramping, high heart rate and blood pressure, fluid in the lungs and potentially life-threatening cardiac complications. There are between 50 and 100 hospitalizations due to Irukandji syndrome in Australia each year. Twenty five species of box jellyfish can cause Irukandji syndrome, but Carukia barnesi is the one usually associated with it. Portuguese men o'war (Physalia physalis) Often mistaken for a jellyfish, the Portuguese man o' War is actually a venomous siphonophore, which is made up of a colony of specialized individuals known as zooids that work together as one unit. A Portuguese man o' war is composed of four different parts, or polyps — bladder, tentacles, digestive and reproduction. The topmost polyp forms the blue-purple gas-filled bladder that sits above the water and gives the species its name — it is thought to resemble an old warship. Like jellyfish, Portuguese men o' war also have stinging tentacles that can be about 30 feet (10 m) long and are used to catch and paralyze fish. These tentacles can cause a painful sting when touched by humans, even when a Portuguese man of war is dead. The stings can cause shock and fever. Deaths have been recorded, but cases are extremely rare. Geography cone snail (Conus geographus) There are more than 1,000 species of cone snails, which vary in size and have conical-shaped shells. These mollusks are predatory and have venom-filled, harpoon-like modified teeth that they use to paralyze their prey — usually small fish, invertebrates and other cone snails. Not all cone snails are dangerous to humans, but one species found in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific definitely is. Geography cone snails can grow up to 6 inches (15 cm) long. They are estimated to have more than 10,000 active compounds in their venom, and a sting can cause respiratory paralysis resulting in death. According to a study published in 2016 in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, geography cone snails have been responsible for about 15 deaths in the last 30 years. Stonefish (Synanceia) Stonefish are a highly venomous group of fish that camouflage themselves among coastal reefs in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Stonefish have dorsal spines containing venom that is released under pressure — such as when someone steps on them. When injected into a human, it causes excruciating pain and swelling. Dozens of people are stung by stonefish in Australia every year. While most are mild cases requiring a short hospital stay, extreme cases can result in respiratory difficulties, convulsions, heart failure and death. In 2018, an 11-year-old boy died after a stonefish sting led to pulmonary edema. Red lionfish (Pterois volitans) With gorgeous red and white stripes, fan-like fins and dorsal spines, red lionfish are a wonder to behold — but at a distance. Those dorsal spines contain venom that can cause nausea, breathing difficulties and paralysis in humans. However, they rarely cause death. The species is native to the South Pacific and Indian oceans but has become highly invasive in the Caribbean and southeastern U.S. coast. It preys on native fish and has no known predators to keep its po[CENSORED]tion in check. It can also reproduce all year round. It's estimated that a mature female can produce 2 million eggs every year. In Florida, chefs are working with divers to promote eating lionfish as a way to reduce their numbers. Flower urchin (Toxopneustes pileolus) Crowned the world’s most dangerous urchin species by Guinness World Records, flower urchins contain venom in their spines and appendages. For humans, this venom is very dangerous: After being stung, symptoms include paralysis, respiratory problems and severe pain. Flower urchins can grow to be up to 15 inches (28 cm) in diameter and are found in seagrass, coral reefs and rocky or sandy environments of the Indo-West Pacific. Striped pyjama squid (Sepioloidea lineolata) These dapper cephalopods double the danger level by being both venomous and poisonous. The venom comes from their bite and contains the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. These creatures also produce a poisonous slime to deter predators. Despite the name, they are actually not squids. Instead they are cuttlefish. Found in Australia, they only grow to two inches (5 cm) long and are also known by the alternative name of striped dumpling squids. Dubois' sea snake (Aipysurus duboisii) There are more than 60 species of sea snakes, most of which are venomous. Several of these species are particularly dangerous to humans, such as the Dubois' sea snake, which is found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. Also known as the reef shallows snake, this species can spend between 30 minutes and two hours underwater hunting for fish. It is the most venomous marine snake in the world and is one of the top three most venomous snakes overall. Its bite is mild because of its tiny fangs, but its venom can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, collapse and convulsions. Beaked sea snake (Enhydrina schistosa) Venomous beaked sea snakes, also known as hook-nosed sea snakes or Valakadyn sea snakes, grow to an average of 3.9 feet (1.2 m) long and are found in both the sea and freshwater lakes in and near the Indian Ocean. In a review of sea snake bites in the Malay Peninsula, beaked sea snakes were found to be responsible for half of all bites, with fishers in areas where the species is endemic the most common victims. Their venom is more potent than that of a cobra. Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) The majority of pufferfish species are toxic, with their skin and organs accumulating tetrodotoxin through bacteria in their diet. The Japanese pufferfish is one of the best-known pufferfish species due to it being commercially farmed for human consumption. Pufferfish meat is considered a delicacy in Japan, where it is called "fugu." This expensive dish requires incredibly skilled preparation from certified chefs: If incorrectly prepared it can lead to death. Around 50 people die from pufferfish poisoning in Japan every year. Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) Crown-of-thorns starfish — or COTS for short — are found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Great Barrier Reef. They are covered in spikes that contain venomous toxins. They are also enormous, reaching up to 3 feet (1 m) wide. They feed by extruding their stomachs and wrapping them around corals to digest the tissues. If stung, COTS venom can lead to pain, vomiting, swelling and in rare cases, anaphylactic shock and death. Source.

In recent years, what it means to be a supersport motorcycle has gone through a dramatic change. It had to – sales of traditional 600cc supersports have tanked since the Great Recession, and most of the old guard have either stopped selling their 600s in the US, or haven’t updated them in years. Why should they? Instead, we have a smattering of motorcycles with sporty intentions – some with fairings and others without. The only common denominator is they all have engines under 1000cc. In a way, it’s ironic that Kawasaki – one of the first to upend the traditional 600cc model all the way back in 2002 with its 636cc ZX-6R – is one of the last stalwarts in the class. Not only is Kawasaki holding out, it’s pushing forward – introducing the “updated” 2024 Ninja ZX-6R. Why the quotes, you ask? Because the reality is this new ZX-6R isn’t too far removed from the previous “update” released in late 2018 ( which I rode), itself dating back to the 636’s revival in 2013 ( which I also rode). I feel old now after writing those last few sentences and realizing how much time has passed since reviewing those bikes. But if there’s something the passage of time has given me, it’s perspective (and a few gray hairs). What’s New? Not a lot, really. The sad truth is that, with a class that’s stagnant at best, what’s the point of performing a major overhaul? As sad as it is, there’s a sense that we should just be happy Kawasaki is continuing the ZX-6R at all. With declining sales compounded with ever-tightening emissions requirements, it’s understandable why Yamaha pulled the R6 out of the lineup entirely and why Suzuki and Honda limited where its 600s are sold. Still, a model refresh starts (and sometimes ends) with a new look, and that’s the most obvious difference with the 2024 ZX-6R. Viewed from the front profile, the nose of the bike has gone through a redesign to more closely match the look of the ZX-10R, and now the ZX-4RR. It’s tighter, with a reshaped ram-air funnel. The 6R now has LED headlights and turn indicators, and while the middle brother now resembles both its bigger and smaller siblings, the front ends aren’t exactly the same. In case you were thinking about swapping parts over. As far as visual differences are concerned, two more items stand out. First is the switch to round brake discs – a somewhat significant change after years and years with the petal-type discs. The dual discs up front still measure 310mm and are clamped by radial-mount Nissin four-pot calipers. Though the bikes we tested were not ABS models, Kawasaki has updated the ABS software in the Bosch 9.3MP ABS unit for smoother operation. The other is the transition from an LCD gauge to a 4.3-inch TFT display. Not only is the TFT more attractive and easier to read, according to Kawasaki, the transition also made it possible to integrate the riding modes to a power level and (non-IMU) traction control setting together. Riding modes, power levels, and traction control aren’t new features of the 6R, but tying them all together to individual riding modes is. Now when you choose between Sport, Road, or Rain, you get a preset power and TC setting. Sport gives you full power and the least TC (level 1), Road gives full power and TC level 2 (the middle setting), and Rain gives low power and the most TC (level 3). A fourth riding mode, Rider, allows you to set TC and power levels individually – though really, I’m not sure why you’d want to, unless you want to turn TC off entirely (which you can’t do in the other three riding modes). If you were hoping for a breakthrough in the 636cc engine, I have bad news for you – it’s mostly the same. In fact, it probably loses a pony or two since the 2024 engine gets new camshafts with a lower lift profile and a shorter duration compared to the previous model. In exchange, the new 6R produces lower exhaust emissions and passes stricter sniff tests. Ah, the dreaded E-word. Love it or hate it, the quest for clean air isn’t something to be taken lightly, and it certainly isn’t by the manufacturers. It’s not a sexy topic to talk about, but the only way the manufacturers (not just Kawasaki) can legally put bikes on dealership floors is by passing regulations. The engineering involved to meet those requirements and still achieve the same performance levels is impressive and can't simply be dismissed. It’s also why we’re seeing legacy models get bigger engines – it’s an easy way to meet emissions requirements and deliver performance. Without a bigger engine to turn to however, the 6R not only relies on new cams to pass the sniffer test, but also a different exhaust layout that includes a noticeably larger exhaust pre-chamber. This also places the O2 sensor slightly upstream, closer to the exhaust ports, for a more efficient read and cleaner burn. After that, the last notable change with the 2024 ZX-6R is the ability to pair the bike with Kawasaki’s Rideology app to view vehicle info, phone notices, and have the ability to tune general settings. There’s also a riding log that tracks running information and uses GPS to track your route. For track oriented folks, technically this can be used to log your lap times, but unlike the ZX-4RR, the 6R’s software doesn’t include a lap function. You have to go into the app and parcel out your laps manually. An inconvenience, but anyone serious about tracking that kind of stuff is likely going to use a more sophisticated third party system, anyway. Supersport Magic The ZX-6R riding experience is a great reminder of why the supersport class was so po[CENSORED]r. With a proper supersport chassis and a little over 100 horsepower, it’s a great recipe for fast riding without getting in over your head. These kinds of power levels, at least with today’s chassis and tire technology, strike this perfect blend between performance and pleasure. You can ride the 6R as hard as you dare, and for the most part, you feel like you’re in control the whole time. When you raise the stakes and jump on a liter-class machine pushing 200-plus horsepower, the world is coming at you at a rate that’s hard to process. Not to mention the physical toll it takes to tame one of those beasts. If it weren’t for the recession and supersport prices going through the roof, I can only imagine how advanced the supersport class would be today. To refamiliarize ourselves with what supersports can offer, and put the new 6R to the test, we gathered at the Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington. A favorite track to many across the country, “The Ridge” as it’s more affectionately known, offers a multitude of challenges including hard braking zones, lots of elevation changes, tight corners, fast corners, and blind corners – basically, it’s a rider’s dream. Naturally, when at a dream-like racetrack, the plan is to get after it when the green flag drops. For this test, the stock Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires were shucked in favor of Pirelli’s Superbike Slicks in the SC1 compound and in the stock sizes (120/70-17 front, 180/55-17 rear) – meaning full-send mode was well and truly activated. However, it didn’t take long to reveal some of the bike’s shortcomings. The Ridge’s long pit lane allows plenty of space to row through the gears and get up to merging speed, and besides the fact the 6R still doesn’t have an autoblipper to go down gears clutchlessly, the quickshifter for upshifts felt snatchy. The ignition kill times were too long, causing an unnecessary pause in power delivery long after the next gear was already selected. It wasn’t as bad in the higher gears, but it was still evident. Aftermarket tuning could help smooth out the lag, but you’d think after being on the market for this long, this would be dialed out by now. Fortunately, Graves Motorsports, Kawasaki’s authorized tuning house, has a complete autoblipper system for the 6R. One of the things that makes The Ridge a rider’s track is the elevation changes that lead you up and down into a series of corners. Navigating these sections requires a combination of finesse on the throttle, power from the engine to climb up hills, and feedback from the brakes when descending. Along with a snatchy upshift, the ZX’s fueling leads to jerky on/off throttle transitions, at least in Sport mode (which is where I spent my time). Despite making an effort to turn the grip as gently as I could, the hit when the power comes in is hard to ignore. On the bright side, compared to other 600s, the torque from the extra 36cc was nice to have pulling out of slow-speed corners. As far as climbing up hills, as the revs start to climb towards the 15,000 rpm redline (indicated on the tach, anyway), there’s a notable drop in power after about 12,500 rpm – likely a result of the new cam profiles. It’s disappointing to have a few thousand more revs at your disposal that are virtually useless, at least it in the current engine’s configuration. Then again, I suppose that’s better than having 5,000 empty revs before redline when riding the stock (electronically restricted) ZX-4RR… During my time with the ZX-6R, I quickly learned that riding it involved a series of tradeoffs. Lagging shifts, snatchy low-speed fueling, and an engine that signs off early are certainly not good traits (luckily, these can be cured in the aftermarket), but I was pleasantly surprised with the standard Nissin monoblock radial brakes. There are certain corners that put a high demand on the brakes – not least of which is the first turn leading into the chicane. You’re approaching it in the top of fifth gear, sometimes sixth if you get a good run, and dropping down to second. Shedding a ton of speed quickly is of the highest priority, and though the standard pads don’t have as strong an initial bite as I would like, the braking power never failed to scrub off all the speed I needed while still allowing me to trail the brakes deep into the apex. Lap after lap. That said, steel brake lines would be a big upgrade. With the speed set, the chassis was put to work. Even though the Showa SFF-BP fork is adjustable for preload compression and rebound, all I needed was to slow the rebound damping two clicks to get it where I liked it. Since the front would stay low on corner entry and hold its line through the corner and on the way out, I didn’t have a need to change anything. Even the rear of the bike felt mostly spot-on. Granted, Kawasaki test riders estimated where the settings should be beforehand. And they were right. However, with the standard 180/55 rear tire, transitions from side to side are a little on the slow side, requiring a little muscle to achieve. This is one of the reasons the reputable tire companies making slicks offer sizing with bigger contact patches and/or aspect ratios – to pitch the bike on its nose a little more and make transitions easier. Without that option, Kawasaki’s solution was to add a 2mm shim to the shock to achieve the same result. With all other settings being left alone, the shim made a noticeable difference getting the bike to turn. Then, once on its side, the lateral flex from the chassis gives enough feedback to allow the brave – or those looking for social media points (myself included) to dip their elbow on the ground. Considering their relatively budget nature, the Showa suspension is easily capable of going fast right out of the box. The chassis doesn’t communicate as precisely or accurately as more expensive bikes out there, but that’s picking an awfully small nit. Ironically, I still consider the ZX-6R chassis circa 2007 one of the best chassis I’ve ridden. But I digress… One unexpected nicety I discovered was the shape of the fuel tank allowed me to comfortably place my outside leg on it to brace and support myself as needed. That was especially handy when using my lower body and my core to pick the bike up off a corner or for transitions. Unfortunately though, that’s where the praise for the ergos stops. The rider triangle is far too narrow to comfortably get into a tuck – which is saying a lot coming from a shorty like me who’s 5-foot, 8-inches tall. The rider pocket is too cramped, and I couldn’t scoot far enough back in the seat, which ends up making my profile wider, in the flow of air, because my elbows are beside my thighs instead of in front of my knees – where they are better protected from the wind – when trying to crouch into a tuck. The ZX-6R Isn’t The Supersport Savior While it’s certainly fun, the ZX-6R is starting to show its age – which is especially bad considering what some of Kawasaki’s European competition is bringing to the table. Long gone are the days of complete model refreshes every two years, which was never sustainable anyway. Clearly, considering the ZX-6R is still capable of winning races, as evidenced by Stefano Mesa’s victory at the MotoAmerica round in Pittsburgh recently, the aftermarket (Chuck Graves, specifically) can bring the platform up to a high level. But in stock form, it leaves some to be desired. On the one hand, I’m glad the ZX-6R is still around since it’s always nice to have options. I was just hoping it would be… more. The 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R will be available in three colors: Pearl Robotic White/Metallic Graphite Gray, Metallic Flat Spark Black/Ebony, and the KRT Edition with the classic Kawasaki green. All three have the same price: $11,299 for non-ABS models and $12,299 equipped with ABS. Source.

Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a suspected Achilles injury on his New York Jets debut against Buffalo Bills. The NFL's four-time Most Valuable Player, who joined from Green Bay Packers in the off-season, was injured in the first quarter after being sacked by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd. "We're concerned with his Achilles," said Jets coach Robert Saleh. "It's not good." The Jets won 22-16 in overtime at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Rodgers arrived at the Jets amid much excitement as the franchise look to end the NFL's longest play-off drought of 12 years. The 39-year-old had spent his entire NFL career with Green Bay and won the Super Bowl in 2011. In the Jets' first game of the season, he lasted a little over three minutes when he landed awkwardly on his left ankle. He spent several minutes on the turf before being helped off the field by the medical team. The Jets announced during the second quarter that Rodgers would not return to the game but that X-rays showed no broken bones. "An MRI is probably going to confirm what we think has happened, so prayers tonight," said Saleh. "I hurt for Aaron and how much he has invested in all of this. I'm still going to hold out hope. But my heart's with Aaron right now, nobody else." Zach Wilson, the Jets' regular quarterback for the past two years, replaced Rodgers and completed 14 of 21 passes for 140 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Buffalo reserve safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in January, was at the game but was not named in the matchday squad. Source.

When it comes to fashion, there is nobody quite like Sonam Kapoor. She can carry of any style — from bold and unconventional ensembles to elegant and timeless designs. So, when recently the Bollywood diva showcased her sartorial prowess in a red and white outfit, we could not help but be in awe of her! This time around, she combined two separate pieces to create a gorgeous combination that definitely made heads turn. She opted for an off-shoulder white bodysuit from clothing brand Khaite and paired it with a fiery red denim maxi skirt. This is no ordinary skirt, as it is from Alaïa, a luxury couture label, which consists of an elasticated waistband studded with leather buckles that perfectly flattered Sonam’s svelte figure. As for accessories, she opted for suede knee-high boots in black from the same label, Alaïa, and a black choker made out of the same material. Styled by her sister and stylist Rhea Kapoor and Abhilasha Devnani, Sonam looked like a Parisian madame. Her hair and makeup were done by celebrity beauty artist Namrata Soni, which included open tresses with dramatic eyes and glossy lips. There is not a single time when Sonam ceases to impress us with her fashion choices. Previously, she embraced the denim-on-denim trend in a printed denim jacket and jeans from her husband Anand Ahuja’s brand VegNonVeg. The muddy blue acid-washed denim jacket and jean set came with the signature VegNonVeg monogram all over it. She paired it with a black sports bra. Her minimal jewellery, mini handbag, and chunky sneakers added to her chic appearance. She rounded off her look with smokey eyes, blood-red nails, and a wavy hairdo. Before this, she put her best fashion foot forward as she attended the Wimbledon finals in London with her husband Anand Ahuja. Her green checkered outfit was from Daniel Lee’s Resort’24 collection for Burberry. She added a pair of sunglasses, a black handbag, matching heels, and checkered socks to the outfit. With her hair tied neatly in a bun and coral-toned makeup, she completed the look. We have only one word to describe her look — STUNNING! Source.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Soviet invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia were wrong. Speaking at a forum in eastern Russia, he said it is not right to do anything in foreign policy that harms the interests of other people. His remarks come as Russian troops continue fighting in Ukraine. The Soviet Union invaded Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968 following mass protests and demands for greater freedoms. President Putin made the comments at the Eastern Economic Forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok on Tuesday. A moderator asked him how he would respond to those who say the Soviet Union behaved like a colonial power when it sent tanks into Prague in 1968 and Budapest in 1956. Mr Putin said: "We acknowledged a long time ago that that part of the Soviet policy was mistaken and only led to tension in relations. One must not do anything in foreign policy that comes in direct contradiction with the interests of other peoples." Mr Putin went on to say that countries in the West, primarily the US, were now making the same mistake as the Soviets made then. "They put pressure on their allies, so-called partners. They have no friends. They only have interests. That is a continuation of a well-known British formula," he said. Mr Putin's comments about the Soviet Union's actions in Hungary and Czechoslovakia appear to contradict the views of some within his inner circle. In August, a history textbook written by one of Mr Putin's advisers, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed that the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was a fascist uprising organised by the West and said that the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary in 1990 had been a mistake. Hungarian politicians and historians criticised the textbook. Szilard Demeter, the director of the Petofi Literary Museum, said that "inhumane dictatorships will still be inhumane and dictatorships, even if someone starts to portray them in a positive light." Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó commented: "There are issues in Hungarian history on which we won't even start a debate with anyone. The Revolutionaries of 1956 are our heroes." The Soviet Union was made up of 15 countries but counted several more satellite states, including Hungary and Czechoslovakia, within its sphere of influence. Source.

Techland has released the Summertime update for Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which comes with the kind of sunshine news every player loves to hear about: the game's added a premium currency. Yay! Microtransactions are not new to Dying Light, with the first game offering several bundles over the course of its long and well-supported life, but these have previously been purchasable via online stores and the trusty method of the US dollar (or whatever your local currency may be). So clearly Techland wants a bigger slice of the pie. The developer has posted an FAQ about DL Points which claims they are "a straightforward way for you to buy bundles without the need to leave the game [and] also make our lives easier, because we won’t have to set up the bundles on multiple outside stores." For the moment, players can still buy stuff in the old way, but Techland's intent is clearly to phase this out, with the FAQ saying this will remain an option "for now" (outside of the PlayStation Store, from which it is removing all existing bundles.) The announcement comes with 500 DL Points for existing players (which need to be redeemed before October 7), though it doesn't appear that this bonanza is actually enough to buy anything decent. This is one of the big problems for players: you can buy 500 points for $5, but most bundles cost 550 points. Previously you could buy that bundle with real money for $6 or whatever the case may be, but now you'll have to spend $10 to get 1,100 DL Points and basically put more money into game upfront. The biggest bundle offered is 6,500 DL points for $50. Reaction has been what you'd expect. Players don't like this and, among the usual calls to boycott the game and refuse to buy any of its DLC, many are drawing a link to Techland's recent acquisition by Tencent. Techland itself addresses this in the FAQ, saying "these events are not connected at all", and that probably is the case: the acquisition only went through in July this year. More notably, this has been put in the context of previous and well-liked community manager Uncy leaving, and his replacement saying on the game's Discord that players who have an issue with this should "play something else." For his part, Uncy seems to regard DL Points as a bad thing and has made this clear publicly. You already know what happened next, and the Steam review bombing campaign is ongoing in earnest. The game still holds a "mostly positive" rating for now but around 2000 recent reviews are "mixed". User cryocore is fairly typical of the sentiment among the negatives, saying Techland "just took a massive dump on the game and their reputation." Techland has kinda-semi-addressed this in an update that hasn't done much to quell the ravenous hordes. "As far as we understand, a big part of the frustration stems from the pricing of the bundles and the resulting leftover DL Points," says the studio, "[...] we’ve already started working on a couple of solutions proposed by the community." These include basically re-jigging the bundles and making items purchasable individually but "that will not happen overnight, as it’ll take the devs some time to rework the system." So: the backlash is real, but it seems certain Techland is simply going to bunker down, do a little bit of fiddling with what it offers for DL Points, but more-or-less stay on the same course. It also seems extraordinarily unlikely that it would back down on a system that integrates its cosmetic offerings into the game and gives it more of the proceeds. People may be angry, but change here feels unlikely. In terms of the game itself the news is better, with the update bringing some reasons to be cheerful. An addition that will make Steam Deck players happy is in-game integration of mod.io, which as with the desktop version, will provide easy access to community maps. A crossover with Payday will see infected robbers appearing, who can be killed for special loot in an event that runs until September 21. A previous update, Gut Feeling, made the game much gorier, which Techland belatedly realised "could impact the streaming experience." Now the game allows players to select between Full, Limited, and Minimum brutality settings in preferences. There's also now an option to skip to prologue and start the game directly, which is mainly targeted at NG+ players and allowing easier access to co-op mode. The update also comes with a huge list of bug fixes, among which the highlights include "Volatiles jump-scared some players by spawning right in front of them", which they will no longer do, and "Biters bounce off correctly after being thrown into a wall." Source.

Nokia X30 5G price in India has been slashed by the company, just over half a year after the phone was launched in India. The company has begun selling the phone with a Rs. 12,000 discount in the country. The phone sports a 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display and is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 695 5G chipset. It comes in Cloudy Blue and Ice White colour options. The Nokia X30 5G is equipped with a 4,200mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. Nokia X30 5G revised price in India, availability The company is offering a discount of Rs. 12,000 on the Nokia X30 5G via its online store. The phone is currently priced at Rs. 36,999. The phone was launched at with a Rs. 48,999 price tag, for the sole 8GB + 256GB RAM and storage configuration. Additionally, there is also a no-cost EMI offer on the handset. Nokia X30 5G specifications, features The Nokia X30 5G that was launched in February sports a 6.43-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and up to 700 nits of peak brightness. The smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 695 5G SoC, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB onboard storage. It runs on Android 12 and the company has promised three major OS upgrades along with three years of monthly security updates. For optics, the Nokia X30 5G ships with a dual rear camera setup including a 50-megapixel PureView primary sensor with OIS support and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle secondary sensor. For selfies and video chats, the phone houses a 16-megapixel shooter on the front. Connectivity options on the handset include 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax-ready, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS/AGPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and a USB Type-C port. The Nokia X30 5G comes equipped with a 4,200mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. It has an in-display fingerprint sensor and has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, according to the company. Source.

Sound signals, lights, painting the rotor blades, and rapid shutdowns have all been tried in an attempt to reduce bird mortality. But researchers Paula B. Garcia Rosa and John Olav Tande at SINTEF are currently working on a new concept—involving turbines that adapt to bird behavior, rather than the other way around. What happens when a bird approaches an 'adaptable' wind turbine? "As the bird approaches, it is identified using cameras and bird radar systems mounted on the turbine," says Garcia Rosa. "This identification has to take place at least five seconds, or at a distance of at least 100 to 200 meters, before collision with the rotor blades," she explains. "Software is used to calculate the most probable trajectory of the bird. If there is a danger of collision, it sends control signals that trigger a small adjustment in the blade rotation velocity. This is achieved by adjusting the generator moment and blade twist," explains Garcia Rosa. To date, the researchers have only succeeded in performing numerical simulations of their method, although their results indicate that four out of five collisions can be avoided. Of course, it is not possible to do anything about potential collisions with the rotor head, or about situations in which a bird approaches a turbine from the side or along the plane through which the blades are cutting through the air. The technology has been given the name SKARV and has already been patented. Predicting a bird's flight trajectory "It's difficult to predict a bird's flight trajectory, and the new system will not resolve this problem entirely," says Garcia Rosa. "For example, if a young, inexperienced bird approaches a turbine displaying irregular flight behavior, it will not be possible to predict exactly where it will be a few seconds later. Prediction is also more difficult if several birds approach at the same time," she says. The researchers offer an alternative solution in the case of an approaching flock of birds. This involves emergency shutdown of the turbine. It may take 15 to 20 seconds for a 10 MW turbine to cease rotation from its usual speed. Wind turbines are rarely installed in isolation, and the risk of collision increases when birds have to navigate through extensive wind farms. Up to 80% fewer deaths "On the basis of our simulations, we believe that the SKARV project can help to reduce the number of fatal collisions by up to 80%," says Garcia Rosa. "The next step is to further develop existing strategies for controlling blade rotation speeds and to integrate these with methods for identifying bird flight trajectories," she says. "Then we will be looking to implement a practical demonstration," adds Garcia Rosa. "We believe that the SKARV technology could be commercially available within five years, and perhaps even earlier if we see sufficient interest from the industry," she says. The technology can be adapted to all wind turbines that operate with variable and controllable blade rotation speeds. "SKARV is a promising technology, but as yet we know too little about how effective it will be in practice," says Roel May, who is a Senior Research Scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). According to May, bird mortality resulting from collisions with wind turbines is regarded globally as a major problem. Seabirds and birds of prey are especially at risk. "In Norway, detailed research has been carried out only on the island of Smøla," says May. "Here, between six and eight white-tailed eagles are killed by wind turbines each year. Willow grouse also incur major losses. The problem is greatest for species that are few in number and which produce few young each year. May is keen to emphasize the need for a hierarchy of measures for the prevention of bird deaths. The most important action would be to install wind farms only in locations where it is likely they will do the least harm. As well as causing bird deaths due to collisions, wind farms also contribute to habitat loss. The next step is to minimize bird losses at existing wind farm locations. On Smøla, NINA has painted rotor blades black and has subsequently recorded a significant reduction in eagle mortality. The SKARV technology also aims to reduce bird losses. After having reduced these negative impacts, compensatory measures, such as habitat restoration at other locations, should be considered. Source.

Nvidia says its new TensorRT-LL open-source software can dramatically boost performance of large language models (LLMs) on its GPUs. According to the company, the capabilities of Nvidia's TensorRT-LL let it boost performance of its H100 compute GPU by two times in GPT-J LLM with six billion parameters. Importantly, the software can enable this performance improvement without re-training the model. Nvidia developed TensorRT-LLM specifically to speed up performance of LLM inference and performance graphcs provided by Nvidia indeed show a 2X speed boost for its H100 due to appropriate software optimizations. A particular standout feature of Nvidia's TensorRT-LLM is its innovative in-flight batching technique. This method addresses the dynamic and diverse workloads of LLMs, which can vary greatly in their computational demands. In-flight batching optimizes the scheduling of these workloads, ensuring that GPU resources are used to their maximum potential. As a result, real-world LLM requests on the H100 Tensor Core GPUs see a doubling in throughput, leading to faster and more efficient AI inference processes. Nvidia says that its TensorRT-LLM integrates a deep learning compiler with optimized kernels, pre- and post-processing steps, and multi-GPU/multi-node communication primitives, ensuring that they run more efficiently on its GPUs. This integration is further complemented by a modular Python API, which provides a developer-friendly interface to further augment capabilities of the software and hardware without delving deep into complex programming languages. For example, MosaicML has added specific features that it needed on top of TensorRT-LLM seamlessly and integrated them into their inference serving. "TensorRT-LLM is easy to use, feature-packed with streaming of tokens, in-flight batching, paged-attention, quantization, and more, and is efficient," said Naveen Rao, vice president of engineering at Databricks. "It delivers state-of-the-art performance for LLM serving using NVIDIA GPUs and allows us to pass on the cost savings to our customers." The performance of Nvidia's H100 when coupled with TensorRT-LLM is impressive. On NVIDIA's Hopper architecture, the H100 GPU, when paired with TensorRT-LLM, outperforms the A100 GPU by a factor of eight. Furthermore, when testing the Llama 2 model developed by Meta, TensorRT-LLM achieved a 4.6x acceleration in inference performance compared to the A100 GPUs. These figures underscore the transformative potential of the software in the realm of AI and machine learning. Lastly, the H100 GPUs, when used in conjunction with TensorRT-LLM, support the FP8 format. This capability allows for a reduction in memory consumption without any loss in model accuracy, which is beneficial for enterprises that have limited budget and/or datacenter space and cannot install a sufficient number of servers to tune their LLMs. Source.

Name of the game: Resident Evil 4 Price: $59.99 - $39.59 Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2050650/Resident_Evil_4/ Offer ends up after X hours: WEEKEND DEAL! Offer ends 25 September. Requirements:

Starfield has topped the weekly retail game sales chart in the United Kingdom, according to GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring, who explained that the figure is particularly impressive because Xbox sales tend to skew heavily toward digital. According to Dring, when adding in Game Pass, Starfield could be the biggest launch of the year in terms of player counts in the United Kingdom. Starfield is No.1 in the UK boxed charts, which is impressive. It’s not the biggest physical launch of 2023 (it’s behind Hogwarts Legacy, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Resident Evil 4 remake, Final Fantasy XVI, and Dead Island 2 on that list), but it’s almost identical to Diablo IV, and that’s significant because Diablo IV was a major digital hit. Starfield will be similar because it’s on the two most digital platforms (PC & Xbox Series S|X). Note: Diablo is also on PS5, which does ok physically. Throw in Game Pass… this might be the biggest launch of 2023. And that’s saying something. While Xbox does not publicly share sales data, they share it with Europe's GSD, the UK's GfK, and Circana in the US. Dring has access to this data, having reported on UK and European retail game sales for a decade and a half. In a follow-up tweet, Dring said Starfield definitely sold more than Final Fantasy XVI and explained why, too: It's because PS5 games do quite well physically (not as well as Switch, but better than Xbox). So FF16's physical numbers are okay; digital was about the same. In Starfield's case, I'd expect 80%+ sales to be digital based on usual Xbox performance. Add in Game Pass... It's another level. Anyway, Starfield topping the UK weekly chart is particularly significant also because the Xbox Series S|X combination is far less po[CENSORED]r than PlayStation and Nintendo consoles in the country. We already knew the game was doing well after Microsoft Gaming CEO announced over a million concurrent players; then, Bethesda said Starfield had become their biggest title with over six million players. Over the weekend, the game surpassed Skyrim's concurrent player count on Steam, settling at over 330K simultaneous players around fourteen hours ago. Source.

Coinbase on Monday clarified that it was not shutting operations in India, hours after reports surfaced that it had emailed customers asking them to withdraw their funds before September 25. The exchange reportedly stated that it is not ceasing its India operations for all users. The confusion over the company's services in India comes just days after crypto-related suggestions and concerns were voiced by world leaders during the G20 Summit as well as the Global Fintech Fest 2023, both of which were held in the country last week. Media reports earlier on Monday claimed Coinbase was going to discontinue its services in India citing an email that some of Coinbase's India users received over the weekend. This email directed its receivers to withdraw any funds that were stored with the exchange. The exchange has only sent this email to those of its users who have been identified to be in violation of its policies, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Gadgets 360. More updates on the same remain awaited from the company's end. Meanwhile, a TechCrunch report states that the company has also stopped new registrations from users in India. "It is possible that during the course of a recent routine review of our systems, some accounts may have been identified that no longer meet our updated standards. We will therefore be disabling these accounts and allow customers to update their information at a later date,” a company spokesperson told the publication. Users of crypto exchanges in India need to provide KYC-related information as per company guidelines to access services on the direction of most government regulations. Coinbase launched its services in India in April last year. In August 2022, when Coinbase announced that it was going to let Indian users purchase crypto on its app via UPI payments, the National Payments Corporations of India (NPCI) said it did not authorise Coinbase to provide this feature. The exchange halted the release of this feature after the NPCI's clarification, and was never rolled out to users in the country. Due to a lack of clarity caused by the absence of crypto regulations, the government and the RBI have not been supportive of promoting crypto-related activities in the country, which was also criticised by Coinbase chief Brian Armstrong at the time. Source.

"Starfield", one of the most-anticipated video games in years, launches worldwide on Wednesday with the hype—and production standards—of a Hollywood blockbuster. And Microsoft has billions riding on its success. The ever-evolving game is the tech giant's bid to lock players into its Xbox subscription service after some eye-poppingly enormous investments in the gaming sector, which is worth $200 billion globally. A universe-spanning role-playing sci-fi game, "Starfield" is made by US studio Bethesda, which Microsoft bought as part of a $7.5 billion deal in 2020 to boost Xbox's appeal over Sony's PlayStation. Microsoft is currently trying to get a $75-billion purchase of another studio, Activision Blizzard—the makers of "Call of Duty"—past regulators wary of rapid concentration in the sector. The excitement for "Starfield" has been driven by a high rating of 87 out of 100 on review-aggregator Metacritic, based on early play-throughs by critics as well as strongly positive videos by gamers on YouTube. Scale of 'Star Wars' Reviews praise its epic scale, multitude of interactive stories, engrossing first-person combat and the way it conjured ersatz interactive versions of movie franchises "Star Trek", "Star Wars" and "Blade Runner". Its appeal underscores growing fascination with games that have become increasingly cinematic, complete with nuanced acting, storytelling involving moral dilemmas and big-budget, multi-year evolving storylines. Those qualities mean they are essentially "interactive movies", said Simon Little, head of Video Games Europe, an umbrella organisation representing European games developers. Other titles this year boasting those same Hollywood-esque qualities include "Hogwarts Legacy", which taps into the Harry Potter universe and is made by Avalanche Software, a game developer owned by Warner Bros. Another is "Baldur's Gate 3", a role-playing game made by Belgium-based Larian Studios that ranks a near-perfect 96 on Metacritic after coming out last month for PCs. Its PlayStation version goes on sale on Wednesday, the same day "Starfield" is released for the Xbox. While "Hogwarts Legacy" surpassed $1 billion in sales within a couple of months of release, Microsoft is primarily using "Starfield" to lock players into its Xbox console. The game will be available under the Xbox games library subscription service Game Pass, which costs $11 a month—substantially less than the $70 price to buy the base version outright. The strategy is to keep players paying monthly for massive online games such as "Starfield", which can be constantly added to, with new storylines injected into them for years or decades to come. Decades of gameplay "Unlike a book or a film, where it's written, it's finished and that's it, a big online game from a development point of view is never really finished," said Little, of Video Games Europe. "It's always being enhanced, it's being tweaked, it's being extended, just to keep players engaged and interested, and playing and enjoying the game." Bethesda, for instance, made the still hugely po[CENSORED]r sword-and-sorcery adventure game "Skyrim", part of the "Elder Scrolls" franchise, 12 years ago. That game is in many ways a template and point of comparison for "Starfield". "If you go and look at our player numbers on 'Skyrim' and how many millions of people played 'Skyrim' like last month, you realize that this is not a game that gets measured in hours," Bethesda vice president Peter Hines said last month at Gamescom, a German video games trade fair. The studio said it expects "Starfield", which boasts 1,000 planets to explore, will be played for decades to come as new narratives are bolted on to it, expanding the current story that already takes more than 100 hours to complete. Video game observers say the prospect of such generational games is all the more likely given advances in artificial intelligence which can make in-game characters respond in life-like fashion to players' actions and dialog. Soure.

Researchers from the University of California reckon the growth in po[CENSORED]rity of AI might not be without a significant environmental impact. The Associated Press (AP) reported on a preliminary study from the University, which indicates as few as five ChatGPT queries can result in gulping up 500 milliliters of water (roughly a 16-ounce bottle) at Microsoft's Iowa data center. The study also includes indirect water use from other sources associated with the data center, like the power plant that feeds its energy. Previously, we have looked with concern at the electricity consumption of hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft, and AWS. We also saw cryptocurrency mining operations push computing energy consumption figures to new highs a few years ago. Water is arguably a more precious resource, but California researchers have had to put unexpected efforts into digging up water consumption figures, with AP characterizing server companies as "secretive" regarding specifics. The goal of the UC researchers was to uncover the environmental impact of AI processing, spurred by the success of products like ChatGPT. This is based on the knowledge that Microsoft's Iowa data centers are a major driver behind a great deal of the recent AI processing expansion. One of Microsoft's most powerful computers known to be dedicated to OpenAI is situated in Iowa. The system, which was first unveiled in 2020, is powered by more than 285,000 AMD InfiniBand CPU cores and 10,000 GPUs. It is dedicated to GPT-4, OpenAI's fourth-generation model. Figures show that from 2021-22, Microsoft's water consumption in Iowa rose 34% to nearly 1.7 billion gallons. The UC researchers peg this increase as due to the rise of AI. Calculations indicate that the data center uses half a liter of water (16 fluid oz) per 5 to 50 ChatGPT queries. Variables affecting water consumption (5 to 50 is a wide range) include server location and weather (some server cooling methods consume water). Interestingly, there is no mention of any correlation between query complexity and water or electricity consumption. However, the above estimates include "indirect water usage," not tallied by the companies involved — like water usage from the power plants that feed electricity to the data centers. AP got a statement from Microsoft, which sought to highlight its progress in efficiency, the use of renewables, and other efforts made in the name of sustainability. Separately, OpenAI admitted to AP that "training large models can be energy and water-intensive" but said it was striving for greater training efficiency. Things could be worse, according to the researchers. They say that the data center's location in Iowa means that for much of the year, the weather is cool enough that air venting from the building is sufficient for server cooling. The facility only starts to draw water from the mains when the weather hits 29.3 degrees Celsius (about 85 degrees Fahrenheit) or above, Figures for July 2022 show the water draw is still considerable during the summer period, with Microsoft's Iowa data centers pumping in about 11.5 million gallons of water, according to the West Des Moines Water Works (about 6% of all water consumed in the district). A letter seen by AP indicates the water company and city government are concerned about Microsoft's peak summer usage. Without improved technology to ensure their peak water usage will be significantly lower, it won't green-light further data centers. What about Google and its chat-based Bard AI tool and other AI projects? The researchers say the search giant used 30% more water in the same period (2021-22) across all its US data centers. This rise is again largely attributed by the UC researchers to the explosion in the demand for AI processing. Interestingly, Google's water consumption in Oregon has been under scrutiny by regulators in recent years and didn't rise much, but its data centers near Las Vegas doubled their water consumption, and Google's Iowa facilities were the thirstiest of all. Source.

Name of the game: Railbound Price: $12.99 - $9.09 Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967510/Railbound/ Offer ends up after X hours: DAILY DEAL! Offer ends 20 September. Requirements:

➥Age: 20 years old ➥Contact(Steam, TS3, Discord etc): Steam - highlifezm5, Discord - saad.tebba ➥Experience in Adobe Photoshop(Months or years): 7 years or maybe more ➥Obligatory attach your Gallery link (If you have one): https://csblackdevil.com/forums/topic/244877-snper-s-art/ ➥Any other editing program you use?: After effects sometimes ➥What version of Photoshop do you use?: Adobe Photoshop 2023 (Beta version) ➥In what section you have your most contribution?: Requests probably ➥Have you read all the rules from each section?: absolutely ➥How many hours you want to dedicate to forum & gfx?: as much as i should be ➥Do you agree that once accepted, you need dedicate a few hours of your daily time to the forum/gfx/ts3: forum n gfx for sure, ts3... do u still have the server lol? ➥Do you agree that once accepted, we as a team need to communicate more so we know each other's time: absolutely even tho there's nobody ._. ➥Do you agree that once accepted, we 100% need a way of contacting you, either is from forum's PM, TS3, Discord or any other contact method: i'm opened to any dm's ➥What can you say about you that will make us interested about your Photoshop skills & experience?(Minimum 10 words): eh, i'm good ? i guess ? lol

Donald Trump is conjuring his most foreboding vision yet of a possible second term, telling supporters in language resonant of the run-up to the January 6 mob attack on the US Capitol that they need to “fight like hell” or they will lose their country. The rhetorical escalation from the four-times-indicted ex-president came at a rally in South Dakota on Friday night where he accused his possible 2024 opponent, President Joe Biden, of ordering his indictment on 91 charges across four criminal cases as a form of election interference. “I don’t think there’s ever been a darkness around our nation like there is now,” Trump said, in a dystopian speech in which he accused Democrats of allowing an “invasion” of migrants over the southern border and of trying to restart Covid “hysteria.” The Republican front-runner’s stark speech raised the prospect of a second presidency that would be even more extreme and challenging to the rule of law than his first. His view that the Oval Office confers unfettered powers suggests Trump would indulge in similar conduct as that for which he is awaiting trial, including intimidating local officials in an alleged bid to overturn his 2020 defeat. Characteristically, Trump also turned criticism of his behavior against his political foes, implicitly arguing that the true peril for America’s political freedoms did not spring from his attempt to invalidate a free and fair election, but from efforts to make him face legal accountability for doing so. “It’s really a threat to democracy while they trample our rights and liberties every single day of the year,” he said. “This is a big moment in our country because we’re either going to go one way or the other, and if we go the other, we’re not going to have a country left,” he told supporters in South Dakota. “We will fight together, we will win together and then we will seek justice together,” he added. This followed a March rally in which he billed his 2024 campaign and potential second term as a vessel of “retribution” for supporters who believe they’ve been wronged. Trump is a highly skilled demagogue whose facility for injecting falsehoods and conspiracies into the country’s political bloodstream creates a swirl of chaos and acrimony in which he alone seems to prosper. And his words shape public opinion. In a recent CNN poll, for example, only 28% of Republicans thought Biden legitimately won sufficient votes to win the 2020 election. This comes after years of Trump incessantly denying he lost, and despite courts throwing out his multiple challenges to the result. Trump’s authoritarianism may make the 2024 election a profound choice The autocratic cast of Trump’s campaign is creating an ominous atmosphere around the 2024 election and generating profound dilemmas for voters and his opponents. It, for instance, lends extra importance to a growing debate over whether Biden, at the age of 80, has the necessary stamina and political resilience to beat Trump a second time. While his predecessor spent the weekend casting doubt on America’s election system, Biden was on the other side of the globe in India and Vietnam building international support for his signature foreign policy strategy of combating the threat to Western democracy from authoritarian leaders in China and Russia. Back home, the ex-president’s extremism also exposes the timidity of most of his Republican primary rivals, who have recently been ganging up on rookie candidate Vivek Ramaswamy but are only willing to criticize Trump in the most oblique terms to avoid crossing his millions of GOP supporters. About the closest that one candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, came to criticizing Trump’s conduct on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday was to warn that “we need to leave the negativity of the past behind us” as she promoted herself as the exemplar of a new generation of leadership. The former president’s increasing demagoguery also puts the spotlight on key unknowns of the 2024 election: – Does the GOP risk nominating a candidate whose untamed behavior will alienate voters in many suburban swing districts who turned against him in the 2020 election, especially given the possibility that he could be a convicted felon by the time voters make their choice? – And if Trump wins the nomination, will his liabilities and the prospect of four more years of chaos and recriminations mitigate concerns about Biden’s physical and mental competence and concerns about the economy, as revealed in a CNN poll last week that captured a broadly negative view of his presidency? At the same time, Trump’s strong lead in the primary shows there is a market for his brand of strongman theatrics. Millions of voters trust and admire him and have been persuaded both by his false claims that he won the 2020 election and that the criminal indictments he is facing are an attempt to persecute him for his political views. Trump’s bluntness and carefully maintained image as an outsider, despite the fact that he used to live in the White House, allow him to endlessly tap a seam of resentment against Washington and political, economic and media “elites” that is deeply felt by many who back the “Make America Great Again” movement. This perhaps explains why his indictments seem to have made him more po[CENSORED]r in the GOP primary. And schooled by Trump, Republicans widely complain that the current president’s son, Hunter Biden – who is under investigation by a special counsel over alleged tax and gun law violations after the collapse of a plea deal – is being given preferential treatment by the Justice Department. And they’re calling out corruption in what they see as Hunter Biden’s attempts to take advantage of his father’s former position as vice president to close business deals in places like China and Ukraine. Trump has sown and propagated many of these narratives for months, putting political pressure on GOP leaders on Capitol Hill to consider the possibility of an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Supporters of the move have not yet shown which high crimes or misdemeanors, or instances of treason or bribery – the constitutional standard for impeachment – apply to Biden. The president has denied being involved in any of his son’s business dealings, and Republicans haven’t produced any evidence of wrongdoing on his part in relation to those deals. Still, a majority of Americans in a recent CNN survey – 61% – say they think that Joe Biden had at least some involvement in Hunter Biden’s business dealings, with 42% saying they think he acted illegally, and 18% saying that his actions were unethical but not illegal. A 55% majority also say the president has acted inappropriately regarding the investigation into his son over potential crimes, while 44% say that he has acted appropriately. These national splits that Trump expertly widens speak to a deep sense of alienation in American politics that will only be exacerbated by a bitter election. Such a divide was on graphic display at a football clash on Saturday in the first-in-the-nation GOP caucus state where Trump, one of several GOP candidates to attend the game, was greeted by a mix of cheers and boos. Several football fans gave him a one-fingered salute in gestures captured on social media. The host Iowa State Cyclones lost to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at the game in Ames, a college town in Story County – a liberal bastion in an increasingly conservative state that Trump twice carried in general elections. Why Trump’s language is the engine of his political power Some commentators have previously questioned what they see as alarmist media coverage of Trump, suggesting his performative belligerence is often interpreted too literally. But the hundreds of pages of evidence in criminal indictments alleging Trump’s use of presidential power to try to steal an election and the way he is using his appearances and social media to try to intimidate judges and potential jury pools ahead of his trials have left such critiques badly outdated. Trump’s fiery rhetoric is central to his political appeal and his method of building power. From his biting put-downs and nicknames that belittle rivals, to the speech in Washington before he told the crowd to “fight like hell” or they wouldn’t have a country on January 6, 2021, Trump uses language to drive his political movement. In his remarks in South Dakota – where he accepted the endorsement of Gov. Kristi Noem, a potential vice presidential pick if he is the GOP nominee – Trump complained that he was the victim of “corrupt and blatant” victimization and “election interference.” He said the cases filed against him would “allow” him, if elected president, to call up his attorney general and demand an investigation into his political adversaries. “Indict my opponent, he’s doing well,” Trump said, implying that was exactly what Biden had done. The ex-president used a sarcastic tone in the raucous atmosphere of a campaign rally, so context is important. But given his example of following through on his threats, his comments may end up being predictive if he wins in 2024. He frequently argued as president that he had all but unfettered constitutional power, which is an attitude that is clearly in evidence in three of his indictments – over attempts to overthrow the election and over his hoarding of classified documents after leaving the White House. So, when Trump issues threats on the campaign trail, it’s worth listening. Source.

The animal kingdom is a carnival of color: There are birds that dress in neon plumage, frogs whose skin gleams in an array of metallic hues, and sea animals whose bodies radiate rainbows. Just about every color you can imagine exists somewhere, masquerading across an animal's skin, feathers or scales. Amid this kaleidoscopic competition, which is the most colorful animal on Earth? And how to judge? Do we choose by number and diversity of colors, or how bright, or how surprising they are? The sheer variety of color in the animal kingdom probably makes it impossible to choose just one, and it quickly becomes a subjective quest. In fact, each of the main animal groups have their own strong contenders. Most colorful mammal There are many possibilities on show in the vast palette of the animal kingdom. Take the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), an Old World monkey from equatorial Africa, and one of the few truly colorful mammals. Its luminous blue face and behind are the products of meticulously arranged collagen fibers that reflect certain wavelengths to produce the vivid hue. Paired with its yellow beard and scarlet snout, this monkey is a contender for the world's most colorful mammal. A runner-up is the Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica), which are rodents in India that sport the colors orange, purple, white, brown and maroon, which may help them blend in with the rainforest's vibrant colors. Most colorful amphibian However, mammals are easily outdone by the competition from other animal groups, like amphibians — especially the poison dart frogs where color is the default, rather than the exception. Take the Amazon poison frog (Ranitomeya ventrimaculata), whose skin shimmers in an ombre display of red, orange, and blue. Then there's the nearly unmatched brightness of the red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas), with its lime- green back, blue sides, and tangerine toes. Most colorful reptile San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), dressed in luminous turquoise, red and black stripes; and the Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener), adorned in brightly-painted rings. Then there are the sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) and the white-lipped python (Leiopython albertisii), two species that gleam in all the colors of the rainbow when the sun strikes their iridescent scales, thanks to nanostructures called iridophores that refract light. The Broadley's flat lizard (Platysaurus broadleyi) packs a rainbow onto its small body, with its sapphire-blue crown and acid-yellow and orange legs popping against the beige rocks where it suns itself in its native southern Africa. Meanwhile, a different genus is the favorite of John J. Wiens, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona: "One of the most colorful and interesting groups that I have worked with are spiny lizards (Sceloporus) in northern Mexico," he said, describing creatures with vivid blue and red scales. But eclipsing all of these reptiles perhaps is the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), a creature so colorful, it looks as though it's wearing a tie-dyed onesie. Most colorful bird When it comes to birds, "hummingbirds may have the most diverse colors ," Wiens said. Just consider the breathtaking hues of the fiery-throated hummingbird (Panterpe insignis), and the rainbow starfrontlet (Coeligena iris). Most colorful fish Some of the most colorful creatures, however, may reside below the waves — especially in the polychromatic world of coral reefs, where many animals wear outfits to match their habitat. Some of the brightest contenders are fairy wrasses (Cirrhilabrus) and flasher wrasses (Paracheilinus), whose scales are so saturated in pink, vermillion, yellow and blue that they almost don't look real. The algae-grazing rainbow parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia) stuns in magenta, mint, and turquoise — producing color combinations that change throughout its life. Source.

The backroads and scenic highways between Ventura and Santa Paula, California, are tailor-made for Honda’s 500 twins. Nothing is too fast or technical, but nothing is too tedious either, meaning you’d probably have just as much fun on a CBR500R as you would a CB500F, CB500X, or Rebel 500. And that’s the point; Honda didn’t develop its intermediate middleweights to turn the motorcycling world on its head, but to work for a wide range of riders in an equally wide range of situations—to ensure there is something for every personality that walks through a dealership’s doors. The approach worked, turning Honda into a market leader in the 250–600cc category. And now, with the introduction of the SCL500, Big Red is looking to appeal to an even wider audience. Or at least to those who couldn’t see themselves atop the sportier CBR500R, the more adventurous CB500X, or even the laid-back Rebel 500. Options, according to Honda, are everything. About the Bike Honda need only go as far as its own archives to gather inspiration for a modern street scrambler, having already designed and built some of the most successful scramblers to date. That includes the 1962 CL72, made po[CENSORED]r by Dave Ekins and Bill Robertson Jr., who rode a pair of preproduction CLs from Tijuana to La Paz, Mexico, in what started as a publicity stunt (covered by Cycle World), but ultimately became the genesis of the Baja 1000. Tough guys, on tough bikes, that would go on to inspire countless riders to hit the road. The SCL is not meant to be nearly as rugged or off-road focused as those original examples, according to Honda, but looks the part through scrambler-inspired styling treatments like a high-mount muffler; twin shocks; wide, motocross-style handlebar; and tall, flat seat that’s not all that different from what you’d have found on custom builds a few years back. The frame is borrowed from a Rebel 500, but a model-specific subframe is used in order to accommodate the taller seat and repositioned shocks. As is expected, the SCL has longer suspension travel than the Rebel 500 that it’s based on: 5.9 inches up front and 5.7 inches out back, versus 5.5 and 3.7 inches. Rake is 27 degrees (Rebel 500 rake is 28), wheelbase is 58.4 inches, and seat height is 31.1 inches. Other immediately recognizable components include a newly shaped, 3.2-gallon gas tank, more rearward-set footpegs, and cast wheels wrapped in chunky Dunlop Trailmax Mixtour tires that are street-oriented, but with enough tread to have you at least considering some off-road exploring. Hard to ignore the small-but-classy styling treatments, like rubber knee guards on the tank, short fenders, and rubber fork boots. The SCL uses the same 471cc parallel-twin engine found in every other 500 model in Honda’s lineup, but does have a model-specific intake and one-tooth-larger rear sprocket than the Rebel 500. More direct airflow is intended to improve torque at low speeds, and throttle response, while the larger rear sprocket should just minimally increase acceleration performance over the Rebel 500. The braking package also gets a slight update, the SCL500 utilizing a 310mm front brake disc compared to the 296mm disc found on its CB, CBR, and Rebel siblings. Small differences, but in this case, it’s nice to see at least some new hardware being used. All the better that they’re an upgrade. Riding Impressions Honda wanted to keep the SCL500 narrow and lightweight, not because that fits the scrambler spirit (big bikes are a lot less fun off-road) but because a svelte design makes the bike more accommodating for newer riders. Throw a leg over the flat seat and you can tell that designers took that objective to heart; the bike is slender between your legs and is light enough that it can be picked up off the kickstand with relative ease. The rider triangle is equally as well-sorted; the tall handlebar puts you in a relaxed, upright riding position, the reach to the ground is plenty reasonable, and with the newly positioned footpegs, taller riders won’t find their knees sitting up over the tank. Our favorite part? The handlebar is wrapped in grips akin to what you’d find on Honda’s off-road bikes. A small, perhaps silly thing to notice, sure, but also an indication of what type of sensation Honda was trying to give you when you threw a leg over the SCL. This bike is all about the state of mind it puts you in. Honda has had a long time to perfect the very basic controls that are used on its 500 models, which is to say that the very few switches on the SCL handlebar are easy to find and use for even the unacquainted. The exception here is the round LCD display, which is quite dark and hard to read depending on where the sun is in relation to the screen. Sometimes, reading even just the speed can be a challenge, and given that we’re starting to see higher-quality displays make their way into the entry-level, small-displacement categories, we’d hope Honda makes a similar move. Even pumping just a little color into the display would be nice. The only other thing to consider, from an ergonomics standpoint, is that riders with larger feet will likely find their boots rubbing up against the lower exhaust heat shield. It’s an easy enough thing to avoid by spreading your feet out on the footpegs, but know that the high-mount muffler doesn’t go completely unnoticed. That’s especially true if you try to stand up, as your calves will rest up against the heat shield. Honda did not design this bike for up-out-of-the-saddle off-road riding. It built the SCL500 for fun, relaxed rides around town and for meandering down scenic backroads, and in those environments, the SCL makes perfect sense. Credit the easygoing, parallel-twin engine that’s responsive, smooth, and torquey enough to have a little fun, but doesn’t make enough power to overwhelm a newer rider. Think of it like a Goldilocks engine; anything smaller, like Honda’s own 300cc single, would likely curb what you could do on this bike, and yet something bigger seems almost unnecessary, as it would add weight to the package, neglect newer riders, and only moderately expand the use case. The bike is happiest cruising in top gear at 60 mph, but will run 75 to 80 mph as needed, with only a little vibration starting to trickle in as you power past the 70 mph mark. Fuel efficiency varies very little at laid-back cruising speeds, our testbike going through just a half a tank of fuel during our 110-mile ride, which included a mix of flowy backroads, tighter canyon riding, and very brief stints on the highway. Worth mentioning is the SCL500′s slip/assist clutch, which not only keeps rear-wheel chatter to a minimum under deceleration, but also gives the bike an extremely light clutch pull—exactly what you want if you’re a new rider who’s still getting used to shifting. The transmission offers crisp, effortless shifts as well, another important thing to consider if you’re a new rider or plan to do a lot of in-town riding. The SCL500′s suspension is soft and tailored toward the same style of riding, meaning it’s plush and does an admirable job of absorbing all of the potholes around town, but is less content as the pace picks up on a winding canyon road. In fact, we were plenty happy sitting behind a car, even on a tight canyon road, as the more mellow pace seemed to be exactly what the SCL preferred. Soft suspension aside, the bike is incredibly user-friendly from a handling point of view. It makes light work of congested city streets, bobbing and weaving through traffic with absolute ease. Credit Honda’s lightweight packaging, the rock-solid Rebel 500–based chassis, and motocross-style handlebar that puts the rider in full command. Brakes are equally as accessible, the two-piston Nissin caliper and 310mm front rotor offering up plenty of stopping power for the speeds that you’ll be going on the SCL, and without the wooden sensation that some entry-level brake setups have. Like every other aspect of the bike, it’s everything you need, nothing you don’t. Accessories and Customization Recognizing that the scrambler scene is all about personalization and customization, Honda is already offering a number of accessories for the SCL500, including a headlight visor, high front fender, hand guards, rear carrier, top case, and saddlebags, in addition to things like a tall seat, which will open up the rider triangle for taller riders. That’s only half of the story though, as American Honda has already teamed up with the folks at Steady Garage to show what’s possible if you invest a little time and money into the SCL500. In other parts of the world, companies have built fully custom CLs with added protection and off-road bits, suggesting there might be hope yet for those who want to do a little adventuring on the SCL. Or, if nothing else, give their SCL a custom, one-off look. That, after all, is what the modern street scrambler scene is all about. Final Thoughts Some customers will be disappointed that the SCL500 doesn’t roll off the showroom floor ready to hit the dirt—or that Honda doesn’t even intend for the SCL to go off-road. And while we understand that frustration, one need only look at the flourishing dual sport, enduro, and motocross categories to understand why most manufacturers aren’t going all-in on off-road-capable scramblers. Put simply, there are better tools for that job—bikes that exist because of the path that Honda’s earliest CL models helped pave. But while Honda might not have built an off-road scrambler meant for tackling Baja, it has successfully given new riders and casual enthusiasts alike another great option to choose from—something that might speak to their personality in a way that either of its other 500 twin models don’t. Further proof that options really are everything. Source.

The Green Bay Packers started life without Aaron Rodgers with an impressive 38-20 win at the Chicago Bears on the first Sunday of the new NFL season. Tom Brady's return celebrations at the New England Patriots were ruined by the Philadelphia Eagles, while the Dallas Cowboys embarrassed the New York Giants with a 40-0 shutout. The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins edged a thrilling shootout at the Los Angeles Chargers. Joe Burrow had a nightmare just days after signing his record new contract, but not as much as the New York Giants after their humbling at home - mainly down to a Dallas defence that had seven sacks and two turnovers. Packers prove all you need is Love Green Bay lost their talisman Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in the summer, but quarterback Jordan Love showed why the Packers drafted him with a fine three-touchdown outing as, in the NFL's oldest rivalry, they beat Chicago for a ninth time in a row. It was only Love's second NFL start but he showed poise and precision at Soldier Field to silence their biggest rivals - who had expected big things after seeing Rodgers depart and making wholesale changes. San Francisco make a statement The 49ers fell just a game short of the Super Bowl last season but showed why they could go all the way this time with a dominant 30-7 victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their QB Brock Purdy, known as Mr Irrelevant as the last pick of the 2022 draft, needed elbow surgery after being injured in that NFC Championship game in Philadelphia, but returned with a bang to start his second NFL season looking sharp. Purdy has now won all six of his regular season starts, and seems to have shown his emergence last season was no flash in the pan. "Purdy shut some haters up," said star defensive end Nick Bosa, who signed a huge new contract on the eve of the season as the leader of one of the best defences in the league. "He's exactly who we thought he was." Eagles spoil Brady's return Tom Brady won six of his seven Super Bowls during 20 years with the New England Patriots, and he was honoured with a half-time ceremony to announce he would be going into the team's hall of fame next June. "One thing I am sure of, and that will never change, is that I am a Patriot for life," Brady told fans at Gillette Stadium as he sported his famous Patriots shirt. This current Patriots squad is not up to Brady's old standards though, and even though they made life tough for the Eagles the visitors always seemed capable of more than their 25-20 victory if needed. Dolphins edge Chargers in Hollywood blockbuster An early game of the season contender was played out just down the road from Hollywood in Los Angeles as the Chargers were just pipped 36-34 by the Miami Dolphins - as both sides showed they are teams to watch this season. Justin Herbert threw a touchdown and ran in one of three for the Chargers, but in a game of seven lead changes the explosive Miami attack had the final word, when Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill inside the final two minutes. Tagovailoa has had his injury issues, but he threw three touchdowns on Sunday and a whopping 466 yards - with two of those scores and 215 yards going to lightning quick receiver Hill - who is nicknamed 'Cheetah' for a reason. Burrow's big contract let down Joe Burrow would have wanted to go out and show why the Cincinnati Bengals made him the highest-paid player in the league, but instead recorded the lowest yardage total of his career as they lost 24-3 to local rivals the Cleveland Browns. Losing six weeks of pre-season to a calf injury no doubt had some impact on Burrow's meagre 82-yard passing display, but much like when he signed his five-year deal worth $275m, he handled it in typical level-headed fashion. "Week one doesn't define anybody's season," said Burrow, who was taken out of the game in the fourth quarter as the Bengals waved the white flag. "Obviously, not very good out there. Anybody that watched saw that. "But we have been in this spot before and come back stronger and had great years. That's what we are going to do." Rough start for rookie QBs Three quarterbacks were drafted in the top four spots this year and they all started, and lost, on their NFL debuts but all showed at least some promise. Top pick Bryce Young said "I have to do a better job of executing" after throwing two interceptions in the Carolina Panthers' 24-10 loss at the Atlanta Falcons, while CJ Stroud was sacked five times and lost a fumble as the Houston Texans were beaten 25-9 at the Baltimore Ravens. "For his first time out, CJ was in a tough place to play," said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. Anthony Richardson almost bucked the trend in his Indianapolis Colts debut as they led going into the fourth quarter before losing 31-21 at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Richardson looks the dynamic dual-threat quarterback every NFL team is after, but after taking a huge hit right at the end of the game, the 21-year-old will have to try and protect himself more now he has stepped up from the college game. Elsewhere in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams stunned the Seattle Seahawks 30-13, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset the Minnesota Vikings 20-17 on the road and the New Orleans Saints edged the Tennessee Titans 16-15. The Washington Commanders won their first game under new ownership, 20-16 over the Arizona Cardinals, while the Las Vegas Raiders won 17-16 at the Denver Broncos. Source.

TORONTO, Sept 9 (Reuters) - American rapper and song writer Lil Nas X hopes his fans get to the "real me," behind the stage persona through his new documentary film, the musician told reporters at the 43 Toronto Film Festival on Saturday night. Nas X, whose given name is Montero Lamar Hill, is the first openly gay man to receive a Country Music Association award for his song "Old Town Road." The biographical documentary "Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero," directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and Zac Manuel, follows the star on tour, capturing his relationship with his fans. Along the way it brings together Nas's journey of owning up his identity as a black queer artist. "I want my fans to see the real me - I am someone who is always joking and making fun 24/7, so through this film they can take what they want to," Nas told reporters at the red carpet. The film also is an end of an era of his life and the beginning of a new one, he said. "This film is so immediate in the sense the state of mind where I am in... a bit confused." Nas said. Estrada told Reuters the film is structured around the idea of transformation, where Nas and his fans represent owning up to one's identity and becoming the person one is meant to be. "The fans of Nas have embraced his message about becoming that person you are meant to be, acknowledging all the parts of yourself that you love and fear," Estrada said. Source.