[~OMAR~]

Previously a leak, now a confirmation. Microids and IMPS have recently declared their latest project: a 3D adventure/platform game titled The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone. The game is set to launch in Q4 2023 on several platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Developed by OSome Studio, this upcoming title is a sequel to The Smurfs – Mission Vileaf released in 2021. The new game promises a fresh narrative that will take the fans of the blue creatures on an exciting new adventure. In The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone, Handy Smurf is on a mission to retrieve the famous Green Stone from the clutches of the villainous Gargamel. This key ingredient is vital for completing his latest invention, the SmurfoMix. However, things turn when a mishap causes the Green Stone to explode, dispersing its fragments across the Cursed Land. This catastrophic event also frees the malevolent Stolas, an entity hell-bent on spreading terror. A team of four Smurfs, including Handy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Clumsy Smurf, and Smurfstorm, embark on a quest to save the Cursed Land from Stolas. With the help of SmurfoMix and an unlikely ally in Gargamel, the team ventures into the unknown. The game introduces players to an accessible and intuitive gameplay that caters to Smurf enthusiasts and fans of action/platforming genres. It promises dynamic gameplay involving exploration, platforming, and combat, enhanced by the innovative SmurfoMix. Interestingly, the game allows players to collaborate with Gargamel for the first time in a video game. Players can travel through the Cursed Land using his teleporters and discover three brand-new, unexplored regions. Players will also have the chance to collect various resources to acquire the BoostiBoom and enhance the SmurfoMix throughout their journey. A co-op mode is also available for those who want to share the adventure with a friend or family member. [https://www.futuregamereleases.com/2023/05/microids-announces-the-smurfs-2-the-prisoner-of-the-green-stone/]

Nickname: OMAR Video author:I.M. OWN GAMER Name of the game: Granny Link video:

BMW Motorrad has recently filed several patents indicating the development of an intelligent seat that will be used in future models of the brand. According to Motorrad website, this seat will feature electric and electronic adjustment options, not only to change the width of the seat, but also to adjust various factors related to ergonomics and comfort, depending on the rider’s height and riding situation. The patent filings detail various technical approaches that involve the use of electric servo motors to adjust the seat cushions at decisive points, such as the front transition of the seat to the gas tank. This will allow the seat to be transformed into different shapes and heights, according to the rider’s preferences. A sport seat that extends into a two-passenger seat also appears to be viable. In addition to the electromechanical devices, BMW is also working on an electro-hydraulic or electro-pneumatic seat that can be quickly transformed by means of air or fluid ducts and chambers within the cushions. This system will allow the contour and hardness of the seat to be altered even more rapidly, possibly automatically during riding, according to the driving situation. The possibility of automatically adjusting the seat during riding is something that could be a major breakthrough in motorcycle seat technology. For example, inflation in the front area can provide support for the rider during braking, while inflation in the rear area can provide support during acceleration. It is also possible that the massage function may be incorporated into this intelligent seat. BMW is once again leading the way in terms of technological innovation in its products, and the intelligent seat is another example of this. Although we do not yet have precise information on when these seats will be implemented in the brand’s production models, it is exciting to see the possibilities that technology is bringing to the world of motorcycles. Certainly, riders will eagerly await to experience this new level of comfort and technology. [https://motonewsworld.com/revolutionary-bmw-motorcycle-seat-patent-filing-reveals-intelligent-and-adjustable-design/]

Conservative right wingers are growing increasingly anxious about the direction of Rishi Sunak's government - and what might come after it. "What is the point of all this?" I am on the phone. The long-standing Conservative on the other end has an analysis that is unflinching. "The party has wasted its period in power." What I am hearing is a post-mortem, postponed. We would have heard much more of it a week ago, immediately after the Tories' huge losses in the English local elections. But the Coronation delayed the autopsy. There is nothing delaying it now. Train fruit pickers to cut migration - Braverman Voter ID backfired on Tories, says Rees-Mogg Tory leadership errors cost us dearly - Patel But much of the discussion privately within the Conservative Party, and in particular on its right wing, is much more than a reflection on a grim set of council results. It is, instead, a much wider look back, and look forward. Tory members And along come two conferences doing exactly that, neither vastly helpful if you're sitting in Downing Street. Firstly, the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), which is all about party democracy, empowering the members. The CDO, which was born out of the Boris Ballot - an unsuccessful campaign demanding Tory members get a vote on reinstating Mr Johnson after he resigned - met in Bournemouth over the weekend. The group insists they are more than a campaign to get Boris Johnson back as Conservative leader, but most at the conference would absolutely love that to happen. And then there is the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon), an American import, with an emphasis on patriotism, Brexit and low taxes. Post traumatic This three-day gathering at Westminster, which got under way today, is expected to attract quite a few Tory MPs, who will listen to speeches from right wing commentators and Donald Trump-supporting US Senator JD Vance, among others. NatCon has gathered once before in the UK, but it only involved a few dozen academics when it did. This time it is attracting senior politicians - cabinet ministers Suella Braverman and Michael Gove and former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was also at the CDO conference in Bournemouth. If the chaos of last year, and the installation of Mr Sunak as prime minister led to something of a post-traumatic vow of silence within the Conservative Party, it seems safe to say that is over. Privately, plenty are scathing about Mr Sunak. Phrases that have made their way into my notebook in the last few days: He is "a reverse firework." He has a "quiescent defeatism." These two conferences have generated excitement in some parts of the Tory Party. Asked why this was the case, my contact told me: "Rishi has a backhanded ability to enthuse people in the opposite direction." Ouch. But very few think it would be a good idea to try to remove him. 'Moved to the left' Some of this is an expression of the frustrations of the failures of the right of the party: the spectacular implosion of Liz Truss's premiership yes, but what many see as a longer term failure throughout the Tory years in government. "We accepted the Blair/Brown consensus. And then we gold-plated it," one said. "Britain has moved to the left on our watch." This is a reference - among other things - to the tax burden and the size of the state, two stones in the shoe of many on the right. And some of it is an articulation of defeatism: "We are damned. We are condemned," in the judgement of one, when asked about the next general election. This gets at an unspoken truth about both these conferences: they are about the future of the Conservative Party after the general election. The ideas that might shape it, and yes, the people who might lead it. 'Principles of Conservatism' Step forward Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, who gave a speech about immigration on Monday afternoon. On Sunday night, Downing Street had signed off what she was going to say but some overnight "tinkering" from Mrs Braverman's team meant it was sent back to No 10 again on Monday morning. The argument about immigration matters massively. We can expect lots of debate about it in the next 10 days or so. But the home secretary's speech matters for what else she talked about: Her "overarching principles of Conservatism," as it was described to me. The speech - which lasted around half an hour - was personal, touching on her family and her background. Senior politicians only do this kind of thing when they have half an eye on the future. In fact, scrub that. Both eyes on the future. 'Functional' government No10 and the Conservative Party machine are attempting to put a brave face on all this, suggesting that a few hundred activists gathering in Bournemouth over the weekend is not worth attaching too much significance to. And there are plenty of Conservatives - a quieter majority, I would say - who are relieved beyond words that the party, the government, is no longer a shambolic laughing stock in the eyes of many and is getting things done. "It just feels great to be able to work away at things and achieve things, even little things," a minister confides. "The system works, Downing Street works, things are functional. I know that doesn't sound like much but it is such an improvement." Those around Rishi Sunak think his unflashy competence, as they see it, is exactly what people want after what went before. But there are wider jitters in the party that competence won't be enough, and a glance too towards the political horizon and how that might look. [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65595954]

Special counsel John Durham found no evidence that the US justice department and the FBI conspired in a deep-state plot to investigate Donald Trump’s ties to Russia in 2016, though the report released on Monday found that the FBI’s handling of key aspects of the case were deficient. FBI investigation into Trump-Russia collusion relied on shaky intelligence, says John Durham report – live updates Read more The Durham report was sharply critical of how the FBI decided to open the counterintelligence investigation into Trump, known as “Crossfire Hurricane”, accusing top officials at the bureau of relying on raw and uncorroborated information to continue the inquiry. Much of the criticism of the FBI in the roughly 300-page report was already known when the justice department inspector general issued its own report, which raised similar concerns but ultimately concluded that the FBI investigation into Trump was justified. The Durham report was more scathing, finding that the FBI moved quickly on a vague tip about potential contacts between a Trump campaign aide and Russian officials in July 2016 based on “raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated evidence” in a “departure from how it approached” the Clinton campaign. But Durham’s inquiry failed to uncover any blockbuster revelations suggesting the bureau targeted Trump out of political motivations, and the report at times came across as a defense of his lengthy investigation. Also contained in the report: Durham said the FBI was more cautious of allegations of foreign influence when it came to the Clinton campaign, and did not pursue evidence in two cases of foreign governments trying to gain influence with Clinton while providing defensive briefings, unlike with the Trump campaign; Durham said the FBI was overly reliant on investigative tips from Trump’s political opponents and did not rigorously analyze the information it received, which extended the investigation and led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Trump; Durham said the FBI decided to move ahead with Crossfire Hurricane despite a lack of information from the intelligence community that corroborated the hypothesis on which it was predicated and FBI agents ignored information that exonerated key people in the case; Durham suggested that Crossfire Hurricane was “triggered” by the so-called Steele dossier, when it was in fact based on a tip from an Australian diplomat in London that a Trump campaign aide appeared to have advance knowledge about Russia releasing damaging information on Clinton. The top FBI officials who oversaw the Crossfire Hurricane investigation and left the bureau years ago have long maintained that they had a duty to investigate allegations that Russia, a strategic US adversary, was seeking to garner influence with Trump, who had no experience in government. The delivery of the report to the attorney general Merrick Garland and to the top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate judiciary committees several hours before it was made public, largely marks the end of the nearly four-year investigation led by Durham. Durham’s appointment as special counsel by former attorney general William Barr was unusual in that he was essentially tasked with investigating a different special counsel – Mueller. The investigation was beset by controversy, including when Barr pressed Durham to draft an interim report just before the 2020 election, a directive that gave rise to allegations of improper political interference. In September 2020, according to the New York Times, one of the prosecutors on Durham’s team and former acting US attorney Nora Dannehy discovered that other members of the team had written a draft report that she had not been told about. Dannehy was reportedly furious and told Durham that no report should be issued before the investigation had been completed and especially not relying on disputed information that could impact the election. Dannehy sent her colleagues a memo about her concerns and resigned. While Trump once predicted that Durham would uncover the “crime of the century”, the investigation proved to be defective in court. Two people he charged were acquitted in court, and only the former FBI lawyer who altered an email to help prepare a wiretap application pleaded guilty. After the second acquittal – Igor Danchenko, a researcher who was a primary source for the 2016 dossier alleging Trump’s ties to Russia was found not guilty about lying to the FBI about where he got his information – Democrats called for Durham’s team to be shut down as a waste of taxpayer money. The Durham report ended without recommending any wholesale changes at the FBI, but suggested the creation of a position at the bureau to provide oversight of politically sensitive investigations with the power to challenge every step of investigations, including for wiretaps. Durham’s investigation was recorded as costing about $6.5m as of last December. Durham, a longtime federal prosecutor who was the US attorney in Connecticut during the Trump administration, was allowed to stay in his role by the current attorney general until the completion of his work. Two cases that Durham took to court ended in failure. Last year, a jury found cybersecurity lawyer Michael Sussman not guilty of lying to the FBI. A jury also found Danchenko not guilty of making false statements to the FBI in October, in a case argued personally by Durham. Durham extracted a guilty plea from Clinesmith, who was sentenced to one year of probation after admitting in a 2020 plea agreement that he had altered a government email that a colleague then used to justify to a secret surveillance court the wiretap of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/15/fbi-durham-report-trump-russia-investigation]

Vegetarian, gluten-free and hearty to boot: a chunky vegetable soup/stew and an egg-free chocolate mousse This colourful, satisfying soup is great for those wanting to cut down on their meat intake, and ticks the gluten- and dairy-free boxes, too. It can be cooked on the hob, or in the oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker. Save the liquid from the tin of chickpeas and whip it up into a deliciously light chocolate mousse for afters. Chunky soup Save all of the vegetable peelings and trimmings, and use them to make the flavourful stock. Prep 15 min Soak 12 hr Cook 1 hr 30 min+ (depending on cooking method) Serves 4-6 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 onions, peeled and chopped small 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 stick celery, chopped 1 tbsp mixed dried herbs, or 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs Salt and black pepper 800g mixed vegetables (eg carrots, sweet potato, leeks, potatoes), all cut into 2cm dice ½ tsp chilli powder, or 1 tsp hot chilli sauce or 1 medium fresh chilli (green or red), finely chopped 100g dried lentils, beans and/or pulses (puy lentils, red lentils, green lentils, yellow split peas, green split peas), soaked in 300ml cold water for 12 hours, then drained 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved for the chocolate mousse below 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes, or passata 800ml vegetable stock (see method) 185g frozen peas First, make the stock. Put all the vegetable peelings and trimmings, including the onion skins, any parsley stalks and the garlic skins, in a large, microwave-proof bowl, pour on 800ml boiling water, cover, microwave for 10 minutes on high, then set aside. In a large pan, pressure cooker or ovenproof casserole, heat the oil, then fry the onion and garlic on a low heat for five to 10 minutes, until they start to soften. Stir in the celery and herbs, a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes, to soften. Add all the diced mixed vegetables, turn the heat to high and fry, stirring regularly, until they start to catch and colour at the edges. Add the chilli and the drained lentils and chickpeas, then stir in the tomatoes and stock. To cook in the oven, cover with a well-fitting lid and bake at 220C (200C fan)/475F/gas 9 for about an hour, or until the vegetables are tender and the pulses have absorbed much of the liquid and thickened the soup. If using a slow cooker, cook for five to six hours, until the vegetables are tender and the soup has thickened; for a pressure cooker, cook on high for 20 minutes; on the hob, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 40-50 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, then stir through the peas until cooked, and serve in warmed bowls. Chocolate mousse You will need four or five ramekins, or similar, in which to set the mousse. Prep 5 min Cook 15 min Chill 1 hr+ Serves 4-5 Strained liquid from 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, about 180ml (see previous recipe) ½ tsp cream of tartar 45g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 100g dark chocolate (or milk, white or vegan), broken into small pieces Sprinkles, to decorate Put the reserved chickpea water in a bowl, add the cream of tartar and whisk, ideally with a hand-held electric whisk, until light, white and standing in soft peaks (much as egg whites would). Add the icing sugar in two parts, whisking well between each addition, then whisk in the vanilla. Put the chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl, then microwave on high in two 30-second bursts, until it’s fully melted; stir to help it along. Stir a spoonful of the mousse mix into the melted chocolate to loosen it, then pour the lot into the mousse bowl and whisk to combine. Divide the mix between ramekins, small bowls or serving glasses, then tap each one on a work surface to smooth them out and release any air pockets. Top with a few sprinkles to decorate, then chill for an hour or two, until fully set. [https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/may/15/1-pound-meals-budget-midweek-meal-chickpeas-nancy-birtwhistle-vegan]

The platypus, a species unique to Australia, was reintroduced into the country’s oldest national park just south of Sydney on Friday in a landmark conservation project after disappearing from the area more than half a century ago. Known for its bill, webbed feet, and venomous spurs, the platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals globally and spends most of its time in the water at night. Due to its reclusive nature and highly specific habitat needs, most Australians have never seen one in the wild. The relocation is a collaborative effort between the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Taronga Conservation Society Australia, WWF-Australia and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Four females were released on Friday into the Royal National Park, which was established in 1879 and is the second oldest national park in the world. No confirmed platypus sightings have been reported in the park, located about 35 kilometres or one hour’s drive south of Sydney, since the 1970s. The relocation comes at a time when the platypus is increasingly threatened by habitat destruction, river degradation, feral predators, and extreme weather events such as droughts and bushfires. Estimates on the current po[CENSORED]tion vary widely, from 30,000 to some 300,000. “(It is) very exciting for us to see platypuses come back into the park, for a thriving po[CENSORED]tion here to establish themselves and for Sydneysiders to come and enjoy this amazing animal,” said Gilad Bino, a researcher from UNSW’S Centre for Ecosystem Science. The platypuses, which live along Australia’s east coast and in Tasmania, were collected from various locations across south-eastern New South Wales state and subjected to various tests before relocation. Each platypus will be tracked for the next two years to better understand how to intervene and relocate the species in the event of drought, bushfire, or flood, researchers said. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/platypus-returns-australian-national-park-first-time-half-century-rcna84390]

NEW YORK — The Yankees were down a run against the division rival Rays. Two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Aaron Judge at the plate, Tampa Bay closer Jason Adam on the hill. An anxious 42,116 fans in attendance, most of them standing. Tension boiling with every pitch. Only the pleasant spring weather and the Mother's Day paraphernalia were reminders that this series was taking place in mid-May, not late October. By all accounts, the four-game tussle in the Bronx felt like a sneak peek of the postseason. The final out on Sunday afternoon was no exception. Judge connected on the Adam's first offering to him, a 79 mph sweeper that dropped into the heart of the strike zone, directly in the slugger's wheelhouse. The pitch fell into the center quadrant of the zone where, last year, Judge lofted 14 home runs of his final record-breaking total of 62. The swing, the pitch, the loud reaction from the crowd … who could blame Adam for immediately believing he had just allowed Judge to tie the game? As Judge watched the ball sail to the warning track in left-center field, Adam put his hands on his knees and exaggeratedly bent over, resembling a forward fold yoga pose. But there was nothing calm and relaxing about this moment. The game was on the line, as well as the series. If that Judge ball goes over the wall, the Yankees are a hit away from staging another improbable comeback versus the AL East's finest. For a few fleeting seconds, Adam seemed to believe that outcome. But 60 feet, six inches further away from the ball's trek, the mighty Judge knew better. "I hit it good," Judge later said. "But off the bat, I just hit it too high. And especially how deep it is out there, kind of praying for a miracle." The baseball gods sent that miracle for Tampa Bay. When Adam finally composed himself enough to stand up from his forward fold, he snuck a look into left-center field just in time to watch Jose Siri make the catch for the final out, a pace or two in front of the wall. Relief seemed to overwhelm Adam, as he put his hand over his heart and mouthed, "Wow." The gigantic grin that came next offered a glimpse of the tightrope he was walking. The Rays won the Sunday afternoon finale, 8-7, and split the series with the Yankees to wrap up a nail-biting weekend full of twists, turns, home runs, incredible diving catches and hard-to-believe rallies. Down to the very last pitch, the very last moment, this Rays-Yankees series was playoff-esque entertaining. "I thought it was 30 rows deep," Adam said of Judge's final out. "This whole series was a tough series. It was a battle on both sides." The series was a dogfight because the Yankees (23-19) played with an edge that we haven't seen this season. The Rays, with a 31-11 record that represents the best in MLB, never let the Yankees' efforts thwart their own goals. Randy Arozarena's antics on both sides of the ball, including his first-inning home run off ace Gerrit Cole on Friday, were a thrill to watch. Cole's response when asked about Arozarena's crossed-arms celebration — "He does that every time, right?" quipped Cole, "It's predictable." — brought another layer of spice to the fiery rivalry. Yankees rookie Anthony Volpe's five-hit, two-home run, four-RBI effort across 11 at-bats from Friday to Sunday aided New York's never-say-die attitude. Seven Tampa Bay hitters with an OPS of .875 or better made for a plethora of must-see at-bats. The level of talent on each club made for a competitive series that had all of us aching for more. "The Yankees were tough," said Rays infielder Taylor Walls, who crushed a grand slam off New York reliever-turned-starter Clarke Schmidt on Sunday. "Every time we got a lead, they would respond. They would either take it back by putting some runs up or match whatever we did that inning before. They are a good ballclub, especially with Judge back. Their lineup is dangerous. We didn't have a comfortable enough lead." The Yankees live and die by Judge’s bat, which is at least partly why the New York-Tampa Bay matchup just didn’t have the same competitive energy only a week ago, when the Rays hosted the Yankees in St. Petersburg. That series, the Rays behaved like the better team because, well, they undoubtedly were. They took two out of three. A Judge-sized hole in the Yankees lineup put the Bombers in a pickle before that series had even started. But with Judge back from injury — really back, with his swing returning to form and the noisy and passionate Bronx crowds working to his advantage — the Yankees got their groove back. Since Judge returned from the injured list on May 9, the Yankees have scored 45 runs and lifted their team slugging percentage from .394 to .415, as well as their team OPS from .695 to .723, all in just six games. In the 10 games that Judge missed due to a hip injury, the Yankees suffered their first four-game losing streak of the season and tallied a mere 35 runs. What a difference a Judge makes. The Yankees’ identity is built around battling. With Judge, the Yankees are a threat to win even when they’re down 6-0, which is what happened in Saturday’s matinée. Judge homered twice and drove in four runs in a thrilling 9-8 comeback. Teammate Anthony Rizzo, who seems to perform better when Judge is hitting in front of him, went deep three times throughout the series, including twice on Friday to help overcome Cole’s grind of a start. Which other team has a penchant for scratching and clawing? Ah yes, the Rays. Behind their stacked lineup and solid pitching, they erased deficit after deficit against the Yankees, both on their own turf last week and in the rowdy Bronx atmosphere this past weekend. Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen continued his domination of the Yankees on Thursday with seven scoreless innings. Adam’s fifth save of the season in Sunday’s finale bookended the Rays’ pair of wins in the series. The back-and-forth battles this weekend would’ve been the best thing on television, if not for the NBA playoffs. Again, it’s only May. But try telling these two cutthroat clubs that. The Rays and Yankees treated this series like their seasons would end if they didn’t come out on top. Alas, the four-game set was another reminder that, during this time of year, the fight can end in a tie, or a split, not a season-ending blow. Later, Judge said he was disappointed with the outcome; his Yankees would only be satisfied with a series win. On the other side of the stadium, the Rays were still riding high from Walls’ fifth-inning grand slam off right-hander Albert Abreu that put Tampa Bay on top for good. "We’re facing the best," Judge said of the pesky Rays. "They’re bringing it every single night; we’re bringing it every single at-bat. There were a lot of gritty at-bats. It’s fun to be a part of." And these foes are damn fun to watch, too. We just witnessed this Rays-Yankees rivalry go up another notch in intensity with these seven games. Is it too much to ask for seven more of them in October? Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for three-and-a-half seasons as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. She never misses a Rafael Nadal match, no matter what country or time zone he’s playing in. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar. [https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/rays-yankees-separated-by-mere-feet-over-seven-meetings-a-playoff-preview]

Out of all common refrains in the world of computing, the phrase "if only software would catch up with hardware" would probably rank pretty high. And yet, software does sometimes catch up with hardware. In fact, it seems that this time, software can go as far as unlocking quantum computations for classical computers. That's according to researchers with the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing, Japan, who have published work on an algorithm that significantly accelerates a specific quantum computing workload. More significantly, the workload itself - called time evolution operators - has applications in condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry, two fields that can unlock new worlds within our own. Normally, an improved algorithm wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary; updates are everywhere, after all. Every app update, software update, or firmware upgrade is essentially bringing revised code that either solves problems or improves performance (hopefully). And improved algorithms are nice, as anyone with a graphics card from either AMD or NVIDIA can attest. But let's face it: We're used to being disappointed with performance updates. And yet in this case, the performance gains are extraordinary. Truly, the results could hardly be more impressive. Through the improved algorithm (itself a hybrid of quantum and classical methods), future quantum computers can be made simpler than we thought possible: they'll be able to tackle bigger problems sooner than we expected, and at a lower cost. But the performance gains don't stop there. They could make it possible for conventional machines to process the degrees of complexity that only a quantum computer could supposedly solve. “Time-evolution operators are huge grids of numbers that describe the complex behaviors of quantum materials,” explained Kaoru Mizuta of the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing. “They’re of great importance because they give quantum computers a very practical application - better understanding quantum chemistry and the physics of solids." The algorithm improvement does away with the Trotterization technique quantum computers deployed until now - one already suspected to be unsustainable for long-term scaling. That's due to the technique requiring enormous numbers of quantum gates, with each gate requiring a variable number of qubits programmed to perform a given function. Even IBM's 1,121-qubit-count Condor QPU (Quantum Processing Unit), which is due to be released this year, would be hard-pressed to enable as many quantum gates as Trotterization is expected to require for workloads that actually mean something in quantum computing terms. No, quantum computing won't be happening in our smartphones. In a way, today's superconducting refrigerators could be compared to the ENIAC from before the dawn of integrated microchips. Or going from that point to the equivalent of today's fastest CPUs or Best GPUs. That's the road ahead of us for quantum - one where the starting shot still rings. [https://www.tomshardware.com/news/quantum-computing-algorithm-breakthrough-riken]

Nickname: OMAR Video author:I.Farlight 84 Name of the game: Granny Link video: Rate this video 1-10

Smurfs Kart’s release date and features have been revealed in a recent post, and we also have a list of all playable Smurfs. Smurf Kart’s developers Microids accidentally announced the release date, features, and playable Smurfs, and Billbil was fast enough to take screenshots before they removed the post. According to the post, Smurfs Kart is coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on August 22, 2023, but Billbil says this is a typo and the release date should be September 22, 2023. Here is a list of features, and playable characters. Smurfs Kart Features 12 tracks set in the Smurfs’ universe: The village, the forest, the dam, the swamps… even Gargamel’s house! 12 iconic playable Smurfs: Handy, Hefty, Smurfette, Papa Smurf, Jokey… choose your favorite Smurf and get ready to race! Each Smurf has their own kart and a very handy special item to help you breeze past your opponents. Use the world around you: Bonus items, boosts, ramps, destructible boxes, shortcuts and more! Finish 1st in the races where 8 Smurfs compete in frantic races. Smurf together: Play solo or with family and friends, with support for up to four players in split-screen local multiplayer! “Time Challenge” mode: Try to beat every Smurf at their own racetrack and reach the top of the online leaderboard with your quickest time! Unlock bonuses as you play and try to Smurf them all in your personal album! Smurfs Kart Playable Smurfs Hefty Smurfette Farmer Chef Jokey Papa Handy Clumsy Blossom Storm Astro Robot Smurfs Kart is currently available on Nintendo Switch. [https://www.futuregamereleases.com/2023/05/smurfs-kart-ps4-ps5-xbox-one-and-xbox-series-xs-release-date-leak/]

Trainers, last year we published an article about a former Niantic employee and what is like to work at Niantic. They weren’t satisfied (that’s why they are former employees), and the story reached out to many people. The person explained they got punished by echoing Pokemon Go players’ complaints. Today, we discovered a new story, but this time it comes from a current Niantic employee. The thread was posted on April 28, 2023, by a current Niantic employee, under Senior Product Manager on Glassdoor. The title says “No Leadership,” so you already have an idea where this is going. The person shared pros and cons, and the funny thing is they said only two positive things about Niantic. Most of the things written explain a lot about the current situation. The person says the current PMs are the “weak ones” who please and serve engineers. He reveals that “decisions are always prioritized by how much engineers like about doing them, how much VP engineering likes about them, and how much the CEO favors them.” According to the current Niantic employee, the CEO doesn’t use external vendors, doesn’t like sharing data with anyone, and doesn’t like people to stay at home playing Pokemon Go. Here is what the person has to say about the current situation at Niantic and what is like working in that environment. This was posted on Glassdoor. Please note that you must add a review or compensation to see the review. “No Leadership Pros Individual contributors are good at executions Engineers individually have a decent tech background Cons Leadershipis a joke. Mid-management is an epic joke. Let’s be clear. This company does not have a northstar. Al they know is they want to use AR and geolocation to do something cool. They focus on solutions instead of purposes. Mid-management, especially tech lead managers and recently promoted engineering directors are junior people who are not supposed to be managers. This company has a ridiculous bias toward engineering. | was once told by the now head of Pokemon GO (eng) that product managers are supposed to please and serve engineers. This perfectly summarizes why Niantic is still in such a mess today. The product managers who still linger today are the weak ones who please engineers well – the strong ones all left. Decisions are always prioritized by how much engineers like ‘about doing them, how much VP engineering likes about them, and how much our CEO favors them. Our CEO has a very unique taste – he doesn’t like to use external vendors, he doesn’t like sharing data with rest of the company, and he doesn’t like people to stay at home playing his game. Our CPO could not be weaker – a typical Japanese elite who cares so much about hierarchy, seniority, shiny titles, and harmony with his boss. He literally doesn’t make any decisions. Our team of PMs, although most come with shiny backgrounds, are just minions and servers for the eng teams. We never talk about impact, never talk about how much money this feature will make for the company. We always talk about constraints about privacy, about GMT, about the release schedule, and about getting the checklists done. This is not how a mature and productive product management workforce is supposed to work. Engineers take all the control, but engineering leads are myopic. Principal architect from Google would brag about his olden days all the time. He would speak of database columns he changed so that we pay less money to GCP. Engleads would over-engineer their small products so much, but never listen to product advices. There is no speaking of impact, no speaking of making money for the company, no speaking of the next level up beyond the pathetic AR and geolocation. If you are a PM, don’t come to this place.” Now we know why they don’t listen to us. What are your thoughts about this? We would like to hear from you, so please leave a comment below. [https://www.futuregamereleases.com/2023/05/pokemon-go-current-niantic-employee-reveals-what-is-it-like-to-work-at-niantic-says-product-managers-are-supposed-to-please-and-serve-engineers/]

The European Commission clears the acquisition of Activision Blizzard after their in-depth investigation and a decision on hard evidence. The Commission’s in-depth market investigation indicated that Microsoft would not be able to harm rival consoles and rival multi-game subscription services. However, Microsoft could harm competition in the distribution of games via cloud game streaming services. Here is everything you should know, thanks to the European Commission. “The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard (‘Activision’) by Microsoft. The approval is conditional on full compliance with the commitments offered by Microsoft. The commitments fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission and represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming as compared to the current situation. Today’s decision follows an in-depth investigation of the proposed acquisition of Activision by Microsoft. As always, the Commission has based its decision on hard evidence, and on extensive information and feedback from competitors and customers, including from game developers and distributors as well as cloud game streaming platforms in the EU. The Commission’s investigation Today’s decision follows an in-depth investigation of the proposed acquisition of Activision by Microsoft. Both companies develop and publish games for PCs, consoles, and mobile devices and distribute games for PCs. Microsoft also distributes games for consoles and offers the Xbox console along with a wide range of products and services, including the PC operating system “Windows”. Activision’s games portfolio includes famous franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Diablo. The Commission’s preliminary investigation found that Microsoft could harm competition (i) in the distribution of console and PC video games, including multi-game subscription services and cloud game streaming services; and (ii) in the supply of PC operating systems. The Commission’s in-depth market investigation indicated that Microsoft would not be able to harm rival consoles and rival multi-game subscription services. At the same time, it confirmed that Microsoft could harm competition in the distribution of games via cloud game streaming services and that its position in the market for PC operating systems would be strengthened. In particular, the Commission found that: Microsoft would have no incentive to refuse to distribute Activision’s games to Sony, which is the leading distributor of console games worldwide, including in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) where there are four Sony PlayStation consoles for every Microsoft Xbox console bought by gamers. Indeed, Microsoft would have strong incentives to continue distributing Activision’s games via a device as po[CENSORED]r as Sony’s PlayStation. Even if Microsoft did decide to withdraw Activision’s games from the PlayStation, this would not significantly harm competition in the consoles market. Even if Call of Duty is largely played on console, it is less po[CENSORED]r in the EEA than in other regions of the world, and is less po[CENSORED]r in the EEA within its genre compared to other markets. Therefore, even without being able to offer this specific game, Sony could leverage its size, extensive games catalogue and market position to fend off any attempt to weaken its competitive position. Even without this transaction, Activision would not have made its games available for multi-game subscription services, as this would cannibalize sales of individual games. Therefore, the situation for third-party providers of multi-game subscription services would not change after the acquisition of Activision by Microsoft. The acquisition would harm competition in the distribution of PC and console games via cloud game streaming services, an innovative market segment that could transform the way many gamers play video games. Despite its potential, cloud game streaming is very limited today. The Commission found that the po[CENSORED]rity of Activision’s games could promote its growth. Instead, if Microsoft made Activision’s games exclusive to its own cloud game streaming service, Game Pass Ultimate, and withheld them from rival cloud game streaming providers, it would reduce competition in the distribution of games via cloud game streaming. If Microsoft made Activision’s games exclusive to its own cloud game streaming service, Microsoft could also strengthen the position of Windows in the market for PC operating systems. This could be the case, should Microsoft hinder or degrade the streaming of Activision’s games on PCs using operating systems other than Windows. The proposed remedies To address the competition concerns identified by the Commission in the market for the distribution of PC and console games via cloud game streaming services, Microsoft offered the following comprehensive licensing commitments, with a 10-year duration: A free license to consumers in the EEA that would allow them to stream, via any cloud game streaming services of their choice, all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games for which they have a license. A corresponding free license to cloud game streaming service providers to allow EEA-based gamers to stream any Activision Blizzard’s PC and console games. Today, Activision Blizzard does not license its games to cloud game streaming services, nor does it stream the games itself. These licenses will ensure that gamers that have purchased one or more Activision games on a PC or console store, or that have subscribed to a multi-game subscription service that includes Activision games, have the right to stream those games with any cloud game streaming service of their choice and play them on any device using any operating system. The remedies also ensure that Activision’s games available for streaming will have the same quality and content as games available for traditional download. These commitments fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission and represent a significant improvement for cloud game streaming compared to the current situation. They will empower millions of EEA consumers to stream Activision’s games using any cloud gaming services operating in the EEA, provided they are purchased in an online store or included in an active multi-game subscription in the EEA. In addition, the availability of Activision’s po[CENSORED]r games for streaming via all cloud game streaming services will boost the development of this dynamic technology in the EEA. Ultimately, the commitments will unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers, by bringing Activision’s games to new platforms, including smaller EU players, and to more devices than before. The Commission carefully investigated the effectiveness of the remedies, collecting views from a large number of market participants and stakeholders. In particular, cloud game streaming service providers gave positive feedback and showed interest in the licenses. Some of these providers have already entered into bilateral agreements with Microsoft based on the proposed licenses to stream Activision’s games, once the transaction is completed. Taking into consideration the feedback of the market, the Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns and would ultimately unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers. The Commission’s decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments. Under supervision of the Commission, an independent trustee will be in charge of monitoring their implementation. Companies and products Microsoft is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, US. It offers a wide range of products and services to customers through the following operating segments: (i) Productivity and Business Processes; (ii) Intelligent Cloud; and (iii) More Personal Computing. Microsoft is active as a developer and publisher of games for PCs, game consoles, and mobile devices as well as a distributor of games for PCs and consoles. In addition, it offers the Xbox gaming console and related services. Activision Blizzard is a publicly listed company headquartered in Santa Monica, California, US. It is active as a developer and publisher of games for PCs, consoles, and mobile devices as well as a distributor of games for PCs. Cloud game streaming, while still nascent, represents a growing industry trend, with increasing availability of streaming platforms, also EU-based. Thanks to this technology, games can run in remote servers and do not need to be installed in the gamers’ end devices. Therefore, cloud game streaming allows gamers to stream games and play them on any device of their choice, even on devices that would not normally support the game (e.g. PCs with an operating system other than Microsoft’s Windows, Smart TVs, smartphones and tablets). Despite its potential, cloud game streaming still represents a very limited part of the overall market for the distribution of games today, accounting only for around 1% of the total worldwide market in 2022. To unleash its potential, cloud game streaming will require broader game catalogues and high-speed internet. Merger control and procedure The Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds (see Article 1 of the Merger Regulation) and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it. The vast majority of notified mergers do not pose competition problems and are cleared after a routine review. From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval (Phase I) or to start an in-depth investigation (Phase II). There are currently seven Phase II merger investigations: (i) the proposed acquisition of OMV Slovenija by MOL; (ii) the proposed acquisition of eTraveli by Booking; (iii) the proposed acquisition of Lagardère by Vivendi,(iv) the proposed acquisition of VMware by Broadcom; (v) the proposed acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat; (vi) the proposed acquisition of Asiana by Korean Air; and (vii) the proposed creation of a joint venture by Orange and MasMovil. More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the Commission’s public case register under the case number M.10646.” [https://www.futuregamereleases.com/2023/05/european-commission-approves-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard-by-microsoft/]

Sweden has won the 67th Eurovision song contest in a helter skelter show that spanned chintzy Europop, anti-war protest and a continent’s support for Ukraine. The Swedish singer-songwriter Loreen started the night as runaway favourite but faced a late challenge from Finland’s wildly po[CENSORED]r Käärijä, a fan favourite inside the raucous Liverpool Arena. Her win means Sweden equals Ireland’s record seven Eurovision wins. Loreen, 39, becomes the first woman to win the contest twice, after her anthemic 2012 hit Euphoria. One of the most political Eurovision grand finals in years was drawn into sharper focus as Russian bombs fell during the show on the home town of the Ukrainian act, Tvorchi. Moments after leaving the stage, the electro duo posted on Instagram that Ternopil had been shelled “while we sang … about our steel hearts, indomitability and will” and added: “Europe, united against evil for the sake of peace!” Taking the famous Eurovision glass microphone on a confetti-strewn stage, Loreen said the victory was “overwhelming”, and added: “I’m so happy. I’m so thankful. Thank you for this. This is for you. Thank you.” Loreen, who first found fame in Sweden’s equivalent of X Factor in 2004, told journalists she was proud of becoming only the second performer to win Eurovision more than once, after Ireland’s Johnny Logan. “It feels surreal. It feels wonderful. Isn’t it wonderful?” she said. “This is so beautiful. One feeling I have in my body that’s taken over is just gratitude. I feel so thankful to all you guys.” Asked whether Ukraine should be given the opportunity to host the contest once the war ends, despite not winning this year, she replied: “Absolutely, yes – of course, why shouldn’t they? “I love Ukraine, i’ve been a lot, I’ve done a lot of shows and it hurts me to see what’s going on there and I’m sad about that.” The win means Eurovision will return to Sweden next year for the 50th anniversary of Abba’s triumph with Waterloo in 1974. The UK’s Mae Muller failed to emulate the success of Sam Ryder’s second-placed Spaceman in Turin last year, finishing second to bottom with her entry I Wrote a Song. Käärijä, who spent the week posing for selfies outside his own mobile sauna in Liverpool, was easily the most po[CENSORED]r performer inside the Liverpool Arena but failed to impress the juries of 36 voting nations. The increasingly rowdy crowd chanted Käärijä’s chorus line, Cha Cha Cha, as Sweden raced away at the top of the leaderboard. It came down to a nail-biting finale as Finland was awarded a huge 376 points, enough that it leapfrogged Sweden at the top of the table to huge cheers in Liverpool. A stadium held its breath as Graham Norton, this year’s host, announced that Sweden had secured more than 243 votes and therefore won the 2023 contest. Broadcast from the UK for the first time in 25 years, it was a night of gravity-defying vocals, shameless cheese-pop, achingly sincere balladry and, of course, moments of downright weirdness. A Croatian punk band dressed in military overcoats provided the night’s oddest moment as they stripped to their underpants and unveiled giant rockets while singing about a “crocodile psychopath” dictator – an allegory about Vladimir Putin and his relationship with Belarus. Even in this famously well-rehearsed and closely watched spectacle – where thousands of fans attended three full run-throughs before the live televised final – there were still moments of surprise. The Princess of Wales appeared briefly in a pre-recorded clip playing piano to Stefania – a wartime anthem in Ukraine – by last year’s winners, Kalush Orchestra. Queen’s Roger Taylor joined last year’s UK entrant, Sam Ryder, on stage for a drum solo for Mountain, whose lyrics are partly inspired by the struggle of the Ukrainian people. In the end it wasn’t a new song that brought Liverpool Arena to tears: it was a moving rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the 1945 show tune that has become a terrace anthem in one half of this city, and felt like the perfect ode to Ukraine. Sung by the Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence, an all-star choir of Eurovision past winners provided backing vocals for a sea of illuminated wristbands in the stadium and footage of Ukrainians singing along at the Golden Gate in Kyiv. Even the usually waspish Norton, who had swapped the commentary box for presenting duties, appeared overcome with emotion as he told the audience: “I have a tear in my silly old eye. You don’t see that every day.” Ukraine had been aiming to become the first country since Ireland in 1994 to win the contest in two consecutive years, but it wasn’t to be. Tvorchi, whose Eurovision rehearsals were interrupted by Russian shelling, finished in sixth place with Heart of Steel, their uptempo love letter to their nation, which brought one of the night’s biggest cheers from the 11,000-strong stadium crowd. With no end in sight to the horrors in Ukraine, there was a strong anti-war theme throughout the four-hour grand final. The country’s culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, told the Guardian on Saturday that his government had specifically requested the word “war” be used within the broadcast, which the EBU claims should be politically neutral. And so it appeared in the opening minutes when the co-host, Hannah Waddingham, reminded viewers that the UK was hosting the contest on behalf of Ukraine “because of the war”. Switzerland’s performance featured falling missiles and the lyrics: “I don′t wanna be a soldier, soldier. I don’t wanna have to play with real blood.” Croatia’s madcap rockers Let 3 warned of nuclear Armageddon while Ukraine’s Tvorchi had been raising funds to buy incubators for babies born prematurely due to the war. In Liverpool, a city that has revelled in its role hosting Europe’s maddest music party, fireworks erupted from the historic Three Graces beside a fan park where a crowd of thousands partied late into the night. [https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/may/14/eurovision-2023-winner-liverpool-uk-ukraine]

Born in Dublin in 1978, Annie Macmanus rose to fame in the noughties as a radio DJ specialising in electronic music. Her two-decade career has included 17 years at BBC Radio 1, including taking over its flagship evening show, as well being one of the biggest live DJs in Europe and programming festivals. In 2021, Macmanus switched gear: publishing a bestselling novel, Mother Mother, and launching a podcast, Changes. Her new novel, The Mess We’re In, is out now. She lives in London with her husband, the DJ Toddla T, and their two children. This image is very emblematic of me as a kid. I am nine and in Marlay Park in south Dublin, where I grew up. I was wild, feral and very comfortable in a tree. Although I am high up, I look so comfy – so comfy that I’ve slipped my feet out of my shoes. My expression and body language is saying: “This is nothing!” I am the youngest of a large family, so by the time I came along, the fussing of parenting had melted away and the general attitude was: “You’re left to your own devices. You’re alive and clean-ish. Grand.” At this point, I would have been spending my school-free days down the green – a little patch of grass about 50 yards from the housing estate where I grew up. I would play football all day with the boys, then I would climb trees. As it started to get dark, my mum would call me in for dinner, and if it was Saturday, my weekly bath. I was really active and had such lovely friends. It was a very good time. Because of the little girl that I was, I resisted the idea of puberty and I didn’t want to know anything about becoming a teenager. My mum was very kind and never wanted to pressure or embarrass me, but I remember her coming home one day and presenting me with a book [about puberty]. I didn’t want to read it – in fact, I ran out of the room. I knew what it meant, what it symbolised, and I couldn’t deal with it. Of course, the hormones hit me eventually. My social group used to call periods The Confidence. I remember in assembly nudging my friend and saying: “I’ve got The Confidence!” It was a big deal. The move from primary to secondary school is a seismic one and that wild, feral side started to diminish. I remember ringing my dad from the desk at Radio 1 and saying: ‘I got a permanent job!’ While the carefreeness of my young childhood had drifted, I handled the shift as well as I could. I was really lucky in that I never felt oversexualised during those teenage years. Nobody ever pushed me into looking feminine. Naturally, I eventually did what most girls do: I wore short skirts and kissed boys. I still went through a period of hating my body and being confused about it, however. I had gone from this unselfconscious kid to becoming obsessed with my size, from the age of 15 onwards. I grew up in the 90s and that whole decade of heroin chic, Kate Moss and trousers hanging off your hip bones really got to me. It was impossible not to feel affected by the media and how skeletal bodies were deemed desirable. My body wasn’t like that, nor was anyone’s I knew. But it didn’t stop me thinking something was wrong with me. I had a huge awakening in my mid-teens. I was always surrounded by noise – I had two brothers and a sister, and at any given time in our house people would be playing the piano, guitar, the mandolin, the bouzouki, the bodhrán, the accordion or the saxophone. But discovering music for myself was really identity-shaping. The first was a Guns N’ Roses double cassette of Use Your Illusion, which made me feel as if I’d arrived. Then came Massive Attack’s Blue Lines, all the Blur albums, Portishead’s Dummy and Goldie’s Timeless. Dublin was small and these albums were like doors opening to different worlds. [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/13/annie-mac-looks-back-i-was-wild-feral-and-very-comfortable-in-a-tree]

Fred Kodlin, a well-known name in the US customizing scene, has collaborated with his son Len for the first time to customize a BMW R 18 B. The result of their father-son project is the R 18 B HEAVY DUTY, a bike that is a typical Kodlin creation. The biggest challenge in customizing the R 18 B was remanufacturing the frame to lower the fly-line and seat height. The Kodlin team also created a completely new sheet metal tank that is longer than the original and features indentations on the sides. In addition, the bike also features a front spoiler with a 3-colour underfloor lighting system, a front mudguard made of sheet metal, and side cases made of glass fibre-reinforced plastic. The technical chassis highlight is an air suspension system that can be lowered and raised in a fraction of a second. Moreover, the attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the customization, from the winglets above the cylinders that underline the design of the bike, to the side covers that form a smooth transition to the side cases, to the seat made by Kodlin and the instrument cover with covers made of Alcantara and imitation leather. The bike also features a self-created exhaust system, specially made handlebars, and R 18 B loudspeakers by Marshall and an amplifier fitted inside the side cases. Finally, the paint job on the R 18 B HEAVY DUTY is also a work of art. Marcel Sinnwell airbrushed the colour gradients with translucent paint, inspired by the mixing of colour pigments in the paint and the way they form streaks in the milky basecoat when first stirred. The result is a complex and colourful paint scheme that fits in perfectly with the Daytona bike week. The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY is a true masterpiece that showcases the creativity and craftsmanship of Fred Kodlin and his team. It’s no wonder that Kodlin has won various important Daytona shows regularly and was the first non-US citizen to be inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame. With this project, Kodlin has proved that the next generation at Kodlin Bikes is already in the starting blocks, with Len providing a lot of creative input. The BMW R 18 B HEAVY DUTY is undoubtedly one of the most unique and impressive custom bikes of the year, and a true testament to the Kodlin legacy. [https://motonewsworld.com/customizing-legend-fred-kodlin-unveils-bmw-r-18-b-heavy-duty-at-daytona-bike-week/]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A star-crossed Kentucky Derby lost its early favorite when Forte was scratched and two more horses died, making it seven in all, at Churchill Downs earlier Saturday, further blows to a sport already reeling from a series of doping suspensions and breakdowns. “This is part of racing and it’s the cruel part,” Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said in an interview with FanDuel TV. Forte was the fifth scratch from the Derby in the days leading up to the $3 million race for 3-year-olds. Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were injured in their races on the Derby undercard, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at Churchill Downs in recent days. The string of horse deaths cast a pall for some Derby-goers on a mostly cloudy and warm day. “It’s concerning, and I hope they’re quickly trying the best they can to correct whatever’s going on,” said Michael Freeze, who along with his friend dressed up as jockeys. “They need to do whatever is best for the horses, and the sport in general.” Chloe’s Dream got hurt in the second race Saturday. The horse was taken off in an equine ambulance with a right front knee injury and was euthanized, trainer Jeff Hiles confirmed to The Associated Press. “He just took a bad step out there,” Hiles said. “They could do the same thing running in the field as they could on the track. So it’s very unfortunate. That’s what we deal with.” Freezing Point suffered a left ankle injury in the Pat Day Mile and was euthanized, trainer Joe Lejzerowicz told the AP. He said Fort Bragg, who finished third, came over and slammed into Freezing Point during the race. “He just got bumped in the backstretch,” Lejzerowicz said. “He never took a bad step or bobble. He had a big heart.” New antidoping and medication rules enforced by a central governing body of the sport are scheduled to take effect May 22. “There’s something going on,” said Pat Murtha, who was attending his first Derby. “They need to find out, and set some rules and regulations to protect these animals.” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a two-time Triple Crown winner, is nearing the end of a two-year ban issued by Churchill Downs Inc. One of his horses, Medina Spirit, crossed the finish line first in the 2021 Derby and failed a post-race drug test. The horse was disqualified and Baffert was punished. In 2019, over 30 horse deaths occurred at California’s Santa Anita racetrack, rattling the industry and leading to safety reforms. Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow had his license revoked in 2011 for 10 years by New York officials. Regulators found syringes loaded with unauthorized medication in a desk in his barn. Dutrow re-opened his stable last month. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/early-kentucky-derby-favorite-forte-scratched-race-rcna83193]

ANAHEIM, Calif. — When the longest hitting streak of MLB's young season came to a conclusion late last month, Astros infielder Mauricio Dubón came to one as well. In a World Series rematch between Houston and Philadelphia on April 28, Dubón swung through an 0-2, 98 mph sinker from Phillies closer Josè Alvarado and retreated to the dugout befuddled. He was incredulous — not because his 20-game hit streak had ended but because, after seeing how filthy Alvarado's stuff was up close, he couldn't fathom how Yordan Álvarez accomplished what he did on baseball's biggest stage five months prior. "I came in and told him, ‘Bro, how the hell did you take this guy deep 450 feet to win a World Series?" Dubón recalled. It was then that Dubón felt, with certainty, that Álvarez is the best hitter in baseball. The title is a mighty one, particularly after a season in which reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge launched more than 60 home runs, but it's not ludicrous considering Álvarez's growing list of accomplishments. And it's one that Dubón stands by without a sliver of doubt. "Oh no, I know," Dubón said emphatically. "I've seen a lot of guys come in that we've played against, and he's the best hitter in the league. Watching him in clutch situations, he's [even] more dangerous with runners on base. I think I stop running just because of that — because I know I'm in scoring position at first base." Indeed, as overpowering as Álvarez has been since bursting onto the scene as the AL Rookie of the Year in 2019, he has been even better with a chance to bring runners home. For his career, Álvarez sports a 1.048 OPS with runners in scoring position. His OPS is also north of 1.000 in high-leverage at-bats. Since entering the league, Álvarez boasts the highest wRC+ and slugging percentage with runners in scoring position among all qualified major-league batters. Last year, while Judge led the majors in OPS, wRC+, wOBA and win probability added as the clear-cut best hitter on the planet, Álvarez sat directly behind the Yankees masher in each of those categories. The Astros slugger slashed .306/.406/.613 with 37 homers while battling through hand issues for much of the season. "I've been in this game for a lot of years as a player and as a coach, and he's one of the best hitters I've ever seen," Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron said, calling Álvarez one of the top two hitters in the league today. "I have a lot of respect for a lot of other guys, but he's amazing. This guy can hit for power, hit for average, hit lefties, righties, and he's clutch." Álvarez's career .970 OPS includes nearly identical marks against righties (.973) and lefties (.966) and a powerful stroke with few moving parts. Teammate Alex Bregman marvels at the balance in Álvarez's swing, which has helped him hit to all fields for a high average while still ranking among the league leaders in hard-hit rate. [https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/astros-yordan-alvarez-might-be-the-best-hitter-in-the-league-the-only-question-is-health]

In the wake of the local elections the political pot is simmering nicely in Westminster, where the key event looks to be the Lords debate on the details of the Retained EU Law Bill, where peers are poised to make changes that will infuriate Brexiteer Tory MPs. (See Monday, below). The announcement of government changes to the bill has already provoked a spectacular bust-up between the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle and the Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch; already annoyed by the announcement of the changes in the press, Sir Lindsay was infuriated when she seemed to dismiss his concerns a matter of sequencing. The trouble is that, beyond issuing rebukes, there's not much the chair can do, if big announcements are not made in the Commons chamber. The Speaker can't ban ministers, dock their pay or otherwise discipline offenders without a vote of the House, which the government would surely block. I keep banging on about the building congestion in the Lords. The latest manifestation is that peers' detailed trawl through the Levelling Up Bill will extend to a 14th day on Monday 22, which suggests seven long days of report stage consideration will have to be crowbarred into Their Lordships' already crowded agenda. That will increase the clamour from Conservative MPs and local councillors to get some of the devolution powers they want into law. And it could mean a huge logjam of bills just before the likely end of the parliamentary session in October/November. That in turn gives peers a lot of leverage against legislation they don't like. Monday 15 May Commons: (14:30) Defence questions, with any urgent questions or government statements following at 15:30. Main debate: Second Reading of the Victims and Prisoners Bill which aims to improve support for victims of crime and amplify their voices in the criminal justice process. It brings in a new Public Advocate to represent victims and families caught up in disasters like Hillsborough. But campaigners are not content with the proposals, so expect some cross part attempts to beef up the new system. There's also concern around provisions for the justice secretary to intervene in decisions by the Parole Board, perhaps taking over the decision in high-profile cases. This has already attracted string criticism - and there will be pressure on new Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to drop the plan drawn up by his predecessor Dominic Raab. Westminster Hall: (16:30): MPs debate two e-petitions around food labelling, e-petition 585304 calls for the government to bring in 'Owen's Law' - named after 18-year-old Owen Carey who died of an allergic reaction. Campaigners want UK restaurants to put all information about allergens in their food on the face of the main menu and require waiters to discuss allergies with customers. The second petition, e-petition 589716 calls for the appointment of an Allergy Tsar as a champion for people living with allergies. Committees: Public Accounts (15:30pm) returns to one of its key issues, with evidence from Treasury Permanent Secretary James Bowler and other top officials on tackling fraud and corruption. Lords: (14:30) Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill - Report (day one of two). This is the point where peers make serious attempts to rewrite a bill - and this one will see some very heavy-duty politics. This is a key Brexit measure to reprocess or simply dump the vast body of law accumulated during the UK's EU membership. At the time of Brexit it was translated wholesale into British law because there wasn't time to sift through it in detail, and this bill originally said those laws - now estimated at 4,800, could be rewritten by ministers, or would be repealed at the end of the year - the so-called sunset clause. Critics argued that this deadline was too tight and that necessary regulations could simply disappear. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has now decided to ditch the sunset clause, and instead there is a list of 600 laws slated for repeal. This addresses one concern around the bill, but many peers also objected to the sweeping powers the bill will give to ministers to rewrite retained EU law. Their response is to propose a new amendment requiring that those 600 laws are sifted by a committee of MPs and Peers, so Parliament can express a view on any changes proposed by ministers. The amendment is proposed by pro-Brexit Conservative Lord Hamilton of Epsom, former Tory Chief Whip Lord McLoughlin and Crossbenchers Lord Hope and Lord Anderson. Opposition parties are keeping their distance, but will doubtless support the amendment. The government has tried to compromise but now seems to be is caught between its Brexiteer MPs and a probable majority of Peers. This could get messy. [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65572360]

Bohemia Interactive rolled out a significant update for Arma Reforger on both PC via Steam and Xbox platforms. This game, beloved by fans of military simulations, is now equipped with game-changing features and an extensive list of improvements and fixes. The gateway to Arma 4 slowly comes to life… Arma Reforger 0.9.8.53 Update Notes Game Added: Mines feature Added: Gamecode support for per-projectile reloads for UGLs Added: Lowering/raising the weapon in time crucial moments is now faster Added: AI perception tracks occlusion (by smoke, trees) of each target aimpoint Added: Engine controls for engine start/stop action Added: Add dead character to the vicinity Added: Flattening of grass under weapon at lower stances Added: Add a way to preview worn model inside PreviewRenderAttributes Added: Notification shown to all players of the given side when a service is built Changed: Log files moved from the profile into separate directories with timestamps Changed: Position of weapon from head now only uses y coord. And changed the default values to prevent long hands Changed: Aim modifiers should apply aim modifiers locally even on remote proxies Changed: Having a focused gadget in hand does not stop the character from sprinting, LMB while sprinting permanently hides the gadget, pressing R with a hidden gadget does not block reload Changed: DamageManagerComponent memory optimizations Changed: Better dynamic stance handling Changed: Enabled Door type navlinks to be automatically opened by vehicles Changed: Unified way in which AIs climb to match the way players climb Changed: Replay part of character simulation split into multiple parts so it’s possible to parallelize it and do additional processing Changed: Allow the empty string to be set as a name, alias, or surname for character identity Changed: Animation updates changed so triggering of animation events happens on the main thread Changed: GameTriggerEntity queries will now use async results Changed: Reworked navlink directions to be consistent. Jump navlinks have single unit traversal by default Changed: Exposed used transceivers to VoN Changed: Remote vehicles start with their physics off Changed: Refactor of AI Movement Changed: AI aiming deathzone Changed: Aim input is not slowed when hands are far away from the body Changed: Prone roll compensation is no longer unstable and frame dependent, but is also less precise Changed: Player in building mode can no longer delete static guns with other players in them Changed: Fixed character doing 360 spins in lowered locomotion when changing direction along with moving the mouse (as well as wrong feet blending in demi adjusted stance) Changed: Optimize the activeness of entities Tweaked: Procedural animation system optimization Tweaked: Improved AI perception ambient light model Tweaked: Stamina can be drained even while jogging now Tweaked: AI perception: targets are now detected and identified not instantly but with delay. The delay depends on the target’s amount of exposed aim points, size, stance, speed, illumination, and the observer’s alertness Tweaked: 2dmap – changed the default “vertical flip” option on the rasterization export Tweaked: AI will not decide anymore to attack a target that is outside turret angular limits Tweaked: 2DMap – Powerlines and Grid are only recalculated when the frame changes Tweaked: 2DMap – Allow contour density set to 0 to hide specific portions Tweaked: Improved AI visual perception if only one enemy body part is exposed Tweaked: Don’t animate door physics in the resource browser Tweaked: The naming of some controller RPCs changed to meet our standards Fixed: Overlapping HDR/SMAA PP priorities causing HDR to flicker and SMAA not to work Fixed: Not simulating procedural animation on headless when not needed Fixed: Moving a weapon from one inventory slot to another causes it to be dropped and bugged Fixed: Character would rotate in random directions after exiting vehicles, sometimes also after climbing over objects Fixed: Optimize moving operation in inventory Fixed: Ragdoll’s handpose of holding a weapon Fixed: While reloading, the AI Weapon&Target selector didn’t detect the left-hand magazine, thus AI thought it was out of ammo Fixed: Character collision shape not set before changing stance. Fixed: Teleporting of vehicles was stretching particle effects, now properly resets velocity Fixed: Stretched arms when aiming at horizontal limits. Fixed: Issue when moving items from/to storage that is not streamed in Fixed: Sprint is impossible while the weapon is raised Fixed: First few car inputs are not used on the server when getting in. Fixed: Switching weapons while reloading displays the magazine of the previous weapon on the new one Fixed: Clone preview in CharacterInventoryStorageComponent was not going over all storage components for creating previews Fixed: Don’t enable an event on DestructibleEntity when it is not needed. Fixed: Weapon can now be slung even if the character is inside a vehicle Fixed: One hand aim modifier not updating properly on obstruction changes Fixed: Character will not stop firing from the gun until he finishes the whole animation of getting into the vehicle Fixed: Moved the height raycast in turrets back a bit to make the character not sit on sandbags Fixed: RemoveEquipedWeaponTask now properly calls DropWeapon instead of trying to equip empty hands first. Fixes issue where Tab+X would teleport the weapon on the shoulder before dropping it on the ground Fixed: Budgeting for stationary nodes with per connection streaming disabled Fixed: PerceptionComponent wasn’t able to perceive large targets at short distances if the target’s origin is outside the view cone Fixed: Character canceled aiming if the target was too close, thus aiming request was never finished and the AI character didn’t fire Fixed: Character reconnected from the driver seat can’t control the vehicle properly and the physics of it break Fixed: Activeness of attachments on weapons Fixed: Weapon partial lower should now be synchronized again across all machines Fixed: It was possible for event handlers to be skipped after an event was fired Fixed: Replication for weapon inspection Fixed: Magazine now dropped correctly when a character is shot during reload (BaseWeaponManagerComponent refactor) Fixed: Animation graph attachments refresh on item removed not working Fixed: Inspection should be canceled by user-input ADS toggle as desired Fixed: Agents no longer overwalk when approaching doors sideways Fixed: Character can trigger climbing instead of jumping when running up slight (around 15 degrees) slopes, leading to freelook activation, which is inconsistent from the player’s POV Fixed: Broken ragdoll replication Fixed: Inspection state interpolation should no longer jitter at any intermediate value Fixed: Saving your loadout does not save UGL grenades Fixed: AI weapon selection was searching for InventoryStorageManagerComponent on the vehicle’s compartment slot entity, not on the vehicle root entity Fixed: several issues in AI character aiming: spinning when the aim target is too much up/down relative to the current rotation rotating backward when the aim target is closer than the weapon’s muzzle aiming up/down when the aim target is orthogonal to the left/right Fixed: ADS does not disable lean anymore Fixed: Sprint and toggle sprint buttons disable lean. Fixed: AI shouldn’t close doors after pass Fixed: Iron sights moved when zeroing scope attachments Fixed: Weapon obstruction is now updated during stance change too Fixed: Flying magazines by taking them from the crate Fixed: Explosions can now deal damage to slotted components Fixed: Left hand IK wasn’t affected by aim modifiers Fixed: Edge case where a child removed from a streamed-in hierarchy would remain streamed-in even though it might be irrelevant Fixed: Taking control of the character while inside the turret/vehicle would break the controls Fixed: Weapon inspection will no longer allow leaning Fixed: Muzzle smoke would vanish on the weapon switch Fixed: Fix comparison between local and world space transform in ladders Fixed: The volume validation in inventory wasn’t taking into account the total volume of the item Fixed: Obstruction will suppress ADS in certain cases as intended Fixed: Melee attack should now properly cancel ADS Fixed: Ik pose is now properly propagated to anim sys in PreviewAnimationComponent Fixed: Order of operations changed to ensure the correct navmesh will be set before resorting to simple double-point path generation Fixed: AI groups not using soldier navmesh after getting out of the vehicle Fixed: 2DMap elements adjusted with terrain offset Fixed: AI invulnerability and player invulnerability no longer interfere with each other Fixed: Group movement completion doesn’t interrupt jump navigation links anymore. Fixed: Add decal flag to shot decals Fixed: Local driving assist mode synced to all machines as necessary Fixed: Typo in naming VehicleAction_AssitanceMode -> VehicleAction_AssistanceMode Fixed: Broken ADSHold and MP ADS replication. Also fixed ADSHold not being able to pause sprinting if triggered while sprinting Fixed: Safety does not work on weapons that do not have it. Safety now stays engaged if switching to a lowered weapon Fixed: Proper canceling of item actions by jump and stance change, code cleanup Fixed: Improper removal from the spatial map while replication is shut down Fixed: Magazines now go into inventory if a weapon is dropped during reload unexpectedly, instead of staying in the character’s hand Fixed: Manually loaded ammo does not appear on weapon storage in the inventory UI Fixed: Actions were not taking their VisibilityRange into account Fixed: AIs not following commander group and movement speed issues. Fixed: Switching input when driving off with the reverse gear engaged Fixed: BaseLightManagerComponent reading past its buffer boundaries (happens with wrecked vehicles) Fixed: Hand additive IK attributes resulting in hand item duplication on preview widgets Fixed: Muzzle flashlight could remain visible after the weapon was dropped Fixed: TaskMoveInFormation no longer finishing unless aborted. When finishing movement and formation are shifted, set the direction of the group correctly Fixed: The content of the blouse and trousers was not saved/loaded for player-saved loadouts Fixed: TestAimModifier now yields the same sight picture as zeroing would Fixed: Refactor of character heading angles and aiming angles. Fixed: Added a move settings parameter to control the speed of interpolating slope for animations Fixed: Turret animations height adjustment now does not change while on the turret. Sitting in a turret is supported. Added traces to prevent the character from clipping when aiming the turret left and right Fixed: Condition for preventing deletion of player ignored child entities (e.g., turret inside of a composition) Fixed: Player gets stuck in the tutorial because of the low rank to build a bunker Fixed: Player character effects in Armavision (e.g., a black bar on faces) was not restored after closing Armavision and opening it again Fixed: A building mode is removed when a player is in unconsciousness Fixed: Smoke particles of smoke grenades weren’t replicated for JIP players Fixed: Server/Single player exit from occluded seat would get the character stuck Fixed: HitzoneContainer – Damage for hitzones inside of slotted entities wasn’t properly replicated Fixed: Vehicles – A front right window of UAZ doesn’t appear broken when hit zone reaches 0 Fixed: HitZoneContainerComponent hierarchy IDs are no longer done on the frame, it broke damage overtime calculations Fixed: Disabled RPLcomponents on equipment box props causing ghost entities Fixed: Item dimensions are now checked when replacing items Fixed: Explosions not dealing damage to destructibles Fixed: Services UI didn’t support additional services Fixed: Missing Faction in vehicle depot prefab Fixed: Incorrectly shown notifications about disassembled services Fixed: Issue with Tutorial where the player could respawn with a weapon Fixed: Campaign/Freebuilding – Dead body can block vehicle deployment if it’s dropped within the vehicle depot composition slot Fixed: Wrong resource links in procedural animation projects Fixed: Campaign – Vehicle ready message contains the name of a different vehicle than spawned Fixed: Sometimes friendlies AI are detected as enemies Removed: Unnecessary transform assignment when lerping is finished Removed: Updating of weapon’s surface signal from character Modding Added: Attachments Compatibility addon was merged into the base game Added: Zeroing generator for rear-sight apertures (like M72) Added: Exposed method for getting default magazine or projectile of a muzzle Added: Exposed InventoryStorageManagerComponent::GetMagazineCountByMuzzle Added: It’s now possible to set the Z offset of the turret sidesteps raytrace for each turret compartment Added: It’s now possible to set the Z offset of the turret height adjustment raytrace for each turret compartment Added: PerceptionComponent.GetUpdateInterval script function Added: A method BaseMuzzleComponent::ClearChamber(int i) and fixed a bug that prevented loading an unchambered weapon if no magazines were available Added: Added AttachmentSlotComponent::CanSetAttachment API Added: API to directly set animation variables and to call animation commands. Added: ApplyControls checkbox on BaseControllerComponent, ability to disable controls processing per controller Added: PerceptionManager.RequestUpdateAllTargetsFactions scripted method for cases when faction friendliness changes dynamically Added: Enable/Disable property and script API for BaseProjectileEffect Added: Extended system for sights zeroing generators Added: Public API for occluder destruction Added: EntitySlotInfo::IsEnabled function to the script Added: Rotation and Fire functions into TurretController for scripters Added: BaseTriggerComponent::GetProjectileEffects function Added: Scripted Triggers can now run the default query before the script query Added: DecalMaterial property that replaces the DecalMaterials array automatically copies data to the new property Added: Exposed dynamic speed limits to attributes Added: TurretComponent::GetAimingAngleExcess method. Also exposed it to the script Added: SpawnDecalEffect class, this can be used to create decals at the projectile position Added: Script API for reserved by on Compartment Slot Added: VehicleProcAnimComponent that will replace CarProcAnimComponent Added: WeaponAttachmentAttributes::GetAttachmentType function to the script Added: Under barrel RIS attachments slots Added: Two more magazine wells for 5.45×39 and 5.56×45 STANAG weapons which don’t accept drum magazines Tweaked: Inheritance of attachment classes so they work as intended Tweaked: EyesSensor constants were exposed as properties Tweaked: Modified BaseZeroingGenerator to cope with entities that have no muzzle Changed: Bones provided in ProcAnimParams are now simple overrides of bones in the resource Changed: Refactored ScriptApi FileHandle Changed: Renamed boneIndices to boneSlotIndices to clarify the meaning Changed: VehicleSignalType is now common for all vehicles Changed: VoN SetCapture API returns if the capture state was changed Changed: TimeAndWeatherManagerEntity: Exposed UpdateWeather method to manually update the weather Changed: PlayerManager will always assign PlayerID=1 in SP scenarios Changed: Rework some of the script API of BaseLoadoutManagerComponent and EquipedLoadoutStorageComponent Changed: CharacterIdentity API for script Changed: Setup of Maxspeed limiters to penalize walking/sprinting speed from a script Fixed: Removed Get/Set Heading/Aiming/LookAt angles functions on CharacterControllerComponent. Get/Set Heading/Aiming/LookAt Angles functions on CharacterInputContext all use radians, with the yaw angle being in a clockwise direction (turning right = increase and vice versa) Fixed: Invalid pointers to physics components on custom-made contact Fixed: ScriptedDamageManager::OnDamage would get called even when a default hitzone is destroyed, and there would be no data for OnDamage Fixed: OnActionStart script executed twice when beginning interaction Fixed: Manager registration no longer interferes with unrelated worlds/edit mode Fixed: OnCompartmentLeft was not called when switching seats in a vehicle Fixed: OnProjectileShot event should now fire if the character is seated in a turret Fixed: ComputeEffectiveDamage had a const inout parameter for both HitZones and DestructibleEntities. Because of it, the variable was read as 0 Fixed: InventorySearchPredicate would not work correctly if there is no definition Fixed: PrettyJsonSaveContainer::SetIndent was not working correctly Removed: DecalMaterials property (no longer used) Removed: TurretComponent aiming limits Scenario Framework Added: New Actions (Delete and teleport entity, wait and execute, end scenario override screen) Added: Serialization for scenarios created by ScenarioFramework Added: Add Visualization content of Slots using selected asset prefab in World Editor Added: Intel task map marker delay option Tweaked: Faction inheritance for Areas, Layers, and Slots Tweaked: Teleport action renamed to Set Entity Position and it utilizes getters to obtain entity rather than just the entity name Tweaked: Task Defend tweaks, bug fixes, and improvements Fixed: AI handling and waypoint bugs Fixed: Spawnpoint was accidentally removed from the base sample world Fixed: Task Defend test scenario LastStand had duplicate GUID Fixed: Unknown keyword/data in slot prefabs and outdated class name of PlayerPenaltyComponent Fixed: Task Defend samples got invalid faction values set Fixed: Missing satellite texture for sample world Fixed: Removed notnull from method parameter that was not supposed to be there Fixed: Wrong condition and value -1 caused improper evaluation of Task Defend Fixed: Getter returns a wrong entity Fixed: Default values for new actions were wrongly set Fixed: Passing the wrong entity caused by overlooking Fixed: Tasks are not properly spawning after a restart Xbox Changed: Speed up & fix downloading on Xbox Fixed: Input: virtual mouse on Xbox fix Added: Enable BE headless client support Stability Changed: Added upper limit when computing offset to light cluster structure to avoid possible GPU crash Fixed: BaseEventHandler leaks memory Fixed: SoundComponent – ECS Multithread crash upon activation Fixed: Crash when a vehicle is getting wrecked Fixed: Crash in Anim Editor Properties Fixed: Crash when addon loading fails Fixed: Crash in colliders debug rendering Fixed: Server crashes when unable to communicate with the backend Fixed: WorldEditor: split spline crash fix Fixed: Crash when closing ANM property grid Fixed: Lack of setting could cause a crash Fixed: Crash when upload fails Fixed: Potential crash by providing incorrect geometry element ID Fixed: Workshop crash when pausing and unpausing the download Fixed: Workbench: WorldEditor: current tool & reload scripts crash fix Fixed: Crash in graphical options when running on the adapter without outputs Fixed: Possible crash when on a limit of debug shapes in navmesh debugging Fixed: Possible crash in probe when trying to get volume info from the entity Fixed: Workbench options crash when the path to the addon is too long Fixed: Cinematic tool crashes when some user track script is missing Fixed: World editor – Crash after reimport XOB Fixed: Config editor – Crash after unsuccessful loading Fixed: Clouds: Fixed 2 crashes when Atmosphere is not present in World, but Clouds are. Fixed: Peak limiter SFX audio node crash Fixed: JSON – Crash with certain script object/array inheritance and loading of data upon a such object Fixed: Crash on quitting World Editor play mode while downloading Fixed: Workbench – crash by setup physics settings Fixed: GodRays: Fixed crash when generating thumbnail in Workbench Fixed: Fixed crash when a connection is disconnected at the same time (same tick) as ownership was given or taken Fixed: VectorEntityTool::OnActivate can crash WB upon opening the tool if the map contains a ShapeEntity with corrupted data Fixed: Clouds: fix crash caused by clouds history (temporal buffer is null) Fixed: Audio Editor – Selector crash upon loading a config file with ports that already exist, now gives an error instead and ignores the port Fixed: Audio/ProcAnim Editor – Crash when trying to modify signal simulation values with no opened project, clearing the signal simulations window now upon no tab opened Fixed: ScriptCompiler: protected method call crash Fixed: Property grid – crash when a variable is missing in ancestor due to different class Fixed: Crash when playing sound in the audio editor from non-Sound node Fixed: Crash when playing .wav file via audio editor resource browser Fixed: Material editor – Crash after changing material class of modded material Fixed: Crash and layout issue in Mesh Preview “Colliders” page Fixed: Ragdoll crashes when the bone index is invalid or the number of bones is zero. Fixed: Crash in PlayerManager due to missing PlayerManagerNode Fixed: Particles – Crash on vehicle explosion Fixed: Crash when changing character ownership of pilot while there is no pilot compartment setup Fixed: Crash on switching from turret to cargo compartment. Fixed: Crash when entering copilot in a helicopter Fixed: Group Movement crash for commanding when the commander disconnects. Fixed: Crash when explosion effects (not explosion damage) would fail to spawn a prefab Fixed: Crash when streaming in the vehicle which is destroyed Fixed: Possible crashes when deploying a weapon Fixed: Possible bit buffer crash if inspection state input action value is out of bounds Fixed: Crash if a vehicle collides with the surface with null SurfaceProperties Fixed: Possible crash on CharacterControllerComponent if used without a RplComponent Fixed: Crash when changing zeroing and there are no sights anymore Fixed: SwitchNextSights & SwitchPrevSights crash if there are no sights Fixed: Crash in BaseRadioComponent when streaming it in (broken string sync) Fixed: Crash when animating a door with BoneAnimated animation type without an animated mesh object Fixed: Crash when interrupting weapon switching Fixed: Crash in vehicle destruction Fixed: GenerateWindowsPrefabsTool’s World Editor potential crash Fixed: ScenarioFramework – Server crashes after finishing a combat ops mission Fixed: Crash when attempting to save a mission without save struct defined. Fixed: Crash in destruction from non-collision damage dealt asynchronously/from physics step Fixed: Crash in destructibles Fixed: Persistent loading widget in deploy menu for reconnecting a crashed client Fixed: Crash in respawn handler Fixed: Audio – Removed call queue calls for respawn and spawn music, which caused a crash when the player quickly disconnects or gets kicked Fixed: Possible crash in respawn menu handler Fixed: Another crash when computing a very small angle Fixed: Assertion/crash during portal volume loading Fixed: JSON – Crash during the processing of missing script object (non-intended Api use) Fixed: Crash on game cleanup while backend communication with workshop is pending Fixed: Crash on deleted Resource name of Behavior tree that was stored in BTmanager Fixed: Possible crash in water caustic when the texture wasn’t defined Fixed: GPU crash when river mesh was not correctly added to underwater surface mesh rendering Fixed: Crash on navmesh rebuild when entities got deleted before query and generation Fixed: Crash where if a DestructibleEntity had less than 2 destruction phases it would crash Fixed: Crash when reading ragdoll init data when there is no physics controller Fixed: Crash when entering turret compartment without turret controller/component Fixed: Crash when shooting a character Fixed: Explosions – Crash when an entity would be destroyed by multiple explosions in the same frame Fixed: Crash without BaseWeaponManagerComponent on a turret Fixed: Passing unverified text as a format string to print, leading to crashes and errors when there are references to non-existent format string arguments Audio Added: Audio – SoundMap API to get basic map values at a certain position Added: Audio – New callback to indicate when a SoundEvent has ended in CommunicationSoundComponent Added: Audio – New sound event SOUND_BODYFALL_TERMINAL for terminal fall damage on character Added: Frequency_Base config. Changed: MusicManager – Added custom fading parameters on musicmanager when terminating sounds for interruption or forceplay Changed: Audio – RadioBroadcast full rework to use MS instead of S, optimized entire networking part, way fewer calls over the network, and better synchronization Changed: Audio – Moved binding BaseItemAnimationComponent events from WeaponSoundComponent to SoundComponent Changed: RadioBroadcastManager.et – Modified timings to correctly portray the new system using milliseconds instead of seconds Changed: Update samples for inventory open/close Changed: Update banks volumes for inventory open/close Changed: Weapon reloads use a maximum 15-10 attenuation curve. Changed: Custom curve for reloads. Changed: LP frequency on exterior reverb Changed: Direct VON less audible over distance Changed: Audio – Removed unnecessary check in SpawnMusic causing it not to play on clients Changed: Audio – SoundSource, BaseSoundComponent and AudioSystem destruction now supports custom FadeOut time Changed: Audio – SoundEvents replaced with SoundEventTransform where necessary in scripts to support new activeness changes Changed: Audio – Removed including inactive on UGL and Throw Base, should not be needed anymore due to activeness changes Tweaked: Added weapon handgrab sounds when unequipping left-hand gadgets (via animation graph) Tweaked: Added 100ms NoRepeat time to weapon handgrab sounds Tweaked: Distance attenuation. Tweaked: Hum loudness. Tweaked: Distance attenuation. Tweaked: Samples are a bit darker Tweaked: Exterior reverb Tweaked: Removed 40-35 curve Tweaked: Sinking and leaking sounds Tweaked: Distance attenuation curves Tweaked: Exterior reverb reduced Tweaked: Character attenuation curves Tweaked: WaterEnter improvements added Tweaked: Grenade collisions, unpin, throw use config for frequency weapon handling. Fixed: Audio – SOUND_HIT changes to stop current SOUND_HIT from playing and restarting it after consciousness was set Fixed: Multiple UI sounds being played in the Hotkey menu Fixed: Radio static final mix routing. Fixed: Audio – Activeness fix for WeaponSoundComponent to only assume weapon range if the weapon is active Fixed: Audio – SoundComponent Activating/Deactivating causing an infinite loop in sound system Removed: Audio – SOUND_WPN_TOUGL sound event Backend, Workshop, Server Hosting Added: Check of file size and resolution of uploaded images with addons Added: Unlisted visibility option for addons Added: SessionStorage Scheduler for periodic saves Added: Configurable period of automatic player save “operating.playerSaveTime” in the server config Added: ownerToken.bin file for dedicated servers (replacement for dedicatedServerId) Changed: Server max player limit to 128 player Changed: Server default player limit to 64 player Changed: Use server name instead of dedicatedServerId in A2S_INFO Name (T171463) Fixed: Addon delta patching when downloading updates Fixed: Addon updates on Linux servers Removed: dedicatedServerId from server config Known Issues Server performance can be greatly reduced when replicating a high number of characters (players + AIs), and this issue becomes more prominent with increased limits, making it difficult to handle 128 players and 200+ AIs. Playing Everon Conflict with 128 players is not recommended, while Arland might be more feasible due to its smaller size and fewer AI spawns. Pure PvP without AIs could be a potential alternative for larger player counts. Initiating PiP scope during weapon-switching animation results in the scope view being blacked out. PiP scope turns black when switching between prone and crouched stance while aiming down sights (ADS). Visual and audio effects of shooting might not be replicated for other players after picking up a dropped weapon. Problems with looting dead bodies were encountered during testing and require investigation. Players clip into the roof of a vehicle when exiting it if the server has low FPS. In the event of a kick, the player returns to their previous character, potentially causing replication issues with shooting until they reconnect. Base callsigns may be missing after reconnecting. Issues with an inability to respawn at a specific base after death were encountered during testing and require investigation. The spawn point of the radio operator may disappear from the deploy screen when they switch seats in vehicles. Passengers in a vehicle may be invisible to other players after switching seats until they exit the vehicle. Vehicle previews in the vehicle depot do not display properly while selecting a vehicle. The game window briefly switches to full screen during loading screen transitions. Attempting to unbind the “Rest Weapon” action in keybindings causes a crash. The filter for modded entities in the Editor Entity browser is not functioning. After enabling a previously disabled add-on, included missions are not displayed in the “Scenarios” tab until the game is restarted Add-ons required for joining a modded server may be incorrectly displayed after opening the server browser for the first time after disconnecting Modding: Community assets using TCModFuncs are not fully functional Addon downloading gets sometimes stuck or fails when connecting to a server. Addon download might get stuck if you try to download an older version of an addon you already have downloaded If you are certain your download got stuck: First try to restart the game and connect to the server again. If it doesn’t help, cancel the download/connection process. Try to initiate the connection to the same server again → You will see a list of addons that need to be downloaded/updated → Those are likely the addons causing the problem. Go to Workshop and find the addons from the previous step and delete them. Restart the game and connect to the same server again. The download should finish successfully. After vaulting weapon inspection is not available Motor pools are missing interaction. Workaround is to just build a vehicle depot. [https://www.futuregamereleases.com/2023/05/arma-reforgers-major-0-9-8-53-update-fixes-plenty-of-issues/]

En apenas unos meses se cumplirán seis años desde el lanzamiento de Fortnite: Battle Royale. Un periodo de tiempo en el que el juego ha tenido subidas y bajones, pero en el que siempre se ha mantenido como uno de los más po[CENSORED]res del mundo. El reto de Epic Games es hacer que esta situación no cambie a lo largo del próximo lustro y es por eso que los desarrolladores se han centrado en llevar a cabo cambios que mantengan a los usuarios activos por largos periodos de tiempo. Si hace apenas unas semanas llegaba una renovación del modo creativo que ya prometía encaminar este objetivo, ahora se ha confirmado oficialmente la llegada de las partidas clasificatorias. Transformación con una óptica diferente, pero que también busca llevar el videojuego a la eternidad. Las partidas clasificatorias llegarán a Fortnite con la introducción del Parche 24.40, cuya llegada al juego está fechada para el martes 16 de mayo. Una vez se lleve a cabo la actualización y los servidores estén disponibles, comenzará lo que se denominará como "Temporada Cero". El objetivo de los desarrolladores es utilizar todo lo que resta de la Temporada 2 del Capítulo 4 como una especie de 'fase beta' de cara a introducir el modo de juego oficialmente en el videojuego. Será completamente funcional pero, al tratarse de un nuevo sistema, se espera que surjan errores o imprecisiones. En este sentido, se necesita que los jugadores lo prueben de forma masivas para detectarlos de forma definitiva. Las partidas clasificatorias estarán disponibles tanto en el modo Battle Royale como en Cero Construcción. Funcionarán de la misma forma en ambas categorías, pero contarán con medidores de habilidad separados. La otra diferencia es el tamaño de los equipos. Battle Royale se puede jugar En Solitario, Dúos o Escuadrones y todas las partidas independientemente del tamaño del equipo nos ayudarán a subir de rango. Por su parte, Cero Construcción solo puede jugarse en Dúos. Por supuesto, esta situación puede cambiar en el futuro. El juego nos emparejará siempre contra rivales con nuestro mismo nivel de habilidad en caso de que juguemos solos y contra enemigos de un nivel equivalente al jugador de nuestro grupo con más nivel en caso de que lo hagamos acompañados. El modo clasificatorio de Fortnite tendrá un total de ocho rangos. Los cinco más bajos son Bronce, Plata, Oro, Platino y Diamante. Cada uno de ellos se divide en un total de tres ligas. Por encima de Diamante se sitúan los niveles de habilidad Élite, As y Unreal. Estos están reservados a los miembros más habilidosos de la comunidad y ya no cuentan con subdivisiones. Además, al llegar al nivel Unreal comenzaremos a participar en un ranking mundial de jugadores, pudiendo competir por alcanzar el primer puesto. La forma de subir rangos siempre será la misma: se valora conseguir eliminaciones y acabar en las primeras posiciones. Es clave para sacar conclusiones, pero todavía es un secreto La forma de distribuir puntos es una de las claves para sacar conclusiones. Apex Legends, el battle royale que mayor importancia ha dado a las partidas clasificatorias, siempre ha tenido problemas a la hora de equilibrar la importancia entre eliminaciones y puesto final. Recientemente, un jugador decidió jugar en modo pacifista durante 50 partidas y logró clasificarse entre los 150 mejores del mundo. En este sentido, será muy importante esperar al próximo martes cuando finalmente se introduzca este parche para sacar las primeras conclusiones sobre las rankeds. En cualquier caso, parece que Fortnite ha dado un paso en la dirección adecuada al añadir un modo de juego competitivo que permite a los jugadores establecerse objetivos a largo plazo y luchar por alcanzarlos. Cabe destacar que se han añadido tres cambios importantes al juego. En los modos clasificatorios los jugadores eliminados soltarán 50 unidades de cada material al ser eliminados, el límite para transportar materiales se reduce a 500 y aumenta ligeramente el número de materiales recolectados al picar. Por supuesto, estos ajustes no afectan a Cero Construcción. [https://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/fortnite/noticias/ha-tardado-seis-anos-fortnite-al-fin-anade-modo-juego-pedido-comunidad-rankeds-llegan-al-battle-royale-epic-games]

Season 3 Reloaded is live in Warzone 2, and DMZ's new Koschei Complex exclusion zone has an exclusive Kastov 762 assault rifle weapon blueprint, but you'll need to find and scavenge the pieces to "build" it. Here's how you can claim the Heated Madness weapon blueprint for yourself. How to unlock the free Heated Madness weapon blueprint To get your hands on the colorful Heated Madness assault rifle weapon blueprint, you'll first need to visit DMZ's new Koschei Complex exclusion zone. This is a hidden area under Al Mazrah, but we have a full guide on all the different ways you can access this underground location. From there, you'll need to locate and successfully extract five weapon parts. These don't all need to be extracted in one match of DMZ, but you'll need them all before you can unlock the blueprint. Thankfully, this progress is shared with your teammates. So, if one teammate extracts with a weapon part, everyone in the squad will also get credit for unlocking the piece. Where to find Heated Madness weapon parts You'll want to reference our guide here on how to locate all four Koschei Complex access points mentioned below, and how to complete each puzzle room. Here are all five Heated Madness parts and where to find them: Barrel skin The barrel is found by accessing any entrance to Koschei Complex, and completing the puzzle room to advance to the Chemical Plant section of the building. This piece is inside one of the vents you can crawl through near the center of the room. Optic skin For this, you'll want the rebreather equipment. Make sure you scavenge this before attempting to loot the piece. The optic is found by entering Koschei Complex at the Taraq/Al Mazrah bridge location. You'll need to go through the first half of the swimming puzzle, and once you reach the surface for part two, follow the right side path. Watch for trip wires and AI enemies here. The path will fork again, but keep far right and there's a boarded-up hole in the wall. Bust through the hole, and dive into the flooded room with the rebreather equipped. Swim straight until you pass through a set of doors. The optic is in the back left corner of the room. Magazine skin For the magazine, you'll want to make sure you have a gas mask. You'll need to enter the Oasis access point, and proceed through the gas puzzle room. When you get to the last section (marked as section 1) you want to go inside the gas-filled bunker on the left with the long gas tanks. It's in the back behind the tanks. Muzzle skin You'll want to go through Rohan Oil, and also grab an extra car battery and jumper cables. You'll need one to access the Chemical Plant, and another set to power up another bunker door to proceed. Once inside the Chemical Plant, grab an R4D detector, which can easily be looted somewhere within the rooms of the area. Go south in the Chemical Plant until you reach the door C2. Here you need to power it up with the battery and cables, go through the doors (the area is called Alpha Clusters) and go straight down the hall and down some stairs into another large room. Use the R4D to find a door with three glowing symbols. Then, use the R4D detector on the blackboards around the room. There are more than four, so you want to find the ones with your symbols, and note the numbers that are marked for the symbols in order to get the door code, and open up the room with the muzzle piece. Tip: It can be hard to find all three symbols. I could only find two of mine, but I used the process of elimination to guess the third number on the keypad. You don't get locked out for multiple guesses. Grip skin The muzzle is by far the most difficult and time-consuming piece to find, but you can try to get the grip at the same time, as this is in the same area of the Alpha Clusters as the muzzle. For this piece, you'll need to find three AQ laptops. These are general loot scavenged around the map, so you can find them on your explorations through Koschei Complex. In Alpha Clusters there is a pedestal of three servers with a notice that says they are inactive. Interact with the servers to connect all three laptops, and you'll hear a door nearby open. Inside the unlocked room is the grip and other good loot. How to build the Heated Madness blueprint You can check your unlock progress by going to the Challenge section in the game's menu, scrolling over to the DMZ tab, and selecting the Heated Madness challenge. Once you have all the pieces, you can go into the Gunsmith and select the Kastov 762 assault rifle. These weapon skin pieces will be found in the attachment sections, so you'll need to equip them in the same way. Example: Heated Madness optic skin is under the optic section of attachments. Apply all five and the blueprint is ready for use. If you're looking for more to unlock in Season 3, we have a full guide for completing Modern Warfare 2's third Raid episode, which unlocks Modern Warfare 2019's Alex Keller as a playable operator. There is also a limited-time camo challenge event, and here's how you can unlock all of Season 3 Reloaded's exclusive camo rewards. The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site. [https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cod-warzone-2-dmz-how-to-unlock-heated-madness-weapon-blueprint/1100-6514130/]