#Hassan.

Domagoj Dukec has come under attack for his reinvention of BMW’s design, but he will keep fighting for his ideas in the electric era While it’s often divisive, Dukec has chosen to go for bold over bland. And that philosophy should stand BMW in good stead as the car industry undergoes a generational transformation through electrification, digitalisation and sustainability. For a car designer, that must be a huge but very exciting challenge. “You can’t choose in which epoch you’re a designer, but it’s very interesting to be one in a time when the car industry is facing such major challenges, where you don’t even know if it will survive,” says Dukec. “You can use your creativity to offer more, to offer new experiences of mobility.” The changes in the car industry go beyond the switch to EVs, which BMW has embraced with the likes of the iX3 and i4. Those cars are essentially electric versions of combustion-engined BMW models; for the third phase of its electrification strategy from 2025, BMW is taking a “radically new” approach, including a commitment to sustainability, new software and a new flexible platform that can underpin a huge range of cars. Company boss Oliver Zipse has named the new phase of models Neue Klasse (new class), reviving the name of the hugely po[CENSORED]r line of 1960s models that transformed the fortunes of the Munich firm. As you might have read in last week’s Autocar, the range will encompass all of BMW’s models, including an equivalent of the 3 Series. Before you get too excited about retro designs, Dukec insists that the only backward-looking thing about the Neue Klasse is the title. “We don’t make a homage to Neue Klasse,” he says.“But we’re a company who defined a new [market] segment and new product that was very relevant in the 1960s, combining elegance and dynamism in a way nobody else had before.” While BMW has yet to preview any of its new Neue Klasse designs, the i Vision Circular that was revealed at the Munich motor show recently does hint at the philosophy that will underpin it. It put a major focus on sustainability, using entirely recycled or recyclable materials and reducing styling elements such as chrome details. Dukec says that those principles will be applied to BMW’s future models. “Neue Klasse will stand for electrification, digitalisation and sustainability,” he explains. “We’re asking: ‘How can we make a car that’s sustainable and intelligent and do more with less?’ This is something that’s very authentic to BMW. “As designers, it’s about rethinking and reducing. It’s how we treat materials – not using chrome, creating materials to use less leather. For us, electrification alone isn’t the sustainable path it is for others. They think they make electric cars and there, work done. But the problem is bigger.” Dukec says that his design team has embraced the challenge of making more sustainable cars with conviction because “they’re completely convinced that this is the right thing” to do. He adds: “Designers are very responsible in their private lives, so they were always fighting, going: ‘I’m working in the car industry producing cars but at home I’m eating no meat.’ So our differentiator is to make a green car that isn’t greenwashing. We really believe luxury for our customers will be that they want consumption that’s really sustainable.” The challenge for Dukec is to find materials and design processes that allow for future BMW models to be as bold and meaningful in terms of construction as they are in terms of styling. “We must be bold and meaningful,” he says. “You can do bold through many tricks. Everybody knows how to make a car attractive, but if it’s not meaningful, it’s empty.” The i Vision Circular also hints at how the shape of cars could change to meet new use cases in the future. Will Neue Klasse cars still be similar shapes to today’s BMWs? “There’s a reason why BMW, the Neue Klasse, is a very typical three-box silhouette. That’s the case for every car we’re doing today. The 2 Series Coupé is the best example: we have a rear-wheel- drive proportion but we treat it as a three-box. There are no other cars like it in the segment. “So the three-box is something we strongly believe in, and in the Neue Klasse there will be some products [like this]. But of course we also do SUVs, and there is a need for SUVs in the future. “The silhouette in the future will be something like the kidney grille today, where we make sure it’s the original but not retro. It has to be BMW.” So while BMW’s future design will change radically, there will still be room for the kidney grilles, the Hofmeister kinks and other iconic elements. They will just be interpreted differently. “In the past few years, there has been a lot of discussion about our kidney,” says Dukec, “but it’s important we bring future customer generations and fans together. Fans aren’t always customers, but we want customers to become fans. “You can’t just design to keep your icons alive: you have to create new ones. Why is the Neue Klasse iconic? Why do people love the Hofmeister kink? Because they were innovative. “We’re very concerned about this, but it’s something you can’t always explain to fans. They love what they see and they want to have it forever – but you can create new icons when you do something that has never been done before. The i3 is an icon. Iconic is not always beautiful, it’s about something new. People ask when we will do a new M1, but doing that wouldn’t be very innovative; it would just be making something that was at one time something strong.” That philosophy is best seen in Dukec’s oft-criticised kidneys. On EVs such as the i4 and iX, the grille has been turned into a panel housing the various sensors and systems today’s cars require. “It means the icon becomes intelligent, so it becomes more meaningful,” says Dukec. More meaningful – but still bold. And so while BMW’s design will change significantly in the future, that approach won’t be changing at all. link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/drawing-fire-we-talk-bmws-design-director "It’s very authentic for BMW to do bold statements,” Domagoj Dukec says with the confident grin of someone who knows that he isn’t dealing in hyperbole. In this case, we’re talking about the i Vision Circular, the radical concept car that showcases how BMW will apply ‘circular economy’ principles to future production machines. But the head of BMW Design could also be talking about much of his recent work, from the ever-growing range of SUVs to the ever-growing kidney grilles.

Happy Karwa Chauth 2021 Wishes Images, Quotes, Messages, Status, Photos: Wish your partner and loved ones with these thoughtful Karwa Chauth wishes and images Karwa Chauth 2021: Karwa Chauth is celebrated every year on a full-moon day. On this day, married women follow a certain set of rituals like fasting and dressing up as newly-wed as they pray to the almighty for a longer and happier married life. The day, which falls on the fourth day of the full moon in the month of Kartik, also celebrates the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The festival holds much significance in the northern and north-western parts of the country. Women break their fast, which begins before sunrise, once the moon is sighted in the evening. This year it will be celebrated on October 24. Warm wishes to all the women fasting on this auspicious day of Karwa Chauth! Greet your loved ones on Karwa Chauth with these wishes, messages and quotes: *May the blessing of God Shiva and Goddess Parvati bring love and happiness into your marriage. Happy Karwa Chauth! *May the festival of Karwa Chauth bring hope, smiles and good luck in your life! Have a blessed day! *May your married life be filled with happiness and laughter. Happy Karwa Chauth! *Wishing you the happiest of marriages with a perfect husband. Happy Karwa Chauth! *May this Karwa Chauth fill your life with happiness, health and prosperity. Happy Karwa Chauth! link : https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/happy-karwa-chauth-2021-wishes-images-quotes-messages-status-and-photos-7581886/

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered 10 ambassadors, including those from the US, Germany and France, be declared persona non grata. It follows a statement from the envoys calling for the urgent release of activist Osman Kavala. He has been in jail for more than four years over protests and a coup attempt, although he has not been convicted. Persona non grata can remove diplomatic status and often results in expulsion or withdrawal of recognition of envoys. This week's statement on Mr Kavala jointly came from the embassies of the US, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. Seven are fellow Nato allies of Turkey. The Council of Europe, Europe's main human rights watchdog, has given Turkey a final warning to heed a European Court of Human Rights ruling to free Mr Kavala pending trial. Addressing a crowd in Eskisehir on Saturday, Mr Erdogan said the ambassadors "cannot dare to come to the Turkish foreign ministry and give orders". He said: "I gave the necessary order to our foreign minister and said what must be done. These 10 ambassadors must be declared persona non grata at once. You will sort it out immediately." However, what will happen now remains unclear. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered 10 ambassadors, including those from the US, Germany and France, be declared persona non grata. It follows a statement from the envoys calling for the urgent release of activist Osman Kavala. He has been in jail for more than four years over protests and a coup attempt, although he has not been convicted. Persona non grata can remove diplomatic status and often results in expulsion or withdrawal of recognition of envoys. This week's statement on Mr Kavala jointly came from the embassies of the US, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. Seven are fellow Nato allies of Turkey. The Council of Europe, Europe's main human rights watchdog, has given Turkey a final warning to heed a European Court of Human Rights ruling to free Mr Kavala pending trial. Addressing a crowd in Eskisehir on Saturday, Mr Erdogan said the ambassadors "cannot dare to come to the Turkish foreign ministry and give orders". He said: "I gave the necessary order to our foreign minister and said what must be done. These 10 ambassadors must be declared persona non grata at once. You will sort it out immediately." However, what will happen now remains unclear. link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59023465

@-Happy boy Happy New Year to my friend, and I hope he gets married soon😜😍

Samsung Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A31 have reportedly started receiving the October 2021 Android security patch. The update is said to have stability improvements and bug fixes. Eligible Samsung Galaxy A51 smartphones in some Asian markets including India are receiving the update now, while the update for Galaxy A31 is said to be rolling out in a few Latin American regions. Samsung launched the Galaxy A51 in January 2020 with Android 10 and the phone subsequently received Android 11 in March this year. Galaxy A31 was launched in India in June 2020 with Android 10-based One UI 2.1. Samsung Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A31 update changelog As reported by SamMobile, the update for Samsung Galaxy A51 comes with firmware version A515FXXU5EUJ2 and brings the October 2021 Android security patch to handsets in India, Nepal, Russia, and Sri Lanka. The firmware version of the latest security update for Samsung Galaxy A31 is reportedly A315GDXS1CUJ4 and it brings along the October 2021 security patch. The update is said to be currently rolling out for Galaxy A31 devices in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. The update for the two Samsung Galaxy-A series phones are said to fix more than 60 privacy- and security-related vulnerabilities apart from the general bug fixes and stabilit improvements. The latest update will arrive automatically to the devices in the above-mentioned regions. Samsung Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A31 users can also manually check for the update by heading to Settings > Software update > Download and install. Users are advised to update their phones while they are connected to a strong Wi-Fi network and put on charging. Ads by Samsung Galaxy A51 specifications Launched in January 2020, the Samsung Galaxy A51 sports a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) Infinity-O Display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and in-display fingerprint sensor. It packs an Exynos 9611 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy A51 features 128GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 512GB via a microSD card. The handset offers a quad rear camera setup and is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. Samsung Galaxy A31 specifications As mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy A31 was launched in India in June 2020 with features including a 6.4-inch full-HD+ Infinity-U Super AMOLED Display, a MediaTek Helio P65 SoC coupled with 6GB of RAM, and a quad rear camera setup. The handset offers 128GB of onboard storage that can be expanded to 512GB using a microSD card. It packs a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support. link : https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/samsung-a51-a31-update-october-2021-android-security-patch-changelog-galaxy-report-2584362

Having a hard time finding your mouse cursor? Microsoft's new PowerToy can help Microsoft's PowerToys are open-source utilities that aim to make Windows users more productive and the next addition to the collection will address one of the most annoying aspects of using multiple monitors. According to a recent tweet from the software giant's senior program manger Clint Rutkas, the company's next PowerToy will make things much easier for 4K monitor, ultrawide monitor and multiple monitor users. When using multiple monitors or a single monitor with a high resolution, it can often be difficult to find one's mouse cursor while working. Thankfully though, Microsoft's new yet still unnamed PowerToy will highlight a user's mouse cursor with a white circle to make it easier to find. While you can already enable an option that highlights your mouse cursor with rings when you press the control button, Rutkas explained in a reply to his original tweet that this new feature will be a “night and day difference” when compared to the company's existing solution for this common problem. PowerToys First introduced with Windows 95 and then brought back for Windows 10 two years ago, PowerToys are a set of tools that are designed to make it more convenient to use Microsoft's operating system to its full potential. However, while convenient, these tools aren't intended for the average user but for those who already know their way around Windows and want to be able to access key features and settings even quicker. Microsoft's current collection of PowerToys contains nine tools that allow Windows users to do things like rename multiple files at once, resize images, pick colors or open applications even faster using a quick launcher. One of the more recent additions to Microsoft's set of utilities is PowerToys Awake which allows you to prevent your PC from going to sleep for as long as you want to. With the recent release of Windows 11, the company has made it even easier for new users to take advantage of PowerToys by making its utilities available for download from the Microsoft Store as well as on GitHub. While there are a number of productivity tools designed to help you get more done, PowerToys are available for free and were designed specifically to work with Microsoft's operating system. Link : https://www.techradar.com/news/this-new-microsoft-powertoy-will-fix-one-of-the-most-annoying-bits-of-multi-screen-working

Mine to your heart's content As spotted by hardware sleuth Komachi_Ensaka, Nvidia's flagship CMP 170HX cryptocurrency mining GPU has gone up for purchase overseas. Vipera, a retailer in Dubai, reportedly has up 238 units in stock and is selling the CMP 170HX for a whopping $4,300. Nvidia had launched the Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP) lineup in an attempt to divert cryptocurrency miners' attention away from its Ampere-based GeForce graphics cards. We later learned that Nvidia was repurposing Turing silicon for these CMP GPUs. The CMP 170HX, on the other hand, leverages the GA100 silicon, the same brobdingnagian die that powers the expensive A100 data center GPU. Once again, it's just Nvidia's smart way of recycling defective GA100 dies into something lucrative. The GA100 silicon inside the CMP 170HX only has 70 enabled SMs, amounting to 4,480 CUDA cores whereas the A100 has the full-fledged die at 108 SMs or 6,912 CUDA cores. The CMP 170HX delivers up to 164 MHps of Ethereum mining performance. It only requires a PCIe 4.0 x4 connection to hit its performance target. The GPU also wields 8GB of HBM2e memory across a 4,096-bit memory interface. The CMP 170HX has a 250W TDP and is more than happy to feed off a single 8-pin PCIe power connector. The CMP 170HX has previously smiled for the camera, but this is the first time that a retailer is publicly selling it. Komachi_Ensaka also unearthed a Yahoo auction over in Japan where the current bid for the CMP 170HX is at 600,000 yen ($5,285). The GPU features a standard, dual-slot design with passive cooling. The silver metallic shroud looks pretty sleek and if it wasn't for the small Nvidia and CMP 170HX logos, you wouldn't know where the GPU came from. Being a GPU that's tailored to professional cryptocurrency mining, the CMP 170HX lacks display outputs. In fact, user feedback revealed that the GPU comes with a locked vBIOS so overclocking or undervolting are off the table. Due to the nature of cryptocurrency mining, GPUs that are designed for that purpose typically don't come with a generous warranty. For example, Gigabyte backs its CMP 30HX with a limited three-month warranty. According to Vipera, the CMP 170HX has a one-year manufacturer warranty. link : https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-ampere-cryptomining-monster-gpu-sale-4300-dollars

As the new Dune film approaches, let's take a look at the series' wobbly past on PC. Dune is coming back. The first proper trailer for Denis Villeneuve's film just came out and Funcom has the license to produce three new games set in the Dune universe. Dare we hope that they will be good? Dune has endured some rocky interpretations and there's a sense, from the aborted Jodorowsky film and the Lynch film that eventually emerged, that the source material may be unfilmable. Can it work as a game though? The answer is: sometimes. A fair few games have emerged in the shadow of the 1984 film. A few were good, and massively influential. The others were not. Let's take a tour. Dune This excellent adventure game was gobbled whole by Dune 2's release shortly afterwards. You play as Paul Atreides on a quest to control the Spice and enjoy a spiritual awakening amid the hellish sands of planet Arrakis. The desert world is beautifully rendered with stark background art and likenesses sketched from the Lynch film. It also has some great music and, for the time, spectacular animations that created the impression of 3D movement while riding worms, which you end up using as a sort of bus service once you've unlocked them. It's not perfect. As Richard Cobbett points out in his Dune crapshoot, Leto introduces himself by saying "I am the Duke Leto Atreides, your father", as though his son has popped into existence fully formed in front of him. Bizarre exposition aside, the exaggerated character art and hazy music create an alien atmosphere and a strong sense of exploration. You travel between secret burrows and Fremen hideouts on a world map, which initially creates a sense of the planet's vast expanse. As it fills up you realise there's an intricate culture hiding out there in the sands. Instead of simply repeating imagery associated with Dune, Cryo use the Lynch film as a springboard to and came up with new designs that look great at low resolutions. The devs ditch filigree and decadent palace finery in favour of strong angles and powerful silhouettes. It's one of my favourite portrayals of that universe. Dune 2 The game that helped to define a genre. Real time strategy games would be quite different today if Westwood had chosen to adapt the novel differently, and an RTS is an unusual framework for a story about power and political intrigue. It’s also difficult to capture Dune’s weathered vision of the future from a top-down perspective and just a few pixels per unit to work with. It’s a triumph nonetheless. Clever little thumbnails in build queues give your imagination just enough to work with. Suddenly those little red boxes are powerful Harkonnen battle tanks. A rippling of sandy pixels hints at the presence of a terrifying sandworm. I used to jump with fear when a roaring sandworm popped up to chomp a spice harvester. It had some interesting ideas. It’s understandable that future RTS games wouldn’t require you to sluggishly lay foundations before building structures, but it’s perfect for the punishing desert climes of Arrakis. The desert is always trying to reclaim your buildings, and your bases feel like temporary outposts at best. Worms circle your harvesters and can plague battles, encouraging you to move tanks between patches of safe rock. The campaign was decent too. The Ordos went off-script, but the idea of a faction that could turn the allegiance of enemy units was neat. Inter-mission chats with your house mentor added flavour and set the stage for Command & Conquer to build these into full FMV briefings. Dune 2000 Westwood could not replicate the charm of the first game with this remake. It's not a bad game at all, but it failed to stand out in a post C&C and Total Annihilation world. The genre had moved on and this reskin, while far more advanced than the original, lost Dune 2's atmosphere somewhere in translation. It did at least have proper FMV cutscenes between missions. While hammy, a lot of effort clearly went into trying to capture the vibe of each of the great warring houses. Plus if you play as the Atreides you get yelled at by John Rhys-Davis. Frank Herbert's Dune Oh dear. The developers Cryo Interactive went bust shortly after releasing this take on the Sci Fi Dune TV miniseries. It’s a third-person shooter with stealth elements and environments that look as though they were conceived at the dawn of 3D graphics rather than 2001 (GTA 3 and Max Payne came out in the same year). The game is irredeemably terrible. For a universe that has been so vividly realised by Lynch and Jodorowsky's aborted film, a Dune game simply cannot survive looking this way; the shot above is an actual marketing image that they chose to sell their game. Paul Atreides' mother, the powerful Bene Gesserit concubine, looks like she's an egg with a face punched into it. The controls are also terrible and the story makes almost no sense. This is the point where a game adaptation can start to hurt the source material. Seeing two barely animated dolls honk on at one another about Spice and worms makes a venerated piece of science fiction look and sound like trash. This is a problem the books have always had. Though the Lynch film built some enduring imagery, it was itself a broken mess. If you're coming to the series cold it can look ridiculous. 'What's the big deal?' you might think. The book is a 400-page examination of political and spiritual power set in a universe that feels like it has existed for millennia. That universe deserves better. Good luck, Funcom. link : https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-highs-and-lows-of-dune-on-pc/

The Renault 4’s 60th anniversary celebrations continue with the unveiling of a one-off redesign of the original supermini, inspired by a “nomad hotel suite”. It's called the Suite N°4 and Renault has worked with French designer Mathieu Lehanneur to completely redesign the 4. The rear of the car has been replaced by polycarbonate windows, creating what Lehanneur calls “an open-air hotel room”. Renault says this conservatory-like design provides the rear of the car with “lighting on par with that of an artist’s studio”. The Suite N°4 has been converted to an EV, with a set of transparent solar panels on the roof helping to charge the car. A new polished aluminium grille has been fitted and the bodywork is coated with three layers of paint in order to make it look like cement, which, Renault says, is “a material synonymous with modern architecture”. The seats and dashboard are upholstered in yellow velvet, with the boot floor being finished in natural fibres. A removable wooden drawer extends from the rear bumper to provide seating when the rear hatch is open. Despite the radical redesign, the Suite N°4 has the same dimensions as the classic Renault 4 it was built on. Lehanneur describes the Suite N°4 as “better than the finest palatial suite, the car is exactly where you want it to be, whether that’s by the sea, in the middle of a field or driving around the city you’ve always dreamed of.” Unveiled at Christie’s in the centre of Paris, the Suite N°4 will remain on display there this weekend before being moved to Renault’s huge Atelier Renault showroom and museum. It will also be exhibited at the next Maison&Objet design fair in January. The Renault 4 is in line to be revived as a high-riding electric supermini, sharing its CMF-BEV architecture and retro-inspired design cues with the already revealed 5. We are expecting to see a concept some time in the coming months. link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/renault-4-concept-gets-radical-hotel-style-redesign

Between 1893 and 1910, Munch painted The Scream many times using different techniques. The waterfront museum will have access to three of those canvases but show only one at a time as they are very fragile, said its director, Stein Olav Henrichsen. “The Scream”, arguably the most iconic image in art, is the centrepiece of a new museum dedicated to its creator Edvard Munch that opens in Oslo on Friday, but visitors won’t know which of its many versions they will see until they arrive. The figure holding its head in a swirling red sunset was inspired by a stay in Berlin in 1892 when the Norwegian, then aged 28, was a leading light of the Symbolist movement. Between 1893 and 1910, Munch painted The Scream many times using different techniques. The waterfront museum will have access to three of those canvases but show only one at a time as they are very fragile, said its director, Stein Olav Henrichsen. Since Munch’s death in 1944 the image had replicated countless time in pop culture, on T-shirts, an as inflatable and latterly as an emoji. “Anyone could see themselves in that character,” said the museum’s curator Trine Otte Bak Nielsen.” It’s not clear if it’s a man or a woman, and there is something with that directness and the strong colours and lines, all of it suggesting the figure and the landscape fusing into a very strong symbol. “While Munch’s other best known motifs, including “Puberty” and “Madonna”, also date back to the 1890s, he worked out of his home in the outskirts of Oslo from 1916 and ended up storing two-thirds of his produced artwork there. He left that legacy to the city, then occupied by German troops, in his will when he died, Henrichsen said. “He was afraid of what the Nazis would do to him as an artist and to his collection,” he told Reuters. The museum’s striking presence in the city has been a subject of debate in Oslo for years. The 13-floor building’s gun metal grey facade and striking top-heavy profile towers over the opera house, a public library and residential buildings – all built in recent years as part of an urban renewal project to replace a busy container port. While the museum’s vast Munch collection will be its main pull, it will house other exhibitions and activities as well, said contemporary art curator Tominga Hope O’Donnell. “It is going to be a place for cutting-edge new production where we have performance art and where you can come and see some of the best the city has to offer,” she said. link : https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/oslo-opens-museum-to-the-scream-painter-munch-7584956/

Actor Alec Baldwin has expressed his shock and sadness after fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun on a New Mexico film set. He tweeted that he was in touch with her husband and had offered support. "My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna," he wrote. Ms Hutchins, 42, was shot on the set of the western Rust while working as director of photography. "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," he tweeted. "I'm fully co-operating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred." Ms Hutchins was flown to hospital by helicopter after the shooting on Thursday afternoon but died of her injuries. Director Joel Souza, 48, was injured and taken from the scene at Bonanza Creek Ranch by ambulance. Halyna Hutchins: Rising star of film industry was 'incredible artist' How prop guns work in films An actress in the film, Frances Fisher, tweeted on Friday that Mr Souza had told her that he had been released from the hospital, which was also reported by US media. The hospital declined to comment on Mr Souza's condition, citing privacy laws. A spokesman for Mr Baldwin, best known for his role as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock and for his portrayal of Donald Trump on sketch show Saturday Night Live, said the incident involved the misfiring of a prop gun with blanks. Police are trying to establish what type of projectile left the prop gun and how. Local media reported that Mr Baldwin was seen outside the Santa Fe County sheriff's office in tears. A spokeswoman for the local district attorney's office told BBC News that the investigation is still its "preliminary" stage. "At this time, we do not know if charges will be filed," said First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies. The actor is a co-producer of Rust and plays its namesake, an outlaw whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of manslaughter. The eldest of four brothers, all actors, Mr Baldwin has starred in numerous TV and film roles since the 1980s. Ms Hutchins was from Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle, according to her personal website. She studied journalism in Kyiv, and film in Los Angeles, and was named a "rising star" by the American Cinematographer magazine in 2019. She was the director of photography for the 2020 action film Archenemy, directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer. "I'm so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set," Mr Mortimer said in a tweet. In a statement, the International Cinematographer's Guild said Ms Hutchins' death was "devastating news" and "a terrible loss". "The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event," said guild president John Lindley and executive director Rebecca Rhine. Ms Hutchins' talent agency, Innovative Artists, wrote in an Instagram post on Friday that she was "a ray of light". "Her talent was immense, only surpassed by the love she had for her family." The agency's statement added it hopes that the fatal incident "will reveal new lessons for how to better ensure safety for every crew member on set." Police said sheriff's deputies were dispatched to Bonanza Creek Ranch, a po[CENSORED]r filming location, at around 13:50 local time (19:50 GMT) on Thursday after receiving an emergency call. Such incidents on film sets are extremely rare, but not unheard of. Real firearms are often used in filming, and are loaded with blanks - cartridges that create a flash and a bang without discharging a projectile. In 1993, Brandon Lee - the 28-year-old son of the late martial-arts star Bruce Lee - died on set after being accidentally shot with a prop gun while filming a death scene for the film The Crow. The gun mistakenly had a dummy round loaded in it. Responding to Thursday's news, Brandon Lee's sister Shannon tweeted: "Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on 'Rust'. No-one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period." link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59015889

Despite the growing crypto culture in Pakistan, the country does not have a solid law-work to regulate these virtual coins. Pakistan's Sindh High Court has directed Prime Minister Imran Khan's government to speed up the regulation of cryptocurrencies. A three-month deadline has been given to Pakistan's ruling government for submitting the proposed regulatory rules. In a bid to fast-track the momentum of this task, a new committee has been formed headed by Kamran Ali Afzal, the federal finance secretary of Pakistan. The court has advised the government to invite suggestions from all stakeholders as well as government officials and ministries. The court's instruction to the Pakistani government has come after a two-judge hearing on a petition that challenged the ban on cryptocurrencies. Along with the petitioners, details of whom remain unknown, officials from the country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also attended the hearing. Reza Baqir, Pakistan's central bank, had said in April that the authorities were studying ways to regulate cryptocurrencies and their capability of facilitating off-the-book transactions within a legal framework. These seemingly pro-crypto moves being initiated by the Pakistani authorities come at a time the crypto-culture is creating strides in the country. Ads by In the 12 months up to June 2021, the cryptocurrency market grew by 706 percent and reached a value of $572.5 billion (roughly Rs. 42,62,844 crore) in regions of Central and Southern Asia as well as in Oceania (CSAO), a report by research firm Chainalysis had claimed recently. In Asia, Pakistan ranks third after Vietnam and India in terms of widespread crypto adoption. In addition, Pakistan also ranks 15th in the world for crypto adoption as per another report. The Chainalysis report estimated that Pakistan received an excess of $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 11,230 crore) in crypto-cash last year. The discussions around the expanding crypto space have also begun to get louder in Pakistan. For instance, in a recent National Assembly session, Pakistan's politicians cited India's example in letting the crypto space breathe and churn profits in return. “Over 56 million people have been using cryptocurrencies in 2021. Our neighbour India has created four crypto exchanges, out of which, the native token of WazirX is being traded globally with a market share of over $172 million (roughly Rs. 1,287 crore),” a Pakistani politician recently told the Assembly in Hindi. Along with Pakistan, India is also processing ways to regulate decentralised currencies. India awaits the result of an official draft cryptocurrency bill that will be presented before the Parliament in its upcoming Winter Session. In September, a new committee was formed under India's finance ministry to find out if income made by crypto-trading could be taxed. Amid the growing crypto culture, Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been overlooking the draft formulation of the cryptocurrency bill. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is also working on launching its official digital currency as a regulated “central bank digital currency (CBDC)” by the end of 2021. link : https://gadgets.ndtv.com/cryptocurrency/news/pakistan-sindh-high-court-3-months-deadline-government-cryptocurrency-regulation-2583307

Would this be a feature that's needed? Instagram could soon allow users to open Facebook directly from within the Instagram app, at least if the rumor mill is right. This revelation comes courtesy of Twitter-based leaker Alessandro Paluzzi, who has made a number of recent discoveries in the Instagram app, as highlighted in a series of tweets, including the one below. As you can see, the option to swiftly dive into Facebook could soon be present in the Instagram app – although obviously we don’t know how long that might take, or indeed, whether this will come to fruition at all – along with some other fresh discoveries that Paluzzi has made. How to stop Instagram from ruining your mental health Change into dark mode on Instagram on your device How to build a PC That includes the ability to add a ‘Support’ button to your profile to allow people to “create fundraisers and donate directly to your nonprofit from Instagram”, as the text accompanying the purported option states. There’s also ongoing work on the Music tab in the profile as evidenced in another recent tweet. Analysis: A long time coming You may recall that four years ago, the reverse became true – Facebook made it so that you could open Instagram directly from within the Facebook app. At the time, it was expected that Facebook would eventually implement the functionality within Instagram, too – but it has taken a long, long time for that to happen. As to whether anyone will care all that much, well, it’s a useful touch of convenience no doubt, but a relatively small change of course. What it does help to do is keep folks hopping between the two services, to the benefit of Facebook more than anything else, really, which only doubly makes us wonder why this has taken so long to hove into view. link : https://www.techradar.com/news/instagram-could-get-more-facebook-integration-but-will-anyone-care

The magic of Into the Pit is a hands-on affair. I’m just going to say it: magic is only cool when it’s coming out of your hands. Every moment I’m forced to use a wand while pretending to be a great and powerful wizard is an insult. As an unbridled font of arcane power, I don’t want to wave a silly little stick around. I want to point at something and have it unmade, preferably by some kind of energy bolt or unfathomable beam. Thankfully, Into the Pit is a boomer shooter roguelite that understands me. When I’m sprinting at Olympic speeds through its shifting hellscape in a blur of demonic carnage, I’m trusted with only two fistfuls of magic and a firm belief that I can kill whatever dark god is waiting a couple floors down, no wavy twig required. This is what respect looks like. You’ve followed your cousin’s letters to a village that, in previous generations, has managed to be very chill about the yawning demonic Pit in its midst. Unfortunately, its latest Alderman is less “let’s keep the abyss quietly sealed” and more “I would like a legion of demons actually,” and quickly plunged the township into unholy ruin. To rescue your cousin and prevent an eldritch apocalypse, you’ll have to descend through repeated runs in the randomized domains of the Pit, freeing villagers and strengthening your magic through old-school, fast-paced FPS combat. Runs in Into the Pit all follow the same structure: four randomized floors of four chambers each, followed by a boss fight. You begin by choosing a set of support runes that provide passive bonuses and let you tweak the odds for some of its randomized elements. Then, you choose which domain to descend into. There’s a neat mix-and-match element here: you can select a single region, or you can have the Pit blend two that you’ve previously visited, combining their aesthetics and enemy pools. You can introduce the crab-demons of the Corroded Docks to the ash skeletons of the Obsidian Fortress, by melding their home planes into the Obsidian Docks. It’s a fun crossover episode, but in hell. When the run starts, you equip a spell in each hand from a randomized pool. Into the Pit's selection of short-range spark showers, mid-range scattergun blasts, long-distance witch bolts and explosive orbs draws magical parallels to a standard FPS arsenal of rifles, shotguns, and rocket launchers. They’re all well-suited to the speedy throwback pace of the combat, where your best strategy in most situations is to keep moving (and compulsively bunny-hopping), constantly, forever. The only limit to your spell-slinging is a recharge rate that’s very brief, even for the slowest spell types. It’s nice not to have an ammo count to worry about, but the only visual indicator that your spell is ready is how bright your hand is glowing. I found this glowiness hard to judge while I'm focusing on kiting around enemies, and there were enough moments of dry-firing my spells where I’d have appreciated a proper meter. It plays like a shooter of yore, but Into the Pit shares a lot of DNA with contemporary roguelikes. Like in Hades, you’re choosing which chamber you’d like to enter next based on the reward it’ll offer. In this case, that most often means choosing which variety of motes—collectibles that act as currency in the village, or offer in-run benefits like opportunities to cheat death—that you’ll find in the room ahead. Clearing each chamber offers a choice between three upgrades to your stats or spells. These can be as simple as a flat damage boost, or they might give your spells a chance to plant a cursed seed in an enemy that explodes when they die. So far, there’s enough interplay for some fun combos to develop in a run. With one of my favorites, the scattergun spell in my left hand would tag a bunch of enemies at once with a curse that’d cause bonus damage whenever they attack me and I’d clean up with the long-range burst spell in my right hand that deals extra damage to enemies with afflictions or low health. Compared to modern hardcore roguelikes like Spelunky 2 or Enter the Gungeon, Into the Pit isn’t as mechanically intricate or deep in its progression, and it’s not particularly difficult in the way you might expect from the old-school presentation. That might turn off some people, but I found it refreshing to casually burn through a couple of runs without once wanting to pull my hair out. And it’s nice to avoid the kind of decision fatigue that roguelikes can generate when you’re constantly having to fret over what your optimal build is. You’re not going to tank an Into the Pit run with one bad upgrade choice, and deciding which motes to prioritize is straightforward. And because chambers without combat encounters still reward you with a new perk or stat boost, you can opt for a breather at a healing shrine without feeling like you’re missing out on upgrades.So far, there’s enough interplay for some fun combos to develop in a run. With one of my favorites, the scattergun spell in my left hand would tag a bunch of enemies at once with a curse that’d cause bonus damage whenever they attack me and I’d clean up with the long-range burst spell in my right hand that deals extra damage to enemies with afflictions or low health. Compared to modern hardcore roguelikes like Spelunky 2 or Enter the Gungeon, Into the Pit isn’t as mechanically intricate or deep in its progression, and it’s not particularly difficult in the way you might expect from the old-school presentation. That might turn off some people, but I found it refreshing to casually burn through a couple of runs without once wanting to pull my hair out. And it’s nice to avoid the kind of decision fatigue that roguelikes can generate when you’re constantly having to fret over what your optimal build is. You’re not going to tank an Into the Pit run with one bad upgrade choice, and deciding which motes to prioritize is straightforward. And because chambers without combat encounters still reward you with a new perk or stat boost, you can opt for a breather at a healing shrine without feeling like you’re missing out on upgrades. Visually, Into the Pit has a great style, with a suitably dark palette that still manages a lot of color. A pixelated downsampling filter adds a lot of flavor to the throwback vibe, but for a setting that’s enabled by default it can muddy the game’s readability—I’d recommend turning off bloom if you’re sticking with the pixels. And as much as I enjoyed the quick pace of combat, I wanted a bit more visual flair from my spells. There are some blood splatters and gibs from enemies once they're dead, but individual hits don't have enough impact to distract from the awareness that you’re really just whittling down health bars. I enjoyed my time in the Pit enough that I plan on diving back in, at least until I can bully the Alderman for all the times he appears and delivers a nerdy monologue after you kill a boss. I think my chances are pretty good. The man does magic with a staff. Absolutely unforgivable. link : https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/hurdle-through-the-hellmouth-in-this-occult-retro-fps/

What is it? Less than a month after driving the new Porsche 911 GTS in Italy, we’ve had the chance to sample one of the first right-hand-drive versions to reach the UK: an all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 GTS Coupé, experienced on the challenging moorland roads around Weardale in County Durham. The new GTS is closer to a model family than a trim level, with the choice of Coupé, Cabriolet and Targa bodyshells and a multitude of potential dynamic options. But the biggest quandary for British buyers is likely to be over the number of driven wheels. Choosing the Carrera 4 GTS over the rear-driven GTS requires an extra £5580 and brings around 50kg of additional mass but it also carries the promise of better traction in slippery conditions. Such as those I found on my test drive. Other items from the dynamic smorgasbord of options fitted to our test car included rear-axle steering, PCCB carbon brakes and the speed-sensitive Power Steering Plus, but it didn’t have the roll-fighting PDCC dynamic chassis system. What's it like? Porsche says the GTS’s chassis components and settings are close to those of the Turbo S and it felt noticeably firmer than the regular Carrera and Carrera S over challenging roads. Stability and traction were both impressive, even when rain tried to stop play. However, GTS drivers may spend a lot of their time travelling over choppy Tarmac searching for the optimal setting for the PASM adaptive dampers. On the bumpy (but supremely well-sighted) B6278 from Eggleston to Stanhope – one of the sternest tests of chassis manners in England – Normal mode struggled to digest high-frequency corrugation, the front of the car growing light as speeds rose. Selecting Sport imposed iron discipline, but at the cost of a forceful lower-back pummelling through the seat base. Beyond mild discomfort, though, the Carrera 4 GTS proved hugely impressive at delivering its turbocharged urge to pretty much any road surface. The GTS’s 3.0-litre flat six is well short of the Turbo on poke – its 473bhp is just 29bhp up on the Carrera S – but the ability to deploy this is much more important than the number itself, especially given the GTS’s low-down torque and the scintillating reactions of the test car’s eight-speed PDK gearbox. It sounds good when revved out, a louder exhaust tune giving a more purposeful voice than in the standard Carrera, but it needn’t be thrashed to deliver serious performance. The GTS feels agile and svelte on a tight-fitting road, easy to place and loyal to a chosen line, with steering that stays accurate as speeds and loadings rise. As with every 911, small inputs yield immediate reactions, fractional changes in throttle position widening or tightening cornering attitude. Mechanical grip is huge, but the chance to experience some tight, wet, bumpy corners proved that when the rear Pirelli P Zeros do let go, they do so abruptly. Loss of traction was also the only time the car felt obviously all-wheel driven, with torque aggressively diverted forwards as the quick- acting transmission tried to pull the car straight. And while Porsche’s carbon-ceramic brakes always feel over-spec for road use, they behaved impeccably under gentle loadings. Should I buy one? The GTS is definitely a Carrera-plus rather than a junior GT3, a point I confirmed by driving over the same roads in the GT3, whose responses and soundtrack remain on a higher, ethereal plane. Yet a well-chosen GTS feels like a particularly sweet spot within the 911 clan, especially given its ability to make use of an impressively high percentage of its dynamic talents in the real world. link https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/porsche/911/first-drives/porsche-911-gts-2021-uk-review

LOS ANGELES, Oct 18 (Reuters) - (This Oct. 18 story refiles to correct typo in "adaptation" in first paragraph of story) Actors Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek brought Hollywood glamor to the world premiere of Marvel Studios' latest comic book adaptation, "Eternals", on Monday. Directed by Chloe Zhao, who won best director and best picture for the film "Nomadland" at the Oscars earlier this year, "Eternals" boasts one of the most diverse casts of any Marvel movie. "I hope it just starts to normalize what should have been there in the first place," Jolie told Reuters. "I hope people watch these films in years to come and we don't even think about it as being diverse, it just becomes what's normal and what's right, and what's appropriate representation of the world we live in." Gemma Chan plays the lead role of Sersi, one of the Eternals, a group of aliens who have lived on Earth and secretly guided humanity for 7,000 years. "It's got a different tone, visually it's going to be quite different," said Chan. "Obviously the cast is huge and it spans 7,000 years so it's really an epic story. One of the themes of the film is connection, connection to one another, connection to earth. I hope that resonates with people in some way." "Eternals" also features the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first deaf character in Lauren Ridloff's Makkari. "I might be the first but I won't be the only one for much longer," signed Ridloff in American Sign Language. "There's another deaf superhero coming into the MCU very soon so this is definitely a game-changer." Delayed a year due to the pandemic, "Eternals" will finally hit cinemas on Nov. 5. link : https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/eternals-movie-boasting-diverse-cast-marvels-first-deaf-role-premieres-2021-10-19/

Human remains found in a Florida park on Wednesday have been confirmed to belong to the missing fiancé of a murdered blogger, the FBI says. The body of Brian Laundrie, who had been missing for over a month, was identified using dental records. Laundrie, who was a person of interest in Gabby Petito's death, returned to Florida last month from a joint road trip without his partner. Her body was later found in Wyoming, where the couple had been travelling. "On October 21, 2021, a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found at the T Mabry Carlton Jr Memorial Reserve and Myakkahatchee Creed Environmental Park are those of Brian Laundrie," the FBI said in a statement on Thursday. A lawyer representing Mr Laundrie's parents released a statement, saying: "Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian's. "We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundries' privacy at this time." On Wednesday, officials said that the remains had been discovered in a part of the park that until recently had been underwater. Other items, including a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian, were also found during the search. What do we know about Gabby Petito's boyfriend? The missing Americans you don't hear about According to NBC News, bones and a skull were discovered during the search. In a short news conference on Thursday, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno praised officials for working under "treacherous conditions" in the park. He described the chest-deep water as being filled with rattlesnakes and alligators. "It's not like you're searching a house or a car. These areas are huge and they are covered by water," he told reporters gathered outside the closed park. Who is Brian Laundrie? The case of Ms Petito, 22, and Mr Laundrie, 23, sparked nationwide media attention. The couple had spent their summer on a road trip through national parks, documenting their nomadic "van life" trip on social media. Ms Petito's parents reported her missing on 11 September after they were unable to contact her since the end of August. It eventually emerged that Mr Laundrie had returned to Florida without Ms Petito on 1 September. Her family repeatedly appealed for her fiancé and his family to co-operate with investigators, but he then went missing himself. His parents told police they last saw him on 13 September - when he went hiking alone and never returned. Ms Petito's body was eventually discovered in Wyoming on 19 September. A coroner ruled last week that she had been strangled to death and left for weeks before her body was found. Mr Laundrie was not charged with crimes relating to Ms Petito's killing, however, the FBI had issued a federal arrest warrant and charged him with fraudulently using her debit card after her death. link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59004831

Facebook has joined forces with US-based cryptocurrency marketplace Coinbase on a new project, Novi, that involves creating a digital wallet that allows people to send money internationally without the burden of additional fees being levied. Novi has been in the works for a long time, and will be running pilot programs in the US and Guatemala — available to anyone in the US except those living in Alaska, Nevada, New York, and the US Virgin Islands. Novi will let people send USDP — a stablecoin pegged to the price of the US dollar, which can then be withdrawn in a local currency of choice. In a blog post detailing the announcement, Coinbase explained that it is providing Novi with its proprietary, fully segregated cold storage capability for managing private keys called Coinbase Custody. "Coinbase Custody is a leading crypto-native platform and custodian that securely manages $180 billion of crypto assets on its platform. Over the past nine years, Coinbase has developed deep expertise in secure and scalable crypto infrastructure, which we initially built to power our own first-party applications," Coinbase said. Former US Presidential Candidate Reveals Pro-Crypto Plans David Marcus, the head of Facebook's Novi project, chose USDP — also referred to as Paxos Standard stablecoin, because it is fully backed by the US dollar and is held 100% in cash and cash equivalents, according to a statement. "This means that people can easily withdraw their money in their local currency when they choose," he added. Novi later plans to integrate with Diem — a Facebook blockchain-based payment system, although that is subject to pending regulatory approval. "The goal of Novi has been and always will be to be interoperable. Imagine if you couldn't send an email from a Gmail address to a Yahoo address," Marcus added. Facebook explained that it decided to launch its cryptocurrency to cater to the unbanked po[CENSORED]tion worldwide. Facebook believes that the use of Novi could offer an efficient, cost-effective, and successful alternative for remittances and day-to-day financial transactions. US Lawmakers are unhappy with Facebook's Novi pilot announcement Facebook's plans may be in the right spirit for the greater crypto market, but lawmakers aren't very happy with it. A group of US lawmakers said Facebook cannot be trusted to manage cryptocurrency and urged the social media platform to discontinue immediately a small pilot of its cryptocurrency wallet named Novi, which was launched on Tuesday. US Democratic senators Brian Schatz, Sherrod Brown, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, and Tina Smith voiced their opposition to Facebook's two-year-old effort to launch a cryptocurrency and digital wallet. link : https://gadgets.ndtv.com/cryptocurrency/news/facebook-novi-pilot-cryptocurrency-wallet-coinbase-paxos-2582113

24/7 tech support for a whole range of issues Norton Ultimate Help Desk is a service from the reputable antivirus provider that aims to fix any issues you have with your PC, mobile phone and a range of other miscellaneous technical bugbears. Essentially, it's on-demand tech help from Norton that’s provided 24/7, every day of the year, so you can get assistance whenever you need it. The Ultimate Help Desk offers a range of troubleshooting benefits and other perks, and, in this article, we’ll take a look at exactly what you’re getting from this package. To find out more and subscribe head to the following links: Norton US | Norton UK | Norton Australia What is Norton Ultimate Help Desk? Norton Ultimate Help Desk is fundamentally a service that lets you call Norton (or use online chat) at any time of the day and speak to an expert about any IT problem you’re experiencing. It’s like having a personal IT help desk, essentially. You can get help for something going wrong with your PC, issues related to smartphones or tablets, and troubleshooting with other hardware such as, for example, your network setup or router, printing problems, software going awry, and more besides. That’s the first point to bear in mind here: there’s a lot that Norton experts will help with - and that does, of course, include virus removal as you might expect from the renowned antivirus maker. Furthermore, Norton Ultimate Help Desk provides additional services, which include tuning up a sluggish PC to make it run faster. We have a more comprehensive list of the package's features below. With a subscription plan, you can make unlimited calls to Ultimate Help Desk (although there is an option to pay for just a one-off call if you don’t want to subscribe). When contacted, Norton experts can access your PC remotely to help diagnose and resolve problems (and so you’ll need a ‘high-speed’ internet connection to facilitate this, the company notes). What devices can I use Norton Ultimate Help Desk on? This service can be used with Windows 10 (not including Windows 10 S Mode, or Windows on ARM machines) or Windows 8 PCs, and Macs running OS X 10.5 or newer. You must have admin access for the computer in question. For phones, Android 6 or better is supported, and iOS 7 or newer. A ‘high-speed’ internet connection is required to enable Norton technicians to remotely connect to and work on your system. The service is provided with the English language only. Note that Norton will run an initial system test of your device to determine for sure if it can provide the Ultimate Help Desk service for you. If not, you’ll be refunded. Norton Ultimate Help Desk: what features does it have? There’s a host of troubleshooting features available here, and some interesting extras like system optimization that we’ve already touched on. Our highlights of the Ultimate Help Desk service are as follows: Advanced Diagnostics & Resolution If you’ve got a serious gremlin in the works with your device, a Norton expert will be on hand to tackle the problem and implement a solution. For example, you might have a situation where your PC is suffering from a persistent crash, one that’s frustrating you by occurring regularly, and this is the kind of thorny issue that the Help Desk should be able to deal with. Network & Mobile Support Norton can help set up your home network or get devices working on it. So, for example, if you’ve just bought a new laptop, a tech expert can help you connect it to your Wi-Fi network at home. OS Upgrades Is your operating system ready for an upgrade? Maybe to Windows 11? Norton can talk you through any upgrade process if you feel intimidated at the prospect, and keeping your device up-to-date is crucial for robust security (updates contain a whole raft of elements like patches against new exploits). Software Support As well as looking after your OS, a Norton expert can help you with any software issues you might have, such as setting up Outlook email. Computer Tune Up Think your PC is running slowly? Norton Ultimate Help Desk offers what it describes as a “comprehensive inspection and repair service” to help streamline your system and get it running more efficiently. That includes optimizing settings and freeing up resources wherever possible. Virus Removal Should malware strike your system, as you would hope from an antivirus software company, Norton can get on the case and help clear up the mess. Backup Setup Unsure about how to perform a backup of your system or important files? Norton can help you run a backup locally to an external drive, or to a cloud service, with various po[CENSORED]r cloud providers catered for (such as Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive). link : https://www.techradar.com/news/norton-ultimate-help-desk

Bleeding-edge technology is never cheap, and memory isn't any different. Therefore, it would be naive to think that initial DDR5 offerings would rival the best RAM and be accessible to mainstream consumers. In its latest blog entry, MSI (via Overclock3D) has shared its thoughts on DDR5 pricing. The first DDR5 memory kits will debut alongside Intel´s 12th Generation Alder Lake processors, which are rumored to launch on November 4. However, retailers had jumped the gun and briefly listed a couple of DDR5 memory kits, giving some consumers took the opportunity to purchase them before Alder Lake's launch. "Historically, newer memory technology has always commanded close to a 30-40% premium over the previous generation. However, this time, DDR5 includes additional components that have driven the costs up further. As a result, we expect a 50-60% price premium compared to DDR4 at launch. It typically takes around 2 years to reach price parity with previous generations, and we expect trends to remain similar with DDR5 modules as well," wrote the MSI rep in the blog. TeamGroup's and GeIL's DDR4-4800 C40 32GB (2x16GB) memory kits previously went up for purchase at $310 and $350, respectively. We can't really compare the DDR5-4800 memory kit to a DDR4 equivalent yet since we haven't tested the former yet. For comparison, a DDR4-3600 C14 32GB (2x16GB) memory kit, which is a common option in the market, retails for $269.99. If we compare that to GeIL's RGB-lit DDR5 memory kit, we're looking at a 30% premium, a bit far from MSI's estimate. It's plausible that the DDR5-4800 memory kits that were on sale carried preliminary pricing or were placeholders. We wouldn't be surprised if the final pricing is more expensive than what they sold for. Memory vendors, including G.Skill, Galax and TeamGroup have lifted the curtains on their DDR5 memory products. However, not one brand revealed the pricing for the products, adding more uncertainty to the market. Given the situation of the global semiconductor shortage, we don't espect DDR5 memory kits to be widely available, and if they were, they'll probably cost an arm and a leg so MSI's prediction may end up being a reality for Alder Lake adopters. Luckily, Alder Lake also supports DDR4 so there's hope that the upgrade path to the new hybrid desktop platform won't force consumers to break their piggy banks. link : https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ddr5-will-probably-cost-50-60-percent-more-than-ddr4

Multiplayer, Zombies, how it'll integrate with Warzone, and more. Ready for Call of Duty: Vanguard? With the Call of Duty's annual release schedule, there's always something to look forward to for fans of the series. Officially announced back in August, Sledgehammer Games has revealed plenty for us to pore over as we prepare for our return to World War 2. Call of Duty: WWII only launched in 2017, but Vanguard is taking us back to the 1940s again, and hopefully bringing a new version of the war we've seen play out in games and Hollywood many times over. Players have already had a chance to give the open beta a go in September, although Morgan's first impressions were that it's like Modern Warfare with wimpier guns. Nevertheless, with the imminent Call of Duty: Vanguard release date, there's plenty more look forward to, whether you're a Zombies fanatic, a Multiplayer grinder, or a Warzone camper. When is the Call of Duty Vanguard release date? The Call of Duty: Vanguard release date is November 5, 2021. Initially revealed in August 2021, a steady stream of information has been coming out ever since. With Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone all making their return for this year's WWII-based COD instalment. Everything we know about Call of Duty Vanguard's multiplayer Call of Duty: Vanguard works on the Modern Warfare/Warzone game engine, so it'll feel like reuniting with an old friend if you've experience with those. With 20 maps available to play, there'll be plenty of stuff to get stuck into at launch, and 16 of them will be traditional Multiplayer maps. The other four are unique maps for the brand new Champion Hill game mode, which combines the limited lives of Search and Destroy with the frantic action of Team Deathmatch. There's also Patrol, which plays like Hardpoint, but the capture point moves through the map and forces encounters with the enemy team, along with the potential for some sly tactics. According to the Call of Duty blog, there are going to be even more options for customising your Multiplayer experience. There are three types of lobbies you're able to queue up for in the 'Combat Pacing' system, allowing you to choose between smaller and larger lobbies depending on how you feel like playing. The Gunsmith loadout system is back, but with the option of up to ten attachments slots for some weapons. Hopefully, that'll be good for the meta and lead to some fun and unique gun builds. Sledgehammer has also added a destruction system in Vanguard, allowing players to tactically break bits of scenery and create their own hidey-holes around the map, while sliding your mounted weapon along edges. What about Call of Duty: Vanguard/Warzone integration? Warzone was one of the first places in which Call of Duty: Vanguard was teased. In August, there was a chance for winning teams to be sniped during the ending cutscene by Vanguard protagonist, Polina Petrova. Then, the Battle of Verdansk mission took place, forcing whole lobbies to take down a giant bullet-sponge train. It was a hilarious mess. So we're sure to receive new Warzone stuff when Call of Duty: Vanguard comes out, including a new full-size Warzone map for the first time since Warzone launched in early 2020. We've had our fun in Verdansk, but it's definitely time for something new. Raven Software is working closely with Sledgehammer to make the integration as smooth as possible, and I expect to see plenty of guns enter the fray once Vanguard finally releases. Keep your eye out for our updated lists on the best Warzone loadouts—the meta is going to shift significantly. What can we expect from Call of Duty: Vanguard's Zombies mode? Zombies will be back in Call of Duty: Vanguard, led by the studio responsible for it all: Treyarch. With The Haunting event underway, we're seeing zombies drop into Warzone again, so check that out if you're in the mood for some undead action. And keep your eyes peeled for future zombies in Verdansk during the event: Sharp fans will undoubtedly spot hints as to where the mode will go next. Following the recent Zombies announcement, we know more about the mode and name of the map you'll be playing on: Der Anfang. It'll be a classic Zombies map with brutal gameplay and undoubtedly a hilariously esoteric Easter egg storyline to uncover. Story-wise, we know that Nazi Oberführer Wolfram Von List was able to plunder alien artefacts with the power to bond humans with Dark Aether entities. It's all very arcane, but what's happened is that Von List has managed to gain the power to raise the dead. This just keeps happening. Der Anfang is based in Stalingrad, the site of one of the bloodiest battles in history with an estimated 2 million casualties. The mass graves of Stalingrad seem like a decent option for a fascist looking to raise an army of zombies, I guess. He has access to all the undead baddies you're used to, as well as new additions like the Sturmkrieger, who has a machine gun (seems unfair) and the Boom Schreiers, who'll blow up in your face. The gameplay of Vanguard Zombies will be slightly different than what we're used to. Der Anfang will now offer us the opportunity to get right into the action, transporting you through portals right into the thick of it. You'll be travelling to other Zombies maps like Shi No Numa and Multiplayer map, Hotel Royal, completing objectives, and gaining upgrades in your base at Stalingrad. There'll even be new loot items known as the Altar of Covenants. This offers a random upgrade every time you return from an objective, from familiar favourites like Brain Rot to Ammo Gremlin, who reloads holstered weapons over time. What are the Vanguard campaign story and setting like? The Call of Duty: Vanguard campaign is set in World War II and features battles from all four fronts. That's Western, Eastern, the Pacific, and North Africa. Throughout the campaign, you'll be tasked with taking multiple different characters with unique points of view through the action of tide-turning battles in the war. The characters are special forces agents who are loosely, but not one hundred per cent, based on real soldiers who fought during WWII. Four characters are available: Sgt. Arthur Kingsley, British paratrooper and leader of Task Force One Lt. Polina Petrova, sniper for the Red Army Lt. 1st Class Wade Jackson of the US Navy Pvt. Lucas Riggs of the Australian Army These allied soldiers have put together Task Force One, a special unit that must face down SS and Gestapo leader, Heinrich Freisinger, who's attempting to keep Nazi rule intact during the twilight of the war. It's a waiting game to find out more, so let's just hope the campaign lives up to the billing of being a world-spanning, epic adventure telling renditions of real-life stories of remarkable soldiers. link : https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/call-of-duty-vanguard-release-date/

Lotus is confident it can generate revenues from its new bespoke EV hardware, in much the same way the original Elise’s bonded-aluminium architecture went on to underpin a raft of sports cars from other manufacturers The best-known Elise-based sports cars are the Vauxhall VX220 and Tesla Roadster, but the platform’s chief engineer, Richard Rackham, estimates there have been “probably 10 times as many”, highlighting that use of Lotus’s expertise is wider than broadcast – and underlining just how influential that lightweight structure was. It’s impressive enough that, adapted for the Exige and Evora, it created a family of Lotus models that kept the firm relevant for the next 25 years. Now Rackham is working on a new Lotus platform for the electric era that could end up matching the Elise underpinnings for both longevity (if required) and for model proliferation, both within Lotus and outside. “We’re way ahead of the game now,” he told Autocar. It can be stretched from the size of the Porsche 718 Cayman to the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and will be offered to anyone. “This platform will underpin many vehicles from different manufacturers,” he confirmed. This is the E-Sports platform, which we already know will underpin a Lotus sports car from 2026 and an Alpine one from 2025. It’s adaptable enough to fit the batteries either behind the driver to keep occupants nice and low or under them to expand the cabin, affording a four-seater. It won’t produce saloons or SUVs, though. That side of the future Lotus range, starting with an electric SUV from next year, will use platforms created by parent company Geely. Although the electric Lotus sports car is still five years away, Rackham and his team have already designed the most complicated bit: the rear structure that supports the battery box, drive unit (with one or two motors) and suspension. Lotus claims this structure is 37% lighter than that of the V6-engined Emira. That’s a 1405kg car, nearly twice as heavy as the 731kg Mk1 Elise of 1996, but comparing the weight of the two is pretty meaningless given how much the market and legislation have changed. The point is that Lotus is innovating again as it looks to convert Geely’s cash into a dynamic electric sports car platform that reduces the impact of heavy batteries as much as possible. One element remains the same: the structure is made of aluminium, mainly because it’s light and the parts can be put together without the need for huge investment. For other car makers, Lotus can supply not just the platform but also the whole electric and electronic architecture, including the infotainment and active safety devices it sources from within Geely. The idea is that the customer designs the body, specifies outputs and for little effort can theoretically start building a car that doesn’t have to be a stripped-out track tool but can be a sophisticated car catering to modern tastes. “This is an entry ticket into vehicle production,” Rackham said. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to offer it.” link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/analysis-lotus-e-sports-ev-platform-made-sharing

Acne, like any other skin condition, cannot be cured overnight. It takes time for products to work Acne is a common skincare problem. It can happen to anyone at any point of time. In simple terms, it is an inflammatory skin condition that projects marks and pimples on the face, neck and chest. While it mostly happens during puberty, adult acne is common, too. It could be because of hormonal factors or poor skincare habits. If you, too, are suffering from acne issues, Dr Noopur Jain, founder and consultant dermatologist at Skinzest, offers solutions. She explains that acne is formed when the pores in your skin get clogged with oil and dead skin cells. “Since it causes visible scars and blemishes, most people want to get rid of it to achieve clear, glowing skin. Many factors contribute to acne like diet, hormonal changes, stress, and genetics,” she says. Acne, like any other skin condition, cannot be cured overnight. It takes time for products to work. If you’ve started using a product, give it at least four weeks before shifting to another one. “We tend to keep switching products in two to three days, when we don’t see the results. Any product will take some time to work on your skin. Don’t judge a product too soon. In fact, using different formulas every few days can lead to new breakouts. You can see the results of a product or treatment in a month, so be patient,” she advises. Good food Studies have shown a link between worsening of acne and the consumption of certain foods. Food that is high in sugar, fat and dairy can increase the risk of adult acne. It can also vary from person to person. What might trigger your skin may not trigger your friend’s. If you’re experiencing heavy acne breakouts, it’ll be wise to make changes in your diet. Food items with vitamin A and E have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help in cell regeneration, says the doctor. ALSO READ |Important things to keep in mind before using a new skincare product Right products and seeking help It is important to pick the right products if you have acne-prone skin. Products that read oil-free or those that won’t clog pores are suitable. While treating your skin, spread the product all over your face and not just on the acne spots to treat the existing issues and to avoid future breakouts. If you experience acne even after all the lifestyle changes, it is best to consult a dermatologist, the doctor advises. “They can find the root cause and provide the specific treatments,” she says. link : https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/skincare-tips-three-simple-hacks-for-acne-problem-7574102/

The Covid pandemic will "go on for a year longer than it needs to" because poorer countries are not getting the vaccines they need, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Dr Bruce Aylward, senior leader at the WHO, said it meant the Covid crisis could "easily drag on deep into 2022". Less than 5% of Africa's po[CENSORED]tion have been vaccinated, compared to 40% on most other continents. The UK has delivered more than 10 million vaccines to countries in need. It has pledged a total of 100 million. Covax: How many Covid vaccines have the US and the other G7 countries pledged? Covid vaccines: How fast is progress around the world? Dr Aylward appealed to wealthy countries to give up their places in the queue for vaccines in order that pharmaceutical companies can prioritise the lowest-income countries instead. He said wealthy countries needed to "stocktake" where they were with their donation commitments made at summits such as the G7 meeting in St Ives this summer. "I can tell you we're not on track" he said. "We really need to speed it up or you know what? This pandemic is going to go on for a year longer than it needs to." The People's Vaccine - an alliance of charities - has released new figures suggesting just one in seven of the doses promised by pharmaceutical companies and wealthy countries are actually reaching their destinations in poorer countries. The vast majority of Covid vaccines have been given in high-income or upper middle-income countries. Africa accounts for just 2.6% of doses administered globally. The group of charities, which includes Oxfam and UNAids, also criticised Canada and the UK for procuring vaccines for their own po[CENSORED]tions via Covax, the UN-backed global programme to distribute vaccines fairly. Official figures show that earlier this year the UK received 539,370 Pfizer doses while Canada took just under a million AstraZeneca doses. The original idea behind Covax was that all countries would be able to acquire vaccines from its pool, including wealthy ones. But most G7 countries decided to hold back once they started making their own one-to-one deals with pharmaceutical companies. Oxfam's Global Health Adviser, Rohit Malpani, acknowledged that Canada and the UK were technically entitled to get vaccines via this route having paid into the Covax mechanism, but he said it was still "morally indefensible" given that they had both obtained millions of doses through their own bilateral agreements. "They should not have been acquiring these doses from Covax," he said. "It's nothing better than double-dipping and means that poorer countries which are already at the back of the queue, will end up waiting longer." The UK government pointed out it was one of the countries which had "kick-started" Covax last year with a donation of £548m. The Canadian government was keen to stress that it had now ceased to use Covax vaccines. The country's International Development Minister, Karina Gould, said: "As soon as it became clear that the supply we had secured through our bilateral deals would be sufficient for the Canadian po[CENSORED]tion, we pivoted the doses which we had procured from Covax back to Covax, so they could be redistributed to developing countries." Covax originally aimed to deliver two billion doses of vaccines by the end of this year, but so far it has shipped 371m doses. link : https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58973697

Android 12 has started rolling out for Pixel phones, Google announced at its Pixel Fall Launch event on Tuesday. The latest Android version was first released as a developer preview in February and was detailed at Google's I/O developer conference in May. Google also made the Android 12 source code available to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) just earlier this month. Android 12 brings a new design language that is called Material You, which is aimed to enhance personalisation on Android devices. There are also new privacy controls including the ability to let users share their approximate location with third-party apps. Android 12 features One of the biggest changes that Android 12 brings to your Pixel phone is the Material You design language. It is aimed to enhance personalisation on the device by allowing users to pick a custom colour palette and new widgets — as per their tastes and preferences. The new Android version also includes fluid motion and animations to deliver a fresh user experience. Android 12 is also claimed to optimise the overall user experience with better power efficiency. It also includes underlying improvements to reduce CPU time needed for core system services by up to 22 percent and cut the use of big cores by the system server by up to 15 percent. This helps make a faster and more responsive user experience. Google has also included a list of new privacy-focussed changes in Android 12 to provide better privacy controls. There is a new Privacy Dashboard to detail permission settings and what data is being accessed by which app. There is also an option to grant approximate location permission instead of giving precise location details to third-party apps. A new indicator will also appear on the top-right corner of the screen when any installed apps access the built-in microphone or camera. All this sounds similar to the privacy controls Apple introduced in earlier iOS releases. Android 12 is also claimed to deliver faster machine learning experiences and more responding notifications by reducing system-level latency. There is also support for AV1 Image File Format (AVIF) to improve image quality for the same file size when compared to older image formats, including JPEG. Additionally, Android 12 comes with a compatible media transcoding feature to improve quality and compression of videos. How to get Android 12 update on Google Pixel devices Android 12 is rolling out to a list of Google Pixel phones that consists of the Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3A, Pixel 3A XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4A, Pixel 4A 5G, and the Pixel 5. Once the update reaches your eligible Pixel phone, you will receive a notification for its download. You can also manually check for the update by going to System > Advanced > System update. link : https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/android-12-rollout-google-pixel-3-3a-4-xl-4a-5-begins-download-features-eligible-devices-2581125