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If you’re looking to set up a new business phone system, then your research will no doubt have lead to you to VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, as a potential option and ask: what is VoIP? You've also likely run into the acronym SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol in connection with VoIP. In fact, navigating the world of business phone systems can often feel like an alphabet soup of acronyms. Still, given that "businesses that switch to VoIP reduce the cost of their local calls by up to 40%, and save up to 90% on international calls" it's crucial to understand what each acronym means so you can choose the best VoIP services. In this guide, we’ll define VoIP, as well the difference between SIP and VoIP, outlining how each service works together and benefits your business phone system. First things first, what exactly is VoIP and what does it stand for? VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and is essentially a digital phone service. Instead of sending audio through traditional phone lines, VoIP phone systems digitize your voice and send packets of audio over the internet. In some ways, VoIP is a lot like making a video call—except that you’re only sending audio, not video, back and forth. As a cost-effective alternative to the traditional analog phone system, businesses enjoy significant savings with cloud based telephony systems like VoIP. With free quotes from the best VoIP phone providers, your business can too. Thanks to a rise in remote working and customer preference to contact businesses by phone, po[CENSORED]rity for VoIP software is set to keep growing. With VoIP phone systems, you can add as many phone lines as your business needs without having to bring in an electrician. You can also integrate with software to automatically route your calls between departments or to keep a digital recording of every call that comes into your business.What is SIP? Well, not quite the refreshing summer drink you were imagining: SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. It's an open-source communications protocol that is deployed by VoIP phone systems to function. For VoIP business phone users, SIP is critical to initiating, maintaining, and terminating a phone call between two or more devices. It’s particularly important to understand the word protocol in order to understand SIP. In this context, a protocol is a set of rules used by digital devices to communicate with each other. A protocol like SIP regulates how the exchange of data packets is synchronized between devices and how those data packets are interpreted. The usefulness of Session Initiation Protocol isn’t limited to enabling VoIP business phone calls. SIP software can also be used to conduct video conferences, exchange instant messages, or distribute multimedia files and other data across global teams.Trying to compare SIP and VoIP directly doesn’t really make sense. Why? Comparing the two is like assessing a magician and their assistant side by side. One, VoIP, is the principal performer while the other is a support act. VoIP is a communications system, and SIP is a signalling protocol used to support that communications system. SIP is one way to deploy your VoIP phone system. It's favoured by telephony managers as it directly connects PBX (private branch exchange) users with public network phone users. VoIP business phone systems which use SIP rely on the protocol, to relay information between VoIP-enabled devices. You may notice SIP and VoIP have become somewhat synonymous, since SIP is easily the most widely used protocol for supporting VoIP communications.

You could spend a little or a whole lot on a gaming laptop, or somewhere in-between and, for the most part, get exactly what you pay for. Buying a refurbished model can be an exception to the rule. Such as this refurbished Evoo laptop with a GeForce RTX 2060 tucked inside, for $638.40 at Walmart. It's not too often I highlight refurb/recertified deals, because if you shop around, you can frequently find brand new items at a discount. I'm making an exception in this case because it's coming direct from Walmart, as opposed to a random marketplace seller, and it's a tantalizing discount on what was already an aggressively priced laptop. Incidentally, the only current listing is by a marketplace seller trying to hawk one of these for $1,299.99. Some would call that ambitious. I say it's silly. Taking a ride in the Wayback Machine, however, it shows this laptop started out at around $1,000, and most recently sold for $899.Now it's less than $640, with hardware and features that punch above its price class. The core makeup of the system is an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor (8C/16T, 2.9GHz to 4.2GHz, 8MB L3 cache) based on Zen 2, paired with what is still a stout GPU based on Turing. It's well-rounded configuration too, with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 15.6-inch display with a 1920x1080 resolution and fast 120Hz refresh rate. Other highlights include RGB backlighting on the keyboard, a decent assortment of ports, and THX tuning (audio and display), if that matters to you. The only real caveat is the refurb status. Walmart's warranty terms provide a 30-day return window, and a 90-day backing in case something breaks. This is not for everyone but, if you decide to pounce, put it through some thorough stress testing right off the bat. If all goes well, you'll have scored yourself a killer deal. And if not, well, back to Walmart it goes.Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).

Capcom's COO says the company wants to make PC its main platform for games, according to a translated report from Japanese outlet Nikkei, and reiterated by Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki. Capcom also aims to have 50% of its sales on PC and 50% on consoles by 2022 or 2023. Chief operating officer Haruhiro Tsujimoto made the comments to Nikkei at this week's Tokyo Game Show. Capcom also announced this week that Monster Hunter Rise, previously a Nintendo Switch exclusive, will come to PC in January 2022. While some of Capcom's games have come to PC after console releases, like Monster Hunter World taking an extra eight months in 2018, many of its recent releases like Resident Evil Village and Devil May Cry 5 have arrived on all platforms simultaneously. Record-setting sales numbers potentially play a role in Capcom's decision to increase focus on PC. The Resident Evil series became Capcom's first to surpass 100 million lifetime sales. According to Capcom's investor relations portal, Monster Hunter World has sold 17.3 million units, Resident Evil 7 has sold 9.8 million units, and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne has sold 8.2 million units. Those are cross-platform numbers, but PC sales certainly played a big role—leaked data earlier this year suggested World sold better on PC in the west than on PlayStation.Capcom's most recent financial report, from July 2021, showed the publisher achieved sales figures of ¥95.3 billion ($859.6 million)—a year-on-year increase of 16.8%. Capcom's arcade sales suffered during the pandemic, dropping 18.4% (to $183 million) and operating income dropping 87.7% (to $1.4 million). Capcom's videogame division made up for it, though, raising net sales up 25.6% (to $691.3 million) and operating income up 53.1% (to 340.2 million).

The Indian state of Karnataka, home to India's Silicon Valley, has proposed a ban on online games involving betting and wagering, sparking concerns that growing state regulations could hit the nascent but booming sector. Karnataka is proposing an amendment to the Karnataka Police Act to include such online games, seeking to ban "any act or risking money, or otherwise on the unknown result of an event including on a game of skill," according to the bill seen by Reuters. Many offences under the law already attract prison time, and the bill proposes to increase these penalties. The Karnataka government has said the bill is needed as youngsters from rural areas, mostly idle in the city during the COVID-19 pandemic, "have shown a tendency of becoming habitual gamblers."It comes as online fantasy gaming platforms such as Tiger Global-backed Dream11 and Sequoia Capital-funded Mobile Premier League (MPL) that offer fantasy cricket and football games have become increasingly po[CENSORED]r in India. Karnataka, home to some of the world's biggest tech companies and India's tech capital Bengaluru, is the fourth Indian state to seek to ban online games involving prize money after Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. "Business of MPL, Dream11, and everyone in the sector will suffer," said one gaming industry source, who declined to be named because the person was not authorised to speak to the media. "These states are important - they roughly account for 20 percent of (the total) business for such companies." The online gaming industry in India has grown over the past few years. Foreign investors have shown growing interest in backing Indian gaming startups since last year as the COVID-19 pandemic drove people stuck indoors towards such games. India currently has more than 400 online gaming startups and, as of 2020, had around 360 million gamers, according to an EY-All India Gaming Federation report. Online gamers are expected to grow to 510 million by 2022 and the industry will be worth $2 billion (roughly Rs. 14,750 crores) by 2023, the report said. The Dream11 and MPL platforms, offering paid contests with cash prize for players, have expanded rapidly in recent months with extensive marketing and hires. Dream11 is seeking a US listing by early next year, local media has said. Such growth has sparked concerns that these platforms, like gambling, are addictive and can cause financial harm. India's Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states have all banned online gaming offering cash prizes over the past few years, though Tamil Nadu's bill was subsequently struck down by its high court. Sandeep Chilana, a New Delhi-based lawyer, said such laws have a weak legal standing given the Supreme Court has repeatedly said skill games - like fantasy cricket - are not like gambling which remains largely prohibited across India. "Indian states are overreaching and will face legal challenges by banning such skill games," said Chilana. The Karnataka proposal also comes at an inconvenient time for the industry, during the po[CENSORED]r Indian Premier League cricket tournament. Fantasy gaming competitions around the tournament are one of the biggest fee generators for online gaming companies, said a second industry source, who asked not to be identified. The potential ban will also hurt professional players, said Esports Players Welfare Association, a non-profit for online gamers. "Games and esports are areas where skill can be developed as a result of which it is not a sin activity," the group said.

Imagine a utopia where cryptominers, cryptocurrency enthusiasts, and investors alike could be free to live, far from the ever imposing reach of mankind's laws. This was the vision of bitcoin fanboys, and utopian idealists, Grant Romundt, Rüdiger Koch, and Chad Elwartowski. These three were determined to make their dream of crypto-Rapture a reality. That is until they realised some hard truths tied to running a floating colony. The plan was simple: Buy a $9.5 million retired cruise liner > pop over to Panama > build a utopia > profit! Sounds easy right? What these three idealists didn't foresee, however, were the number of hoops they would need to jump through, in order to make their paradise a reality. Fueled by the romantic ideals of Patri Friedman et al., the three started off strong with their 'Seavilization' project. First, they Christened their ex-cruise liner (previously the Pacific Dawn) The M.S. Satoshi, after the godfather of bitcoin—perhaps willing some of his luck to rub off for a successful mission. Though, according to The Guardian (via IFL Science), the successful renaming of the ship was the first and final triumph.The three soon discovered that the seas, contrary to po[CENSORED]r belief, are not completely lawless, free-build areas. There are strict regulations to be followed, especially for huge cruise liners also planning to run a crypto-business.Romundt lamented to the Guardian, "We were like, 'This is just so hard.'" This wasn't Romundt's first attempt at founding a seasteading community, either. You'd have thought the guy would have packed it in after he and his girlfriend were forced to flee for their lives from the coast of Thailand after a previous floating community was declared a threat to the country's independence—an offence punishable by life imprisonment, or even death. Back to the Satoshi's noble embankment: Soon after they set sail, seasoned British cruise captain Peter Harris became concerned. “I was thinking a week into the job, 'I can see I’m going to be resigning,'” he told The Guardian. When asked about Koch the captain admitted he seemed like the upstanding sort, if somewhat naïve. "He didn’t understand the industry." Harris explained, "He just thought he could treat it like his own yacht." Further hurdles mounted, with the pursuit being deemed uninsurable by Panamanian authorities. "They wouldn’t even tell us why we weren’t insurable, they just kept saying no," Romundt noted. "It’s kind of hard to remedy something if you don’t know what the problem is." Although no official comments were made to the crew regarding their denial of insurance, Captain Harris surmised their plans to run a bitcoin business may have had something to do with it.And while the three had managed to get the Panamanian authorities to agree to a permanent mooring for the Satoshi (as long as it remained designated as a ship), another snag emerged: where they were allowed to dump their sewage. They discovered that, so as not to break the law they were trying their damndest to avoid, they would need to sail 12 miles every few weeks to offload the human waste in international waters. That's where the entire operation ran afoul. It was around this time Romundt and company finally caved. Defeated, Romundt put his dreams of Seavilisation behind him and spent the holidays sipping wine and exploring the Satoshi. He even went around enjoying the waterslides by himself, as Harris said he turned them on especially for the festivities. So, while the three didn't manage to create a lawless crypto-fueled utopian paradise, hopefully, they've invited a sense of realism into the minds of anyone considering a similar feat. As it turns out, building Rapture is hard.Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. She can often be found admiring AI advancements, sighing over semiconductors, or gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. She's been obsessed with computers and graphics since she was small, and took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni. Her thirst for absurd Raspberry Pi projects will never be sated, and she will stop at nothing to spread internet safety awareness—down with the hackers.

Book of Travels sounded really intriguing when we got our first proper look at it in late 2020. It's a "tiny" MMO, without conventional quests and plotlines: Instead, it promises a "collaborative and friendly roleplaying experience" in a serene world where players are living their lives. There will be conflict and combat, but it will be rare and impactful rather than simply a repetitive mechanic driving character advancement. It was expected to launch into Steam Early Access in August 2021, but at the last minute developer Might and Delight hit the pause button, saying they realized during closed beta testing that they needed more time before the public rollout. Now the studio has settled on a new launch date, revealed today as October 11. Might and Delight emphasize that while Book of Travels is now fit for public release, it's still a work in progress and thus there will bugs, balance issues, and limited content. "Chapter Zero" is essentially the game's first season, but it will last for the duration of the Early Access period, which is expected to last for two years. That might seem like a long stretch, especially with our expectations so skewed by the advent of live service games, but Book of Travels is an ambitious project from a small indie team and I would expect that it's going to take some time. A more detailed development roadmap is on the way, but the first month will be dedicated solely to taking player feedback: "No extra content will be added until we've taken that time to closely examine your first impressions," the studio said. I'm really eager to try this one. I've never really fallen for an MMO because they always quickly become a grind: Stand in line, kill ten rats, collect the stuff, move to the next. Compared to that, the promise of something more open and exploration-focused, especially in such a lovely looking game world, is a genuinely interesting prospect. You can find out more about the game at tmorpg.com.Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Apple users are being urged to install emergency software updates released by the company on 13 September 2021 to patch a critical vulnerability discovered by security researchers. The vulnerability can allow hackers to silently infect iPhones and other Apple devices with powerful spyware known as Pegasus. Read on to find out what the security flaw means for Apple users, and what you should do if you’re affected. Sign up to our monthly Technology newsletter to keep on top of our latest tech news and reviews. Read more: The security flaw was discovered by cybersecurity researchers Citizen Lab, based in Toronto. It allows attackers to deploy what’s called a ‘zero-click exploit’ that can run silently without the owner of the device having to click on a suspect link or open a document. Once the infected files – in this case, PDF documents disguised as GIFs – are on a device, Pegasus spyware is silently installed. Once the spyware is on a device, the attackers can silently copy and steal the messages sent and received on the phone, use the camera to secretly film the phone’s owner, and eavesdrop via the microphone. While it’s very unlikely that ordinary users’ Apple devices will be targeted by Pegasus spyware, the vulnerability the researchers found has worried security experts. Where does the spyware come from? Spyware that can be installed without the phone’s owner doing anything at all is highly prized by law enforcement, criminals and some governments. It means they can silently snoop on the target without them having any clue their device has been compromised. The exploit in this case, called ‘FORCEDENTRY’, was found when the researchers analysed an iPhone belonging to a Saudi dissident, whose phone was hacked when they were sent image files containing the spyware via iMessage. Citizen Lab said that FORCEDENTRY is the latest in a string of zero-click exploits linked to NSO Group, an Israeli company best known for its Pegasus spyware. NSO Group says its products are meant to be used only to target criminals by licensed law enforcement bodies, but Pegasus is known to have been used in the past to target dissidents, journalists and human rights activists. The phones of activists in Bahrain, French journalists, and an adviser to Dubai’s Princess Latifa, who was recaptured in 2018 on a yacht on the Indian Ocean after fleeing the emirate, are among those whose phones are said to have been compromised by Pegasus spyware. Compare our Mac antivirus software package reviews. Read more: Apple Watches are updated to watchOS 7.6.2, while Macs running the current Big Sur version of macOS are updated to Big Sur 11.6. Older Macs running Catalina and Mojave will receive updates to Safari version 14.1.2. Apple’s head of security, Ivan Krstić, said: ‘Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals. ‘While that means they are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections for their devices and data.’ If you haven’t yet updated your Apple devices this week, you should check for the update and run it as soon as possible. Read more:

Amazon has officially announced the date for its big fall hardware event: it’ll take place on Tuesday, September 28th at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. As always, Amazon isn’t giving any details on what to expect — the invite sent to The Verge only says that they’ll be “news about our latest Amazon devices, features, and services.” In previous years, though, Amazon has announced new Echo speakers, updates to Alexa’s software, new Eero routers, updated Ring cameras, and more. Amazon also tends to announce its more unique and experimental products at its fall event: previous years have send the announcement of the Echo Loop ring, the Echo Frames glasses, and the Ring drone (which has yet to make a re-appearance since its initial debut last year.) We may have gotten an early look at Ring’s dash cam as well, when images leaked out this June. The event is invite only, so don’t expect a public livestream, but The Verge will be covering all the news as soon as it happens on September 28th.

Quantic Dream, the studio behind the narrative-focused Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, may be working on a new Star Wars game. A trio of sources have reported that the studio has done a deal with Disney for a game that might already be well into development, and Quantic Dream itself dropped a cryptic hint about it too. The rumor first surfaced last week when French YouTuber Gautoz (via VGC) claimed that Quantic Dream "will be signing with Disney" now that its Sony contract is over. "It looks like they will be working on a Star Wars game," Gautoz said. Shortly after that, noted secrets-leaker Tom Henderson, who last week claimed that next year's Call of Duty game will be Modern Warfare 2, said on DualShockers that he had been told the same thing by a separate source "who provided overwhelming evidence that he had contacts at Quantic Dream." According to Henderson, the game has been in development for about 18 months. Quantic Dream also apparently "liked" Henderson's tweet about the story, although it has since unliked it. Make of that what you will.Finally, Kotaku says today that it too has heard the same story, from a separate source of its own, who also indicated that Quantic Dream has been working on it for about 18 months. Kotaku's source said the new project, unlike the studio's previous releases, is a more conventional action game, possibly in an open world setting and with multiplayer components.Some job openings on Quantic Dream's website point in a similar direction: The studio is hiring for roles including competitive senior game designer, who among other things must have "prior experience in managing a meta-database in LiveOps," and senior game economy designer, with "a sensibility to game design combined with an outstanding knowledge of all key elements that allow the game to work as a service and thrive financially." A senior level designer listing calls for experience working on an "open environment game and/or a multiplayer game." None of that (or any of the other listings I've looked at) mention Star Wars specifically, but they definitely point away from Quantic Dream's usual interactive dramas. Its games aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they are consistent: From The Nomad Soul to Detroit: Become Human, they're linear. narrative-heavy (and heavy-handed) adventures built on, as Andy Kelly put it a couple years ago, "lavish production values, QTEs, wild tonal inconsistency, overwrought drama, gratuitous shower scenes, and SWAT teams." That's not the sort of thing that calls for a games-as-a-service designer or open-world experience. It's odd to me that Quantic Dream would take on such a different style of game for its big Star Wars debut, especially since Ubisoft is already working on an open-world Star Wars game—but of course, all of this is entirely unconfirmed, and may ultimately prove mistaken in the details or entirely inaccurate. With similar reports coming from three separate sources, though, I'm inclined to give it some weight: I'm not expecting an open-world action game a la Destiny 2, but at this point I'll be a little surprised if Quantic Dream isn't working on a Star Wars something. I've reached out to the studio for more information and will update if I receive a reply.Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Earlier this year, a well known beer company issued a peculiar ad before the Super Bowl. After showing a brief clip, they invited people to listen to an eight-hour soundscape while they slept in return for half-off a 12-pack of beer (or a free 12-pack if shared with a friend). The intention was to embed favourable thoughts and feelings about the brand and its product while listeners slept, in what they call "Targeted Dream Incubation". (I don't think the company needs naming—if they're advertising in people's sleep, they don't need the extra coverage from us!) It seems like a gimmick, but as an open letter from sleep researchers protesting this kind of advertising pointed out, people can be highly susceptible to suggestions made while sleeping. It also isn't a leap to already connect it to games: Xbox used Targeted Dream Incubation last year as part of the advertising campaign for the Xbox Series X, crafting videos out of the dreams selected streamers had after playing the new console for the first time. Hit game Tetris Effect is also literally named after the phenomenon where players continue to see tetromino shapes in their dreams or in the natural world, even for players who have the kinds of memory loss that mean they don't remember playing Tetris in the first place. It's an interesting psychological phenomenon by itself, with applications in treatment for PTSD flashbacks, and I kind of wish 'interesting things about the brain' wasn't a field that immediately got exploited for advertising. With both the Xbox ads and Tetris Effect, they're marketing on the stickiness of games in sleep, rather than directly using it for a mass audience, but that's little comfort when we know from the beer company that advertisers are ready to make that step. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU... Please close pop-out player to resume playback. video playingHalf Life: Alyx - Best VR Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer Death Stranding - Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer 31/12/20Death Stranding - Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer Crusader Kings III - Best Strategy Game of the... 30/12/20Crusader Kings III - Best Strategy Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer DOOM Eternal - Best FPS Game of the Year 2020 |... 29/12/20DOOM Eternal - Best FPS Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Best RPG Game of the... 28/12/20Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Best RPG Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer Valorant - Best Multiplayer Game of the Year 2020 |... 27/12/20Valorant - Best Multiplayer Game of the Year 2020 | PC Gamer This isn't the only kind of intrusive advertising going on lately: Facebook is preparing to introduce adverts to Oculus Quest games and apps, using data from the user profiles that became mandatory to use the VR gaming headsets last October.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) on Thursday reported that Ukrainian law enforcement has pulled the plug on a clandestine cryptocurrency mining farm in the city of Vinnytsia. The perpetrators had set up camp in an old warehouse and stealthily tapped into the city's power grid to mine cryptocurrency. Most interestingly, the miners were caught with a shocking number of Playstation 4's. And pretty much everything else, too. The Ukrainian authorities reportedly seized up to 5,000 pieces of hardware, including over 500 graphics cards, 50 processors and 3,800 PlayStation 4 (PS4) consoles, all of which are in short supply in the U.S. and beyond, as well as other tidbits. It's not surprising to see processors and graphics cards discovered, since they are required to power mining rigs. The PS4 consoles, however, seem to be out of place.The photographs showed an endless list of racks with PS4s that are apparently connected to the internet. While we've seen pictures of alleged PS4 mining setups before, there has never been any concrete evidence that you can actually mine cryptocurrency on a gaming console. Although, after seeing a DIY project with a Game Boy mining Bitcoin, anything is possible. And the fact that the Ukrainian miners had so many PS4s does suggest that they may have found a way to mine with them. There's a base level of compute performance associated with Ethereum mining. However, the bar is so low that the majority of graphics cards end up with more compute performance so memory bandwidth has a more prominent role. The PS4 features 8GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 5.5 Gbps. Across the 256-bit memory interface, the PS4 delivers a memory bandwidth up to 176 GBps. The Pro variant, on the other hand, has memory running at 6.8 Gbps, offering up to 217.6 GBps. For comparison, the Radeon RX 580, which is one of the best mining GPUs, has a memory throughput of 256 GBps. Hypothetically, the PS4 Pro could potentially come close to a Radeon RX 580 in Ethereum mining. Even if it is possible to mine with a gaming console, using a graphics card or ASIC would still be more efficient. Then again, the Ukrainian miners had put up bogus electricity meters and were stealing electricity, so efficiency probably wasn't on their agenda.

A $16 billion effort to modernize health records at the Department of Veterans Affairs ran into major problems in its first installation, two watchdog reports say. The Department of Veterans Affairs tried several times to modernize its sprawling, aging health records system before deciding in 2018 to replace it.The Department of Veterans Affairs is in the process of overhauling the country’s oldest electronic health record system at the country’s largest hospital network. Even if it goes smoothly, planners have repeatedly warned, it will be an extremely complicated task that will take 10 years and cost more than $16 billion. And so far, it is going anything but smoothly. The new health record software is supposed to increase efficiency and speed up care in the beleaguered veterans’ health system, which serves more than nine million veterans. But when the department put it into use for the first time in October at a V.A. medical center in Washington State, it did the opposite. The department’s inspector general issued two scathing reports on the rollout this week. One found that the company that was awarded a no-bid contract by the Trump administration to do the overhaul underestimated costs by billions. The other report said the training program for hospital staff that the company created was so flawed and confusing that many employees considered it “an utter waste of time.” All the employees who went through the training at the first hospital to use the new health record system, the Mann-Grandstaff V.A. Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., were given a test afterward to see whether they had learned to use it proficiently. Nearly two-thirds failed, the report said.Soon after Mann-Grandstaff began using the software in October, employees started to complain that the training was rushed and inadequate. Tasks that had been simple before became complex. The new system was so cumbersome that productivity decreased by about one-third, the inspector general’s report said. “Staff were exhausted, struggling, felt that they were failing and morale was low,” the report said. The software upgrade also came with unexpected extra costs, the inspector general reported, because the department will have to spend at least an additional $2.5 billion for new laptop computers and other equipment that can run the new software. The Department of Veterans Affairs pioneered electronic health records in the 1980s with a system created in-house that is known as Vista. The open-source software used in Vista allowed employees at hospitals across the country to build on and adapt the system to meet local needs. But because anyone could modify it, Vista became a tangled software shantytown of more than 130 systems and thousands of applications. Though in general they worked seamlessly within the veterans’ hospital network, Vista was unable to readily share patient information with the military or with private hospitals.The department tried several times over the past 20 years to modernize Vista at its 1,500 hospitals and clinics, and spent nearly $1 billion in the process. But the hydra of homegrown code defied all its efforts.In 2018, the Trump administration signed a 10-year, $10 billion deal with a private medical-records contractor, the Cerner Corporation, to replace Vista and to train the department’s 367,200 health care workers to use the new system. Spokane was chosen for the trial run, and there were problems from the start, including two postponements. The office overseeing the installation did not consult with the frontline health care workers who would be using it, according to the inspector general. Employees were not given access to software they could practice on, the report said. Trainers supplied by Cerner were regularly unable to answer employees’ questions about practical use scenarios, and often demurred by saying, “Let’s put that in the parking lot.” After being inundated with complaints, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican who represents Spokane in Congress, sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs in March, describing a system that was so confusing it caused veterans to receive the wrong drugs and nurses to break down in tears. “I am hearing an increasing number of complaints and pleas for help,” Ms. McMorris Rodgers wrote in the letter. She added: “I have one report of a V.A. doctor ordering a veteran two medications, but he received 15 erroneous medications. I have multiple reports of prescriptions being delayed, which in one case caused a veteran to suffer withdrawal. These impacts are dangerous and unacceptable.” In surveys of hospital employees, two-thirds of those who completed the training said they still could not use the new system without difficulty, the inspector general’s report said. The department’s official test results told a different story, indicating that 89 percent of employees passed proficiency tests after training. But investigators found that, in fact, only about 44 percent had passed. Department officials in charge of the rollout had “removed outliers” to make the official results look better, and deleted additional data that may have shown further problems with training, the inspector general’s report said. The department said on Friday that it took the inspector general’s findings “very seriously,” but it declined to comment further on the reports. In a statement, Cerner said: “Cerner is fully supporting V.A. and shares their commitment to getting this right. Together, Cerner and V.A. have made progress toward achieving a lifetime of seamless care for our nation’s veterans and we look forward to continuing this important mission.” In the spring, as problems were becoming apparent, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis R. McDonough, who took over the department this year, suspended the rollout of the new system for three months to review issues. That review is now complete, and the department is expected to announce next week how it will proceed. A veterans’ hospital in Columbus, Ohio, was next in line to get the new system, but Mr. McDonough hinted at a news conference in June that the Columbus installation may be postponed. The secretary is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs next week, and is expected to face pointed questioning. “It is clear from these reports,” Representative Mark Takano, the California Democrat who chairs the committee, said in a statement, that the cost “was vastly underestimated by the previous administration and that there are significant failures with the current staff training program.”

Patrick Marleau can pass Gordie Howe for the most NHL games played when the San Jose Sharks forward plays No. 1,768 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. "I'll try to take it all in as much as possible," Marleau said Saturday after playing game 1,767. "The fun part is playing an actual game and all that, but my family's going to be there to help celebrate, so it'll be super special having them in the building." San Jose lost 5-2 at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday when the 41-year-old forward tied Howe. "Monday there's going to be two separate feelings: It's going to be the honor of being in a game and watching Patty set history, and the other part is, let's play well with him and be proud of ourselves in the way we play," San Jose coach Bob Boughner said. "For me, that's the biggest thing right now. If we play our game, if we play well, we give ourselves a chance to win. That's what we intend to do on Monday for that big night and hopefully cap it off for Patty and his family the right way." Marleau is in his 23rd NHL season and has played 1,595 games in 21 seasons with the Sharks, including 44 this season to extend his streak of consecutive regular-season games to 898, fourth-longest in NHL history. The native of Aneroid, Saskatchewan, also played 164 games in two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2017-19) and eight games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. "I'm looking at it as an opportunity to thank everybody who's helped me along the way, because there's no way you get to play in this league or play this long without a huge support system," Marleau told "Hockey Night in Canada." "Definitely my family, growing up, my parents, my brother and sister, all the sacrifices they make, and my immediate family now with my wife and kids. ... "Coaching staffs, training staff, teammates, chiropractors, massage therapists, I mean, everybody that I've come into contact and become friends with or who helped me along, I extremely want to thank them for all their support." Howe has held the NHL record for regular-season games played since Nov. 26, 1961, when he surpassed Ted Lindsay and became the first player to reach 1,000 games. Howe played 1,687 games in 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring in 1971. After coming out of retirement in 1973 to play 419 games in six seasons in the World Hockey Association for Houston and New England, Howe returned to the NHL for one season after New England joined the NHL as the Hartford Whalers in 1979. Howe played 80 games for the Whalers in 1979-80 before retiring again. A native of Floral, Saskatchewan, Howe played his final regular-season game against the Red Wings on April 6, 1980, at 52 years old. He was 88 when he died June 10, 2016. "First, I was so happy to hear that our group stayed out, the entire team shook his hand after the game," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "I understand it was initiated by [Ryan Suter]. I think that is such a classy thing for our group to do, and then we talked about it after the game in the coaches room that anytime your name can even be mentioned in the same sentence as Gordie Howe, it's very, very special, and what he's done for as long as he's done it and how he's played the game, not on the perimeter, just in the dirty areas. I don't know him personally, but everything you hear it's how team-first he is. It's a wonderful accomplishment." Howe is second in NHL history with 801 goals (Wayne Gretzky, 894) and fourth in points with 1,850. Marleau is 23rd in goals (566) and 50th in points (1,196). "Gordie, growing up, looking at hockey cards, looking at statistics, first things first, I always go see all the Saskatchewan players who grew up there and made the NHL, because that's where I was, and that's where I was trying to go, and obviously he was top of the list," Marleau said. Selected by San Jose with the No. 2 pick in the 1997 NHL Draft, Marleau made his NHL debut 16 days after his 18th birthday, Oct. 1, 1997, against the Edmonton Oilers. He is the youngest player to make his NHL debut since Hy Buller played at 17 years, 267 days with the Red Wings on Dec. 7, 1943. After playing 1,493 games in 19 seasons with the Sharks, Marleau signed a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent July 2, 2017. Marleau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 22, 2019, and had the final season of his contact bought out without playing a game for the Hurricanes. "One of the most respected guys in the League," Minnesota forward Zach Parise said. "I don't know if that's a record that's going to be broken again. At least it's going to be there for a long time. You have to have a lot of things go right, a lot of things go your way with your health. When you think about it, that many games, and unfortunately he's gone through two lockouts. He could be at 2,000 now. It's an incredible number." Marleau returned to San Jose to play 58 games last season before being traded to Pittsburgh on Feb. 24, 2020. He became an unrestricted free agent and signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on Oct. 13. "It's incredible being around Patty for a bit and seeing all the work he's put in getting to this point where he's beating that kind of record," San Jose forward Timo Meier said. "It's obviously incredible for him, but all the teammates are incredibly proud, and we're really honored to be on the same team and witness that record." Marleau has played in four decades: 196 games in the 1990s, 716 in the 2000s, 782 in the 2010s and 73 in the 2020s. Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton (173 games) and Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (119) are the other active players to play in the NHL during the 1990s. "He's the greatest Shark to ever wear the Shark jersey," San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. "Great teammate, 500-plus goals, has the records for longest games played. He's done it all for the San Jose Sharks, and that's why when you say 'San Jose Sharks' the first player that comes to mind is Patrick Marleau." Howe is the only player in to play in the NHL in five decades: 191 games in the 1940s, 690 in the 1950s, 701 in the 1960s, 139 in the 1970s and 46 in the 1980s. "That was pretty special," San Jose forward Kevin Labanc said. "I mean, I'm so happy for him. He's so classy, I'm congratulating him and his whole family. You think about how many games, to play that long, it's incredible, and he's a great player. It couldn't happen to a better person, and we're all looking forward to the next game when he passes Gordie Howe's record." NHL.com staff writers Tom Gulitti and Tracey Myers and independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report

Artificial intelligence-driven commercial energy storage provider Stem Inc has put its Athena software platform in a 345MWh portfolio of California assets in an IT handover that only took two months. The company was appointed to put the Athena software to manage the 86-site commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage asset portfolio by its joint owners, South Korean technology company SK E&S and Switzerland-headquartered investment fund SUSI Partners in June, as reported by Energy-Storage.news at the time. Athena provides intelligence and real-time decision-making capabilities to the energy storage systems, enabling end-customers to manage their energy costs and usage, particularly at times of peak demand while also providing local utility Southern California Edison (SCE) with a controllable capacity resource. Stem Inc said this week that after transferring the portfolio within two months of landing the contract from SK and SUSI’s joint venture (JV) company Electrodes Holdings, the sites have been operating successfully for six months and have realised an average 30% increase in savings versus the previously installed software. Stem Inc is currently targeting a New York Stock Exchange listing of its shares via merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Star Peak Energy Transition Corp. Star Peak said yesterday that a special meeting of its stockholders will be held on 27 April to approve the business combination with Stem. 15 April 2021: Zinc battery player Eos buys manufacturing JV stake from nuclear company Holtec Aqueous zinc battery energy storage company Eos Energy Enterprises has bought out its partner in a manufacturing joint venture (JV), nuclear equipment company Holtec. The long-duration energy storage technology and systems provider, which already listed on the NASDAQ exchange through a SPAC merger in November has announced a number of recent contract wins to provide its technology in geographies including Greece, India and around the US. It had established HI-POWER, a manufacturing partnership with Holtec in 2019, leaning on Eos’ battery manufacturing design automation technology and Holtec’s decades-long history of manufacturing equipment for nuclear energy facilities. A manufacturing facility was established at Holtec’s Pittsburgh base. Eos Energy Enterprises said earlier this week that it has acquired the remaining 51% equity in HI-POWER and has assumed full control over supply chain, back-office, personnel and day-to-day management relating to the venture and will continue manufacturing at the site. Eos will pay Holtec back its initial US$10 million capital contribution it made in the venture and five further US$5 million annual instalments. 15 April 2021: Softbank Ventures Asia invests in novel vanadium ion battery company - report Venture capital group Softbank Ventures Asia appears to have invested in Standard Energy, a South Korea-based startup developing and commercialising a novel vanadium ion battery for stationary storage applications. Softbank Ventures Asia, the VC arm of telecommunications group Softbank, posted a link to a news story from technology website Techcrunch on its social media channels including LinkedIn and Facebook which said that an investment was made in a US$8.9 million Series C funding round. The news was also covered in various South Korean news channels. Standard Energy did not respond to a request for confirmation and more details from Energy-Storage.news by the time of publication. According to the company’s website, what it has developed is dissimilar to both lithium-ion and vanadium redox flow batteries, claiming Standard Energy has “created a battery the world has never seen before”. Standard Energy claims the vanadium ion battery has 96% energy efficiency and capable of continuous high power operation without additional cooling. Like vanadium redox flow batteries, it promises long-term capacity retention and unlike lithium-ion has “zero ignition risk”, even through over-voltage, exposure to high temperatures and penetration. Standard Energy claims it has already been through more than a million hours of test time from lab scale to field testing.