Warlock-

It sounds like people might be more willing to spend money if they know what they're getting. Unlike many other major publishers, including Riot and Microsoft, Electronic Arts has stuck with loot boxes as a major monetization model, particularly in the FIFA series. And understandably so: A € 10 million fine upheld in the Netherlands in 2020 is a drop in the bucket compared to the $ 1.6 billion earned from "extra content sales" on the Ultimate Team games, including FIFA, NFL, and NHL. But with sentiment having turned strongly against loot boxes, EA has been looking at ways of making them more palatable, including with FIFA Ultimate Team "Preview Packs," which players can "open" before committing to purchase. The new pack type was only meant to be available for a limited time, but it sounds like they could become a permanent fixture: In an investors call yesterday, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said Preview Packs "were very well received by the community," and more importantly they brought in lots of money, too. "We saw an increase in engagement, and we saw a higher rate of conversion of spenders," Wilson said. "It was coming down toward the end of the season, so some of this data has to be taken in that context, but the team is committed to continuing to innovate in and around the offers and the programs that we put together for our players, and believe that we can continue to grow that business over time. " Conversion the art of turning browsers into buyers is important. Wilson said Ultimate Team is the most-played mode in FIFA, but two-thirds of players don't actually buy FUT packs, and ninety percent of packs are opened using coins earned through gameplay rather than Points, which are purchased with real money. It is possible to purchase coins through third-party markets (although it violates EA's terms), so there's some flexibility in those numbers, but the bottom line is that despite how much money EA is making on Ultimate Team, the vast majority of players are not actually spending money on it. Preview Packs, ironically, may be a way of increasing that percentage. "What we saw with Preview Packs was, we saw a higher incidence of new players coming into Ultimate Team, and we saw a higher conversion of those new players in and around buying packs and participating in the digital ecosystem," Wilson said. "Our teams are going to continue to look for interesting, new, innovative and creative ways that allow people to more deeply engage, and Preview Packs is one of those examples." Aside from the money-making potential, fundamental changes that will eliminate the element of chance in loot boxes may be inevitable as lawsuits and threats of legislation continue to pile up. And EA has already taken steps toward abandoning the model in other games, including in recent major releases like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Need for Speed: Heat, and even Anthem.

"BBC" The facelifted 2022 Tiguan is slightly pricier than before, and the most expensive SEL R-Line model comes in at $ 37,790. 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Pricing Announced, Starts At $ 27,190 The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan, which received a light facelift, will start at $ 27,190 for the front-wheel drive base S trim, $ 750 more than last year. The SEL and SEL Premium R-Line are replaced by one model, the SEL R-Line, that splits their starting prices at $ 37,790 and comes standard with all-wheel drive. The cheapest Tiguan is pricier than the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape, and Hyundai Tucson but comes in below the Toyota RAV4. For 2022, the VW Tiguan compact crossover gets a facelift with sharper styling and upgraded tech, and now the German company has released pricing for the updated model. The base Tiguan S with front-wheel drive will start at $ 27,190, a $ 750 increase from 2021, with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive available for an extra $ 1500. All-wheel drive is an option on first three trim levels, but comes standard on the top SEL R-Line model, which starts at $ 37,790. The 2022 SEL R-Line is more expensive than the 2021 SEL but cheaper than last year’s top trim, the SEL Premium R-Line. In between the S and SEL R-Line are the SE $ 30,690 for front-wheel drive and $ 32,190 for all-wheel drive and SE R-Line Black, which starts at $ 33,490. Every 2022 Tiguan features a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four producing 184 hp and 221 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic is the only available transmission. Front-wheel-drive versions include three rows of seats, uncommon for the segment, while all-wheel-drive variants are limited to two rows. The Tiguan is priced a little higher than some of its rivals in the compact-crossover market. The base Tiguan S is pricer than the Honda CR-V LX ($ 26,575), Mazda CX-5 Sport ($ 26,545), Ford Escape S ($ 26,800), and Hyundai Tucson SE ($ 26,135). Still, the Tiguan undercuts the Toyota RAV4 LE ($ 27,565) and the SEL R-Line is cheaper than some of the high-end trims on its competitors. The Tiguan is due to reach dealerships in the United States during the third quarter of this year. The best value for money car

"BBC" MV Asphalt Princess: Panamanian-flagged ship is hijacked in the Gulf of Oman and is "being forced to go to Iran" A Panamanian-flagged vessel has been hijacked by gunmen in the Gulf of Oman. The information was confirmed by the intelligence company Lloyds List Maritime Intelligence, which noted that the ship is being forced to go to Iran. A Panamanian-flagged vessel has been hijacked by gunmen in the Gulf of Oman. The information was confirmed by the intelligence company Lloyds List Maritime Intelligence, which noted that the ship is being forced to go to Iran. The MV Asphalt Princess tanker is heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. The nationality of the kidnappers has not been identified, but analysts consulted point to the Iranian security forces. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has denied these rumors, stating that they are a pretext for "hostile action" against Tehran. "War in the shadows" BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner reported that the MV Asphalt Princess belongs to a Dubai-based company, which two years ago suffered the hijacking of one of its ships by the Revolutionary Guards. According to reports, Gardner said, the tanker would be near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil cargo traffic passes. In addition to last week's attack, there have been incidents with ships passing through this region throughout the year. In early 2021, the cargo ship MV Helios, owned by an Israeli company, was severely damaged in the Gulf of Oman when an attack left two holes in its hull. Israel quickly accused Iran, which denied any responsibility. In April, the Iranian ship Saviz, anchored in the southern Red Sea, suffered damage probably caused by mines. Israel and Saudi Arabia said the ship functioned as a logistics post for Iranian allies in Yemen. Media in the United States have reported that in the past 18 months Israeli forces have targeted at least 12 ships bound for Syria with Iranian oil and military supplies. The attack on the Israeli tanker last week was, for Garner, an escalation in this "war in the shadows" that Iran and Israel are fighting in this region, due to the two fatalities it left behind. we need help shouted the brave!

RDNA 2 heads to the Mac Pro AMD announced three new workstation GPUs called the W6000X series that will be designed exclusively for Apple's Mac Pro. As such, these won't be among the best graphics cards, unless perhaps we're talking about the best GPUs for Apple. The lineup consists of the W6900X, W6800X, and the W6800X Duo featuring AMD's latest RDNA 2 architecture and memory configurations of up to 64GB and 128GB for the Duo. These new GPUs will give the Mac Pro a serious graphical upgrade compared to its current W5000X offerings, with double to nearly quadruple the performance of the current Radeon Pro RX W5700X. To put in perspective how much faster these new GPUs are, the lowest teir card, the W6800X, has nearly double the performance of the W5700X, with 32 Teraflops of performance compared to just 18.9 on the previous flagship W5700X. The W6800X will be the entry-level card in the W6000X lineup, with specs that look very similar to the Radeon RX 6800 desktop equivalent - it's also basically the same as the Radeon Pro W6800, except with slightly lower clocks to go with the Apple- centric theme. The W6800X features 60CUs making up a total of 3840 Stream Processors with a peak clock speed of 2087MHz. The card will operate on a 256-bit wide memory bus with 32GB of GDDR6 memory and 128MB of Infinity Cache. The W6900X is the mid-level GPU option with 80CUs and 5120 Stream Processors, similar to that of the RX 6900 XT. Memory remains the same with 32GB of GDDR6 running on a 256-bit wide bus and 128MB of Infinity Cache. Finally, AMD's highest tier option is the W6800X Duo, the most exotic card in the lineup with a dual GPU configuration operating on a single daughterboard. The W6800X Duo, as the name implies, features two W6800X GPUs linked together with AMD's Infinity Fabric interconnect. As a result of this, stream processor counts and memory are doubled to 120CUs, 7680 Stream Processors, and 64GB of GDDR6 memory. But due to the complexities of running two GPUs on one board, and the lower 400W (versus 300W) TDP, clock speeds have been slightly reduced to a peak clock of 1979MHz. Because AMD's W6000X GPUs are exclusive to the Mac Pro, these 'graphics cards' will come in an MPX Module. These modules are designed to fit in the Mac Pro's chassis and come with extra connectors on the PCB to allow for multi-GPU configurations and power for the several Thunderbolt 3 ports equipped on each W6000X series GPU. Speaking of multi-GPU configs, the Mac Pro allows for a maximum of two W6000X MPX modules to be inserted into its chassis. This includes the W6800X Duo as well, meaning you can have a Quad-GPU setup in your Mac Pro. The cooling solution for each workstation GPU is also custom-designed for the Mac Pro with each MPX module packing a matte black passive heatsink that utilizes the Mac Pro's chassis fans for cooling. But pricing will be quite steep, as is usual with Apple's offerings. Building the Mac Pro out with a W6800X will charge you an additional $ 2400 over the baseline Radeon Pro 580X, $ 5600 for the W6900X, and $ 4600 for the W6800X Duo. This is not to mention the dual GPU setups which more than double those prices.

The class action suit, filed today, alleges the company damaged investors by failing to disclose what an awful workplace it really is. Activision Blizzard is facing another legal action arising out of the lawsuit filed against it in July by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges widespread discrimination, sexual harassment, and a "frat boy" culture throughout the company. Somewhat confusingly, this new action, available via Ars Technica, is not being filed on behalf of employees, but shareholders who have allegedly suffered losses because Activision Blizzard failed to disclose that it was under investigation. The suit, which names Activision Blizzard as a company as well as CEO Bobby Kotick, CFO Dennis Durkin, and previous CFO Spencer Neumann as individual defendants, alleges that the company made "false and misleading statements" between August 4, 2016, and July 27 , 2021, in SEC filings that failed to disclose the company was actually a hostile workplace for women and minorities, that numerous complaints had been made to its HR department over the years, and that DFEH had launched an investigation as a result. "As a result, Defendant's statements about Activision Blizzard's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and / or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times," the suit says. The lawsuit also notes that since the DFEH action was filed, more than 2,000 current and former employees have signed a letter condemning the company's initial response to the suit, and that plans for a walkout were announced on July 27. As a result, Activision Blizzard shares fell by more than 6% on that same date, causing a loss for investors, who purchased shares in the company at "artificially inflated" prices because of misleading executive and company statements. "Had Plaintiff and the other members of the Class been aware that the market price of Activision Blizzard securities had been artificially and falsely inflated by Defendants' misleading statements and by the material adverse information which Defendants did not disclose, they would not have purchased Activision Blizzard securities at the artificially inflated prices that they did, or at all, "the suit states. "As a result of the wrongful conduct alleged herein, Plaintiff and other members of the Class have suffered damages in an amount to be established at trial." The lawsuit has not actually been certified as a class action at this point, and the Rosen Law Firm warned that until it is, nobody applying to be a part of the class actually has legal representation in the matter unless they hire their own lawyers independently. There is, however, currently no obligation to take part: Potential litigants "may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point," the law firm said. It also notes in the retention agreement that it can apply to claim up to 33.3% of any amount recovered in the case, "plus disbursements," (including travel expenses, paralegal fees, and more) which will be claimed first. Interestingly, while Activision Blizzard employees were largely unsatisfied by the statements made in today's second quarter financial report and investors call, the market seems more impressed. The company's share price bounced back to almost $ 85 in after-hours trading, a 6.29% increase.

"CARDRIVER" The Type S will feature performance upgrades, and the 350-unit production run will mark the end of the current-generation NSX. Acura is bringing the Type S badge to the NSX, and the 2022 NSX Type S will have an upgraded version of the twin-turbo hybrid V-6 powertrain. 2022 will be the final model year for the current-generation NSX, which has been on sale since 2017. Every 2022 NSX will be a Type S, and Acura will only build 350 in total, with 300 of those destined for the United States. Acura recently revived the Type S badge for the 355-hp TLX Type S sport sedan and MDX Type S crossover, and now the company has confirmed that the NSX supercar will also receive the Type S treatment. But there’s a sad caveat: the higher-performance NSX Type S will serve as a send-off for the hybrid sports car, with Acura announcing that 2022 will be the final model year for the current generation. Every 2022 NSX will be a Type S, and Acura will be limiting production to 350 units in total, with 300 offered in the United States. Last year, Acura sold 128 examples of the NSX in the U.S., down from 238 the year before. This marks the first time a Type S – branded NSX will be sold in the U.S., as the original NSX Type S was for Japan only. Acura says the NSX Type S will receive “an enhanced version” of the twin-turbocharged V-6 and the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system. The current 3.5-liter gasoline engine mated to three electric motors is good for a combined 573 horsepower, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Type S crest 600 hp. We're not sure whether that extra oomph would come from upgrades to the V-6, tweaks to the electric motors, or both. The Type S could also feature a more aggressive suspension setup, different wheels and tires, larger brakes, and a louder exhaust. There also could be some minor styling changes, as the design has remained virtually unchanged since 2017. These teaser photos indicate it will offer some sort of matte paint and come with a unique wheel design. The 2022 Acura NSX Type S will be revealed on August 12, at which point customer orders for the limited production run will open. Although 2022 marks the end of the NSX, we wouldn't rule out a new generation at some point in the future. Acura said that it "will continue to pursue sports cars," with Vice President Jon Ikeda noting that the company is "actively investigating what the next generation of sports cars should be in an electrified era."

"BBC" Poland granted a humanitarian visa to a Belarusian sprinter who refused her team's order to fly home ahead of schedule since the Tokyo Olympics. Kristina Timanovskaya, 24, is at the Polish embassy in Tokyo after spending the night in a hotel under the protection of the Japanese police. The athlete said she was forcibly taken to the airport on Sunday for criticizing the coaches and expressed fears for her safety if she was returned to her country. Belarus says she was removed from the team due to her emotional state. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said Timanovskaya was in direct contact with Polish diplomats in Tokyo and that Poland would "do whatever it takes to help her continue her sports career." Timanovskaya's husband fled to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. He told the AFP news agency that he hoped to meet his wife in Poland "in the near future." The Belarusian government has yet to comment on Poland's decision. 200 meters Timanovskaya was due to participate in the women's 200 meters on Monday and had protested in a video on social media that she had been entered in another race, the 4x100 relay race, with little notice after other athletes were excluded from the test. He stated that he was "under pressure" by those responsible for the Belarusian athletics team and that they had asked him to return to his country, for which he had requested help from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "They are trying to get me out of the country without my permission," he denounced in a video posted on the Telegram channel of the Belarusian Foundation for Solidarity in Sports, a group that supports athletes imprisoned or separated for their political ideas. She was criticized by Belarusian state media after publishing that video and was criticized on television for lacking "team spirit". The IOC stated that it had requested clarification from Belarusian officials, who had previously reported that the athlete was leaving the team due to her "emotional and psychological situation". In a later message, the IOC said Timanovskaya had told them she "felt safe." Safe The flight finally took off without the athlete, who was already "safe" and under police protection, Anatol Kotau of the Belarusian Foundation for Solidarity in Sport told the BBC. The broker had told the European Radio for Belarus that she was afraid to return to her country. According to the athlete's account, on Sunday those responsible for her team appeared in her room and said that she had to pack her bags in an hour and then leave for Tokyo's Haneda airport. She claims she was removed from the national team for reporting on Instagram the "negligence" of her coaches. The Belarusian Foundation for Solidarity in Sport was created in August 2020 to support athletes during protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, re-elected last year in an election that was questioned by the United States, the European Union and the Belarusian opposition. Government forces carried out a heavy crackdown after hundreds of thousands of Belarusians protested in the streets over alleged irregularities in the election. Some of those who participated in the protests were high-level athletes in the country who suffered cuts in their funding and arrests, or were cut off from the national teams.

Latest acquisition targets business and educational sectors IRIS Software Group has announced that it has acquired Payplus, a leading managed payroll services provider for businesses and educational organizations. First launched back in 2008, with a focus on managed payroll and P11D services designed to streamline workflow and improve efficiency, Payplus is the latest addition to IRIS’s burgeoning software portfolio aimed at businesses of all shapes and sizes. The move appears timely as figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that employees on the payroll are increasing, with a total of 28.9 million recorded for June 2021. IRIS is has an already well-established presence in the payroll sector, with over six million of the UK's workforce reportedly paid using the British company's payroll software. We've also featured the best UK tax software Take a look at the best bookkeeping software around today Check out the best free accounting software The purchase of Payplus comes with accreditation from the Payroll Assurance Scheme (PAS) along with an extensive knowledge of the business and educational sectors. IRIS stands to benefit from the in-house expertise at Payplus, particularly at a time when managing payroll is producing increased challenges. Complications caused as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns and the management of furlough payments has meant payroll has become increasingly difficult to manage effectively. Payroll software Elona Mortimer-Zhika, CEO of IRIS Software Group, celebrated the deal, noting, “Payplus joining the IRIS family allows us to expand our offerings for managed payroll services, delivering businesses and educational organizations a best-in-class service, getting payroll right first time, every time. The sheer complexity of payroll, especially during the pandemic, with ongoing regulatory changes around the furlough scheme, has meant businesses need the bandwidth and energy to focus on profitable growth. " “We’ve spent the last 13 years working with businesses and educational organizations to develop managed payroll services that enable them to outsource the burden of payroll so that they can focus on more profit-focused work,” added Robin Mead, MD of Payplus. "With the incredible IRIS resources and working with the brilliant IRIS team, who are obsessed with everything payroll as we are, we'll be able to take our services to the next level. We couldn't be more excited about joining the IRIS family . " “Our goal is to support our customers to work productively and remain compliant. We are delighted to bring Payplus onboard and will continue to support its growth and invest in its best-in-class services to benefit both existing and new customers. "

Helping the Russian scientific and academic community. Huawei has capitalized on its Moscow, Russia presence to invest in the installation of an Arm-based server farm in the city. After a series of blows resulting from the U.S.-China trade wars, Huawei has looked towards diversifying its investments both from a market standpoint and a geo-strategic one. Now, Huawei's Intelligent Computing Systems Department has finished construction of its Moscow Arm server - which the company said was the first such facility in Russia. Huawei said that "the computing cluster will enable our partners and customers to test their software products, to join the construction of a new open ecosystem", and help the company itself develop software in Russian soil. The infrastructure is meant to solve demand from users who want to capitalize on supercomputing and open source software - one of the reasons why the new server is mostly focused on serving the Moscow academic and scientific communities. The servers run on the company's Taishan infrastructure, which utilizes Kunpeng 920 processors developed by HiSilicon, the Huawei subsidiary responsible for custom-designing Arm SoCs. Kunpeng 920 SoCs feature Armv8 designs scalable at up to 64 cores running at a maximum 2.6 GHz - under a 180W TDP. There's also an octa-channel DDR4 -2933 memory controller in the Kunpeng 920 silicon - it truly was Huawei's latest and greatest at time of its introduction. The Kunpeng 920 Arm SoCs are manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm node, which already stopped deliveries to Huawei last September, following U.S. sanctions on technology exports to the Chinese company. This means that the server farm was most likely built using stockpiled capacity of these chips. As for Huawei's foundry access after TSMC shut the company off, and without access to Intel or GlobalFoundries due to their ties with the US, Huawei has resorted to China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), which currently is only capable of silicon manufacturing at the 14 nm node. This isn't the first time an Arm server has entered the supercomputing fray; in fact, Fujitsu's Fugaku, an Arm-based supercomputer deployed in Japan, was the world's most powerful supercomputer for a time, without ever touching the x86 instruction set. Likewise, Huawei Russia’s Intelligent Computing System Department Director Lyu Lu said that "The tests carried out have shown that in a number of scenarios Arm servers can already compete fully with solutions based on the x86 architecture”. Huawei considers that Arm, too, is capable of a more widespread presence in the server ecosystem, porting over the power / performance benefits of a mobile-first architecture into the server business - and the company will do that one server at a time, if it has to.

The new Mount and Blade 2 patch (e1.6.0) also delivers a whole lotta bug and crash fixes. A new Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord patch has dropped, bringing a heap of changes and fixes to the open world RPG. Most of the changes have been tested in beta for the past month or so, but they've now been patched into the game proper. Just as a squire becomes a knight, so too do these once-young fixes become public. Some of the more notable changes in version e1.6.0 include an ironman game mode in singleplayer, for those looking for a hardcore, no-second-chances experience. Once you select the ironman option during character creation, you can't turn the mode off again. It'll confine your campaign to a single save file, with each save overwriting the last. Watch your step, in other words. There's also a fun sounding duel mode in multiplayer, so two players can go at it one-on-one. A special map has been created for duels, called Proving Grounds, which has different areas zoned for infantry, cavalry, and ranged combat. Each zone has multiple arenas for your duels which should keep things fresh from fight to fight. The first player to triumph in three rounds of combat, wins. There's lots more in the patch notes: a quick text-search for "crash" turns up nearly 40 instances of the word in both singleplayer and multiplayer, so if you've been having issues with stability hopefully the patch addresses them. There have also been a number of tweaks to the UI which should make things like party management and encyclopedia sorting easier. Some bonuses and penalties pertaining to the culture of your character have been adjusted as well, and starting attribute points and focus points in character creation have been increased. A new crafting feature has been added, allowing you to craft weapons for notable characters, which can increase your standing with them (or decrease it, if you don't deliver to their expectations) as well as allow you to earn some extra gold and XP. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring stories in RPGs so he can make up his own.

"CARDRIVER" I know we're wasting money on incentives,' says CEO Jim Farley, acknowledging the way people buy cars and trucks is changing. The pandemic and the resulting chip shortage have changed how Americans buy cars, and Ford thinks that a build-to-order process is the right way to go moving forward. To help sell cars online, Ford recently introduced Ford Express Buy for the Mustang Mach-E and Ford Blue Advantage for used cars and other digital options. CEO Jim Farley, quoted by Reuters, said he knows Ford is wasting money on incentives, which is less of a problem when the customer says up front, "This is the car I want." Ordering the exact vehicle color, trim level, accessories, everything that you want is how many Europeans have been buying their cars for ages. But the U.S. has been more committed to the model where shoppers go to the dealership and then drive home in one of the cars off the lot. The pandemic has changed how Americans interact with their local dealership. People are now choosing to do more communication online, and they're expressing less insistence on going out to take a test drive. Ford noticed, and now the company wants to shift more future buyers to the vehicle ordering process, Ford CEO Jim Farley said on a conference call this week with reporters to discuss the company's second-quarter results. Getting more buyers to order a specific vehicle online can also help Ford's bottom line. "We are really committed to going to an order-based system and keeping inventories at 50 to 60 days' supply," he said. "I know we are wasting money on incentives." COVID that has caused the shift in customer behavior. The chip shortage that has been affecting dealership vehicle supply since earlier this year is another big reason Ford thinks it can do better when more customers order their vehicles. The chip shortage has forced people to wait for the vehicle they wanted, since low inventory meant a wide range of choices were not always available on the lot to drive home. Ford recently introduced Ford Express Buy, an online-only way to purchase a Ford vehicle in the U.S. For now, the only model you can purchase this way is the Mustang Mach-E, but Ford's president of the Americas and International Markets Group, Kumar Galhotra, told Automotive News last month that the system will expand to other models at some point. "It's a really exciting way for us to sell vehicles in partnership with our dealers," Galhotra said. "You can start building your vehicle, pricing it, put it in the cart, and you can go all the way to make a transaction. Ford Credit can approve the customer's credit in seconds, and you can make the payment and the dealer can deliver the car to your home. " Using Ford Express Buy is optional for Ford dealers. Ford also has Ford Blue Advantage to sell certified used Ford vehicles online and, in Mexico, there's the Ford Digital Store, which lets people buy a new vehicle 100 percent online.

"BBC" It's no secret that aerobic exercise can help prevent some of the effects of aging. But a growing body of research suggests that swimming may provide a unique boost to brain health. Swimming regularly improves memory, cognitive function, immune response, and mood. Swimming can also help repair stress damage and forge new neural connections in the brain. But scientists are still trying to figure out how and why this particular activity produces these beneficial effects on the brain. As a brain physiology neurobiologist, fitness enthusiast, and mother, I spend hours at the local pool during the summer. It is not unusual to see children splashing and swimming happily while their parents sunbathe in the distance. Even I have been one of those mothers many times. But if more adults understood the mental health and cognitive benefits of swimming, they would jump into the pool with their children. New and improved brain cells and connections Until the 1960s, scientists believed that the number of neurons and synaptic connections in the human brain was finite and that, once damaged, these brain cells could not be replaced. But that idea was debunked when researchers began to see extensive evidence for neuron birth, or neurogenesis, in the adult brains of humans and other animals. There is now clear evidence that aerobic exercise can contribute to neurogenesis and play a critical role in helping to reverse or repair damage to neurons and their connections in both mammals and fish. Research shows that one of the key ways these changes occur in response to exercise is through increased levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (FNDC). Neural plasticity, or the brain's ability to change, caused by this protein has been shown to stimulate cognitive function, including learning and memory. Studies in people found a strong relationship between levels of FNDC circulating in the brain and an increase in the size of the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor have also been shown to sharpen cognitive performance and help reduce anxiety and depression. In contrast, researchers observed mood disturbances in patients with lower concentrations of FNDC. Aerobic exercise also stimulates the release of specific chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. One of them is serotonin which, when present in high levels, reduces depression and anxiety and improves mood. In fish studies, scientists observed changes in the genes responsible for increasing levels of FNDC, as well as increased development of dendritic spines (protrusions on dendrites or elongated portions of nerve cells) after eight weeks of exercise compared to with the controls. This complements studies in mammals where FNDC is known to increase the density of the neuronal spine. These changes were shown to help improve memory, mood, and cognition in mammals. The higher density of the spine helps neurons build new connections and send more signals to other nerve cells. With repeating signals, connections can become stronger.

Code changes can now be applied without having to pause apps or restart With the recent release of Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 Preview 2, Microsoft has introduced a brand-new Hot Reload experience that not only helps developers be more productive but also supports both managed .NET and native C ++ apps. The software giant's goal with the latest update to its development environment is to save developers as many app restarts between edits as possible according to a new blog post. To achieve this, Microsoft has made it possible for developers to edit their applications 'code files and in many cases, apply code changes immediately without having to pause an apps' execution or restarting. At the same time though, this brand-new Hot Reload technology for code files will also still work side-by-side with XAML Hot Reload making both XAML and .NET Hot Reload available for applications which use XAML for their UI. We've built a list of the best laptops for programming available These are the best Linux laptops on the market Also check out our roundup of the best mobile app development software Furthermore, Hot Reload works alongside existing debugger capabilities developers are familiar with such as breakpoints and 'edit and continue' (EnC) to modify running code at a breakpoint and other features. Revamped Hot Reload experience In Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 Preview 2, Hot Reload works with many types of apps including those powered by XAML such as WPF and WinUI 3 along with many others including Windows Forms, ASP.NET web apps, Blazor Server, Console apps and others apps where a modern .NET runtime is used in combination with Visual Studio debugger. Microsoft has also said that it is actively working to support more app types in the future such as Blazor Wasm and .NET MAUI iOS / Android. Going forward, the company plans to add support for Blazor web apps in more scenarios and editing CSS files during Hot Reload though it also plans to add further improvements to the user experience in Visual Studio 2022. Being able to edit application code files and apply changes without having to pause an app's execution or restart will likely be welcomed by developers using Visual Studio 2022 as this will save them time and help improve their overall productivity.

The PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA stop code can have many causes. As BSODs go, PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA is as close as Windows comes to saying "invalid memory reference." To really understand what's going on, one needs to understand paged memory, which divides addressable memory space up into a collection of 4K-sized memory pages. The OS can address a very large number of pages, where only some of those pages will actually be resident in RAM. In most cases, when a program or the OS references a specific memory page, if it’s not resident in RAM, the page manager throws a “page fault” (page not present) status. Ultimately, this means the requested page gets read from the page file. To make room for something new if room is needed, an old memory page (one that hasn’t been accessed recently) will be swapped out to make room for the new page as it gets swapped in. Certain pages that the OS uses frequently are “locked-in” to RAM. That is, they do not participate in memory paging and should always be present and available when requested. Windows refers to this memory allocation as the “Non-paged pool” and it appears as such in Task Manager, as shown below. The PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA BSOD signals a condition where the OS has requested a locked-in page, and gets a page fault instead. The reason why Microsoft handles this as a stop code and generates a BSOD is because this error is not supposed to occur, and it directly affects the operating system (only highly privileged, important memory pages get allocated into the non-paged pool). What Causes PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA? As described in the Microsoft Docs page for PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA, this particular stop code may follow after installation of what it calls "a faulty system service or faulty driver code." By and large, system services come from Microsoft as part of OS releases, upgrades or updates. If they’re at fault, you’ll figure this out quickly because Microsoft will include this possibility in its “Known Issues” lists for such things. Likewise, there will be plenty of online traffic to report, document, and exclaim about such problems. While bad Windows updates do happen from time to time, the PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA code is far more likely to come from a faulty driver. To see if the problem is caused by a driver, note the file listed on the BSOD (ex: nvlddmkm.sys) and consider whether you've recently updated a driver or installed a new device. How to Fix PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA BSODs When it comes to faulty system services, the best approach is to uninstall (or roll back from) the upgrade or update that caused the problem. If it came from a clean Windows install, it's time to do another one, using a different (and known to be good and working) OS version instead. See our article on how to do a 30-minute repair reinstall of Windows. If the problem comes from a driver, first check the device manufacturer’s website for a newer version of the driver. If so, download and install it. If not, try rolling back to a prior version. To roll back a driver: Memory Could Be a Cause of PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA BSODs Other potential causes for the PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA BSOD include memory problems. This might mean issues with RAM, L1 or L2 cache on the CPU chip itself, or even video RAM on a graphics card. Finding such issues requires a process of elimination. It's easiest to check RAM, and more difficult to check CPU cache and video RAM. The free, open-source Memtest86 + utility is a good tool for checking PC RAM. I keep a bootable version of MemTest86 + on my Ventoy repair flash drive (it's named mt531b.iso, to reflect the most current MemTest86 + version). Using the tool generally requires an overnight run, so I boot to the MemTest image just before I go to bed, and let it run all night so I can see what it's doing (and finding). Malaysian logger Raymond.cc offers an interesting list of 6 free programs to check your video card memory for errors. I'm not aware of any tools that check CPU cache per se, though I did find an interesting StackOverflow item that uses DotNet libraries to come close. If memory problems are indeed present and none of the other techniques I’ve described lead to solutions, keep your eyes peeled for related stop codes. These can help point you more directly at potential causes and fixes: SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED MEMORY_MANAGEMENT IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Halo has bots for the very first time, and their names are a surprise source of delight. It's a big deal for Halo that Halo Infinite's multiplayer includes bots. It's a first for the 20-year-old series, aside from the PvE Firefight mode that debuted with Halo ODST and the bots in a single game mode in Halo 5 called Warzone that was cool in theory, but also saddled with microtransactions. Bots being available in every multiplayer mode means Halo newcomers can practice against easier opponents, and players who love Capture the Flag but don't want to deal with other human beings online can just jam by themselves. I expected all of this going into Infinite's technical test, but I didn't expect the bot names to make me laugh out loud. I didn't really consider the fact that Infinite's bots would even have names, but it makes sense in hindsight. The scoreboard would be pretty dull with human names on one side and 'Bot 1' 'Bot 2' 'Bot 3' 'Bot 4' on the other. 343 Industries also could've gone with character names from the Halo series, but they did something much better, putting together an eclectic pool of philosophers and historical figures, deep cut movie references and what I assume are in-jokes, but they work for me anyway. Despite some of these bots being named after very smart people, they're not geniuses on the battlefield. On Friday 343 Industries kicked the difficulty up a notch, but the bots are still going to be a breeze for the average Halo player. Another difficulty level up the pole may provide a decent challenge. So far they're competent, for the most part, but sometimes they get a bit ... confused. When he's not 50 hours into a JRPG or an opaque ASCII roguelike, Wes is probably playing the hottest games of three years ago. He oversees features, seeking out personal stories from PC gaming's niche communities. 50% pizza by volume.

"CARDRIVER" The past week had us bouncing between gas-guzzling off-roaders and electric promises, with a smattering of supercars and the supernatural. If you're tired of hearing about electric cars, things are unlikely to get less electric in the future. President Biden is in talks with automakers about proposed changes to mileage standards for new cars, and he's asking them to commit to making at least 40 percent of the vehicles they sell electric by the end of the decade. Since many automakers have already declared their intentions of moving toward electrification, the talks are focused largely on charging infrastructure and possible tax credits and rebates. his Week in Sheetmetal On the opposite end of the spectrum from efficient commuters are dune-flying 4x4s and off-road rallies. We got in the 2021 First Edition Ford Bronco, launched it, and landed it. Bronco jumping isn't an official Olympics event, but we live in hope for 2024. Hey, skateboarding and surfing are in. For those who want actual competition, the purchase of a 2022 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition comes with the opportunity to enter the Land Rover U.S. Trophy Competition in North Carolina. Owners will be judged on their ability to take their limited-edition Defenders over a series of on- and off-road challenges. Do not mention if there are dune jumps involved. Sorry, back to electric. Maybe. The Chevrolet Camaro has not been a big seller for Chevy, with fewer than 30,000 finding new homes in 2020. That's half the Mustangs Ford is moving. Ford also has shown that putting a pony-car name on an electric vehicle isn't the losing move many would have predicted. Clearly, something will need to change at Chevy, and while it has not announced the end of the current-generation Camaro and it's still bringing out drag-race versions like the COPO there are rumors that the name could be applied to a new EV. General Motors plans to have 30 new electric vehicles available by 2025. or the fancy folks, McLaren is selling a droptop version of its 755-hp 765LT. The Spider, McLaren claims, can do zero to 60 in 2.7 seconds and can raise and lower the top in 11. Not at the same time, though. The Bentley Bentayga has a new 22-inch carbon-fiber wheel option, and even the high-dollar stuff is hybrid these days. Bentley's new Flying Spur is a hybrid V-6 and electric motor. We’ll finish up the new cars with some good old-fashioned trucks and turbos. Toyota has already shared a few details on the 2022 Tundra showing a new interior with a larger screen and a new twin-turbo V-6 engine. Other teasers have come from Subaru, which continues to trickle out info about the 2022 WRX. The new turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sedan will make its official debut in on August 19 at the New York auto show. Ghost in the machine The latest return from the dead is the Ghostbusters franchise. Fans of the original movies, or at least of the Ecto-1 ambulance, will be pleased to see it may have a starring role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife — at least it seems to from the trailer. If you're not up on Ghostbusters and the Internet Movie Cars Database (IMCDB), the Ecto-1 is a 1959 Cadillac Futura Duplex with an ambulance / hearse conversion that helped the original Ghostbusters save New York (and the world), but which did not make an appearance in the 2016 film and was sorely missed. Speaking of sorely missed, people are still arguing about the pros and cons of yoke steering on the Tesla Model S. Assumptions that the car would be offered with an optional traditional wheel were shot down when Elon Musk via Twitter, natch declared it was yoke or nothing. Concerns range from the yoke's efficiency to its safety, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that it's not getting involved. Probably it's too busy fielding questions about full-self driving and the moon.

"BBC" Surprising, unexpected and undoubtedly controversial. This was the appointment of the new Prime Minister of Peru, Guido Bellido, who belongs to the most radical wing of the Peru Libre party. The 41-year-old electronic engineer was presented this Thursday by President Pedro Castillo, provoking mixed reactions and wide rejection from a large part of the parliamentary benches, including leftist and liberal groups. Exponents of the Po[CENSORED]r Action bloc have said that his nomination is a "provocation to Congress", while from the Purple Party of which former president Francisco Sagasti is a part, they indicated that Bellido will generate "instability and misrule." Even this coalition demanded that the Peruvian Congress "not give confidence to the cabinet", a key support for the president of the Council of Ministers to exercise his functions. "As congressmen we firmly reject his position on the Shining Path, defense of the Cuban dictatorship, its homophobia and misogyny," they said. But who really is this controversial Peruvian political figure? Who is it? Born in the town of Livitaca, in the department of Cusco, Bellido has a bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering and a master's degree in Economics with a mention in Public Management and Regional Development. The new Peruvian prime minister has worked both in the private sector and in the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI). He joined Peru Libre in 2017 and currently serves as regional secretary of this coalition in his native Cusco. After having lost in the complementary elections for Congress in 2020, he ran again in the general elections on April 11, where he was elected with 20,164 votes as a congressman for the department of Cusco. But so far, the prime minister had no prior experience in a po[CENSORED]r representative office. Among his recurring slogans are the fight against corruption and returning power to the people. When swearing in as president of the Council of Ministers, in fact, Bellido said: "For the more than 30 million brothers, for the fight against corruption, for the work for our Peruvian people (...) yes, I swear." Then, through his Facebook account, he indicated: "The Peruvian people rest assured that the changes they expect from this government will be a reality." Bellido has also been one of the main promoters of a change to the current Peruvian Constitution, which was created in 1993 under the government of Alberto Fujimori. No one should be nervous about a new Constitution," he said in an interview with Canal N. "Because a new Constitution, according to these times, according to our needs and that can improve the national economy, improve the participation of the same po[CENSORED]tion (...), that benefits everyone," he added. According to the Peruvian political scientist and researcher, Carlos Meléndez, to understand who Bellido is, one must go back to his training and to his provincial origins. "He was trained at the San Antonio Abad National University of Cusco, where there is a left ideological matrix that is very strong," he says. "They are antilimeños, anticentralists, anti-Hispanic legacy, they are articulated under Marxism and Leninism (...). Bellido is one more exponent of the conservative radicalism of the Andean regions of Peru," he adds. Close to Cerrón Bellido is part of the circle closest to Vladimir Cerrón, founder of the Peru Libre party and to whom radical views of the left are attributed. For this reason, his nomination has been interpreted as a "triumph" of the most orthodox sector of the left bloc. Bellido has defended Cerrón on countless occasions, after he was disqualified and sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, suspended for incompatible negotiation and taking advantage of the position when he was governor of Junín. During the electoral campaign, in fact, he did not hide his support for the leader of Peru Libre. "Cerrón has been sentenced without having any proof," he told Peruvian media La República. "(The sentence) has a lot of political content," he added. Meléndez assures that with the nomination of Bellido as prime minister "the doubts of how autonomous Castillo de Cerrón is are disappearing."