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Trump Faces Catch-22 in Manhattan Case

He has a good chance of getting the case reversed on appeal — but he can’t appeal until after Judge Merchan sentences him.




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An Overwatch: Classic event will take fans all the way back to the beginning

For the first time in over two years, Overwatch 2 players will be able to group up in teams of six. A three-week event featuring that format starts tomorrow, November 12. But there’s a twist: you won’t be able to select Kiriko or Sombra, or battle it out with an additional player on each side on Push maps just yet. That’s because in Overwatch 2’s first real taste of 6v6, Blizzard is taking us all the way back to the beginning with a limited-time mode called Overwatch: Classic.

You will be able to experience Overwatch almost exactly as it was upon its May 2016 debut. That means you can choose from the first 21 heroes, who all have their original kits and abilities. That means Hanzo loses his Lunge jump but regains his dreaded Scatter Arrow, Bastion and Torbjorn are vastly different than they are now and Cassidy's Flashbang once again stun locks enemies for a moment. 

Symmetra reverts to being a support who can teleport allies almost anywhere on the map from the spawn room, while Mercy can will once again bring five dead teammates back to life. Ultimate abilities will charge up faster too.

In addition, just like in Overwatch for a brief period at the very beginning, there are initially no limits on hero selection. So if you and your teammates want to run with a composition of four Winstons and two Lucios, have at it. However, this will only apply for the first few days, after which Blizzard will apply the single hero limit rule for the rest of the event. Games will take place under the Quick Play ruleset, rather than the Competitive format.

The original 12 maps will be available too — including the assault maps that Blizzard retired from the main modes during the transition to Overwatch 2. While assault maps are still available in the Arcade and custom games, you'll once again be dealing with the notorious choke points of the otherwise gorgeous Hanamura, Temple of Anubis and Volskaya Industries.

Blizzard Entertainment

Things won't be exactly as they were in May 2016, however. Original maps that have seen major reworks over the years — Dorado, Numbani, Route 66 and Watchpoint: Gibraltar — will appear as they are in the current game. You'll only be able to use the original default Overwatch skins and no, there are no loot boxes. The user interface remains the same too, which hopefully means the ping system will still be in place.

Blizzard doesn't plan for this to be a one-and-done deal. There will be other Overwatch: Classic events in the future, focusing on various moments in the game's history, like the infamous triple-tank, triple-support GOATS meta. This limited-time mode is also separate from the other 6v6 tests Blizzard plans to run in the coming months as it looks to measure players' interest in that format and garner feedback.

There's a good chance that this limited-time mode will bring some lapsed players back into the mix, even just for a sip of nostalgia. I first played Overwatch several months after its debut, so it'll be fun to see roughly how the game felt at the very beginning. I will be instalocking Mei every match so I can remember what it's like to freeze an opponent before giving them a cheeky wave and firing an icicle into their skull. Ah, memories...

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/an-overwatch-classic-event-will-take-fans-all-the-way-back-to-the-beginning-171538261.html?src=rss




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The best Apple Watch in 2024

Apple sells just three models of smartwatches — the Series 10, the Ultra 2 and the SE — and they fall pretty neatly into the categories of flagship, premium and budget, respectively. But if you’re wondering whether the adventure-ready features of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are worth the price bump, or if the just-the-basics tools of the Apple Watch SE will be enough, Engadget is here to help. We’ve been testing and reviewing Apple wearables since the beginning and we have lots to say about them. Ultimately we think the Apple Watch Series 10 is the best Apple Watch for most people — in fact, it’s our pick for the best smartwatch you can buy from any brand — but read on to dive deeper into the chips, sensors, displays and fitness tracking features each Apple Watch model offers.

The new Apple Watch Series 10 has an S10 SiP (system in a package) chip with a four-core Neural Engine. The Ultra 2 was updated last September with Apple’s S9 SiP. Both chips allow for on-device processing of Siri requests as well as dictation, translation, automatic workout detection and the Double Tap gesture that lets you answer calls or stop an alarm by tapping your thumb and forefinger together twice. It also enables faster machine learning performance for interpreting sensor data, speech recognition and performing other “thinking” tasks. The Apple Watch SE still relies on the S8 SiP, which was also used in the Series 8 and the original Ultra.

Both the Series 10 and Ultra 2 can take an ECG and have temperature sensors to help track ovulation and both support fall-detection and crash-detection as a safety feature. All three models have a compass and altimeter. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has an onboard SOS siren, as well as dive features like a depth gauge. Water features were added to the Apple Watch Series 10, but with a shallower depth rating (just six meters, as compared to 40 meters on the Ultra). The Ultra includes sensors to measure blood oxygen, but a recent patent dispute has forced Apple to disable that health feature on new models sold in the US and the hardware isn’t present in the new flagship model.

All three models support near field communication (NFC), the chip that enables Apple Pay. Once you set it up using the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, you can pay for stuff at any store that accepts Apple Pay, even if you don't have your phone with you. 

The wide-angle OLED display on the Apple Watch 10 lets you see the always-on display from more angles. The Ultra 2 also has an always-on display, but you’ll have to lift your wrist to tell time or read notifications on the SE. The SE can reach a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, the Series 10 can get as bright as 2,000 and the Ultra 2 hits 3,000 nits. Both higher-end screens can dim to a single nit, making them less distracting in the dark.

The Apple Watch Series 10 came with a new finish and case material — a glossy anodized jet black finish on the aluminum model and the option for a titanium case. The Ultra 2 also got a new finish, satin black, that utilizes a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process to apply the color.

As for case sizes, the SE is available in 40 or 44mm. The Series 10 increased in size from the prior generation and now has a choice of a 42 or 46mm case. The Ultra 2 comes in just one size measuring 49mm. You also get the opportunity to pick the length and style for watch bands. The SE and Series 10 come in small/medium or medium/large and the Ultra 2 gives you the choice of small, medium or large.   

Battery life

Since it’s the largest wearable, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 sports the biggest battery and can last for a claimed 36 hours on a charge. That number jumps up to 72 hours if you turn on low power mode. Both the Apple Watch 10 and the SE are rated by Apple to go for 18 hours before they need a visit to the charger, and longer when using battery saver mode.

The Series 10 (left) and Series 9 (right).
Cherlynn Low for Engadget

Believe it or not, all three Apple Watches have similar fitness tracker chops. The Activity app uses three “rings” to keep tabs on how much you’re moving in a day: The Move ring tracks your active calories; the Exercise ring monitors the minutes you’ve spent walking, running, doing yoga and so on; and the Stand ring tells you how many hours in a day you’ve stood up and moved around for at least one minute.

Different internal sensors detect those activities, for example the accelerometer senses when you’re moving versus sitting still, and the optical heart rate sensor judges how hard you're working out and how many calories you’ve burned. You can set your goals for each ring and you’ll earn badges and animations when you hit them.

The Workout app lets you start and track an exercise session. The sensors can even auto-detect when you’re working out, tapping your wrist to suggest you track the activity. Apple Watches will integrate with Apple’s Fitness+ subscription, displaying real time heart rate and calorie burn data on your iPhone, iPad or even Apple TV 4K as you take a class. Fitness+ also includes audio-guided walks and runs with just your watch and Bluetooth earbuds. All three models support the Activity and Workout apps for free. The Fitness+ app also works with all Apple Watches, but costs $10 per month.

New features enabled with watchOS 11 include Training Load that gauges your body’s response to workouts over time, which could help athletes better prepare for events like marathons. Users can also now skip a day (or more) from fitness tracking metrics when they need to rest or aren’t feeling up to the challenge of closing their rings.

You can get the weather, start a workout, identify a song and dictate a text just by asking Siri. All Apple Watch models support the Raise to Speak feature that bypasses the need to say “Hey Siri” and will instead listen for your request when you lift your wrist near your mouth.

Both the Series 10 and the Ultra 2 utilize onboard processing of Siri requests. That means executing simple requests like starting workouts and timers are quicker, as they won’t need to access external networks. However, requests like sending texts or getting weather forecasts still need to communicate with Wi-Fi or cellular, so you’ll need to have your phone nearby if you have a GPS-only model.

There’s a $550 difference between the cheapest and most expensive Apple Watches. For $250, you can get the 40mm Apple Watch SE with GPS-only connectivity; adding cellular connectivity ups the price by $50. The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 for the 42mm, non-cellular model in aluminum and goes as high as $749 for the 46mm titanium case (which is only available with GPS and cellular). The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has just one price: $799 for a titanium 49mm case with both GPS and cellular power.

Engadget has been reviewing Apple Watches since the first one came out in 2015. Since then, we’ve tested every subsequent model Apple has released, including the Ultra and SE models, spending at least a few days or even a couple weeks with one strapped to our wrists. During that time, we run, hit the gym, go on hikes and wear it while sleeping, all the while gauging how it tracks various metrics, integrates with the iPhone and performs every other trick Apple claims its smartwatches can do.

Since we also review smartwatches from other companies, such as Samsung and Google, our editors can compare Apple Watches not just to previous generations, but also to other wearables on the market.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/best-apple-watch-160005462.html?src=rss




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Europe dispatches Proba-3 satellites to India for December eclipse mission

Paris, France (SPX) Nov 03, 2024
ESA's Proba-3 mission, designed to create a solar eclipse in space, is leaving Europe to head to its Indian launch site. The mission's two spacecraft, designed to align precisely in orbit so one will block the Sun for the other, have departed from Redwire Space's facilities in Kruibeke, Belgium. The pair will be transported to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre near Chennai, India, to prepare for th




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Why I hated being on Baywatch

SURFING legend Kelly Slater has revealed how miserable he was starring alongside Pamela Anderson on Baywatch.




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Big picture show catches on

A RUSH is on to convert the nation’s mothballed wheat silos into the world’s biggest art gallery.




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Baby milk price promotion ban should end, watchdog suggests

Many parents opt for more expensive baby milk, equating higher costs with better quality, the watchdog found.




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Jerry Matczak

Jerry Matczak passed away suddenly last Thursday at the much-too-young age of 54.

I can say, without exaggeration, that Jerry embodied pretty much everything I aspire to be in my professional life. The MedCityNews headline called him a “social media guru”, but in reality he was temperamentally the exact opposite of a "guru":

He was constantly curious; it seemed that every conversation I had with him was composed mainly of questions. Many of us try to be “listen first, talk second” types, but Jerry was a “listen first, ask questions, listen some more, then talk” type.

He also never stopped trying to figure out how to improve whatever he was working on. He participated in a lot of pilot projects, which means he was a part of a lot of projects that didn’t meet their objectives – but I never witnessed Jerry being the least bit negative or frustrated. Every project was just another opportunity to learn more.

Mostly, though, Jerry was remarkable in his ability to connect with patients, even patients who were deeply distrustful of his employer and industry. If nothing else, I hope you read the words of two such patients, coming from very different places, with remarkably similar reactions to Jerry:


Jerry, thank you for your service and your example. I carry it with me.





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Chronic itch is miserable. Scientists are just scratching the surface

Journalist Annie Lowrey has a rare disease that causes a near-constant itch that doesn't respond to most treatments. She likens the itchiness to a car alarm: "You can't stop thinking about it."




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Watch | BJP chief J.P. Nadda's route to the top




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Remote Island in the Philippines watches the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight live for the first time - Preparations on Bantayan island

Preparations for a live screening of the Fight of the Century on a remote island in the Philippines





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Hate your job? Pack it up, pack it in - it's time to head out West - Monster and Brandwatch break down exactly how Americans are feeling about their jobs

Monster and Brandwatch break down exactly how Americans are feeling about their jobs.







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Gillette launches Emojability keyboard for special needs community - Watch Emojability Video

Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare is launching Emojability. Learn more about this one-of-a-kind emoji keyboard app for Android and Apple.




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I don't know catching!!






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Electric skin patch could keep wounds free of infection

Zapping the skin with electricity could stop bacteria that live there harmlessly from entering the body and causing blood poisoning




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DNA helps match 'Well Man' skeleton to 800-year-old Norwegian saga

The Sverris saga describes how castle invaders “took a dead man and cast him unto the well, and then filled it up with stones”, in what may have been an early act of biological warfare - and now researchers believe they have found the skeleton of the man in question




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Watch elephants use a hose to shower themselves – and prank others

Asian elephants at Berlin Zoo show impressive skill when using a hose as a tool, and even appear to sabotage each other by stopping the flow of water




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Whatcha Reading? October 2024, Part Two

Happy Saturday and welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re wrapping up October: Lara: To quote my psychiatrist, ‘pregnancy is a potent and unique stressor’ so I’ve temporarily abandoned my ARCs and I’ve started a reread of Murderbot. Ten out of ten! Shana: There’s no better comfort than a Murderbot reread. I just finished a m/m Beauty and the Beast retelling, Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray, where the father who finds the cursed castle … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? October 2024, Part Two




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Whatcha Reading? November 2024, Part One

Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! This is where we talk about what we’ve been reading, if you couldn’t have guessed. Lara: Still Murderbot and I could not be more happy about it! May it last forever! Sarah: I mentioned this in the post for Election Day but I saved three Richard Osman books and didn’t know what I was saving them for. Now I know! I think I’m starting with the new one We Solve … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? November 2024, Part One





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watch until the end

Today on Toothpaste For Dinner: watch until the end


This RSS feed is brought to you by Drew and Natalie's podcast Garbage Brain University. Our new series Everything Is Real explores the world of cryptids, aliens, quantum physics, the occult, and more. If you use this RSS feed, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron. Patronage includes membership to our private Discord server and other bonus material non-patrons never see!




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Watch: Can BBC reporter's AI clone fool his colleagues?

Cyber Correspondent Joe Tidy has an AI clone of himself built to see how sophisticated they can be.




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Watch: Why is the latest SpaceX rocket test a big deal?

The BBC's Pallab Ghosh explores why this world first test is a big deal for space exploration.




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Vodafone-Three merger could get green light, watchdog says

It wants commitments on prices and 5G if the creation of the UK's biggest mobile network is to go ahead.




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Lineker to stop hosting Match of the Day, BBC confirms

The BBC has "agreed in principle a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup," with Lineker.




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Watch: Tower falls as historic church destroyed by fire

Video shows the San Francisco Church in Iquique, Chile engulfed in flames, with smoke rising above it.




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Watch NW200 highlights




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Maccarinelli facing title rematch

Enzo Maccarinelli is ordered to a rematch against Shane McPhilbin for the British cruiserweight title.




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India Nature Watch - <h1> <font color = blue> Blister Beetle <h1/p>

Thanks to Sivakumar ji for the ID

Hycleus zigzagus

Gear: Sony A7 III

Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent,

cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are

aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.




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India Nature Watch - Smart or foolish? Stink bug eggs laid on Giant wood spider web

Left me pondering




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India Nature Watch - Pill Bug ???

Nelliyampathy Forest, Kerala, Oct., 2024




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India Nature Watch -




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India Nature Watch - <h1> <font color = blue> Hummingbird moth <h1/p>

The flowers of the snakeweed plant are popular with many butterflies, including the

South Asian crimson rose, Malabar banded swallowtail, grass yellow, and hummingbirds.

Smaller species of butterflies, like the Common Palmfly and the Bush Browns,

are often seen feeding on the flowers. Larger butterflies, like the Polyura and Lexias,

have not been seen feeding on the plant.




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India Nature Watch - unknown

please id this insect. it was as small as a grain




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India Nature Watch - Bull horns! Gastercantha dalyi Spiny orb weaver




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India Nature Watch - emerald spread wing




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India Nature Watch - The Rusty Dart.

Rusty marsh dart (Ceriagrion olivaceum) (Female here) is a species of damselfly found in south and southeast Asia. Two subspecies are mentioned. Ceriagrion olivaceum olivaceum and Ceriagrion olivaceum aurantiacum.C. o. olivaceum is widespread in India and Southeast Asia and probably the one here C. o. aurantiacum is only known from southwest India. It is a medium-sized damselfly with olivaceous brown capped greenish eyes. Its thorax is olive green, paler on the sides. Female is similar to the male. Male @ http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=663008




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India Nature Watch - Thomisus sp on Tridax flower




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India Nature Watch - Maripanthus jubatus




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India Nature Watch - <h1> <font color = blue> Blue mud dauber wasp <h1/p>

Thanks to Sivakumar ji for correcting the ID.

Family: Scoliidae




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India Nature Watch - grasshopper

id please




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India Nature Watch - The Rusty Darter.

Rusty marsh dart (Ceriagrion olivaceum) (Male here) is a species of damselfly found in south and southeast Asia. Two subspecies are mentioned. Ceriagrion olivaceum olivaceum and Ceriagrion olivaceum aurantiacum.C. o. olivaceum is widespread in India and Southeast Asia and probably the one here C. o. aurantiacum is only known from southwest India. It is a medium-sized damselfly with olivaceous brown capped greenish eyes. Its thorax is olive green, paler on the sides. Female is similar to the male. Female @ http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=662987




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India Nature Watch - Braconid wasp




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India Nature Watch - Probagation - My 2000th post in INW.

Thanks to INW .....Thank you all for your encouragement comments and guidance.