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22 Oct 14:28

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will support DLSS, first screenshots & comparison trailer

by John Papadopoulos

Take-Two and Rockstar have announced that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will release on November 11th. In order to celebrate this announcement, the teams released a new trailer that packs some comparison scenes between the original and the remastered games. Moreover, you can find below the first official screenshots for these … Continue reading Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will support DLSS, first screenshots & comparison trailer →

The post Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will support DLSS, first screenshots & comparison trailer appeared first on DSOGaming.

22 Oct 14:27

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Due on November 11th with DLSS Support; First Trailer Out Now

by Alessio Palumbo

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

Rockstar Games announced the release date of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. The remastered collection, adapted by Grove Street Games with Unreal Engine technology, is due to launch digitally on November 11th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via the Rockstar Games Launcher. The retail edition for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 will follow on December 7th.

Rockstar also partnered with Microsoft to release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition on the Game Pass platform; the game will be available to subscribers on launch day. On other hand, as part of a separate partnership with Sony, Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition will be available on PlayStation Now starting on December 7th.

The developers provided an overview of what kind of enhancements you can expect from the remasters.

Bringing the classic worlds of Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas to modern platforms, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition debuts new GTAV-inspired modern controls, plus across-the-board visual enhancements such as resolution upgrades and improved visual fidelity across the world, and much more to faithfully tune and improve upon all three games, while also maintaining their distinct original aesthetic.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition introduces wide-ranging modern control upgrades, including improvements to targeting and lock-on aiming, updated Weapon and Radio Station Wheels, updated Mini-Maps with enhanced navigation allowing players to set waypoints to destinations, updated Achievements, Trophies, and more. The Nintendo Switch version also features Switch-specific controls including Gyro aiming, as well as touch screen camera zooming, pans, and menu selections, while the PC version includes support for NVIDIA DLSS and additional new Accomplishments via the Rockstar Games Social Club.

Additional enhancements across all three titles include a completely rebuilt lighting system; improved shadows, weather, and reflections; upgraded character and vehicle models; along with new higher resolution textures across buildings, weapons, roads, interiors, and more. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition also features a range of environmental upgrades including all new foliage, smoother surfaces, and increased draw distances to provide a new level of depth and clarity throughout the world.

Check out the first trailer below.

The post Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Due on November 11th with DLSS Support; First Trailer Out Now by Alessio Palumbo appeared first on Wccftech.

22 Oct 14:27

Starlink Rival Quotes Supreme Court To Bolster Its Position In FCC Debate

by Ramish Zafar

Starlink constellation render

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation's (SpaceX) Starlink satellite service continues its fight to keep current rules for the 12Ghz spectrum band unchanged. These rules govern spectrum sharing between multiple companies, and Starlink uses satellites placed closed over Earth in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to provide its users with internet coverage through dishes. These dishes use the 12GHz band to communicate with the satellites, and Starlink is sparring with DISH Corporation and RS Access, LLC - with the latter aiming to open up the 12GHz band for 5G multi-channel video and data distribution.

Starlink Can Share Spectrum With MVDDS Providers Maintains Michael Dell's RS Access

In a filing that responds to comments made by SpaceX's David Goldman, RS Access highlights to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) that the agency's decision not to indicate new 12GHz rules in a rulemaking proposal agrees with the precedent set by the United States Supreme Court.

Starlink, RS Access, DISH, and others are submitting their comments and opinions on whether the 12GHz band can be equitably shared between the satellite internet and the MVDDS firms. Both DISH and RS Access argue that the 12Gz spectrum can be shared between the two, with Starlink outlining that its future service plans do not fall in line with the assumptions of a pivotal study submitted by RS Access to the Commission earlier this year.

This study countered earlier assertions made by the MVDDS camp, claiming that terrestrial and satellite users could not use the 12GHz band and asking the FCC to remove the satellite companies completely from the band.

However, Starlink's rapid service rollout injected new life into the Commission's rulemaking procedures. As a result, the agency decided to open the debate and allow parties to submit their comments.

Starlink, it seems, is now arguing that the FCC should have highlighted which rules it might adopt when it provided a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in January. This was revealed in an RS Access filing made earlier this week, with the filer arguing that the agency was not obligated to narrow down any rules when it issued the NPRM.

STARLINK-FCC-20-443-NPRM-DISH-RS-ACCESS-LLC
An excerpt from RS Access's filing made in the FCC's docket WT-20443 arguing that SpaceX's position that the FCC's NPRM violates the 1946 Administrative Procedure Act (APA) is incorrect. Image: RS Access - Legal Procedural Issues Ex Parte 10.19.21 (final).pdf posted in FCC Docket WT-20443 on October 20, 2021.

With Starlink asking for more certainty, RS Access believes that the FCC should make the rulemaking process as open as possible since any narrowing down will run contrary to the NPRM process, which requires new rules to stem from debate conducted by multiple parties.

It goes on to argue that any attempts by the agency to limit down the nature of debate in an NPRM will violate the "logical outgrowth" doctrine, with the intent of a proposed rulemaking only being to provide "fair" notice as ruled by the Supreme Court in 2007.

Since Starlink's comments, which caused RS Access to cite the court, are unavailable in the wireless telecommunication bureau's docket number 20-443, it is unclear what the latest line of argument Elon Musk's satellite internet service is employing in yet another FCC fight. Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, is engaged in multiple fronts with RS Access and DISH, as it seeks to launch thousands of new satellites for improved connectivity and a new user terminal aimed at streamlining mass production.

MVDDS Download Speed
An image from the 5G-based MVDDS provider Cibola Wireless's website shows the download speeds for its service. Image: Cibola Wireless

Since it opened up beta service for users, Starlink has gathered thousands of customers, with more waiting for their equipment to deliver. The service is one of the means through which SpaceX, primarily an aerospace transportation services provider, aims to fund the construction of one of the world's largest rockets, dubbed Starship.

The internet network seeks to target rural and underserved American populations and ship out millions of user dishes. Therefore, the 12GHz band used by the dishes to upload data to its satellites is crucial for SpaceX's internet service, and it is also important for rivals such as DISH, who own the rights to the spectrum.

Therefore, in a letter posted earlier this month, SpaceX's satellite policy lead David Goldman reiterated his demand that the MVDDS providers be fully removed from the 12GHz band. This marked a rapid shift in policy for Starlink, who had argued in a predecessing FCC proceeding that the satellite companies are the ones who should not be removed from the spectrum by any new rules.

STARLINK-GOOGLE-FCC-20-443
A SpaceX filing showing support from Google and others for using the 12GHz band for satellite-based internet. Image: SpaceX Response to Coalition re Infrastructure (10-13-2021).pdf filed in WT-20-443.

Using a hard-hitting tone, Mr. Goldman starts his letter by outlining that the MVDDS licensees have failed to rapidly deploy their services in the spectrum, which Starlink is already using to provide internet overage.

The SpaceX executive noted that:

Most recently, DISH and the coalition it funds made the bizarre claim that supporting its spectrum-grab at the expense of operators that are already deploying broadband infrastructure to otherwise unserved Americans is somehow consistent with Congressional efforts to extend more broadband to unserved areas. Yet the opposite is obviously true—giving more rights to those like DISH that have failed to deliver for over a decade on empty promises would run counter to every effort to actually connect Americans. Instead, the surest way to promote rapid deployment of high- speed broadband would be to reject DISH’s proposals, remove the MVDDS encumbrances that hamper next-generation satellite operators in the 12 GHz Band, and close the proceeding.

He also shared support from more than forty organizations for using the 12GHz band for satellite internet, with this list consisting of Native American tribes, Google, Microsoft and others.

RS ACCESS STARLINK MVDDS FCC 20-443
A list of locations where RS Access had deployed its MVDDS service according to a 2019 FCC United Licensing System (ULS) filing. Image: SUBSTANTIAL SERVICE SHOWING SUPPLEMENT ULS file: 0008742312

However, RS Access's chief Noah Campbell believes that the argument that a lack of service coverage by a service in the 12GHz band is unmerited since RS Access has already shared a list of locations where its products are active.

The company shared the list in 2019, which shares its goals and the regions currently using the 12GHz band for MVDDS use. This supplemental update noted that:

RSA/MDS has met and exceeded the Commission’s substantial service obligation, including by: (1) deploying and providing service to customers over at least four separate transmitting locations for every million people in each geographic license area; or (2) deploying a large-scale broadband Internet service offering that reaches more than 900,000 people (or approximately 50 percent of the population) in the Albuquerque geographic license area.

It also aims to provide Internet coverage to users, highlighted earlier in the update that:

RSA/MDS has developed a point-to-multipoint offering that not only can provide connectivity among the dispersed sites of customers in niche and underserved markets, but also can support two-way connectivity to the Internet using an unlicensed, return-link path.

The post Starlink Rival Quotes Supreme Court To Bolster Its Position In FCC Debate by Ramish Zafar appeared first on Wccftech.

22 Oct 14:26

How to Love Your Body This Winter

by Lindsey Ellefson

Nothing feels less sexy than a giant hoodie layered under a big coat, but that’s winter fashion for you. When it’s cold outside, it’s easy to fall into a seasonal funk, but you don’t have to fall into a simultaneous round of insecurity. Your body is covered up and you might be inclined to treat it a little less kindly…

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22 Oct 14:26

Dune Ending Explained: The Spoilers Must Flow

by Vanessa Armstrong

Francis Villeneuve's "Dune" covers only part of Frank Herbert's eponymous sci-fi book (that's why the full title of the film is "Dune: Part One," after all). We knew all this going into the movie, but even with that knowledge, the ending leaves a lot of unfinished threads, especially for those who aren't familiar with Herbert's source material.

Here's a breakdown of the ending to Villeneuve's "Dune," including what it sets up for "Part Two," which we're cautiously optimistic Warner Bros. will greenlight at some point in the not-so-distant future. Let the spoilers flow!

Things Really Suck For House Atreides

"Dune" ends with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) on the run from the Harkonnens. (Side note: There are a lot of characters here! If you need a refresher on who's who, check out our "Dune" character guide.)

Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) had insidious plans to destroy House Atreides once they took over Arrakis, and he was successful on many fronts — he has killed Paul's father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), and survived Leto's last attempt to kill him with a poisonous tooth provided him by his betrayer, Dr. Yueh (Chen Chang).

Paul and Lady Jessica escape the Baron's assassination attempts, however, and the two — with help from Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and Dr. Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) — manage to survive being chased by the Harkonnens and the Sardaukar, Imperial forces who are secretly helping the Harkonnens destroy House Atreides.

Duncan and Dr. Kynes die in their attempts to help Paul and Jessica, and the two barely survive a run-in with a sandworm before encountering a group of Fremen, the native desert people of the planet. It's also worth noting that the only two other people not confirmed dead who were part of House Atreides are the Warmaster Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and the mentat Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson). We don't know their fates by the end of "Part One," but they'll no doubt show up the second "Dune" movie. 

Paul And Jessica Meet Some Fremen

This group of Fremen includes the leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem), who we saw earlier in the movie when he met the still-alive Duke Leto. This is also the first time we see Chani (Zendaya) in real life rather than in one of Paul's dreams or visions.

We also meet Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun), a Fremen who we've briefly seen in Paul's visions as well. The Fremen surround Paul and Jessica and debate whether they should kill them or not. Jessica, using her Bene Gesserit skills is able to get a knife to Stilgard's throat, which earns her and Paul their lives. That is, however, until Jamis challenges Jessica to a duel — she's bested their leader and Jamis challenges her (and indirectly Stilgard) to take over leading the group.

Paul steps in as his mother's champion, and the two prepare for battle. Chani gives Paul her crysknife because she's confident that Paul is going to die and feels bad for him.

Paul and Jamis face each other, and the Fremen — especially Jamis — are surprised to see that Paul is clearly the better fighter. Paul doesn't want to kill Jamis — he's never killed anyone before — but Fremen custom doesn't give him a choice. He finally deals Jamis a killing blow.

Off On Sandworms, We Ride

Paul killing Jamis is a major turning point for him for multiple reasons. The obvious change is that he's now killed someone, which would change anyone. He and his mother have now been welcomed more or less into Fremen society, something that's hinted at when he and Jessica join the Fremen in the walk toward their settlement. He's also finally met Chani, who — as his visions make clear — will become a major influence in his life.

Villeneuve shared during a roundtable /Film attended in September why he decided to end "Part One" at this point:

Where we end right now, I thought was the perfect way to feel ... we feel that Paul has a completed arc, as a character for the first part. His relationship with his mother, we feel that there's something that is not a closure but something relevant there, and to keep enough stuff for the second one.

I don't want to get to into what "stuff" from the book Villeneuve is referring to here, but let's just say that Paul and Lady Jessica still have quite the journey ahead of them.

Speaking of journeys, the last minutes of the movie also show something that's been hinted at earlier — the Fremen can ride sandworms. We see a sandworm track the Fremen party on foot and see a lone Fremen on top of said sandworm. This is important for many reasons. First off, it's very cool and a very, very cool thing to see on screen. Secondly, this shot of the Fremen on the sandworm foreshadows how the creatures will play an integral role in the second "Dune" movie (again, assuming Warner Bros. will greenlight it).

"Dune: Part One" is currently in theaters and on HBO Max.

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

The post Dune Ending Explained: The Spoilers Must Flow appeared first on /Film.

22 Oct 14:26

The Troubled Fate of Y: The Last Man

by Angela Watercutter
It took more than a decade to get the comics series adapted. Now it’s been canceled before even finishing its first season.
22 Oct 14:25

Hackers Set Up Fake Company to Get IT Experts to Launch Ransomware Attacks

by noreply@blogger.com (Ravie Lakshmanan)
The financially motivated FIN7 cybercrime gang has masqueraded as yet another fictitious cybersecurity company called "Bastion Secure" to recruit unwitting software engineers under the guise of penetration testing in a likely lead-up to a ransomware scheme. "With FIN7's latest fake company, the criminal group leveraged true, publicly available information from various legitimate cybersecurity
22 Oct 14:25

Grand Theft Auto remastered trilogy's first trailer looks shiny yet cartoony

by Alice O'Connor

After a stretch of teasing and leaking, Rockstar today revealed how they've renovated the GTA 3 trilogy for the upcoming horribly named collection, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. A new trailer and screenshots reveal that GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas still have distinctly cartoon vibes, now paired with fancy reflections and effects. Rockstar also announced a release date of November 11th and a price of... £55? Gosh. See the new look for yourself in the trailer below.

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22 Oct 14:25

A warning for those who like to go commando while wearing a skirt or a kilt: The floor of NYC's newest observation deck is made of mirrors [Giggity]

22 Oct 14:25

Avoid Making This Common Mistake With Your Health Savings Account

by Mike Winters

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) can be sneaky-good retirement savings vehicles, but only a mere 9% of account holders actually invest their funds, according to recent research. And yet by doing so, you can rapidly grow the funds in your account, with the added bonus of being able to spend that money penalty-free on…

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22 Oct 14:24

Apple's Safari Browser Runs the Risk of Becoming the New Internet Explorer -- Holding the Web Back for everyone

by msmash
Scott Gilbertson, writing for The Register: The legacy of Internet Explorer 6 haunts web developer nightmares to this day. Microsoft's browser of yore made their lives miserable and it's only slightly hyperbolic to say it very nearly destroyed the entire internet. It really was that bad, kids. It made us walk to school in the snow. Uphill. Both ways. You wouldn't understand. Or maybe you would. Today developers who want to use "cutting-edge" web APIs find themselves resorting to the same kind of browser-specific workarounds, but this time the browser dragging things down comes from Apple. Apple's Safari lags considerably behind its peers in supporting web features. Whether it's far enough behind to be considered "the new IE" is debatable and may say more about the shadow IE still casts across the web than it does about Safari. But Safari -- or more specifically the WebKit engine that powers it -- is well behind the competition. According to the Web Platform Tests dashboard, Chrome-based browsers support 94 per cent of the test suite, and Firefox pulls off 91 per cent, but Safari only manages 71 per cent. On the desktop this doesn't matter all that much because users can always switch to Google Chrome (or even better, Vivaldi). On iOS devices, however, that's not possible. According to Apple's App Store rules: "apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript." Every iPhone user is a Safari/WebKit user whether they use Safari or Chrome. Apple has a browser monopoly on iOS, which is something Microsoft was never able to achieve with IE. In Windows you could at least install Firefox. If you do that on iOS it might say Firefox, but you're still using WebKit. The reality is if you have an iOS device, you use Safari and are bound by its limitations. Another thing web developers find distressing is Apple's slow development cycle. Apple updates Safari roughly every six months at best. Blink-based browsers update every six weeks (soon every four), Firefox releases every four weeks, and Brave releases every three. This means that not only is Apple slow to add new features, but its development cycle means that even simple bug fixes have to wait a long time before they actually land on users' devices. Safari workarounds are not quick fixes. If your website is affected by a Safari bug, you can expect to wait up to a year before the problem is solved. One theme that emerges when you dig into the Web Platform Tests data on Safari's shortcomings is that even where WebKit has implemented a feature, it's often not complete.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

22 Oct 14:24

25 Movies That Could Never Be Made Today

by Ross Johnson

There’s been a sea change in the way Hollywood makes theatrical movies.

COVID has altered the landscape in ways I’m not sure we can foresee, but also might only have accelerated trends already underway: shorter release windows, simultaneous streaming debuts, and a general erosion of the theater as the place to see new…

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22 Oct 14:24

[Nightmarish Detour Review] DUNE: PART ONE

by Dolores Quintana
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, DUNE is an intelligent, emotional, and philosophical epic that trusts its audience to understand it. The Frank Herbert novel from the Dune series that it is based on is looked upon as being extremely complex and known as a book that is extremely hard to adapt. David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky have previously come to grief with successful and unsuccessful attempts to bring the story to the screen. Villeneuve has solved the puzzle by taking a principle, that he states in the film, to heart and using it. There is no answer to life (or anything else), there is only the experience. Villeneuve doesn’t get caught up in the terminology of a human society that has achieved interstellar travel through hallucinogenic drugs or the many themes or intricate plotlines, which, for all of that, aren’t really that complex. He simply shows the characters and their emotional lives against the backdrop of a royal power struggle, injustice, and a boy’s coming of age.

The film stars Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name, Little Women), Rebecca Ferguson (Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Oscar Isaac (the Star Wars franchise) Josh Brolin (Milk, Avengers: Infinity War), Stellan Skarsgård (HBO’s “Chernobyl,” Avengers: Age of Ultron), Dave Bautista (the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Avengers: Endgame), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming, HBO’s “Euphoria”), David Dastmalchian (Blade Runner 2049, The Dark Knight), Chang Chen (“Mr. Long,” Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Netflix’s “Sex Education”), with Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assassin’s Creed), with Jason Momoa (“Aquaman,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), and Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Skyfall).

DUNE is the story of Paul Atreides, heir to the Dukedom of Leto Atreides. He is the son of Leto and Lady Jessica, who is a member of the Bene Gesserit order. His father is ordered to leave the family home of Caladan to take over the fief of Arrakis, formerly the charge of House Harkonnen by the Emperor of the Known Universe, Shaddam the Fourth of the House of Corrino. The Duke and his people know that this is a trap, but there is no way to refuse and if they can be successful, the gateway to increased power and riches. They come to Arrakis or Dune, because the planet is a harsh desert planet with only one resource, the mining of the spice Melange, which is the key to everything.

Villeneuve obviously has a deep understanding and love for the story of DUNE. He refuses to accept the idea that the story is overly complex and defies understanding. He mostly shows rather than tells what is happening and it works brilliantly. He is even able to show the similarities between the Atreides homeworld, a planet with large oceans, and Arrakis. He uses the movements of the sandworms to suggest that the sand that covers the surface of DUNE is a lot like an ocean and he’s right. He shows the beauty of the scenery in each shot and uses it to set off the beauty and ugliness in the characters on the screen. He doesn’t consider Caladan the only place of beauty and Arrakis a Hellworld. Both places are beautiful in his directorial eye.  Other than a few subtitles announcing what planet we are currently on in the opening scene of each section, no real effort is made to use large amounts of exposition to explain what is going on. By focusing on the emotions of the characters – sadness, anger, regret, evil –  he renders most exposition moot. It’s all about the storytelling, as it should be. It’s remarkable in a film (and book series) that is so concerned with the power of the human mind and applications of mental power in the form of psychokinesis and precognition, that Villeneuve was so expertly able to use the power of suggestion that makes so much of what DUNE is really about clear to the viewer.

Still from DUNE

I’ll give you an example. In one scene, and it was also a wonderful example of Timothée Chalamet’s acting talent and why he was the right choice for this role, the shot is merely looking into Paul’s face on Caladan. He’s thinking. At that moment, I got a chill thinking that he really looked like he could be the child of the two actors who play his parents and it had not as much to do with looks. While looking at his face, I could feel the merging of the two parents that created the child. The melding of DNA that makes a child who they are through syngenesis on the cellular level. But it was visible. Look, I know how this sounds, but it’s a spectacular moment where not a word is spoken and an achievement that I’ve never seen before. I believed he was their child with just a look and I felt that belief in a way that Frank Herbert and the citizens of Arrakis would have approved of particularly in a film that has the strong theme of psychokinetic power within it.

The performances have such emotional depth. I will admit that I am not usually a fan of Rebecca Ferguson but in DUNE there are moments when her lack of emotional vulnerability is used for the good of the film. Her strangeness is a definite asset as well. That’s the character of Lady Jessica, emotionally reserved and strange. Oscar Isaac is particularly well cast as Duke Leto. His vulnerability and his strength of character make him fully believable as the Duke that men would be fanatically loyal to and who would attract envy from those who were less scrupulous. Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho was also a great casting. He’s that guy who you can’t help but like. Sharon Duncan-Brewster plays a gender-flipped Liet Kynes and has a similar quality. Stellan Skarsgård isn’t anything like the Baron Harkonnen of the Lynch adaptation. If anything, he seems like a negative space. A black hole of the self, which is a very interesting choice. Dave Bautista’s Beast Rabban is his most gleeful moment as Drax turned inside out into evil.

Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) and Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) wrote the screenplay with Villeneuve and it seems like rather than hacking away at what was in the book, the screenplay has streamlined the action and the themes of the book.

The special effects are ridiculously enjoyable and are the work of Oscar-winning special effects supervisors Paul Lambert (First Man, Blade Runner 2049) and Gerd Nefzer (Blade Runner 2049). The spaceships made my eyes pop and watching what looks like flying bricks defy gravity and soar and the realization of the ornithopters, which look like dragonflies, was incredibly satisfying for a fan of the book. In fact, there is at least one shot, during an attack sequence, that looks like a homage to the David Lynch film version and I liked that very much as well.

Still from DUNE

Greig Fraser, ASC, (Killing Them Softly,  Zero Dark Thirty, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) creates cinematography that is stunning. Caladan is a cool and beautiful place. Geidi Prime, home of House Harkonnen, is dark and filled with shadows, Arrakis is filled with dangerous light. But it is the examination of faces where the film and its cinematography really excel. It’s like the camera is talking to you. I know that sounds pretty weird too, but it’s true.

The costumes are simple but make statements as well. Costume designer Jacqueline West (The Revenant, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Quills) and costume designer Robert Morgan did wonderful work. Yes, the stillsuits have a codpiece, and Jessica’s wardrobe when they land on Arrakis is gorgeous. The costume for the Reverend Mother is probably the most complex of the costumes that I saw and is wonderful. I went through an exhibit of the costumes after the screening and I read that this costume was a nod to Frank Herbert’s interests in Tarot and chess. That’s the kind of detail that we are talking about with DUNE.

Stunt coordinator Tom Struthers (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception) did good work with the fights and found a great way to show the concept of shield fighting, working together with the special effects department. It really works which is proof that it was work well done.

A word about the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (Blade Runner 2049, Inception, Gladiator). As I left the screening, the final track was still playing in my head. I had no choice but to find the soundtrack on streaming and listen to it while driving home. It’s that memorable and that good. It does have nods to Middle Eastern music, choirs of male and female voices, odd percussion which is there to keep you off balance, but its center is long drawn-out vocal notes, which reminded me a bit of some of the work of Einstürzende Neubauten. It’s definitely one of his more experimental soundtracks and I love it.

Still from DUNE

I have to admit that I am a really big DUNE fan, the books and the philosophy of the books, but I wasn’t set up to love the movie. Admittedly, I was a bit wary of it because my expectations are high and I understand the book and its content very well. My father was a big DUNE fan, like me, he even liked the David Lynch adaptation. The greatest compliment that I can pay to Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE is that I wish that my father was here to see it. He would have loved it every bit as much as I do.

Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE is the type of epic filmmaking that many reach for and can’t grasp. Full of emotional resonance and with the philosophical core of the book coursing through the film’s veins like lifeblood, it puts other franchises to shame. It’s human and otherworldly at the same time. Villeneuve has attained a level of filmmaking that plants ideas in your mind like the Kwisatz Haderach himself. DUNE is the glorious, luminous, and virtuoso work of an exceptional artist.

DUNE is now available in theaters and is available on HBO Max. All images courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures.

The post [Nightmarish Detour Review] DUNE: PART ONE appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.

22 Oct 14:23

Rust Director Released From Hospital After On-Set Death Of Halyna Hutchins

by Lex Briscuso

Actress Frances Fisher, who stars in "Rust" — the film production that was halted after Alec Baldwin allegedly discharged a prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza — revealed that the filmmaker had been discharged from the hospital following the injury.

Late in the evening on October 21, Fisher confirmed in a Twitter conversation with actress Patricia Arquette that the director told her himself that he had left the hospital. Deadline later confirmed the statement with Souza's rep.

Souza was injured earlier that day during the tragic incident on the set of the Western in New Mexico, during which director of photography Hutchins was also shot. Authorities confirmed that the incident was a result of actor Alec Baldwin's discharge of a prop gun. He has since been released following a series of questioning, but without charge.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department issued the following statement:

Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set of the western "Rust", October 21, 2021, when an 911 caller reported a shooting on the set.
The sheriff's office confirms that two individuals were shot on the set of Rust. Halyna Hutchins, 42, director of photography and Joel Souza, 48, director, were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor.
Ms. Hutchins was transported, via helicopter, to University of New Mexico Hospital where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel. Mr. Souza was transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical center where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries.
This investigation remains open and active. No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.

Halyna Hutchins Was A Major Talent And Will Be Missed

Director of photographer Hutchins was born in the Ukraine and graduated from the American Film Institute in 2015. In 2019, American Cinematographer named her one of its Rising Stars. Some of her most popular credits include director Pollyanna McIntosh's 2019 horror film "Darlin'" and director Adam Egypt Mortimer's 2020 superhero mindbender "Archenemy," which starred "Magic Mike" alum Joe Manganiello.

President and executive director of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, John Lindley and Rebecca Rhine, also issued a statement in response to Hutchins' death on October 21 on behalf of the guild:

"We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called 'Rust' in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set. The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild's family."

Read this next: Actors Who Died In 2021

The post Rust Director Released From Hospital After On-Set Death of Halyna Hutchins appeared first on /Film.

22 Oct 14:23

After Nation-State Hackers, Cybercriminals Also Add Sliver Pentest Tool to Arsenal

by Ionut Arghire

The cybercriminal group tracked as TA551 recently showed a significant change in tactics with the addition of the open-source pentest tool Sliver to its arsenal, according to cybersecurity firm Proofpoint.

read more

22 Oct 14:10

Cinematographer From Alec Baldwin's Rust Has Died After An On-Set Accident

by Joshua Meyer

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died and director Joel Souza was injured on Thursday after a prop gun misfire on the set of the new Alec Baldwin Western, "Rust." Multiple sources indicate that Baldwin himself discharged the gun leading to the fatal accident.

Details are still pouring in, but Variety and IndieWire both report that the incident occurred in New Mexico at Bonanza Creek Ranch, south of Santa Fe. Deadline first reported that "a principal castmember cocked a gun during a rehearsal, unaware that there were live rounds in it, hitting two people, a man and a woman." Its early bulletin stated that the man was wounded in the shoulder, while the woman "was airlifted to the hospital for stomach surgery."

Later reports named Hutchins and Souza as the unidentified woman and man. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department issued the following statement:

"Ms. Hutchins was transported, via helicopter, to University of New Mexico Hospital where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel. Mr. Souza was transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical center where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries. This investigation remains open and active. No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives."

Cinematographers Guild On Halyna Hutchins' Death

Hutchins' second to last Instagram post shows the cast and crew of "Rust," with a message of solidarity for the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). Her final post shows her on horseback, with the caption, "One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off."

She was born in the Ukraine and graduated from the American Film Institute in 2015. American Cinematographer named her one of its Rising Stars in 2019. Her previous credits include the 2019 horror film "Darlin'," directed by Pollyanna McIntosh, and the 2020 superhero thriller, "Archenemy," starring Joe Manganiello.

John Lindley and Rebecca Rhine, respectively the president and executive director of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, also issued this statement on behalf of the guild Thursday night:

"We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called 'Rust' in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set. The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild's family."

Baldwin was released after questioning and photographed in the parking lot outside the sheriff's office, looking visibly distraught. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, authorities are still investigating "what type of projectile was discharged" in the accident.

Read this next: Actors Who Died In 2021

The post Cinematographer From Alec Baldwin's Rust Has Died After an On-Set Accident appeared first on /Film.

22 Oct 14:09

Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Thinks Star Wars Peaked With The Empire Strikes Back

by Joshua Meyer

You can add "Dune" director Denis Villeneuve to the chorus of voices who think "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best "Star Wars" movie. We've already proven it with an infallible survey this year, but just in case you doubt the veracity of our science, Villeneuve — the preeminent director of modern science-fiction films, from "Arrival" to "Blade Runner 2049" to "Dune" — is here to clear up any confusion.

In a new interview with The Playlist, Villeneuve discussed the influence of "Dune" on "Star Wars" and vice versa. Like many of us, he was first exposed to "Star Wars" (retroactively styled "A New Hope"), only to discover that it and its desert planet, Tatooine, had a literary forerunner in the form of Frank Herbert's "Dune" and its desert planet, Arrakis.

However, it's the darker "Empire Strikes Back" that Villeneuve mentions in the same breath as sci-fi classics like the original "Blade Runner" and "2001: A Space Odyssey." He explained:

"There's something about 'The Empire Strikes Back,' the darkness of it, the tragic elements of it, the way I was feeling in that precise moment about 'Star Wars' — there was something really serious about it that I deeply loved. Science fiction is serious stuff for me; it's something that I love when it considers life and existence serious. That's [why] I have so much reverence for 'Blade Runner,' the original, of course, and '2001: A Space Odyssey.' When people are taking sci-fi seriously, it's so powerful."

The Circle Of Influence Is Now Complete

Acknowledging that his comments were sure to be dissected (given the delicate nature of "Star Wars" fandom), Villeneuve continued with his explanation of why he thinks "Star Wars" peaked with "The Empire Strikes Back:"

"So, there was something in 'The Empire Strikes Back,' in its darkness, in the way it was approaching the psychological path of Luke Skywalker. And I just feel like they lost that after. They lost that elegance. And that was maybe something that I was referring to when I said, oh, I wish 'Dune' was—in a way, my idea was ... back to that [early 'Star Wars'] spirit. You must not publish that; I'm going to be crucified [laughs]. But I totally believe that. I never left 'Star Wars,' 'Star Wars' left me."

There are many fans who probably share Villeneuve's sentiments that "Star Wars" left them at some point. Be it the Ewoks, the prequels, or the Disney sequels, everyone has their own different juncture where they think the franchise started to go downhill. Yet as the better episodes of "The Mandalorian" and "Star Wars: Visions" have shown, "Star Wars" still has some gas left in its tank, enough to keep it driving back uphill sometimes.

"The Empire Strikes Back" and the original "Star Wars" are both in the National Film Registry and they're two of the greatest movies of all time. That's a tough act to follow for any film or streaming series, but if nothing else, those early movies continue to inspire people to create art outside the "Star Wars" franchise. With Villeneuve's "Dune," the circle of influence — begun with Herbert's "Dune" and the original "Star Wars" in the '60s and '70s — is now complete.

Read this next: Star Wars Movie Villains Ranked Least To Most Powerful

The post Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Thinks Star Wars Peaked With The Empire Strikes Back appeared first on /Film.

22 Oct 14:05

Dune Star Jason Momoa Is Honored To Be Working With Denis Villeneuve [Interview]

by Jack Giroux

Jason Momoa is a spirited action hero. Even when he simply walks into a room in "Dune," he does so with as much bravado as when he takes out a room full of enemy soldiers. Playing the great warrior, Duncan Idaho, Momoa brings swashbuckling fun to Denis Villeneuve's massive art film. The adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune" is an uncompromising, tangible vision that the actor is, obviously, thrilled about.

Duncan Idaho is a role that's familiar and new for the "Aquaman" and "See" star. Villeneuve's film fully displays Momoa's physical skills and larger-than-life presence, but as the actor told us, he'd never played such a committed follower before. Recently, after a few technical difficulties, the actor recalled his experience playing Idaho, as well as working with Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greg Frasier. 

"I Wanted To Go To A Different World."

What was I saying? Sorry, bro.

You said how certain parts of Duncan were familiar to you, but other characteristics were new for you to play.

Well, I've never really played anyone, like I was saying, that serves. I've always played these outlaws, outcasts, renegades, and kings. I've never played someone that's literally giving everything over to just service, to be humbled to be playing this, to take care of Timothée's character.

I have all these different people I grew up with, who I just idolized. They'd go out on these expeditions and journeys, and they'd come back and tell all these stories. I really never got to play something like that. What we did, when we got there, I went out with my team and it's about three of us, and we just went out and shot in the desert, like every time that we were off.

I would go around by myself and kind of stay in that character and really do that. I came back and I showed Denis this little cut that we made. And he's like, "What, did you shoot this thing?" I was like, "We went out in the desert, spent time out there at night." We brought it back to him and he just loved it. He was so inspired that in the daytime, when we weren't shooting, he went out with me and Greg and we just shot just a small shot that is in the movie.

Would you say those people you grew up with inspired how you played Duncan?

Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah, I grew up in Iowa. It was pretty flat. I always wanted to be up in the mountains. I wanted to go to a different world. So, the lust and the yearning to get out of where I was at, like go out and adventure out, to be that explorer, it very much inspired Duncan Idaho.

Of course, he's an incredible fighter. How'd you want his fighting style to define him?

I think just having the two short blades. I was fighting with blades more than swords. It's more intimate, right? Taking into consideration, obviously, the force field and being able to work through that. We worked a lot with Kali, which I've never done before. And oddly enough, my son really loves Kali, and he trained that. And so, there are moments that I got to put in for my boy Wolf where you touch your heart, and you put it to your head. That moment where I have with Timothée, I'm signaling to my son. It was really beautiful to sit and watch it, and take inspiration from him. And also, the stunt team obviously lined that up, it was originally their idea, but it was a great honor as a father to be able to do that for my 12-year-old boy.

"Denis Had All Of It Ironed Out So Much That When We Got The Playbook, It Just Became."

That's lovely. What training was required specifically for Duncan's big fight?

They're all kind of the same. Nothing really changes when it comes down to the stunts, because you have to get it right. I have a wonderful, amazing stunt double that I take everywhere around the world. I never really had one 'til "Aquaman." He's the only one who can really move like me, in that style. Him and I train together, and he knows my style, and he knows my body type. Really, he built that with our existing stunt team. You just trained, you get it in you, because you don't want to hurt them, and you don't want to get hurt. Once you start putting that armor on, you get weighing yourself down, you're fighting in sand. It makes your legs loose, so you're trying to work out and condition so that you can really fight.

Were you ever acting against a green screen much? Because it does not look that way at all.

No, no. That's what's beautiful about it. I think the only time would've been me looking out when I'm flying the helicopter, and that's pretty much it.

How closely did you collaborate with [cinematographer] Greg Fraser?

Me and Greg are so close. We talked while he was doing "The Batman," and I send him texts all the time. He is wonderful. I would love to work for him again. He's amazing. And "The Batman" trailer just came out. I was so f***ing excited. I want to post it for Zoe, because I'm just an excited Papa bear to tell the world. It's unbelievable.

Were any specific details from the book, as well, important to you?

It gets a little challenging because Denis had all of it ironed out so much that when we got the playbook, it just became. So much information that I just built up with him, that I don't know what I brought, and what was real, and what was his. We shot it so long ago that I don't know. All I know is, I don't want to let him down, and pretty much did everything that he wanted out of me, and brought the rest. So, I don't know exactly what little things. I really can't remember what was designed and what I brought, unfortunately.

"I Definitely Had Fear."

How's collaborating with Denis on a shooting day? What's a piece of direction from him sound like?

He's so intimate. He's a very intimate director. Nothing cold about him. There was tons of advice. Some that are so good that I'd like to keep personal that I use in my own filmmaking. It's just getting reassured, like it's a reassuring feeling. I wish I could do everything with him. It's amazing, man. I've never quite experienced direction like that.

I just feel like there's a massive safety net that's there, and it's an honor to be able to do the things that he asks. You feel so trusted that you don't clam up and get fear, where I was definitely scared doing scenes because there are a lot of heavy hitters in these scenes. I definitely had fear. It keeps you alive, and it just feels good.

Here's for instance, we did one scene together, I'm just remembering this, and they ended up not using it, but it's just one amazing shot, where it's on my back and you see a silhouette of my face. The scene is really all about Oscar. Oscar's telling me this information. You see this is my posture and the way that I'm standing, I'm just getting orders from the Colonel. You just see me nod, and I take off in that scene. And we do that scene, and he's looking like, "Jason, the silhouette and the back, and all this." And like, "You don't need to come around?" You understand exactly what is right there. That is everything that needs to be there. Unfortunately, the information that he was saying, we couldn't put in the movie, but the shot, the scene could be just done like that. And he knew it. We both looked at each other, and he's like, "Momoa, Momoa, you know it." And so, we move on. Visually, and all these things together, we would relate.

We did a rehearsal — and this is really f***ing cool — he always shoots the rehearsals. And he just went, "We have it. Moving on." I had never seen anyone on that level do it. We're like, "What? You don't want a back up?" He's like, "Nope, you'll never beat that. That is the best. That camera won't beat it. No. I see it in my head." He knows it that well. He could have went, "Let's get another one, just see what happens." Like, "Nope. I know exactly that is it. Nothing will be better than that."

It's not like we were wasting our f***ing day. We had all time in the day to play. That's how goddamn good he is. He didn't need to beat me up. He is meticulous. He's that meticulous that he knows it's that f***ing good. That's him.

Thank you for sharing that.

Thanks for bringing it out of me, bro. It's like, you were talking about something that was two and a half years ago, and on this press tour, you're like, "Oh God, here we go." You try to remember even that [moment], and you have those every day, those gold moments. He's just so, so good.

"Dune" is now playing in theaters and on HBO Max.

Read this next: 12 Awesome Action Movies That Never Got Sequels

The post Dune Star Jason Momoa is Honored to Be Working With Denis Villeneuve [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

22 Oct 12:43

VirtualBox v6.1.28

by Jei
EmuCR: VirtualBoxVirtualBox v6.1.28 is released. VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86/x64 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software....More
22 Oct 12:41

Intel and Nvidia agree that CPU and GPU shortages could persist through 2022

by Phil Hayton
Intel and Nvidia agree that CPU and GPU shortages could persist through 2022

15/11/21 Nvidia has revealed that ongoing component shortages could affect production throughout 2022.

Intel has a lot in the pipeline for 2022, and Pat Gelsinger hasn't been shy about the company's ambitions - especially when it comes to crushing Apple and AMD with its Alder Lake CPUs. However, while the blue team boss is optimistic about Intel's future in the gaming PC space, he thinks that semiconductor shortages will persist beyond 2022.

In an interview with CNBC, Gelsinger claims that the component shortage will get "incrementally better" but says there won't be a "supply-demand balance until 2023". Like with a similar statement made by AMD's Lisa Su, the Intel CEO doesn't give a specific timeframe for when supply issues will subside. However, the fact that both company heads agree that the situation won’t resolve itself this year provides the forecast with some clout.

The ongoing global pandemic is somewhat to blame for disrupting semiconductor supplies, but events like China's mandated industrial power shutdown also isn't helping. Naturally, if global shortages continue, upcoming products like Intel's Alder Lake lineup, Nvidia's RTX 3080 refresh, and AMD's Zen 4 processors could be in limited supply.

RELATED LINKS: Intel Core i9 9900K review, Intel Core i7 9700K review, Best CPU for gaming
22 Oct 10:34

[Steam] (Game) ENDLESS™ Space - Definitive Edition

by /u/jestemkixxu
22 Oct 10:32

Invasion – Apple TV+ Series Review

by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
22 Oct 01:42

The 6 Fire Lays Every Man Should Know

by Brett & Kate McKay

Every man should know how to build a fire. But every outdoor situation requires different types of campfire lays (set-ups in the firewood), so it’s imperative to know how to make more than one kind.

Here we highlight six of the most common and useful fire lays.

Teepee Fire Lay

There’s a reason this is the go-to campfire lay for most outdoorsmen: it’s very easy to get a fire going with a teepee lay. It’s also a great fire for cooking and warmth. The one downside of a teepee fire lay is that it burns quickly, requiring a lot of fuel to keep it going.

Many other fire lays rely on a teepee lay to initially get going, so it’s a vital lay to master.

How to make: Place your tinder bundle on the ground. Above your tinder bundle, use kindling to build a small teepee. Start with small twigs and build up to large sticks. Leave an opening in your teepee on the side the wind is blowing against. This will ensure that your fire gets the air it needs for effective combustion. Light your tinder bundle. As the fire gets going, add increasingly thick sticks, and eventually large fuel logs, in the same teepee shape.

Star Fire Lay

If you’ve watched old Western movies, you’ve likely seen a star fire lay. It’s the fire lay of choice for cowboys ranging in areas where there isn’t much wood. The star fire lay doesn’t make a very big or hot fire, but it’s economical in terms of fuel and easy to set up.

How to make: Lay five or six logs on the ground like the spokes of a wheel. The arrangement will look like a star. Inside the hub of your wheel/star, start a small fire with a teepee lay. As the main logs of the star lay burn, push them towards the center.

Lean-to Fire Lay

The lean-to fire lay creates a protective canopy under which you can place your tinder bundle. As such, it’s a good fire lay to use in windy or rainy conditions. The trade-off is that this set-up does restrict airflow a little, so it can sometimes make getting a fire going a bit harder.

How to make: Place your tinder against a large log. Lean small twigs and sticks against the log and above your tinder pile. Now you see why it’s called a “lean-to.” Light your tinder bundle.

The Log Cabin Fire Lay

One glance at its structure and it’s easy to see how the log cabin lay got its name. You’re going to build a small log cabin with fuel logs around a small teepee fire lay. The resulting fire burns big and hot and doesn’t require as much tending once you light it, as the flames start burning the big logs which form the log cabin shape. 

How to make: Start off by building a small teepee fire lay. Get large pieces of fuel wood and place them on opposite sides of the teepee. Lay other pieces of wood across the first set of fuel wood, parallel on the other sides of the teepee. Think of the way you build with Lincoln Logs. Build your log cabin until it’s the same height as your teepee, more or less. Light the teepee on fire.

Parallel/Long Fire Lay

The structure of the parallel/long lay funnels air into the fire, creating a hotter burn, which can come in handy for cooking. Because the structure blocks the wind from the sides, it can also be a good fire lay for windy conditions.

How to make: Place two large long green logs parallel to each other about six inches apart. Start a small teepee fire in between the logs. You can also dig a long trench in the ground and start a fire inside the trench. Rest pots and pans across the logs or trench to create a makeshift cooking range.

The Pyramid/Upside-Down/Council Fire Lay

The ultimate “set it and forget it” fire lay, this campfire will last for hours without tending. While it does take more work to set it up and get it going, if you need a fire that will keep you warm through the night, without you having to frequently arise to fuel it, this is the lay for you.

How to make: Stack your fuel logs in a pyramid shape, each layer perpendicular to the next. Start with the largest logs on the bottom. With each new layer, use smaller pieces of wood. Position logs so there’s minimal spacing between them. On top of your pyramid, place your tinder and build a small teepee fire. Light your tinder bundle. As each layer of the pyramid burns, it sinks and falls, igniting the layer below it. The fire feeds itself.

The post The 6 Fire Lays Every Man Should Know appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

22 Oct 01:41

Streaming Review: Apple TV+ 'Invasion'

by Ben Miller

By Ben Miller

Rich with atmosphere and well-rounded characters, Invasion, the new sci-fi series Apple TV+, provides a small-scale look at what a global event can have on a few normal citizens.  Created by Simon Kinberg (producer of The Martian), the opening three episodes establish realistic characters and how the problems in their lives pale in comparison to a mysterious alien invasion that begins on Earth.

22 Oct 00:25

Microsoft Releases New ISOs for Windows 10 Build 19044.1288 and Windows 11 Build 22483

by Rafia Shaikh

windows 10 vs windows 11 iso

Microsoft has released two new ISOs for its Windows Insiders community today. Windows 10 ISO files for the RTM Build 19044.1288 are now available for Insiders in the Release Preview Channel. Those in the Dev Channel, on the other hand, can download ISO files for Windows 11 Build 22483, which was released just last night from the active development branch.

Windows Insiders in the Dev and Release Preview Channels testing Windows 11 and Windows 10 November 2021 Update, respectively, can now clean install the latest Builds through these ISO files.

Download Windows 11 and Windows 10 ISO files for Builds 22483 and 19044.1288

The ISO files are available to download from the Windows Insider site. To be able to download them, you will need to follow these steps to get yourself enrolled in the Windows Insider Program. [Windows Insiders can directly download these Windows ISO files through the link in the last step.]

  1. Sign up for the Windows Insider Program (click here).
  2. Make sure your machine meets the system requirements: Windows 10, Windows 11
  3. Click here to download the ISO files.

Microsoft has finalized the upcoming Windows 10 version 21H2, confirming its final build earlier today. The next version is scheduled for a November release and is expected to be the last and final version of Windows 10. With the introduction of Windows 11 earlier this month, the company will now entirely focus on the development of this new operating system.

- Black Friday Comes Early! Samsung’s Offering $3500 Discount on Its 8K TV

The post Microsoft Releases New ISOs for Windows 10 Build 19044.1288 and Windows 11 Build 22483 by Rafia Shaikh appeared first on Wccftech.

22 Oct 00:23

Defenders wanted—building the new cybersecurity professionals

by Emma Jones

As part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we published a special blog post earlier this week featuring real-world experiences shared by cybersecurity professionals: people with diverse backgrounds in law, academia, software development, and other seemingly unrelated fields. This topic is near and dear to my heart because I truly believe that diversity—people with diverse skills, backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences—is the key element for making the next generation of cybersecurity professionals even more effective.

Today’s world is connected in ways we could only imagine 20 years ago. Digital transformation means the workplace, classrooms, retail outlets, and more are now easily accessed from your car, a backyard hammock, or a jet cruising at 30,000 feet. And with expanding connectivity and the potential for cybercrime to do physical harm, there’s a growing need for people with the skills and drive to keep us safe. As we near the end of this important month, I want to share a little more about how Microsoft is helping to cultivate the next generation of cyber defenders, and talk about some of the work we’re doing to make cybersecurity more inclusive—so that we’re truly creating security for all.

Cybersecurity needs you

There’s a widening gap between the need for secure connectivity and the number of security professionals who can help make it happen. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cybersecurity job opportunities will grow 33 percent from 2020 to 2030—more than six times the national average (with an average salary of USD 104,000).1 However, the number of people entering the field isn’t keeping pace. According to the 2020 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, there’s a global talent shortfall between 1.5 million and 3.5 million.2

As the threat landscape continues to evolve with more sophisticated ransomware attacks,3 the world is calling out for a new breed of cybersecurity professionals—defenders who will help make the world secure for everyone. To get there, cybersecurity needs people with diverse backgrounds—business, law enforcement, the military, science, liberal arts, marketing design, and an array of other fields. We know that attackers prey on biases within security teams—so, without diverse perspectives, it’s easier for threat actors to exploit blind spots. In fact, studies have found that diverse teams make better decisions 87 percent of the time.4

“I was told to switch from software development to security. I was told I would make more money, the job security would be great, and I would always get to learn lots of new things. They were right!”—Tanya Janca Founder and Chief Executive Officer, We Hack Purple Academy.

A superpower isn’t always about x-ray vision or super strength. Maybe yours is organization or team leadership. Or perhaps it’s the empathy and communication skills that are invaluable for organizational success. Whatever your superpower may be, there’s a need for it in the cybersecurity field. Microsoft is actively reaching out to students, veterans, people re-entering the workforce, and anyone with an interest in being part of this vital segment of the 21st-century workforce. Security is a team sport, and we’re all in this together.

Building the next generation of defenders

To help higher-education students explore cybersecurity career paths, the Microsoft Student Summit (S2) held October 18 to 20, 2021, provided training for Microsoft security technologies, along with career guidance and support for cybersecurity certifications. To learn more, students and aspiring defenders are always welcome to visit the Microsoft Security Technical Content Library, where new learning paths and courses are added regularly. Students can also register at Microsoft Learn, which includes training on many different technologies, including security.

Group of young adults wearing backpacks sit on bleachers surrounding laptop.

Security for all requires gender equity

Studies have found that gender-diverse teams make better business decisions 73 percent of the time.5 However, women currently represent only 24 percent of the cybersecurity workforce. Whether your field of interest is business, healthcare, retail, law, or a STEM field, cybersecurity can be a rewarding pathway to every sector. That’s why Microsoft has teamed up with Girl Security, which is pioneering new approaches to building a cybersecurity workforce that reflects the nation, communities, and people it’s working to secure. Through an open-source curriculum designed to support adolescent girls, women, and gender minorities, Microsoft Security and Girl Security are working to demystify cybersecurity by highlighting visible role models and inspiring these populations toward cybersecurity’s mission and in-demand skills.

“Everyone has some unique contribution to make in life and to cybersecurity. Don’t doubt your strengths and contributions, which may very well be potential pathways.”—Lauren Bean Buitta, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Girl Security.

Staying ahead with security skilling

To help cybersecurity professionals advance their careers and stay ahead in this evolving threat landscape, Microsoft also supports ongoing upskilling—including four new Security, Compliance, and Identity (SCI) certifications tailored to specific roles and needs:

And just today we announced a new security program for nonprofits, which provides streamlined security training for IT professionals working in the nonprofit sector. It also helps enhance organizational security by enabling proactive monitoring against nation-state attacks.

Training and certification webinars

Microsoft is proud to be partnering with Learning Tree International, United Training, and Global Knowledge to present three timely webinars focused on cloud security training:

  • Global Knowledge is offering a Microsoft SCI training webinar covering the complete portfolio of associate certifications—including specializations, hands-on experience, and practice requirements—on October 21, 2021, at 9:00 AM PST. Register now.
  • Learning Tree International launched its Women in Technology series with a Microsoft SCI certification webinar to help navigate the four Microsoft Security tracks and sharpen your skills for your current role (or the job you’re aiming for). Watch Learning Tree International’s webinar on-demand.
  • Hybrid work has accelerated cloud adoption for video conferencing and other remote collaboration tools. But with increased adoption comes increased risk. In partnership with Microsoft Principal Cloud Architect, Kailash Sawant, United Training produced a webinar examining cybersecurity in the cloud, focusing on steps you can take to secure your cloud environment. Watch United Training’s webinar on-demand.

Learn more

Be sure to visit the Microsoft Cybersecurity Awareness Month homepage to learn about cybersecurity training and download the 2021 Microsoft Digital Defense Report to get a critical perspective on today’s cybersecurity landscape from experts across 77 countries.

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.

 


1Information Security Analysts, US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 8 September 2021.

2Cybersecurity Talent Crunch To Create 3.5 Million Unfilled Jobs Globally By 2021, Steve Morgan, Cybercrime Magazine. 24 October 2019.

3What’s Driving the Surge in Ransomware Attacks? Matt Stieb, Intelligencer. 7 September 2021.

4New Research: Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making At Work, Erik Larson, Forbes. 21 September 2017.

5New Research: Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making At Work, Erik Larson, Forbes. 21 September 2017.

The post Defenders wanted—building the new cybersecurity professionals appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

22 Oct 00:19

AMD and Microsoft Issue Fixes For Ryzen CPU Slowdowns On Windows 11

by BeauHD
AMD and Microsoft have issued patches to address the slowdowns reported with Ryzen processors when Windows 11 launched. Engadget reports: The latest chipset driver (version 3.10.08.506) should take care of the UEFI CPPC2 issue, which in some cases didn't "preferentially schedule threads on a processor's fastest core," AMD said. That could have slowed down apps that are sensitive to CPU thread performance. AMD noted that the problem was likely more noticeable in more powerful processors with more than eight cores and 65W or higher Thermal Design Power (TDP). Meanwhile, Microsoft is rolling out a software update tackling a bug that increased L3 cache latency. The issue impacted apps that need quick memory access, which in turn caused CPUs to slow down by up to 15 percent. The patch, Windows 11 update KB5006746, will be available starting today, but at the time of writing, a page containing instructions for installing it isn't yet live. You should be able to install it via Windows Update too.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

22 Oct 00:17

No Man’s Sky Update 3.70 released, full patch notes revealed

by John Papadopoulos

Alongside Expedition 4: Emergence, Hello Games released a brand new update for No Man’s Sky. According to the team, Update 3.70 fixes numerous bugs and issues. Additionally, it introduces a significant memory optimisation. Going into more details, Patch 3.70 fixes a rare crash that could occur when retrieving friend details. It also fixes an issue … Continue reading No Man’s Sky Update 3.70 released, full patch notes revealed →

The post No Man’s Sky Update 3.70 released, full patch notes revealed appeared first on DSOGaming.

21 Oct 22:16

AMD and Microsoft issue fixes for Ryzen CPU slowdowns on Windows 11

by Kris Holt

Shortly after Microsoft released Windows 11 earlier this month, AMD warned that the OS could slow down apps on systems with Ryzen processors. The chipmaker promised to fix the bugs, and now AMD and Microsoft have issued patches that should do just that.

The latest chipset driver (version 3.10.08.506) should take care of the UEFI CPPC2 issue, which in some cases didn't "preferentially schedule threads on a processor’s fastest core," AMD said. That could have slowed down apps that are sensitive to CPU thread performance. AMD noted that the problem was likely more noticeable in more powerful processors with more than eight cores and 65W or higher Thermal Design Power (TDP).

Meanwhile, Microsoft is rolling out a software update tackling a bug that increased L3 cache latency. The issue impacted apps that need quick memory access, which in turn caused CPUs to slow down by up to 15 percent. The patch, Windows 11 update KB5006746, will be available starting today, but at the time of writing, a page containing instructions for installing it isn't yet live. You should be able to install it via Windows Update too.

21 Oct 22:15

Why Groundhog Day Left Harold Ramis And Bill Murray's Friendship In Shambles

by Ethan Anderton

"Ghostbusters" stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis had a friendship and relationship in comedy that went all the way back to 1970, when the two were just a pair of young comedians working in the famous Second City improvisational comedy troupe in Chicago. The coming years would see them working together on a variety of projects, including "The National Lampoon Radio Hour" and "The National Lampoon Show," but they would part ways as collaborators for awhile as Bill Murray became one of the Not Ready for Primetime Players on "Saturday Night Live" and Harold Ramis went to become the head writer for Second City's own TV show "SCTV."

Thankfully, the two would reunite on the big screen with a series of comedies, starting with "Meatballs" in 1979 and moving through "Caddyshack" and "Stripes" in the early 1980s. And they reached new heights of success with "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters II." However, their collaboration on the 1993 comedy classic "Groundhog Day," about a weatherman stuck living the same day over and over again, had a disastrous impact not only their professional relationship, but their longtime friendship. In fact, because of the tumultuous time they had on set, the two wouldn't speak for 21 years. So what happened?

Trouble From The Start

Even in the 1990s, Bill Murray was known for being a complicated collaborator. If anyone was ever able to convince him to star in a movie, there was no guarantee that he would actually show up. If Murray did show up, it sometimes meant having the actor completely tossing aside the script or barely reading them at all. But when it came to "Groundhog Day," Murray had a vested interest in the creative direction of the script before cameras started rolling.

The original script by Danny Rubin didn't provide quite as clean or clear of a set-up for the time loop that Bill Murray's character, weatherman Phil Connors, found himself in. Instead, it took some time to understand that the day was actually repeating. As Rubin recalled in the book "Wild and Crazy Guys" by Nick De Semlyen: "I think there was a lot to my script that meandered in a way that was pleasing and enjoyable, but it didn't have those sharp dramatic edges that Hollywood seems to require."

Aside from adding some sharper drama to the proceedings, Ramis and producer Trevor Albert also restructured the script to be a three-act story that worked as a studio-friendly comedy. Meanwhile, Murray had reached out to Danny Rubin, and he recruited the writer to help him with rewrites of his own. In-between random trips and errands, Murray and Rubin would work on the script little-by-little, though it wasn't the most conventional working environment. Rubin recalled their days spent in the Directors Guild Building on West 57th Street in New York:

"He wouldn't really talk to me. He would just grunt and pace and smoke cigars and read the newspaper. And after about an hour of puttering around he would sit down next to me and say some-thing like, 'OK, if I agree to do this movie... what do you suppose Phil would say here?"

Murray was acting as if there was a chance he wouldn't make this movie, all while sets were already being built based upon his seemingly agreed-upon involvement. During these rewrites, Ramis tried to wrangle the pages they had been working on, but Murray wouldn't even speak with him on the phone. When they finally got this alternate version of the script, it was worse than they'd imagined. Albert recalled:

"It was devastating. Terrifying. Harold and I were apoplectic. Danny and Bill's draft got sent to us two and a half weeks away from shooting, and the delicate balance that we had achieved had been disrupted significantly. I can't remember what had changed exactly, but the script came and we were freaked out by it. Some new lines were good, but mostly it was like a grenade had been thrown into the middle of everything."

But that was just the beginning of Murray's flummoxing behavior during the development and production process on "Groundhog Day."

Bill Behaving Badly

When Bill Murray arrived on location in Woodstock, Illinois, which was doubling for Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Ramis was finally able to meet with his friend, but it was far from a friendly exchange. While Ramis was hoping for "Groundhog Day" to be funny, warm and romantic, Murray felt like it needed to be somewhat chilly with a focus on existential crisis. Their differing viewpoints would create a confrontational relationship throughout the entire shoot. While Murray was delivering doughnuts to some of the local people who came to watch production, he had no such sweetness for Ramis. 

During the shoot, the arguments between Ramis and Murray were so bad that the director forced the actor to get an assistant who could relay messages between them. Murray obliged by hiring a young deaf woman, which clearly didn't fix the issue. Ramis told Entertainment Weekly:

"He hired a personal assistant who was profoundly deaf, did not have oral speech, spoke only American sign language, which Bill did not speak, nor did anyone else in the production. But Bill said, 'Don't worry, I'm going to learn sign language.' And I think it was so inconvenient that in a couple weeks, he gave that up."

Rubin was only around for the first week of filming, so he didn't witness all the tension and disagreements, but he recalled, "It wasn't really between Harold and Bill — it was Bill. There was something going on with him. Because Harold seemed as bewildered by the whole thing as I was."

The primary problem seemed to be Bill Murray going through a sort of midlife crisis. When "Groundhog Day" was in production, Murray's marriage to his first wife Margaret Kelly was unraveling. They wouldn't actually divorce until 1996, but in the years leading up to that, Murray was clearly having trouble dealing with those issues. That frustration poured over into his work, making him supremely difficult to work with for a long time. Ramis flatly told The New Yorker that Murray was "really irrationally mean and unavailable."

On top of that, some believe that Murray grew to resent Ramis for having such a significant hand in defining his professional persona. Murray's work outside of his collaborations with Ramis left something to be desired. Michael Shamberg (via The New Yorker), a Hollywood producer and Ramis' college friend, felt that Murray was bitter about having his career so closely tethered to Ramis, as if he wasn't good enough on his own.

No matter what the cause, the creative disagreements between Ramis and Murray came to a head when the director grabbed his friend by the shirt collar and threw him against a wall, as recounted in Violet Ramis Stiel's intimate memoir, "Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life With My Dad, Harold Ramis." Though the two wouldn't speak for 21 years after that incident, with Ramis feeling "heartbroken, confused, and yet unsurprised by the rejection," they would thankfully reconcile their differences before it was too late.

A Bittersweet Reunion

In 2010, Ramis was diagnosed with autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. This kept him from being able to walk and speak for the remaining years of his life until his passing in February 2014. Perhaps knowing that not much time was left, Murray paid an unexpected visit to Ramis' home in the North Shore of Chicago shortly before his death. Accompanied by a police escort and a box of doughnuts, Murray arrived early in the morning and the two spent a couple hours making amends and laughing like old friends again. 

After Ramis passed away in 2014, Murray made one last gesture of reconciliation for his friend. While presenting the award for Best Cinematography at the 2014 Academy Awards, after reading all of the nominees, Murray added, "Oh, we forgot one: Harold Ramis for 'Caddyshack,' 'Ghostbusters,' and 'Groundhog Day.'" 

Even though Murray and Ramis may have had a hard time making "Groundhog Day," their hard work paid off and resulted in a classic comedy that gets watched over and over again every year, and not just on the makeshift holiday. Murray didn't attend the Hollywood premiere of the film, and it took him a little while to see the actual movie, but he has embraced it with open arms. In fact, in 2017, Murray attended the Broadway adaptation of the film. According to The New York Times, Murray was "visibly sobbing" as he watched the production with brother Brian Doyle-Murray (who plays the mayor in the film) and co-writer Danny Rubin. After the show, Murray said, "The idea that we just have to try again. We just have to try again. It's such a beautiful, powerful idea."

We're certainly thankful that Bill Murray tried again when it came to his friendship with Harold Ramis.

Read this next: The 15 Best '90s Comedies Ranked

The post Why Groundhog Day Left Harold Ramis and Bill Murray's Friendship In Shambles appeared first on /Film.