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Everything posted by Aronus

  1. I’ve had my fair share to say about Samsung’s Exynos series of chips. Living in the UK, I had no choice but to buy an S22 Ultra with the Exynos chip inside, when the rest of the world (well, most of it) received one with the latest Snapdragon chip. Mine always felt slow, hamstrung, and sluggish. It wasn’t a great experience at all. If you want to learn more read my why the Galaxy S22 Ultra Is a Massive Disappointment explained article. This changed for the S23 Ultra when Samsung decided to ditch their chip in my region and give us access to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – just like everyone else. The difference in performance and everyday usability was profound. A year later, we were treated to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered S24 Ultra which remains the best smartphone I’ve ever used. Now, in front of me, I have another Exynos-powered Samsung device. It’s the S24 FE, and I have some very good news. The S24 FE is powered by the Exynos 2400e. I have no idea where this sits, comparatively, against other smartphone chips, but some research suggests that it’s the equivalent of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Apple’s A15 in benchmarks. However, we’ll get to performance later because benchmarks are pretty meaningless. Joining the Exynos chip is 8GB of RAM, a 4,700mAh battery, and IP68 water resistance. The screen is powered by a 6.7-inch dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a peak brightness of 1,900 nits and a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung’s latest mid-to-low-range phone starts at £649 for the 128GB model and tops out at £699 for the 256GB edition, although this being Samsung, there is currently a £100 sale on offer in the UK.A Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Review: Where Exynos Makes Sense - Mark Ellis Reviews
  2. The latest CSS survey results offer valuable insights into the current landscape of front-end development. Although surveys may not capture a complete picture, they do highlight significant trends and areas of interest in the CSS community. Pay disparities and regional trends The survey revealed persistent pay disparities, with men consistently earning more than women. Furthermore, respondents from the United States reported the highest number of six-figure salaries, highlighting a regional trend toward higher compensation in Western countries. The findings are reflected with the industry’s overall trend of unequal pay distribution and regional income concentration. According to age demographics, developers in their 30s have the highest representation (42%), followed by those in their 40s (21%). Developers aged 50 and above accounted for a smaller but significant segment of respondents. This distribution emphasises the continued presence of experienced professionals in an industry that is frequently perceived as being driven by younger talent. Another significant finding was that 44% of respondents have fewer than 10 years of experience, implying that many practitioners are new to the industry. Developers who started their careers in 2014 joined the industry during the early adoption of Flexbox, and after the CSS3 and HTML5 standards were established. This group did not encounter earlier obstacles such as table layouts or legacy techniques, indicating a shift in the foundational knowledge of newer developers. CSS feature adoption and underused tools The survey also examined the usage of various CSS features. While filter effects were among the most po[CENSORED]r, some underutilised features drew attention. Hanging punctuation, for example, had a low usage rate of 1.57%, but more than half of the respondents expressed an interest in learning more about it. Similarly, anchor positioning had a 4.8% usage rate, although this figure may rise as browser support grows and more educational content becomes available. Cascade Layers, which simplify CSS management, were used by 18.7% of respondents. This feature, along with @scope (also at 4.8% usage), suggests that newer tools aimed at improving CSS organisation are slowly gaining traction. Most-wanted CSS features The survey highlighted the most desired CSS features, including mixins, conditional logic, and masonry layouts. Progress is being made on these fronts: a draft for CSS functions and mixins has been published, conditional logic has been added to the CSS Values Module, and competing masonry layout proposals are under way. The developments represent promising advancements for developers looking for more dynamic and versatile CSS solutions. The survey underscored the necessity of reliable sources for remaining informed. CSS-Tricks remains a significant source for content, demonstrating its dedication to offering useful educational materials. The rising po[CENSORED]rity of other resources demonstrates the impact of dedicated contributors in the field. The CSS community is alive, well, and vibrant. While survey statistics offer a snapshot of current trends, they also emphasise the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. The CSS community’s commitment to growth and innovation is evident, ensuring that front-end development remains a dynamic and evolving field. CSS 2024: Insights into developer experience, tools, and more
  3. The GeForce GTX 660 OEM was a graphics card by NVIDIA, launched on August 22nd, 2012. Built on the 28 nm process, and based on the GK104 graphics processor, in its GK104-200-KD-A2 variant, the card supports DirectX 12. Even though it supports DirectX 12, the feature level is only 11_0, which can be problematic with newer DirectX 12 titles. The GK104 graphics processor is an average sized chip with a die area of 294 mm² and 3,540 million transistors. Unlike the fully unlocked GeForce GTX 680, which uses the same GPU but has all 1536 shaders enabled, NVIDIA has disabled some shading units on the GeForce GTX 660 OEM to reach the product's target shader count. It features 1152 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs. NVIDIA has paired 1,536 MB GDDR5 memory with the GeForce GTX 660 OEM, which are connected using a 192-bit memory interface. The GPU is operating at a frequency of 823 MHz, which can be boosted up to 888 MHz, memory is running at 1400 MHz (5.6 Gbps effective). Being a dual-slot card, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 OEM draws power from 1x 6-pin power connector, with power draw rated at 130 W maximum. Display outputs include: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DisplayPort 1.2. GeForce GTX 660 OEM is connected to the rest of the system using a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 interface. The card measures 241 mm in length, and features a dual-slot cooling solution. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 OEM Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database
  4. With the next Monument Valley game just months away, developer Ustwo Games has offered a peep at studio life as it gears up for lunch. As part of a behind-the-scenes segment at the Mobile Games Show, the London-based studio shares that things have remained broadly consistent since its founding. The headcount has remained between 30 and 40 people, and the focus remains on games that are notably nonviolent. "UsTwo Games is really focused on making games that don't have violence as one of their key forms," lead game designer Joel Beardshaw says. "Desta [The Memories Between] was the closest we got to a game with violence. There's actually a win state and a lose state in that game, as opposed to everything else where you just kind of find your way through it. There are puzzles, there's friction, but that friction doesn't come from combat." While the developer's roots are in mobile games, recent years have seen its games expand to Nintendo Switch, consoles, and PCs – such as 2020's Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. For Ustwo Games, the leap has been facilitated by tech development. "As everything has got more high-tech, as the phones in our pockets have got more high-tech, a Nintendo Switch and a mobile phone aren't really that different," Beardshaw says. "And that's not totally different – it's not like the days when the PlayStation 3 was an alien device and building for it was something completely different. It allows games to hop around and try to find their new home and find the audience where it is." Monument Valley 3 launches exclusively for Netflix games on December 10, 2024, where it'll no doubt be vying for a slot on our best Netflix games list. With Monument Valley 3 just months away, Ustwo Games reminiscences on developing for and beyond mobile and nonviolent games | GamesRadar+
  5. Doom: The Dark Ages is an upcoming first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is intended to be the eighth main entry in the Doom franchise and the third installment of the modern series, following Doom Eternal (2020). The game narratively serves as a prequel to Doom (2016). It is scheduled to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. id Software began work on their next game following the completion of Doom Eternal's post-launch campaign The Ancient Gods in 2021, entering full production by August 2022. News about the game was first leaked in September 2023, ahead of its official announcement in June 2024.[1] Following the release of Doom Eternal's second downloadable content (DLC) campaign The Ancient Gods - Part 2 in March 2021, creative director Hugo Martin teased that he was open to exploring more stories with the series protagonist Doom Slayer in future games, despite intending for The Ancient Gods to act as a culmination for the character's arc that began with Doom (2016).[2] One possibility he expressed was telling a narrative around the Slayer's first encounter with the Night Sentinels on Argent D'Nur, in a setting that was more rooted in fantasy aesthetics compared to previous games.[3] By November 2021, id Software had begun pre-production on a new action first-person shooter game.[4] During QuakeCon 2022, executive producer Marty Stratton confirmed that the developer had begun production on their next project.[5] In September 2023, numerous documents submitted by ZeniMax Media parent company Microsoft during the FTC v. Microsoft court case concerning their impending acquisition of Activision Blizzard were leaked online.[1] Included was an internal roadmap concerning multiple Bethesda Softworks titles in development.[6] A new Doom entry titled Doom: Year Zero was listed as slated for release during Bethesda's 2023 fiscal year ending March 2024 at that time, with two sets of downloadable content (DLC) tentatively dated for the 2023 fiscal year and the 2024 fiscal year ending March 2025, respectively.[6][7] In May 2024, ZeniMax Media filed a trademark referencing the Doom (1993) cheat code "IDKFA", used to give the player all keys and every weapon in the game with full ammo.[8] Later that month, numerous outlets reported the game as being officially titled Doom: The Dark Ages, which was speculated to be a prequel to Doom (2016), taking place in a dark fantasy setting reminiscent of the Middle Ages and exploring an earlier period in the life of the Doom Slayer.[9] Doom: The Dark Ages - Wikipedia
  6. A bunch of smarmy teenagers with ridiculous haircuts trying to escape the gloved clutches of an alien race of clowns is the kind of absurd and cheesy premise that makes perfect fodder for the asymmetrical multiplayer horror genre. Following in the footsteps of Friday the 13th, Evil Dead, and many more licensed games, the 1988 cult classic film Killer Klowns from Outer Space is the latest horror movie to try its hand at stealing our still-beating hearts with high-stakes murder sports – and it largely succeeded at capturing mine. The chaotic, unabashedly goofy competitive matches had me and my crew screaming with delight round after round, as we turned each other into cotton candy ornaments and popped one another’s red noses. The silly rounds of mayhem do lack variety and eventually begin to feel as shallow as the graves you’ll dig for your victims, which can make the good times fairly short-lived, but the 25 hours I got out of it before hitting that wall were quite memorable indeed. Bucking the traditional asymmetrical structure slightly, each match pits seven hapless humans against three killers, as opposed to the usual four on one you see in most games that followed in Dead by Daylight’s bloody footsteps. The Klowns are preposterously over the top, and run around turning humans into sacks of cotton candy with ray guns, hunting teens using a balloon hound on a leash, and mowing terrified victims down with an invisible car. It’s truly some of the zaniest stuff I’ve seen in a multiplayer game in a long time, and it never fails to make me laugh. I especially appreciate the little details, like how the Klowns’ shoes make a comical squeak when you walk, alerting everyone nearby to your presence and leaving cartoonish boot prints all over the floor. Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game Review - IGN
  7. With its unmistakable Italian style and fleet-footed personality, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is an outlier in the comparatively buttoned-down compact luxury crossover segment. A hearty 280-horsepower turbo-four provides the muscle to match the Stelvio’s nimble moves, and it sends its power through an eight-speed automatic to all four tires. The strong powertrain works with the Stelvio’s polished handling to deliver a lively driving experience that rewards every control input with a crisp response. Once you get past its responsive performance, however, the other side of the Stelvio’s personality presents itself: the interior material quality and feel of the switchgear trails those of key competitors like the BMW X3 and Genesis GV70, and while the instrument panel is nicely done, the Stelvio's small infotainment screen looks dated. Interior space is also limited, the rear seat is best for children while the cargo hold—arguably the reason for choosing a crossover over a sedan like Alfa’s excellent Giulia in the first place—offers 10 fewer cubic feet of capacity than the X3. But those are left-brain concerns; the right brain will be firing on overtime each time you hit a twisty road and press the turbo-four for some revs, or take a moment to admire the Stelvio’s styling as you approach it in a parking lot filled with less extroverted designs. 2025 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Review, Pricing, and Specs
  8. LONDON — Animal campaigners are calling for a ban on the public sale of fireworks after a baby red panda was thought to have died from stress related to the noise. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, a conservation charity that runs Edinburgh Zoo, said Wednesday that it was likely that Roxie, a 3-month-old red panda kit, "died due to stress caused by fireworks being let off across the city centre." Fireworks are set off across the United Kingdom on and around Nov. 5, known as Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night, in celebration of the failure of a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament by a group of dissident Catholics in 1605. The tradition is centuries old and unique to the U.K., with some towns creating huge elaborate effigies of Guy Fawkes to be burned — sometimes instead building models of contemporary figures, including former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. But animal rights campaigners and pet owners have long complained that the noise causes extreme distress to animals. The zoological society said that the red panda's mother also died just five days earlier and that her death could also be related to fireworks noise. “Roxie had recently lost her mum Ginger but was responding well to specialist care from our expert team and was feeding independently," Ben Supple, the society's deputy chief executive, said in a statement. "Very sadly, she choked on her vomit on bonfire night and our vets believe this was probably a reaction to fireworks," Supple said. Baby red panda dies from fireworks noise stress, Edinburgh zoo says
  9. The blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may help people cut back on drinking, new research published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry suggests. In a study of around 228,000 people in Sweden who had alcohol use disorder, researchers found that people who were taking a GLP-1 drug like semaglutide were less likely to be hospitalized for alcohol-related issues. Just over 28 million adults in the U.S. have alcohol addiction, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Only three medicines, however, are approved to treat it. “The pharmacological treatments available for AUD are not very good, and relapse is really common,” said Alex DiFeliceantonio, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. The study leader, Dr. Markku Lähteenvuo, a psychiatric researcher at Niuvanniemi Hospital in Finland, said: “I see so many patients who do not have good outcomes on the medications we have and who are desperate for help with their addiction. We really do need more tools in the toolbox.” GLP-1 drugs — the class of medication that includes semaglutide and other po[CENSORED]r drugs like tirzepatide — have shown potential for treating addiction. A clinical trial published in 2022 found that an older GLP-1 drug called exenatide reduced drinking, but only among those who had both alcohol use disorder and obesity. Several other studies have examined drinking habits among people taking GLP-1 drugs who do not have alcohol use disorder. In the new study, Lähteenvuo and his team looked at medical records from 228,000 people in Swedish who were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder from 2006 to 2023. All of the people in the study also had obesity or Type 2 diabetes. Ozempic and Wegovy may help curb alcohol addiction, study suggests
  10. More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, privately say they don’t see a path for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be confirmed as attorney general and would not support him to lead the Department of Justice, according to multiple people who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity. While Gaetz’s ability to be confirmed appears on the rocks among Senate Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump’s team remains confident he will eventually be confirmed, even if it’s after an ugly battle. NBC News spoke to more than 15 additional Republican sources who agreed that there are not enough votes in the Senate to confirm Gaetz, and some estimated that closer to 30 Republicans consider him unqualified. Gaetz and Trump attorney Todd Blanche are moving full speed ahead on trying to fill out the Justice Department, according to sources familiar with the planning. If confirmed, Blanche would serve in the powerful No. 2 position at the Justice Department, overseeing all U.S. attorney’s offices throughout the country. “President Trump and his team are focused on and confident in the confirmation of AG-designee Gaetz,” a person familiar with Trump’s thinking told NBC News. Vice President-elect JD Vance and his aides have also been working the phones over the last two days to get a read on where senators stand on Gaetz. Trump announced he was choosing Gaetz for the attorney general role on Wednesday, writing in a post on Truth Social, “Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.” When the president-elect initially publicized his pick, many Republicans — except for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who got a heads-up from Trump — were in complete shock. In his few terms in the House, Gaetz has often been embroiled in controversy. He was investigated by the Justice Department in a case involving the alleged sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, though the former congressman, who resigned his post shortly after he was picked for attorney general, has always denied the allegations and has never been criminally charged. On Thursday, though, a lawyer for the 17-year-old girl wrote in a post on X, saying, “She was a high school student and there were witnesses” when the alleged incident occurred. The attorney, John Clune, also called for the release of a House Ethics Committee report detailing the committee’s investigation into Gaetz, which has been ongoing for several years. “If they want to send [the report] that’d be fine,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a staunch Trump ally, told reporters at the Capitol this week, though he added in a statement from his office that he planned to vote to confirm each of the president-elect’s judicial nominees. On Friday, Johnson said he would “strongly request” that the report not be released publicly, though several Republican senators have said they would like to view the report as part of their deliberation process ahead of a confirmation vote. “I don’t want there to be any limitation at all on what the Senate can consider,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters at the Capitol this week when asked whether the Senate Judiciary Committee should be privy to the report. “We need to have a complete vetting of the nominees, not only so we know that the nominee is qualified, but also to protect the president,” he added. “I think when you’re at this point, particularly given his abrupt departure from Congress just prior to that report coming out, considering the job that he is being appointed to, considering that the FBI is going to do a background check anyway, I can’t imagine that the committee is not going to want to see it,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “So, at the very least, those of us that will have a vote at some point, starting with the Judiciary Committee, should see that. And I can’t imagine they won’t.” The House Ethics Committee was expected to meet on Friday to decide whether to release its report on Gaetz, whom it has been investigating on and off since 2021, according to a source with direct knowledge. The panel abruptly canceled the meeting, which House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., insisted was only postponed. Later on Friday, an attorney for another woman interviewed by the House Ethics Committee said that his client “testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017.” Several Republicans shared that Gaetz, who was investigated by the very agency he could now oversee, has a “steep hill” to climb toward confirmation in the Senate. “I would guess if we had a vote today on the Senate floor, it might be more than that,” Cramer said Thursday when pressed whether 10 Senate Republicans could vote to oppose Gaetz — as Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal suggested to NBC News earlier that day. “I have concerns that he can’t get across the finish line, and we’re gonna spend a lot of political capital … on something that even if they got it done, you’d have to wonder if it was worth it.” A majority of Senate Republicans doubt Matt Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general, sources say
  11. A second-half blitz saw England sweep past 10-player Republic of Ireland 5-0 at Wembley to clinch promotion back to League A of the Nations League in Lee Carsley's final game as interim manager. Three goals in just six minutes at the start of the second half from Harry Kane - via a penalty in an incident that saw Ireland defender Liam Scales sent off after a second caution - followed by maiden strikes from Anthony Gordon and Conor Gallagher blew the visitors away. Jarrod Bowen soon added a fourth with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, before Taylor Harwood-Bellis headed home a fifth as a third player got off the mark for the Three Lions. How England's second-half blitz blew Republic away: Ireland had initially done an excellent job to largely frustrate England in a feisty first half that ended with Carsley's side having 75 per cent possession, but without having tested visiting goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. England 5 - 0 Rep Ire - Match Report & Highlights
  12. The Exploration Company (TEC) announced Monday it has raised $160 million to fuel development of its capsule that is designed to take astronauts and cargo to space stations. Venture capital firms Balderton Capital and Plural were the lead investors in the round which also included French government-backed investment vehicle French Tech Souveraineté and German government-backed fund DeepTech & Climate Fonds. TEC’s core product is Nyx, a capsule that can be launched from rockets into space carrying passengers and cargo. Nyx is reusable so once it has dropped its payload, it can re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and be used for the next mission. “It’s a big market, and it’s growing about a bit more than 10% per year because more nations want to fly their astronauts and more nations want to go to the moon,” Hélène Huby, founder and CEO of TEC, told CNBC in an interview. “So there is an increased demand for sending people to stations, sending cargo to stations,” she said. This part of the market has very few players. Some of the biggest are SpaceX which has a capsule called Dragon. There are also rivals from China and Russia. “We said, ’okay, let’s build this capacity in Europe so that Europe can have its own capsule and also the world needs an alternative solution. [We] cannot only bet on SpaceX,” Huby said. TEC is currently developing the second version of Nyx which it expects to launch next year, followed by a final version in 2028. This model will be partly financed by the European Space Agency. Huby said the company has signed $800 million in contracts to use its capsule. These include mission contracts with companies including Starlab, which is designing a new space station, and Axiom Space. There is increasing activity in space among nations including China, the U.S. and India. One of the most ambitious projects is the NASA-led Gateway, which will be the first space station to orbit the moon. “If you have more people, you also have a need for more cargo. So this is what is happening around the Earth and around the moon,” Huby said. Huby sees TEC being a key player when it comes to developing the technology that is needed to return cargo to Earth once it has been in space. “This is also where we where we believe our vehicle is going to play an important role,” Huby said. SpaceX rival TEC raises $160 million for reusable space capsule
  13. Nick movie: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Time: 2019 Netflix / Amazon / HBO: Netflix Duration of the movie: 2h 2m Trailer:
  14. Live Performance Title: Counting Stars Signer Name: OneRepublic Live Performance Location: Festhalle, Frankfurt Official YouTube Link: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): 10/10
  15. Musician Name: James Burgon Valentine Birthday / Location: October 5, 1978 (age 46 years), Lincoln, Nebraska, United States Main instrument: Guitar Musician Picture: Musician Awards & Nominations: - Best Performance: Sugar Other Information: -
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