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A rampant AI menace is threatening interstellar space, according to the thousands of Elite: Dangerous players who have signed a petition against the game's apparent botting problem. Beyond space trucking and bounty hunting, Elite Dangerous' 30th century galaxy is controlled via a system called Power Play—a meta-game that sees various factions and empires vie for control over the game's countless systems. Unfortunately, it seems some actors have been using third-party systems to mani[CENSORED]te the simulations that determine how territory is allocated, cheating politics to create favourable outcomes. An issue that's allegedly existed since Power Play's introduction, many pilots now feel enough is enough. A community-led "Anti-Botting Agreement" over on the game's official forums has been signed by 162 groups and squadrons representing over 20,000 pilots since going live at the end of January—its signatories agree not to knowingly use or benefit from bot actions, and to report them on sight. The use of 'Shadow Wings' and 'Ghost Fleets' in Power Play and the Background Simulation is something we wish was not a part of Elite: Dangerous," Agreement creator Asamith wrote. In a reply, volunteer forum moderator Jane Turned explains that there are multiple steps the community would like to see taken—from volunteer task forces and back-end systems to flag non-human behaviour, to more fundamental design changes that reduce the number of exploitable "repetitive game loops". For the time being, though, the initiative simply hopes to create a vocal wall against cheating. Speaking to PC Gamer via email, Turner explained that the bulk of botting incidents may, in fact, be stemming from a single individual, and that much of the time trying to proving a suspected bot is genuine involves trying to link it to one of their known accounts. Over time, affected groups came together in a kind of "botting self-help group" to come together to take action themselves. Frontier, notably, doesn't put out the same kind of mass ban announcements as games like Warzone. Looking for ways to combat the cheating problem, this group contacted the developer last October with ideas, floating plans such as pretending to hire the suspected botter to trap them—an idea that was discouraged by Frontier's community team. The impetus for a mass agreement came after one squadron told the support group that the botter had contacted them asking for a truce. As it happened, this actor was counting on the community to remain fragmented—to breathe a sigh of relief and move on after dealing with their operations without warning others. "He is already howling from the resistance of 10-15 players," the squadron representative explained. "Imagine what 30 to 50 could do." "It's a safety in numbers, an 'I am Spartacus' sort of thing," Turner added. "We thought it might be possible to raise awareness of botting, make it easier for groups to report possible incidents to FD and possibly even start stretching the resources of the main botter." Frontier has yet to contact the Agreement creator's director. But Turner tells me that there's no ill-will harboured towards the developer: "I think they are in an invidious position. Hence our angle is how can we help FD while we support each other." When asked for comment, a Frontier representative told PC Gamer that it "actively monitors and acts on any developments that might unbalance the Elite Dangerous Universe, or offer any unfair advantage to some players. "Our investigation teams constantly monitor and will ban any players found to be cheating in game—the use of bots is no exception. We take care to ensure that the tools and methods used to detect the use of bots remain discrete in order to prevent malicious users finding ways to avoid them. We are extremely grateful to players who have voiced their concerns over the use of bots in game, and encourage them to keep reporting any and all infractions they are aware of to our Customer Service team. Frontier wants to reassure everyone that we are committed to addressing these types of issue now and in the future."

Which model holds the record for the number of registrations? Here is the hierarchy of the best-selling cars in history. [Updated 02/12/2021 at 13:35] The Toyota Corolla is the queen of the automotive industry across the world. Not only does it hold the status of the best-selling car in history , but it continues to strengthen it by taking the market leader position each year for more than a decade. Although disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 vintage was no exception. According to figures relayed by the site focus2move.com , the Corolla totaled 1.13 million registrations ( 1,134,262 to be exact) during the fiscal year which has just ended. However, this represents a decline of -8.8% compared to its total for the previous year (1,236,380 units). Sold in nearly 150 countries, the Corolla is at the head of the world hierarchy, ahead of another model from the Aichi firm. This is the Toyota RAV4 , boosted by the early career of its fifth generation. In this first year of health crisis, the iconic Japanese SUV is also one of the few models to record a positive result. Compared to its 2019 result (931,852 units), the RAV4 shows an increase of + 1.9% with a total of 971,516 registrations in 2020. Almost 50 million Toyota Corollas This year, the Toyota Corolla is about to blow its 55 th candle , approaching the milestone of 50 million units sold, it will pass a symbolic threshold priori in the second half of 2021. Born in 1966 , the compact Japanese built its success on its many bodywork and global reach. Currently, the US and Chinese markets together represent half of its sales. At the end of 2020, it claims the trifle of 49.5 million registrations for a total of twelve generations . As a reminder, the latest was launched in 2019 with the Corolla designation in France, instead of the Auris. Within this historic ranking, the Toyota Corolla is followed by the venerable Ford F-Series , a pick-up available in many versions, which has accumulated 41 million registrations since 1948. The podium is completed by another model of global stature more recent, the Volkswagen Golf . Marketed since 1974 and now credited with an eighth opus, the Wolfsburg compact has sold 37 million copies. The Renault Clio, French premiere It's no secret: for a vehicle to rank at the top of world sales of all time , it must both maintain a high level of po[CENSORED]rity over the decades, multiply its variations, but also keep the same denomination . This is why no French car will ever be able to claim a place on this podium. The best ranked among them is the Renault Clio , sold since 1991 to more than 15 million copies . It takes the 19 th place of the hierarchy while the Citroën 2CV (9 million), Peugeot 206 (8.4 million) and Renault 4 (8.2 million) complete this ranking of the 34 best-selling models since the birth of the automobile. To view photos of the best-selling vehicles in history, use the arrows slide show at the top of this page.

Major new research by AXA Global Healthcare, in which 543 HR Decision Makers were surveyed, has highlighted changes in international working and global mobility, with the main beneficiary being the assignees themselves. The World of Work research, an in-depth view on international working and global mobility, compares trends from 2017 and 2020, highlighting significant changes in the process of establishing and supporting international assignments. RELATED ARTICLES China key destination for global expansion: AXA report Female expats losing out to gender pay gap, says research Financial priorities of expats have shifted post-covid19 - study Bupa’s Kenton: ‘Keeping up with the evolving int’l private medical insurance market’ Since 2017, there has been a notable change in the rationale for sending employees to work abroad. In 2017, the main reason for companies to place employees abroad was to improve business operations (51%), but in 2020, the priority was instead to build a global way of working and approach to business. In a positive change for the employee, the number of businesses prioritising sending employees abroad to meet lifestyle ambitions of the workforce had increased to 37% in 2020's research from 23% in 2017. The need for international working has not gone away since our initial report in 2017. If anything, the appetite for it has grown." Another significant change was the increased challenge facing Global Mobility Managers in developing healthcare packages for international workers. Half of the HR managers surveyed stated that some of the biggest challenges facing their organisation were developing benefit packages that are consistent across different employee types and geographies (52% in 2020 compared with 45% in 2017) and meeting demands for a wide range of healthcare and wellbeing services (51% up from 34%). However, the HR decision-makers surveyed indicated that, compared to other benefits, managing the cost of providing a comprehensive package was considerably less challenging than in previous years, falling from 52% in 2017 to 39% in 2020. Which is positive when you consider that, before the impact of Covid-19, the average cost of placing an assignment had increased from $50,000 in 2017 to $69,000 in 2020. Andy Edwards, global head of international healthcare, AXA Global Healthcare, commented: "The need for international working has not gone away since our initial report in 2017. If anything, the appetite for it has grown. Undoubtedly, the Covid-19 pandemic, which began as this research was being undertaken, will bring a new perspective to international assignments. But of those Global Mobility Managers we interviewed some weeks into the pandemic, many suggested that it wouldn't necessarily change their business need for international assignments to take place." "Instead, it appeared to be the nature of the assignments that might evolve, with shorter-term assignments and focus on choosing the right person to send becoming even more prevalent. We might even see this evolution unfold differently in individual sectors, depending on their ability to deploy skills and resources when needed." "We were particularly pleased to see a change in the challenges in developing healthcare packages. Emphasis is now less on managing cost and more on developing a package that meets a wider range of employee demand. This can only be of benefit for employees, as they look for more support from their employer. The concept of offering more specific benefits for individuals with different needs, while challenging for the manager to deliver, will support the specific needs of the employee wherever they are in the world." At every stage of the assignment process, changes have been noted. Support available following an assignment's completion has also improved. A full repatriation package was made available by 54% of managers (up from 43% in 2017), which can include career coaching or preparing for a new role. In addition, over half of Mobility Managers now see international assignments as a route to career progression, with an assignment often ending in a promotion for the employee (up to 53% from 42% in 2017). Edwards concluded: "International working has no doubt been hit hard by the pandemic, creating huge uncertainty for those on assignment and those managing the process. As we move forward into 2021, and a new normal is established, we expect more focus to be upon who takes assignments and an increase in specific support to maximise the likelihood of the placement's success."

A large-scale scam circulating on Facebook has already affected about 500,000 people, say online security experts. In fact, it's a phishing campaign derived from the version that has already claimed millions of victims so far, namely the "Is it you, somehow?" which involves receiving a message from a person, which can also be known by the target person. The message consists of a video, in which the attacker claims that the victim would appear, shows the publication "The Sun" It is, in fact, a virus, which attempts to exploit the victim's computer or phone in order to obtain sensitive personal information, including access to bank accounts, warns experts in organized crime online, according to the quoted source. The phishing message can be sent right from the computer or phone of a virtual friend, without him suspecting, because he already has the infected device. Read also Vaccine documents made public by hackers after a computer attack on the EMA If the target clicks on the link with the so-called video sent, it will be redirected to a number of sites, ending up infecting its device with malware. The current threat, considered at least as dangerous, has been investigated by Cybernews experts. Online security experts believe that a hacker could determine a person's location, the device they use and the operating system on the device. Based on this data, it will adapt the type of malware used, which will eventually infect the device and lead to the leakage of sensitive information. The victims even reach a phishing page that mimics Facebook, where they will be asked for personal data. According to CyberNews, the attacks began in January 2020 and targeted mainly users in Germany. So far, 480,000 people have been affected. Source: The Sun. Trump downplays the cyber attack on the United States and suggests that it is not Russia's fault

An ISO file, also known as an ISO image, is a file that contains all the installation files for a single program. Certain software programs, especially large ones, are sometimes made available as ISO files, including Microsoft Office and the Windows operating system. How you install an application from its ISO file will depend on the version of Windows you’re running. In Windows 10 or 8.1, you can mount the ISO file as a virtual drive and install the software from there. If you’re still running Windows 7 (you shouldn't be), you will need to download a utility that can mount the ISO file for you. You can also burn the ISO file to a disc or copy it to a USB drive and install it from the CD or drive. If you download Windows 10 as an ISO file, you will need to burn it to a bootable DVD or copy it to a bootable USB drive to install it on your target computer. Here is how to install an ISO image in Windows. Sometimes a third-party program can disable the built-in Mount command so it doesn’t appear in the menu. If so, you’ll need to reset your default program to bring the command back. In Windows 10, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click the Set defaults by app link. From the list of apps, click the one for Windows Disc Image Burner and click Manage. Return to File Explorer and right-click the ISO file again. The Mount command should now appear in the menu. Running the Mount command opens a virtual drive that's visible in the File Explorer sidebar, from which you can install the software. On that virtual drive, you should find a setup.exe file or a similar file for installing the program. Double-click that file to install it.

With the digital-only BlizzCon 2021 now less than two weeks away, Blizzard has posted the full schedule for the online-exclusive event, which will feature streamed content including deep-dives into Blizzard games, community workshops, Q&A sessions, a cooking show, and more. The opening ceremonies begin at 2 pm PT/5 pm ET on February 19 and are scheduled to run for an hour across six separate channels. After that, the situation gets more granular, as each channel will peel off to focus on specific games: Along with the main Blizzard channel, there will be streams dedicated to World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo, Overwatch, and "strategy," which will cover StarCraft, Warcraft 3, Heroes of the Storm, and other catch-all content. Here's what's happening over both days—Click the directional arrows button in the top-right corner of the images to see the images full-size. One of the highlights of the event, the Community Showcase, will begin at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET on February 20 and run across all six BlizzCon channels. Hosted by voice actor Darin De Paul, who has played roles in Overwatch, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft, and dozens of other games, the 2021 showcase will "shine a spotlight on the very best art, talent, storytelling, and cosplay from the Blizzard community." There's also a "Behind the Scenes at Overwatch 2" stream and a "Diablo: What's Next?" show that could serve up some interesting insights into a couple of upcoming games you may have heard about. Unlike previous BlizzCons, which have required a "Virtual Ticket" to fully access, this year's show will be free for everyone from start to finish. The interactive schedule at blizzcon.com will enable you to tag specific shows to (hopefully) ensure that you don't miss out, but don't worry too much if you do: Blizzard is going to post the whole thing in the BlizzCon video archives after the show is over, and they'll be free to view there as well.

As every year, the Ultramedia agency publishes its ranking of the most influential brands on social networks. And in 2021, Renault dominates. If a few years ago, the influence of a car manufacturer was measured only by the number of sales as well as the feedback from the specialized press, things have evoked very clearly in a short time. From now on, it is on the Internet and more particularly on social networks that everything is played out, while the brands total more than 140 million subscribers on these channels, be it Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Suffice to say that these sites are of capital importance for manufacturers, who invest more and more in their communication in this area, while their strategy can be decisive for their image, and therefore for their sales. Ultramedia content strategy consulting agencyhas therefore taken an interest in this new form of communication, and has established, as in 2020, an influence barometer , classifying the different brands according to several criteria. Among them, relational power, that is to say proximity to the community, the power of engagement, that is to say the ability to react and finally the power of expression, which is concretely reflected in the place that takes a mark on social networks. The French agency therefore studied more than 51 brands, all sectors combined, then sorting them into different categories, whether it be the agro-food industry, insurance, the pharmaceutical industry or even the automobile. It is obviously the latter that interests us today, especially since the past year has been very special for this area, affected by the health crisis but also weighed down by standards and restrictions of all kinds. However, this did not prevent some brands from standing out, like Renault., who took the lead with 86 points out of 100, pushing Peugeot to 2nd place. Cumulating no less than 20 million subscribers on its various networks, the diamond firm has not yet broken records in terms of publications, with a number of posts down 62%. In reality, according to the agency, Renault has caused a lot of talk but not necessarily for good, since it is in particular the Carlos Ghosn affair and the various social movements that have put the brand on the front of the stage. Citroën down, BMW on top Still on the side of the French, Peugeot and Citroën have meanwhile lost a little influence, and this could be explained by a simple reason shared by the two brands: too self-centered content, aimed at a captive community, already owner or at least passionate. by one or the other of the two manufacturers. As Ultramedia emphasizes for example about the chevron brand “ its reasons are to be found in its editorial line, particularly focused on“ Citroën culture ”and therefore intended for an audience of aficionados - even nostalgic - as with its “Generation Citroën” podcast series. A captive audience, which is perhaps today reaching its growth ceiling ”. On the other hand, it's BMWwhich is illustrated on its side, and this " without particularly original editorial line " as noted by the agency. Placing itself in 3rd position tied with Citroën, the Bavarian firm has notably taken advantage of the launch of flagship models to make people talk about it, in particular taking advantage of voluntary “leaks”. In addition, Ultramedia underlines that “ by emphasizing design, style and innovation in its publications, BMW is playing on a sensitive chord among enthusiasts ”. It works, since the brand has tripled its engagement rate in one year!

Your lifestyle is determined by a number of factors - including the time you wake up, what you do right after it, what you eat, how much exercise you get, and if our not you have a few habits such as smoking, or drinking. Your mental well-being and what you do to keep your mental health intact also becomes a part of your lifestyle. Being healthy and staying fit are on this list of goals for everyone - no matter who they are and where they live. People often associate all their health troubles to the lifestyle they follow. Whether it is waking up in time, eating healthily, exercising regularly, or the habits we have - all are a part of the lifestyle we lead. However, people often confuse various health phenomenons - for instance, some people believe that being skinny is healthy - whereas being underweight, or unusually skinny can be both a cause and effect of an underlying health condition. "Physical fitness is simply our body’s ability to complete physical work. This can include cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and muscular endurance etc. Usually, people who maintain a good level of fitness are lean, maintain normal body weight and lead a healthy lifestyle. But, this may not always be true, as exceptions are there," says Dr Biju K S, Senior Medical Officer at Vieroots Wellness Solutions, even as he shares more insights on the link between fitness, and lifestyle. Can your level of fitness bespeak your lifestyle? The word ‘Lifestyle’ has broad meaning as it incorporates elements of health, finance, culture, environment etc. Considering the aspect of health, it is fair to say that, the better level of fitness of a po[CENSORED]tion is directly related to a good lifestyle of the po[CENSORED]tion. Since ‘fitness’ is a measurable indicator of health, generally we can say, the more fit you are the healthier you are. The physical fitness assessment of a person can help a healthcare professional to understand about his lifestyle, which in turn helps to advise regarding what changes the person needs to make in his lifestyle to become more fit and healthy. Here also there are exceptions, that one may seem ‘fit’ in his external appearance, but internally he may not be ‘healthy’. Pointing to the case of Sourav Ganguly, even a fit person can also easily get into lifestyle diseases. This was not an isolated incident. It is happening to a lot of common people around us, and since they are not celebrities these incidents go unnoticed. Thus it is high time to analyse your level of ‘fitness’ with the help of a competent professional and using highly advanced tools. We all know, lifestyle diseases are the number one killer, when it comes to death due to diseases. The ultimate solution for these diseases is nothing but changing the lifestyle itself. As a part of adopting a healthy lifestyle, embracing a fitness regime and supplementing the nutrients which are lacking in food are some of the methods adopted by people nowadays. The flipside is, some used to lead unhealthy lifestyles (smoking, eating a lot of junk foods) and to overcome its ill effects, they indulge in various quick-fix fitness programs and overload themselves with dietary supplements, which is absurd. But in general, people who give importance to fitness and find time for it knows the importance of a healthy lifestyle and follow it. Dietary supplements and your lifestyle Dietary supplements cannot substitute a well-balanced diet. at the same time, it is tough to have all the required nutrients in our daily diet these days due to innumerable reasons. Consuming dietary supplements became a part of our lifestyle as many nutrients are lacking in our new dietary practices in this fast-paced world. But, there is a not-so-familiar dimension for this. For example, if you think, you are taking enough supplements to better your health, sometimes you might be wrong. Consider, you are taking a Vitamin-A supplement in B-carotene form and if your body has reduced capacity to convert B-carotene to Vitamin-A, you still possess the risk of deficiency of vitamin-A. Thanks to the advancement in medical science, now it is easier to find which nutrients you need in supplement form by doing a metabolic assessment using various advanced techniques. Also, it is crucial to find out the right brand. The purity, efficacy and bioavailability of the supplements play a vital role, as this market is flooded with products and some of them are sham, too. Consuming a lot of supplements won’t make you healthy but the right choice of them as per your need and its efficacy are the keys. Yes, your nutritional habits and your fitness levels play a major role in deciding whether you are leading a healthy lifestyle or not. It is worth every penny in spending in these ‘preventive’ areas because the expenses incurring after becoming a victim to lifestyle disease will be much higher than that required to prevent it. Also many at times your money cannot bring yourself back to perfect health, too.

oogle announced on Wednesday that it has launched its News Showcase product in the UK, which means that the technology giant will pay for the news content delivered to this country for the first time, according to CNBC. The Silicon Valley-based firm has signed an agreement with 120 British publications, including The Financial Times and Reuters, to pay a licensing fee to produce news excerpts that appear on the Google News Showcase. Reports suggest that publishers will receive several million dollars a year from Google. The feature will be found in the Google News mobile app and in Google Discover, which is a stream organized by Google on mobile devices that contain articles and videos. When users click on excerpts from the Google News app or Google Discover, they will be directed to the full article on the publisher's site. "The Google News Showcase, our new product experience and news licensing program, will begin launching with UK, national and independent publishers in the UK," said Ronan Harris, Vice President and CEO of Google UK and Ireland. "As part of our licensing agreements with publishers, we are also launching the ability for readers to access content selected by the payment screen. This feature will give readers the ability to read more of a publisher's content than they would otherwise have access to. at the same time to encourage publishers to become subscribers. " Worldwide, Google has convinced 450 news outlets to produce content for the Google News Showcase. The function has also been launched in Australia, Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan and Argentina. Google said talks are underway in several other countries. Technology giants like Facebook and Google have come under increasing pressure to pay media companies for their content. In October last year, Google said it would pay publishers $ 1 billion for news over the next three years. However, when the Australian government proposed a new law that would force Google and Facebook to pay news publishers the right to connect to their content in news feeds or search results, Google threatened to remove the engine from the country. its search. The proposed law in Australia is called the bargaining code in the media and is specifically addressed to Google and Facebook. This would force the tech giants to negotiate payments with local publishers and broadcasters for content included in search results or news feeds. If they cannot reach an agreement, an arbitrator appointed by the government will decide the price. Google has strongly lobbied the code, calling it "unreasonable" and "unachievable." "Along with the unmanageable financial and operational risk if this version of the Code became law, it would give us no choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia," said Mel Silva, CEO of Google Australia and New Zealand. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a news conference "we are not responding to threats".

The demands of remote working have accelerated spending on cybersecurity software Between 2016 and 2021, the cybersecurity software market has been close to doubling revenue With increasingly sophisticated methods and means of attack emerging, software innovators are firing back Global cybersecurity software revenues are expected to tip over US$45 billion in 2021, marking a 20% increase in the last two years. That’s according to data presented by StockApps.com, and comes following the mass digitization of businesses during the pandemic, and the swell in opportunistic cyberattacks amid a widespread move to remote work and general disarray of the health crisis. READ NEXT Remote working cybersecurity has a big ‘flaw in the plan’ In 2016, the entire market was worth US$27 billion. In the next two years, revenues surged by more than 40% to exceed US$38 billion. Organizations have prioritized cybersecurity when it comes to IT spend over the last year. A report by the IDC found that while two-thirds (67%) of CFOs planned to defer or cancel planned investments in order to manage uncertain market conditions, when it came to cybersecurity, just 2% of finance leaders were willing to cut spending. A TrustRadius 2020 survey of software buyers and users revealed that 41% of organizations increased their security software spending amid the pandemic. The security software market includes all software solutions that aim to protect individual computing devices, networks, or any other computing-enabled device. It includes antivirus software, management of access, data protection and security against intrusions, and any other system-level security risks, both in local installation and cloud service. Recent years have witnessed a massive adoption of these solutions, driven by the surge of e-commerce, huge technology developments including artificial intelligence and IoT (Internet of Things), and the rising number of connected devices. Along with the rollout of 5G, cyber attackers will be relishing the growing opportunity to compromise systems and networks, as even more devices become connected to the internet. The growing sophistication of malware and methods of attack – as well as the increasing accessibility of it – has led to the emergence of a rich and innovative cybersecurity software market, comprising advanced and diverse cybersecurity tools and solutions. YOU MIGHT LIKE SECURITY Florida water system cyberattack – the dangers of remote access Much of the innovation taking place could be towards cybersecurity automation, especially in light of an increasing scarcity of cybersecurity professionals. Over the next year, for example, there is likely to be an acceleration in the use of Cloud SIEM (Security Information and Event Management), supported by machine learning-powered tools like Azure Sentinel, helping to uncover infiltrators before they access sensitive data. This will be augmented by SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) software programs that enable businesses to collect data about security threats, and automatically respond to low-level attacks. UEBA (User and Event Behaviour Analytics), meanwhile, uses machine learning and deep learning to model the behavior of users on corporate networks and detect behavior that could be the sign of a cyberattack. Statista only expects the demand for cybersecurity software to keep hiking in the years to come, with revenues jumping to a potential US$61 billion by 2025. The United States represents the leading security software market expected to generate US$22.8 billion, or 50% of revenues this year. Statista data indicates the US security software revenues jumped by 20% in the last two years, while the unified market is set to reach US$30.5 billion value by 2025. With US$2.3 billion in revenue or almost ten times less than the leading United States, Germany ranked as the second-largest security software market globally. The United Kingdom, Japan, and China follow with US$2.2 billion, US$2.1 billion, and US$1.9 billion in revenue, respectively.

Investors generally look to put their money in products with wide moats, which in the tech world is a strategic competitive edge. Economic moats protect lasting profits and market share. It could be economies of scale, a viral community or a breakthrough innovation. Identifying a strong moat is key when trying to secure funding. During a time of uncertainty, moats have become more essential to retain customers. One moat that's close to my heart is hardware. Unfortunately for hardware startups, many investors run for the hills the minute they realize the pitch has a hardware component unless they have some expertise or background in hardware. PROMOTED Civic Nation BRANDVOICE | Paid Program The Best Job In The World Grads of Life BRANDVOICE | Paid Program Long-Term Talent Cultivation: A Case Study From New Orleans UNICEF USA BRANDVOICE | Paid Program Long Road Ahead For Hurricane Recovery In Central America Software's low barrier to entry is enticing. It allows companies to get products out faster with fewer resources and have the ability to quickly pivot if things don't go as planned. Remember, though, that if a company can get a product out in virtually no time and at extremely low costs, so can its competitors. The churn rate for mobile apps is 71% after three months of download. It is nearly impossible to become a viral app with a lasting business model. Free trials and 12-month contracts have helped SaaS companies increase conversions and lower churn, but even then, an unhappy customer is just a click away from a competitor. MORE FOR YOU Six Lessons Learned In Six Months As A Pandemic CEO How To Raise $36 Million In The Middle Of A Pandemic Allegion Ventures Invests In Openpath To Deliver Access Seamlessly A decade ago, passing on the round for a hardware product was not uncommon. Products were clunky, hard to ship and had high BOM costs with small margins, and human errors couldn't be fixed with an update. That's just not true anymore. Hardware has evolved. The exponential growth and innovation seen in the last decade with mobile, sensors and the cloud becoming ubiquitous and connected has enabled hardware to behave more like software. Hardware is now smaller, cheaper to build, more flexible and easier to manage. Our smartphones, small sensors and connected devices are constantly collecting data around us, merging the physical and digital world together. When I say hardware is a moat, I'm not talking about some IoT device that may or may not get stuffed in a drawer after a few months. Hardware becomes the moat when the actual product is a service that uses intelligence to solve a real problem in the physical world. Hardware is the stepping stone into using the platform. When a consumer buys the hardware, they get locked into the software. It takes more than a click to jump ship. It's stickier. I have personally seen this true with my company, Nexkey. When hardware enables a service, it opens up a world of possibilities never seen before in the hardware arena. Once the main event, hardware is now the keynote speaker leading customers into the rest of the platform. We start to see personalization and UX enter the stage to solidify and deepen the moat, similar to software. Hardware merges SaaS and IoT together, using data to create value and personalized experiences. An app solving the same problem may run dry. You see this most notably in health and fitness with companies like Mirror and Peloton. In this case, it's very possible for a hardware product to see the same margins you see in SaaS. Margins are also expanding because hardware is easier than ever to develop and scale. Hardware components have become extremely inexpensive. New laser cutters, 3D printers and open hardware make rapid prototyping available to anyone. Today, you can upload a CAD file to a CM website and have parts shipped the next day with no tooling or NRE costs. This on-demand manufacturing can relieve upfront costs and risk. Hardware is flexible. Updates are shared over the air. As human behavior changes, hardware doesn't have the same limitations as it has in the past. Companies can use the existing smart hardware to improve the UX to update bugs and build new features, which justifies a monthly fee. Having a hardware component still has its challenges. It's not as easy as developing a software product, and there are still many moving parts — which does take time. However, it also takes time for competitors to catch up. New technology waves bring in new players — who become new market leaders. Existing market leaders become buyers, as they just don't have it in their DNA. Why innovate yourself when you can just buy it? With software, new trends create competitive environments. Hardware gives you a significant head start where new entrants don't see the same level of competition, and there's more interest from existing market leaders. How do you prepare so your hardware product can stand out and excite investors? The best products are changing something we do on a daily basis because there is a better chance of virality. When customers touch something every day, users are more likely to tell friends and colleagues or will experience it naturally while interacting with early adopters. Expansion and referrals become a key part of growth, building up a second moat — a network effect. Don't forget about the team. Investors look at who is on the team and your vision. Hardware still has challenges, risk of human error and potential pivot. R&D is important, but not as important as getting the product out into the world. Ensure your team is flexible and capable of being quick to market and then optimizing the platform based on feedback to be successful. Hardware today needs to behave more like software, where the interaction and personalization build better products. If you don't have these in your vocabulary, start. UX needs to be discussed as a key differentiator. Innovation doesn't come from the hardware; it's what you do with it as well as the intelligence and experience you add to it. Hardware can become a powerful tool when important problems are identified and new technology enables the solution, not the other way around. We are still in the early days of this hardware revolution, and I am excited to see more platforms embrace hardware as their moat to make solutions that revamp the way we work and live.

Obsidian's spacefaring RPG The Outer Worlds is jetting off on another DLC expansion before the end of March, publisher Take-Two announced this week. During the publisher's quarterly financial results this Monday, Take-Two revealed that Murder on Eridanos, the game's second DLC following last September's Peril On Gorgon, will release before the firm's financial year ends on March 31st (via VGC). That's about all we know for now, mind, with the game's season pass further describing the expansion as "Halcyon Helen's final (and finest!) adventure". With that imminent release, we'd hope to find out more very soon, though I wager it'll be priced at the same $15 price as Peril On Gorgon. While there are no immediate plans to continue The Outer Worlds' story beyond this second adventure, it's unlikely this'll be the last we see of Obsidian's atomic-age spacefaring universe. Last October, industry insider Daniel Ahmad claimed a "new entry" was being floated in pre-production—and while Obsidian was acquired by Microsoft during the game's development, Xbox head Matt Booty told GameInformer he hoped the series would become an "enduring franchise" for the publisher. Our own Tom Senior found The Outer Worlds to be a perfectly "fine" RPG romp in his review, an unchallenging adventure that's fun enough if met on its own terms. Sure, it might've won a Nebula Award for its script, but Harry Shephard reckons the kind of loose corporate satire it deploys just doesn't cut it in our current capitalist hellscape. The next Final Fantasy 14 expansion Endwalker is due this fall, but this one's going to hit a little different. During the FF14 announcement showcase, game director Naoki Yoshida and translation director Michael Christopher Koji Fox made it clear that Endwalker represents a major milestone for the long-running story of Final Fantasy 14, wrapping up the current arc spanning from A Realm Reborn (2013) through Shadowbringers and its post-launch patches (present). Endwalker itself will contain the complete expansion arc, eschewing the usual story finale doled out in post-launch patches to wrap things up immediately. More importantly, Endwalker will wrap the last 10 years of Final Fantasy 14's story up completely. When I asked our resident MMO expert if WoW had ever done something so bold he told me, "No, god no." "Beginning in patch 6.1, this will mark the beginning of an entirely new adventure separate from the Zodiark-Hydaelyn saga," said Yoshida via Fox.

There will be changes at Lotus, which is preparing to operate a major overhaul of its range before becoming a 100% electric brand. Things are happening right now in the automotive world! And for good reason, many manufacturers have undertaken a vast change, now wishing to turn to electric, whether for part of their range or for their entire catalog. Among them, let us quote among others Bentley, which wants to ban heat engines in the years to come. But the British firm is not alone in this case, since Lotus also plans to offer only zero-emission vehicles in the years to come. A project already initiated with the revelation in 2019 of the Evija, an electric supercar2,000 horses, which began marketing last year. But the English firm now wants to go further, and is already preparing the ground by providing for a series of changes pending its final turn towards a more virtuous range. An evolution which will then allow it to attract a new clientele ... at the risk of losing the original? We will see in a few years ... Either way, at Lotus the change is now. Or almost. And the firm is not doing things by halves, since it will neither more nor less disappear its three emblematic models from its catalog by the end of the year. Exit therefore the Elise, Exige and Evora , produced respectively since 1995, 2000 and 2008. Departures which obviously will not fail to sadden fans of the brand, who will nevertheless not remain alone for long, since it will lift the veil on a brand new thermal model this summer, the last one before switching to 100% electric. Following in the footsteps of the three icons, this one should nevertheless be a little more versatile and will be launched in dealerships in the course of next year. Sort of Porsche 718 CaymanIn the English way, this mysterious novelty should then display an entry ticket of around 62,000 €, with a price that can then rise to 120,000 € for the most upscale version. It will nevertheless be necessary to wait a little longer before knowing the technical specificities of the car. Electric turn Later, Lotus plans to say goodbye to thermal and is expected to launch no less than three electric sports cars., designed in partnership with Alpine, which will also forget internal combustion engines. The two manufacturers will therefore work hand in hand for the design of their chassis, while no information has yet been disclosed as to the technical characteristics of this slew of new vehicles. But already, many wonder about the pleasure of driving and the efficiency of these sports cars, because of the heavy weight of the batteries. Not to mention, of course, the affront to Colin Chapman, inventor of the famous Light is Right formula. But who knows, maybe we could have some good surprises! But Lotus does not intend to stop there, and wants to expand its range with a future electric SUV., in order to reach a whole other clientele. This one should not arrive right away, however, but it could then constitute some serious competition for the Tesla Model Y and other BMW iX3s, although the dimensions and technical characteristics are not yet known at the moment.

PROPEL trial design “Intensive lifestyle interventions are the first-line approach to promote weight loss and to effectively treat obesity and manage associated health risks,” Christoph Höchsmann, PhD, of the ingestive behavior laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and colleagues wrote. “However, only a small proportion of the po[CENSORED]tion has access to intensive lifestyle interventions in academic health centers. Therefore, uptake of similar approaches by primary care, the cornerstone of medical care in the United States, is imperative for a meaningful effect on the global obesity prevalence and for achieving public health goals to reduce health inequities.” The PROPEL trial randomly allocated 18 clinics to provide intensive lifestyle interventions through health coaches or usual care to 803 adults with obesity (mean age, 49 years; mean BMI, 37 kg/m2; 67% Black; 84% women). Participants in the intervention group underwent a 24-month high-intensity lifestyle-based obesity treatment program in weekly sessions up to month 7 and monthly through 24 months. The usual care group received standard primary care. “Participants at clinics allocated to the intensive lifestyle intervention group received a comprehensive, high-intensity lifestyle intervention program based on Diabetes Prevention Program, Look AHEAD and CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy Phase) and consistent with the 2013 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/The Obesity Society guidelines,” the researchers wrote. “The regimen was adapted to be literacy and culturally appropriate for a low-income target po[CENSORED]tion.” Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention Researchers found that participants in the intervention arm lost more weight in 24 months compared with those who received usual care (mean difference, 4.51%; 95% CI, 5.93 to 3.1; P < .01). At 12 months, larger reductions in fasting glucose occurred in the intervention group compared with the usual care group (mean difference, 7.1 mg/dL; 95% CI, 12 to 2.1; P < .01); however, there was no difference at 24 months (mean difference, 0.8 mg/dL; 95% CI, 6.2 to 4.6; P = .76). Increases in HDL were greater in the lifestyle intervention arm compared with the usual care group at 12 and 24 months (mean difference at 24 months, 4.6 mg/dL; 95% CI, 2.9-6.3; P < .01). At 24 months, the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL in the intervention arm was lower compared with the usual care groups (mean difference, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.14; P < .01), and the intervention group had less metabolic syndrome severity (mean z score difference, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.06; P = .01). “A major strength of PROPEL is it’s sample, consisting of a racially diverse, low-income po[CENSORED]tion that typically lacks access to effective weight-loss treatment in clinical research or primary care,” the researchers wrote. “The minimal inclusion/exclusion criteria of the trial allow broad generalizability to other underserved po[CENSORED]tions across the United States. Furthermore, the present results underline the effectiveness of a comprehensive and scalable weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factor treatment model that applies to many primary care settings.”

The Egyptian tennis player, Mayar Sharif, managed to achieve her first victory in the main rounds of the Australian Open, which is held from February 8 to the 21st of the same month, after she was able to defeat her French rival Chloe Baquet in two sets without a response, so the Egyptian player rose To the second round of the tournament, which is one of the 4 largest international tournaments in the game "Grand Slam". The Egyptian tennis player succeeded in resolving the first set of the confrontation, by winning seven games to five. The second group also witnessed a great competition between Mayar Sharif, ranked 131 in the world, and French Chloe Paquet, ranked No. 187 in the world, to reach a tie by four games each, then (5-5) after the end of the tenth game. After that, the two players entered the stage of trying to break the service in order to resolve the group, which is what the Egyptian player finally achieved when she managed to win the sixth game. After that, Sharif completely controlled the decisive and final game in the match, and was able to exploit her fire transmissions and settled it easily, to win the group (7-5) and rise to the second round in a historic achievement. The Grand Slam tennis tournament is the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. A role model for young people The President of the Egyptian Tennis Federation , Ismail El Shafei , expressed his happiness with what Sherif achieved in the first round of the Australian Open, stressing that what she is doing is like a "boom." "We hope that Mayar will win the next round of the tournament, and I think that the fans' support through social media will increase their hopes for more achievements," Al-Shafei told Sky News Arabia. Al-Shafei referred to the important role played by Sharif "with her honorable performance in world championships and achieving records," adding: "Mayar has become a role model for young people, and motivated them to continue in the game. A weak po[CENSORED]rity inside Egypt, it will prevail in the end and receive the recognition it deserves from the public. " Al-Shafei explained that the Egyptian player has contracted independently with the Spanish coach Justo Gonzalez, who is responsible for equipping her technically, and that the federation only plays the administrative role with her, as it organizes match dates for her and coordinates with the International Federation to participate in the world championships. He concluded his speech by saying: "We hope to present Mayar to stronger levels during the tournament, to be a motivation for it before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics

The developer community has scaled quickly. Its presence and growth have driven change in many industries. Moving forward, I think we'll see organizations pay more attention to developers and have a greater understanding of how important they are in decision making. As a member of the DevOps community, I've identified some of the key trends of this developer-powered world that will continue to shape our reality. Organizations that embrace and scale along with these trends will be most likely to succeed in the future of the digital revolution. PROMOTED Civic Nation BRANDVOICE | Paid Program There And Back Again: Charting A Course For Student Success Grads of Life BRANDVOICE | Paid Program 3 Takeaways For Business Leaders Amid New Corporate Commitments UNICEF USA BRANDVOICE | Paid Program The Covid-19 Vaccine Market — By The Numbers 1. Software Packages (A.k.a. Binaries) Will Be The Common Currency The advent of DevOps has led to a number of trends, including rapid development and more frequent deployments. These trends, coupled with massive increases in infrastructure footprint across hybrid environments and new edge and IoT applications, will likely put more emphasis on binaries as the common currency of DevOps and software build-to-release processes. Binaries and "images" are the building blocks of applications. Binaries (or "artifacts") are: • The unit of consistency across environments — they are what’s running in production. MORE FOR YOU Effective Ways To Engage And Connect With Remote Teams Accelerate Digital Transformation In 2021 With Stronger Partnerships 10 HR Trends For The Next Normal Of Work • The collaboration point between development and operations. • The single source of truth for the organization to ensure security, governance, supply chain management and quality delivery. In our developer-powered world, one piece of source code is compiled to produce tens of thousands (sometimes millions) of binaries in the wild. These binaries run on distributed, hyper-scale infrastructure and are incorporated as dependencies in thousands of “descendent” applications. With this great scale — and impact on our daily lives — comes great responsibility. Ensuring central management, security and granular visibility into this inventory of the building blocks of software in the organization has become more crucial than ever. 2. Edge And IoT Applications Will Transform Software Distribution Already today, it seems like almost every company is a software company. In the next couple of years, we may see virtually every company become an edge software company. To meet customer demand, support new use cases and ensure an optimal experience, enterprises must run more of their applications closer to consumers, meaning there will probably be growth in edge applications. These new deployment targets range from “thick” edges, such as remote “mini data centers” (think of every retail store branch, 5G tower, manufacturing floors, etc.), to "thin" edges, such as embedded and IoT devices (smart cars and homes). These applications will run on exponentially growing, distributed, complex infrastructure footprints and connectivity requirements. Enterprises must continuously deploy thousands of software binaries to possibly millions of limited-compute and limited-connectivity remote edges, IoT servers and devices. How do you conquer bandwidth limitations, security concerns, device management and complex topologies overhead to get applications across this complex edge footprint in a fast, secure, reliable way? The new challenges of this “hyper-edge” brave new world will likely transform software distribution as we know it with modern cloud-native technologies, delivery patterns and operations methods. It may also further blend the lines between application development and IT operations. Developers will be entrusted with distributing their binaries for deployments across edges and the IoT and will own an even larger slice of the ITOps stack, particularly for IoT development. The year 2021 may be the turning point for enterprises living on the edge. In order to bring computing closer to consumers, enterprises first must get software binaries closer to the consumption point, quickly and securely. However, the ability to automate the distribution of application binaries and deployments all the way to hybrid edge endpoints is still nascent. This year represents a sea change: More enterprises will likely emphasize the edge moving forward. 3. Hybrid Everything Will Demand Interoperability Along with the new normal of working from home and remote DevOps, the new reality of edge development and emerging use cases underscores that everything in our DevOps world has to support a hybrid state of affairs: hybrid infrastructure spanning on-premises, cloud, multicloud and edges/things across remote geographies and environments; hybrid workloads spanning legacy and cloud-native applications; hybrid architectures, from monoliths to microservices to functions; and hybrid stacks, technologies and DevOps tooling to support the various use cases and application needs. To enable seamless and continuous application updates across environments, including remote and edge devices, we'll likely see more organizations realize that they need to put more effort into their DevOps pipeline, processes, validation and interoperability. Organizations cannot consider their DevOps processes mature and always available if they do not work seamlessly across multiple clouds and deployment environments, for example. Ensuring that tools and processes work across environments and workloads will likely become a priority. Enterprises may double down to accelerate and improve their continuous integration/continuous delivery automation and development, security and operations capabilities. Only when these processes are mature can organizations have confidence in their delivery practices and tooling. 4. Security Will Be Baked In From The Start This edge, hybrid, always-on, remote-everything, software-driven reality also will mean increased cybersecurity risks, a much wider attack surface and potential disruption to all our lives. The future of software delivery will likely bring more convergence between the traditional divide of application security and infrastructure/runtime security. I think we'll see more consolidation in the space and solutions to ensure tighter security, compliance controls and security responses that span development to production all the way to the edge, including end-to-end automation of security policies as an integral part of CI/CD. This consolidation will likely be made possible by the adoption of container technologies and solutions that expand software life cycle management processes to edges and production, such as validating releases’ bills of materials at these distributed endpoints and preventing any drifts. The cybersecurity market for cloud infrastructure will also probably mature and take a more proactive approach to ensure that secure cloud configurations will proliferate. Enable DevOps Teams To Change The Game In a software-powered world, developers are game-changers. They enable organizational progress and are often key decision makers for DevOps and software delivery initiatives that directly impact businesses' bottom lines today. The world is software-powered, and the software game is evolving. Only the companies that understand the power of their developers will evolve along with it.

Apple Inc. executive Dan Riccio is focusing on the company’s upcoming virtual and augmented reality devices after he shed his role as the head of hardware engineering, according to people with knowledge of the move Apple Inc. executive Dan Riccio is focusing on the company’s upcoming virtual and augmented reality devices after he shed his role as the head of hardware engineering, according to people with knowledge of the move. Last month, the Cupertino, California-based technology giant said Riccio was stepping down and being replaced by top lieutenant John Ternus. At the time, Apple said Riccio was shifting to a “new project" without specifying.That new project is overseeing the team developing future Apple AR and VR headsets, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. An Apple spokesman declined to comment. Riccio, who joined Apple in 1998, was responsible for this team as part of his previous job, but now he’ll be doing so on a full-time basis. “I’m looking forward to doing what I love most — focusing all my time and energy at Apple on creating something new and wonderful that I couldn’t be more excited about," Riccio said when Apple announced his move on Jan. 25. Apple has also told staff it is moving the group working on in-house displays and camera technology to Johny Srouji, the executive in charge of processors and cellular modems. The move suggests the company is getting closer to shipping its first devices with fully custom displays, replacing those from outside suppliers. Apple has a facility near its Silicon Valley headquarters developing MicroLED screens. Inside Apple, there were signs for months that changes at the top of the hardware engineering group were coming. Around last March, Riccio handed oversight of electrical engineering, product design and project management for the iPhone and most of Apple’s other major products to Ternus. After that shift, Riccio continued to oversee AR and VR work, the development of custom screens, testing and camera hardware.

A little boy from Germany spent almost 3,000 euros for a game on his mother's phone By Ramona Ciobanu , Monday, February 8, 2021, 2:00 p.m.. Last update Monday, 08 February 2021, 14:25 A mother from Germany let her 7-year-old son play a game on her phone, but was shocked when the bill came and found out that the boy spent 2,753 euros on purchases in the game's application, informs DPA on Monday , quoted by Agerpres. The woman had given the child permission to play the online game in question, but also access to a voucher with a small amount of credit to spend. However, the mother forgot that, unfortunately, her credit card was attached to the account with which she logged in to the applications. So the boy continued to play the game in secret and make various purchases for the application, according to the statement of the consumer counseling center in the state of Lower Saxony, published on Tuesday to mark Safer Internet Day. According to Kathrin Koerber, a legal expert at the Consumer Counseling Center, German law allows children to make purchases without parental permission within pocket money - so in such cases, the mother's bill is worth challenging. Following a letter sent to the company, the latter gave up most of the bill in her mother's name, respectively 2,654.31 euros, Koerber added. During the lockdown, most of the time, parents left their children their smartphones to keep them busy, but the legal expert once again warned parents to check their settings before doing so. Safer Internet Day, marked on Tuesday, is an annual event designed to raise awareness of issues such as cyberbullying, social networking and digital identity. Photo: Profimedia Read also: The structure of the school year 2020-2021. The 2nd semester started, the schools reopened with the physical presence of the students Raluca Bădulescu revealed what life entails after the stomach reduction operation. "I weighed 125 kilograms" Switzerland and France, covered by a wave of Saharan dust. The phenomenon, also felt in Romania Citeşte întreaga ştire: Un băiețel din Germania a cheltuit aproape 3.000 de euro pentru un joc pe telefonul mamei sale

The German group Daimler will split in two, leaving aside the trucks and renaming its automobile part “Mercedes-Benz”. Things are going on around Daimler . And for good reason, the German group that owns Mercedes-Benz and Smart but also several brands of trucks and buses is preparing to do a little cleaning at the start of the year. The goal ? Refocus on the automobile, putting aside trucks somewhat, as a statement from the group underlines, affirming that the latter's management " decided today, with the approval of the supervisory board, to assess a spin-off ". Just understand that the different activities will now be separated, while Daimler now wants to introduce its heavy goods division on the stock exchange, in order to better be able to concentrate on its private vehicles. According to analysts at Deutsche Bank, the part "Truck and Bus" could be worth no less than 30 billion euros, one of the largest values on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange , just that. Suffice to say that the company, founded in 1926, will not deprive itself of this opportunity. According to Öla Källenius , the current boss of the German group confirms this desire to separate the two divisions, explaining the reasons: “ Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans and Daimler Trucks & Buses are different companies which have groups of customers, technological and specific capital needs […] both companies operate in sectors that are facing major structural and technological changes. In this context, we believe that they will be able to function more effectively as independent entities ”. In a press release, the group also underlines that the majority of Daimler Trucks shareswill be passed on to current shareholders, while the parent company would now have only limited control over the managers of this new entity, whose split should be confirmed by the end of the year, as part of of a general assembly. We should have a little more detail at that point. A symbolic change To mark this turning point in its history, the automobile division of Daimler is also preparing to change its name, to take that of Mercedes-Benz . A rather logical choice, while abuse of language is rife regarding the real name of the group, many using the star mark to denote Daimler. This now completely independent division should keep all its brands, namely Mercedes-AMGand Maybach, as well as his joint venture with Geely to save Smart from certain death. As a reminder, Daimler is currently the leading manufacturer of trucks and buses in the world, totaling nearly 45 billion euros in sales in 2019. With this separation, the heavy-duty division now hopes to be able to forge new partnerships more easily. , in particular to design cleaner vehicles thanks to the development of new technologies, but also by focusing on research around autonomous driving.

Do you like the sound of spacious accommodations, oceanside living, entertaining activities and a vibrant community? For residents of Berwick by the Sea, that sounds like home! “We’ve created a lifestyle that takes the pressure off of residents – we don’t want them worrying about what to eat for dinner, for example, but instead have an independent lifestyle with the support available should they need it,” notes Dianne Robb, Community Relations Manager at Berwick by the Sea. “This is a great place to build friendships and we’re so incredibly grateful that we’ve been able to build this space for residents and give them a wonderful place to call home.” Both beautiful and accessible, they’re setting a new standard for independent retirement living! Each suite features spacious rooms, a full bathroom equipped with safety features, and large windows welcoming in lots of natural light. An emergency response team is also on-call 24-7, bringing residents an added sense of security. With options ranging from independent to assisted living, and multiple floor plans to choose from, there’s something for everyone. Monthly rent includes suite rental, basic cable, meals, light housekeeping and access to various programs. Prepared by Red Seal chefs, the dining experience is one residents savour! Paired with Berwick by the Sea’s unparalleled location, the array of recreation options provides residents with enriched lives and as full a schedule as they wish. Daily multi-dimensional programs with the active living team include a variety of fitness programs with fitness instructors, bingo, blackjack, group forest walks, creative painting, movies (they play one every afternoon and evening), and much more. Each activity provides meaningful engagement with a focus on mindfulness. Adapting to all COVID protocols, the team ensures there’s still plenty of fun to be had – safely of course! Backed by the philosophy of providing the best living experience, the Berwick living experts get to know residents personally to ensure services are tailored to their specific needs. After all, family owned since 1989, they know how to make a place feel like home! Striving to make life simple and enjoyable – easing the stress of those daily responsibilities, and helping you truly make the most of every day – find the comforts of home and much more at Berwick by the Sea. This is the Berwick Way. To learn more about life at Berwick by the Sea, call Dianne Robb at 250-914-8055 or email bcr.marketingmgr@berwickrc.com. Follow Berwick on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates!

PNL President Ludovic Orban announced on Monday that at the meeting of the governing coalition, the broad outlines of the budget construction for this year were discussed. Thus, certain measures have been discussed to reduce spending, and holiday vouchers will no longer be issued in 2021. "Holiday vouchers previously issued and which can be used during 2021 remain valid. (...) No new holiday vouchers are issued, because they are holiday vouchers that are still valid during 2021 ," he said. Orban, according to Agerpres. The Liberal also said that no decision had been made on free gratuities for students, bonuses and food allowance for budgeters. Read also The prime minister wants to cut money from political parties. 30% lower subsidies " We discussed an analysis of all types of bonuses, but we did not make a decision related to sports. For now, a fair decision has to be made based on the analysis. (...) There is a decision related to the 30% increase that was granted to the Prefectures and that will no longer be paid once the state budget is adopted ", the PNL leader specified. He added that the goal is to build a state budget that meets the deficit target agreed both at the political level and in the negotiations at the European level, "around 7%." "Also, to have a budget through which to increase investments, to increase the absorption of European funds. We aim for 50% of the investments to be financed from non-reimbursable European funds ", explained Ludovic Orban. Earlier, official sources told Pro TV News that the Cîțu Government intends to cut the holiday vouchers in 2021, in the draft Budget Law for this year, which will be made public on Tuesday or Wednesday. Also, the Executive led by Flirin Cîțu wants to cap the level of food bonuses for public servants. Last but not least, another measure considered is the elimination of free transport for students and the elimination of bonuses granted to prefects. Through these cuts, the Cîțu Government hopes to save approximately 2 billion lei in the budget. In fact, the prime minister said on Monday morning that the budget increases will not be cut in 2021, but only capped, in order to reduce spending. "We are talking about these amendments, they exist, either by ordinance, or will be in Parliament, it is a ceiling at this time, but there is a law on pay that will link performance increases in the budget sector" - said Florin Citu.

In this article we are going to list the 15 biggest Canadian software companies. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 5 biggest Canadian software companies. The world is evolving at a fast pace, with countries all over the world making strides in the software and Information Technology market. Using software products to fulfill daily tasks such as getting up early in the morning or tracking your meal’s calories has become far more common than it used to be. In fact, for some, it has become almost essential. We rely on tools and applications developed by software companies from the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep. Therefore, the success of software companies and the thriving software industry should come as no surprise. According to data collected by Statista, revenue of the software market is expected to reach over 580 billion dollars in 2021. By 2025, this number is expected to reach even higher, resulting in revenue of over 700 billion dollars. Fields within the industry such as cloud services, big data, and Internet of Things are expected to be among the hot areas of the software industry in the coming years as well. opyright: welcomia / 123RF Stock Photo Software itself is a broad term, encompassing many different products designed for different tasks. There are two main classifications of software, which are System Software and Application Software. System software is a computer program designed to work as a platform for other software, while taking care of the computer’s hardware and internal functions. Examples of system software are Operating Systems, such as Windows by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and IOS by Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) , or Utility Software, such as McAfee Antivirus by McAfee (NASDAQ: MCFE). Application software, on the other hand, is software that is made with the intent to help users perform specific tasks. Most people know these as “apps” which can be downloaded on mobile phones or desktop computers. Examples of recognizable application software are web browsers such as Google Chrome

A group of enthusiasts are proposing a new set of graphics instructions designed for 3D graphics and media processing. These new instructions are built on the RISC-V base vector instruction set. They will add support for new data types that are graphics specific as layered extensions in the spirit of the core RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). Vectors, transcendental math, pixel, and textures and Z/Frame buffer operations are supported. It can be a fused CPU-GPU ISA. The group is calling it the RV64X as instructions will be 64-bit long (32 bits will not be enough to support a robust ISA). Why now? The world has plenty of GPUs to choose from, why this? Because, says the group, commercial GPUs are less effective at meeting unusual needs such as dual-phase 3D frustum clipping, adaptable HPC (arbitrary bit depth FFTs), hardware SLAM. They believecollaboration provides flexible standards, reduces the 10 to 20 man-year effort otherwise needed, and will help with cross-verification to avoid mistakes. The team says their motivation and goals are driven by the desire to create a small, area-efficient design with custom programmability and extensibility. It should offer low-cost IP ownership and development, and not compete with commercial offerings. It can be implemented in FPGA and ASIC targets and will be free and open source. The initial design will be targeted to low-power microcontrollers. It will be Khronos Vulkan-compliant, and over time support other APIs (OpenGL, DirectX and others). The open source movement that transformed software development is gaining traction among hardware developers. Early efforts centered on the RISC-V architecture are leading the way. We explore the promise and the pitfalls of open hardware development in our upcoming Open Source Special Project. The final hardware will be a RISC-V core with a GPU functional unit. To the programmer it will look like a single piece of hardware with 64-bit long instructions coded as scalar instructions. The programming model is an apparent SIMD, that is, the compiler generates SIMD from prefixed scalar opcodes. It will include variable-issue, predicated SIMD backend, vector front-end, precise exceptions, branch shadowing and much more. There won’t be any need for RPC/IPC calling mechanism to send 3D API calls to/from unused CPU memory space to GPU memory space and vice-versa, says the team. And it will be available as 16-bit fixed point (ideal for FPGAs), as well as 32-bit floating point (ASICs or FPGAs). The design will employ the Vblock format (from the Libre GPU effort): It is a bit-like VLIW (only not really) A block of instructions is pre-fixed with register tags which give extra context to scalar instructions within the block Sub-blocks include: vector length, swizzling, vector/width overrides and predication. All this is added to scalar opcodes There are no vector opcodes (and no need for any) In the vector context, it goes like this: if a register is used by a scalar opcode, and the register is listed in the vector context, vector mode is activated Activation results in a hardware-level for-loop issuing multiple contiguous scalar operations (instead of just one). Implementers are free to implement the loop in any fashion they desire: SIMD, multi-issue, single-execution. The design will employ scalars (8-, 16-, 24- and 32-bit fixed and floats), as well as transcendentals (sincos, atan, pow, exp, log, rcp, rsq, sqrt, etc.). The vectors (RV32-V) will support 2-4 element (8-, 16- or 32-bits/element) vector operations, along with specialized instructions for a general 3D graphics rendering pipeline for points, pixels, texels (essentially special vectors) XYZW points (64- and 128-bit fixed and floats) RGBA pixels (8-, 16-, 24- and 32-bit pixels) UVW texels (8-, 16-bits per component) Lights and materials (Ia, ka, Id, kd, Is, ks…) Matrices will be 2 × 2, 3 × 3, and 4 × 4 matrices will be supported as a native data type along with memory structures to support them for attribute vectors and will be essentially represented in a 4 × 4 matrix. Among the advantages of fused CPU-GPU ISA is the ability to implement a standard graphics pipeline in microcode, provide support for custom shaders and implement ray-tracing extensions. It also supports vectors for numerical simulations with 8-bit integer data types for AI and machine learning. Custom rasterizers can be implemented such as splines, SubDiv surfaces and patches. The design will be flexible enough that it can implement custom pipeline stages, custom geometry/pixel/frame buffer stages, custom tessellators and custom instancing operations.