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Bosch teams up with Microsoft to develop a software platform to seamlessly connect cars to the cloud. The goal of this collaboration is to simplify and accelerate the development and deployment of vehicle software throughout a car’s lifetime in accordance with automotive quality standards. The new platform, which will be based on Microsoft Azure and incorporate software modules from Bosch, will enable software to be developed and downloaded to the control units and vehicle computers. A further focus of the collaboration will be on the development of tools that increase efficiency in the software development process. This in turn will drive innovation and reduce development costs for vehicle software within and across organizations. For drivers, the platform will mean quicker access to new functions and digital services. The collaboration between Bosch and Microsoft combines the wealth of software, electronics, and systems expertise of the world’s leading automotive supplier with Microsoft’s know-how in software engineering and cloud computing. Both companies intend to make the new software platform available for first vehicle prototypes by the end of 2021. “Bosch already securely updates car software over the air today. With the comprehensive platform for software-defined cars, we want to further empower automakers to develop new functions and get them on the road faster,” said Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH. “Our collaboration with Bosch brings together the expertise of one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers with the power of the Microsoft cloud, AI and GitHub,” added Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI, Microsoft. “With software quickly becoming a key differentiator in the automotive industry, our ambition is to help businesses accelerate the delivery of unique mobility services across passenger cars and commercial fleets at scale.” Developing the automotive future together Software will play an increasingly important role in future vehicle generations. New trends such as electromobility, automated driving and modern mobility services would not be possible without it. This also will require more frequent updates and upgrades in the future. However, stringent safety requirements throughout the vehicle’s lifetime make wireless software updates and digital services for cars very complex. The wide range of different series and models makes things even more challenging. The collaboration will benefit from Bosch’s deep understanding of electrical and electronic architectures, control units, and vehicle computers, which is necessary for over-the-air vehicle updates. In addition, the company will contribute its expertise as well as software-based products and development tools for cars. This includes the basic software and middleware for vehicle computers and control units, as well as cloud-based software modules to bring over-the-air updates to entire vehicle fleets. “Having a comprehensive software platform from the vehicle to the cloud will reduce the complexity of the software development and the vehicle system integration. In this way we will create the conditions for wireless updates to work just as smoothly and conveniently in vehicles as they do in smartphones,” Heyn said. The pre-integrated platform will greatly reduce the complexity of over-the-air updates, which help ensure that a vehicle’s software is always up to date, thanks to the fact that the software architectures of vehicles and the cloud will now fit together seamlessly. Bosch and Microsoft also plan to enrich existing developer tools that will enable automakers and suppliers to simplify and accelerate their own software development, while adapting to the unique challenges in the automotive industry. The companies also plan to use GitHub’s fully integrated enterprise platform and to open-source important parts of the new software platform on GitHub.com to encourage code re-use and best practice sharing across the industry.

PC gaming hardware and accessories saw a huge leap in sales in 2020, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. This is something that PC gaming fans are well-aware of as video cards and processors remain difficult to find. Hardware and accessories for the PC gaming space reached $4.5 billion in the United States last year. That is up 62% compared to 2019 and more than twice the sales in the 2017 period. NPD also noted that PC gaming content increased 19% to $7.5 billion. The growth isn’t exclusive to video cards, processors, and games, though. Every PC-gaming category grew year-over-year. This includes audio headsets, monitors, and keyboards. NPD adviser Stephen Baker credits much of the momentum to pandemic-related behavioral changes. “COVID-19 lockdown measures played a role in the growth we’re seeing in PC gaming, as consumers looked for ways to stay entertained while spending more time at home,” said Baker. NPD analyst Mat Piscatella echoed that sentiment. “[PC gaming is] one of the most accessible segments, as many households have a desktop or laptop computer,” said Piscatella. “Over the course of 2020, there was a significant increase in both the number of PC video game players as well as the time and money those players invested in PC gaming.” Baker expects this market to continue growing through 2021 — although at a slower rate of around 3%. Beyond that, the industry should settle at around these spending levels. “We remain optimistic about the outlook for PC gaming hardware and accessories for the future, and expect the segments growth rate will exceed that of the total industry,” said Baker. “We do not, [however], expect ongoing incremental dollar increases but rather a plateauing of demand at these new elevated levels.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. How will you do that? Membership includes access to: Newsletters, such as DeanBeat The wonderful, educational, and fun speakers at our events Networking opportunities Special members-only interviews, chats, and "open office" events with GamesBeat staff Chatting with community members, GamesBeat staff, and other guests in our Discord And maybe even a fun prize or two Introductions to like-minded parties

The rebooted Mortal Kombat movie has debuted its first trailer — and, much like the games it’s based on, the upcoming film looks to be very violent. (Warner Bros. has actually released two trailers, with a more gory red-band version available on YouTube.) Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as an MMA fighter Cole Young, who seems remarkably blasé about the suspiciously dragon-shaped scar on his chest (he assumes it’s just a birthmark, which certainly strains credulity.) But Cole is quickly recruited to fight in a legendary tournament — the titular “Mortal Kombat” — with the fate of Earth in his hands. (Literally. There’s going to be a lot of fighting.) The trailer also gives the first good look at the latest live-action versions of Sonya, Kano, Raiden, Jax, Liu Kang, Shang Tsung, and Kung Lao, along with the dueling supernatural warriors Sub-Zero and Scorpion (the video game’s unofficial mascots). The new film is set to be a rebooted attempt to adapt the hyper-violent fighting game after the original Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation films from the 1990s. Like all of Warner Bros.’ 2021 blockbusters, Mortal Kombat will be released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously on April 16th, 2021.

One of the aspects of this pandemic that’s affected car enthusiasts has been the lack of auto shows. Of course, during a pandemic the lack of an auto show isn’t actually anything to complain about in the grand scheme of things. However, so many enthusiasts use auto shows as a way to connect with other like-minded enthusiasts and meet people in person that they might not normally see, for various reasons. It’s also a way to indulge our passions together, as enthusiasts, and because of that auto shows were hugely important in many enthusiasts’ lives. So as a way to provide as close of an experience to that as possible, we’re partnering with the Chicagoland BMW dealerships to host virtual car events on our Facebook page. Starting Tuesday, February 16, eleven Chicagoland BMW dealerships will begin livestreaming virtual events on the BMWBLOG Facebook page. During these livestreams, dealers will spotlight some of the latest BMW products and talk about their performance, specs, designs and options, showing customers the cars they’re missing and giving them the info they want/need. This is the first time we’ve ever partnered up for something like this and we’re excited to bring a virtual car event to you. This past year has been tough for car enthusiasts, as it’s almost impossible to enjoy cars with friends without coming in close contact with one another. Personally, we can attest to that, as there are so many people that we only see at big auto shows that we haven’t seen in over a year and it’s beginning to take its toll. However, the ability to check out cars together virtually is the next closest thing. This way, if you’re so inclined, you can jump on the livestream with your friends and check out the new Bimmers together. Being that it’s on Facebook, we’ll be taking questions and will answer as many as we can. It’s also nice to see BMW working closely to keep its customers and fans involved with the brand during the pandemic. Even though people can’t really be together, BMW is still finding a way to connect to its loyal fans, so they can experience the brand, even in a digital way. Please stay tuned to our BMWBLOG Facebook Page for the direct links to the livestream. In the mean time, book this first even on February 16, 2021. Here are the participating dealers and the schedule for Feb 15-19, 2021:

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Spectrum is giving its cable TV customers a refund for all the live sports programming they did not get in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most customers who subscribed to a Spectrum TV package as of July 31, 2020, will see a $17.73 credit on their February bill for sports programming canceled early last year, the company said Wednesday. All residential TV customers will receive the rebate except subscribers of TV Essentials, a package that does not include sports programming, the company said. February bills include this statement: Due to the temporary COVID-related shutdown of sports in 2020 and the resulting reduced sports programming, this bill statement includes a one-time credit of $17.73. Spectrum said the rebates are the result of the company’s discussions with programming partners. With most live sports canceled early last year, many sports programmers broadcast old “classic” games to fill the gap. But that left customers without the live college and professional sports they were paying for. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him

BEIJING (Kyodo) -- North Korea has changed the English title of its leader Kim Jong Un from "chairman" to "president," according to recent state media reports from the country. The Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday ran an English story of Kim visiting the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, on the outskirts of Pyongyang, on Tuesday to mark the birthday of his late father, Chairman Kim Jong Il, whose preserved remains lie in state there. The KCNA report referred to the current leader as "president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," using the country's formal name. KCNA, whose English service had previously called him "chairman" of the State Affairs Commission, the highest governing body, changed that to "president" for the first time last week while reporting on Cuban leaders' message to Kim. However, his title in Korean remains the same as before. Speculation has been growing as to why the title was changed. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted experts as saying the move appears intended to present North Korea to the world as a "normal state" by following the practice of other countries such as China and Russia, whose heads of state are called "president." Until now, the title of "president" was reserved for Kim Il Sung, the late state founder and grandfather of the current leader. It has been suggested there might also be a dual aim of gaining external authority by using the same title as the state founder, who died in 1994 after 46 years in power. During a ruling party congress last month, Kim, formerly "chairman" of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, was elected as its "general secretary," taking over the top post previously held by Kim Jong Il, the nation's previous leader who died in 2011 after 17 years of rule.

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Businesses using talent.io include Deliveroo, VW, TripAdvisor, TransferWise, American Express and Renault. The company analysed more than 100,000 vacancies in various cities around Europe and London, looking at salaries and daily rates of both permanent and freelance professionals,focusing on four main positions: back-end, front-end, full-stack and lead developers. The study found that Munich is the city with the highest median salary for software developers (€70,000), followed by London (£60,000/ €66,000), Berlin (€60,000), Amsterdam (€57,500) and Paris (€45,000). During 2020, there was an increase in remote working, which talent.io’s CEO, Nicolas Meunier, said was reflected in demand for remote software developers. When the company surveyed its clients at the start of the pandemic, three-quarters experienced minimal impact during the transition to remote working, said Meunier. “Companies realised that remote working could actually work in a great and efficient way and tech teams have always been leaders in pioneering new ways of working,” he said. The data from talent.io shows that developers gain the biggest increase in salary when they move from having up to three years’ experience to the four to six-year bracket. Asked how developers progress to becoming software development leads, Meunier said: “Software developers wanting to progress to become lead developers first need to build the skills to become senior developers. Lead developers are responsible for mentoring junior members and helping them to ramp up their technical skills. A lead developer needs years of practice to develop strong expertise in the language and frameworks used in their team and company.” He said they also need expertise in how to build software from the moment a feature or product is prioritised, to the moment it is deployed. “The developer needs to acquire know-how on all the stages of development for features and products,” Meunier added. Another essential requirement on job specification is project management, he said. This means having expertise in project management and coordinating people towards the completion of a project and having good communication and setting objectives. Asked about the specific programming skills that are most in demand, Meunier said: “We have observed Node.js and React are some of the most in-demand technologies at the moment.” Looking at talent.io’s data reveals that in Berlin, companies appear to be paying a premium rate for front-end software developers with four to six years’ experience. Annual salaries jump from €50,000 for developers with three years or less of experience to €60,000 for those with four more years. According to talent.io, the annual salaries of London front-end developers does not seem to increase beyond £50,000 until they gain seven or more years’ experience, when their salary jumps from £50,000 to £63,000. Explaining the difference in salaries and the hike in Berlin, Meunier said: “There is a high demand for front-end developers with four to six years’ experience in Germany because of the way the industry is structured. E-commerce or marketplaces, for instance, are more sensitive to front-end developers in the German tech market.” Talent.io’s data also shows that there is a relatively big jump in salary for London back-end developers with four to six years’ experience. According to Meunier, this is because such developers are now in high demand. “The most in-demand back-end profiles on our platform are developers with four-plus years of experience,” he said. “As a result, companies have to attract them with more competitive salaries. Let’s also not forget that these developers often have several job offers, so they use this as leverage when choosing a company.” Meunier said the salary jump can also be explained by the fact that many developers change their job after just one year in a company, which allows them to command a higher salary. In London, talent.io’s data suggests that a lead developer with seven years or more experience can earn as much as £70,000 (€77,000) a year, while those with four to six years’ experience typically earn around €74,000. This is on par with Munich-based lead developers.

The prying open of the hardware stack has begun in earnest, but the precise path this complex process will take has yet to be determined. Market forces, limits of scaling and the emergence of disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence have fueled the rise of open source hardware. Still, as this EE Times Special Project demonstrates, physical, legal and economic barriers remain as a fledgling group of open source advocates and a handful of commercial vendors seek to democratized hardware design. Those proponents and early adopters have focused their energies on reduced instruction set computing, the foundational RISC architecture that emerged from the University of California at Berkeley in the 1980s. RISC has seeded the beginnings of an ecosystem extending beyond processor technology to include open interconnects, network and, ultimately, open computing. As with open source software, key chip makers are eyeing the open hardware movement. Some perhaps with trepidation as semiconductor scaling runs out of steam and monster GPUs and CPUs accelerators approach the end of the line, giving way to new heterogeneous devices and chiplets. Indeed, the nascent open source hardware movement can glean lessons from their software brethren. Over the last several years, in examples of what critics described as “enlightened self-interest,” behemoths such as Microsoft (GitHub) and IBM (Red Hat) have snapped up key sectors of the open source software movement. If and when open source hardware development reaches critical mass, might the same acquisition spree repeat itself, potentially stymying hardware innovation? Industry observers are divided on the impact of pending deals such as Nvidia’s acquisition of chip IP vendor Arm Ltd. would have on the ambitious RISC-V project. “There are concerns expressed that Nvidia’s competitors would be alarmed and maybe move to RISC-V—which Nvidia also has a stake in. But that would be stupid, and Nvidia is not stupid,” said graphics industry analyst Jon Peddie. Regardless of how antitrust and other issues play out, the open computing ecosystem continues to expand. Beyond the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA), groups like the Open Compute Project are driving innovations ranging from open interconnects for emerging chiplets to AI hardware-software design collaboration. Indeed, the group’s 2021 strategic plan concludes that a “a co-design approach is needed to allow for simultaneous work on all the [hardware] and [software] bottlenecks which can affect the performance….” The growing complexity of machine learning workloads that dominate enterprise data centers will likely forge closer ties among developers of open code and hardware. We examine these and other issues on our Open Source Special Project. Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at TIRIAS Research, surveys the rise of the RISC architecture and how it underpins much of the open source hardware movement. Indeed, the emergence of the RISC ISA has encouraged open source developers to grab the baton and forge new devices. Analyst Jon Peddie outlines one such project aimed at developing a new, free GPU design dubbed RV64X. Nitan Dahad, EE Times European correspondent and editor-in-chief of embedded.com considers whether the open source hardware movement can duplicate the success of the sprawling Linux ecosystem. He and others conclude the RISC ISA could prove the hardware equivalent of the Linux kernel. As Dahad’s sources explain, however, hardware designers face physical limits that far exceed pushing out the next software release. Contributor John Walko examines how the shift to open hardware such as radio access networks is shaping the deployment of next-generation 5G networks. Meanwhile, EDN Editor-in-Chief Majeed Kamran goes deep into the design details of emerging RISC-V processor designs, concluding that recent progress may foreshadow of new era of open computing. Lastly, we reprise EE Times Editor-in-Chief Junko Yoshida’s interview with Wes McKinney, the brains behind several open source data analytics tools. Among McKinney’s goals is bridging the gap between data science and big data, a chasm that open source hardware can help narrow.

Barbarians in Sid Meier's Civilisation VI have never been anything more than that—violent clans of bandits out to make your early game a living hell. This month, a free update finally gives some depth to these raiders, letting you bribe, hire, and incite one of six new clans. Introduced in a Firaxis dev update, a free update on February 25th will add an optional Barbarian Clans mode, introducing six new clans with their own unique specialty unit and terrain preferences. While these new units will make Barbarians tougher to fight, eradicating their camps from the map is no longer the only option you have for dealing with them. See, Barbarians now have a progress tracker before turning into a City State, and you can either help or hinder them on this path. Rather than eradicating a camp, you can choose to simply raid it, stealing its gold and knocking it down the progress tracker. On the other hand, you can pay clans to stop attacking you, or even hire them to pester other factions, with those acts of commerce pushing them towards statehood. Granted, Barbarians have long been symptomatic of the series' kinda messed-up approach to the concept of "civilisation"—a relentless forward march that paints the raiders as uncultured brutes beyond redemption, lesser to your proper, civilised state. This update gives you more options beyond simply kicking their heads in, but there's still an uncomfortably imperialist bent to the idea of elevating these barbarous primitives. This month's update also adds a leader pool, letting you filter out factions you don't want in your game. AI players will become more involved in air combat, making it harder to roll over them with bombers in the late-game, while plenty more balance changes are coming to natural wonders.

BMW has launched the new X3 xDrive30i SportX in India today. The new car is locally produced at BMW Group Plant Chennai. The company has announced that the ‘SportX’ petrol variant of the BMW X3 is available at dealerships from today. The car has been launched at an introductory price of ₹56.5 lakh (ex-showroom). Customers can book the car online through BMW Online Shop. Buyers who manage to book the car before 28 February mid-night, will be eligible for benefits worth up to ₹1.50 lakh. The benefits include BMW Service Inclusive Package and BMW Accessories Package. The BMW Service Inclusive covers all maintenance work, including any BMW Original Parts and oil requirements for 3 year/ 40,000 kms. The BMW Accessories Package will include the BMW Display key, 2.5 PM air filter, LED door projectors and universal wireless charger. The BMW X3 xDrive30i SportX gets LED headlamps with BMW's trademark four-eyed front face. The designers have used black high gloss elements on the radiator grille bars, two-tone underbody protection, air-breather and the 18-inch light-alloy wheels. On the inside, the car gets Sensatec upholstery, fine-wood trim with pearl chrome finisher and galvanic application on controls. Further, the car gets panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting with welcome light carpet and automatic 3 zone A/C. The car features BMW Live Cockpit Plus with touch functionality, digital instrument cluster with analog dials, Hi-Fi loudspeaker, Parking Assistant and Apple CarPlay as well aAndroid Auto. Mr. Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India said, “BMW has pioneered the world of sports activity vehicles (SAV) with its ‘X’ range. For nearly two decades, the BMW X3 has been extremely successful in the luxury SAV segment as it strikes an ideal balance between on-road and off-road capabilities. Today, with the addition of the new ‘SportX’ variant, we are strategically expanding the range of BMW X3 offering and giving our customers the ‘Power of Choice’. This powerful and adventurous ‘X’ machine is the ideal companion for those who are on a mission to push the limits. The new BMW X3 xDrive30i SportX is yet another proof of BMW’s commitment to keep innovating and producing the best vehicles in each segment."

Ken Goldin has made millions selling the sports trading cards of Mike Trout, Michael Jordan and Patrick Mahomes. Now he’s lined up an even bigger score: his company. The sports-memorabilia mogul is selling a majority stake in Goldin Auctions, an eight-year-old shop dedicated to auctioning off collectibles — and trading cards in particular — to the Chernin Group, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Chernin leads a blockbuster group of investors, including basketball star Kevin Durant, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, YouTube star Logan Paul and podcaster Bill Simmons. The group is investing $40 million in Goldin Auctions to help the company become the dominant player in the booming market for sports-trading cards. Sales of such items have soared to new heights in the past couple of years, and Goldin’s firm has emerged as the leading auction house — the Sotheby’s of sports, if you will. It generated more auction sales in January — $36 million — than it did in all of 2019, when it made $27 million. For the full year, Goldin is on pace for more than $200 million in sales, doubling its record take from a year earlier. “We have something the hobby has never had before,” Goldin said an interview. “All of a sudden, we’re cool. We’re part of pop culture.” A flood of wealthy people seeking alternate investments, ranging from Bitcoin to song catalogs, has descended on sports collectibles. Many of these people were raised during the first trading card boom in the 1980s. Only this time, the market has benefited from growing interest in contemporary players and new sports.

Danielle McLaughlin’s debut novel The Art of Falling is a tale of infidelity, betrayal and deceit set in middle-class Cork, not a milieu that we see often in literary fiction. She is at pains to point out, however, that she didn’t draw on real-life people for her characters. “I suppose there is no way of managing what goes on in other people’s heads, so there may very well be people who read the book and say ‘oh, that’s me’. I can say now that it definitely isn’t. They are all entirely fictional.” There is one exception, however, says McLaughlin. “Bailey the dog in the novel is named after the dog after a friend of mine — a beautiful labrador who died. It only occurred to me later that the teenage daughter in the book is called Jennifer — the family that owns the dog also has a daughter called Jennifer. It just happened, I don’t know what my brain was doing. The teenager in the novel is entirely fictional and I warned my friend and her daughter that it is not them and they are completely fine with it. It just goes to show how careful you have to be,” she says. McLaughlin, who lives in Donoughmore in Co Cork with her husband and three children, may be a debut novelist but she has been a force on the literary scene for many years now, winning numerous awards and prizes for her short stories and acclaim for her 2015 collection, Dinosaurs on Other Planets. The main character in The Art of Falling is Nessa McCormack, an art curator whose work and personal life are in turmoil. She lives in a house inherited by her architect husband, whose recent affair has shaken their marriage. McLaughlin did take inspiration from real life in regard to Nessa’s home, one of the grand old houses in Sunday’s Well, with gardens that stretch down to the riverbank across from Fitzgerald’s Park. “Wouldn’t I love to live in one of those houses,” says McLaughlin. “The number of times I have looked across at them — to have the river and the park just across the way, at the bottom of your garden. You could wander out in your dressing gown in the morning, have your coffee, look across at the park. "I saw that distance between Nessa and the house — she doesn’t come from an affluent background… as well as that, the house has come down from another generation, she hasn’t earned it herself. It links to how she is very class-conscious and has insecurities around her social standing. She doesn’t feel quite at ease.” It took McLaughlin a while to adjust to life as a full-time writer after she gave up her legal practice due to illness when she was 40. When her meticulously crafted short stories won a slew of prizes, including the $165,000 Windham-Campbell Prize for fiction and the £30,000 Sunday Times Audible Short Story prize, it was a welcome boost, both financially and psychologically. “I had a couple of prizes that came close together, that were fantastic in terms of the financial support they provided. They were an important affirmation as well because I was having a little bit of a wobble in my thought process about the big questions, like ‘what am I doing with my life?’. "I was turning 50 and I had been ten years out of legal practice, which had been my dream for so long, then I just walked away from it. It wasn’t planned, I got ill, but I didn’t go back to it. Then those prizes dropped out of the sky. They arrived at a time where they were important from my own psychological perspective as well.” McLaughlin has also relied on the support of the writing community in Cork from the beginning. The Fiction at the Friary monthly event, which she set up with fellow Cork author Madeline D’Arcy, offers a forum for writers, established and emerging, to share their experience. “When I started writing, people were so good, encouraging and helpful that I always said if I was ever in a position to encourage someone else, I would want to pay it back. At the beginning, the tough parts of the writing life, like the rejection, can hit very hard. But talking to other writers who are going through the same thing really helps. "There is also the practical side of things, to have somewhere you can go along and get tips, maybe where you should be sending your work and all of that.” Connecting with other writers also acts as ballast against the often isolating and solitary pursuit of writing, although McLaughlin says it is a career that suits her as an introvert. She was also diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum in her 40s. “I have zero stigma about it but I’m not sure I’m terribly interesting in the way I talk about it. I think it is always good to learn more about ourselves so it’s great to have that information. I do find it interesting to think about how being on the autism spectrum might feed into my writing in terms of attention to detail and high level of focus, which I find very helpful in writing,” she says. McLaughlin has discovered, however, that being an introvert has not necessarily been an advantage in dealing with the ongoing isolation of lockdown. “When it started, I thought ‘I’m not someone who is out partying anyway so I will cope with this really well’. In the beginning, it was fine, maybe because the start of the pandemic coincided with good weather but I really did find it affecting my moods, especially the last few months of last year, it really kicked in as a very negative, energy-draining, low-mood thing. January was a million years long." McLaughlin says she has been working hard to keep herself upbeat. "I’m doing loads of walking, trying to get lots of sleep. But it has surprised me, from a good mental health perspective, even introverts do need to get out and socialise. I know I should be more zen, going to a deeper spiritual place, broadening my mental horizons and all that but actually it feels claustrophobic and I want it over.” I have just finished Words To Shape My Name by Laura McKenna. I thought it was wonderful, I was totally absorbed from start to finish. I also read A Quiet Tide by Marianne Lee recently; it’s about Ellen Hutchins, Ireland’s first female botanist. A beautiful book and lovely writing. I’m not big into TV but my kids got me into watching it, especially in the last year. We watched all of The Crown, which I really enjoyed. Also The Queen’s Gambit and Anne with an E, which I thought was beautiful. I tend not to listen to music an awful lot, I have always been more drawn to curling up with a book in a quiet place. I listen to music that my kids listen to — Hozier, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. I tend to listen to short stories on podcast — I’ve been enjoying Spoken Stories: Independence on RTÉ Radio 1, Kevin Barry and Sue Rainsford had ones recently or I would listen to writers reading their own stories on the New Yorker podcast.

The Ministry of Health announced the latest figures on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Turkey yesterday (February 15). While the daily number of new cases has been announced by the Ministry as 7,945, the number of patients has been announced as 660. 91 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in Turkey in the last 24 hours. 7,106 people have recovered. The number of tests conducted in the last 24 hours has been announced as 116,452. According to the figures announced till today, 31,633,171 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Turkey so far. While the total number of cases is 2,594,128, the death toll has reached 27,562 people. While 1,232 patients are reportedly in critical condition, the rate of COVID-19 patients with pneumonia has been announced as 3.6 percent this week. The total number of recoveries is reportedly 2,482,435. According to the Ministry's figures, this week, the hospital bed occupancy rate is 47.9 percent, that of adult intensive care units is 59.6 percent and that of ventilators is 30.1 percent. The "COVID-19 Patient Table" also indicates that an average of 8 hours pass until the contacts of positive patients are detected and the rate of contact tracing (filiation) is 99.9 percent this week. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced the number of COVID-19 cases on a provincial basis between February 8-14 as part of a new weekly initiative. "From now on, we will announce the number of cases for seven days at the beginning of each week," Koca has said on Twitter. The number of cases per 100,000 people is 60.19 in Istanbul, 35.49 in the capital Ankara and 44.39 in western Izmir province. While this number is the highest in Trabzon (228.02 per 100,000 people), Trabzon is followed by Rize (with 202.44), by Ordu (194.42), by Giresun (184.34) and by Samsun province (with 171.29 per 100,000). As for the lowest numbers, they are in the following provinces respectively: Şırnak (7.82 per 100,000 people), Hakkari (9.55) and Bitlis (10.35). Turkey began a mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign on January 14 starting with health care workers along with top officials in a stated attempt to encourage public confidence in the vaccines. Since early December, Turkey has also been implementing curfews on nights and weekends to curb the spread of the virus. In his press conference on September 30, 2020, Health Minister Koca previously indicated that they did not add everyone who tested positive for COVID-19 to the number of daily patients and they considered only the ones who showed the symptoms as "patients." Until July 29, 2020, the expression of "number of daily cases" was used on the Health Ministry's COVID-19 table. It was then understood that after this day, it had been changed into "number of daily patients." However, following a meeting of the Coronavirus Science Board, Minister Koca announced that the number of asymptomatic cases would also be shared starting from November 25 "at the request of the people." While the number of daily cases has been announced since November 26, the total number of cases has been announced since December 10. Since originating in China in 2019, COVID-19 has claimed over 2.4 million lives in 191 countries and regions. Over 109.1 million cases have been reported worldwide while over 61.3 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The US, Brazil, and India are still the worst-hit countries in terms of their number of cases.

Nowadays, many software companies are committed to expanding their markets to other countries and even to the world. To gain a foothold in other countries and regions, localization is a critical task. When it comes to the localization of a company’s businesses, there can be a requirement to outsource the translation. Should translation marketing be outsourced? This is a controversial topic among business owners. Some tend to rely on internal talents to achieve localization by hiring bilingual employees, while others choose to outsource it to external experienced freelancers or a reliable language service provider (LSP). Compared with setting up an internal translation department of their own, the latter choice can be more cost-effective than localization for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). PROMOTED As my company has had experience with both internal talent and outsourcing, here are some ways SMEs can benefit from outsourcing translation marketing in different aspects. Human Resources Management For most SMEs, the translation marketing of certain languages is just a small part of their business and is often even temporary. For example, the software-related translations might only be demanded during software development or updates. MORE FOR YOU Aligning Education With A Changing World How To Ensure A Seamless Transition When A Key Company Leader Leaves The Best Flower Delivery Services For Valentine’s Day Bouquets If companies don’t have bilingual talents of the specific languages and plan to hire a qualified translator, they will need another experienced person to ensure the translation quality. But here comes the question: What should you do after the temporary task is completed? To keep these internal translators busy, companies have to develop new tasks for them to complete, but these translations may have little effect on the businesses and could be a waste of human resources. By outsourcing translation, companies can be free from the heavy burden of human resources, including recruitment, assignment and management of translation talents. Without worrying about the follow-up arrangements for translators, all they need is a manager who is responsible for quality control and critical decisions related to the outsourced translation. Efficiency And Quality Generally, SMEs that rely on internal bilingual talents won’t hire many translators. The limited translation personnel can handle routine translations easily and quickly, but it might take much more time for them to complete some heavy translation tasks, which might even affect entire projects. Besides, not all bilingual people are competent translators, and I've observed that SMEs are often unable to evaluate a translator’s expertise and proficiency well. By contrast, more manpower can be invested in translation while outsourcing. According to the amount of translation content, the outsourcing service can adjust the number of translators to provide high efficiency, and companies can get the translation result in a short time. The translation is divided into industries. These professional translators in LSPs commonly have enough linguistic and cultural knowledge as well as their own fields of expertise. They are also good at making use of some advanced translation software to ensure accuracy and efficiency. More importantly, they have cultural awareness and can localize the content in a way that is acceptable to the people in that location. The LSPs can designate qualified translators as per the project’s field and complete the translation with the latest terminology to result in good translations. At the same time, SMEs can give LSPs their special requirements when it comes to terms and style to customize the translation. Decreasing Costs Outsourcing translation work can help SMEs save costs. When using internal translation, companies can spend time, money and resources exploring and setting up translation standards, termbases and styles of their own for quality translation. They have to undertake the internal translators’ salary and benefits that a full-time employee deserves and spare office space for each employee, even if there are not many translations to allocate. However, for most enterprises, translation is not a routine task but optional work required for main projects. From this perspective, cooperating with a localization outsourcing service could be more cost-effective, as they just need to pay for the translation work required without spending much more. This also applies to the cases where companies involve multiple countries and the translation workload of different languages is uneven. SMEs can outsource a part of the translation process to save costs on languages with less workload. Best Practices For Outsourcing Outsourcing translation does not mean that SMEs can stay out of the translation process. There are still several important steps to note in response to outsourcing translation. First, choose a reliable and professional localization outsourcing, while maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the company’s assets. Next, convey your requirements for translation, markets and businesses exactly to the translators. Keep good communication between relevant internal personnel and external translators to avoid conflicts about the content itself. And lastly, have internal personnel in the company to supervise the translation quality. In addition to these steps, here are some tips as you get started: • Start localization as early as possible, and try to create long-term and strong relationships between your business and outsourcing. • A dedicated internal role is required to manage outsourcing partners. • Always plan ahead with your project and reserve time and cost for the localization. • Include a mechanism to collect user feedback and a quick-release management procedure to ensure your business will not be affected by the mistake during the localization. When expanding globally, it is an ideal choice for SMEs that don’t have a localization platform of their own to outsource all or a major part of translation marketing. By outsourcing translation per the situation, SMEs can be free from a heavy human resource management burden and achieve quality localization while saving time and costs. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify? Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website. Wei Ming Wei Ming Co-Founder and COO at MiniTool Software Ltd. Read Wei Ming's full executive profile here.… Read More Print Reprints & Permissions

“Honestly, since reopening in October 2020, it’s been very, very hard,” the post goes on. “We have had to endure the loss of tourists, international students and office workers and we are fighting for our life right now. Lockdown 3.0 has been the last straw.” Speaking candidly to Broadsheet about her business, Keser hopes to open up the conversation for other struggling businesses – especially those in the CBD, which have been hit particularly hard by the three lockdowns – and help prompt meaningful change. “Everyone’s too ashamed to admit it’s a cluster[CENSORED] … but it’s okay not to be okay,” she says. “If it’s happening to us it’s gotta be happening to others.” “I’ve run businesses in Melbourne for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” she continues. Friday’s snap lockdown, she says, resulted in “loss of stock, staff wages … it’s just one blow after another”. “We, as a state, need to be at that ‘gold standard’ of contact tracing so we don’t have to worry about our businesses being open and closed … And none of us can afford for Jobkeeper to be cut.” This Healesville distillery doesn’t just produce world-renowned gin – it takes its responsibilities to the community seriously. In partnership with Dan Murphy’s, we talk to co-founder Stuart Gregor about supporting locals and giving back – and get a recipe for a special Olive-Oil Martini. Gin is more than just a key ingredient in G&Ts and Martinis – the liquor itself can display the character of the area it comes from, thanks to local botanicals and producers. It’s something Four Pillars Gin – based in Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley – has long been expert at. Take, for example, its annual Bloody Shiraz Gin, which combines the original Rare Dry Gin with cool-climate shiraz grapes from the Yarra valley, producing a stunning purple gin with a sweet note. But according to co-founder Stuart Gregor, Four Pillars’ award-winning gins are infused with an even more important ingredient: community. “I start with the people of Healesville,” he says. “We’re employing more than 80 locals in the Yarra valley area. That’s the best contribution we can make to any community – to keep people in jobs. You’re more than a brand of gin, you’re a collective of people.” It helps that the collective produces great gin. Four Pillars was recently crowned International Gin Producer of the Year for the second consecutive year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. The business is also about to expand its physical footprint thanks to a multi-million-dollar redevelopment. “We’ll be three times the size we are now this time next year,” says Gregor. “It’s exciting times, especially coming after the year the community has just endured with Covid-19.” Community and local connections are integral to the business. Four Pillars recently worked with Yarra Valley Caviar to make gin-infused salmon caviar (made with Bloody Shiraz Gin), and with local brewers Hargreaves Hill to make a Gin Barrel Gose. “It’s really important to be a strong community participant,” says Gregor. There’s also the annual Four Pillars of the Community event – for the first week of December, all profits are donated to local organisations. Recipients in 2020 included CFA Healesville, Oz Harvest, Mad Foundation, Safe Steps and Scarf. When asked why Four Pillars has been such a success, Gregor says it’s because the company is no one-trick pony – it’s constantly innovating. New to bottle-shop shelves is the Olive Leaf Gin, which has a more savoury, Mediterranean flavour profile – think bay, rosemary and lemon – than the classic dry variation. Gregor says inspiration for the drop struck while visiting Cobram Estate’s annual olive harvest on the Murray River in north-west Victoria, back in 2018. “There’s something about being around an olive grove that just makes you want to have a Martini,” he says. It led to a light-bulb moment: using olive oil as the botanical in a new savoury gin, created with Martinis in mind. “Cobram offered us first-press olive oil, and we ended up using a few litres of it in any batch (about 1500 pressed olives), along with juniper, coriander seeds, lemon, macadamia and olive leaf,” says Gregor. “It gives a lovely soft mouth-feel and savoury taste. It tastes like standing on the edge of an olive grove on the Murray.” That’s the thing about gin: it can take you places. Here’s how to make Gregor’s Olive-Oil Martini at home. Stuart Gregor’s Olive-Oil Martini Makes 1 serve. Approx. 2 standard drinks. Ingredients: 60ml Four Pillars Olive Leaf gin 15ml dry vermouth (Dolin is a favourite) Olive oil Sicilian olives Lemon Method: Stir gin and vermouth over ice in a mixing glass (get it as cold as possible). Strain into frozen cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over and garnish with a few drops of olive oil and drop in an olive. Serve with a side of Sicilian olives. Explore the great range of locally-produced Australian gins at Dan Murphy's. This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Dan Murphy’s.

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Quorum Software has announced a merger with fellow Thoma Bravo subsidiary Aucerna, along with the acquisition of Tieto EVRY's Oil and Gas software business The new combined business, to operate as Quorum Software going forward, looks to focus on driving digital transformation and complementary customer offerings in the energy sector. Alongside with the merger, the acquisition of TietoEVRY‘s Oil and Gas software division aims to combine complementary workflows, mission-critical technologies and global expertise, as well as bolstering the organisation’s bid to lead the energy software industry. Following confirmation of the deal, Gene Austin will continue to serve as CEO of Quorum Software, while Wayne Sim, CEO and co-founder of Aucerna, will be appointed to its board of directors. The combined company will serve more than 1,800 energy customers across 55 countries. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Quorum Software will have offices located throughout North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East and APAC. Additionally, presence is set to continue in Calgary, Alberta, the headquarters of Aucerna, and in Norway, the Energy Components and DaWinci software headquarters. “Over the last 20 years, Quorum has become the leading innovator of software deployed by North American energy companies,” said Gene Austin, CEO of Quorum Software. “Today Quorum is expanding the scope of our technology and expertise to all energy-producing regions of the globe. Customers everywhere will have access to a cloud technology ecosystem that connects decision-ready data from operations to the boardroom.” Wayne Sim, CEO and co-founder of Aucerna, and board member at Quantum Software, added: “Our new company will be able to deliver value to our stakeholders, while accelerating the growth of our combined business and the energy industry’s software transformation.” Scott Crabill, a managing partner at Thoma Bravo, commented: “Quorum and Aucerna are industry leaders that have each spurred significant innovation and digital transformation in the energy industry. “By combining these two fast-growing and highly complementary businesses with TietoEVRY’s Oil and Gas software business, the new Quorum will have significant global scale and an unparalleled product portfolio that meets nearly every need within the energy value chain. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with Gene, Wayne and the Quorum team in this exciting next chapter of the company’s growth story.”

The middle of November saw some of the quickest ecommerce website crashes in recent memory. Hundreds of thousands of gamers looking to cop a next gen console flooded the likes of Walmart, Amazon, and other prominent retail chains. The target? A next-gen console. Gamers were no strangers to this phenomenon by this time. 2020 has been a year of the dreaded "Out of Stock" message flashing across disappointed customers' screens. We had the paper launch of Nvidia's RTX 3000 series graphics cards, followed soon by AMD's 6000 series GPUs and 5000 series CPUs. The global pandemic has confined people to their homes and as a result, the demand for gaming hardware has skyrocketed. The stock issues were further exacerbated by logistical issues that arose because of restrictive measures taken by countries as well freight companies. While the Xbox Series X stock has somewhat stabilised, the PlayStation 5 still remains elusive. These circumstances have also spawned a different breed of evil: the scalpers. With bots and clever scripts, these heinous beings buy massive chunks of stock from retailers, only to flip the products at double the price to third-party sellers. Scalping is such a big issue right now, that even brick-and-mortar retailers in our country are engaging in it. Don't believe me? Take note of how that random friend fidgets every time you ask them the price of their PS5. That's them trying to hide their shame of having no self-control. In the event that you do manage to cop one at retail price, congratulations! You are literally one of the lucky few in the world. But is the entire experience worth it? To answer this question we need to roll back to 2013 when the PlayStation 4 launched and the 8th generation of console wars officially began. Both the XB1 and PS4 had a modest number of titles, and few were worth playing. It was a future-proofing purchase rather than one of instant-gratification. If you got the new console, you could assume you'd be safe for at least the next five years for all your gaming needs. The 8th generation truly shined during the years 2015 to 2018, with both platforms pumping out must-play exclusives all the while offering vast ecosystems to entice users into spending more time in their systems. This will be the case for the 9th generation as well. As of now, barring all the multiplatform titles, there's literally nothing to play on the next-gen consoles. Once you're done with Demon's Souls, you're going to be stuck playing backwards compatibility games from the PS4's library. We cannot be certain as to whether there will be a golden age for this generation as well but we can opt to consult certain facts. It is clear that both Microsoft and Sony want to cater to the growing technically-proficient gamer base who consider PC the platform of their choice. This trend started with the mid-generation hardware refresh during the PS4 and XB1 lifespan. The PS4 Pro and XB1X were both aimed at delivering higher fidelity visuals and better performance—hallmarks of the PC platform. With the 9th generation of consoles, they have opted to go down a similar path by heavily advertising one of the most polarising features of modern-day PC gaming, Ray Tracing. Ray Tracing was touted by Nvidia at the onset as the next step in the evolution of graphics in video games. Real-time ray tracing was a pipe dream for hardware manufacturers for the longest time imaginable. Nvidia made it mainstream with their RTX 2000 series GPUs. The first generation of ray tracing was generally a horrible mess in terms of performance. It still is, given how it requires raw computational power to function well. Nvidia's DLSS upscaling has circumvented that performance requirement, but AMD is yet to catch up. Which brings me to my next point: all the next-gen consoles have AMD graphics hardware, and if the 6000 series is any indication, they are nowhere near breaking Nvidia's performance numbers when it comes to ray tracing. But given this fact alone that the console manufacturers have promoted graphics features that were once thought to be exclusive to PC, does mean that they are serious about bringing proper next-gen experiences to these consoles. The handful of exclusives that have been released on both consoles have a variety of settings for different graphical fidelities. A user can choose smoother framerates while sacrificing visual quality and resolution or vice versa. The hardware in the consoles is just not powerful enough to deliver 4K or even 1440p 60 FPS with full raytracing, but neither can most PCs unless you spend a fortune so there's that. But all of this flies in the face of what made consoles vastly po[CENSORED]r in the first place—a seamless experience. Gone are those days when you could just pop in a disk (or a cartridge if you prefer) and you could just play the game. Now, you're going to have to wait for frequent updates. The new SSDs on the consoles hoped to reduce loading and installation times, but they can't upgrade your internet unfortunately. What will ultimately happen is that consoles will struggle to find their own identity in a market that is already highly competitive because of shrinking wallets. As platforms become homogeneous, gamers will face what I like to call the commodity dilemma. Think of when you're in the market to buy a bag of rice, generally you'd just pick whichever one's at the top without giving a second thought, right? That is the future we might be looking at with consoles as well. With a vast majority of gamers flocking to live service multiplayer games that are cross-platform, your platform of choice simply won't matter. Unless, of course, you are part of the niche who want to go for particular franchises which are exclusive to a platform. Graphics and performance have always been better on PC, trying to make it mainstream might just be a bit too much of a stretch for consoles yet again. No doubt there will be a vast library of jaw-dropping titles to experience on these platforms after one or two years, but simply put, the next generation of consoles have a lot to live up to given how they have basically entered a market that has been dominated by one platform for years on end. Only time will tell if the 9th generation will be the one that finally breaks the stalemate or will it be just a repeat of 8th gen.

renda Romero, the designer behind Prohibition-era strategy game Empire of Sin, remembers the meeting as if it were yesterday. Facing publisher bigwigs in a Cologne conference room, the veteran game maker presented what she had been writing for the past five years, and dreaming of for 20. “It was the most nerve-racking pitch of my life,” she says. “I’m comfortable with public speaking but to be on a stage with an audience of two, where you’re trying to get somebody to fund an idea for two-and-a-half to three years, that’s a big ask.” For all the shifting dynamics of the video game industry over the past decade – most notably the proliferation of indie games, sometimes made without any funding at all – this is still the most likely way a video game will get made. In a world before Covid-19, hopeful game makers and executives would jet off to conferences such as Gamescom, E3, or the Game Developers Conference to thrash out deals in backroom meetings while the public enjoyed the show. Empire of Sin is part of a new wave of games known in the industry as “triple I (III)”, independent titles with production values to rival their blockbuster (triple-A, or AAA) counterparts. New funding options and publishers have emerged: Devolver Digital deals in acerbic cartoon violence, Annapurna Interactive offers an accessible take on arthouse, and Swedish publisher Raw Fury sits somewhere between the two. The type of deals on offer can vary, but the fundamentals remain the same. Publishers will often fund production as well as additional costs such as marketing and quality assurance. Then, when a game is eventually released, revenue share is either split between publisher and studio, or kicks in once the publisher has fully recouped its advance. Depending on the size of advance, studios can be left in the cold (potentially with cashflow problems) as they wait for funds to materialise. In Romero’s case, video game publisher Paradox Interactive signed the game and she ultimately relinquished ownership. In return, Romero secured enough funds to assemble a team of 30 on the west coast of Ireland. Megan Fox, founder of Glass Bottom Games, questions whether the trade-offs inherent in a publishing deal are worthwhile for the creators of smaller indie projects. “A publishing company used to be responsible for getting the game into brick and mortar stores,” she says. “But at this point, I can release a game [digitally] on pretty much any platform I care about.” Fox, a mostly solo game maker, turned to crowdfunding site Kickstarter for her latest project, SkateBIRD, raising enough cash to fund production for a few years. While the crowdfunding site could be counted on to finance bigger-budget game projects, such as point-and-click adventure Broken Age eight years ago, thanks to a string of high-profile failures it is now more likely to fund a team of one rather than 100. Indie Fund, a collective of 34 independent game makers, most of whom found success during the past decade, has made a habit of essentially eliminating risk from its ventures. Since its formation in 2010, the group has financed many commercial and critical hits, including seminal walking simulator Dear Esther and innovative FMV drama Her Story. Adriaan de Jongh, maker of 2017’s Hidden Folks and one of its most recent members, suggests its high rate of success is partly down to the financing agreement, which caps investor returns at double their initial input. Theoretically, this is good for game makers but the arrangement also stymies risk; Indie Fund’s investors are incentivised to back what they believe are almost sure bets. Of course, what the investors of Indie Fund perceive to be safe bets is a matter of perspective – and in a mostly white, cisgender male group, that perspective is arguably limited. Indeed, De Jongh admits the risk-averse fund might not be doing everything it can to nurture new talent, particularly game makers from underrepresented backgrounds who could be less experienced or simply less confident. There haven’t been any recent conversations about specifically financing projects headed up by developers of colour, or adding developers of colour to the investor list. This, De Jongh believes, is a result of the group’s amorphous structure. “I’m not certain we’re taking our responsibility for diversity in the games industry seriously by not organising Indie Fund more than we do,” he says. These issues aren’t limited to Indie Fund but course through what is still a demographically homogeneous industry. Figures from the US show that 81% of game makers identify as white and 71% male; in the UK, the numbers sit at 90% white, 74% male. These figures are an improvement on previous years but there’s a noticeable lag in those from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds filling senior decision-making positions. Chandana Ekanayake, co-founder of Outerloop Games, the studio behind Falcon Age, has experienced this first-hand while courting investors and publishers. Of the 15 mid-to-large funding sources he recently pitched to, all but one were represented by white men. This, he says, presents particular issues for his studio, which is devoted to telling stories about underrepresented cultures and themes: “I have to assume that some of the things I’m going to talk about aren’t going to resonate. There’s certain lived experiences they might not understand … The types of games that are out there, that are getting funded, would be different if there was more cultural understanding,” says Ekanayake. Kowloon Nights, a game-funding group established in 2018, is acutely aware of this issue, and is hoping to help shift the direction of the industry with its Fairchild Initiative, a $2m pledge for projects led by black creators and studios. The head of the project, Kendall Deacon Davis, a former narrative designer on Halo 4, says the aim is to facilitate the sustainable growth of black studios and provide a model for such material change. “Ideally, successful games allow studios to get built with great creative cultures,” Davis says. “It’s a lot easier to pump more capital through once that architecture is in place. We’re laying the foundation for much larger-scale diversity initiatives.” The greatest handheld games consoles – ranked! Read more If there’s one thing which arguably impacts access to funding more than anything else, it’s the opaqueness of the process. This extends to accurate and available information on who to contact at publishers, platform holders, or investors – sources of capital for commercial titles – but also to the arts funding increasingly utilised by the experimental scene. Chella Ramanan, maker of dementia-themed game Before I Forget and former video game journalist for publications including the Guardian, says these pots of money are poorly advertised. She also believes video games fall through the funding cracks: after a number of attempts, Ramanan called time on submitting further applications to arts funds for Before I Forget, a process she describes as “exhausting, time-consuming, and demoralising”. As in television and film, securing capital for an independent video game is often a gruelling process requiring the alignment of multiple stars. There are more funding options available now, to a wider range of video game makers, than ever before – but the system is far from perfect, and the odds of success still tip towards familiar faces. And the video games industry never sits still; in the coming years, Netflix-style subscription services such as Apple Arcade and Xbox Game Pass threaten to rip up the funding rulebook yet again. With Covid-19 slowing life and business and temporarily halting the conferences where the deals are made, this is a good time for those who fund the games we play to reflect on what they’re financing and why – and what they could be doing better to foster the next generation of remarkable developers.

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One of the aspects of this pandemic that’s affected car enthusiasts has been the lack of auto shows. Of course, during a pandemic the lack of an auto show isn’t actually anything to complain about in the grand scheme of things. However, so many enthusiasts use auto shows as a way to connect with other like-minded enthusiasts and meet people in person that they might not normally see, for various reasons. It’s also a way to indulge our passions together, as enthusiasts, and because of that auto shows were hugely important in many enthusiasts’ lives. So as a way to provide provide as close of an experience to that as possible, Chicagoland BMW dealerships are going to be working with BMW North America Central Region to host virtual car events on our Facebook page. Starting Tuesday, February 16, eleven Chicagoland BMW dealerships will begin livestreaming virtual events on the BMWBLOG Facebook page. During these livestreams, dealers will spotlight some of the latest BMW products and talk about their performance, specs, designs and options, showing customers the cars they’re missing and giving them the info they want/need. This is the first time we’ve ever partnered up for something like this and we’re excited to bring a virtual car event to you. This past year has been tough for car enthusiasts, as it’s almost impossible to enjoy cars with friends without coming in close contact with one another. Personally, we can attest to that, as there are so many people that we only see at big auto shows that we haven’t seen in over a year and it’s beginning to take its toll. However, the ability to check out cars together virtually is the next closest thing. This way, if you’re so inclined, you can jump on the livestream with your friends and check out the new Bimmers together. Being that it’s on Facebook, we’ll be taking questions and will answer as many as we can. It’s also nice to see BMW working closely to keep its customers and fans involved with the brand during the pandemic. Even though people can’t really be together, BMW is still finding a way to connect to its loyal fans, so they can experience the brand, even in a digital way. Please stay tuned to our BMWBLOG Facebook Page for the direct links to the livestream. In the mean time, book this first even on February 16, 2021. Here are the participating dealers and the schedule for Feb 15-19, 2021:

MELBOURNE, Australia — For roughly the past two decades, the analytics crowd has peddled the idea that sports is essentially math, that what unfolds on the field of play is predictable and intelligible if viewed through a proper algorithm. Occasionally that crowd has even been right. And in many ways the pandemic sports environment was an analytics aficionado’s dream, a chance for games to unfold in a laboratory, free of the noise, both literal and figurative, that can turn an expected outcome into a beautiful mess. Now, nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, we really do know the roar of the crowd is as vital to sports as a ball or a net. The artificial crowd noise that Major League Baseball, the N.F.L., the N.B.A. and the N.H.L. have piped in, both for those in the stadiums and arenas and for people watching at home, is a terrible facsimile that makes the spectator-free games feel nothing like sports at all. What stage actors refer to as the “fourth wall” — the metaphorical barrier between performers and spectators — doesn’t exist in sports. A crowd’s passion can seemingly help power comebacks. Its scorn can smother one, too. For five glorious days at the 2021 Australian Open, I got to experience that noise again, because government officials allowed up to 30,000 fans, about 50 percent capacity, to attend the tournament each day. It was both a joy and a revelation to rediscover the power of what quantum physicists call the “observer effect” — the fact that any observation, however passive, alters an outcome — even in a half-capacity crowd of tennis fans. Sports felt like Sports once more. Everyone, except those deemed essential workers, must stay home, though two hours of outdoor exercise and one hour to go to the grocery store or pharmacy are permitted. Players and people considered essential in running the Australian Open will be allowed at Melbourne Park. Spectators, sadly, must stay away until perhaps the singles semifinals, scheduled to start Thursday. “The players will compete in a bubble not dissimilar to what they have done throughout the year,” said Craig Tiley, the chief executive of Tennis Australia, which organizes the tournament. No one is happy about it. “It’s been really fun to have the crowd back, especially here,” Serena Williams said after she beat Anastasia Potapova in straight sets in the third round Friday. “But, you know what, at the end of the day we have to do what’s best. Hopefully it will be all right.” I am here to tell you it won’t be. After what I witnessed during the first five days, it’s going to be terrible, without the essential dynamics that make sports the ultimate in improvisational theater. Nick Kyrgios, the tennis antihero everywhere except Australia, where he is beloved, rode the fans to a miracle Wednesday night. He saved two match points in the fourth set against Ugo Humbert, the rising 22-year-old Frenchman. Then he edged Humbert in the fifth set in front of an explosive crowd that never gave up on its hometown hero. Kyrgios is the rare tennis player who brings in rugby fans. They screamed their heads off to keep Kyrgios alive and Humbert, the No. 29 seed, on edge until the very last point. “Half-packed and it felt like it was a full stadium,” Kyrgios said. “I got goose bumps toward the end.” Humbert lost those two match points, even though he was serving. He heard the fireworks from the seats a few feet away. As he watched Kyrgios both encourage it and soak it all in, his eyes appeared to fill with fear. There was another set to play, but the crowd was not going to let Humbert get out alive.

A po[CENSORED]r beauty influencer has found himself at the centre of a social media storm after pretending to be pregnant for 24 hours. The male YouTube star shared a video documenting himself experiencing the “challenges” of being pregnant for a day, telling fans it was “in no way shape or form to make fun of, to make light of pregnancy and the sensitivities and the complications that come around it”. The video followed Charles through a day of tasks and challenges, including a contraction simulator, while he wore a fake pregnant belly. To promote the video he also shared a photo on his Instagram account that showed him cradling a “bump” in an elaborate set up surrounded by flowers. But despite the disclaimer on video, the 21-year-old quickly attracted criticism for the stunt, with some women branding it “gross, disrespectful and insensitive”. RELATED: Tips and tricks from beauty blogger James Charles Many said the YouTuber – who has hit headlines in the past for being embroiled in bitter feuds with beauty rivals – had failed to take into account how insensitive the whole stunt was, especially those struggling to conceive. “I love you James, but be ready to expect backlash. This wasn’t a good move. It’s very insensitive and I’m generally not a sensitive person. Sorry bud. This ain’t right,” one person wrote. “Umm this is not a joke? … This is not OK? … Are you guys seriously allowing this to be OK?” While another said: “How thirsty for clout can you be?! So gross, disrespectful and insensitive. Also I’m sure he’s at an age where he knows that pregnancy jokes aren’t OK.” On Twitter, “James Charles pregnant” began trending, but for all the wrong reasons. One woman called it “gross and offensive to all women” while another said it was “distasteful”. While James hasn’t yet responded to the backlash, the disclaimer message on the video suggests he expected the situation. After stating the video was not made in any way to “make fun” of pregnancy, James said it was a “lighthearted” video. He also stated that “charities helping women through pregnancy complications” would receive a portion of the money made from the video’s streams. James has 25.5 million followers on YouTube and 26.8 million on Instagram. He’s estimated to be worth $US12 million ($A15.5 million). In 2020, he purchased a $US7 million mansion in Los Angeles.

If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere. Seamus Heaney only said this the once, in 1972. And then everyone else said it in 2020. Heaney was talking about cattle in winter fields waiting patiently for the next thing to come along. Unfortunately, we haven't read the small print. Winter turned out to mean: Winter, spring, summer, autumn, winter, winter again (if you believe the winter before Christmas to be a different winter to the one after Christmas), and then spring again, because we didn't winter properly the last time. Meanwhile, 'summer anywhere' now means 'summer anywhere as long as it’s here'. There are lots of serious side effects to this newly extended lockdown. But one revelation has been all the Irish men of a certain vintage who now have big, grey hair; big, bushy, grey clouds that haven't been seen in decades, and certainly none that developed in such a short space of time. Young people have always grown their hair differently, of course, depending on fashion. But that's because they were goddamn hippies and commies, tree huggers and beat poets, getting high off my dime while I worked in the auto shop, with no one to help me but my memories of Korea. And now, with no end in sight, we really don't know where our next haircut is coming from. Well, some do. But for most of us, even if there was someone in the house who could cut it, you wouldn't want to be appearing with too good a haircut. It's the equivalent of that one gang-member who, straight after the heist, arrives in a Lamborghini to the house in which he was raised, even though the ringleader warned people not to draw attention to themselves. Because everyone is asking: Where did you get that? Lockdown almost has the effect of an indirect sumptuary law. The sumptuary laws were brought in centuries ago to stop people getting clothes above their station. They were also used here in the 16th century to stop the English settlers adopting the Irish hairstyle. The Irish hairstyle was called a glib and according to noted historical langer and lick-arse Edmund Spenser, consisted of "a long, curled bush of hair, hanging down over the eye, and monstrously disguising them, which are both very bad and hurtful". This element of disguise made the Irish appear untrustworthy and the English settlers were, therefore, forbidden to look like a shoe-gazing band. It's the opposite now. And there are a lot of men who are now thickening on top, men who wouldn't normally have any truck with that much hair. Men who would have seen eating brown sliced-pan as a sign of decadence now look like a mercurial French football coach who leaves their club after a bitter row over unorthodox tactical methods, only to turn up at a World Cup as the manager of Burkina Faso. Short-back-and-sides men, who have spent a large part of their life looking for a lost wrench next to a broken harrow in a bitingly cold February field, now run their calloused hands through their luxuriant new waves, like a French nouvelle vague director on the set of his existential epic, Mon Passe-Temps Prefere est Faire Du Ski. These newly bouffanted men turn up in the background of Zoom calls at the 'Would you like to speak to your father?' section. Your mother moves to one side and the next thing, Ted Danson heaves into view to ask if you're going to bother taxing the car now, at this stage. And me? Let's just say that when I see a hair-bobble on the floor during the 7 o'clock floor-toy sweep, I pocket it. There's a lot more wintering to be done.