Angel of Death

There has been a tracker renaissance in recent years. We got the Polyend Tracker in a standalone device or the NerdSEQ eurorack sequencer from the Dutch-based company XOR Electronics. Another device in this recent Tracker comeback is the Dirtywave M8—a portable Gameboy-like groovebox based on the Tracker concept. Since its big public announcement in 2021, the community has massively supported it. 3 years later, now in 2024, there is time for a major hardware refresh.The new M8 Tracker Model:02 is official. It is the successor to the po[CENSORED]r M8 Tracker. Important: unlike a Tracker/groovebox from another company, the engine remains unchanged. Future firmware updates will feature the same functionality for both versions. Thumbs up to this decision. Only the hardware changes, but it changes significantly. You can immediately see that the M8 Tracker Model:02 looks much more grown-up and rounder from the finish. According to Dirtywave, it comes with a new design made out of machined aluminum. The CPU remains a Teensy but is now a microcode variant. Confirmed is also that it will come with a bigger 3.5″ IPS TFT display. More precisely, it’s 0,7″ bigger than the original M8. The internal battery also got a makeover. It now has up to 12 hours of battery life, giving you more mobile music production fun. Then, it features a new built-in microphone added for live sampling. This is a neat add-on. Great for making field recordings and incorporating them directly into sound design or composing processes. On the back, the connections remain the same. You get TRS MIDI sockets, stereo audio input/output, and a USB connection. Here the most hated micro USB port was replaced with a new modern USB-C socket. I can’t do much with the device myself. Neither trackers nor grooveboxes fit into music production workflow. A Maschine is a bit of an exception. Nevertheless, Generation 2 of the M8 Tracker looks like an excellent further development. I like the hardware design better than the original. This also costs a little more. $450 + fees vs 614,18€ + fees. Dirtywave M8 Tracker Model:02 is available now for pre-order for 614,18€. If you order outside the US, add VAT and import fees to the price. Orders are expected to start shipping in May 2024. The first batch is sold out, a second will available soon. https://synthanatomy.com/2024/02/dirtywave-m8-tracker-model02-groovebox-gets-a-hardware-refresh.html

On an average day about a dozen new games are released on Steam. And while we think that's a good thing, it can be understandably hard to keep up with. Potentially exciting gems are sure to be lost in the deluge of new things to play unless you sort through every single game that is released on Steam. So that’s exactly what we’ve done. If nothing catches your fancy this week, we've gathered the best PC games you can play right now and a running list of the 2024 games that are launching this year.After two years in Early Access Wulin Chess has launched into 1.0. The name is something of a misnomer: it's not a chess reskin but a turn-based strategy all of its own that borrows certain elements. For example, each class works like a chess piece in the sense that they have distinct movement abilities, but their attacks and skills are each unique. The gridded board is also borrowed from chess, though in Wulin Chess it can be strewn with obstacles and, if you're lucky enough to reach it first, rewards. It's a fascinating twist on the OG strategy game, and it's all couched in a gorgeously grim "Chinese dark martial arts style".From the creators of Doors comes Boxes, a game about unlocking increasingly elaborate puzzle boxes. You play as a thief on a routine mission to rob a mansion, but instead of a quick smash and grab, it turns into a brain-frying puzzle extravaganza. Boxes is actually a lot more than just a series of brainteasers: there's a story here too, chiefly about the mansion itself and whether you'll ever make it out alive. This one is for fan of The Room and the aforementioned Doors. https://www.pcgamer.com/five-new-steam-games-you-probably-missed-february-5-2024/

Music:: Halle Bailey On Her Grammy Nomination For "Angel," Motherhood & More | GRAMMYs 2024 Release date: Aug 2024/02/05 Signer: Billboard Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) Official Trailer - Starring Henry Cavill Time: Lionsgate Movies Netflix / Amazon / HBO: Netflix Duratio

Egypt’s cabinet approved during its weekly meeting in the New Administrative Capital on Wednesday the economic and social development plan for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. The plan aims at achieving the goals of human development, which are considered the main pillar of economic growth and social progress, according to Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said. The minister added that the new plan focuses on projects whose implementation rate has already exceeded 70 percent and on providing necessary investments for their fulfillment. She emphasised the importance of supporting the "Decent Life" presidential initiative, which aims at developing Egypt's rural areas while bridging the development gaps and carrying out investment projects in impoverished villages. El-Said stated that the plan for the education sector includes 1,051 projects that take into consideration the po[CENSORED]tion growth and growing development needs. Speaking of the health sector, El-Said said that the plan includes 657 projects which will be carried out to develop hospitals and ambulance services. Regarding the youth sector, she stated that the plan "will include 339 projects aiming at expanding youth and sports services." The minister also spoke about other sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, internal trade, industry, and communications. She also stated that the plan aims to improve Egypt's position in global indices on food and water security. El-Said stated that the plan for internal trade targets increasing the efficiency of food outlets and storage capacities of basic commodities. As for the communication sector, the minister pointed out that Egypt achieved progress in the international competitiveness indexes in 2022, especially in the government industrial intelligence domain. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/492729.aspx

Hunters warned to not eat meat of any animals exhibiting symptoms The B.C. government says chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in two deer, a first for the province. Nicknamed zombie deer disease, CWD is a fatal and incurable illness that affects cervid, or deer family members, such as moose, caribou and elk, and has been spreading rapidly through Western Canada. It was detected in Manitoba for the first time in March 2023, and in May a provincial survey in Alberta found it was present in 23 per cent of samples collected during the 2022-23 hunting season.In response, the B.C. government established a surveillance program for the disease in an effort to reduce the risk of spread. That program has now confirmed the disease has been found in two deer in B.C.'s Kootenays. What is chronic wasting disease? Chronic wasting disease is a fatal infection caused by an abnormal protein called a prion. Prion diseases are a family of rare neurodegenerative disorders that can be found in both humans and animals, impairing brain function. Perhaps the best known example is bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly referred to as mad cow disease. Where was it found? To date, chronic wasting disease has primarily been found in deer and elk po[CENSORED]tions in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and more recently in a wild deer in Manitoba, as well as a farmed red deer in Quebec, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In B.C., the two positive cases were both found south of Cranbrook, which is about 84 kilometres west of the border with Alberta. The first was from an adult male mule deer, and the second was from an adult female white-tail deer, with the diagnoses confirmed Jan. 31 by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/chronic-waste-deer-1.7102332

The Egyptian Cabinet agreed to grant the golden licence to private company EgyptSat Auto to build and operate a factory that will begin producing electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of 2024. The factory will produce electric passenger cars, busses, motorcycles, and charging stations, according to a statement on Wednesday. With investments worth EGP 300 million, the factory will be built on 50,000 square metres in the 10th of Ramadan city. It will also create 500 jobs. According to the company’s website, EgyptSat Auto is a private local auto manufacturer founded in March 2023. The company's chairman, Mohammed El-Ghamry, is the Vice President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) and Dean of Applied Research at the academy. Last August, the AASTMT announced that it would produce and market the first electric car in the Egyptian market during the first quarter of 2024 in partnership with EgyptSat Auto and local EV sales agent MATGR. The AASTMT produced prototypes for Egypt's first electric cars in February. Egypt seeks to develop the local automotive industry to keep up with regional players. In June 2022, the government launched a national strategy for localizing the automotive industry. The country has recently taken significant steps to encourage investment and entrepreneurship, level the field between the public and private sectors, and support the investment climate. The golden licence allows investors to acquire or lease land and operate enterprises without requiring further government approvals. Expanding gas capabilities The Egyptian government also granted the Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO) a golden licence to add a fourth production line to its Western Desert Gas Complex with investments worth $380 million. The new line will be built on 33 feddans in Alexandria’s Amreya city. It will add 600 million cubic metres of natural gas per day. The project is expected to create 2,500 jobs. GASCO has designed the new line to increase the production of natural gas by-products, petrochemicals raw materials, condensates, and butane. Egyptian Natural Gas is a subsidiary of the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company. It operates in natural gas transmission, distribution, and processing. To push up its gas production and meet local demand, Egypt is investing $1.8 billion in digging 35 new exploratory natural gas wells in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta by 2025. According to the government’s plan, 21 wells will be completed during the fiscal year 2023/2024 and 14 in 2024/2025. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/508766.aspx

Kudus, 23, joined the Ghana squad late after suffering a hamstring injury during West Ham 's 2-0 win at Arsenal in the Premier League on December 28. Without Kudus, Ghana suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde in their opening match of AFCON 2023, leaving the team under pressure for the remainder of their matches in Group B. Egypt were held to a 1-1 draw by Mozambique in their opening match, leading Egypt coach Rui Vitória to describe Thursday's match against Ghana at Abidjan's Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium as " final" for his team. Only the first two teams in each group are guaranteed to reach the round of 16. https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/18/afcon-2023-uncertainty-looms-over-mohammed-kudus-availability-for-egypt-match/

US auto-safety regulators announced Tuesday that they had begun the process that would eventually force carmakers to adopt new technology to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued an “advance notice of proposed rulemaking” to start gathering information and public comments on how to develop, legally require and deploy technology to prevent impaired people from firing up their vehicles. “Please bring your best ideas, your research – let’s join together to advance as quickly as we can the next technology in impaired driving prevention,” said the deputy transportation secretary, Polly Trottenberg. The NHTSA’s regulatory notice summarizes existing research and details what technological advancements would be needed to finalize regulations and options for potential rules, citing “blood alcohol content detection, impairment-detection (driver monitoring), or a combination”. In 2021, Congress directed the NHTSA to mandate a passive technology to try to avert more than 10,000 road deaths annually. In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired traffic collisions, the most recent statistics available. The law requires a technology safety standard by November 2024 if the technology is ready.A number of technologies currently under development could potentially fit the bill, including breath- or touch-based sensors to detect alcohol. Another potential option is using cameras to monitor eye movements to try to determine whether drivers are intoxicated. Some sentences for driving under the influence require those convicted to install a breathalyzer in their cars that prevent them from starting the vehicle if alcohol is detected, though regulators said it’s unlikely future ubiquitous technology would be as intrusive as requiring a puff every time. In the 1970s, Congress mandated that cars not start without a buckled seatbelt but withdrew the statute soon after it became law. Seeing an alcohol-detecting steering wheel in your next Uber ride might be a long way off, though. NHTSA’s notice said that the agency must be assured the technology works consistently before it can require it, and then give automakers at least three years to implement it once it finalizes the rules. “We are trying to see, can we get it done, does the technology exist in a way that is going to work every time,” said Ann Carlson, the acting NHTSA administrator, adding that public acceptance of the technology would depend on its accuracy. Carlson said there were close to 1bn daily driving journeys in the United States. “If it’s [only] 99.9% accurate, you could have a million false positives,” Carlson said. “Those false positives could be somebody trying to get to the hospital for an emergency.”Tess Rowland, the president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), said the group was “very pleased” with NHTSA’s launch. “We understand we still have a mountain to climb,” Rowland said. “Victims and survivors are not going to let this die.” Carlson will tell a US House of Representatives committee on Wednesday that US traffic deaths fell 4.5% in the first nine months of the year after sharply rising during the Covid-19 pandemic. “While we are optimistic that we’re finally seeing a reversal of the record-high fatalities seen during the pandemic, this is not a cause for celebration,” Carlson’s written testimony says. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/12/drunk-driving-technology-cars-safety

Egypt-based Cheiron Petroleum Corporation announced a new oil discovery within the Geisum and Tawila West Concession located in the Gulf of Suez, as detailed in a social media statement posted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources on 22 August. “The discovery was made through the exploratory well, GNN-11, located north of Geisum North. The well encountered 165 feet of net oil-bearing reservoirs in high-quality Nubia Formation,” read the Ministry’s statement. The Nubia Formation, a geological unit composed of sedimentary rocks that occurred 5 to 23 million years ago, is known for containing significant reserves of oil and natural gas. The formation is particularly prominent in parts of northern Africa, including Egypt and Sudan, Cheiron also confirmed their findings in a separate press statement.Egypt’s latest oil breakthrough comes only eight days after Texas-based IPR Energy Group announced a ‘major find‘ in Egypt’s Alamein region, and seven months after a major natural gas discovery in Egypt’s Eastern Mediterranean Area by Italian company Eni and US energy giant Chevron. https://egyptianstreets.com/2023/08/23/egypt-announces-new-oil-discovery-in-gulf-of-suez/

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Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's recent supply chain survey paints a cautious outlook for Apple iPhone shipments in 2024. Apple has reduced its orders for semiconductor components from suppliers by as much as 15 per cent. The TFI Securities anlyst predicted a decline of 10 per cent-15 per cent in shipments for the iPhone 15 and the upcoming iPhone 16 series compared to 2023 figures. "iPhone 15 series and new iPhone 16 series shipments will decline by 10–15% YoY in 1H24 and 2H24, respectively (compared to iPhone 14 series shipments in 1H23 and iPhone 15 series shipments in 2H23, respectively)," Kuo wrote in a Medium post. Capitalising on robust demand fueled by the extensive integration of GenAI features, Samsung, on the other hand, has increased the shipment projections for the Galaxy S24 series this year by 5 per cent–10 per cent. In contrast, Apple has revised downward the shipment forecast for the iPhone 15 in the first half of 2024. Also read: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Android King With An AI Crown Structural Changes To Lead To Fall In iPhone Shipments Structural challenges, such as a shift in high-end mobile phone design trends and ongoing shipment declines in the Chinese market, are expected to contribute to a substantial drop in iPhone shipments this year. The evolving high-end mobile phone design paradigm incorporates AI (GenAI) and foldable devices. The primary factors contributing to the Chinese market's decline are Huawei's resurgence and a growing inclination among high-end users to choose foldable phones as their preferred option for replacing their smartphones. Also read: Amazfit Active Smartwatch To Launch In India Soon, Company Confirms "The iPhone faces structural challenges that will lead to a significant decline in shipments in 2024, including the emergence of a new paradigm in high-end mobile phone design and the continued decline in shipments in the Chinese market," Kuo noted. Kuo also predicted that Apple would not launch new iPhone models with significant design changes and the more comprehensive GenAI ecosystem, or applications until 2025 and that will likely harm Apple’s iPhone shipment momentum and ecosystem growth. https://news.abplive.com/technology/gadgets/apple-iphone-15-16-shipments-2024-ming-chi-kuo-decline-fall-1660912