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Warning: Full spoilers follow for the Westworld Season 3 finale.

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Part of IGN's Westworld Season 3 guide

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Westworld's third season just wrapped up with the episode "Crisis Theory" (read our Season 3 finale review), capping off the HBO series' journey to the "real world" of the futuristic society where theme parks are populated by robot "hosts." Evan Rachel Wood plays the host Dolores Abernathy, who, having gained sentience over the course of the previous seasons, left the Delos park where she lived for decades as, essentially, a slave, now on a mission to take down humankind for the sake of her fellow 'bots. Or so we thought... A lot happened in the Season 3 finale of Westworld, so let's delve into some of the key points and try to figure them out. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Is Dolores Dead?

Could Evan Rachel Wood be leaving Westworld? These violent delights have violent ends, after all! And indeed, Dolores Prime does seem to be gone by the end of "Crisis Theory," even if she sacrificed herself in order to achieve her true mission. After being captured by Vincent Cassel's tech genius Serac, Dolores had her mind probed by the uber-AI system known as Rehoboam. It was looking for the key to accessing the "Sublime" (the Vally Beyond artificial reality where many of the hosts escaped to last season). The thing is, Dolores didn't actually have the key -- she had hidden it with Bernard (more on that in a second) -- and so as Rehoboam dug deeper, deleting her memories as it went along, it found nothing... except for a trap. Dolores managed to hack Rehoboam while it was hacking her, and gave control of the AI to Caleb (Aaron Paul). In so doing, Caleb, with some clutch help from Maeve (Thandie Newton) and her samurai sword, commanded Rehoboam to erase itself, which it did and which will now allow for humankind to live out their lives by their own accord -- for better or for worse -- instead of under the guiding influence of Serac's ultimate computer. The last thing we see before the credits roll is Caleb and Maeve watching as the city around them burns. Yes, Dolores' true plan was to free humankind. "This is the new world," says Maeve, while "Brain Damage" from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon plays. "And in this world, you can be whoever the f**k you want." Check out a recap of the first two seasons of Westworld in the video below: [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/09/westworld-the-story-so-far-recapped-in-6-minutes] But is Dolores dead? Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are insisting that the Prime version of her is done, telling Variety: "Dolores is gone. We’re not yet discussing publicly the direction the show is taking, but the fun thing about this show is, you know, from the beginning Lisa and I wanted to make a show that constantly reinvented itself, that could be a different show every season. I think it’s important with a show in which death can be impermanent — these are robots, after all — to mark the occasion with Dolores. That version of that character is gone. We love Evan Rachel Wood and we haven’t started talking publicly about exactly what the show looks like going forward. But it looks very different." Her mind had been wiped last we saw her, a lifeless husk laying on the platform beneath Rehoboam's giant orb. Still, we also know that Dolores duplicated her mind in other hosts this season, creating divergent Doloreses, if you will. Most of those were seemingly destroyed throughout the season, but at least two remain: The Dolores inside a Charlotte Hale host body (Tessa Thompson) who had turned against Dolores Prime by the finale, and seems set to be an antagonist in Season 4. And then there's also Clifton Collins Jr.'s host. He had been a recurring character named Lawrence (a.k.a. El Lazo) in the previous seasons and popped up briefly in the Season 3 finale under the guise of a cop, although Bernard figured out that his body was housing another copy of Dolores. Surely transplanting the Lawrence host's pearl (brain) into a fresh Evan Rachel Wood body wouldn't be too much effort, even though she wouldn't have the same memories from Season 3 that Dolores Prime did.

Westworld Season 3 Finale Post-Credit Scene 1: The Man in Black

The Man in Black is dead. Long live the Man in Black! Ed Harris' character, also known as William, Delos' big bad boss, spent this season struggling with his inner demons. He was institutionalized through the trickery of the Charlotte Dolores, where he participated in a therapy session with various versions of himself from the past (and perhaps the future?), including the young incarnation who was a regular character in Season 1 of Westworld and played by Jimmi Simpson. In "Crisis Theory," William is committed to "saving the world" from the host uprising, and we last see him in the first of two post-credits scenes. It is there that he enters a Delos International facility in Dubai where, after stating that the hosts are "breeding" and shooting a security guard in the head, he makes his way down to the basement level research lab and finds exactly what he expected: host shenanigans. The Charlotte Dolores is there, and she tells William he's right on time, and that yes, he is going to save the world -- for the hosts. A duplicate of William, in full Man in Black get-up, then appears and, after a brief struggle, slashes William's throat. We then see that he was right about the breeding thing -- the facility is full of host-making machinery. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/13/whos-the-real-villain-of-westworld-season-3] The idea that the Man in Black would go full host certainly calls back to many fans' impression him from before the show debuted, as he was clearly designed to evoke the Gunslinger robot played by Yul Brynner in the original 1973 Westworld film on which the show is based. And it does seem as though the real William is a goner at this point, but the existence of a Man in Black host (or duplicate) does track with the post-credits scene from the end of Season 2 where a version of the character still existed in what was apparently some distant point in the show's future. Speaking of which...

Westworld Finale Post-Credit Scene 2: Bernard Gets Dusty

Jeffrey Wright's Bernard is the last person we see in this finale, in the second post-credits scene. As noted above, while Dolores had led Serac (and the viewer) to believe that she held the key to accessing the Sublime, she had actually placed it with Bernard, apparently because she couldn't fully trust herself with it. Earlier in the episode, Bernard paid a visit to Gina Torres' character Lauren Weber, who is now an elderly woman but also the wife of the late Arnold Weber, the co-creator of the hosts and the human that Bernard was based on. Back in Season 1, Bernard thought he was actually a human, and part of the trickery engineered by Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) to maintain that illusion were the false memories he had of his dead son Charlie, as well as video calls from Lauren -- or at least the simulation of the same. But here Bernard had the chance to finally meet the older Lauren face to face, which was also a nice chance for Gina Torres to return to the role as the two characters mourned the loss of Charlie. Returning to the motel where he's hiding out with the injured host Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth), Bernard dons a VR headset to finally access the Sublime. And then he seemingly shuts down and the scene cuts away. But later, in that final post-credits scene of the episode, we see that Bernard comes back online. The only thing is, clearly some time has passed. Like, maybe, a lot of time. He's covered in dust, and it's possibly not just regular old dust but fallout from a nuclear war or some other disaster. It seems clear that the Westworld timeline has jumped far ahead in this scene, and this time period could be the era that Season 4 is set in. After all, this is how Joy described the time period that the Man in Black was in at the end of Season 2: "In the far, far future, the world is dramatically different. Quite destroyed, as it were." Quite destroyed sounds very dusty, doesn't it? So what do you think all this means for the future of Westworld in Season 4? Let's discuss in the comments!

Disney has announced that a new Star Wars movie directed by Thor Ragnarok helm Taika Waititi is in development. In addition, a new Disney+ Star Wars show from Russian Doll writer Leslye Headland is also in the works.

Incoming news from a galaxy far, far away….

Academy Award winner @TaikaWaititi to direct and co-write a new Star Wars feature film for theatrical release; Academy Award nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns (@WeWriteAtDawn) to co-write screenplay with Waititi: https://t.co/o3Exz8ndy9 pic.twitter.com/Yrt0LQbi7B — Star Wars (@starwars) May 4, 2020

No details have been released about the film's title, plot, characters, or setting within the Star Wars universe, but Disney has stated that Waititi will direct and co-write, and that the film will be released theatrically. Waititi is joined on scripting duties by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, the writer of 1917 and Edgar Wright's upcoming Last Night in Soho. While we don't know anything about what Waititi and Wilson-Cairns' story will explore, we do know that Disney has not ruled out the possibility of new Star Wars films becoming trilogies. Could this be a standalone story, like Rogue One and Solo, or is this the start of a new saga? [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=rogue-one-17-cool-star-wars-details-revealed-by-the-writers&captions=true"] As for the Disney+ show, Russian Doll writer Leslye Headland will write, executive produce, and act as showrunner. Disney again has offered no details to the actual premise of the project, but does indicate that it is not the Cassian Andor show nor the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. Disney has also provided no release date for the film or show. Last year reports claimed that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had found a director for a Star Wars project slated for 2022. Waititi may potentially be that director if the reports line up, however with the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the film industry it's likely that 2022 would no longer the target window. Until further details emerge, however, we can't draw any conclusions as to where this new film sits in Disney's overall Star Wars plan. For more on the Star Wars front, check out our review of the series finale of The Clone Wars, as well as our list of the Top 25 Clone Wars Episodes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/18/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

May the 4th means a wave of Star Wars debuts and promos, and that even includes deals on kitchen tech. Williams Sonoma is discounting its Star Wars Instant Pots, with a 3-quart BB-8 model selling for as low as $60, the 6-quart Stormtrooper model goin...

A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and designed to treat COVID-19 has received FDA approval via a fast-tracked emergency use authorization. Now, NASA is looking for a medical industry partner to manufacture the device. It will...

Today we get the full range of its Intel’s 10^th Generation processors for desktops. These chips, which fall under the banner of ‘Comet Lake’, will now go up to 10 cores and offer turbo speeds up to 5.3 GHz. Comet Lake is the fifth iteration of Intel’s very profitable Skylake microarchitecture, built on Intel’s 14++nm process, at a time when the competition is on 7nm with sixteen cores. The crux, according to Intel, is that it will offer the best gaming experience in this market.

Weather radar stations, like this one in South Dakota, capture data on local storms and events. But planes and satellites can provide more regional projections by capturing atmospheric metrics. (Eric Kurth, NOAA/NWS/ER/WFO/Sacramento/)

This story originally published on Flying.

The drop in airline operations across the US and around the world has had an impact on weather reporting, particular with the input flight crews make to the World Meteorological Organization’s Global Observing System, part of the World Weather Watch program. The WMO provides part of the architecture through which 193 member countries can build weather forecasts as well as monitor atmospheric and climate conditions.

According to a press release from the WMO, “some parts of the observing system are already affected. Most notably the significant decrease in air traffic has had a clear impact. In-flight measurements of ambient temperature and wind speed and direction are a very important source of information for both weather prediction and climate monitoring.”

Scott Dennstaedt is a Charlotte-based former National Weather Service meteorologist and flight instructor completing his PhD in Infrastructures and Environmental Systems. He notes the dynamic nature of the interdependency between the airlines and other forms of data collection. “We’re seeing the interdependency play out. On any given day, it may not matter, but on the day of a major weather event...we can get in a situation where we over-warn—or you get in the situation where you completely miss it, and there’s a major outbreak of weather and people were not able to prepare.” Both are considerable problems.

The Global Observing System, as part of the World Meteorological Organization, includes reporting from pilots to improve the quality of weather forecasting. (World Meteorological Organization/)

Dennstaedt said, “How the impact will be measured is still an unknown—numerical weather prediction models use a variety of data, and it has improved over the years—but one mainstay of this lies in commercial aircraft reports. The aircraft is collecting temperature and wind data, along with humidity data in some cases. It’s mostly up high—in the flight levels—and a lot of the data produces a ‘salad bowl’ effect,” particularly around major airports, such as Chicago O-Hare. “It’s not like all aircraft are grounded as happened on September 11, 2001. Essentially, you lose a bunch of temperature and wind reports around an airport or in the flight levels that are likely still being captured by other commercial airliners in trail ... just not as dense of reports as they were prior to the pandemic.”

Pilots may not have considered all of the weather products that are supported by this data—such as graphic weather depiction charts—that are referenced during a weather briefing or that provide the basis for a flight service briefer to give a forecast or current conditions to pilots.

Here’s how you can help—collect weather data as if you’re making a pirep, even if you’re temporarily grounded. Of particular interest is comparing the mid-range forecasting—such as the latter part of a 24- or 30-hour TAF—with what actually transpires to see if there is any degradation in the model.

2020 was shaping up to be a big year for the games industry. A new console generation and some of the most anticipated, heavy-hitting games in years ensured there was plenty to look forward to.

COVID-19 has changed that. Like so many businesses, the games industry hasn’t been immune to this unprecedented event, and conferences, games, and consoles have all been affected.

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Developing From Home

For game developers, COVID-19 has created numerous issues. Countrywide lockdowns and social distancing measures have stopped companies from operating normally,  fuelling discussions about how the industry functions now and in a post-COVID-19 world. These range from big, obvious questions, like what the future of big industry events like E3 may look like, to less public-facing issues like including how to protect the health of game developers. Like many of us, though, the biggest change has been working from home. For every dev used to office life, the first step was establishing  ‘business-as-usual’ from home; a particularly pertinent measure considering there is no timeline for the pandemic.

Developers at Riot, for example, had to launch the beta of their upcoming FTP FPS Valorant completely remotely, and finding a way to do that smoothly, as if they had all been in the office with systems running normally, required some changes. “Interestingly, the complexities we’re running into are the things we’ve normally taken for granted,” she continued. “For example, designers are used to huddling around a workspace -- after a playtest -- to give feedback and think about how they want to tweak things. On any given day, I see artists at each other’s desks providing feedback. That’s had to change. There are challenges, but the Valorant team feels supported -- especially by Riot’s IT and security teams -- to get things resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

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In addition to the pre-launch development, the launch rollout of Valorant was also affected by self-quarantine. “We had live events planned for several influencers to start onboarding in advance of the beta,” Anna Donlon, Valorant executive producer, said. “We completely changed our approach and made them virtual instead of in-person. We’re also dependent on many teams and partners to help us launch Valorant."

Bungie -- whose main headquarters are located in Seattle, one the first US cities hit by COVID-19 -- took steps to implement working from home strategies before many others in early February, such as supplying employees with developer-grade laptops, and play-testing using Google Stadia, to reduce some of the obvious headaches.

“Getting playtests at scale is a hard thing to do – a lot of bandwidth involved – so [Stadia] has been collaborating with us to set that up and that looks like it’s going to be a really amazing solution for us,” explained Bungie chief operating officer Patrick O’Kelley. “It’s not something we necessarily thought about initially but it looks like it’s going to be a great way for us to keep getting regular playtests and do it pretty easily.”

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Like Riot and Bungie, Finnish studio Remedy (Control, Alan Wake), which employs 260 people from 25 countries, began remote working preparations in February. To recreate work environments at home Remedy has shipped its workers’ office chairs to employees, alongside other equipment to make the transition easier. But bandwidth and latency issues have become increasingly disruptive as internet providers struggle with more companies working remotely. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Bandwidth%20and%20latency%20issues%20have%20become%20increasingly%20disruptive%20as%20internet%20providers%20struggle%20with%20more%20companies%20working%20remotely."]

“When you go to a situation where 85% of your company is working remotely, that’s a very different thing,” Remedy’s Communications Director Thomas Puha said. “Remote desktopping to your work PC at the office, for example, works amazingly well, but it isn't perfect. If your work PC is at home, you have nothing to remote desktop to at the office. You lose access to some network drives, and it's on that PC that you deploy builds to consoles, too. Since game sizes are huge these days, transferring 30-60 gigabytes to test a build over an internal network is no problem. Downloading that outside of the office, however, that is a problem.”

The struggle for some studio employees to effectively communicate while working remotely has compounded technical issues even further. “We can't play-test very well due to desktop streaming,” said one anonymous worker in the AAA development space. “Design discussions have taken a huge blow too. Everyone is in meetings all the time, so I can't just go and find the right people to communicate with.”

For smaller development companies, like Frictional Games (SOMA, Amnesia: The Dark Descent), the switch has been more straightforward. “Remote working was always an option, and how most [employees]  do work, at Frictional,” Frictional CEO Thomas Grip explained. “We have less than ten people using the office and most are not there every day. People miss the social contact and being able to talk face-to-face but, in terms of how people do their work or how the projects are run, there is no change.”

Combating COVID-19’s Hidden Health Challenges

Employee welfare has become an increasingly important discussion in the industry recently after reports of crunch from developers across multiple studios have been made public. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, these conversations about physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing have evolved.

“The biggest potential issues are if a lot of people at the company get ill or if any essential partners have issues doing their work,” Grip said. “These are things we can and are doing, preventive work for. We’re making sure everybody knows what safety measures to take to stay healthy, are hiring extra people, and are already talking to partners about potential workarounds.”

Remote working, coupled with school closures, means that workers with children have to juggle homeschooling with their jobs. For others, social distancing measures bring on feelings of isolation and loneliness, particularly for those who live alone. A review conducted by the medical journal The Lancet, which looked at the impact of social distancing on mental health, suggested that lengthy quarantine periods could lead to long-term negative psychological effects.

Mental health gaming charities have noticed a rise in visitor numbers since the pandemic began. Australian non-profit organization CheckPoint saw a 128% increase in website views between February 24 and April 13, and received numerous messages from studio HR departments requesting support for their workers as they transitioned to remote working.

“We’ve been working hard on creating mental health resources, which are specific to this COVID-19 lockdown period, on topics like how to prioritize self-care and wellbeing when you’re self-isolating and working from home,” CheckPoint Charity Manager Sarah Crowe said. “We’ve also noticed a lot of people have been utilizing our global mental health resources page, and our social media engagement has been rising as well.”

COVID-19’S various stressors can manifest themselves as physical ailments too. “Missing non-virtual human contact, everyday stress, the uncertainty of the future, and having my family and friends in Italy has caused headaches and stiff neck,” Feral Interactive developer Seb Cossu revealed. “My grandma and I had planned to spend our 30th and 90th birthdays together but, with the pandemic, we won't have the chance.” [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=COVID-19%E2%80%99S%20various%20stressors%20can%20manifest%20themselves%20as%20physical%20ailments%20too."]

 Prioritizing employee mental wellbeing, then, is at the forefront of many developers’ ongoing lockdown plans. Ubisoft, which employs almost 16,000 people, has allowed some workers to return home to work remotely and be closer to friends and family. For employees who can’t travel home, studios have implemented strategies to provide additional help. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/27/ps5-xbox-series-x-no-delay-concerns-yet-next-gen-console-watch"]

Remedy has built an internal support infrastructure in attempts to support the mental wellbeing of its employees.  “We have a lot of people who moved to Finland and don’t necessarily have a support network like most of us who lived here all of our lives,” Puha said. “So we definitely want to make sure everybody knows we’re here for them.”

That support infrastructure extends to every Remedy worker. Daily Slack updates let employees know what the company’s COVID-19 “task force” -- a division composed of IT, Human Resources, and Internal Communications departments that deals with remote working issues -- is dealing with. A hotline, opened through Remedy’s healthcare provider, allows workers to chat about any problems they’re facing. Other Slack channels, where employees can share images of meals and pets, or share tips about staying physically and mentally healthy, have been set up as well.

A healthy and happy workforce is also pivotal to Riot’s remote working strategy. “Rioters and their families are my foremost concern,” Donlon said. “I want the team healthy, both physically and mentally. Some of us have kids who we are now homeschooling, or high-risk loved ones that we need to provide care for, and then there’s the stress of the whole thing. We will be here to support them the whole way.”

Charities like CheckPoint are on hand to provide additional help 24/7. COVID-19 relevant mental health resources, alongside a list of global emergency hotlines, are available online for anyone who is struggling to cope.

“Knowing first and foremost that it’s okay that things feel different is crucial here,” Crowe said. “It’s really important to prioritize your mental health in general, just like your physical health, and note that you don’t need to be sick to be eligible for professional support. For a lot of people, the act of going to work can be a real highlight, and it’s important to remember that not all work interactions have to be work-related. If you need immediate mental health support, please contact a medical professional -- there’s no stigma in looking after your wellbeing.”

It’s unclear how game development will change post-pandemic, but it is clear things will change. Remote working may become more prevalent, now that it’s proven to work. Game release delays, or an end to public release date announcements, might be more common as stressful crunch periods become a relic of the past. Whenever the global climate returns to some semblance of normality, it’s hoped that everyone -- the games industry included -- can learn from this unprecedented crisis. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%E2%80%99s%20unclear%20how%20game%20development%20will%20change%20post-pandemic%2C%20but%20it%20is%20clear%20things%20will%20change."]

“I think the world at large, governments and really all of us people should learn from this,” Puha said. “Once this is over and we go back to working in our office, we will be better prepared to fully work from home if we need to. But the plan is to be back in the office, whenever that will be.”

Check out IGN’s safety guide for COVID-19 here. For a list of global mental health resources, you can visit Checkpoint's website.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a UK-based freelance journalist and lifelong gamer. Follow him on Twitter for the occasional nugget of wisdom between GIFs and terrible hot takes.

As of April 21, 59 attacks on telecommunications infrastructure have been reported across the UK, with the attacks believed to have been fuelled by a completely baseless conspiracy theory blaming 5G technology for the spread of Covid-19, amongst all manner of other health issues. 

The astonishing figure was revealed by Matt Warman MP in The Telegraph, and the majority of these acts of vandalism have been carried out on mobile phone masts belonging to EE and Vodafone.

EE has told Trusted Reviews that there have been 22 “successful” attacks on its masts, and an additional four attempted attacks, bringing its total to 26. A “very low” number of these were 5G masts. Vodafone has told Trusted Reviews that 24 of its masts have been attacked, and that only five of them were 5G masts.

20 cases were reported over Easter weekend, but since then the rate of attacks has slowed down, according to Mobile UK, the trade association for EE, Vodafone, Three and O2.

“We’re looking at four so far this week,” Gareth Elliott, Mobile UK’s head of policy and communications, told Trusted Reviews.

“That’s not to say it’s stopped. It’s still continuing … it’s not over, but we’re not seeing it at the kind of scale when it started. I think in some ways, the condemnation by the government, local authorities and other bodies is potentially having an impact.”

Elliott said that attacks have been reported nationwide and aren’t confined to any single area, but the areas around Liverpool and Birmingham have the potential to emerge as hotspots.

Incidentally, one of the sites that was targeted over Easter weekend provided connectivity to the Nightingale hospital in Birmingham.

“What these people are doing is they’re attacking the ability of the UK to carry out lockdown, and to ensure that people stay at home, to ensure that emergency services can carry out their work. Let’s not forget, an ambulance that’s going out and about is not connected by a fixed line, it’s connected by mobile,” said Elliott.

“The people who are doing this are impacting their own communities. People are home-schooling and home-working. You need to have connectivity to ensure you can have that lockdown, so people can stay at home and do what they need to do.

“Our industry is diverting resources to fix masts that shouldn’t need fixing, when we’re actually trying to keep the network resilient. And emergency services are having to go to a mast site and deal with that, when you would have hoped they’d keep that resource in order to deal with what is a national crisis.”

To give you a sense of how damaging and dangerous some of these acts of vandalism can be, four fire engines and more than 20 firefighters were sent to deal with one such incident in Dagenham last week, when a phone mast was set alight in the early hours of the morning. Several homes in the area were also evacuated as a precaution.

We are assisting Police in the investigation of a fire involving a mobile phone mast at Fearnleys Mill, Huddersfield. Reported at 01:38 this morning, six fire appliances attended to deal with a significant fire that posed risk to
occupants of 37 Flats in the 4 storey building. pic.twitter.com/MDZWep7NKb

— WYFRS Investigation (@WYFRSFireInvest) April 14, 2020

The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service had to send six fire engines to deal with a “significant fire” after a separate early-morning phone mast attack in Huddersfield last week, which was said to pose a risk to the occupants of 37 flats. One of the masts that was damaged had provided connectivity to emergency services.

Arrests are being made and the rate of attacks has slowed, but it’s clear that the 5G conspiracy hasn’t gone away yet.

On Bank Holiday Monday, Eamonn Holmes criticised media outlets for “slapping down” the theory on This Morning, a show that regularly exceeds a million viewers on a normal weekday.

“Telecoms services have never been more vital in ensuring that people are able to get the help that they need meaning that any damage to masts is putting lives at risk, so we ask that people report any suspicious activity around them immediately to the police,” Robert Finnegan, the CEO of Three UK, told Trusted Reviews.

“Fears around 5G masts are entirely baseless and we welcome the moves by government to dispel these myths. We thank our engineers for their vital work at this time and are doing everything we can to protect them.”

“These senseless crimes are creating unnecessary risk to human life, both to those that live in the areas being targeted and to the emergency services working to contain the situation,” a spokesperson for EE told Trusted Reviews.

“Every incident is being reported by our teams and we are increasing security at high risk sites. Our guard patrols have been supplied with body cameras and will immediately alert the local police force to any suspicious activity.

“The mobile industry is also working in collaboration with social media platforms to remove harmful content to stop the spread of misinformation and help protect our workers.”

The post 5G conspiracy theorists have damaged over 50 phone masts − including ones that emergency services rely on appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Westworld has been renewed for a fourth season, HBO announced Wednesday. Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming, said in a statement:

"From the western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy.

We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next.”

The Emmy-winning sci-fi series returned for Season 3 on March 15. For our spoiler-ish coverage, dive into our explainer on Westworld Season 3, our comprehensive Season 3 recaps and reviews to exclusive interviews and trailers, breakdowns of new cast and characters like Aaron Paul's Caleb (and theories on questions like who is Charlotte Hale) to our Easter eggs and post-credits scenes explained. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/13/whos-the-real-villain-of-westworld-season-3]

The cast of NBC's Parks and Recreation will reunite for a one-time scripted charity TV special, the network announced Thursday. The half-hour special -- to be shot from the cast's homes due to self-isolation -- is a fundraising benefit for the charity Feeding America. Pawnee civil servant Leslie Knope is "determined to stay connected to her friends in a time of social distancing," according to NBC's announcement. Confirmed returning cast members include Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O’Heir, and Retta.

Hey, Pawnee! Free up your schedules on April 30, because #ParksAndRec is returning to NBC for “A Parks and Recreation Special”! Together with our neighbors at @StateFarm, we're helping raise money for @FeedingAmerica. We hope to see you there! https://t.co/CYgzmwp3PO pic.twitter.com/NQoXpbmn7R

— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) April 23, 2020

“Like a lot of other people, we were looking for ways to help and felt that bringing these characters back for a night could raise some money,” said executive producer Michael Schur in a statement. “I sent a hopeful email to the cast and they all got back to me within 45 minutes. Our old Parks and Rec team has put together one more 30-minute slice of (quarantined) Pawnee life and we hope everyone enjoys it. And donates!” “In such uncertain times, we can’t think of anyone better than Leslie Knope to unite our country with her unbridled enthusiasm and compassion,” said Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, Co-Presidents of Scripted Programming, NBC Entertainment. “A huge thank you to Mike Schur and the cast of ‘Parks and Recreation’ for putting this wonderful special together and bringing a smile to all our faces while raising money for such a worthwhile cause.” [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/02/26/why-parks-and-recreation-was-one-of-tvs-best-comedies-ign-conversation] The cast of the acclaimed sitcom, which ran from 2009 to 2015, previously reunited for a game show in 2017, and are also known to celebrate Galentine's Day together. For more on Parks and Rec, check out our picks for the 10 best episodes, the 10 best holiday TV episodes ever, and find out where it sits on our list of the 50 best opening credits of shows made between 2008 and 2018.

The coronavirus pandemic is helping multiple countries in Europe set new records for solar energy generation.Production in the UK peaked at 9.68 gigawatts on Monday, according to a tracker developed by The University of Sheffield in collaboration wit...

Disney+ appears to have more Star Wars shows lined up beyond a Rogue One prequel and the Obi Wan Kenobi series. Variety sources say the service is lining up a new series from Leslye Headland, the co-creator and showrunner of Netflix’s Russian Doll. T...

We’ve seen Boston Dynamics’ four-legged Spot robot navigate an office, hold the door for a friend, pull a rickshaw and haul a box truck, but its most impressive feat yet might be protecting healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemi...

Researchers changed the clock rates on an AMD Radeon GPU to transmit data via radio waves to steal data.

Can you guess the origins of these popular foods? (Oscar Bolten Green/)

Peach cobbler and ballpark peanuts have something in common: They’re classic American dishes built on decidedly un-American crops. The state fruit of Georgia originated in China, while peanuts (just like “Irish” potatoes) hail from South America. These aren’t gastronomical exceptions either. From the heyday of the Silk Road to the Columbian Exchange, globalization has been bringing humans—and their stomachs—closer together for thousands of years. Here we trace some iconic foods back to their foreign homelands.

Kung Pao chicken/chilis

Tien tsin, or Chinese red pepper, is named for the port city of Tianjin. But chilis don’t originate in the People’s Republic. Though they’re a key ingredient in many classic dishes, such as the Sichuan staple known as Kung Pao chicken, the spicy plant is native to Mexico. Columbus introduced it to Europeans during the Columbian exchange, who traded it east throughout the 16th century.

Tempura/wheat batter

Tempura is a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine; chefs batter and deep-fry everything from shrimp to shiitake mushrooms. But the practice originated with the Portuguese, who ate battered green beans called peixinhos da horta—“little fish of the garden”—on holy days when Catholics abstained from meat. Traders brought their method to Japan in the 1540s, and they left their recipes behind.

Chocolate/cocoa beans

The cocoa bean emerged in Mesoamerica, where indigenous people used it in religious ceremonies, traded it as a currency, and fermented it into alcohol. Europeans didn’t like the bitter taste, so they mixed cocoa with sugar, honey, and vanilla (another New World contribution). In the early 1800s, Swiss chocolatiers made it smoother and mixed in condensed milk, creating their singularly creamy chocolate.

Banana split/bananas

Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Ohio, both claim to have invented the banana split by 1907. But the key ingredient comes thanks to the domestication of seedy, starchy plantains some 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. Americans didn’t enjoy the fruits of those labors until the Centennial Exposition in 1876, where vendors sold bananas peeled and wrapped in foil for a dime.

Lasagna/tomatoes

Italians have been making lasagna since ancient Rome—only without the tomatoes. The bulbous fruit, which originated in the Andes, first appeared in Italian records in 1548 as an ornamental plant. It wasn’t until 1692 that cookbooks featured it as an edible ingredient. By the 19th century, the tomato—cheap, growable year-round, and tasty—was central to the newly unified country’s cuisine.

Fufu/cassava

Cassava root provides food for 500 million Africans. In countries like Ghana, a doughy mush of cassava (or plantains or yams) called fufu goes with most meals. But the woody shrub originated on the other side of the Atlantic. Portuguese sailors and slave traders introduced the crop to Africa in the 16th century, where its ability to survive intense rains and drought made it an indispensable food source.

This story appears in the Spring 2020, Origins issue of Popular Science.

Another classic Star Wars game is landing on modern consoles after Jedi Academy. An updated version of Star Wars Episode I: Racer will be available on the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch on May 12th. The sci-fi racing game based on the podracing sequence...

But can it run Crysis? When it comes to new hardware, it’s a question almost as old as time itself. If you ever wondered if the Switch, with its modest NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, can play the game, the answer it turns out is yes. Following a leak ear...

Today, NASA announced that its crewed SpaceX flight will launch on May 27th, The Washington Post reports. The flight will mark the first astronaut launch from US soil since 2011, and it will be the first SpaceX flight carrying passengers, not just ca...

All three major hard drive vendors have now admitted to selling lesser SMR drives without disclosing it to customers.

The first images from Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Dune have begun to appear, and new photos from the set show off Oscar Isaac and the whole of House Atreides' key players, as well as Zendaya as Chani. [caption id="attachment_2336576" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Fergusson as Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica Atreides in Dune. (Photo credit: WB/Vanity Fair)[/caption] Following the first image of Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, new photos from Vanity Fair show further detailed shots of Chalamet and his on-screen mother, Rebecca Fergusson (Lady Jessica Atreides) dressed in the books' iconic stillsuits; survival suits designed to help survive the brutal conditions on Arrakis', the desert world of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel Dune. [caption id="attachment_2336579" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The House Atreides, including Timithée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Stephen Mckinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck and Jason Mamoa as Duncan Idaho (Photo credit: WB/Vanity Fair)[/caption] Further images show the head members of House Atreides, the house designated to mine the world of Arrakis for 'spice' - the universe's most precious material - including its leader, Duke Leto Atreides, played by Oscar Isaac. Among his senior members are Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck and Jason Mamoa's Duncan Idaho, two of the house's swordmasters. [caption id="attachment_2336580" align="alignnone" width="1028"] Zendaya as Chani (Photo credit: WB/Vanity Fair)[/caption] Also revealed is the first image of Zendaya as Chani, one of Arrakis' Fremen people. Her eyes are notably bright blue, a trait of those who live on planets rich in spice. The Vanity Fair article features several more images, including Javier Bardem as Stilgar, leader of the Fremen, and both Oscar Isaac and Josh Brolin dressed in their war armour. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dune-movie-every-actor-in-the-sci-fi-reboot&captions=true"] For more on Dune, check out our explainer which breaks down the franchise and what to expect from the new movie. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.

Perfection often requires iteration. Even after releasing a product, designers, programmers, and engineers will continue to reinvent subsequent generations. But sometimes they get it right the first time. These items were so good from the get-go, they endured for decades.

Sliced bread (Gregory Reid/)

Sliced bread

Born 1927

Otto Rohwedder reinvented bread when he created the first machine to slice it. His local paper called the innovation “a refinement that will receive a hearty and permanent welcome.” Only a few cities enjoyed the convenience until Taggart Baking Co. made Wonder Bread one of the first pre-portioned loaves sold nationwide, turning the super-soft carb into a glutenous rock star. The US government banned the culinary creation in 1943, in part to conserve paraffin (used in the waxed-paper packaging) for the war. But widespread public outcry forced Uncle Sam to quickly change course, making the return of sliced bread the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Concrete Masonry Unit (Gregory Reid/)

Concrete Masonry Unit

Born 1890

Your name for the venerable CMU probably depends upon where you live, but cinder block, breeze block, and hollow block all refer to an 8-by-8-by-16-inch brick with two or three internal voids. This mainstay of construction emerged when Harmon S. Palmer developed a process for using coal cinders—hence the name—to create something lighter, more insulating, and easier to work with than the solid hunks of his day. The industry standardized the dimensions in the 1930s, and coal waste eventually gave way to concrete and other materials, making the items heavier and stronger.

Piper J-3 Cub (Gregory Reid/)

Piper J-3 Cub

Born 1938

The Piper J-3 Cub was a cheap, simple, and quick machine with two seats placed one behind the other inside a tubular steel frame wrapped in cotton fabric. Beloved by everyone from weekend aviators to the US military, nearly 20,000 of them rolled out of Piper’s factory before the company upgraded the plane in 1947. Many still fly. Bush pilots in particular adore the J-3’s brawnier descendant, the Super Cub, because it is durable, easily repaired, and can take off or land on even the smallest sliver of ground. The design remains so popular that the Washington state outfit CubCrafters builds several models based on the original, including a kit you can assemble yourself.

Paper clips (Gregory Reid/)

Paper clips

Born 1880s

Before this ubiquitous office staple (sorry) came along, people used pins, ribbons, string, and other workarounds to secure sheaves of paper. Although inventors had experimented with wire wound in loops, Britain’s Gem Ltd. clinched the design with two narrow concentric ovals. That provided just enough torsion in the fastener and friction between the pages to keep everything together. Connecticut entrepreneur William Middlebrook patented a clip-winding machine in 1899, and American Clip Co. started cranking out the indispensable office supply stateside four years later. Today, its factory in Mississippi spits out 1,600 of them every minute.

Zildjian cymbals (Gregory Reid/)

Zildjian cymbals

Born 1618

Legend has it that metallurgist Avedis Zildjian hoped to make gold when he mixed copper and tin with a substance held secret to this day. He ended up creating an alloy that, unlike regular bronze, could resonate without cracking or shattering—just the thing for crafting cymbals that were less likely to break during exuberant performances. His descendants spent the next 300 years or so in Turkey before moving to the US, introducing their wares to jazz musicians, who appreciated both the sound and durability. Today, you’ll find drummers in every genre playing Zildjians, each of them forged from a material that proved almost as valuable as gold.

Berkel Flywheel Meat Slicer (Gregory Reid/)

Berkel Flywheel Meat Slicer

Born 1898

Cutting a few hunks off a salami or ham is not too strenuous. Shaving thousands of paper-thin slices for eight hours a day is a recipe for injury. That explains why Dutch butcher and amateur engineer W.A. Van Berkel invented the first mechanical meat slicer. Cranking the cast-iron flywheel turns a pair of gears: One spins a cutting blade that is concave to minimize friction against the delicate flesh; the other drives a carriage that moves the meat back and forth through the whirling blade. Berkel’s electric models operate on the same principle, but discerning chefs prefer doing the job manually; heat generated by the motor can melt the fat and compromise the taste and texture of prosciutto and other delicacies.

Adjustable wrench (Gregory Reid/)

Adjustable wrench

Born 1842

Simple as it might seem, the adjustable wrench is an engineering marvel. Rotate its screw mechanism with your thumb, and a series of teeth—called a rack and worm—open or close the jaw to fit most any nut or bolt. Credit for this ingenious idea goes to British engineer Richard Clyburn, whose cast-iron “screw spanner” looks a lot like the do-it-all wonder in your toolbox right now. Chrome-plated steel now helps prevent corrosion, and modern models incorporate one knuckle-saving improvement: a small tension spring to prevent slippage as you crank on particularly recalcitrant fasteners.

Kitchenaid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer (Gregory Reid/)

Kitchenaid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer

Born 1937

When industrial designer Egmont Arens sought to make a countertop version of the 80-quart behemoths ordinarily found mixing dough in commercial bakeries, he had to do more than just miniaturize. He coated his new Model K with easy-to-clean enamel and created the now-iconic tilting head, which let home bakers quickly add ingredients to their mixes. The 3-quart bowl locks into place with a twist, and the head’s planetary action (think of Earth spinning on its axis as it revolves around the sun) ensures that nothing within the stainless-steel vessel goes unstirred. KitchenAid later trademarked the design, which, aside from the addition of bright colors in 1955, remains largely the same today.

Honda Super Cub (Gregory Reid/)

Honda Super Cub

Born 1958

Back in the 1950s, many people considered motorcycles to be loud, finicky, disreputable machines. Honda changed that with the quiet, reliable, and easy-to-ride Super Cub. Its step-through frame, which placed the fuel tank under the seat, made saddling up a snap. Large 17-inch wheels could tackle the worst roads without sacrificing comfort or stability. The engine made impressive power for its size, a semiautomatic gearbox ditched the clutch lever, and the plastic fairing gave riders some protection from the wind. It was an immediate hit. The motorbike has received a few updates over the years, and today’s models sport anti-lock brakes and LED headlamps. Honda has moved more than 100 million of them, making the Cub the best-selling motor vehicle in history.

Leica M-Series (Gregory Reid/)

Leica M-Series

Born 1954

The M3 found immediate success with photojournalists because of its speedy shooting. Instead of using two viewfinders—one for focusing and another for composing—the M3 featured a large, bright eyepiece to handle both. The “bayonet” lens mount let photographers save still more time by swapping glass with a twist and click rather than screwing it on and off. Leica employs the same system today, and modern M bodies work with almost any lens from the line’s history. The M3 also ditched the finicky film-advance knob of the era in favor of the simple thumb lever you now find on almost every camera that uses that wonderful medium. Leica still offers a 35mm film version that’s entirely mechanical and capable of enduring conditions that would brick most digital devices. It sells replacement parts too, because most people who shoot with one see no need to “upgrade.”

Porsche 911 (Gregory Reid/)

Porsche 911

Born 1963

The engine in a Porsche 911 sits at the very back, a design that eschews the conventional wisdom that most of a vehicle’s mass should sit between its axles. And yet Porsche not only made the unconventional design work, it created one of the best sports cars of all time. Oh, sure, the 911 had a nasty habit of punishing inept drivers by spinning like a Matchbox car thrown across the kitchen floor. But in the hands of a skilled pilot, the layout provides excellent traction and improved braking. That’s helped make this iconic automobile one of the most successful racing machines ever, even as it has grown larger and more luxurious. As always, that unusual drivetrain architecture is still wrapped in a sleek fastback body that’s impossible to mistake for anything else.

Swiss Army Knife (Gregory Reid/)

Swiss Army Knife

Born 1891

The first Swiss Army knife featured a blade, a screwdriver, a can opener, and an awl—everything a soldier could need to maintain a rifle, prepare a meal, or repair a saddle. (A later model for officers added a corkscrew, because officers were fancy.) When Karl Elsener started producing them for the Swiss military, he sandwiched the carbon-steel components in a hardwood handle. Its dark color made the original multitool difficult to spot if dropped, so he began painting the grip bright red in 1908. Another upgrade came in 1927 with the switch to rust-resistant stainless steel. Just two companies—Victorinox and Wenger—have manufactured the official tool, adding implements and colors over the years but never straying from the original goal of packing the greatest utility into the smallest space.

This story appears in the Spring 2020, Origins issue of Popular Science.

Disney Plus is playing for keeps in the streaming wars, with a massive catalog of both classics and original content, as well as a handful of new releases recently expedited to digital thanks to the global COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. There's plenty to watch on the platform--as long as you don't mind some uh, interesting censorship.

Allison Pregler recently uncovered one such instance on Twitter in Disney's 1984 classic Splash, starring Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks. Hannah, who plays a mermaid-turned-human named Madison, has one brief scene where her (currently human) butt is briefly exposed as she runs back toward the ocean. This, apparently, was far too scandalous for Disney Plus, so they opted to do the only thing they could do: utilize some absolutely bizarre looking CGI hair to hide poor Madison's rear-end.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Razer has announced an amazing set of wireless Pokemon-themed headphones for China. The headphones, as shown on Chinese site Zing Gadget (and further detailed by Nintendo Soup,) are due to release on April 16, 2020, and will cost 849RMB ($120).

The headphones, shown below, are yellow with an image of Pikachu's silhouette on each earbud. But it's the carry case that has charmed us the most--it's a replica Poke Ball, which will charge your headphones when you put them in it.

The earphones have a 13mm driver unit with low bass, and can be paired with Bluetooth. They're also compatible with voice assistant systems, and have IPX4 grade water resistance. You'll have to use it a lot, too, as these heasphones can only carry about three hours of charge.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Major spoilers from here on out!

HBO's Westworld Season 3 got a little experimental this week in episode 5, Genre, which took a closer look at the enigmatic Serac and uncovered more of Dolores's plan--which, unsurprisingly, may just lead to the complete collapse of humanity as we know it. This all took place as poor Caleb was subjected to the drug trip of a lifetime, dosed with the titular Genre, and set adrift on a psychedelic journey where his perception of the world kept shifting--wait for it--genres.

As Caleb's mind slid between color palettes and styles, Dolores kicked off a major phase of her scheme: uploading and distributing all the privatized data farmed by Incite to every person in the world. The lives people have been leading have been kept on tramlines, and Dolores is finally showing everyone the tracks--except not everyone was prepared for what it is they learned. Chaos erupted, and society immediately began to crumble, just as Serac had feared.

With only three episodes left in this season, things are gearing up for what is sure to be an epic conclusion. Caleb's past is still mostly shrouded in mystery, Maeve is still a piece in play, Bernard's role in the plan has yet to be relieved, and Dolores's clones may or may not be having second thoughts about becoming cannon fodder. We've gathered up fifteen different references, clues, and Easter Eggs to help us try and piece together a projection for what might be coming up in the next three weeks. Share your theories in the comments below!

1. Dempsey and Incite

The Dempsey that helped Serac kickstart his company was Liam's father. We know Dempsey Sr. is currently dead, and in this episode we learn exactly how. Serac's brother may not have had a hand in it, but Serac most certainly did.

2. Saul, David, Soloman

Rehoboam's first incarnations followed the biblical naming scheme. Saul, David, and Soloman were all ancient kings of Israel who came before Rehoboam.

3. "You think I killed your friend?"

Liam asks Caleb if Caleb believes he killed his friend, indirectly, by sending Caleb off to war--the friend in question here is Francis, the man Caleb has been having on-again-off-again flashbacks to since the first episode of the season. Until now, Caleb has remembered Francis's death one way--Francis was shot, Caleb tried to save him--but it turns out that may not be true. In fact, judging by Liam's terrified reaction to Caleb's file, it certainly seems like Caleb's unreliable memory may be hiding something much darker.

4. Genre

The drug Liam doses Caleb with is also our episode title: Genre. Caleb experiences five distinct genres as he proceeds through the night's affairs: film noir, action movie, romance, drama, and finally, reality.

5. Flight of the Valkyrie

Caleb's first genre switch comes with a soundtrack--Wagner's Flight of the Valkyries, perfect for those giant action set pieces.

6. Ash and Giggles

Caleb's pals from episodes 1 and 2 are back in time for a clutch save. Giggles is still wearing the same mood-ring shirt we saw him in last which either means he owns a bunch of them or not much time has passed.

7. King Midas and Tom Canty

Ash says Liam makes King Midas, a biblical king who was cursed to have everything he touched (including food and people) turn to gold, look like Tom Canty, the pauper from Mark Twain's The Prince And The Pauper.

8. "You can't be in two places at once."

Liam is certain that Dolores's gambit is going to fail because she'd have to physically be at the Rehoboam node to access the system, not realizing that she's already there. We learned last week that Dolores has cloned herself across multiple host bodies. She's in more than two places at once.

9. Nightclubbing

Caleb's fourth genre shift is accompanied by Iggy Pop's Nightclubbing.

10. Rehoboam's Eclipse

Serac explains that Rehoboam working was like a "sun and moon aligned," which makes the circular diagrams featured in each episode take on even more meaning. The alignment of the sun and moon is an eclipse--Rehoboam's diagrams look just like a solar eclipse.

11. Space Oddity

The song playing as the world is "set off their loops" is an orchestral cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity.

12. Outliers

Serac explains that outliers are sent to war so they will be "chewed up and spit out" and no longer be a deviation in the system. Caleb was sent away to war, meaning he was likely classed as an outlier and marked for death.

13. Mozart's Requiem in D-Minor

You'll recognize the ominous chords playing over the sweeping shot of a Los Angeles beach from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

14. "You did it."

Liam tells Caleb he "did it" meaning killing Francis--or so we can assume, based on the flashbacks. It looks like the man Caleb and Francis were attempting to torture survived the ordeal but Francis didn't. It's looking like Caleb sold Francis out. The question is why or for what?

15. Emerge

The episode closes with Fischerspooner's song, Emerge. "You don't need to emerge from nothing."

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has released a press release, announcing that China has become the top filer of international patents in 2019. It ended the United States reign that has continued since 1978 when the Organisation was established. The Top 10 applicant list comprises four companies from China, and six of them were in the field of digital communication. Huawei was most active with 4,411 published patents, followed by Mitsubishi, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Oppo. Data, shared by WIPO Speaking about technology, 8.7% of all listings were in computer...

CBS will produce an all-new episode of its courtroom drama series All Rise that revolves around the COVID-19 crisis, both in real life and on the show. The episode’s plot is centered on LA’s shelter-in-place rules and how they impact the criminal jus...

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently being battled across multiple fronts, and one of the most effective ways of stopping the flow of new cases is self-isolating, avoiding gatherings of any size, and staying home so that the disease cannot spread among the population. Now, an initiative started by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the UK is making sure that this message is being spread through games, too.

According to Eurogamer, Dirt Rally 2.0 has been updated with banners that encourage players to "stay home, save lives." The game, which is free on PlayStation Plus this month and is also available on Xbox Game Pass, is using these banners, which usually carry ads, to spread the message.

Other games receiving updates to in-game messages include Sniper Elite 4 and, according to BBC, Strange Brigade, Candy Crush Saga and Farm Heroes Saga. Sniper Elite and Strange Brigade will display a message for gamers when they first load the game up, while the free-to-play Saga games will get the message in front of a lot of eyes.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Samsung’s new eco-friendly TV packaging doubles as a cat-sized house so your furry friend can self-isolate in style.

Samsung will begin wrapping its lifestyle TVs in an ‘eco-packaging’ with the aim of reducing its environmental footprint, the South Korean company announced today.

Related: Best 4K TV

The environmentally-friendly packaging will be made from corrugated cardboard for easy recycling as well as creative upcycling.

The cardboard packaging is also set to feature a dot matrix design, allowing shoppers to cut and re-assemble the boxes into household items, including magazine racks and houses for their pets.

The packaging comes with a manual too, so you don’t need to figure out how to put a roof over your cat’s head on your own. To access the manual, customers can simply scan the QR code on the box itself and then get building.

The eco-packaging will come bundled with any purchase of The Serif, The Frame or The Sero TV, so you can feel a little better about your flatscreen-buying decisions – and receive a couple of fun crafts to pass the time too.

Your options include cat houses, end tables and even shelves to store your TV box or recorder itself, including a space for the remote control. Samsung actually won an Innovation Award for the concept at CES earlier this year for using the new boxes to promote an efficient use of resources.

You’re not just limited to Samsung’s designs though – the company has actually teamed up with lifestyle magazine Dezeen to host a global design competition kicking off today. Get really creative and you could earn a coveted spot in Samsung’s eco-packaging manual.

Related: Best Samsung TV

“Consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that shares similar fundamentals and values as they do, and with our eco-packaging, we believe that we can provide our customers with a new experience that considers the environment as an important way to express themselves,” said Samsung’s executive VP and, the head of product strategy for its visual display business, Kangwook Chun.

The post Samsung’s eco-friendly TV packaging was designed with your cat in mind appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

There have been some terrifying movie stalkers down the years. Max Cady in Cape Fear might be the scariest in our humble opinion. But that was until Google came along to fuel our big screen nightmares.

Google Maps is now capable of reminding you which films you saw at the cinema, simply by tracking your location and making a note of the time.

The new addition to the company’s controversial Timeline feature, can make a decent guess at which films you saw, judging by the location of the movie theatre and the showtimes on that date.

Google explains the feature, which actually went live on February 20, in a support document. If Google has got it wrong, you have the chance to go in and edit the Timeline.

Related: Google Maps year in review

The company writes: “Starting February 2020, when visits to cinemas appear on your Timeline, Google can use public showtimes to suggest which movies you might have seen. These are visible only to you and can be edited or deleted anytime.”

As explained in the support document, Timeline users will be able to watch a trailer for the movie and read a synopsis too. The feature was first spied by Android Police, will alert privacy advocates who believe Google overreaches with the Timeline feature, which is a part of its Location History tools.

Google Maps users are able to turn Location History on and off and manually delete previous activity from their Location History. It’s possible to delete all or some of the Timeline entries.

The latest addition to the Timeline comes after a controversial year for Google Maps as pertains to location tracking. An Associated Press report found services like Google Maps was still noting the user’s every move even if they turned off Location History. The only difference turning off the Location History setting made was to ensure the data was no longer added to the company’s consumer-facing Timeline feature.

Remember, if you leave Timeline on, Google knows what you did last summer.

The post Creepy Google Maps knows what you saw at the cinema appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

The plot thickens as HBO's Westworld reveals one of its biggest plot twists yet.

This week's Westworld proved that the show doesn't need a complicated, non-linear timeline to pull off some mind-blowing reveals. In Mother Of Exiles, we caught up with William, AKA the Man In Black for the first time in Season 3--and learned some extremely uncomfortable truths regarding the host "pearls" Dolores stole from the parks back in Season 2.

We last left William in sorry shape after he tried to break into The Forge during the host uprising. We knew he survived--sans a few fingers--but his mental state was obviously deteriorating. Season 2's post-credits stinger implied that William may even be a host--or, perhaps more accurately, destined to become a host at some point in the distant future. We may not be any closer to getting those mysteries answered just yet, but we did get a chance to see how he's handling things in the here-and-now. Unsurprisingly, it's not exactly great--and that's something Dolores plans on taking full advantage of.

Meanwhile, the truth of Dolores's stolen pearls turned out to be an absolute doozy, proving a whole slew of our theories from last week's episode completely wrong.

Needless to say, we're getting into full-on spoiler territory from here on out, so please proceed with caution. And, as always, share some of your theories in the comments below!

1. The Man In Black's Meltdown

We left William at the end of Season 2 with a major cliffhanger--the post-credits scene heavily implied that he was, in fact, a host who had been designed to believe he was human. Of course, like much of Season 2, the truth of that implication was left extremely vague--it wasn't even clear when in the piecemeal timeline it was actually occurring.

Now William is back for the first time in Season 3 and it's clear he's just as confused as we are. He has no idea if he's a host or a human, and his life after the massacre at the parks is in complete shambles. And we're still unsure just when that scene from last season took place, relative to this episode--although far future still seems likely.

2. Emily Grace

Emily, William's semi-estranged daughter, came to retrieve him from his insane crusade in the parks back in Season 2, but William was already too far gone. Believing her to be a host who was only pretending to be his daughter and part of Ford's game, he shot and killed her. It wasn't until after her body hit the ground that William realized she was actually real and that he'd murdered her.

3. William's fingers

During William's nightmarish meltdown, both of his hands are fine. But the moment he's snapped back to reality by Host Hale, we can see that his right hand is extremely bandaged. This is because, back at the park, he accidentally shot two of his fingers off when he tried to fire his jammed gun. Our best guess is that the state of William's hands will be a pretty major clue as to what's real and what isn't, especially as his paranoia continues to escalate.

4. "The Data"

Hale tells William that Serac is interested in "the data" Ford had been collecting, a reference to the harvested personal data gathered from every single human attendee of the parks.

5. Hollywood Aerial Tours

Stubbs is blending in with a very silly tourist t-shirt advertising "Hollywood Aerial Tours" where you can apparently board a fancy helicopter and be flown over the homes of your favorite stars. Apparently celebrity culture still exists in the Westworld future, it's just gone from buses driving around Beverly Hills to drone-like choppers.

6. Friston Custom Clothiers

Caleb purchases his extremely high tech suit at a boutique named Friston Custom Clothiers, named after Karl J Friston, a British neuroscientist most famous for postulating something called the "free energy principle." The free energy principle states that all life, from the simplest to the most complex, is driven by the same universal imperative--to "reduce the gulf between your expectations and your sensory inputs." This principle has gone on to inspire and influence the creation of machine learning and AI in the real world.

7. "The Divergence"

Each episode of Season 3 has started with a map of "divergences" around the globe and here we finally start to see why. Serac's program has been tracking aberrant behaviors, people deviating from Rehoboam's narrative, and it all started with Dolores and her revival of Bernard. Serac calls the site "The Divergence" but we've already been there once in a flashback--it's Bernard/Arnold's home.

8. "A wealthy man who drowned in his own swimming pool"

Serac is, of course, referring to Dolores' first victim from back in the season premiere.

9. Wicked Games

Westworld's tradition of orchestral covers of modern pop songs lives on. As Dolores and Caleb infiltrate the masquerade ball, the band is playing a cover of The Weeknd's Wicked Games.

10. Itaidoshin Distillery

The name of the distillery is from the Buddist term "Itai Doshin," which translates to "many in body, one in mind," meaning that many people sharing a common goal are more likely to accomplish it. This takes on a whole added layer of meaning in the context of the episode, given Dolores's copies.

11. Musashi

The host Maeve encounters in Itaidoshin Distillery is none other than Musashi, the Shogun world equivalent of Hector--except, he's not actually Musashi anymore, just a copy of his body.

12. Dolores's Army

It turns out all of our guesses about the stolen pearls from the finale of Season 2 were wrong--Teddy hasn't been piloting Hale at all. Dolores didn't spirit anyone out of the park (except, apparently, Bernard, but even that's a little up in the air now), she only made copies of herself. Every human she's replaced has been taken over by a different Dolores backup.

13. Institutionalized

William is institutionalized by Dolores/Hale and then visited by a familiar face: Blue Dress Dolores, who, at first glance seems like a hallucination. But, if you look at William's hand during this scene, it's covered in what looks like a compression glove--whoever took him in likely cleaned and bandaged his wounds before he was committed. Could this classic Dolores actually be real? Did Dolores make another clone of herself to ensure William stays as unhinged as he is now?

14. The Mother Of Exiles

This episode's title, The Mother Of Exiles, is another name for the Statue of Liberty, taken from the sonnet The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, engraved on the statue's base. "A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles."