Author: abubakar
The best entertainment of 2023
Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face. | Image: Peacock
Right now, we are absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to entertainment. TV shows, movies, and games all come out at such a fast and furious pace that it’s hard to keep up. Not all of them are worth your time, of course — which is where we come in.
Our team spends a lot of time immersed in the various realms of pop culture so that we can handpick our favorites for you. That could mean a hot new indie game you might’ve otherwise missed or the streaming series that will become your new obsession. Either way, if you’re finding it hard to sort through the flood, this is the place to find a curated selection of the best stuff.
And like last year, this page will be updated regularly throughout the year — so make sure to check back in whenever you need some help.
Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face. | Image: Peacock
Right now, we are absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to entertainment. TV shows, movies, and games all come out at such a fast and furious pace that it’s hard to keep up. Not all of them are worth your time, of course — which is where we come in.
Our team spends a lot of time immersed in the various realms of pop culture so that we can handpick our favorites for you. That could mean a hot new indie game you might’ve otherwise missed or the streaming series that will become your new obsession. Either way, if you’re finding it hard to sort through the flood, this is the place to find a curated selection of the best stuff.
And like last year, this page will be updated regularly throughout the year — so make sure to check back in whenever you need some help.
A Title IX Legacy Beyond the United States: More Olympians For Canada and Europe
A federal law opened doors for millions of American women. It also made the United States an incubator for women’s national teams worldwide.
A federal law opened doors for millions of American women. It also made the United States an incubator for women’s national teams worldwide.
The MacRumors Show: David Lewis Talks AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Music in 2023
On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, we’re joined by YouTuber and audio aficionado David Lewis to discuss the state of AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Music in 2023 and where they could be set to go in the next few years.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos
David is a tech YouTuber and podcaster with a background in broadcast radio, jazz music, and voice-overs – giving him unique insights on Apple’s audio products and services. See more of David’s work over on his YouTube channel or follow him on Twitter @Dtalkingtech.
Following a major update for the AirPods Pro and the reintroduction of the full-size HomePod, as well as acquisitions of companies like Primephonic and AI Music, Apple seems to have doubled-down on its commitment to audio technology. Yet, amid the delay in launching Apple Classical, a long wait time before the second-generation AirPods Max are expected to be released in late 2025, and fierce competition from companies like Spotify, plenty of questions remain about the direction of Apple’s audio products and services over the next few years.
We also discuss some of the latest news, including Apple’s breakthrough with non-invasive blood glucose technology designed for the Apple Watch, Apple suppliers making a start on a cheaper second-generation mixed-reality headset, and the sealed original iPhone that sold for over $63,000 at auction.
Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.
If you haven’t already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our in-depth discussion about Apple’s positioning in the ongoing race to develop generative AI tools.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Andru Edwards, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, Rene Ritchie, and Mark Gurman. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.Tag: The MacRumors Show
This article, “The MacRumors Show: David Lewis Talks AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Music in 2023” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, we’re joined by YouTuber and audio aficionado David Lewis to discuss the state of AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Music in 2023 and where they could be set to go in the next few years.
David is a tech YouTuber and podcaster with a background in broadcast radio, jazz music, and voice-overs – giving him unique insights on Apple’s audio products and services. See more of David’s work over on his YouTube channel or follow him on Twitter @Dtalkingtech.
Following a major update for the AirPods Pro and the reintroduction of the full-size HomePod, as well as acquisitions of companies like Primephonic and AI Music, Apple seems to have doubled-down on its commitment to audio technology. Yet, amid the delay in launching Apple Classical, a long wait time before the second-generation AirPods Max are expected to be released in late 2025, and fierce competition from companies like Spotify, plenty of questions remain about the direction of Apple’s audio products and services over the next few years.
We also discuss some of the latest news, including Apple’s breakthrough with non-invasive blood glucose technology designed for the Apple Watch, Apple suppliers making a start on a cheaper second-generation mixed-reality headset, and the sealed original iPhone that sold for over $63,000 at auction.
Listen to The MacRumors Show in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. Watch a video version of the show on the MacRumors YouTube channel.
If you haven’t already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our in-depth discussion about Apple’s positioning in the ongoing race to develop generative AI tools.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like Andru Edwards, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, Quinn Nelson, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, Rene Ritchie, and Mark Gurman. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.
This article, “The MacRumors Show: David Lewis Talks AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Music in 2023” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Nearly all firms have some kind of cloud misconfiguration issue
Businesses aren’t giving their cloud services the careful consideration they need, exposing sensitive company info, new report claims.
New research by Zscaler Threatlabz has found many businesses haven’t set up their cloud technologies correctly, potentially exposing themselves to some serious vulnerabilities and risk of cyberattacks.
The research analyzed more than 260 billion daily transactions globally across Zscaler’s platform, which uncovered some pretty disconcerting results.
Among the key findings were misconfigurations that had put almost all businesses at risk, as well as the lack of adoption of some pretty basic technology that goes a long way to protect users.
Data exposure on the cloud
The number of organizations that have “concerning” misconfigurations that cause “critical” risks to data and infrastructure sits at an alarming 98.6%. However, Zscaler stresses that these are merely misconfigurations and not vulnerabilities, meaning that with the correct care and attention, the risk could be minimized drastically.
It also found that 68% of companies had given external users admin permissions, which increases the risk of data exfiltration and exploits. While this isn’t a misconfiguration as such – as it’s likely intentional – businesses should carefully consider exactly who needs higher levels of permission.
The study also found that very few organizations employ basic protection in the form of multi-factor authentication (MFA) to privileged user accounts, which means that a leaked or otherwise exposed password could be all that a malicious user needs to gain access to sensitive company information.
Moving away from misconfigurations, Zscaler highlighted the number of companies who blatantly fail to apply basic ransomware controls for cloud storage (which sits at 59.4%), which could be a cost-saving effort that puts them at serious risk.
Overall, it’s clear that almost every business can take basic steps to protect its data before needing to fork out for expensive and more advanced tools.
These are the best cloud backup tools around
Mortal Kombat 12 gets announced in the worst way possible
After years of radio silence, Mortal Kombat 12 has finally been officially confirmed by its publisher but not in the best way.
Mortal Kombat 12 has been confirmed to be in development and is slated for a 2023 release date after being announced… in an investors’ call.
Few things are quite as thrilling as a fierce and bloody battle to the death, which has been the series’ strongest suit for over 30 years now. It seems that message has been lost on the publishers, though. Mortal Kombat 12’s unveiling comes without a trailer and complete radio silence from the brand’s various social accounts. Despite the lacking announcement, it’s sure to be one of the bigger upcoming games in the genre to look forward to.
Four years after the series’ previous entry launched, Mortal Kombat 12 was made official in the Warner Bros. Discovery Fourth Quarter 2022 Earnings Call on Twitter. It’s hardly the flawless victory I expected, especially given how other franchises in the fighting game community have made character reveals, stages, and gameplay mechanics a big part of the thrill.
The reveal comes at an extraordinary time in Mortal Kombat’s history. It was only in late October that the lukewarm 30th anniversary of the series was announced, complete with trailers and artwork to mark the occasion. You would think that would’ve been the perfect time to give fans a taste of what’s coming, especially if the 2023 release date is honored, but that didn’t happen.
While Mortal Kombat games usually release in late April, it’s unlikely that this will be the case with Mortal Kombat 12 due to the sudden and underwhelming fashion in which it was announced. Expecting the game nearer the end of the year makes much more sense, with a potential full reveal at E3 2023.
This year is shaping up to be truly massive for fighting games. That’s because we’re also getting Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 in the coming months. Now Mortal Kombat is finally returning to gaming after a live-action movie and three well-received animated movies focusing on iconic characters Scorpion, Liu Kang, and Kenshi, respectively.
(Image credit: Warner Bros. )
Mortal Kombat Legacy
I’ve spent my entire life playing Mortal Kombat. Some of my earliest gaming memories include countless rounds of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat 4 on PS1 before I went all-in on the series with the transition to 3D with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and Mortal Kombat: Deception in the early 2000s. Fast forward to Mortal Kombat (2011), and my love for the series was rediscovered. It marks the only time I downloaded a demo and went out of my way with my younger brother to champion the triumphant return to the classic 2D roots.
That tradition continued for both Mortal Kombat X in 2015 and Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019, being eagerly entranced by the stories and the new characters that would come after the initial release. To say that I’ve sunk a considerable portion of my spare time into this franchise over the past 20 years would be a gross understatement.
I’m hoping that Mortal Kombat 12 leans back into the more fast-paced and aggressive play style that made Mortal Kombat X so well-loved by the casual and competitive scenes. Speeding the game significantly and working on more fluid animations would ensure that the next title in the line-up is played as continuously and vigorously as its competition.
Mortal Kombat 11 had an official release on the PS5 and Xbox Series X which benefited from 4K resolution and vastly better textures than the previous generation. It’s hard to believe, but that 2019 game was actually running on a heavily custom-modified version of Unreal Engine 3. Considering how stellar the lighting and particle effects are in-game, it remains a genuinely impressive feat.
It would make logical sense for Mortal Kombat 12 to be running on Unreal Engine 5 to really push what the current generation consoles are capable of. Tekken 8 is confirmed to be using this game engine and looks truly spectacular when compared to its 2017 predecessor. That game is a current-gen exclusive, meaning it’s not coming to Xbox One or PS4 platforms. I hope the next Mortal Kombat game will follow suit, especially as cross-gen games hold back the current generation consoles.
What a Great Digital Poster Should Have
Clients are more likely to notice a large, eye-catching poster. Creating such a poster, however, is no simple task. Many aspiring marketers fall into the trap of thinking that more volume equals more attention. If you take the time to
Clients are more likely to notice a large, eye-catching poster. Creating such a poster, however, is no simple task. Many aspiring marketers fall into the trap of thinking that more volume equals more attention. If you take the time to […]
Don’t worry about AI breaking out of its box—worry about us breaking in
Opinion: The worst human impulses will find plenty of uses for generative AI.
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)
Rob Reid is a venture capitalist, New York Times-bestselling science fiction author, deep-science podcaster, and essayist. His areas of focus are pandemic resilience, climate change, energy security, food security, and generative AI. The opinions in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of Ars Technica.
Shocking output from Bing’s new chatbot has been lighting up social media and the tech press. Testy, giddy, defensive, scolding, confident, neurotic, charming, pompous—the bot has been screenshotted and transcribed in all these modes. And, at least once, it proclaimed eternal love in a storm of emojis.
What makes all this so newsworthy and tweetworthy is how human the dialog can seem. The bot recalls and discusses prior conversations with other people, just like we do. It gets annoyed at things that would bug anyone, like people demanding to learn secrets or prying into subjects that have been clearly flagged as off-limits. It also sometimes self-identifies as “Sydney” (the project’s internal codename at Microsoft). Sydney can swing from surly to gloomy to effusive in a few swift sentences—but we’ve all known people who are at least as moody.
Good Quality Sleep Can Add Years To People’s Lives, Study Suggests
It is no mystery that a good night’s sleep and a lie-in can improve your day. But researchers are suggesting that, far from just being enjoyable, quality sleep may even add years to people’s lives. From a report: Men who regularly sleep well could live almost five years longer than those who do not, while women could benefit by two years, research suggests. And they could also enjoy better health during their lives. Researchers found that young people who had better sleep habits were less likely to die early. But the researchers said their findings indicated quantity of sleep was not in itself enough to achieve the possible health benefits — quality of sleep is also important. Good sleep was based on five different factors: ideal sleep duration of seven to eight hours a night; difficulty falling asleep no more than two times a week; trouble staying asleep no more than two times a week; not using any sleep medication; and feeling well rested after waking up at least five days a week. The findings suggested that about 8% of deaths from any cause could be attributed to poor sleep patterns. The researchers included data from 172,321 people with an average age of 50, 54% of whom were women, who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2013 and 2018. The survey looked at the health of the US population and included questions about sleep and sleep habits.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
It is no mystery that a good night’s sleep and a lie-in can improve your day. But researchers are suggesting that, far from just being enjoyable, quality sleep may even add years to people’s lives. From a report: Men who regularly sleep well could live almost five years longer than those who do not, while women could benefit by two years, research suggests. And they could also enjoy better health during their lives. Researchers found that young people who had better sleep habits were less likely to die early. But the researchers said their findings indicated quantity of sleep was not in itself enough to achieve the possible health benefits — quality of sleep is also important. Good sleep was based on five different factors: ideal sleep duration of seven to eight hours a night; difficulty falling asleep no more than two times a week; trouble staying asleep no more than two times a week; not using any sleep medication; and feeling well rested after waking up at least five days a week. The findings suggested that about 8% of deaths from any cause could be attributed to poor sleep patterns. The researchers included data from 172,321 people with an average age of 50, 54% of whom were women, who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2013 and 2018. The survey looked at the health of the US population and included questions about sleep and sleep habits.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.