Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Lucid Motors cuts six percent of its workforce ahead of EV SUV launch

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Lucid Motors has cut 400 jobs, according to a regulatory filing. This amounts to around six percent of the workforce. Incidentally, the company also cut a whopping 1,300 jobs last year. This all comes just ahead of the launch of its first electric SUV later this year, a crucial release for the auto manufacturer.

You can likely guess as to the reasoning given for the layoffs. The 400 people got pink slips due to the ever-useful and nebulous term known as “restructuring.” To that end, the company says it expects this restructuring to be completed by the end of the third quarter, though it didn’t say anything about rehiring anyone.

“As always we must remain vigilant about costs. We are optimizing our resources in a way we believe will best position the company for future success and growth opportunities as we focus on achieving our ambitious goals,” CEO Peter Rawlinson said in a company email published by TechCrunch.

Those ambitious goals include the aforementioned EV SUV, named the Lucid Gravity. The company’s calling it the “world’s best SUV” and it’ll feature two electric motors, all-wheel drive and an expected maximum range of 440 miles per charge. Those are some really good specs.

However, the vehicle’s also expected to start at $80,000. EV growth has stalled in North America, so if the EV doesn’t catch on, it’ll likely be time for more restructuring. If that fails, Lucid can always sell more cars to the Saudi government.

Speaking of stalled EV growth, most of the major US manufacturers have laid off staff in the past year. Tesla’s woes are common knowledge but Rivian has also been dramatically cutting its workforce. The same is true of California-based Fisker.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-motors-cuts-six-percent-of-its-workforce-ahead-of-ev-suv-launch-152746970.html?src=rss

Devolver Digital is celebrating its 15th birthday with a livestream on June 7

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Devolver Digital is holding a livestream event on June 7 at 2PM ET to celebrate its 15th birthday and drop a bunch of “updates and release dates for upcoming titles.” It’s part of this year’s Summer Game Fest, which also kicks off on June 7 and is quickly becoming the de facto replacement for E3. You can stream the event in a number of ways, including the company's official website. 

What’s likely to be revealed by Devolver at the livestream? The company remains mum, but more information on Skate Story is practically guaranteed. The game was supposed to come out last year, so a release date is likely. We could also get updates on the action title The Plucky Squire and the bizarre man-baby walking simulator Baby Steps. The company has also promised “exciting new reveals”, which could mean just about anything from Hotline Miami 3 to previously unannounced IPs.

One thing’s for sure. The event will most definitely be quirky and entertaining. This has become Devolver’s trademark, as previous livestreams have included riffs on public access TV, parodies of massive game conferences like E3 and game designer Goichi Suda, sort of, in a mech suit.

There are other events already scheduled around Summer Game Fest. The biggest of the bunch will be the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9. This stream is likely to feature a deep dive into the next Call of Duty entry.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/devolver-digital-is-celebrating-its-15th-birthday-with-a-livestream-on-june-7-184301686.html?src=rss

Atari just bought Intellivision, putting an end to the very first console war

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Atari just announced that it has acquired the Intellivision brand, along with more than 200 games from Intellivision Entertainment LLC. This puts an end to the very first console war, as Atari and Intellivison were bitter rivals going all the way back to 1979. The original Intellivision console, released by Mattel, went up against the Atari VCS (later named the 2600) a full decade before Nintendo and Sega started their beef.

“Uniting Atari and Intellivision after 45 years ends the longest-running console war in history,” said Mike Mika, the studio head at Atari-owned Digital Eclipse.

The deal doesn’t include the long-delayed Intellivision Amico retro console. Intellivision Entertainment LLC will continue working on the Amico as a separate and rebranded company and will use a license provided by Atari to release Intellivision games on it. The company has had a difficult time getting the console funded after originally announcing it back in 2018. It did manage, however, to release a truly bizarre app for iOS and Android devices that requires two smartphones or tablets to work. One device displays the game and the other acts as a controller. It’s a weird idea and, according to Kotaku, "one janky piece of crap."

As for Atari, it’s already making use of the Intellivision brand by adding items like t-shirts to its online store. Atari CEO and chairman Wade Rosen said on X that the acquisition presented a “very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision and the golden age of gaming.” The ColecoVision, another console from the early 1980s, was also part of this golden age of gaming, but has yet to be snatched up by Atari.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/atari-just-bought-intellivision-putting-an-end-to-the-very-first-console-war-172320606.html?src=rss

LG C4 OLED TVs are down to record-low prices ahead of Memorial Day

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LG’s latest OLED smart TVs are on sale via Amazon. These are the C4 models and not the pricier G4 flagship displays, but they still boast plenty of bells and whistles for the discerning couch potato. The deals apply to just about every size, from 42-inches all the way up to 83-inches.

The best discount for most people, however, is for the 55-inch evo C4. This model is available for $1,697, which is 15 percent off. The 65-inch model is also 15 percent off, bringing the price down to $2,297.

No matter which size you choose, this is a lot of TV bang for your buck. The LG C4 evo series feature powerful Alpha Gen 7 chips, improved brightness when compared to previous generations and plenty of built-in AI for upscaling and the like. They also include gorgeous OLED panels.

The brightness levels on these panels hit nearly 1,000 nits, which is a fantastic metric for OLED screens. It’s not as bright as Mini LED TVs, but it’s getting there. In addition, these TVs support 144Hz refresh rates for gaming and compatibility for both G-Sync and AMD Freesync. These sets can even pair wirelessly with compatible LG soundbars, for a hassle-free way to experiment with surround sound.

As previously mentioned, all C4 sizes are discounted, but that doesn’t mean they are budget-friendly. Even with today’s discount, the 83-inch model clocks in at a whopping $5,000. The 77-inch model comes in at $3,297 and the diminutive 42-inch version costs $1,297.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-c4-oled-tvs-are-down-to-record-low-prices-ahead-of-memorial-day-160940240.html?src=rss

The 1TB 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 is cheaper than ever right now

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You can pick up a specced-out version of last year’s MacBook Pro M3 for cheaper than ever right now, at $1,800. This is a discount of $200 for Apple’s flagship laptop with 1TB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM. This deal is only available for the 14-inch Space Gray model. The silver model is also on sale, but with just an eight percent discount.

As for the computer itself, it’s the MacBook Pro M3. It’s one of the best laptops you can buy, particularly for people who do intensive creative work on a computer, like video editing and music-making. The 14-inch screen is gorgeous, the M3 chip is both fast and efficient and the keyboard and trackpad are excellent. It’s heavier and a bit bulkier than the just-released MacBook Air M3 models, but it also boasts more memory, a better selection of ports and a more efficient cooling system.

There are a couple of minor nitpicks here. Like all Apple MacBooks, you won’t be able to make adjustments to RAM or internal storage after the fact, so double-check before smashing that “buy” button. This model is also much more expensive than the Air, though today’s deal makes that a bit easier to swallow.

Speaking of the MacBook Air, there’s also a decent deal to be had for one of those via Amazon. The 2022 M2 model is available for $850, which is a 15 percent discount. This deal is for the 256GB model with 8GB of RAM. If you don’t work in the creative arts and use a laptop just to write, watch content or surf the web, this is a fantastic choice.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-1tb-14-inch-macbook-pro-m3-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-150822985.html?src=rss

There’s a new Vision show coming to Disney+ with Paul Bettany

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Disney+ has greenlit a standalone show for Marvel’s Vision, as reported by Variety. Paul Bettany will return to portray everyone’s favorite android/synthezoid and reporting indicates that the story will pick up after the events of WandaVision. We have a long time to wait, however, as it won’t air on the streaming platform until 2026.

This tracks with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent announcement that it would start being much more picky when it comes to Marvel content. The current plan is to reduce the number of shows from four per year to two. 

As for Vision, it’s not being helmed by Jacqueline Schaeffer, who created WandaVision. Showrunning duties fall to Terry Matalas. He created the criminally underrated 12 Monkeys TV show and acted as showrunner for the final season of Star Trek: Picard, which was miles better than those early seasons. Schaeffer was working on an earlier version of the concept before moving to the forthcoming spinoff Agatha All Along.

While the presence of Matalas may be good news for Marvel fans, it’s bad news for Star Trek fans. Ever since the breakout success of Picard’s final season, fans have been pushing Paramount to greenlight a show they have been calling “Star Trek Legacy” with Matalas at the helm. This would be a continuation that follows the events of Picard season three, spotlighting Star Trek: Voyager’s Seven of Nine and other returning characters from the 1990s era of the franchise. Now that Matalas has been snatched up by Marvel, this is unlikely to happen. Between that and the recent cancellation of Star Trek: Lower Decks, it looks like 90s Trek is just about over and done with. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/theres-a-new-vision-show-coming-to-disney-with-paul-bettany-185730521.html?src=rss

New research places the sun’s magnetic field close to the surface, upending decades of theories

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New research indicates the sun’s magnetic field originates close to the surface and not deep within the star, according to findings published in the journal Nature. This upends decades of prevailing scientific thought that placed the field more than 130,000 miles below the surface of the sun. It also brings us closer to understanding the nature of the sun’s magnetic field, which has been on scientist’s minds since Galileo.

The study, led by Northwestern University and a team of international researchers, suggests that the magnetic field actually generates 20,000 miles below the surface. This was discovered after the team ran a series of complex calculations on a NASA supercomputer. It’s worth noting that these are just initial findings and more research is required to confirm the data.

The sun’s magnetic field fluctuates in a cycle that lasts 11 years. During the strongest part of this cycle, powerful winds and sunspots form at the solar equator, along with plumes of material that cause the aurora borealis here on Earth. Previous theories that place the magnetic field deeper within the sun have had a difficult time connecting these various solar phenomena. Scientists hope that, given further study, they’ll be able to use this theory to not only explain the creation of solar events, but more accurately predict when they will occur.

This could lead to more than just earlier predictions of the next aurora borealis event. The sun’s intense magnetic energy is also the source of solar flares and eruptions of plasma called coronal mass ejections. When these ejections travel toward Earth, all kinds of bad things happen. This famously occurred back in 1859, when a giant geomagnetic storm created the largest solar storm in recorded history.

This is called the Carrington Event, attributed to British astronomer Richard Christopher Carrington. The solar flare, which was actually a magnetic explosion on the sun’s surface, briefly outshone the sun and caused colored lights to erupt all over the planet, similar to the aurora borealis. It also supercharged telegraph cables, shocking operators, and set telegraph paper on fire. It was pretty nasty.

Now, this was 1859, before the modern use of electricity and before computers and all related technologies. If something like the Carrington Event were to occur today, we’d have it much worse. The emitted X-rays and ultraviolet light would interfere with electronics, radio and satellite signals. The event would cause a solar radiation storm, which would be deadly to astronauts not fully equipped with protective gear.

It would also lead a coronal mass ejection to bump up against Earth’s magnetic field, which would shut down power grids, cell phone satellites, modern cars and even airplanes. The resulting global power outages could last for months. Last month’s smallish (relatively speaking) storm messed with electronics and that was no Carrington-sized event. Even worse? We are absolutely due for this to happen. It’s basically a ticking time bomb.

So these findings could, in theory, be used to prepare new early warning methods for large-scale solar flares hitting Earth. Someday, we might have solar flare warnings alongside hurricane warnings and the like. The research has already demonstrated some interesting links between sunspots and the sun’s magnetic activity.

“We still don’t understand the sun well enough to make accurate predictions” of solar weather, lead study author Geoffrey Vasil of the University of Edinburgh told The Hill. These new findings “will be an important step toward finally resolving” this mysterious process, added co-author Daniel Lecoanet of Northwestern University.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/new-research-places-the-suns-magnetic-field-close-to-the-surface-upending-decades-of-theories-182059055.html?src=rss

Sure, why not: China built a chatbot based on Xi Jinping

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Chatting it up with a fake ScarJo not doing it for you? Why not try a conversation with the leader of China? There’s a new chatbot in town and it's based on Xi Jinping. As a matter of fact, it was trained using the ‘thoughts’ of the Chinese leader. I put thoughts in quotes because researchers didn’t use some kind of new mind-reading technology. Chinese officials just used a bunch of his books and papers for training purposes, according to a report by The Financial Times.

His political philosophy is collectively known as “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” or, simply, “Xi Jinping Thought.” This ideological doctrine has been created during his tenure as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). With that in mind, the chatbot was trained on official literature that falls under that umbrella, including more than 12 books allegedly written by Xi Jinping himself. The training set also includes government regulations, policy documents, state media reports and other official publications.

A single document examined by The Financial Times used to train the chatbot contained over 86,000 mentions of Xi Jinping, with language that urges citizens to “ensure that in thought, politics, and action, we are always in high alignment with the Party Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core.” This chatbot must be really fun at parties.

The technology hasn’t rolled out to the general public yet. It’s being used at a research center under the purview of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), though it may eventually be released for wider use. The model can answer questions, create reports, summarize information and translate between Chinese and English. It’s a basic chatbot, though one that’s likely to disseminate Xi’s ideas on politics, economics and culture.

This move comes amid extensive efforts by Chinese officials to promote the philosophies of Xi and his authoritarian state. As previously mentioned, more than a dozen books are attributed to the leader and they typically take center stage at the country’s book fairs. Popular news apps from companies like Tencent and Netease reserve slots at the top of feeds for articles from official state media, and most of these posts feature Xi. Children as young as ten are required to study his political philosophy, so the chatbot could find a use there.

The major Western AI models aren't available in China, as the CAC mandates that generative AI providers “embody core socialist values” and that the output from any chatbot must not “contain any content that subverts state power.” So there’s no ChatGPT, Google Gemini or anything like that. Chinese companies like Baidu and Alibaba must ensure that their models strictly control generated content related to Xi or any sensitive issue.

This is a huge challenge for these companies, as most groups train their models with some English language data. This introduces the potential for responses that run afoul of the country’s speech regulations. To get around this, Chinese chatbots will typically restart the chat when asked about sensitive topics. The country is, however, leading the way in the “chatbots based on deceased relatives” department. With that in mind, Xi Jinping could very well espouse his philosophy from now until the end of time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sure-why-not-china-built-a-chatbot-based-on-xi-jinping-155828456.html?src=rss

Twitch introduces new filtering tools that lets you exclude sexual and violent content

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Twitch has updated its filtering tools to allow the exclusion of livestreams that feature mature themes, like sexual, violent and profane content. In other words, you won’t have to sift through hundreds of gross streams just to find someone innocently drinking soda pop and playing through Hades 2.

These new filter settings let people opt out of specific content labels, per the platform’s recently-introduced Content Classification Guidelines. These guidelines require creators to appropriately label livestreams if they include stuff like sexual imagery, depictions of violence, gambling, excessive profanity and drug use. These labels also apply when streaming mature-rated games.

This will allow for a more curated experience, as people will be able to hide entire categories when searching for something to watch. Previously, these content labels were only used as data points to help Twitch users make informed viewing decisions.

The menu.
Twitch

The content classification filters are found in profile settings under Content Display Preferences. Once turned on, the filters will apply to all recommendations and search results, in addition to streams that pop up when aimlessly browsing. The system will remember preferred filter adjustments, so it should be a one-and-done trip to the settings page. For those under 18, Twitch automatically applies the vast majority of these filter settings.

There’s also another semi-related tool rolling out today. Preview thumbnails can now be blurred for streams labeled as having sexual themes. This feature will be turned on by default and can be toggled on or off via settings. However, if you follow a channel the thumbnail won’t be blurred, even if your classification labels rule out sexual content.

Twitch has been trying to nail down its policies regarding sexual content for a while now. It recently opened up the platform to nudity, as long as it was properly labeled, before changing its mind. Currently, the platform requires streamers to cover up their buttocks, genitals and (for female-presenting streamers) the nipples and underbust areas. Visible outlines of genitals are also prohibited, though all of this is liable to change.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-introduces-new-filtering-tools-that-lets-you-exclude-sexual-and-violent-content-185219488.html?src=rss

Kickstarter now allows late pledges after a campaign has ended

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We’ve all been there. You see something cool on Kickstarter. It’s reasonably priced and made by reputable folks. You fully intend on backing it, but life gets in the way and the campaign ends, leaving you out in the cold. Kickstarter just solved this very specific problem by continuing to allow financial backing after a campaign finishes.

The new tool is appropriately-named Late Pledge and will only be available to creators who hit their initial goal. It’s been in the testing phase since April and Kickstarters says it has allowed creators to raise an additional 35 percent over that initial goal, according to reporting by TechCrunch.

Late Pledge has exited the testing phase and is now available to all creators worldwide. This is good for creators, good for backers and, of course, good for Kickstarter, as users won’t have to head to a third-party payment platform when a campaign has ended.

The company has also announced a new in-house marketing unit to help creators promote their campaigns. Kickstarter says that this team “provides support every step of the way, from creative services and pre-launch marketing support to ad measurement and execution.” This service has been in the testing phase for a while and has helped creators raise around $1 million in additional pledges.

There’s more to come. Kickstarter unveiled a more robust survey tool for reward fulfillment purposes and announced the forthcoming ability to pay for shipping and tax via the mobile app.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kickstarter-now-allows-late-pledges-after-a-campaign-has-ended-173414742.html?src=rss