Ronald.phillips

Square Enix's president Yosuke Matsuda explains their interest in what he calls "blockchain games" and in particular, NFT, as a new incentive for their customers. A New Year's Letter from the President [...] Another term that gained quick currency in 2021 was “NFT” or “non-fungible token....

YouTuber and crypto mining expert, CryptoDonkeyMiner, contacted this writer earlier today about a story we ran on December 13th, 2021. The story explained how a recent firmware upgrade to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti LHR graphics card series' performance showed also an increased hash rate during Ethereum mining. However, when utilizing the same firmware upgrade to flash the BIOS of a non-EVGA RTX 3080 Ti GPU brand, you could see the same performance increase (as high as 21%) during crypto mining.

Discovery finds Dell and Alienware NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPUs utilized in digital currency mining can increase mining performance another 20 MH/s more than previously reported

CryptoDonkeyMiner was the original digital currency miner to discover this technique and not YouTuber Red Panda Mining as we had reported. We proceeded to show a video of Red Panda Mining utilizing an Inno3D 3080 Ti iChill X3 and proceeded to use the EVGA XC3 BIOS to access the increased performance, discovering that they were able to achieve 91MH/s from their card, which was much higher than originally achieved by the specific EVGA GPU the firmware upgrade was made to utilize. In the video, he stated that he was using the same process that CryptoDonkey Miner had originally used in the below video.

 

In the email I received today, CryptoMiningDonkey mentions that he has been successful in getting as high as 110 MH/s on his NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU by flashing it with a DELL RTX 3090 BIOS.

Earlier today, he posts to his community page on YouTube:

CONFIRMED! So far works for DELL and ALIENWARE GPUS!

For those that have a DELL RTX 3080 TI or any other RTX 3080 TI with a device ID that contains 2204 (See GPU Z Device ID field), you should be able to flash your card with this (3090 BIOS) https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/236871/dell-rtx3090-24576-210726 [...] and get ETH hashrate above 110 MH/s. I tried myself, however nvflash and HiveOS flash wont flash, as my ID is 2208. Thanks to Mohammad Fahham for informing me! Warning, as always, flashing your card may brick it, etc, house burn down and cat die.

If you get it to work, please write which model you have!

Commands

• nvflash64 -b backup.rom
• nvflash64 --list
• nvflash64 --index=5 --protectoff
• nvflash64 --index=5 Dell.RTX3090.24576.210726.rom

Remove 64 if you dont have the 64 bit version of nvflash. Change 5 with the index number from --list that fits your GPU.

He also posts the same instructions to the r/gpumining subreddit in this post.

This is huge news for digital currency miners and enthusiasts as being almost 20 MH/s more performance, allowing those willing to risk bricking their NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs by flashing another manufacturer's BIOS to the card more successful performance.

With a few companies creating GPUs strictly for the purpose of crypto mining, as well as the transition made by the Ethereum foundation towards Ethereum 2.0, will this open up the ability for the rest of us to be able to access GPUs affordably without having to purchase stressed and used secondhand GPUs with questionable shelf-life? Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a definite answer to this issue.

But hey. Good for him and his followers, right?

Sources: CryptoMiningDonkey (YouTube), u/SociopathDonkey (Reddit), TechPowerUP

The post NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti flashed with RTX 3090 BIOS to achieve a staggering 110 MH/s mining Ethereum by Jason R. Wilson appeared first on Wccftech.

"Since joining NASA in 1980, Jim Green has seen it all," writes the New York Times. He has helped the space agency understand Earth's magnetic field, explore the outer solar system and search for life on Mars. As the new year arrived on Saturday, he bade farewell to the agency. Over the past four decades, which includes 12 years as the director of NASA's planetary science division and the last three years as its chief scientist, he has shaped much of NASA's scientific inquiry, overseeing missions across the solar system and contributing to more than 100 scientific papers across a range of topics... One of Dr. Green's most recent significant proposals has been a scale for verifying the detection of alien life, called the "confidence of life detection," or CoLD, scale. [Green says scientists have to "stop screwing around with just crying wolf."] Green has also published research suggesting it's possible to terraform Mars with a giant magnetic shield blocking the sun (to stop it from stripping the Mars atmosphere and creating habitable temperatures). "Yeah, it's doable," he explains to the Times: "Stop the stripping, and the pressure is going to increase. Mars is going to start terraforming itself. That's what we want: the planet to participate in this any way it can. When the pressure goes up, the temperature goes up... If you didn't need a spacesuit, you could have much more flexibility and mobility. The higher temperature and pressure enable you to begin the process of growing plants in the soils. "There are several scenarios on how to do the magnetic shield. I'm trying to get a paper out I've been working on for about two years. It's not going to be well received. The planetary community does not like the idea of terraforming anything. "But you know. I think we can change Venus, too, with a physical shield that reflects light. We create a shield, and the whole temperature starts going down."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

NBC News writes: VPNs, or virtual private networks, continue to be used by millions of people as a way of masking their internet activity by encrypting their location and web traffic. But on the modern internet, most people can safely ditch them, thanks to the widespread use of encryption that has made public internet connections far less of a security threat, cybersecurity experts say. "Most commercial VPNs are snake oil from a security standpoint," said Nicholas Weaver, a cybersecurity lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. "They don't improve your security at all...." Most browsers have quietly implemented an added layer of security in recent years that automatically encrypts internet traffic at most sites with a technology called HTTPS. Indicated by a tiny padlock by the URL, the presence of HTTPS means that worrisome scenario, in which a scammer or a hacker squats on a public Wi-Fi connection in order to watch people's internet habits, isn't feasible. It's not clear that the threat of a hacker at your coffee shop was ever that real to begin with, but it is certainly not a major danger now, Weaver said. "Remember, someone attacking you at the coffee shop needs to be basically at the coffee shop," he said. "I don't know of them ever being used outside of pranks. And those are all irrelevant now with most sites using HTTPS," he said in a text message. There are still valid uses for VPNs. They're an invaluable tool for getting around certain types of censorship, though other options also exist, such as the Tor Browser, a free web browser that automatically reroutes users' traffic and is widely praised by cybersecurity experts. VPNs are also vital for businesses that need their employees to log in remotely to their internal network. And they're a popular and effective way to watch television shows and movies that are restricted to particular countries on streaming services. But like with antivirus software, the paid VPN industry is a booming global market despite its core mission no longer being necessary for many people. Most VPNs market their products as a security tool. A Consumer Reports investigation published earlier this month found that 12 of the 16 biggest VPNs make hyperbolic claims or mislead customers about their security benefits. And many can make things worse, either by selling customers' browsing history to data brokers, or by having poor cybersecurity. The article credits the Electronic Frontier Foundation for popularizing encryption through browser extensions and web site certificates starting in 2010. "In 2015, Google started prioritizing websites that enabled HTTPS in its search results. More and more websites started offering HTTPS connections, and now practically all sites that Google links to do so. "Since late 2020, major browsers such as Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge all built HTTPS into their programs, making Electronic Frontier Foundation's browser extension no longer necessary for most people."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

There's been no shortage of blockchain related stories in the last few weeks. We've covered Electronic Arts and Ubisoft executives excitedly discussing the potential implementations in the games industry. Then, a short while ago, Ubisoft itself and GSC Game World both announced the first blockchain/NFT (non-fungible token) implementations in triple-A games like Ghost Recon Breakpoint and STALKER 2; both were met with nearly universal disdain from gamers, to the point where GSC Game World had to quickly backtrack and forego any such plans.

That was just the tip of the iceberg. We've also had other prominent industry figures chiming in, including Microsoft's Head of Gaming, Phil Spencer, who called current blockchain gaming implementations too exploitative for his liking. Hazelight founder Josef Fares predictably said he'd rather get shot in the knee rather than add any NFT to one of his games, while CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson expressed the idea that gamers should be able to earn real money while playing games, according to the play to earn model.

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda had the opportunity to voice his view (and the company's, presumably) in a New Year's letter posted yesterday on the publisher's official site, where blockchain technology got the lion's share of the focus alongside other efforts such as cloud gaming and AI research. According to Matsuda, blockchain games can enable self-sustaining game growth. The Square Enix president also acknowledged the reservations that many hardcore gamers have on this topic but quickly added that there's another group of potential gamers that will be excited to have a more tangible incentive to play games through blockchain and NFTs.

According to Matsuda-san, this could even boost user-generated content (UGC) higher than ever before, as creators would finally be able to get proper rewards and incentives. This is, after all, what happens in The Sandbox, one of the most successful play to earn games to date.

The Square Enix president goes on to name this new trend 'decentralized gaming' as opposed to the currently 'centralized gaming', adding that it's one of the company's goals to incorporate decentralized games into its portfolio starting this year. Last but not least, Matsuda-san left the door open to Square Enix issuing its own NFTs in the future.

You can read the letter's portion dedicated to this subject below.

[...] blockchain games, which have emerged from their infancy and are at this very moment entering a growth phase, are built upon the premise of a token economy and therefore hold the potential to enable self-sustaining game growth. The driver that most enables such self-sustaining game growth is diversity, both in how people engage with interactive content like games, and in their motivations for doing so. Advances in token economies will likely add further momentum to this trend of diversification. I see the “play to earn” concept that has people so excited as a prime example of this.

I realize that some people who “play to have fun” and who currently form the majority of players have voiced their reservations toward these new trends, and understandably so. However, I believe that there will be a certain number of people whose motivation is to “play to contribute,” by which I mean to help make the game more exciting. Traditional gaming has offered no explicit incentive to this latter group of people, who were motivated strictly by such inconsistent personal feelings as goodwill and volunteer spirit. This fact is not unrelated to the limitations of existing UGC (user-generated content). UGC has been brought into being solely because of individuals’ desire for self-expression and not because any explicit incentive existed to reward them for their creative efforts. I see this as one reason that there haven’t been as many major game-changing content that were user generated as one would expect.

However, with advances in token economies, users will be provided with explicit incentives, thereby resulting not only in greater consistency in their motivation, but also creating a tangible upside to their creative efforts. I believe that this will lead to more people devoting themselves to such efforts and to greater possibilities of games growing in exciting ways. From having fun to earning to contributing, a wide variety of motivations will inspire people to engage with games and connect with one another. It is blockchain-based tokens that will enable this. By designing viable token economies into our games, we will enable self-sustaining game growth. It is precisely this sort of ecosystem that lies at the heart of what I refer to as “decentralized gaming,” and I hope that this becomes a major trend in gaming going forward.

If we refer to the one-way relationship where game players and game providers are linked by games that are finished products as “centralized gaming” to contrast it with decentralized gaming, then incorporating decentralized games into our portfolio in addition to centralized games will be a major strategic theme for us starting in 2022. The basic and elemental technologies to enable blockchain games already exist, and there has been an increase in the societal literacy and acceptance of crypto assets in the past few years. We will keep a close eye on societal shifts in this space while listening to the many groups of users that populate it, and ramp up our efforts to develop a business accordingly, with an eye to potentially issuing our own tokens in the future.

The post Square Enix CEO: Blockchain to Enable Self-Sustaining Game Growth and More Game-Changing User Generated Content by Alessio Palumbo appeared first on Wccftech.

Mortismal Gaming reviews Shadowrun Returns as a first step in his retrospective of the Shadowrun Trilogy series. Shadowrun Returns - 2022 Review loading...

Kalper (Slashdot reader #57,281) shares news from Bleeping Computer: Microsoft Exchange on-premise servers cannot deliver email starting on January 1st, 2022, due to a "Year 2022" bug in the FIP-FS anti-malware scanning engine. Starting with Exchange Server 2013, Microsoft enabled the FIP-FS anti-spam and anti-malware scanning engine by default to protect users from malicious email. According to numerous reports from Microsoft Exchange admins worldwide, a bug in the FIP-FS engine is blocking email delivery with on-premise servers starting at midnight on January 1st, 2022. Security researcher and Exchange admin Joseph Roosen said that this is caused by Microsoft using a signed int32 variable to store the value of a date, which has a maximum value of 2,147,483,647. However, dates in 2022 have a minimum value of 2,201,010,001 or larger, which is greater than the maximum value that can be stored in the signed int32 variable, causing the scanning engine to fail and not release mail for delivery. When this bug is triggered, an 1106 error will appear in the Exchange Server's Event Log stating, "The FIP-FS Scan Process failed initialization. Error: 0x8004005. Error Details: Unspecified Error" or "Error Code: 0x80004005. Error Description: Can't convert "2201010001" to long." Microsoft will need to release an Exchange Server update that uses a larger variable to hold the date to officially fix this bug. However, for on-premise Exchange Servers currently affected, admins have found that you can disable the FIP-FS scanning engine to allow email to start delivering again... Unfortunately, with this unofficial fix, delivered mail will no longer be scanned by Microsoft's scanning engine, leading to more malicious emails and spam getting through to users.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Thousands of people — included hundreds of men — were accused of witchcraft in Scotland, the Guardian reports, "from allegations of cursing the king's ships, to shape-shifting into animals and birds, or dancing with the devil." Many were executed. Now, three centuries after the Witchcraft Act was repealed, campaigners are on course to win pardons and official apologies for the estimated 3,837 people — 84% of whom were women — tried as witches, of which two-thirds were executed and burned... [W]ell-known cases include Lilias Adie, from Torryburn, Fife, who was accused of casting a spell to cause a neighbour's hangover; while Issobell Young, executed at Edinburgh Castle in 1629, was said by a stable boy to have shape-shifted into an owl and accused of having a coven.... The [pro-pardon advocacy site] Witches of Scotland notes that signs associated with witchcraft — broomsticks, cauldrons, black cats and black pointed hats — were also associated with "alewives", the name for women who brewed weak beer to combat poor water quality. The broomstick sign was to let people know beer was on sale, the cauldron to brew it, the cat to keep mice down, and the hat to distinguish them at market. Women were ousted from brewing and replaced by men once it became a profitable industry. Wikipedia has a page with a list of people executed for witchcraft. Citing modern scholars, it places the total number of people executed for witchcraft in Europe and America between 40,000 and 50,000. But the Guardian also notes a recent statement from the head of the pro-pardon advocacy group Witches of Scotland. "Per capita, during the period between the 16th and 18th century, we [Scotland] executed five times as many people as elsewhere in Europe, the vast majority of them women."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Second Wind has a new boss fight, too If you’re done with everything there is to see in Zelda: Breath...

The post Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s huge fan expansion Second Wind got another update appeared first on Destructoid.

Health experts warned Americans on Thursday  that a rising tide of COVID19 cases, led by the Omicron variant, threatened major disruptions in their lives, from schools to shopping, and urged them to prepare now for a challenging month.

The United States had a record seven-day average of new cases, with more than 290,000 new infections reported daily, a Reuters tally showed.

According to the record, at least 18 states and Puerto Rico have set pandemic records for new cases. Maryland, Ohio and Washington, DC also saw record hospital admissions as  U.COVID hospital admissions rose 27%.

The increase is due to an increase in vacation travel as New Years celebrations are yet to come and  schools grapple with students returning to classrooms after the winter break.

"We will see the number of cases in this country rise so dramatically that it will be difficult for us to keep everyday life going," said Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota, told MSNBC.

"Next month is going to be a viral blizzard," he said. "It is putting pressure on society as a whole. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease official, said Wednesday that cases are likely to increase by the end.

" He and other U.S. health officials  said early data shows Omicron appears less severe, but they have continued to push for vaccines, masks, and physical distance.

Services, schools and retailers among others in the coming weeks. "We have to be very careful not to underestimate Omicron too much," said Dr. Peter Hoetz, an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN.

It is also worrying that healthcare workers are being marginalized with their own COVID cases  as well as less effective therapies, said Hoetz.

"We are at a pretty serious time. As early as early 2020, 825,663 people  in the United States have died of COVID, the data showed, with the latest wave of hospital admissions for the unvaccinated being driven.

" President Joe Biden announced new news this month. plans to tackle the Omicron-powered wave, including federal reinforcements to hospitals and more testing, but some experts say it's too little and too late.

So far, however, the economy appears to be stable, even if some economists are cautioned. While air traffic was largely disrupted and stores closed and events canceled in some troubled areas, other measures  such as the Christmas sales were maintained.

The labor market is also  holding up: the new applications for state unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in the pandemic era, the Ministry of Labor announced on Thursday. small businesses, he said he expected the first week of January to be slower than Omicron's forecast.

"The rest of January will likely depend on state and community health policies and epidemiological data," Greenberg told Reuters. Keys, especially for working parents, with systems in Washington and New York promising to stay open with further testing.

Education Minister Miguel Cardona admitted the problem was staffing  but urged schools to take measures to keep the children in classrooms. Unlike last year's closings, “we now have better tools. They should stay open, ”he told MSNBC, adding that federal funding continues to be available to increase staffing levels and testing.

In the meantime, some universities have postponed their next semesters or have gone online. "We have light at the end of the tunnel," said Osterholm. “But now you have to duck.

2022 is about to start off with a bang, as HBO Max and DC have dropped a new trailer for "Peacemaker." John Cena was the surprising stand-out of James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" as the soon-to-be titular character in this show, and luckily for us, a bored-in-quarantine Gunn must have foreseen how much we'd all love the foul-mouthed anti-villain. What was supposed to be a fun writing project to keep himself busy after turning in his script for "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3" became a bonafide spin-off series, and has quickly become one of the most anticipated new shows of 2022. The show was first announced in September of 2021 as part of the WarnerMedia strategy to spin off its DC properties into TV shows to entice new viewers to subscribe to HBO Max and give peace a f****** chance.

"Peacemaker" takes place before the events of "The Suicide Squad" and will show how the character became "a man who believes in peace at any cost — no matter how many people he has to kill to get it." Gunn and "The Suicide Squad" producer Peter Safran will serve as executive producers of the series, with Cena as co-executive producer. Gunn wrote all eight episodes and also served as director on five of them. Based on the teasers we've already seen and now with the new trailer, "Peacemaker" looks like some pure Gunn goodness.

Peacemaker Trailer

James Gunn was overheard saying, "I can't believe they're letting me shoot this," on the set of "Peacemaker," and boy, we are sure glad they did. Naughty language, bad behavior, high-octane action, and Gunn's particular brand of schlock humor are all proudly on display, and I must admit, it's super refreshing to see a superhero show that doesn't feel like it's been sanitized down to appeal to as broad of an audience as humanly possible. The series also features an absolutely stellar cast, including Steve Agee ("The Suicide Squad"), Danielle Brooks ("Orange is the New Black"), Robert Patrick ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day"), Jennifer Holland ("Brightburn"), Chris Conrad ("Patriot"), Chukwudi Iwuji ("Designated Survivor"), Alison Araya ("Watchmen"), Lenny Jacobson ("Nurse Jackie"), Nhut Le ("Kroll Show") and more.

True to Gunn's usual form, the new trailer for Peacemaker is packed with guns, explosions, and a desperate lack of sensitivity training. Whether it's Peacemaker's pet eagle, Eagly, pecking his coworkers in the butthole or Peacemaker talking about getting eye-f***** by Wonder Woman in front of a group of schoolchildren, this task force could really use an HR department.

"Peacemaker" is the most excited I've felt about a new superhero property in a very long time, and it's all because of James Gunn's weird AF brain, and John Cena's willingness to commit 100% to every performance, no matter how ridiculous.

"Peacemaker" debuts on HBO Max on January 13, 2022.

Read this next: Joker's Wild: Ranking The Cinematic Versions Of The Clown Prince Of Crime

The post Peacemaker Trailer: All of This is Extremely Inappropriate appeared first on /Film.

The latest episode of "The Expanse" includes a lot of emotionally intense moments, but one that especially stands out is that scene between Holden (Steven Strait) and Naomi (Dominique Tipper).

/Film had the chance to ask Strait and Tipper about that scene and what it meant for their characters as well as what it was like for them as actors to perform it. Read on for a very spoiler-filled conversation about "Redoubt," the sixth season's fourth episode.

The Last Scene They Shot Together

The scene in question is when Holden tells Naomi that he was the one who disarmed the nuke heading toward the Pella, which not only held Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) but Naomi's son, Filip (Jasai Chase Owens).

That scene was not only an emotional one for the characters, but also the last scene that Strait performed on the show. "That was our final scene together," Tipper shared. "It had a lot of weight for many different reasons. And again, we always enjoy crafting these scenes together and this one was especially beautiful."

"We worked really hard on it," Strait added. "We've always had a culture of commitment and rehearsal in a way that is very unique for television. I mean, we have devoted every weekend to rehearse these episodes since the first season of episode one and we never missed an episode."

For this scene in particular, Strait went on to describe why Holden made the choice to disarm the nuke:

"I had such a wonderful time working with Dom and finding that vulnerability of this man choosing the one he loves over the fate of the system. And you know what, it's just honest. He just can't do it. He just can't. And it's just the way it is. And however one may judge him, it's just the way it is. He just can't pull the trigger. He can't kill her child. And he can't be that to her and for better or for worse, Holden has always acted from the instincts of his morality and he chooses that."

An Unusual Hero Arc

The scene also speaks to how far Holden and Naomi have come in their relationship. "Naomi and Holden's arc throughout this season is my favorite," Tipper said. "We find them, despite of what's happening around them, in such a mature, grounded place with each other finally. And them being able to have this conversation that they have as honestly and emotionally vulnerable as they do, especially with what Holden comes to her with — it's just one of my favorite moments."

Strait also shared what it was like to play Holden, a character who has dramatically changed over the show's six seasons:

"Something that I really love about Holden and it's something it's been such a privilege to play over the years is that it's a very unusual hero arc to have a hero centered on his humility and his empathy and finding his way through his mistakes and flaws. He makes decisions as best he can and it's just, he's not a man just born with the ability to do these things. Like it's something that he's had to learn over the years and at this moment. And then it culminates at the end of the series with another moment that, that I think really shows that in a complete way for his arc."

What moment is Strait talking about later on in the season? To reveal that would get into spoiler territory, but we'll share Strait's insight there as well once the season finale airs.

New episodes of "The Expanse" drop on Amazon Prime Video on Fridays.

Read this next: 12 Awesome Sci-Fi Movies That Never Got Sequels

The post The Expanse's Dominique Tipper and Steven Strait Talk About That Big Emotional Scene in Redoubt [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.

Back at the end of "Cobra Kai" season 2 and the huge school karate brawl, Aisha Robinson (Nichole Brown) left West Valley High School to the disappointment of a whole lot of fans, including me. Aisha, who had been friends with Sam (Mary Mouser) since childhood, had already been through a lot. When Sam started to hang with the popular girls, Aisha got bullied. She became the first female member of Cobra Kai, kicked all sorts of butt, got all buddy-buddy with Tory (Peyton List), tried to stop Sam from drinking until she's sick, and finally seemed to find her own way. She had a huge arc, and then -- poof. She's gone.

In episode 6 of season 4, however, we learn what happened to Aisha. It's a short scene, but it makes a powerful point. It also gives us a counterpoint to what's happened to Sam and Tory since she left. The "natural Cobra" learned far more from Johnny Lawrence than he probably meant to teach.

Bullying The Bully

Through their ups and downs, Sam and Aisha have a history, and Sam is going through a rough patch. (Not that it's not more than half her fault.) Sam judges Tory, Tory judges Sam, fights happen, things get vicious, and people get hurt.

The situation with Tory is going to get one of them killed. So Sam seeks out Aisha, her oldest friend, for some help.

Sam's mom (who has a bit of a secret, violent past herself) has tried to help Tory after realizing her threats were only damaging an already suffering girl. She helped Tory get back into West Valley High, and Sam is really upset about it. They're torturing each other, calling each other names, and threatening to hurt one another. (If you don't want to slap Sam when she goes after Tory in her mermaid costume, you have a raisin for a heart.)

It seems Aisha's dad got an offer from UC Santa Barbara and moved them up there, though she does say it was also because of the giant fight. I love Aisha's line, "My parents were pissed! I broke a kid's nose. Who knew these things [her fists] were lethal weapons?"

What Aisha is really there to reveal, however, is how she's changed her thinking, and foreshadows how Tory and Sam might do the same.

Strike First Doesn't Always Mean Punching

Sam, who has had a pretty sweet life, might have been hurt by Tory, but at least you can understand where Tory is coming from. Sam is a bit stuck up and a bit prissy, and seeing her sort of put her hat in her hands to visit Aisha for advice is the first step towards finding her own path in the finale. 

Aisha has a story for Sam, who keeps complaining about Tory. She tells Sam that when she started at her new school, she saw this girl who looked, "like she walked out of a Malibu Barbie beach house." The expression on this girl, who she also describes as "pink for days," was the same one she saw from the other bullies in her life. She decided to use the Cobra Kai motto "strike first" by introducing herself and asking if this Barbie girl can show her around. It worked, and now they're besties. Aisha may not be in karate anymore, but she's using what she learned to change her own narrative. It's something Sam needs to hear, both for her fighting style and her relationships.

The real kicker (sorry, but not really) is that while Sam is finding her confidence and her own fighting style, it's really Tory who is having the turnaround. She actually cares about accidentally hurting Sam in the tournament. Kreese is on her side for once, and that matters to her. Amanda is really helping her out, and it seems that things might be different for her. She wins the title, sees something that might take it away from her, and we're left hanging. Will she strike first like Aisha did and say something? Could that change things? Next season can't come soon enough! 

Read this next: The 15 Best Jackie Chan Movies Ranked

The post Cobra Kai Season 4 Finally Revealed What Happened to Aisha Robinson appeared first on /Film.

A sugar additive used in several foods could have helped spread a seriously dangerous superbug around the US, according to a 2018 study. ScienceAlert reports: The finger of blame is pointed squarely at the sugar trehalose, found in foods such as nutrition bars and chewing gum. If the findings are confirmed, it's a stark warning that even apparently harmless additives have the potential to cause health issues when introduced to our food supply. In this case, trehalose is being linked with the rise of two strains of the bacterium Clostridium difficile, capable of causing diarrhea, colitis, organ failure, and even death. The swift rise of the antibiotic-resistant bug has become a huge problem for hospitals in recent years, and the timing matches up with the arrival of trehalose. "In 2000, trehalose was approved as a food additive in the United States for a number of foods from sushi and vegetables to ice cream," said one of the researchers, Robert Britton from the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, back in January 2018. "About three years later the reports of outbreaks with these lineages started to increase. Other factors may also contribute, but we think that trehalose is a key trigger." The C. difficile lineages Britton is referring to are RT027 and RT078. When the researchers analysed the genomes of these two strains, they found DNA sequences that enabled them to feed off low doses of trehalose sugar very efficiently. In fact, these particular bacteria need about 1,000 times less trehalose to live off than other varieties of C. difficile, thanks to their genetic make-up. [...] It's still not certain that trehalose has contributed to the rise of C. difficile, but the study results and the timing of its approval as an additive are pretty compelling. More research will now be needed to confirm the link. According to figures from the CDC, "C. difficile was responsible for half a million infections across the year and 29,000 deaths within the first 30 days of diagnosis," adds ScienceAlert. The findings were published in the journal Nature.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

When you’re taking a few minutes to quickly tidy up your home, you probably focus on what’s most visible—things like floors, countertops, and stuff at eye-level. Even when you’re doing more of a thorough cleaning, you may not think to look up, leaving your ceiling fans (literally) in the dust.

Read more...

Players have voted an open-world mod for a 20-year-old RPG as Mod of the Year 2021 on ModDB. The epic Gothic II Chronicles Of Myrtana total conversion only released this month but has been selected as the best mod of the year by the community - beating out the likes of Black Mesa: Blue Shift.

Gothic II was released back in 2002 as the latest well-received action RPG from Piranha Bytes - who would go on to create the similar Risen series and is currently working on ELEX II for a March release date. The Chronicles Of Myrtana mod is a huge total conversion for Gothic II that features a new open-world, skills, mechanics, story, and even voice acting.

It's available on both ModDB and Steam and only released in full on December 10 - and players loved it immediately. On Steam it's currently rated as 'Overwhelmingly Positive' from over 5000 reviews - by comparison, Gothic II itself is rated as merely 'Very Positive' from around 6500 reviews.

Let me start this review with apologizing for its late arrival. And no, I didn't do that on purpose to mock its subject's many delays. Last March, the fourth and final film in the Evangelion reboot series was released in Japan and it turned out to be the most profitable one yet. Anno Hideaki's Evangelion franchise is 25 years old this year, and, in a timely fashion, he has finally made an ending to it. Not that it's the first time he did that. The title Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time might be seen as an ironic joke, and you can still wonder, even half a year after the film was released, if that actually will become the final title under which...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Wherein we discuss getting sick for the holidays, Final Fantasy XIV, Hawkeye, Marvel's What If...?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Matrix Resurrections, all the upcoming TV shows, Doctor Who, and Stranger Things. Starring Ryan Scott, Justin Haywald, and Ryan Higgins.

Will someone explain to me when Mr. Jonathan Lawrence learned parkour and why he's insisting on springing it as some weird form of karate cross-training on teens!? Johnny Lawrence and the Cobra Kai dojo were always poised as the crew that trained through extreme measures, and despite Johnny leaving Cobra Kai and starting Eagle Fang, old habits surely do die hard. Season 4 of "Cobra Kai" is just around the corner, with Daniel LaRusso's Miyagi-Do and Johnny's Eagle Fang dojo needing to join forces to take down John Kreese and the soon-to-be-returning Terry Silver's Cobra Kai at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament. What tricks does Kreese have up his sleeve? Can Daniel and Johnny bury their decades-long hatchet to defeat Kreese? Or will Cobra Kai become the face of karate in the valley?

Johnny and Daniel's karate styles couldn't be more different, and watching the students react to each of them, even in just preview clips, have been pretty hilarious. Daniel's training from Mr. Miyagi is infinitely more zen, challenging the students of Eagle Fang to find tranquility in order to catch a fish from a pond with their bare hands. Eagle Fang kids take after Johnny, so they're a little rough and tumble with Daniel's challenge. Johnny, on the other hand, gives the kids of the Miyagi-Do a lesson they'll definitely never forget.

Johnny's Roof Jumping Training Clip

In stark contrast to Daniel LaRusso's training style, Johnny Lawrence takes the Miyagi-Do students on top of a building, tasking them with the challenge to jump from one building to the next. "What if we fall?" asks a student. "That's what the mattresses are for," Johnny replies. "And if we miss the mattresses?!" another fearfully asks to which Johnny responds in perfect Johnny fashion, "Try not to miss the mattress." At most, Daniel's training will look corny or boring to the Eagle Fang students and they might end up getting a little wet falling into the koi pond, whereas Johnny's training puts them all at risk of severe bodily harm. Yeah, that's about right. "Cobra Kai" is a show about fighting, but it's also a delightful romp with some wonderful funny moments. The juxtaposition of Daniel and Johnny's karate styles are ripe for some comedy gold.

Sam LaRusso, Daniel's daughter, is one of the first to question Johnny's methods, and rightfully so. Things like "safety" have never really been at the forefront of Johnny's mind, but I'm sure the season will reveal that combining Johnny and Daniel's philosophies is the sure fire ticket to success.

"Cobra Kai" season 4 hits Netflix tomorrow, December 31, 2021.

Read this next: The 17 Best Kids Movies That Adults Will Also Love

The post Cobra Kai Season 4 Clip: Johnny's Training Methods are Still Wildly Irresponsible appeared first on /Film.

Did … Pluto write this?

A group of researchers say Pluto was unfairly maligned by a decision to relegate it to "dwarf planet" status — and that we should consider our solar system to have more than 150 planets.

Part of the argument for classifying Pluto as a planetoid or dwarf planet was that there were many similar bodies orbiting the sun waiting to be discovered, and we'd end up with hundreds of planets. — Read the rest

Once upon a time, Boba Fett was an enigma who exuded coolness thanks to his never-before-seen armor and gravelly voice. Yet, for decades, that's all he was in the "Star Wars" cinematic universe (including, yes, his initial non-canon appearance in 1978's "The Star Wars Holiday Special"): a mystery with no real substance.

That changed with 2002's "Attack of the Clones," which revealed that Boba was actually a clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, himself the basis for the Grand Army of the Republic's soldiers. Where the other Jango clones were genetically altered to age faster and trained specifically for combat, Jango raised Boba as his son, mentoring him in the art of bounty hunting and giving him the tools he would need to survive years later. He also encouraged Boba's nasty streak from a young age, as seen in "Attack of the Clones" when Boba chuckles gleefully after Jango seemingly bombs Obi-Wan Kenobi into space dust.

Sadly, this evil-loving duo was not meant to last. "Attack of the Clones" culminated with the First Battle of Geonosis, in which Mace Windu defeated Jango by decapitating him in the midst of combat, leaving Boba to mourn him and continue on alone. "The Book of Boba Fett" has already begun to fill in the blanks of what happened to Boba after his big screen debut in "The Empire Strikes Back" and near-death in "Return of the Jedi" — but what about the 25-26 years between the events of those movies and Jango's demise?

Boba's Early Bounty Hunting Days

It was the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" that picked up with the young Boba, post-Jango's death, starting with the season 2 episode "Death Trap." The first chapter in a three-part arc, the episode saw Boba infiltrate a unit of clone cadets as part of a scheme to kill Windu as revenge for what he did to Jango. This was also where it came to light that Boba had fallen in with a group of grown bounty hunters after the events of "Attack of the Clones," including the Trandoshan mercenary Bossk (who made a cameo in "The Empire Strikes Back"). And if the idea of a gang of hardened criminal types taking in a kid seems odd, it's worth remembering the young Boba was already a deadly force to be reckoned with thanks to Jango's teachings, as the clone cadets in "Death Trap" learned.

A lot of back-stabbing and foul play later, Boba's plan failed, and he found himself in prison on Coruscant after being taken into custody by the Republic's forces. Of course, that didn't last, and before long, Boba was not just back out in the world, he was even leading his own bounty hunter syndicate called Krayt's Claw (whose ranks included Bossk). This was also when Boba first crossed paths with Count Dooku's former apprentice, the Dathomirian Force user Asajj Ventress, who would go on to join the long list of characters that, at some point or another, betrayed Boba, further shaping him into the cynical and profit-driven, yet undeniably efficient bounty hunter he would grow up to become.

Working For Jabba And Vader

As an adult, Boba was one of Jabba the Hutt's most trusted bounty hunters and, when he wasn't on a job, spent his days residing in Jabba's palace on Tatooine. However, when the Galactic Empire began hunting Rebel spies over the years immediately preceding the events of "Star Wars: A New Hope," Boba soon found himself in the employ of another powerful, dangerous figure: Darth Vader.

Mind you, that doesn't mean Boba and Vader were always on good terms. Infamously, Boba disintegrated some Rebel spies he cornered on Coruscant before trying to collect the bounty on them, only for Vader to refuse payment because, well, disintegrated Rebel spies aren't actually useful when you're trying to crush a larger Rebellion. This incident was notably referenced in "The Empire Strikes Back" before being expanded upon in "Added Muscle," a short story by Paul Dini from the 2017 anthology book, "From a Certain Point of View."

Vader and Fett would cross paths yet again after the Battle of Yavin in "A New Hope." As covered in the "Darth Vader" and "Star Wars" comic books, Vader made a private deal with Jabba to hire two of his top mercenaries (one of which was, naturally, Boba) to track down a Rebel pilot associated with Obi-Wan and the Millennium Falcon, which Boba knew all about due to its owner, Han Solo, owing Jabba money. Long story short: Boba came close but ultimately failed to capture said pilot, although he passed their name (Luke Skywalker) onto Vader, unaware of the bombshell he had just dropped on the Sith Lord. Thus, it turned out there was more than meets the eye to the riddle of why Vader hired Boba to find the Falcon in "The Empire Strikes Back."

Read this next: The 12 Best Boba Fett Moments In Star Wars Shows And Movies

The post What We Know About Boba Fett's Life Between Attack of the Clones and Empire Strikes Back appeared first on /Film.

We aren't the only ones who are feeling Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves' delightful reunion. The duo became an iconic team starring as Neo and Trinity in "The Matrix" and it's nice to see them back together and kicking ass in "The Matrix Resurrections." Hell, if anything, we wanted to see them both on screen more often in Lana Wachowski's latest "Matrix" movie. Now that they've both been officially reunited (on the silver screen that is), Moss is making it known that she'd be down to work with Reeves a little more often, and by that, we mean that Moss is gunning for a spot in the "John Wick" universe.

In an interview with People about the newest "Matrix" movie, Moss was asked about her favorite Keanu Reeves flick, and she spoke effusively about his role as the over-the-top assassin in "John Wick," a franchise that's already three movies deep and not stopping anytime soon. As Moss said:

I love John Wick. I really started to understand Keanu's outrageous gift for telling story through his body. And I didn't fully understand that until I went deep into John Wick with one of my children. It was very bonding for us too. It was amazing to have that experience with my son and to watch the depth that Keanu is able to [create] with his body. It's really an art form.

How sweet! How kind! This is like when a coworker compliments you in a meeting. Or when your mom calls you her favorite child. Or when someone (literally anyone) agrees with you online.

A Better Matrix Reunion

If you're wondering what Reeves said when People asked him the same question, he kind of went with the cop out answer, but it was also a very charming response:

I'm going to stay with Trinity, I think. But in all your performances, your eyes, I always see what's behind the eyes, what communicates. And there's always such a present-ness and even in vulnerability, a strength.

It's fine if you blanked and forgot Moss's resume, Reeves, you just have to say that. Regardless, Moss's appreciation for Reeves and her affection for "John Wick" is kind of thrilling. Clearly they both work well together when it comes to action movies, and what franchise has more cool stunts laminated into its dough like a heart pumping croissant than "John Wick?" It might be too late for Moss to sneak into "John Wick: Chapter 4," but why not "John Wick: Chapter 5?" Considering Laurence Fishburne (who played Morpheus in "The Matrix") already has a spot in the "John Wick" cinematic universe, this might be a better "Matrix" reunion than "The Matrix Resurrections." This has to be synergy, right? This has to be what people are talking about when they use that garbage word.

Reeves clearly agreed because Moss's interest in "John Wick" spurned a fun back-and-forth between the two, with Reeves asking, "You want to play an assassin?" and Moss responding, "I'd love it." The conversation ended with Reeves saying, "Be careful for what you wish for. I'm on it now," which makes it sound like he's just as into the idea as Moss.

It's fun to watch two people who so clearly enjoy working with each other make something cool, and it's even more fun to imagine what Moss could do with a role in "John Wick." Make it happen, Keanu! If anyone can, it's you.

Read this next: The 14 Greatest Action Movies Of The 21st Century

The post Carrie-Anne Moss Wants to Team Up Again with Keanu Reeves — In the John Wick Movies appeared first on /Film.

The epic tale that is former "Fast & Furious" co-stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson's personal beef has taken some shocking twists and turns this year. (Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Murphy is secretly making plans to revive "Feud" just so he bring the Candy Ass saga to life on the screen.) For a while, all was quiet on the Fast Feud front, with Diesel and The Rock having seemingly buried the hatchet after clashing during production on 2017's "The Fate of the Furious" and even taking to complimenting one another on social media.

Earlier this year, however, Diesel choose chaos by declaring to the world that his and Johnson's behind-the-scenes conflict was all part of his grand scheme to get a better performance out of his muscle-bound "brother." In response, Johnson said he "laughed hard" after reading Diesel's comments (in which he name-dropped, of all things, Italian arthouse legend Federico Fellini) and reaffirmed that he won't be back for the last two main entries in The Fast Saga.

Not to be so easily undone, Diesel took to Instagram in November, calling upon Johnson to "rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny" by reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in the two-part finale that is "Fast & Furious 10." Now, after weeks of the world waiting on pins and needles for Johnson to reply, The Rock has revealed his answer in an interview with CNN, and it basically amounts to a polite but firm "No, thank you."

You Don't Turn Your Back On (Fast) Family

Elaborating on the matter, Johnson expressed his distaste for the way Diesel tried to pull him back into the "Fast & Furious" fray by claiming that his kids refer to The Rock as "Uncle Dwayne," before adding that his appeal is his way of trying to "fulfill my promise to Pablo" (Diesel's nickname for the late Paul Walker). As Johnson put it:

"I told [Diesel] directly that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding."

Having said that, Johnson clarified that he bears no ill will toward the rest of his Fast Family and hopes all goes well with their next (final?) outing with the franchise:

"My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible franchise with gratitude and grace. It's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I'm confident in the 'Fast' universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience... I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter."

Honestly, this Diesel and Johnson feud is more unpredictable and weirder than anything that's happened in the most recent "Fast & Furious" movies, which is saying something given that the series' heroes went into outer space in "F9." As deliciously outlandish and soapy as these films have become over the years, it just goes to show: life truly is stranger than fiction, more often than not.

"Fast & Furious 10" (Part 1) was recently pushed back six weeks and will now open in theaters on May 19, 2023, with Johnson still planning to reprise his role as Luke Hobbs in a "Hobbs & Shaw" sequel down the line.

Read this next: Ranking All Eight Muppet Movies On The First Film's 40th Anniversary

The post Dwayne Johnson Rejects Vin Diesel's Invitation to Rejoin the Fast & Furious Family: 'No Chance' appeared first on /Film.

This may have been a weird year for many, many reasons, but when it comes to anime, 2021 delivered one of the best years ever. From productions that got delayed from 2020, to highly anticipated shows and movies, and enough surprise gems to fill several top 10 lists, there was simply too much great anime to watch in one year.

Indeed, 2021 gave us some of the most memorable anime moments perhaps ever, moments that will influence fans and animators alike for years to come. These moments come from a wide variety of anime, from shonen box office juggernauts, to highly anticipated movie conclusions, to iconic franchises, and even wholly original shows that prove there is more to the medium than adaptations of popular franchises.

Without further ado, here are the best anime moments of 2021. Warning, there are spoilers ahead.

Attack On Titan – Raid On Liberio

This is the moment where things changed forever, and "Attack on Titan" made it clear this is not the same show it was eight years ago. After spending three seasons watching humanity be completely defenseless against the man-eating machines that are the Titans, and seeing dozens of characters die horrible deaths devoid of hope, it came as a true shock to see roles reversed this season. The Final Season skips forward four years in time, and it surprised audiences by spending its first few episodes not with the characters we know and love, but with those we considered the enemy — a group of kids training to become Titans and annihilate the people behind the walls.

It was an effective way of showing that the central conflict of the show was more complex and morally ambiguous than initially shown, all building up to the moment where the hunted became the hunter. The moment a Titan starts sweating in sheer terror over a group of "defenseless" humans not only unafraid of him but on the offensive with killer resolve, pays off 65 episodes' worth of story for one kick-ass fight that changed the course of the story and made for appointment TV this past winter.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time – Gendo Hugs Shinji

It's a moment anime fans never thought would happen: the release of the final "Evangelion" movie, and the moment anime's worst father went ahead and hugged his son. The final film in the "Rebuild of Evangelion" series, "Thrice Upon a Time," gave us something no other "Evangelion" story had done: a relentless and unyielding sense of hope and optimism. After Shinji initiated an apocalyptic event that destroyed most of the world in the previous film, he finally starts to grow the hell up and learn to live with his choices in this film, the first steps in him growing up. More surprisingly is the way the film extends a tremendous amount of empathy and understanding to smaller characters we hadn't spent much time with in the past, like the aforementioned worst father in all of anime, Gendo Ikari. His relationship with Shinji is a central part of the story this time, as they both are forced to confront one another and actually talk things through and try to come to an understanding of why the other feels like they do. We see an emotional flashback to Gendo's past that shows how similar he actually is to Shinji, leading to the anime hug to end all anime hugs, a moment of emotional catharsis, of growth and empathy, a moment anime fans have been waiting for since 1995.

Ranking Of Kings – Bojji Can Fight

If there was one show that sort of came out of nowhere and left a big impression on the anime year, it was "Ranking of Kings." The show employs a picturesque look straight out of a children's fantasy book to give the impression of an innocent and happy-go-lucky story of a young prince, but beneath that, it hides a dark fantasy with brutal political maneuvering and lots of violent fight scenes. Case in point, the best scene in the show so far, which encapsulates the anime's main theme of people being more complex than they first appear to be.

After spending the first episode seeing prince Bojji as a helpless, adorable, weak young boy, he picks up a wooden sword and utterly humiliates his younger brother, a prince who boasts about his physical prowess. Plus, it helps that the show is animated by Wit Studio, who gave us "Vinland Saga" and the first 3 seasons of "Attack on Titan," as the fight between Bojji and his brother is given the same gravitas and kinetic thrills as the aforementioned shows.

Odd Taxi – Bruce Springsteen

One of the biggest surprises of the year, "Odd Taxi" is a completely original anime that more than lives up to its title. At a time when the vast majority of anime is catered towards young boys — with power fantasy shows being all the rage — it is a true oddity to discover a show about adults dealing with adult problems, like professional jealousy, being addicted to mobile games, or the simple desire to live a quiet life doing something unremarkable that you actually enjoy. Though the show goes to some dark places that feel like something out of a Coen brothers movie, the show is all about naturalistic conversations about random topics. There is no better representation of what makes "Odd Taxi" special than the Bruce Springsteen joke, a seemingly throwaway conversation between a walrus taxi driver and his doctor, which quickly spirals into a conversation about Bruce Springsteen's role in the "We Are the World" song, and how much fun it is to say the words Bruce Springsteen.

SK8 The Infinity – Reiki Doubts Himself

Sports anime is one of the biggest joys of being a fan of the medium, with shows able to both teach you about sports you otherwise may never experience, while providing a heightened and more exciting version of the real thing. The problem with these shows is that they tend to follow talented prodigies who are instantly one of the best at what they do. As fun as it is to see Hinata do his signature quick spike, or Captain Tsubasa score a goal, we seldom see them struggle. That is not the case with "SK8 the Infinity," a show about boys being boys while skating down a no-holds-barred slope death trap, and about realizing your friends and peers will someday surpass you, and that's okay, because you can still enjoy the sport without being the absolute best.

The best moment of the show, which makes it stand out among other sports anime, is when our protagonist Reki starts realizing that he will never be as good as his best friend, the actual skate prodigy Langa. It's not that he's jealous, but he does become frustrated with his own skills for a while, and wonders if he should just quit skating as a whole, before forcing himself to just fall in love with the sport again just for the sake of the sport, and being able to share that passion with others without the need to compete.

Star Wars: Visions – The Twins

After 44 years, "Star Wars" has finally become an anime. The anthology series "Star Wars: Visions" gives the entire galaxy far, far away to a variety of animators to explore wildly different ideas, themes, and visuals. Though the whole anthology is worth watching, arguably the best segment, and the best moment of the nine-episode season, is "The Twins," animated by Studio Trigger. The short follows two twins trained in the dark side, and what happens when one decides to break from the cult and save his sister. The short is not only a great distillation of what makes "Star Wars" great, with its simple yet complex exploration of destiny, anger, and love, and tons of parallels to the franchise at large and specifically "The Last Jedi."

But what makes it stand out is that it also fully embraces what's unique and special about anime as a medium. Studio Trigger and director Hiroyuki Imaishi add their signature sleek character designs, neon color palette, and dramatic poses that take advantage of the over-the-top nature that the medium allows. This is a short with ridiculous dialogue taken to heart, physics-defying stunts like growing multiple arms each with a lightsaber whip, or a boy cutting through a Star Destroyer with a lightsaber while standing atop an X-Wing going to lightspeed, oxygen and gravity be damned.

SSSS. Dynazenon – Any And All Transformations

"SSSS. Dynazenon" defies what anime sequels can do, with a story that may not feel like a continuation at first, but eventually reveals itself to be a pitch-perfect spiritual companion to "SSSS. Gridman" that comments on, and enhances the viewing experience of its predecessor by remixing its themes and expanding them. But while the show may have enough existentialist questions, philosophical conundrums, and moody teens to rival "Neon Genesis Evangelion," it is also a tokusatsu romp with giant robots punching kaiju in the face. If you grew up watching shows like "Power Rangers" or "Voltron," then "SSSS. Dynazenon" captures that same sense of wonder and excitement when you see the robots combine to form bigger and cooler forms, like the badassery of watching a giant robot become a T-Rex/dragon hybrid.

86 Eighty-Six – I Don't Want To Die

"86 Eighty-Six" is a show that could very easily go wrong rather fast. A story about a fascist kingdom that sent all its ethnic minority citizens to a concentration camp, wrote them off as non-human and sent their sons to fight in a losing war against an army of machines, while we focus on a silver-haired rich girl in charge of a military unit who so happens to be the one member of the military with a conscience, could easily follow tired white savior tropes. Instead, the show interrogates the idea of the white savior from the very beginning, with a pivotal moment in episode 3 showing the members of the Spearhead squadron confront their handler, Lena, for acting high and mighty but still very much protecting and defending the institutions that caused the ethnical minorities to be considered non-human, like calling the soldiers not by their name but by their call sign. It's a simple, subtle call, but one that builds the show up to be a unique war story with a nuanced (if unsubtle) portrayal of institutional racism wrapped inside a compelling story of doomed soldiers.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train – Rengoku Fights Akaza

Besides obliterating every Japanese box office record out there, the biggest accomplishment of "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" is how much it gets its audience to care about Kyojuro Rengoku, a character they only got to meet for a brief moment in the anime before his role in the film catapulted him to a fan-favorite icon. His final fight against the demon Akaza is one of the most visually stunning sequences of the entire franchise, an explosion of color, kinetic movements, and emotion. But the reason it works is that Rengoku proved himself to be an endearing, compelling, sympathetic, relatable character in just under two hours. By the time the fight ends, it cements itself as a pivotal anime moment of the year.

Beastars Season 2 – Legoshi Fights Riz

A "Romeo and Juliet" story starring anthropomorphic animals, "Beastars" is a show that quickly falls apart if you try to make it a one-to-one parallel to our world. But if you take it on its own terms, it is a fascinating coming-of-age story about a gentle wolf fighting his carnivore urges, exploring themes of toxic masculinity, femininity, prejudices and more, while also giving us plenty of steamy hot romance and thrilling action. The best crux between those two comes at the climax of the season 2 finale, as Best Boy Legoshi prepares to fight his fellow carnivore classmate Riz, who killed and ate a friend of theirs, an alpaca, and tried to pass it off as the ultimate form of their friendship. In order to beat the living crap out of Riz, Legoshi breaks his vows and eats the leg of his herbivore friend Lois — not in a violent moment of rage, but in a loving embrace where Lois willingly gives a part of his body that enters Legoshi and gives him the strength to go on.

The fight is kinetic, violent, and grounded, while the glances and reactions from Louis are a better love story than most actual romance shows this year. I'd like to see "Zootopia" try and top that!

Read this next: 15 Must-See Horror Anime Movies

The post The 10 Best Anime Moments of 2021 appeared first on /Film.

Speaking of "play-to-earn" games, Paul Butler, writing in a blog post: In Bullshit Jobs: A Theory, David Graeber makes the case that a sizable chunk of the labour economy is essentially people performing useless work, as a sort of subconscious self-preservation instinct of the economic status quo. The book cites ample anecdotal evidence that people perceive their own jobs as completely disconnected from any sort of value creation, and makes the case that the ruling class stands to lose from the proletariat having extra free time on their hands. It's a thoughtfully presented case, but when I read the book a few years back, I was skeptical that any mechanism to create bullshit jobs could arise from a system as inherently Darwinian as capitalism. I've recently been exploring the themes around web3 to see if there's a "there" there, and Graeber's book has been on my mind again. One of the most apparently successful examples of web3 that people point to, aside from art NFTs, is so-called play-to-earn games. The most successful of these is Axie Infinity, a trade-and-battle game reminiscent of Pokemon. In a crypto economy crowded with vapourware and alpha-stage software, Axie Infinity stands out. Not only has it amassed a large base of users, the in-game economy has actually provided a real-world income stream to working-class Filipinos impacted by the pandemic. Some spend hours each day playing the game, and then sell the in-game currency they earn to pay their real-world bills. That's obviously a good thing for them, but it also appears to be a near-Platonic example of Graeber's definition of a bullshit job. [...] In contrast to other games in which in-game economies have developed, Axie Infinity puts players' opportunity to make an income and transfer it to the real world at the forefront. As they put it in their FAQ, what sets Axie Infinity apart is an ethos: "We believe in a future where work and play become one. We believe in empowering our players and giving them economic opportunities." These "economic opportunities" are essentially a wealth transfer from new players to established ones. Gameplay requires the purchase of three Axies, which currently cost in the hundreds of US dollars each. [...] By blurring the line between "player" and "worker," the game has effectively built a Ponzi scheme with built-in deniability. Sure, some users will be net gainers and other users will be net losers, but who am I to say the net losers aren't in it for the joy of the game? The same could be said about online poker or sports betting, to be sure, but we would rightfully recoil if those were positioned as a way to lift people out of poverty.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Midgar is less a city and more a vast reactor network that people happen to live around. The curvature of pipes and chimneys that forms its silhouette looks nothing like New York, Paris, or Altissia. Streets wind their way in awkward lines around its structure, most dwellings simply propped against its foundations in a haphazard shanty town. It’s a giant wheel of heavy industry, all ungainly girders and exhausts around a central tower.

This is the first thing you see in Final Fantasy VII, realised in greatly more detail in Remake Intergrade. Even though Square Enix leaves nothing to chance with hours of opening cutscene exposition, if you skipped it all you’d still understand by the look of Midgar alone that this is an unhappy place. A place where corporate megalomania has gone unchecked for long enough to manifest itself physically, where Shinra doesn’t give a Gil for the denizens living in squalid conditions around its eight Mako reactors. You’d understand why a terrorist group called Avalanche has formed to take the energy conglomerate down.

What you wouldn’t understand, certainly without the benefit of a treasure trove of PlayStation 1 memories to frame this remake’s context, is why Cloud Strife has signed up. The young former SOLDIER mopes about with an otherwise passionate group of Avalanche activists, harrumphing at every juncture, stonewalling any attempt at camaraderie and still, somehow, proving utterly irresistible to every woman in Gaia. Apparently a sleeveless turtleneck and improbably coiffured hair go a long way, but what once came across as typical heroic stoicism seems churlish now upon second visit. It’s like saving the world with Christian Bale.

If not addressed in design and deployment, the risks with microservices can multiply since any application could be composed of hundreds of microservices

read more

South Korea's government wants Google and Apple to block new and existing play-to-earn (P2E) games, saying such games should not receive an age rating to get listed on their respective app stores. From a report: The country's Game Management Committee in the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said in an official letter called its request "reasonable" as money gained from P2E games could be considered prizes. In Korea, prizes from gaming are allowed to be only around US$8.5 at a time. The ministry's move comes after game developer SkyPeople's P2E title, Five Stars for Klaytn, was blocked from getting a rating it required to get listed in April this year.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.