Rich and Amanda are joined by returning guest Beto O'Byrne of Radical Evolution to talk Root, We Bare Bears: Match3 Repairs, Kriegsfront Tactics demo, and revisiting Games of Revolution.
quonset writes: In what has to be one of the most inconceivable confluences ever, the Norwegian company Nammo says it is unable to expand its production of artillery shells to support Ukraine because of "cat videos" on TikTok. To placate European scrutiny, TikTok is opening two data centers in Europe to house European user data locally. One of those data centers is in the Hamar region of Norway. Because of this expansion, there is no excess capacity for the factory to ramp up production of artillery shells.
"The chief executive of Nammo, which is co-owned by the Norwegian government, said a planned expansion of its largest factory in central Norway hit a roadblock due to a lack of surplus energy, with the construction of TikTok's new data centre using up electricity in the local area," reports the Guardian. "Elvia, the local energy provider, confirmed to the Financial Times that the electricity network had no spare capacity after allocating it to the data center on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional capacity would take time to become available." "We are concerned because we see our future growth is challenged by the storage of cat videos," Morten Brandtzaeg told the Financial Times.
Microsoft, extending a frenzy of artificial intelligence software releases, is introducing new chat tools that can help cybersecurity teams ward off hacks and clean up after an attack. From a report: The latest of Microsoft's AI assistant tools -- the software giant likes to call them Copilots -- uses OpenAI's new GPT-4 language system and data specific to the security field, the company said Tuesday. The idea is to help security workers more quickly see connections between various parts of a hack, such as a suspicious email, malicious software file or the parts of the system that were compromised. Microsoft and other security software companies have been using machine-learning techniques to root out suspicious behavior and spot vulnerabilities for several years. But the newest AI technologies allow for faster analysis and add the ability to use plain English questions, making it easier for employees who may not be experts in security or AI. That's important because there's a shortage of workers with these skills, said Vasu Jakkal, Microsoft's vice president for security, compliance, identity and privacy. Hackers, meanwhile, have only gotten faster.
This post contains spoilers for the "Yellowjackets" season 2 premiere.
"Have a little cannibalism, as a treat." So said the season 2 premiere of "Yellowjackets" in its closing moments, as the teenaged Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) chomped down on her BFF Jackie's (Ella Purnell) severed ear two months after the latter froze to death in the season 1 finale. It was a characteristically surprising payoff for Showtime's multi-timeline cannibalism thriller, a series that spent its initial 10 episodes messing with the very conventions of the puzzle box TV series format.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, though, we probably should've seen this coming ... and not just because it was subtly foreshadowed in season 1, as /Film's BJ Colangelo observed in her meticulous breakdown of the season 2 premiere. Prior to being stranded in the Canadian wilderness with their fellow Yellowjackets, Shauna and Jackie had a co-dependent, toxic relationship that felt all too real. Heck, even after finding themselves trapped in life-and-death circumstances, Jackie couldn't help but make something as important as Shauna's unplanned pregnancy all about her. Once she discovered the identity of Shauna's baby daddy to be, it was inevitable the two were headed for a brutally painful breakup.
Considering Jackie died right after their big blow-up, before the pair could make so much as a first attempt at mending fences, it's no wonder we found the deeply-traumatized Shauna imagining conversations with her friend's frozen corpse in the season 2 premiere (going so far as to fill out her notebook to maintain the illusion). According to the "Yellowjackets" showrunners, there was never any question as to whether or not Shauna would eventually turn to literally consuming Jackie to hold onto her. No, the real point of contention among the show's creatives was how best to depict the ear-munching itself.
Destroy That Which You Love
Speaking to Variety, "Yellowjackets" co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco noted there is, in fact, a practical reason for Shauna being the first Yellowjacket to turn to cannibalism. "Of course, she's hungry and she's pregnant, so she eats the ear that accidentally broke off when she pushed Jackie down — but it's really about their friendship," he commented, adding:
"It's about this very specific friendship that Jackie and Shauna had, where Shauna loves Jackie, but also was always in her shadow. She adored this friend of hers, but also in some ways, was always wanting to kind of destroy her — maybe that's going a bridge too far? But I think that is very relatable to a lot of people who are in these intense friendships."
Indeed, this idea of wanting to destroy that which you love isn't limited to unhealthy relationships between humans. It's also at the heart of toxic fandom, wherein people form harmful attachments to the pop culture they enjoy, even tying it to their identities in a way that brings Shauna and Jackie's dynamic to mind. It's how we end up with fans defending corporations over individuals, as they go from finding legitimate enjoyment in engaging with something to merely "consuming" the thing. So it is with Shauna, Lisco reasoned, albeit with "consumption" taking on a much more literal meaning:
"And so the next step of that is consumption, right? I literally want to consume this person, because I love them so much — but I also want them no longer to exist in a way. I also want to keep them a part of me for my entire existence. We were playing with that kind of plasticity on a psychological and emotional level, and not just have it be about, 'Oh, I'm gonna eat the ear!'"
How Does One Eat An Ear, Anyway?
Co-showrunner Bart Nickerson not only echoed Jonathan Lisco's observations during that same interview, he took them one step further. "Two things. This idea of wanting to destroy that which you love — there's almost a part of me that's starting to create this theory that those aren't actually opposing views," he explained, comparing it to when people claim "they're just so overwhelmed with cuteness and affection that they actually want to destroy the thing that is the object of that."
Perhaps proving his point that certain things might not exist in opposition to one another the way we assume, Nickerson shifted pretty smoothly from that rather disturbing insight to a much more darkly comedic tone:
"And then the other thing is — and I usually don't want to do this, talk about what almost was — but I just think it's hilarious the amount of time that we spent both in breaking writing, and then in editing, deciding how much of the ear — like, should it go in the mouth, should it not go in the mouth? Should there be a chew?"
Co-showrunner Ashley Lyle added:
"There's a crunch, yeah. We went for it. We ultimately decided to go for it, but definitely debated endlessly. Cutting as it went up. And it felt as though — like, we're already here."
The end result is a pretty perfect mic-drop to the season 2 premiere, capped off by Tori Amos' "Cornflake Girl" playing over the closing credits. It's unquestionably to the show's benefit its creatives took so much time getting Shauna's big moment precisely right. All we need is a taste of what's to come for the time being. Er, you know what I mean.
New episodes of "Yellowjackets" stream Fridays on Paramount+ and air Sunday evenings on Showtime.
Quality has its price! | Noctua offer a wide portfolio of high-performance air coolers and have been regarded as a top brand for years when it comes to the topic of air cooling. In this short review, we have taken a closer look at the Noctua NH-U9S, the NH-D9L and the NH-La9-AM5, which can be fitted into many cases thanks to their size. Additionally, we have tested whether the three test subjects could tame an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X.
If you know the name Quentin Dupieux, you likely know it from "Rubber," the slapstick thriller about a sentient, bloodthirsty car tire he directed in 2010. Now acclaimed in his home country of France for his unique brand of surrealism — at once wickedly humorous and nonchalant, even underplayed — Dupieux's filmmaking career took off in America with a string of riffs on schlock films. Before that, he was acclaimed (again) in France as Mr. Oizo, an electronic musician whose 1999 single "Flat Beat" spawned the beloved Levi's mascot "Flat Eric," built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Dupieux has lived a storied life, and his latest film, "Smoking Causes Coughing," could only have been made by someone who understands the power of stories. The film follows a ragtag squadron of superheroes called The Tobacco Force who harness the powers of noxious fumes to destroy giant turtles and evil lizard men from space. More Power Rangers than Avengers, the members of the relatively gentle Tobacco Force are played by some of the leading stars of the French film scene, such as Anaïs Demoustier and Vincent Lacoste.
But "Smoking Causes Coughing" plays like a perfect antidote to superhero franchise fatigue. Rather than build the film around climaxes of righteous violence, Dupieux sends his supes to a lakeside relationship-building retreat, allowing the stories they tell each other beside the campfire to take over the film: A man alive despite being processed to the neck by a woodchipper; a "cone of contemplation" which turns a placid holiday into a horror movie; a tragic tale of ecological betrayal from the POV of a fish.
Dupieux has cooked up another weird and wild ride, and in the interview that follows, he gets into stories about storytelling, financing your most out-there ideas, and the Marvel and DC of it all.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
'I Was Obsessed By This Idea Of A Tire Slowly Following A Girl'
I'm curious, because you are the sole writer of almost all your films, what is your way in? What's the first thing that brings you into a new project? Is it a character, is it an image, a concept?
It depends, actually. It's never the same thing. To give you a very easy example, when I did "Rubber," the movie about the tire, I only had this visual in mind. I was obsessed by this idea of a tire slowly following a girl — a little bit like "Jaws," the shark movie, but with a tire. And that was the visual I had in mind, this tension of following a tire who is actually following someone. This was very exciting, and that's how I started writing the movie.
Then when I did the giant fly movie, "Mandibles," I wanted to work with these two French comedians [David Marsais and Grégoire Ludig] because they inspired me. So I started creating stupid characters for them. This led me to the fly concept. It's never the same, it depends on the movies, but usually there's a desire for a visual idea.
Was it the same for "Smoking Causes Coughing?" What was the thing that got you into the script?
I wanted to create, let's say, a new ... even if it's not new, because we've seen movies like this, like "Creepshow," for example. Do remember "Creepshow?" You're maybe too young.
Of course.
So, I know I didn't create this concept of a movie that tells different stories inside, but when I started writing this one, I was looking for a new structure, a movie with some surprises inside, like, "Oh, there's another story." And then you come back to reality, but then you go somewhere else. That was the main goal, to basically create a new format, even if I know it's not new. But it was new for me.
'Everything Was A Nightmare To Me'
One thing that has been a huge subject of conversation lately is that these blockbuster superhero movies are not doing well. It seems like we might be at the end of this period of supercharged activity. So this film was really refreshing to me. You could have made a kind of cruel and snide movie, because everybody's so sick of superheroes. But you treat your characters with compassion, they're all so lovable, and they're also not buffoons. Creating that anchor story, were you thinking at all about the big superhero trend — Marvel, DC, all that — or was this something totally separate?
No, because actually I know nothing about these movies. I only see the posters. I know there's a lot of this stuff coming out, but I've never been into it. Maybe I watched the first "Spider-Man" by Sam Raimi, I don't know what, 15 years ago, because it was something new. I wanted to check how it was done. But I've never been into this stuff.
When I was still living in Los Angeles, I went to a movie theater with my son to watch an "Avengers" movie. I think it was the first "Avengers." I don't know. It was a nightmare for me. The sound, the noise, the explosions, the loud music, the editing, everything was a nightmare to me. So I think at this point I stopped. I was like, "No, this is not for me." And the movie we are talking about today is maybe ... it's like the reverse of this. It's slow. The pace is okay. There's no aggressive music. What can I say about superhero movies? Are you still watching these movies? It's impossible.
It is getting harder, because in some cases they're getting worse.
It's a torture. It's a torture. Plus the fact that it's almost like watching a video game now. The charm is missing. Who are these creatures? They're all made with CGI. Even for the kids, it's just like a stupid program. They don't get an emotional connection with these movies anymore because nothing's real. So they watch it, they enjoy, I guess, for a bit, but they have no emotional connection to these movies.
'I Need These Famous Actors To Basically Finance My Movies'
Part of that conversation has been people realizing that maybe what these huge companies are doing is trying to create characters that are box office draws and not actors, so they can increasingly get actors that they don't have to pay as much for. You do the opposite in "Smoking Causes Coughing." Not that people are going to go to the movie solely because of the stars, but it's funny that you first encounter all of the different characters with their helmets on, and then they take their helmets off, there are lots of big movie stars under those helmets. And I wonder, what was behind those casting choices?
I mean, let's put it this way: I need these famous actors to basically finance my movies. I'm working with them also because they're very talented, of course, and because they also want to work with me. A movie like "Deerskin," I don't know if you've seen this one, it was impossible to make without Jean Dujardin. I needed someone that big to be able to find a little bit of money to shoot the movie. Otherwise, nobody cares. They come for pleasure, they also come for the experience, because it's very different from what they're doing actually in some other movies.
I actually need them for their talent, but also because in a way, they validate the movie by being here. They say to the audience, "We think this director has something to say." You know what I mean? The same movie with only unknown actors suddenly will be hard to promote.
That period of time when you were living and working and making films in America, you didn't work with too many American stars. I mean, you probably worked with a lot of American actors, but you didn't anchor your films with American stars. Two that do jump out to me are Ray Wise and Grace Zabriskie, and I'm curious what it was like working with them.
There's no why, really. It was more like I wrote this movie and suddenly, exactly what I do on every movie I make, at some point you have to find actors for these small parts. I forgot how it happened, but I think we got Ray Wise ... in a meeting, someone just dropped this idea and I was like, "Oh yeah, he's a strong actor." And then someone else 10 days later brought the idea of, "Oh, we should get Grace Zabriskie too, it would be funny."
It's hard to explain -- working with them was, of course, exciting and interesting for me. But at the same time, when I look back at this moment, I have to say we didn't share much. Now working in France again with some French actors, and I'm getting better and better, I know the work I do now with actors is more complex. Back in the day, for example, the stuff I did with Marilyn Manson ("Wrong Cops"), it was fun, but I was not really directing him, if you know what I mean. It's hard to explain. I was so excited and fresh in this business that working with all these people was ... it's very different from what I'm doing now when I work with actors. And if I go back to English-speaking movies, I will now work more.
'Everyone Who Reads The Script Has A Different Movie In Mind'
Something that has always struck me about your work, and I definitely saw it in "Smoking Causes Coughing," your films are usually very funny, they can be very zany, they can be irreverent and they can be very light even when they're dealing with heavy subject matter. But there's always a little sliver of sadness. Where I saw it in this film was in the story that the little girl tells from the perspective of the fish. And it looks above the water and it sees the pollution being dumped into the lake. That was really sad.
Yeah, it's the worst. It's the worst.
It's so upsetting, and it's just sandwiched between those two longer stories. It makes such an impact because it's so distinct from them.
But you know what? Maybe it's because this one is true. This one is a real vision. And even if it's a little girl saying it, it is happening and it is real. So that's why it sounded so sad. The two other stories are crazy enough to make you think, "Whatever, it's a movie." But this suddenly, it's said by an innocent little girl, so then it's like, "Oh s***, yes." And the fact that the superheroes are shocked by the story makes it funny again.
You're often doing a real tonal balancing act in your films. There are so many different tones that you have to rein in and make sure that they're all cohesive. But in this film in particular, not only are you switching between different tones, but you're telling different stories with different characters that have different points of view. So for you, where does the real work come in, in terms of making sure everything feels cohesive? Is it in the writing? Do you feel like things come together in the edit?
Yeah, the editing is the most important part, and that's why I'm doing it myself. I usually say that this is the moment where you actually make the movie. Before that, the writing is amazing, because you start having a concept and ideas and it's very exciting, but it's a piece of paper. And basically, everyone who reads the script has a different movie in mind. I can tell. Some people want to see only the comedy, so they're going to say, "Oh, it's very funny. I had so much fun," and they're never going to talk about the other layers. And some other people are going to see only the sadness of it.
So when it comes to the edit, you are going to make a movie that everybody's going to receive the same way, in a way. And that's when basically I craft the tone, even if, of course, the shooting part is very important because that's where you find everything with the actors. But yes, I can tell today that yes, editing is where everything happens.
"Smoking Causes Coughing" arrives in theaters and on demand on March 31, 2023.
So, it’s been nine months since Dad’s been gone, and about seven since I began writing here. This has offered a lot of time to mope and brood, or, you know, ‘think’, whatever you want to call it. In that time, I’ve had a lot of writing ideas. Everything from games I’ve had thoughts on, to projects I’ve been working on; D&D, commentary, Minecraft, you name it. I’ve had enough material that I could likely kick the site back into at least three or four posts a week, but…Houston, we have a problem.
See, there’s sort of an elephant-in-the-room issue that makes talking about, well, anything feel redundant and repetitive. I want to talk about my love-hate relationship with Stardew Valley, my reasoning for having a thousand ‘smart’ devices, my favorite children’s MMO, and every issue I have with Wizards of the Coast. But, at the end of the day, what I have to say about all those things has a common denominator which would get old to write about very, very fast.
Everything is a monopoly, and every creative decision I want to talk about boils down to money, not actual people. People are interesting, they make independent decisions and sometimes bonkers bad ones. Nuance and storytelling, ignorance and narrow world views, those are things we can talk about. Why CEO #34 made a piss-poor decision that will only really hurt employees and consumers and land him with a four week paid holiday isn’t fun and snappy conversation, it’s fucking depressing.
I won’t lie to myself and wish I was was alive and grown three decades ago when money hadn’t sunk its claws into the video game market. I’m queer and physically disabled, the testing to confirm my diagnoses didn’t even exist back then, but, god, I wish things were more interesting now. Why does the protagonist feel so bland in (insert franchise here) game? Oh, that’s easy: money. Why doesn’t this really cool tech exist even though it would help a lot of people? Oh, another easy one: money.
This means even bad decisions on a writer’s part make me feel like shit to complain about. Because, you know what, if it’s stupid enough to feel like I have a real opinion on it, at least that’s a human error. It’s sort of like a mistake in your box of grocery store sugar cookies. Like, oh wow, it’s different from the others, cool. As long as it’s edible I don’t really care, and the error makes it more interesting than the two hundred other boxes.
Like I said, I’m not as politically averse as my dad was, but that doesn’t mean I want to turn this into an anti-capitalist, angry echo chamber. I am frustrated, but frankly I’m not changing the world by bitching about it, all I’d end up accomplishing is being pissed off all the time and taking a bunch of internet people with me.
So, here’s what we’re going to do. Because there are still opinions left to have, and it sucks to feel like I’m at the mercy of this stupid elephant. This post is here, and I will jovially link back to it when money is the core of an issue, acknowledge it, and move on. CEO #34 gets enough attention, and my energy is better put enjoying the bit of humanity left in this stupid industry.
The popular Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii emulator, Dolphin, is coming to Steam, the team behind the project has today announced.
The joyful news for retro fans was announced on the project's official blog and via one of the creators behind the project - the well-known Switch miner 'OatMealDome'.
[Dolphin Emulator]
Dolphin, a GameCube and Wii emulator, is coming to Steam!
We’ll release in Early Access during Q2 2023 (Apr to Jun). More info will be provided closer to launch.
In the meantime, feel free to check out our store page and wishlist us!https://t.co/m3XRhabK9V
The Dolphin GameCube and Wii emulator offers various enhancements, including save states, netplay, as well as boosted resolution. In addition, Dolphin offers support for 4K displays, modern controllers, and more. The emulator is open-source and will be made available for free through early access on Steam in the coming months (between April and June). More information about this interesting project will be released closer to the launch of the emulator on Steam.
On Twitter, creator 'OatMealDome' writes that Dolphin will also support Steam Deck, which will likely please many retro fans owning a Steam deck. "This has been my pet project for the past little while, so I’m very happy to finally be able to show it off", 'OatMealDome' writes on Twitter. "Thank you to delroth, MayImilae, JMC, and everyone else on the Dolphin team for their help and support."
Of course, those wanting to play Nintendo GameCube and Wii games through Steam will have to own an original copy of the game.
How Does It Work?
Dolphin Emulator creates a virtual environment on your device that is capable of running games originally developed for two of the Big N's revolutionary consoles. However, Dolphin itself does not provide any of the games. It is just a tool to run legally obtained copies of these games. Once you have dumped copies of your games into a compatible format, you can launch them directly in the emulator.
Why Emulate?
Using emulation to play your games comes with many advantages. Dolphin can surpass the capabilities of the original hardware with enhancements like increased resolution, widescreen hacks, HD texture packs, and patches to increase the frame rate. While playing a game, features like quick saves (save states), slow motion, and turbo can make playing through annoying sections a breeze. You can even take your favorite local multiplayer games online with Dolphin's built-in netplay. Once you're bored of a game, you can breathe new life into it by playing community-made mods like randomizers and custom level packs.
The Dolphin emulator has been around for quite some time and over the years, the emulator has received numerous updates, including DX12 support and more.
Rejoice, fellow Nintendoers! Dolphin Emulator - the open-source emulator for Nintendo GameCube and Wii games - is coming to Steam in Q2 2023. The Steam page is quick to note, for probably legal reasons, that “this app does not come with games” and “you must own an original copy of any game” you want to emulate. Dolphin allows you to emulate retro games with 4k support, modern controllers, and it’s totally free.
Malicious actors are constantly adapting their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to adapt to political, technological, and regulatory changes quickly. A few emerging threats that organizations of all sizes should be aware of include the following:
Increased use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Malicious actors are increasingly leveraging AI and machine learning to
Multiple threat actors have been observed using two new variants of the IcedID malware in the wild with more limited functionality that removes functionality related to online banking fraud.
IcedID, also known as BokBot, started off as a banking trojan in 2017. It's also capable of delivering additional malware, including ransomware.
"The well-known IcedID version consists of an initial loader
An advanced persistent threat (APT) group that has a track record of targeting India and Afghanistan has been linked to a new phishing campaign that delivers Action RAT.
According to Cyble, which attributed the operation to SideCopy, the activity cluster is designed to target the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the research and development wing of India's Ministry of
What do Atomic Heart and Boundary have in common? Well, both of them had exclusive Ray Tracing effects (and even benchmarks) that were cut from their retail versions. Yes yes, even though Surgical Scalpels showcased some really GPU-heavy RT effects for this online FPS, the game will not feature any of them at launch. In … Continue reading Boundary will no longer feature Ray Tracing, ditches DLSS over FSR & XeSS →
An MS-DOS-based Portable PC from 1984 is shown to be running the modern-day ChatGPT client without any issues.
A developer creates a ChatGPT client to run on MS-DOS and uses it on a 1984 IBM portable computer
Yeo Kheng Meng (yeokm1 on GitHub) is a "retrocomputing enthusiast." Three and a half years ago, the developer created a Slack client that ran on the Windows 3.1 operating system. With ChatGPT being the new buzzword and OpenAI releasing several APIs for programmers and developers, he wanted to challenge himself and have ChatGPT running on a vintage operating system/platform. He decided to get the AI chatbot to work on MS-DOS in his recent project.
The video below shows the MS-DOS-based ChatGPT clone in action. Yeo Kheng Meng has to launch MTCP DHCP to access an IP address from his router before using the application.
Yeo chose DOS because of the challenge of using an older platform, like Windows 3.1, that he had used for the custom Slack client that he developed. The system he chose to utilize is an IBM 5155 Portable PC that was created in 1984. He provides a list of specifications for this project:
Intel 8088 4.77Mhz CPU
640KB conventional memory (using upgrade kit)
CGA ISA graphics
NE2000-compatible ISA Ethernet adapter
XT-IDE ISA drive controller
MS-DOS 6.22
He has documented with pictures the components utilized in the IBM 5155 portable PC for users interested in the computer's internals.
To begin with, developing the ChatGPT client in MS-DOS, he first needed to find a compiler that would work in the 16-bit DOS environment. After searching the internet for ideas, he found the Open Watcom C/C++ compiler the best option. The chosen compiler is a 32-bit application compatible with Windows 11 64-bit versions. The first hurdle needed to overcome was working with Windows 11 since 16-bit DOS applications do not run by default. There are third-party applications he could have used, such as winevdm, but they would not work for his particular needs in this project.
Yeo used a VirtualBox on his virtual machine for his DOS 6.22 environment. Using a bridged network to the host computer so that his virtual machine could access his internet connection, he began work on the ChatGPT DOS clone. The host machine used a simple Python-based web server, while the virtual machine used the MTCP library created by Michael B. Brutman.
Yeo found that with the lacking of network functions within DOS, he needed to utilize Visual Studio Code text editor and then parse JSON output from OpenAI's Chat Completion API. Once completed, the system, albeit slightly slow by today's standards, ran similarly to ChatGPT, including answering his first requests incorrectly. Within time the system would learn just like the widely used version of the generative AI application. Still, it is the oldest system currently running an AI-based generative pre-trained transformer.
This post contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets" season 2 episode 1.
The first season of "Yellowjackets" produced enough speculation and wild theories to rival any television series since HBO's "Westworld." Fans devoured the first episode of the hotly anticipated second season (reviewed in incredible detail by /Film's BJ Colangelo) making it the most-watched premiere in Showtime's history. As the timeline continues to jump back and forth between the survivors of the plane crash in the nineties and their present-day selves, more dark secrets are starting to come out into the light.
So far, the adult versions of Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Misty (Christina Ricci), and Natalie (Juliette Lewis) have been the main focal point of the show, but if the season premiere is any indication, that attention is shifting to Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and her increasingly disturbing behavior. It's already been established that Taissa falls into some type of sleepwalking trance where she eats dirt, bites herself, and climbs trees in the middle of the night in her quiet suburban neighborhood. Worst of all, she appears to have sacrificed the family dog, Biscuit, in some sort of bizarre ritual in a hidden basement.
Out of all the characters, Taissa is probably the one most tied to the horror genre, as she hides the monster within her and commits ungodly acts, connecting her to Lottie's cult that comes out into the open in the season 2 premiere. When the shrine is revealed showing Biscuit's poor shaggy head surrounded by candles, the reference to the dysfunctional Voorhees family from the "Friday the 13th" franchise is undeniable and shows that "Yellowjackets" is firmly planting its horror roots in the ground. Taissa's terrible act comes back to haunt her in this season's new episode and threatens to upend her life which appears so perfect on the surface.
Did Taissa Make A Shrine Or An Altar?
Towards the end of "Friday the 13th Part 2," Ginny (Amy Steel) — the main protagonist and ultimate final girl — discovers a shack where Jason has built a hideous altar to his mother Pamela Voorhees, the killer from the original who still rules over her son. His mother was decapitated in the final minutes of "Friday the 13th," leaving Ginny to discover her head and sweater that she quickly wears to try and trick Jason into letting her live. The art direction in this scene also homages Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but, in the first season of "Yellowjackets," Taissa's shrine is an obvious nod to this "Friday the 13th Part 2" scene that horror fans were quick to point out.
While Jason is obviously building a shrine to his mother, it's a little unclear what Taissa was intending. Biscuit was her son Sammy's dog and a doll belonging to him is also seen, along with a marking of the same cult symbol that Lottie created drawn in blood. What appears to be a heart is clearly visible and the theory put forth by ScreenRant that the organ probably belongs to Adam (Peter Gadiot) is one I happen to agree with. With all that in mind, was Taissa making a sacrifice to Lottie who is assumed to be the eventual Antler Queen?
Most likely, the reference to "Friday the 13th Part 2" isn't too telling, but it is interesting how Taissa's hidden sacrifice is a total inversion of the shrine that Jason conjured up. Here, instead of the son creating a shrine for his mother, it's a mother making an altar for her son.
How Much Power Does The Cult Have Over Taissa?
It might be too macabre (even for this show) to have Taissa sacrifice Sammy to the Antler Queen, but Taissa's wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard) may be in some serious trouble after discovering the altar and confronting Taissa in the season 2 premiere. In a very public scene, Simone refuses to allow Taissa to pick her own son up from school. Taissa planned to surprise Sammy with a new dog named Steve she picked up from a shelter. After Simone reveals to Taissa that she discovered Biscuit's head and the secret altar, she demands that Taissa gets some kind of help and, more importantly, that she resigns from the state senate seat she won back in the first season.
Simone grows even angrier when Taissa tells her she has no idea what she's talking about. Clearly, Taissa has no recollection of decapitating Biscuit which leads her to face the truth and discover the altar for herself. She's justifiably horrified, and assures the new puppy Steve, saying, "It'll be different with you." (Famous last words if I've ever heard them.) Steve better make it until the end of this season! However, Simone may be too much of a threat to Taissa's new political power. Although Taissa isn't in control of her actions, it may turn out that Lottie's cult is able to activate her in some way that could lead to more killing or at least some more incredibly weird behavior.
Taissa's old flame Vanessa is also returning in adult form, played by the magnificent Lauren Ambrose. Grown-up Van should have a crucial role to play in either helping Taissa control her monstrous tendencies or, perhaps, she will wind up having a connection to the cult that could turn Taissa into even more of a dangerous foe.
As was announced last week, eight classic SSI Silver Box games are now available again for the first time in decades. Four of these, Heroes of the Lance, Dragons of Flame, War of the Lance, and...
If you've seen "John Wick: Chapter 4," odds are good that you might be hankering for more in the "John Wick" universe sooner rather than later. Erica Lee, who produced all four of the "Wick" films, couldn't agree with you more.
"We're definitely developing more spin-offs," she told me after we talked about the two spin-offs we already know about — the upcoming feature "Ballerina," starring Ana de Armas, and the TV series, "The Continental," which focuses on younger versions of Winston and Charon, who are played by Ian McShane and Lance Reddick in the existing films. The possibilities for additional spin-offs are extensive, though Lee did say that the driving question in decided what to pursue comes down to the question: "What are the characters that stand out in the films, that pop, that have an interesting story to tell, who are still alive?"
Lee shared some of the characters she thinks meet those criteria, and in addition to discussing "Ballerina" and "The Continental," we also touched on the genesis of "John Wick: Chapter 4," including what parts of director Chad Stahelski's original vision did not make it into the film.
Read on for our spoiler-free discussion, which also includes updates on two projects that involve Dev Patel, Bryan Fuller, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
'I Know This Kind Of Franchise Is One In A Million, So I Don't Take It For Granted'
I know you've been involved with the "Wick" franchise from the beginning, and it's definitely evolved from the first film to "Chapter 4," and obviously, there are spin-offs now. I would love to start by hearing your experience and your history with the franchise. From your perspective, how did it progressively expand to what it is now?
It's been amazing. I mean, the first movie was a spec script we read, called "Scorn." And even just getting the first one made was a total labor of love and really hard -- insane. We did it independently and was really complicated and hard, and no one really knew what we had in the beginning. So when we made the first one, there was certainly no idea — I always say, when we make them, we're burning the house down by the end. We leave it all on the field. So we've been really lucky that people have embraced the movies.
I mean, it is crazy knowing that the first "John Wick" was really this scrappy independent movie, first time directors, and now here we are with "John Wick 4" coming out, and obviously, a much bigger budget, bigger scale, a lot more riding on it. But it's crazy to think how far we've come. Also what I think is really specific to "John Wick" is, I think when we wrapped, before we did additional photography, 11 people had worked on all four movies. And the brand continuity of the core team is really special. The fact that Chad [Stahelski] has directed all four movies, I mean, how rare is that in a franchise?
So there's a lot of love there for that. I would say "John Wick" is my first baby and I've had two actual children. It's crazy where we've come and that the world has embraced them and that we just, the awareness is so high now. And I hear people all time saying things like, "Oh, I missed 'John Wick 2,' but I'm coming in now and going back and watching them." So it's really special. I know this kind of franchise is one in a million, so I don't take it for granted.
I talked with Chad and he spoke about how he always had some space between each film. It sounded like from him, anything's possible, but he was not thinking about doing a fifth film. So I just wondered if you had any take on that? Do you think there'll be a fifth film in the future?
I'm hopeful. I think that on all of the movies at this point in the process, we were like, "We're never doing it again!" They're super hard and exhausting to shoot. "John Wick 4" was 97 days of night shoots, and Keanu [Reeves] gets the s*** kicked out of him. Everyone by this point is like, "We had seven premieres, oh my God, we're done!" But the joke is always, on the Japan trip for the last two movies — there's been a Japan release for both of them that was a couple months later — everyone has had some time to rest and think about what we would do, what we could do. I think we all remember how much we love each other and love these movies. So yeah, I'm hopeful. Is the character of John Wick dead? Are there other versions? Are there different stories to tell? I think so.
Speaking of that, how did "Chapter 4" come to be? Did Chad have a specific idea?
No. I think after the third film we were like, "Oh my God, we can never do this again." And then I'll never forget, Chad and I had lunch one day and he was like, "I'm thinking Japan. I'm thinking nunchucks and snow. Have you seen what they can do with snowmobiles these days?" And I was like, "Okay, we have a movie." It was such small pieces but I could just see the wheels in his brain spinning, and we were off to the races at that point. Then there was Covid, but the good or the bad of it was that it gave us also some more time to develop the script and work on it. And Keanu did "The Matrix [Resurrections]," so that changed. We had a little bit more time in between than we normally do.
'Wick ... Is Always Trying To Get Out, And The Character That Ana Plays In 'Ballerina' Is Trying To Get In'
Snowmobiles, we didn't see that in "Wick 4." We saw everything else.
We didn't. But we have snowmobiles in "Ballerina."
That's good to know. Speaking of "Ballerina," obviously, there's "The Continental" show and "Ballerina" that we know about. Can you tease anything about "Ballerina?" I know there's some returning characters involved with that, but obviously, it focuses on a new star, Ana de Armas. What do you think "Wick" fans coming to see that movie will get really excited about?
What's cool about "Ballerina" is it's a different setting. So it's, aesthetically, slightly different than the "Wick" movies. Ana de Armas is an incredible actress and she's amazing. I think what's different about her in "Ballerina" is that Wick in "John Wick" is always trying to get out, and the character that Ana plays in "Ballerina" is trying to get in. So what does that mean for the character? What does that mean for the High Table, the world, the Continentals, all of that? And I think that, obviously, there's going to be killer action and use of interesting weapons and amazing cinematography and cool sets. It's a European location, so we're always trying to push the envelope. Then of course, we have cameos and appearances from some of our friends from "Wick" world, so some continuity.
Yeah, I've heard from other folks that the script is impressive and that there are some twists.
We had some time to work on it. It was not something we rushed. I actually read it five years ago for the first time, and then we spent a lot of time developing it and finessing it once "John Wick 3" had shot, and then "John Wick 4," and how does that world inform the timeline and how does it all work? So we're trying to be really thoughtful about it.
"The Continental" is really cool. It's an alternate timeline. It's a prequel, right? So it's the birth of the Continental, it's in the '70s. So what we do a good job of in the "Wick" movies is just giving little tastes of backstory and little glimpses of what goes on in The Continental. So it's a young Ian McShane and his rise into taking over The Continental. Winston is a character we give very little backstory on in our movies, so I think that audiences will be excited to see how that evolved.
'Where Do These Dogs Come From?'
I would love to hear from your perspective, if you're deciding to do other potential spin-offs, what do you look for? What things would you want to see in any other future spin-offs, just to make sure it's a good addition to the "Wick" universe?
We're definitely developing more spin-offs. And I think it's asking, "What are the characters that stand out in the films, that pop, that have an interesting story to tell, who are still alive?" We kill a lot of people.
Well, you could do another prequel!
Yeah, and also, what are the aspects of the world? The Continental was something we always were really interested in. The Bowery King and the Underground, what is that world like? I think that Rina Sawayama's character of Akira is really fascinating. These are just things I personally would love to explore. Now that "John Wick 4" will be out in the world, I think even more ideas will start flowing.
Yeah, for sure. There are a lot of characters from "Wick 4" that I'd be happy to see in their own film or show.
Yeah, I mean, the dogs. Where do the dogs come from? Where do the Tracker -- and Sofia, Halle Berry's character, has dogs in "John Wick 3", so that's always fascinating to me. Where do these dogs come from? How do you get them? What is a tracker? Where is he trained? I don't know. These are just things we think about and talk about.
I interviewed Lance Reddick less than 24 hours before the news broke [of his passing]. It's just so awful. And I'm so sorry to you, as I'm sure you knew him. But I would love to hear if you had any favorite Lance stories from working with him in the franchise.
Lance was just the greatest guy ever, and so it's so heartbreaking and so shocking.
So shocking. So shocking.
And the timing, all of it is so strange. He wasn't on the movies for long stretches. He would come in and just brighten up everyone and the scene. Not only the scenes, but him as a human and his wife Stephanie, and he was just such a great guy. I didn't spend an enormous amount of time with him socially, also because, I was again pregnant on "John Wick 4" and had a baby, a six-week-old, on "John Wick 3." So I would shoot the movie and then deal with life. But yeah, it's really heartbreaking and a huge loss for us and me personally and it's crazy. I was so blindsided by it. I mean, like you said, you were interviewing him.
I know. But he mentioned to me he shot "Ballerina," so he'll be in "Ballerina"?
He's in "Ballerina." He came and shot a day as the concierge. And there is a young Charon in "The Continental." So yes, he still lives on in the franchise, but yeah, so heartbreaking.
'People Will Say It's Akin To An Indian John Wick'
So I have a little bit more time with you. Can I ask you a couple quick questions about some of your other projects?
Sure.
Cool. So I noticed you were involved with Dev Patel's "Monkey Man." I know it's coming to Netflix, but is there anything you can tease about it or just the status of where that is?
We're in post on it. Dev is incredible in it. He wrote it, he acts in it, he directs it. It's a real labor of love. It's been very challenging. One of the hardest movies I've ever had to make. We started it in the height of Covid in Mumbai and had to shut it down and bring everyone home. And Dev was like, "Either I make this movie now or I don't. I'm trained. We have everything." So in this crazy experience, we're like, "Okay, we got to figure out how to make the movie." We couldn't leave. So we started figuring out where we could shoot it, and we started doing Zoom meetings with Indonesia and all these other places and ended up shooting it on an island called Batam off the coast of Jakarta.
He shot for 70 days. It's a story based on the Hanuman mythology, which is Indian folklore, a story that his grandfather told him. It's a simple story. It's a revenge story. People will say it's akin to an Indian John Wick. Dev is awesome. The action's insane. It has the look and the feel of India, and the grittiness is palpable. So I think people are going to love it.
Cool. And I saw the other news about "Dust Bunny" with Bryan Fuller and Mads Mikkelsen, which "Hannibal" fans are going to be very excited about, I'm sure. Anything you can tease about that?
We are going to start production later this summer. It's an incredible script. It's unlike anything I've worked on before. I mean, Bryan Fuller's brain is somewhere that I just want to sit inside of. It's visual and interesting. It's like if David Fincher had directed "Amelie." It is insane. And Mads is a singular talent. I worked with him a couple times on the "Clash of the Titans" movies. And they have an amazing relationship. And Mads is playing an assassin, and it's just really f***ing cool.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" is now playing in theaters.
Slashdot reader votsalo shares a report from the Guardian: Tiny glass beads strewn across the moon's surface contain potentially billions of tons of water that could be extracted and used by astronauts on future lunar missions, researchers say. The discovery is thought to be one of the most important breakthroughs yet for space agencies that have set their sights on building bases on the moon, as it means there could be a highly accessible source of not only water but also hydrogen and oxygen. "This is one of the most exciting discoveries we've made," said Mahesh Anand, a professor of planetary science and exploration at the Open University. "With this finding, the potential for exploring the moon in a sustainable manner is higher than it's ever been."
Anand and a team of Chinese scientists analyzed fine glass beads from lunar soil samples returned to Earth in December 2020 by the Chinese Chang'e-5 mission. The beads, which measure less than a millimeter across, form when meteoroids slam into the moon and send up showers of molten droplets. These then solidify and become mixed into the moon dust. Tests on the glass particles revealed that together they contain substantial quantities of water, amounting to between 300m and 270 billion tons across the entire moon's surface. "This is going to open up new avenues which many of us have been thinking about," said Anand. "If you can extract the water and concentrate it in significant quantities, it's up to you how you utilize it."
The latest research, published in Nature Geoscience, points to fine glass beads as the source of that surface water. Unlike frozen water lurking in permanently shaded craters, this should be far easier to extract by humans or robots working on the moon. "It's not that you can shake the material and water starts dripping out, but there's evidence that when the temperature of this material goes above 100C, it will start to come out and can be harvested," Anand said. The water appears to form when high-energy particles streaming from the sun -- the so-called solar wind -- strike the molten droplets. The solar wind contains hydrogen nuclei, which combine with oxygen in the droplets to produce water or hydroxyl ions. The water then becomes locked in the beads, but it can be released by heating the material. Further tests on the material showed the water diffuses in and out of the beads on the timeframe of a few years, confirming an active water cycle on the moon. According to Prof Sen Hu, a senior co-author of the study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, such impact glasses could store and release water on other airless rocks in the solar system.
Fans of Dave Filoni's animated "Star Wars" series have gotten their due reward for keeping up with what many may have initially dismissed as kiddie cartoons. Characters and major plot points in both "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" have appeared in live-action projects, turning Filoni's ideas into vital pieces of the grander "Star Wars" universe. Katee Sackhoff's Mandalorian Death Watch leader Bo-Katan Kryze, in particular, is currently playing a central role in season 3 of "The Mandalorian," paying off all the hard work Sackhoff has put into the role ever since she began voicing the character back on "The Clone Wars."
It's almost a miracle how prevalent Bo-Katan has become in the "Star Wars" mythos considering how rocky her character's behind-the-scenes start was. Filoni made Bo-Katan a major antagonist-turned-antihero in "The Clone Wars" right before Disney acquired Lucasfilm and subsequently cancelled the show. Luckily, Filoni gave her a chance to return in "Rebels" (in which she plays a more heroic role as an enemy of the Empire), prior to bringing the character back for a seventh and final season of "The Clone Wars" on Disney+. All the while, Sackhoff provided Bo-Katan's voice and made a smooth transition to live-action upon her debut in "The Mandalorian."
'It Just Warmed My Heart'
Those who have watched the "Battlestar Galactica" remake series have long known how great Katee Sackhoff is at bringing a senes of pathos into a hard-edged military mentality, when it comes to her live-action characters. Her role as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace was always more than an archetypical badass space marine woman, and she brings the same type of multi-layered performance while handling the moral complexities of Bo-Katan (in both animation and live-action).
Bo-Katan's rise to and fall from the throne of Mandalore has its own tragedies that have deeply shaped both the character and Sackhoff's approach to portraying her over the years. The consistency and growth of the actor's work is also the reason why fans have greeted her reappearance(s) with such open arms. She discussed the fan reception in an interview with the official "Star Wars" website, explaining:
"I watched the fan reaction compilation that was put together of Bo showing up, and it just warmed my heart. I was so happy that she was so well received. I mean, listen: love her, hate her. You can hate her. She's done some pretty appalling things in her existence. But the reaction and overall excitement — and to see people instantaneously know who she was, the moment she landed... was really cool. I loved it."
Sackhoff has stated that transitioning from voice work to live-action has included its own challenges, but the positive response has proven that she has become synonymous with the character at this point. She now shares lead acting credits alongside Pedro Pascal, making the "The Mandalorian" deservedly Sackhoff's show, too.
New episodes of "The Mandalorian" premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
Microsoft says it has evidence that Russian APT actors were exploiting a nasty Outlook zero-day as far back as April 2022, upping the stakes on organizations to start hunting for signs of compromise.
Microsoft has released an out-of-band update to address a privacy-defeating flaw in its screenshot editing tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The issue, dubbed aCropalypse, could enable malicious actors to recover edited portions of screenshots, potentially revealing sensitive information that may have been cropped out.
Tracked as CVE-2023-28303, the vulnerability is rated 3.3 on the CVSS
Newegg, one of the leading global online electronics retailers, reveals that the company is utilizing the popular AI ChatGPT on its website to increase consumers' overall online shopping experience. ChatGPT will be used for the company's PC Builder tool, text content, customer service, creating subject email lines for consumers, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Newegg's ChatGPT implementation makes PC building fun and broken at the same time
ChatGPT has introduced four months ago and has been an essential topic of conversation regarding generative pre-trained transformer artificial intelligence. The program, which has grown in popularity and overall intelligence in the last several months, has seen use in several situations, whether it be customer service, writing articles or reports, and even writing code for programmers.
Now, Newegg feels that the company can use the powers of ChatGPT to assist consumers with choosing the right parts and information and direct customers to the information they request by using the AI source.
We’re always evaluating our e-commerce technology to ensure we’re providing the best customer experience. Through testing, we’ve proven that ChatGPT has a practical use for Newegg based on the added quality and efficiency it creates. We deployed ChatGPT to improve content both on-site and off-site to help customers find what they want and elevate their experience. AI doesn’t replace employees, but it adds resources so employees are available to handle more complex projects. We’re still in the early phases of AI but the benefits for e-commerce may be substantial.
Our customers are among the population’s most knowledgeable regarding the latest technology because they assemble often complex tech products. Customers should expect Newegg to deploy the most advanced technology for their shopping experience and ChatGPT currently enables this.
— Lucy Huo, Vice President of Application Development, Newegg
Newegg's new integration with ChatGPT will be used in the following:
PC Builder shopping tool, which helps customers select components to build a desktop PC
Optimizing text content throughout the Newegg website
Customer service chat
Customer email subject lines
Search Engine Optimization
Newegg Commerce Inc. will now incorporate ChatGPT in the Newegg PC Builder shopping tool launched in June 2020. The online toolset was out to assist consumers in locating parts to build their PC system but added the functionality to show what parts were compatible with each other as well as helping with user specifications and price range. The new ChatGPT integration is in its beta stages, but the company hopes that customers can speak to the AI chatbot and receive calculated answers to help build their system. In addition, Newegg will offer specific set selections, such as intended PC use, CPU, GPU, and price range.
Editor's Note: So I was messing around with the tool and noticed that once you put in a specific query for an Intel or AMD build, it won't show the other brand at all. For example, if you were to select AMD PC builds at the start and then follow up with a sentence like "Best Gaming PC", all of those builds will be AMD-only. The same is the case if you use Intel first.
ChatGPT will also work to alter text throughout the website to assist consumers. At the same time, the chatbot will assist customers browsing Newegg and help discover new tech products, such as suggesting certain products based on what the consumer is searching for with more efficiency and providing better page titles, along with more suggestive descriptions and summaries.
For customer service, Newegg will use ChatGPT as a medium between consumers and Newegg's human staff workers to answer known questions and only notify the human side of the business when consumers require resolutions to any arising concerns during discussion. Newegg feels that ChatGPT's benefits for customer service are that the chatbots can replicate human understanding and interactions, replicate the customer service experience, and offer informative and satisfying sessions to resolve questions and concerns. ChatGPT increased artificial intelligence can process more topics than previous AI-based chatbots of the past, helping customer service representatives focus on complicated customer issues.
Integrating ChatGPT for customer email subject lines are expected to increase the open rate for the company by utilizing analytical data that would be catered more to the consumer.
ChatGPT will also assist with Newegg's SEO by creating text and descriptions on the website to increase and improve the shopping experience for consumers. For off-site matters, the AI-generative chatbot will offer friendlier and more welcoming content to Bing and Google to increase traffic for Newegg's online store.
The Biden administration on Monday announced a new executive order that would broadly ban U.S. federal agencies from using commercially developed spyware that poses threats to human rights and national security. From a report: The move to ban federal agencies -- including law enforcement, defense and intelligence -- from using commercial spyware comes as officials confirmed that dozens of U.S. government personnel had their phones targeted. Human rights defenders and security researchers have for years warned of the risks posed by commercial spyware, created in the private sector and sold almost exclusively to governments and nation states. [...] In a call with reporters ahead of the order's signing, Biden administration officials said that the United States was trying to get ahead of the problem and set standards for other governments and its allies, which buy and deploy commercial spyware. The order is the latest action taken by the government in recent years, including banning some spyware makers from doing business in the U.S. and passing laws aimed at limiting the use and procurement of spyware by federal agencies.
Showtime's hit series "Yellowjackets" boasts some ridiculously scary characters, but few can hold a candle to Misty Quigley. Played as an adult by Christina Ricci and as a teen by Samantha Hanratty, the eager-to-please outcast is unstable at best, and there's a reason why the first thing Natalie (Juliette Lewis) says to her upon reuniting as adults is, "Hello, Misty. You crazy f***ing b****." During season 1, teen Misty tried to drug her coach with mushrooms — the same one she also amputated a limb off of — in order to sleep with him. The girl is banana pants unwell, and yet we can't help but love her.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, some of the "Yellowjackets" cast members were asked which castmate has the weakest stomach, and everyone unanimously pointed toward Samantha Hanratty. She joked, "Does everything upset my tummy? Yes. But not the gore!" Hanratty has been very vocal about living with gastrointestinal issues, eventually learning that she was allergic to, well, just about everything. She's also a proud vegan, so anytime she's seen gnawing on animals or (gulp) humans on the show, she's chowing down on Beyond Meat.
Fortunately, no bugs are harmed in the making of the series, either. All of the insects the cast eats are made from gnocchi or fondant, but as anyone who has watched "Yellowjackets" can attest to, very real worms, maggots, and other types of tiny, many-legged critters are shown in wide shots. Alas, Hanratty's bleeding heart for animals extends even to the creepy crawlies, and her desire to "save them" almost destroyed a forest's ecosystem in the process.
Save The Maggots!
"When there's dead animals around, it's not upset stomach, it's upset eyes," Hanratty joked. "That's when I'll like, really get emo, because even if it's a fake dead animal, I'm like, [fake cries] 'That animal had a family!'"
Steven Krueger, who plays Coach Ben, added to Hanratty's story and talked about an incident during the production, where she tried to take a handful of maggots and reintroduce them into the wild. It wasn't until the wrangler informed her that she couldn't do that, because the sudden inclusion of all of the maggots (that would eventually turn into adult flies) runs the risk of screwing up the location's natural ecosystem. Realizing the error of her ways, Hanratty then took it upon herself to fix the issue."I went back and I got every single maggot and I put them back where they were and I literally talked to each one," she said. "I'm a little psycho. I'm a little crazy. I guess I'm Misty 2.0!" Hanratty eventually admitted she has thrown up on set, but it was due to the fake snow ending up in her mouth and getting stuck because it doesn't melt.
"Yellowjackets" returns on the Showtime app beginning March 24 and will broadcast on Showtime beginning March 26 with new episodes to follow weekly.
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp notes Microsoft's friendly relationship with North Dakota, pointing out that in 2017 Microsoft's president Brad Smith said the company would provide the state "cash grants, technology, curriculum and resources to nonprofits" and also "partner with schools to strengthen their ability to offer digital skills and computer science education to the youth they serve."
"We just have such a good relationship with the community. We were also excited about Doug Burgum's election as governor. We had confidence that Doug, as governor, would bring a real focus on innovation that would focus on both changes in government and changes in technology." Before being elected Governor in 2016 (with the endorsement of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and financial backing from Bill Gates), former Microsoft exec Burgum sold his Fargo-based Great Plains Software business to Microsoft in 2002 for $1.1 billion and joined the software giant, where he reported directly to Steve Ballmer (a college friend) and managed Nadella (who became chief of Microsoft Business Solutions after Burgum's 2007 departure).
"We need a national movement for coding and computer science in our public schools [...] We need to influence, we need to support, we need to reform public policy as we're seeing here in North Dakota," Microsoft's Smith exhorted to TEDxFargo attendees in his return to North Dakota. "We need to make sure that computer science counts towards high school graduation." Mission accomplished. On Friday, North Dakota's governor Doug Burgum and School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler celebrated the governor's signing of HB1398, the Microsoft-supported bill which requires the teaching of computer science and cybersecurity and the integration of these content standards into school coursework from kindergarten through 12th grade. (Two of the ten members of North Dakota's K-12 CS and Cybersecurity Standards Review Committee were from Microsoft).
The superintendent said North Dakota is the first state in the nation to approve legislation requiring cybersecurity education. "Today is the culmination of years of work by stakeholders from all sectors to recognize and promote the importance of cybersecurity and computer science education in our elementary, middle and high schools," superintendent Baesler said at Friday's bill signing ceremony.
Baesler said EduTech, a division of bill supporter North Dakota Information Technology that provides IT support and professional development for K-12 educators, will be developing examples of cybersecurity and computer science education integration plans that may be used to assist local schools develop their own plans. EduTech is a Regional Partner of tech-backed nonprofit Code.org, which also voiced its support for HB1398. Code.org's Board of Directors include Microsoft President Brad Smith and CTO Kevin Scott. Burgum, who joined Code.org's Governors Partnership for K-12 Computer Science in 2017, was also among 45 of the nation's State Governors who last July signed a Compact To Expand K-12 Computer Science Education in their states in response to a public letter from the CEOs for CS (including Microsoft's Nadella and Smith), part of a campaign organized by Code.org that called for state governments and education leaders to bring more CS to K-12 students to meet the future demands of the American workforce. Code.org has set a goal to make CS a high school graduation requirement for every student in all 50 states by the end of the decade.
Quality has its price! | Noctua offer a wide portfolio of high-performance air coolers and have been regarded as a top brand for years when it comes to the topic of air cooling. In this short review, we have taken a closer look at the Noctua NH-U9S, the NH-D9L and the NH-La9-AM5, which can be fitted into many cases thanks to their size. Additionally, we have tested whether the three test subjects could tame an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X.
