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If you’re in the final stages of interviewing for a new job or have accepted an offer and are working out the compensation details, it’s time to consider if and how to ask for a signing bonus. 

Once the exclusive purview of professional athletes and highly paid executives, signing bonuses have become more common as employers vie for top talent and in-demand workers find themselves in the position of deciding between multiple job opportunities at one time. While most negotiable signing bonuses today are offered to skilled workers or those seeking professional jobs, today’s competitive job market has companies offering signing bonuses to teachers, grocery store workers, manufacturing assembly line workers, and truck drivers, to name just a few types of jobs now commanding bonuses. 

Like everything related to a job search, though, there are conventions and best practices when it comes to asking for a signing bonus. This article will cover what you need to know before you ask for a signing bonus to help increase your chances of receiving what you want and deserve. 

What is a signing bonus?

A signing bonus is a type of monetary incentive companies use to persuade prospective employees to join their organizations. Companies that offer signing bonuses are trying to sweeten the hiring deal. By providing this incentive — which is sometimes referred to as a sign-on bonus or starting bonus — the potential employer is hoping the additional compensation will make their offer of employment so attractive that any competing job offers will pale in comparison. 

There are as many different types of signing bonuses as there are compensation plans. Typically, though, a signing bonus will fall into one of these categories:

• It can be a lump-sum one-time payment after the new employee accepts the job.
• It can be paid out in increments over the course of the first year the employee works on the job.
• It can be a combination of these types where a large immediate lump-sum payment is followed by smaller additional payments for a specific period after work commences.
• It can come in the form of stock options.
• It can be a combination of cash and stock options paid out on a mutually agreed-upon schedule.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding how much a signing bonus should be. It just depends on industry norms and what you can negotiate. 

Why do companies give signing bonuses?

Companies offer signing bonuses to potential new hires for a number of reasons, including:

• Pilfer top executives and seasoned managers from other companies. Filling high-level management positions can be difficult. Most qualified candidates will be ensconced in other organizations. To entice them to jump their current ship and move to a new company, the business will make the compensation package as attractive as possible (that includes tacking on a sizable signing bonus). 
• Compensate for having to offer a lower-than-expected base salary. Sometimes, companies can’t fulfill a prospective employee’s annual salary requirements. To make up for the shortfall, the company might offer a signing bonus hoping that a nice sum of money upfront will make up for not being able to offer a higher salary. 
• Offset the loss of bonus, vacation pay, or some other perk. Often, when employees move from one company to another, they forfeit valuable benefits. A signing bonus can make up for this and remove what could have been a major obstacle. 
• Cover relocation expenses. If the prospective employee faces an expensive move, offering a signing bonus to offset those expenses can tip the scales in the company’s favor. 
• Compete for in-demand workers. Some industries — health care, software development, cybersecurity, and restaurant/hospitality, to name a few — have trouble finding workers to fill open positions. Companies offer signing bonuses in these understaffed work environments to be more competitive in attracting applicants. 
• Compete for the best and the brightest. Some companies and firms use the promise of a signing bonus to court graduates of prestigious universities. Since the entry-level positions offered to many new grads may have starting salaries on the lower side, these firms add a sizable signing bonus to bolster a job offer.

How to ask for a signing bonus

Asking for a signing bonus isn’t something you should rush into. To succeed, do your research, settle on the amount you want, time your request just right, and draw on your negotiation skills to work through the details. 

What to research first

Before you start trying to come up with a signing bonus amount, know the ins and outs of the company you’re negotiating with. What types of bonuses do they usually hand out and how often (e.g., quarterly, end of the year)? What does a typical benefits package look like? How are raises determined and how often are you eligible for a raise or promotion? 

If you know someone who’s already inside the company, see if you can get them to provide some insight. If not, research similar companies and check around with your network for their thoughts. Recruiters are often a good resource for this type of insider information. 

Then, look at what you’ve learned in light of your current offer. Is the salary the company offers comparable? Does your benefits package seem sound? This will help you determine what kind of leverage you might have when negotiating for a signing bonus. 

Know the signing bonus amount you want

Reduce your insights and calculations to a single number: the amount you plan to request as a signing bonus. Be prepared to back this number up with evidence. For example, if you’re armed with industry intelligence that your salary offer is a few percentage points below the average, use that information to support your case for the signing bonus amount you’ve set your sights on. 

When to ask for a signing bonus 

It’s important that you don’t get ahead of yourself. You don’t want to broach the subject of a signing bonus prematurely and potentially sour any chance of a future negotiation. 

Don’t even mention a signing bonus unless you have a firm job offer — complete with salary, benefits, and perhaps even a signing bonus! — in hand. If at all possible, don’t react to your employer’s offer with a counter right away. Instead, focus on the job duties and other aspects of the job first. Then, see if your hiring manager or the human resources (HR) person opens the door for a conversation. If they do, be prepared to respond to their thoughts. If they don’t, it’ll be up to you to start the negotiation.

Signing bonus negotiation tips

To get the conversation started, mention how much you’re looking forward to working with your new employer. Then, segue into the compensation package, making note of the offer details. 

Now, it’s time to make your pitch for a signing bonus. Consider the background research you’ve done and make your best case for the bonus you’re seeking. Toward this end:

• Link the amount you’re requesting (the what) to the reason you’re requesting it (the why). For example, if you’re relocating and are seeking help with expenses, show that you’ve done your due diligence in ascertaining what moving will cost. If you see the bonus as making an otherwise below-your-market-worth salary palatable, offer up the numbers to prove your point and consider this part of your salary negotiations.
• Think about your leverage. If you’ve had multiple offers and can afford to let this one go if your numbers aren’t met, you’re in a completely different negotiating position than if this job is your only offer. Before you start talking, know how far you’re willing to go to get what you want. How important is this extra money to you and what are you willing to give up to obtain it?
• Be prepared to address counteroffers. There’s more than one way to formulate a bonus. You can be paid upfront, in increments over a certain period of time, or on a work anniversary. If the company can’t pay you the full bonus you want, would you settle for more paid vacation days or some other form of compensation? Don’t be afraid to get creative.

Get the signing bonus amount in writing

Keep in mind that your signing bonus is part of your employment contract. Get it in writing. Make sure all the details are spelled out with respect to the amount, how it will be paid, whether taxes will be taken out, and what the terms for bonus retention are. Typically, an employee must stay with a company for a year or pay back the bonus if they depart before the agreed-upon time period.

Better your career and life

Embarking on a new career can be both challenging and exciting, especially if your journey begins with a nice-sized signing bonus. After you secure that bonus, check out our vast library of money-mastery resources. And if you’re ready to step up your money-making game, take a moment to check out the New York Times bestseller, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.” You can download the first chapter below for free!

How to Ask for a Signing Bonus is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

Many signs can tip you off to the fact that you are becoming an old person. Your neighbors suddenly seeming loud and obnoxious instead of like the hosts of terrific parties, for example. You develop a sudden preference for footwear that is “comfortable.” You realize you have no idea who some of the highest-paid…

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(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "The Oh in Ohio"

Where You Can Stream It: Peacock, The Roku Channel

The Pitch: Priscilla Chase (Parker Posey) is the hottest, most magnificent woman in Cleveland, Ohio, and married to miserable public high school teacher, Jack (Paul Rudd). Their marriage is failing, Jack is growing resentful toward his wife's increasing success, and struggling with the fact he's never actually given his wife an orgasm. Frustrated with his wife's "sexual dysfunction," Jack moves out of their family home and begins a questionable (and super illegal) relationship with Kristen (Mischa Barton), one of his students. With Priscilla left alone, she sets off on a path of discovering the pleasure she's been lacking, encountering the hot girl who works at the adult mart (Heather Graham), and developing an unlikely relationship with Cleveland's legendary "pool guy," the twice-her-age Wayne (Danny DeVito).

Why It's Essential Viewing

Shortly after my wife and I relocated to Los Angeles from Cleveland, we came across this film on Peacock and were drawn in by its hastily photoshopped poster, boasting names of some of our most favorite actors. A quick Google search showed the film was a financial flop and a critical failure, which only made us want to see it even more. There was no way this film could be good, right? Wrong. "The Oh in Ohio" is a spunky, forgotten, indie aughts comedy that was wholly misunderstood upon its release, and unfairly maligned by people who couldn't believe for one second that someone who looks like Danny DeVito could provide better sex than someone who looks like Paul Rudd.

Paul Rudd runs his marriage into the ground due to his perceived failure "as a man" knowing he's never brought his wife to climax. During a therapy session, he starts rattling off how good he was with previous partners and brags about being "above average" in penile size, even going so far as to admit that if he were in a car crash and lost the ability to use his member, he'd end it all right then and there. "It's not my inability to give her an orgasm, it's her inability to have one," he says, placing blame on his wife for their marital strife, while Priscilla, the one who isn't experiencing pleasure, has never once complained about it.

Rethinking Pleasure And Calling Out Garbage Dudes

Priscilla does everything she can think of to try and remedy her marriage, trying out different toys and attending a sexual art therapy session hosted by a blonde Liza Minelli wearing a pink cape with "MASTURBATION" bedazzled on the back. At no point does Jack believe that the reason his wife can't come to completion is due to his lack of ability, and does nothing to try and figure out what his wife needs. Instead, once he walks in on her reaching orgasm thanks to a vibrator, he storms out of the house and preys on an eager high school senior who has no qualms about having an affair with her teacher. He goes as far as moving into an apartment building for eligible bachelors called "Manly Arms," because this movie really, really wants you to know that toxic male insecurity is the problem here, not Priscilla.

While Priscilla manages to find success with self care, she does still struggle with new partners. Men, women, it doesn't matter, Priscilla struggles to let go and allow herself to feel pleasure from someone other than herself. The film doesn't blame her though, it instead highlights how quickly people are willing to give up on new relationships and new people if things aren't perfect from day one. Priscilla needs someone to take the time and help her get there, and no one is willing to do so. That is, until she finally goes on a date with Wayne.

Danny DeVito: Sex God

Wayne the Pool Guy is one of those local business owners that everyone in the city knows, complete with TV commercials that haven't changed for 20 years. She invites Wayne for dinner to discuss the possibility of her finally giving in and having a pool installed and he in turn invites her over to see the remarkable pool and water slide he created for his late wife. They have an immediate chemistry, and end up not just swimming together in the pool, but doing exactly what one would think in a movie about a woman's quest for orgasm. As it turns out, there isn't anything wrong with Priscilla, because Wayne is able to give her the one thing no one before has ever been able to provide. The moment is life-changing, it is reaffirming, and according to a lot of the critics who trashed this movie when it came out, it is completely unbelievable.

Danny DeVito has made a career playing goofy characters and cartoonish men, but he has an unteachable charisma in this film that makes complete sense as to why Priscilla would find him so captivating. So many critics criticized the film's third act, with one particular (and notoriously curmudgeonly) critic calling the sexual moments between Posey and DeVito to be "revolting." A shame that a man finally taking the time to please a woman is viewed as impossible to believe just because he's not considered as Hollywood Handsome as Paul "the ageless wonder" Rudd.

How Did This Get Made?

If you didn't know by now, I live to encourage people to check out films that are a bit more off the beaten path, and ones that would likely go unseen unless someone dropped it right on your doorstep. "The Oh in Ohio," is absolutely one of those movies. The more I think about it, the more I can't believe a movie really exists where Paul Rudd is an unlikable villain who never reaches redemption, and Danny DeVito is the answer to all of Parker Posey's sexual problems. It's a film that feels like it shouldn't exist, but is a testament to the ingenuity and spirit of independent cinema. 

A huge studio would never make a movie like this, which leans into the ridiculousness of the circumstances and allows the space to poke fun at very real problems that people are still too hung up to talk about. It's a weird comedy that will make you feel weird just about the whole time you're watching it, but hopefully will inspire you to rethink your own relationship with pleasure, and realize that maybe the key to your personal happiness is a night with Danny DeVito.

Read this next: The Daily Stream: The Great Doesn't Care About Prestige Period Shows (Or Facts)

The post The Daily Stream: Parker Posey Finally Experiences The Big Oh in The Oh in Ohio appeared first on /Film.

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An undersea fibre-optic cable which connects Tonga to the rest of the world was severed during the eruption of a volcano. From a report: New Zealand's ministry of foreign affairs says it could take more than a month to repair breaks in the 49,889km (31,000miles) of cable that serves the South Pacific. The undersea eruption - followed by a tsunami - led to Tonga's 110,000 people being cut off. A 2G wireless connection has been established on the main island, using a satellite dish from the University of the South Pacific. But the service is patchy, and internet services run slowly. The cable, which is operated by Tonga Cable, is believed to have broken about 37km (23 miles) offshore. According to Reuters, fault-finding conducted by the company in the aftermath of the volcano seemed to confirm a cable break. he process of mending it is actually quite simple, according to principal engineer at Virgin Media, Peter Jamieson, who is also vice-chairman of the European Subsea Cable Association. "They will send a pulse of light from the island and a machine will measure how long it takes to travel and this will establish where the break is," he explained. Then a cable-repair boat will be sent to the location of the first break. It will use either an ROV (remotely-operated underwater vehicle) or a tool known as a grapnel (basically a hook on a chain) to retrieve the broken end. That will be re-joined to fresh cable on board the boat and then the same process will happen at the other end of the break. If all goes well, the whole process will take between five and seven days. It will take time to get a cable repair boat to the archipelago and the closest one is currently stationed in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - about 4,700km (2,900 miles) away. The specialised ship, The Reliance, serves more than 50,000km (31,000 miles) of cable in the South Pacific.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

What’s worse than finding out that identity thieves took out a 546 percent interest payday loan in your name? How about a 900 percent interest loan? Or how about not learning of the fraudulent loan until it gets handed off to collection agents? One reader’s nightmare experience spotlights what can happen when ID thieves and hackers start targeting online payday lenders.

The reader who shared this story (and copious documentation to go with it) asked to have his real name omitted to avoid encouraging further attacks against his identity. So we’ll just call him “Jim.” Last May, someone applied for some type of loan in Jim’s name. The request was likely sent to an online portal that takes the borrower’s loan application details and shares them with multiple prospective lenders, because Jim said over the next few days he received dozens of emails and calls from lenders wanting to approve him for a loan.

Many of these lenders were eager to give Jim money because they were charging exorbitant 500-900 percent interest rates for their loans. But Jim has long had a security freeze on his credit file with the three major consumer credit reporting bureaus, and none of the lenders seemed willing to proceed without at least a peek at his credit history.

Among the companies that checked to see if Jim still wanted that loan he never applied for last May was Mountain Summit Financial (MSF), a lending institution owned by a Native American tribe in California called the Habematelol Pomo of Upper Lake.

Jim told MSF and others who called or emailed that identity thieves had applied for the funds using his name and information; that he would never take out a payday loan; and would they please remove his information from their database? Jim says MSF assured him it would, and the loan was never issued.

Jim spent months sorting out that mess with MSF and other potential lenders, but after a while the inquiries died down. Then on Nov. 27 — Thanksgiving Day weekend — Jim got a series of rapid-fire emails from MSF saying they’ve received his loan application, that they’d approved it, and that the funds requested were now available at the bank account specified in his MSF profile.

Curiously, the fraudsters had taken out a loan in Jim’s name with MSF using his real email address — the same email address the fraudsters had used to impersonate him to MSF back in May 2021. Although he didn’t technically have an account with MSF, their authentication system is based on email addresses, so Jim requested that a password reset link be sent to his email address. That worked, and once inside the account Jim could see more about the loan details:

Take a look at that 546.56 percent interest rate and finance charges listed in this $1,000 loan. If you pay this loan off in a year at the suggested bi-weekly payment amounts, you will have paid $3,903.57 for that $1,000.

Jim contacted MSF as soon as they opened the following week and found out the money had already been dispersed to a Bank of America account Jim didn’t recognize. MSF had Jim fill out an affidavit claiming the loan was the result of identity theft, which necessitated filing a report with the local police and a number of other steps. Jim said numerous calls to Bank of America’s fraud team went nowhere because they refused to discuss an account that was not in his name.

Jim said MSF ultimately agreed that the loan wasn’t legitimate, but they couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him how his information got pushed through to a loan — even though MSF was never able to pull his credit file.

Then in mid-January, Jim heard from MSF via snail mail that they’d discovered a data breach.

“We believe the outsider may have had an opportunity to access the accounts of certain customers, including your account, at which point they would be able to view personal information pertaining to that customer and potentially obtain an unauthorized loan using the customer’s credentials,” MSF said.

MSF said the personal information involved in this incident may have included name, date of birth, government-issued identification numbers (e.g., SSN or DLN), bank account number and routing number, home address, email address, phone number and other general loan information.

Nevermind that his information was only in MSF’s system because of an earlier attempt by ID thieves: The intruders were able to update his existing (never-deleted) record with new banking information and then push the application through MSF’s systems.

“MSF was the target of a suspected third-party attack,” the company said, noting that it was working with the FBI, the California Sheriff’s Office, and the Tribal Commission for Lake County, Calif.  “Ultimately, MSF confirmed that these trends were part of an attack that originated outside of the company.”

MSF has not responded to questions about the aforementioned third party or parties that may be involved. But it is possible that other tribal lenders could have been affected: Jim said that not long after the phony MSF payday loan was pushed through, he received at least three inquiries in rapid succession from other lenders who were all of a sudden interested in offering him a loan.

In a statement sent to KrebsOnSecurity, MSF said it was “the victim of a malicious attack that originated outside of the company, by unknown perpetrators.”

“As soon as the issue was uncovered, the company initiated cybersecurity incident response measures to protect and secure its information; and notified law enforcement and regulators,” MSF wrote. “Additionally, the company has notified individuals whose personal identifiable information may have been impacted by this crime and is actively working with law enforcement in its investigation. As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, we can make no additional comment at this time.”

According to the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA), a trade group in Washington, D.C. representing tribal lenders, the short-term installment loan products offered by NAFSA members are not payday loans but rather “installment loans” — which are amortized, have a definite loan term, and require payments that go toward not just interest, but that also pay down the loan principal.

NAFSA did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Nearly all U.S. states have usury laws that limit the amount of interest a company can charge on a loan, but those limits traditionally haven’t applied to tribal lenders.

Leslie Bailey is a staff attorney at Public Justice, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization in Oakland, Calif. Bailey says an increasing number of online payday lenders have sought affiliations with Native American tribes in an effort to take advantage of the tribes’ special legal status as sovereign nations.

“The reason is clear: Genuine tribal businesses are entitled to ‘tribal immunity,’ meaning they can’t be sued,” Bailey wrote in a blog post. “If a payday lender can shield itself with tribal immunity, it can keep making loans with illegally-high interest rates without being held accountable for breaking state usury laws.”

Bailey said in one common type of arrangement, the lender provides the necessary capital, expertise, staff, technology, and corporate structure to run the lending business and keeps most of the profits. In exchange for a small percent of the revenue (usually 1-2%), the tribe agrees to help draw up paperwork designating the tribe as the owner and operator of the lending business.

“Then, if the lender is sued in court by a state agency or a group of cheated borrowers, the lender relies on this paperwork to claim it is entitled to immunity as if it were itself a tribe,” Bailey wrote. “This type of arrangement — sometimes called ‘rent-a-tribe’ — worked well for lenders for a while, because many courts took the corporate documents at face value rather than peering behind the curtain at who’s really getting the money and how the business is actually run. But if recent events are any indication, legal landscape is shifting towards increased accountability and transparency.”

In 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued four tribal online payday lenders in federal court — including Mountain Summit Financial — for allegedly deceiving consumers and collecting debt that was not legally owed in many states. All four companies are owned by the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake.

The CFPB later dropped that inquiry. But a class action lawsuit (PDF) against those same four lenders is proceeding in Virginia, where a group of plaintiffs have alleged the defendants violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Virginia usury laws by charging interest rates between 544 and 920 percent.

According to Buckley LLP, a financial services law firm based in Washington, D.C., a district court dismissed the RICO claims but denied the defense’s motion to compel arbitration and dismiss the case, ruling that the arbitration provision was unenforceable as a prospective waiver of the borrowers’ federal rights and that the defendants could not claim tribal sovereign immunity. The district court also “held the loan agreements’ choice of tribal law unenforceable as a violation of Virginia’s strong public policy against unregulated lending of usurious loans.”

Buckley notes that on Nov. 16, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the district court ruling, concluding that the arbitration clauses in the loan agreements “impermissibly force borrowers to waive their federal substantive rights under federal consumer protection laws, and contained an unenforceable tribal choice-of-law provision because Virginia law caps general interest rates at 12 percent.”

Jim said he learned of the Thanksgiving weekend MSF loan only because the hackers apparently figured it was easier to push through loans using existing MSF customer account information than it was to alter anything in the records other than the bank account for receiving the funds.

But had the hackers changed the email address, Jim might have first found out about the loan when the collection agencies came calling. And by then, his exorbitant loan would be in default and racking up some wicked late charges.

Jim says he’s still hopping mad at MSF, and these days he’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“They issued this loan in my name without verification and without even checking my credit at all, even though they were already on notice that they shouldn’t have been dealing with me from the May incident,” Jim said. “I still feel like I’m going to get that call at some point from a collection agency asking why I haven’t been making payments on some installment loan I never asked for.”

If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’re trying to teach your child to save their money—but if you want to set your child up for a deeper level of financial success, you have to teach them the difference between saving and investing. This early lesson in financial literacy could be the difference between a comfortable nest…

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The first rule of Fight Club in China? Don't mention the original ending. The second rule of Fight Club in China? Change it so the police win. From a report: China has some of the world's most restrictive censorship rules with authorities only approving a handful of foreign films for release each year -- sometimes with major cuts. Among the latest movies to undergo such treatment is David Fincher's 1999 cult classic "Fight Club" starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Film fans in China noticed over the weekend that a version of the movie newly available on streaming platform Tencent Video was given a makeover that transforms the anarchist, anti-capitalist message that made the film a global hit. In the closing scenes of the original, Norton's character The Narrator, kills off his imaginary alter ego Tyler Durden -- played by Pitt -- and then watches multiple buildings explode, suggesting his character's plan to bring down modern civilisation is underway. But the new version in China has a very different take. The Narrator still proceeds with killing off Durden, but the exploding building scene is replaced with a black screen and a coda: "The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding". It then adds that Tyler -- a figment of The Narrator's imagination -- was sent to a "lunatic asylum" for psychological treatment and was later discharged. The new ending in which the state triumphs sparked head scratching and outrage among many Chinese viewers -- many of whom would likely have seen pirated versions of the unadulterated version film.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Looking back over the last year, the security landscape has continued to experience significant change and escalation. Every day, we see the toll this is taking on organizations of all sizes as they navigate the enduring challenges of the pandemic, the expansion of the digital estate, and the evolution of threats. As defenders ourselves, we understand the relentless commitment required to safeguard people and organizations in this environment. It is our mission to ensure security leaders have the tools and resources they need to succeed in this important work. To continually understand the priorities and concerns of our community, we run research with security leaders every six months. I wanted to share some of those insights with you, as you may find the information valuable in your work.

To begin, the top five challenges shown below, as reported by survey takers, are very consistent with what I’m hearing in my regular interactions with customers and partners. 

Addressing ransomware is number one, followed closely by cloud security

The security leaders we talk to are feeling the pressure—managing the risk of ransomware and cyber extortion was reported as their number one challenge this past year. According to the 2021 Ransomware Survey Report, ransomware grew by 1,070 percent between July 2020 and June 2021.¹ Data from Microsoft’s Detection and Response Team (DART) in the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report shows that cybercrime supply chains are consolidating and maturing.² No longer do individual cybercriminals have to develop their own tools. Today, they can simply buy proven cybercrime kits and services to incorporate into their campaigns. This gives the average cybercriminal access to better tools and automation to enable scale and drive down costs. As a result, attacks of all types are on the rise, with the economics behind successful ransomware attacks fueling a rapid trajectory.

Cloud security has also been pushed into the forefront as security leaders adapt to the realities of the pandemic and the shift to hybrid work.³ The cloud represents significant opportunities for scale and agility. At the same time, cloud security technologies are evolving, and customers are looking for ways to simplify security across their entire portfolio.

Investment priorities for 2022

Aligned to the top cybersecurity challenges, cloud security lands as the top area of security investment over the next 12 months. For most security leaders, this means prioritizing investments that help them close gaps, protect workloads, and secure access to cloud resources. Security leaders tell us this is an area in which they’re looking for solutions that can help them tackle these challenges comprehensively—with so many organizations having a multi-cloud environment, the integration will be key. Microsoft is committed to delivering end-to-end cloud security that works across all clouds.

Protecting data is fundamental to positive business outcomes, so it’s not a surprise that data security continues to rank high on the list of priorities among respondents. Hybrid work and the acceleration of digital transformation are massively expanding the amount of data that needs to be protected, amplifying the need for comprehensive data security. We predict that organizations of all sizes will need to continue to evolve their data security strategy to keep up with changes in the digital environment.  

Following cloud and data security, we’re also hearing that decision-makers have increased interest in investing in vulnerability management and vulnerability assessment as they prioritize prevention initiatives. We are also seeing growing interest in emerging technologies like extended detection and response (XDR), IoT and operational technology (OT) security, and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions. With XDR, organizations can better detect and respond to threats across their complex ecosystems. Many organizations also use IoT and OT technologies and are looking for ways to close gaps in protection and address potential vulnerabilities. A SASE solution can help with providing secure access to resources at the edge, enabling more flexibility, visibility, and control.

Reading list for 2022

As security leaders look to mitigate threats now and in the near future, we’re seeing an increased focus on improving the prevention capabilities of the highest growth threat vectors, such as cloud security, access management, cloud workloads, hybrid work, and ransomware. An overarching component of that transformation includes increased attention on implementing Zero Trust—currently the top reported topic of interest from our research. Because Zero Trust architecture is essentially designed to prevent an attacker’s ability to move laterally, a Zero Trust strategy is extremely helpful in prioritizing and addressing prevention-focused investments. These include things like shutting down legacy authentication methods, providing secure access to resources using multifactor authentication (MFA), implementing risk-based access controls, and utilizing posture management tools to identify and remediate risks in cloud resources. By implementing a Zero Trust strategy, organizations can more safely embrace a hybrid workplace, and protect people, devices, apps, and data wherever they are located.

Read our Evolving Zero Trust whitepaper to learn how real-world deployments and attacks are shaping the future of Zero Trust strategies.

As part of the shift to the cloud, security leaders tell us they are also interested in learning more about how posture management, access management, and workload protection tools fit into their cloud security strategy. And given the concerns around the rise of ransomware and securing remote or hybrid work, it’s not surprising to see them as a priority topic of interest.

Check out our ransomware blog posts to keep up to date on the latest ransomware insights from Microsoft Security researchers and product updates.

Read our recommendations on securing a new world of hybrid work.

Perception of Microsoft

Serving our customers is our primary job and so it’s probably not surprising that we measure the perception of security leadership for various vendors, including ourselves, in a blind survey. We asked security decision-makers which companies they saw as leading the way in the security industry. Despite so many established vendors, we were honored that Microsoft was ranked in the top three by survey takers with a substantial increase in overall perception in the last year, following several years of steady growth. We hear from customers that our end-to-end solution with broad multi-cloud and multi-platform coverage and deep, industry-recognized protection has been an approach that resonates. We always have more work to do, and I’m sharing this because we want you to know that the success and protection of our customers is at the heart of everything we do. It drives our priorities and is fundamental to our mission. We’re thrilled to know we’re on the right track and we don’t take your trust or your partnership for granted.

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As the last couple of years have shown us, cybersecurity is a mission of great importance. It not only underpins the business resilience that enables your organization to thrive in times of uncertainty, but it’s also critical to the fight for digital safety for all. This isn’t something we can do alone. We must work together as a community, sharing insights and supporting each other, to defend against not only today’s attacks, but also be prepared for the threats of tomorrow. As part of our commitment to sharing insights and fostering cooperation among defenders, my colleague Rob Lefferts will be releasing a new quarterly report next month called CISO Insider, where we invite Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from around the globe to share their best practices and expertise.

For more information that can help you navigate the current challenges in the security landscape, check out the following resources:

• Get insights from security experts in the Microsoft Digital Defense Report.
• Evaluate your Zero Trust security posture.
• Read our Evolving Zero Trust whitepaper.
• Determine how prepared you are for an attack with the security operations self-assessment tool.

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

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¹Fortinet Ransomware Survey Shows Many Organizations Unprepared, Fortinet. 29 September 2021.

²How cyberattacks are changing according to new Microsoft Digital Defense Report, Amy Hogan-Burney, Microsoft. 11 October 2021.

³New data from Microsoft shows how the pandemic is accelerating the digital transformation of cyber-security, Andrew Conway, Microsoft. 19 August 2020.

The post How CISOs are preparing to tackle 2022 appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

On top of providing excellent care to patients, dental practices today are tasked with the care of ever more complex IT solutions. Complying with regulations like HIPAA, protecting patient health records, and managing stores of data from X-rays to insurance information are among the demands that dental practices have to meet.

Whether you outsource these tasks to a managed service provider (MSP) or you manage your data infrastructure in house with network attached storage (NAS) or other hardware, understanding backup best practices and the different options available to help you manage your practice’s data is important for your continued success.

Keeping your data safe and accessible doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In this post, learn more about records retention for dental offices and how you can implement some simple strategies to keep data safe and protected, including 3-2-1 backups, common NAS devices, and insight from an MSP that specializes in IT services specifical for dental practices.

How Long Should a Dental Office Keep Records?

When thinking about backup and data storage solutions for your dental practice, it helps to first have a good understanding of the records retention requirements for dental offices. The best way to understand how long a dental office should keep records is to check with your state board of dentistry. Regulations on records retention vary by state and by patient type.

Retaining records for at least five to seven years is good practice, but some states will require longer retention periods of up to 10 years. Specific types of patients, including minors, may have different retention periods.

Regardless of your state regulations, records must be kept for five years for patients who receive Medicare or Medicaid. If your state regulations are less than five years, plan to retain records longer for these patients.

Finally, it’s good practice to keep all records for patients with whom you’re involved in any kind of legal dispute until the dispute is settled.

What Is the HIPAA Regulation for Storage of Dental Records?

HIPAA does not govern how long medical or dental records must be retained, but it does govern how long HIPAA-related documentation must be retained. Any HIPAA-related documentation, including things like policies, procedures, authorization forms, etc., must be retained for six years according to guidance in HIPAA policy § 164.316(b)(2)(i) on time limits. Some states may have longer or shorter retention periods. If shorter, HIPAA supersedes state regulations.

How Long Does a Dental Office Need to Keep Insurance EOBs?

Explanations of benefits or EOBs are documents from insurance providers that explain the amounts insurance will pay for services. Retention periods for these documents vary by state as well, so check with your state dental board to see how long you should keep them. Additionally, insurance providers may stipulate how long records must be kept. As a general rule of thumb, the longer retention period supersedes others. The best advice—err on the side of caution and keep records for the longest retention period required by either state or federal law. Fortunately, cloud storage provides you with a simple, affordable way to ensure your retention periods meet or exceed requirements.

3-2-1 Backup Strategy

Understanding how long you need to keep records is the first step in structuring your dental practice’s backup plan. The second is understanding what a good backup strategy looks like. The 3-2-1 backup strategy is a tried and true method for protecting data. It means keeping at least three copies of your data on two different media (i.e. devices) with at least one off-site, generally in the cloud. For a dental practice, we can use a simple X-ray file as an example. That file should live on two different devices on-premises, let’s say a machine reserved for storing X-rays which backs up to a NAS device. That’s two copies. If you then back your NAS device up to cloud storage, that’s your third, off-site copy.

The Benefits of Backing Up Your Dental Practice

Why do you need that many copies, you might ask. There are some tried and true benefits that make a strong case for using a 3-2-1 strategy rather than hoping for the best with fewer copies of your data.

1. Fast access to files. When you accidentally delete a file, you can restore it quickly from either your on-site or cloud backup. And if you need a file while you’re away from your desk, you can simply log in to your cloud backup and access it immediately.
2. Quick recoveries from computer crashes. Keeping one copy on-site means you can quickly restore files if one of your machines crashes. You can start up another computer and get immediate access, or you can restore all of the files to a replacement computer.
3. Reliable recoveries from damage and disaster. Floods, fires, and other disasters do happen. With a copy off-site, your data is one less thing you have to worry about in that unfortunate event. You can access your files remotely if needed and restore them completely when you are able.
4. Safe recoveries from ransomware attacks. After hearing about so many major ransomware attacks in the news this past year, you might be surprised to know that most attacks are carried out on small to medium-sized businesses. Keeping an off-site copy in the cloud, especially if you take advantage of features like Object Lock, can better prepare you to recover from a ransomware attack.
5. Compliance with regulatory requirements. As mentioned above, dental practices are subject to retention regulations. Using a cloud backup solution that offers AES encryption helps your practice achieve compliance.

Using NAS for Dental Practices

NAS is essentially a computer connected to a network that provides file-based data storage services to other devices on the network. The primary strength of NAS is how simple it is to set up and deploy.

NAS is frequently the next step up for a small business that is using external hard drives or direct attached storage, which can be especially vulnerable to drive failure. Moving up to NAS offers businesses like dental practices a number of benefits, including:

• The ability to share files locally and remotely.
• 24/7 file availability.
• Data redundancy.
• Integrations with cloud storage that provides a location for necessary automatic data backups.

If you’re interested in upgrading to NAS, check out our Complete NAS Guide for advice on provisioning the right NAS for your needs and getting the most out of it after you buy it.

Hybrid Cloud Strategy for Dental Practices: NAS + Cloud Storage

Most NAS devices come with cloud storage integrations that enable businesses to adopt a hybrid cloud strategy for their data. A hybrid cloud strategy uses a private cloud and public cloud in combination. To expand on that a bit, a hybrid cloud refers to a cloud environment made up of a mixture of typically on-premises, private cloud resources combined with third-party public cloud resources that use some kind of orchestration between them. In this case, your NAS device serves as the on-premises private cloud, as it’s dedicated to only you or your organization, and then you connect it to the public cloud.

Some cloud providers are already integrated with NAS systems. (Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage is integrated with NAS systems from Synology and QNAP, for example.) Check if your preferred NAS system is already integrated with a cloud storage provider to ensure setting up cloud backup, storage, and sync is as easy as possible.

Your NAS should come with a built-in backup manager, like Hyper Backup from Synology or Hybrid Backup Sync from QNAP. Once you download and install the appropriate backup manager app, you can configure it to send backups to your preferred cloud provider. You can also fine-tune the behavior of the backup jobs, including what gets backed up and how often.

Now, you can send backups to the cloud as a third, off-site backup and use your cloud instance to access files anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

Using an MSP for Dental Practices

Many dental practices choose to outsource some or all IT services to an MSP. Making the decision of whether or not to hire an MSP will depend on your individual circumstances and comfort level. Either way, coming to the conversation with an understanding of your backup needs and the cloud backup landscape can help.

Nate Smith, Technical Project Manager at DTC, is responsible for backing up 6,000+ endpoints on 500+ servers at more than 450 dental and doctor’s offices in the mid-Atlantic region. He explained that, due to the sheer number of objects most dentists need to restore (e.g., hundreds of thousands of X-rays), the cost of certain cloud providers can be prohibitive. “If you need something and you need it fast, Amazon Glacier will hit you hard,” he said, referring to the service’s warming fees and retrieval costs.

When seeking out an MSP, make sure to ask about the cloud provider they’re using and how they charge for storage and data transfer. And if you’re not using an MSP, compare costs from different cloud providers to make sure you’re getting the most for your investment in backing up your data.

Cloud Storage and Your Dental Practice

Whether you’re managing your data infrastructure in house with NAS or other hardware, or you’re planning to outsource your IT needs to an MSP, cloud storage should be part of your backup strategy. To recap, having a third copy of your data off-site in the cloud gives you a number of benefits, including:

• Fast access to your files.
• Quick recoveries from computer crashes.
• Reliable recoveries from natural disasters and theft.
• Protection from ransomware.
• Compliance with regulatory requirements.

Have questions about choosing a cloud storage provider to back up your dental practice? Let us know in the comments. Ready to get started? Click here to get your first 10GB free with Backblaze B2.

The post Backup Solutions for Dentist Offices appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

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According to the US Department of Commerce, the global computer chip shortage remains an ongoing economic weakness.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Drive: Space Force launched two additional satellites today as part of its push for greater Space Domain Awareness, or SDA, in geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles away from Earth. The two satellites are part of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, or GSSAP, and will allow Space Force to not only locate and identify objects in this distant orbit, but also maneuver close to them in order to inspect them or assess their capabilities. The launch comes as Space Force leadership continues to sound the alarm about the risks posed to U.S. satellites in orbit. The Northrop Grumman-built GSSAP-5 and GSSAP-6 were launched today at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 511 rocket. The first two GSSAP satellites were launched in 2014, with the second two following in 2016. Space Force has not released any details about how these two new GSSAP satellites might differ from the previous four, which were designed to operate near the belt of other geosynchronous satellites and maneuver close to them to conduct surveillance. A spokesperson for Space Systems Command stated this week that the new GGSAP satellites "will provide improved SDA data to the National Space Defense Center and other national users to enhance our ability to navigate freely and safely within the GEO belt." GSSAP-5 and GSSAP-6 were originally scheduled to be launched in 2020, and it is not known why the launch was delayed almost two years. The GSSAP program was originally highly classified and was only revealed to the public in 2014. While the exact capabilities of the satellites are not public, it's known that they are able to capture close-up images of other satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Former Commander of Air Force Space Command Gen. William Shelton (Ret.) told Aviation Week in 2014 that the satellites are designed to drift in and out of the geosynchronous belt collecting intelligence on specific targets. The Air Force has previously used one of the satellites for Remote Proximity Operations (RPO), maneuvering close enough to inspect another Department of Defense satellite operated by the Navy that was experiencing a malfunction. The former head of Air Force Space Command, General John Hyten (Ret.), has previously said the satellites are capable of capturing some "truly eye-watering" imagery.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Reply from RayeR, 25.01.2022, 05:31:

OK, I meant ZDoom, it can play via SB Audigy, has hi-res modes, 3D mouse look...

Over the years, "Ozark" has put us through a metric ton of grief. The Netflix crime drama has no reservations about putting its many characters in peril and upping the body count season by season. After all, violence is abundant when your lead characters are wrapped up with a ruthless drug cartel — especially when they have a talent for getting strangers entangled in their life-threatening schemes. The Byrdes are like the black hole of the Ozarks, sucking everyone into their chaos and sending them on a spiral towards death. More often than not, their last-ditch efforts to survive come at the expense of someone else's life. So yeah, when the beginning of the end began and Season 4 Part 1 kicked into high gear, fans knew there would be lots of bodies to bury by the end. But if I'm being honest, I didn't expect the gut-punch death that "Ozark" delivered in the final episode of the season.

Spoilers for episode 7 of "Ozark" Season 4 Part 1.

The Tragedy Of Wyatt Langmore

F*** the Byrdes, the Langmores are the true tragedy of "Ozark." Don't get me wrong, it's rough that Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) are wrapped up in dangerous cartel dealings thanks to their reckless parents. And yes, occasionally I still feel for Marty and Wendy — but they've ruined so many lives that my empathy reserves are running low. Overall, everyone who steps foot in this saga is destined for an awful situation or two, but things don't get much bleaker than Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan), who has no control over his lifelong tragedies.

When the Byrdes first arrived, Wyatt already had plenty to work through. His mother was out of the picture and his family had a long history of crime. But he was still young and dreaming of a brighter future — a version of his life where he could leave the Ozarks behind for college. With his beloved cousin Ruth (Julia Garner) keeping him in check, Wyatt's dreams were achievable. They didn't quite have the means for it, but once she got involved with Marty, Ruth planned to set money aside for Wyatt's tuition. So he got to work, applying to the University of Missouri — and then his father died.

Killing her uncles to save Marty Byrde is the decision that would alter Ruth's life forever, but it also knocked Wyatt off his path out of the Ozarks. And unlike her, he had no say in the matter. The grief overwhelmed him, to a point where he could neither imagine a way out nor actively pursue it. And with nowhere left to turn, he ended up catching the attention of Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery).

The Sins Of Darlene Snell

Wyatt Langmore is the latest in a long line of collateral damage caused by the Byrdes' arrival — though they certainly aren't the only ones to blame. Darlene was Wyatt's undoing, as many fans suspected she would be. The longtime antagonist and matriarchal heroin farmer is responsible for a big chunk of "Ozark" tragedies: this is the woman who once cut a baby from its mother's womb and, after murdering her own husband, adopted said orphan to fill the void. When she took a shine to Wyatt, there were oh so many reasons to be concerned. The monumental age gap between the pair was a pretty hefty start, sure, but then there's the matter of her being utterly unhinged. If Jacob Snell didn't stand a chance against his wife of many years, how would young and naive Wyatt fair any better? But against all odds, Wyatt managed. Their mutual interest in one another became romantic and Wyatt actually loved Darlene. She became a welcome source of joy for him, as did her foster baby, Zeke (ya know, the one she carved out of a woman).

Much of Season 4 Part 1 saw Wyatt beginning to fear Darlene, as he witnessed how her vicious attitude could be channeled into murder. But in the end, he chose to stay by her side rather than escape with his family. He even chose to marry her. He told Ruth it was for the good of Zeke, the orphaned baby who would otherwise be sent to foster care, but Darlene was part of the equation too. And that's the problem.

Here's one of MANY elements that make the death of Wyatt Langmore so tragic — you know it's coming before Javi (Alfonso Herrera) pulls the trigger. The second that Darlene and Wyatt come walking through the door, their ending is written in stone. Javi has finally arrived to exact his revenge: it's no coincidence that he spent half the season ranting and raving about the "redneck" poppy farmer who killed Del. His very first conversation with the Byrdes is about Darlene! Javi's visit to the Snell farm was inevitable — he isn't one for patience and often acts on impulse. So when the newlyweds walk through the door, they're already marked for death. The only surprise is that Javi waited this long to find them: after all, he shot the sheriff on a whim. With no access to her trusty shotgun and no one there to protect her, Darlene never stood a chance. And unfortunately, her doom is also Wyatt's doom.

The Langmore Curse Strikes Again

Javi has come for Darlene, so after delivering a final vicious speech, he shoots her dead. There's a pause as Wyatt reacts but if for one shining moment, you think Javi will leave it there, you're wrong. He offers a flippant apology — "Sorry... Whoever you are" — then he shoots Wyatt Langmore in the head. And so ends his tragic tale.

Remember the college essay that got Wyatt into Mizzou? Those words brightened his future but also cast an ominous shadow over the Langmores: in his brutally honest essay, he dubbed the family "cursed." Considering there are only two Langmores remaining, he might have a point. Wyatt wrote:

"You asked why I belong at Mizzou? The simple answer is, I don't. An undercurrent of savagery pervaded my life long before the violence truly began. My dad made grand theft auto seem like a good career path like we were entrepreneurs in a start-up. Only our start-up was the motor of one else's car. Or truck. Or boat.My childhood traumas are not like yours. My mother's leaving is not like your mother's leaving. You see, I'm a cursed Langmore, long inured to violence and death. 'Taken too soon?' people ask me of an untimely death. And in the case of a Langmore, perhaps not soon enough."

Wyatt's particular curse was having no control over the direction of his life. The Byrdes are tragic too, but Marty and Wendy made their own beds — of course they must lie in it. Wyatt has simply tagged along for various rides: he was born into a family of criminals then lost his father because of Ruth's difficult decision. In the end, he died because of Darlene's penchant for pissing people off. Wyatt made his choices too — sticking with Darlene rather than leaving the Ozarks with Three and Ruth was his biggest mistake. But it was one of the heart. He was trying to do good for Zeke, and find happiness for himself. But wanting to be happy wasn't enough to save Wyatt Langmore.

Read this next: Shows Like Breaking Bad That You Can Binge Watch Today

The post Let's Unpack the Saddest Ozark Death Yet appeared first on /Film.

The Biden administration has concluded that a global semiconductor shortage will persist until at least the second half of this year, promising long-term strain on a range of U.S. businesses including auto makers and the consumer electronics industry. From a report: U.S. officials plan to investigate claims of possible price gouging for chips used by auto and medical device makers, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday. "We aren't even close to being out of the woods as it relates to the supply problems with semiconductors," Raimondo said in a briefing with reporters discussing the findings of an industry report her agency conducted that was released Tuesday. The report, based on information from more than 150 companies in the chip supply chain, shows "there is a significant, persistent mismatch in supply and demand for chips." The companies "did not see the problem going away in the next six months," according to the report. "The semiconductor supply chain remains fragile," the report said, despite months of work by the Biden administration to try to relieve shortages. "Demand continues to far outstrip supply."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

After brushing and flossing, mouthwash completes the trifecta of daily dental care. But do we really need all three steps? Dentists wouldn’t dare tell you to skip flossing or brushing, but it turns out they’re a lot more equivocal about mouthwash.

Read more...

Cybersecurity researchers on Tuesday took the wraps off a multi-stage espionage campaign targeting high-ranking government officials overseeing national security policy and individuals in the defense industry in Western Asia. The attack is unique as it leverages Microsoft OneDrive as a command-and-control (C2) server and is split into as many as six stages to stay as hidden as possible, Trellix

[link] [311 comments]

All lithium-ion batteries are prone to degradation over time due to factors like heat and aging. To cope with this, phone and laptop manufacturers use various techniques to extend the lifespan of the battery. For example, Apple offers a feature called “Optimized battery charging” on MacBooks that significantly slows down the charging speed once the battery is charged 80%. This is helpful if you keep your laptop plugged in for a long period of time. On the smartphone front, Google offers an “Adaptive Charging” feature on its Pixel phones. As per new commits discovered on Chromium, it appears Chrome OS may receive a similar feature in a future update.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Chrome OS is set to gain a new Adaptive Charging feature that will help Chromebook owners extend the lifespan of their laptop battery. Basically, the feature will ensure your Chromebook doesn’t spend too much time at full battery. The feature will reportedly use machine learning to learn your charging routine and adjust the charging speed accordingly. This is different from the Adaptive Charging feature available on Pixel phones which only works when charging the device overnight.

Minimizes the amount of time the device spends at full battery to preserve battery lifetime.

Chrome OS will show a notification to let you know when Adaptive Charging is activated. It will also be possible to disable the feature altogether, 9to5Google reports.

The Adaptive Charging feature is in active development, but it’s unclear when it will be ready. We also don’t know whether it will be exclusive to newer and upcoming Chromebook models or make its way to existing and older models as well. We’ll keep an eye out and let you know if we learn any new details about this feature.

What do you think about Chrome OS’ upcoming Adaptive Charging feature? Let us know in the comments below. 

The post Chrome OS will help you prolong your Chromebook’s battery life with “Adaptive Charging” appeared first on xda-developers.

God of War PC update 1.0.3 has been released via Steam, fixing a memory leak issue.

Like the game’s previous updates, the new patch is a minor one with the official release notes only mentioning a fix for an issue that caused memory leaks, which in turn, could result in either client crashes or decreased performance.

“Thank you to everyone who reported the memory leak issue and assisted us greatly by sharing their setup information, we appreciate you taking the extra step”, the development team writes on Steam.

You’ll find the official release notes for this update down below:

God of War PC Update 1.0.3 Release Notes

Please restart Steam to receive the update immediately.

Patch Notes

Fixes

• Fixed an issue that caused leaks in memory allocation which could result in either decreased performance or a game client crash.

God of War is available now globally for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Developer Sony Santa Monica is currently working on a sequel for PS4/PS5, God of War Ragnarok, which is slated for a release later this year.

Down below you’ll find what we had to say about the PC port of God of War.

Playing it again for the God of War PC test, I was reminded of all the reasons behind such praise. Every single aspect of the game has been painstakingly handcrafted and polished to impressive results, from the introduction to various mechanics to the level design, enemy design, the combat as a whole, and, of course, the unique one-shot camera technique.

Unsurprisingly, the PC features make it even better, at least from a technical standpoint. Just like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Monster Hunter Rise before it, God of War PC is unshackled by the restraints and limitations of consoles. This means players can now enjoy the game at a high frame rate without any sacrifices to resolution or other settings, provided they have the horsepower to do so.

The post New God of War PC Update 1.0.3 Addresses Memory Leak Issue Which Caused Decreased Performance and Crashes by Aernout van de Velde appeared first on Wccftech.

YouTube is exploring adding nonfungible token features for its video creators, Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki wrote to the site's broadcasters on Tuesday. From a report: Although Wojcicki didn't say exactly what her team is planning, or when, it marks the first time Alphabet's Google, YouTube's owner, is becoming involved with the cryptocurrency collectibles. Several of YouTube's rivals have already jumped on the trend. Twitter began letting users post NFTs as profile photos and Instagram is reportedly working on a similar offering, according to the Financial Times. NFTs are digital assets that represent ownership of digital assets, like art, that people can buy or sell. YouTube, home to the largest creator economy, has spent several years building ways for its video stars to earn money beyond advertising, adding tools like fan payments and e-commerce. Wojcicki told creators her company was looking to web3, an umbrella term for internet models built around crypto, as a "source for inspiration."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Reply from Zyzzle, 25.01.2022, 15:56:

> OK, I meant ZDoom, it can play via SB Audigy, has hi-res modes, 3D mouse
> look...

Yes, ZDoom appears to be the best DOS port of DOOM, simply because as I recall it supports modern PCI soundcards in modern systems. I'm running Intel HD Audio on an core i7 in pure DOS, and I get perfect sound.

With all of the other DOS ports relying on Allegro, MIDAS or other obsolete audio packages, there is no sound on such a "modern" DOS system. I do not see how Tarter, COD, or these newer DOS ports of DOOM improve on ZDoom (except perhaps to support more or larger custom WADs). Further, DOOM MBF DOS version which is a very recent port, also doesn't support modern PCI sound.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" marked its 85th anniversary in December, and if you haven't heard, it's one of the many animated movies that Disney is remaking (or has remade). The 1937 film, based on an even older fairy tale published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, was the first feature-length animated film ever made. It's been 210 years since this tale was first told, and in that time, we've seen other stories that have upended old stereotypes and expanded on what the depiction of people with dwarfism can be.

On "Game of Thrones," Peter Dinklage led the way for the fantasy genre to move beyond battle axes and jewel mines. So it's unsurprising to hear that Dinklage is not exactly enamored of the idea of Disney sending its Seven Dwarfs back into the mines again.

While promoting the musical film "Cyrano," in which he stars, Dinklage recently appeared on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast (via The Wrap), and discussion came around to the live-action "Snow White." The film has cast Rachel Zegler (herself no stranger to musicals, having just starred in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" remake) as Snow White. Gal Gadot, in a departure from her Wonder Woman image, will play the Evil Queen. Dinklage commented:

"Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White. You're still telling the story of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.' Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me."

"Have I Done Nothing To Advance The Cause?"

Dinklage continued:

"You're progressive in one way and you're still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together, what the f*** are you doing man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I'm not loud enough."

Dinklage makes a good point here about the double standard that can arise when a studio driven by mercenary motives (commercial blockbusterism being Disney's) robs Peter to pay Paul in terms of being superficially enlightened or forward-thinking. In its own way, "Game of Thrones" is an example of that. It undoubtedly had its problems in other areas, like its depiction of sexual violence against women. Yet from its earliest episodes, the series was — as the title of one episode indicated — founded on the premise of "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things." It chose to kill off its ostensible white male protagonist and re-center the narrative on more marginalized figures, like Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister.

Dinklage has been able to parlay his success into other screen ventures like "Cyrano," and hopefully, he'll continue to pave the way for other actors with dwarfism to do things on onscreen that don't involve slinging pickaxes over their shoulders and whistling while they work. "Heigh-Ho?" Hell, no.

Read this next: The 14 Best Animated Movies (That Aren't Made By Disney Or Pixar)

The post Peter Dinklage Has Harsh Words for Disney's Live-Action Snow White Remake appeared first on /Film.

One of the first memories I have of adult television is watching the cast of the original "Star Trek" beaming down to a planet in the transporter. I don't know which episode it was, but I do remember asking my dad how they did that, and could we go to Disneyland that way. In the days of CGI characters and the ability to film entire movies and TV shows in front of a green screen, it's hard to remember what even a small effect like the "Star Trek" transporter conjured up in our brains. (I still think of it while driving through LA traffic.)

What I didn't know as a kid, and frankly, up until now was how the show created the effect. According to an article on Inverse, The Anderson Company (run in the 1960s by Darrel Anderson and Howard A. Anderson) created it in a very simple way, with "aluminum powder and old-school compositing."

"Here's how it worked: First the person or persons being transported were filmed standing in position. Then they stepped out of frame while the camera captured an empty set. What was then needed was a "mask" of the figures being beamed — essentially an outline of them. A further element required was the glittering or beam effect (this is where the aluminum powder came in). It was photographed separately by dropping the powder from above and lighting it with an intensive light against a black background."

Beaming Ourselves Up

It might seem primitive these days, but someone had to come up with it. Maybe you've even used something like this in your own home movies. A number of years ago (via Vice), PBS Digital Studio's Joey Shanks showed fans how to create this effect by themselves for their own films. I highly recommend watching the video. It's really cool! It also explains how the effects changed over the years. For instance, they took out the freeze frame effect once the feature films were being made, and they added light beam effects to add drama later on.

Shanks told Vice: 

"From my research it started with them using aluminum silver shavings, and just dropping it in front of the camera, backlighting it with a really sharp spotlight and shooting it at 120 frames-per-second and then compositing it into the scene. Then I learned that they started messing around with Alka Seltzer, with glitter, a lot of different forms of liquids and particles in tanks. Just to show the audience this technique it's super simple — even getting a lava lamp that has little glitter particles, you can pretty much create the exact same look they did originally."

Could We Ever Have A Real Transporter?

The effect is super cool, but we can't do that yet, obviously. Will we ever be able to? "Star Trek" has certainly influenced technology with things like flip phones and touch screens. StarTrek.com had an article in 2014 about a discovery that might bring us closer to a real life transporter — in theory. In an experiment at Delft University in the Netherlands, scientists were able to transport a few matter particles three meters. It's not exactly sending a red shirt down to a planet as cannon fodder, but it's pretty cool. The article goes into detail about how it all works (and I'm no scientist, fascinated as I am by it all), but in basic terms, you have to know all the tiny details about something is built and calculate how to move it over a distance, from the atoms out. The atoms have to be rebuilt in exactly the same way somewhere else. Here is a little info from the article to help give you an idea of what we're talking about:

"'If you believe we are nothing more than a collection of atoms strung together in a particular way, then in principle it should be possible to teleport ourselves from on place to another,' says Professor Ronald Hanson, who led the experiment at Delft. Such a day remains far in the future for sure, but Hanson's statement does suggest one further snag that could complicate travel by Transporter — are we just a collection of atoms?"

I spoke to Rod Roddenberry, son of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, President of Roddenberry Entertainment and executive producer of "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Star Trek: Picard" about his thoughts on the transporter technology. He said:

"I don't fully recall my first memory of the Transporter technology on screen, but I remember thinking that it was certainly amazing. Transporters represented our control of the atom, similar to the replicators, which allowed us to rearrange atoms in any order thereby creating anything whether it be sustenance, books for education, or rare minerals and metals. This technology would change our perceptions of value and we would no longer see value in material items. Having this ability to create literally anything would over time realign our thinking to find value in more immaterial concepts such as thoughts and ideas. My hope is we will see a future where we recognize and revere what is truly most unique in our world which are the thoughts and ideas of our fellow human beings."

'A Murdering Clone-Maker'

I also spoke to planetary physicist Dr. Kevin Grazier, science consultant on a number of television series and feature films, and co-author of the "Hollyweird Science" series of popular science books who explained:

Even if you could store the titanic amounts of energy needed to transport a person, perform the necessary data management and storage, and overcome quantum effects like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, I still think that if it was possible to place a carbon atom here, a calcium atom there — all in precise relative positions — that the all those atoms would bond in exactly the same way as they were in the original source material. So, I think that if you stepped on one transporter pad, what would appear on the other pad is a huge puddle of organic sludge with the identical bulk chemical composition as the now-deceased Captain Busch. [Author's note: That's me and yikes!]

The transporter is great narrative tool to keep writers from having to spend time landing their starship or dispatching a shuttle to a planet week to week, but I'm with Doctor McCoy in believing that the transporter is, at best, a murdering clone-maker.

By the way, Dr. Grazier does expand on the energy and data storage calculations in Chapter 7 of the first "Hollyweird Science" book. 

So, would you want to have one of these? Do you think we'll ever get there? Let us know @slashfilm!

Read this next: Star Trek: The Next Generation's 10 Best Episodes

The post How Star Trek's Transporter Effect Actually Worked appeared first on /Film.

(Welcome to Year of the Vampire, a series examining the greatest, strangest, and sometimes overlooked vampire movies of all time in honor of "Nosferatu," which turns 100 this year.)

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of "Nosferatu" by looking back at the great vampires of cinema, you're going to see a lot of the heavy-hitters getting the spotlight, but I'd like to take a weird vampire back alley and focus on a less traditional vampire movie. Now, this isn't one of those "monster reinvented" kinda of stories, like George Romero's "Martin," for instance. This is a true blue vampire movie, but one that takes a high concept approach.

"Shadow of the Vampire" is a 2000 film that posits ... what if Max Schreck, the star of "Nosferatu," was in fact an actual, real-life vampire? Think of it like one of those Oscar bait-y movies about making movies, except in this one a director has to wrangle an old world vampire with a thirst for the blood of his fellow cast and crew.

This is a movie that I remember being fairly well received when it came out, but for some reason just disappeared from genre conversation. I think "Shadow of the Vampire" is great, so it's not a quality thing, and the cast is absolutely top notch. Willem Dafoe plays Max Schreck, the vampire star of the movie, John Malkovich is F.W. Murnau, the famed director of "Nosferatu," and the rest of the cast is rounded out with familiar faces like the wonderfully bizarre Udo Kier, the always charming Carey Elwes, and Eddie Izzard, who at the time was most famous as a hilarious stand-up comedian, but turned in a great serious performance here.

A Horror Film For Cinephiles

I think part of the reason why "Shadow of the Vampire" has left the cultural discussion is because it has a very unique tone. It's a little bit serious horror movie, a little bit drama, and a little bit dark comedy. If this was a full-on horror comedy it would probably be a lot more famous, especially with this cast, but I don't know if it'd actually work.

Dafoe is just plain scary. We all know this and when you give him that "Nosferatu" look it would be a crime to not play up the creep factor. No, I don't see this story working in the way that "What We Do In The Shadows" does. This is a horror movie for cinephiles. There's a love of silent film and the filmmaking process, but also a friendly skewering of self-obsessed artists. "Shadow of the Vampire" is about a filmmaker willing to risk the lives of his cast and crew for the sake of authenticity, which is certainly a theme that is sadly even more relevant today than it was back in 2000.

This isn't a commentary on horror the way "Scream" is. Don't expect any meta jokes in "Shadow of the Vampire." What screenwriter Steven Katz seems more interested in is commenting on the power dynamics of a movie set. Schreck is a demanding star, but not because of ego ... at least not wholly because of ego. Schreck refuses to film scenes on a boat, instead insisting on being flown to an island location. For a non-vampire star this would be due to inconvenience or laziness, but for Schreck it's likely because vampires sometimes have trouble crossing standing water.

"If It Is Not In The Frame, It Does Not Exist."

There's a scene in "Shadow of the Vampire" where Murnau is berating Schreck for snacking on his director of photography, forcing him to find a replacement. In his frustration he bemoans, "Why couldn't it have been the script girl!"

Murnau is portrayed as a sociopath who is willing to do anything for his picture, an archetype for sure, but one that has been proven time and again to be true. You could take this exact structure, strip out the horror elements, and it's a movie about two giant egos clashing on a film set. On one side, a director with a god complex, on the other a selfish star. Neither are protagonists in this story, but oddly the director comes across even worse than the monster here. The monster is just doing what he does, while the director ruthlessly and with great calculation lines up his next meals so he can end up with a thrilling picture.

I think that's why this film's tone is so specific. At its heart it's a film about the artistic process -- a dramatic examination of the conflated importance of storytelling that also happens to have Willem Dafoe snatching a bat out of the air and suck it dry while having a heartfelt conversation with the "Nosferatu" producers about his past.

A Wholly Unique Tone

"Shadow of the Vampire" is that odd bird film that is very well made, well-acted and has some really wonderfully scripted scenes, but just doesn't engender further engagement for whatever reason. It's a movie that I think of quite often, but very rarely revisit.

I suppose that's because it's not exactly a fun watch. It's not a crazy horror movie with wicked kills or a comedy that has me clutching my stomach like Chris Evans every time he laughs. It's also not a drama that hooks me emotionally and makes me want to come back to it time and again to safely tap into those sad feelings.

"Shadow of the Vampire" is its own unique thing, which is something to celebrate. We don't get pictures like this anymore, probably for all the reasons I listed above. A script like this would never make it through a studio or streamer vetting process these days, which is all the more reason to celebrate it.

So, while you're in a vampire kinda mood, for sure hit up the OG classics (Universal, Hammer), the neo-classics ("The Hunger," "Near Dark") and oddball titles ("Martin," "Only Lovers Left Alive"), but maybe find a little room for this black sheep films, like "Shadow of the Vampire." I think you'll like it, and at the very least it'll make a hell of a double feature with "Nosferatu."

Read this next: The 12 Best Vampire Movies Of All Time

The post Year of the Vampire: Shadow of the Vampire Takes Cinema Verité a Little Too Far appeared first on /Film.

FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts), Google's controversial project for replacing cookies for interest-based advertising by instead grouping users into groups of users with comparable interests, is dead. In its place, Google today announced a new proposal: Topics. From a report: The idea here is that your browser will learn about your interests as you move around the web. It'll keep data for the last three weeks of your browsing history and as of now, Google is restricting the number of topics to 300, with plans to extend this over time. Google notes that these topics will not include any sensitive categories like gender or race. To figure out your interests, Google categorizes the sites you visit based on one of these 300 topics. For sites that it hasn't categorized before, a lightweight machine learning algorithm in the browser will take over and provide an estimated topic based on the name of the domain. When you hit upon a site that supports the Topics API for ad purposes, the browser will share three topics you are interested in -- one for each of the three last weeks -- selected randomly from your top five topics of each week. The site can then share this with its advertising partners to decide which ads to show you. Ideally, this would make for a more private method of deciding which ad to show you -- and Google notes that it also provides users with far greater control and transparency than what's currently the standard. Users will be able to review and remove topics from their lists -- and turn off the entire Topics API, too.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Mighty Ducks have found their new hockey coach. Late last year, we heard that Emilio Estevez was not returning for the second season of "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers," the Disney+ series led by Lauren Graham that serves as a streaming revival of the popular '90s sports-movie franchise. Wishful thinking had some fans hoping that, in Estevez's absence, Joshua Jackson might return to reprise his role as a grown version of Charlie Conway from the original 1992 "Mighty Ducks" film. However, Deadline reports that a different Josh — Josh Duhamel — will take over from Estevez, as a former NHL player who now runs a "super-intense hockey institute" where the Ducks will be training in season 2. 

Duhamel's character, Gavin Cole, is described as "inspirational, charming, and hardcore," and someone who "is big on the hockey metaphor that applies to life." For him as an actor, scoring this role is especially good news in light of the untimely cancelation of "Jupiter's Legacy," his Netflix superhero series, after just one season last year.

There have been some conflicting reports about why Estevez is departing "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers." The phrase "creative differences" has come up more than once, but initial reports indicated that Estevez declined to follow COVID-19 vaccination polices and that is why the powers that be removed him from the show.

This latest report, however, mentions that Estevez is "departing the show due to a contract dispute and creative differences after a bout with long-haul Covid." Apparently, he was already sick with Covid at the outset of the pandemic in early 2020 and was experiencing recurring symptoms in the summer and fall of that year while production on the first season of "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" was underway.

Why Estevez Isn't Returning

Days after the news broke that Estevez is not returning for the show's second season, he released a lengthy statement clarifying what led to his departure from "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers." Here is that statement in full:

I am not anti-vaxx. Full stop.

I take this pandemic very seriously, and I am often teased about my continued following of the safety protocols and my abundance of caution.

I want to address what transpired and clear up some falsehoods which appeared in an article regarding my decision to depart "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers."

In the final analysis, this was nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute and not, as some would believe an anti-vaccine position.

While I can't speak for anyone else in regards to this polarizing, sensitive issue, I have my own lived experience.

In late February 2020, at the end of shooting the pilot for the "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" in Vancouver, I wasn't feeling 100%. I chalked it up to being on a cold set and on an ice rink day after day.

I drove to Vancouver for the pilot, due to news of "an emerging disease," which would eventually be known as "Covid 19." My decision to drive there and back was to avoid mass crowds and international airports. I already started wearing face coverings, gloves and using hand sanitizer. I also genuinely love driving across and around America, as anyone who knows me can attest.

En route from Vancouver to Los Angeles I became noticeably ill. Once back in L.A. I begged several doctors to be tested for this new variant of flu. I was assured that "I didn't meet the criteria," or "There's no way you have it." After multiple efforts, I finally received a car side Covid 19 PCR test on March 13, 2020. I continued to become increasingly sick, suffering from fever, sweats, brain fog and mood swings.

On March 17, 2020 I got word I had indeed contracted Covid 19. Thankfully I refrained from visiting my elderly parents and others until I received my results. I had discussions with doctors and contact tracing personnel from the L.A. County Department of Health.

I suffered the summer and fall of 2020 from what we now know as "Long Haul Syndrome."

As the show went back into production in August 2020, I reluctantly soldiered on, but was uncertain about how I would be safe on set. I questioned the wisdom of returning to make a tv show in the middle of a pandemic and how actors could be considered "essential workers."

The show producers tried their best to assuage my fears of coming back to work. "You have natural immunity!" "You'll be the safest one on set," I was repeatedly told. Additionally, I was warned by my former reps about possible consequences and legal jeopardy I could face for not reporting to work as ordered.

So, I returned to Vancouver. I followed the Canadian quarantine mandate as well as the strict "Zone A" on set Covid protocols. I did not complain, nor did I release my diagnosis to the public. I wanted to try and preserve the show morale and be a leader, however, while still suffering from Long Haul Syndrome. The legacy of the franchise was more important to me than my own health.

In retrospect, I wrongly chose to protect the show over being transparent about having contracted Covid-19. I may have provided another public example to wit, how we are all vulnerable to this deadly disease.

The quoted "anonymous sources," producers and show runners all know the truth.

Simply put, I am anti-bully.

My exit from the show was due to a myriad of creative differences – any other narrative is false.

To the fans of the franchise – I am as disappointed as you are.

To my "Ducks" cast and crew – have a wonderful Season 2 on the show and please know that I will miss you all.

It was an honor and a thrill to be able to return as the iconic and beloved character, Gordon Bombay, a character which has been a celebrated benchmark in my 40 year career. And I thank the studio and the producers for creating an opportunity to allow me to visit him again.

Ducks Fly Together!

Read this next: The Best Ryan Gosling Movies Ranked

The post The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Season 2 Replaces Emilio Estevez With Josh Duhamel appeared first on /Film.

If you wanted to start making bets about next year's Oscar contenders, let this article serve as the ace up your sleeve. While it's usually easy to forecast the industry darlings of the year, it seems that one film might have pulled out ahead already, even if it hasn't hit theaters. You see, nabbing that sweet nomination (and hopefully a win) isn't just about making a good movie (or a fine movie), it's also about marketing that movie. And "Thirteen Lives" is being marketed as an Academy Award shoo-in, despite the fact that you can't even watch the trailer.

"Thirteen Lives" tells a fictionalized version of the Thai cave rescue mission which took place in June and July of 2018. If you managed to miss the captivating news around the rescue, it involved a kid's soccer team getting trapped, and subsequently rescued, by professional divers from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave over the course of 18 days. Horrifying and also inspiring. The title refers to the 12 children and the soccer coach who made it against the odds, and if you're wondering if this movie is going to make you cry, probably! The Oscars love a good tearjerker and what could be better than a story that's sad and uplifting and based on a true story?  It's the perfect combination.

Not Another Thai Cave Rescue Movie

While the film was originally slated to be released in April 2022, MGM has pushed the release date back to November 18, 2022, which slots it right into the beginning of awards season. This release date news comes hot on the heels of Deadline reporting that "Thirteen Lives" might have the "best test scores in MGM history," which is interesting. If that information alone puts "Thirteen Lives" at the top of your watchlist, I can't blame you, but test screenings never tell the complete story. Regardless, it's good marketing and a great way to get people excited for a movie that 1) Is based on an even most people already know about and 2) Was beat to the punch in 2019 and 2021.

But don't let any of this make you less excited for "Thirteen Lives." With a cast filled with names like Viggo Mortensen ("The Lord of the Rings"), Colin Farrell ("The Lobster") and Joel Edgerton ("The Gift"), plus direction from Ron Howard ("Apollo 13") and a script by William Nicholson ("Gladiator"), I can absolutely see a world where the movie lives up to this probably calculated and very advanced hype. Not to mention, it looks like the perfect film to watch with your extended family. Who, besides Elon Musk, could get mad about a group of international divers coming together to save some kids?

Whether you catch it in a post-Thanksgiving coma, run out to see it the day its released or skip it altogether, I still absolutely think you should call up you friends and start making bets that this movie will, at the very least, get a nomination.You might as well turn these industry machinations into cold hard cash while you have the chance.

Read this next: The 14 Greatest Biopics Of The 21st Century

The post Ron Howard's Thai Cave Drama Thirteen Lives Moves Into Prime Oscar Season Territory appeared first on /Film.

There's a ton of great things to see in HBO Max's original series "Peacemaker," a spinoff/sequel to "The Suicide Squad" created by director James Gunn. For starters, there's Eagly. There's also the incredible opening credits sequence, which is seriously the gift that keeps on giving. But the show is also filled with a number of amazing performances from everyone in the cast. 

Nigerian-British thespian Chukwudi Iwuji, who plays the stoic team leader Clemson Murn, stood out so much that Gunn offered him a role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" fairly early on in the production of "Peacemaker." While details are still being held closely under wraps for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the actor has shared some (incredibly vague) details about the character that he will be playing when we see the crew of the Benatar on the big screen once again.

"Right Now, The World Needs A Son Of A B****"

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Iwuji opened up about how he came to join the cast of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." He revealed that Gunn had approached him about doing the Phase Four film within the first few weeks of shooting "Peacemaker." In fact, they first talked about it around March or April of 2021 while filming the fan-favorite dance number that opens the show. And though a screen test wouldn't be shot for weeks after, the filmmaker had already made it clear that the actor was a lock.

As is typical for Marvel Studios projects, the details surrounding Iwuji's character are still being kept top secret. However, he did share a few adjectives that could describe the latest addition to the MCU.

"Powerful. Extremely powerful. Complex. James and I were talking about it, but he's certainly one of, if not the most complex characters we've seen in the freaking Marvel universe. So he's deeply complex and deeply powerful, and I hope intriguing. I hope I bring that to it."

That could describe anybody in the rather large stable of cosmic characters that exist in the Marvel Universe. Sometimes it seems like each new character to emerge from the galaxy is more powerful than the next. He could be Silver Surfer, Abraxas, The High Evolutionary, The Beyonder, Nova, Mephisto, The Living Tribunal, or a number of others. Knowing James Gunn's penchant for random and obscure characters, it could very well be someone out of left field like Scathan the Approver, Sise-Neg, or Oblivion. He might even be Mad Jim Jaspers for all we know! Based on Iwuji's description, it's still real hard to lock anyone down with a good educated guess, but it'll definitely be exciting to find out whenever the Elders of the Universe (or Kevin Feige) decide it's time to uncover the mystery.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3" is currently scheduled to premiere on May 5, 2023. In the meantime, you can catch Chukwudi Iwuji as Agent Clemson Murn in "Peacemaker" on HBO Max every Thursday. 

Read this next: Every MCU Post-Credits Sequence Ranked From Worst To Best

The post Chukwudi Iwuji Teases His 'Powerful' and 'Complex' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Character appeared first on /Film.