Online gaming has evolved dramatically over the past two decades, shifting from simple web-based games to complex virtual worlds with rich narratives and immersive graphics. This transformation has been driven by technological advancements, changing player preferences, and the growing accessibility... Tagged as:

Seeking a balance between personal life and educational pursuits is a nuanced art for students enrolled in online learning programs. Without the physical separation of classrooms and the distinct routine of in-person education, online learners often struggle to create... Tagged as:

As rigorous as the pursuit of education can be, supplementing academic efforts with fun outdoor activities can yield remarkable benefits for serious students. From enhancing physical health to improving cognitive functions, the advantages of engaging in leisure cannot be overstated.... Tagged as:

Apple TV+ today shared a recap video for the first season of "Silo. The hit series returns for a second season starting later this week.

Warning: The video contains major spoilers, obviously.

"Silo" follows the last 10,000 people on Earth, all of whom live in a massive underground bunker to escape the seemingly toxic and deadly world outside. The people are unaware of why the silo was built, and those who seek the truth face deadly consequences. Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding the silo following a loved one's murder. The sci-fi series is based on Hugh Howey's best-selling book trilogy "Wool." Ferguson and Howey both serve as executive producers.

The 10-episode second season of "Silo" begins this Friday, November 15, and one new episode will follow every Friday through January 17.

Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year in the U.S., and the streaming service is also included in all Apple One subscription bundles.
This article, "Apple TV+ Shares 'Silo' Recap Video Ahead of Season 2 Starting Friday" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea.


Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following next month.

The outlet reports that LG Innotek usually supplies camera modules around three months before the launch of new smartphones, which tallies with rumors of an iPhone SE 4 launch in March or April 2025. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that Apple suppliers will produce around 8.6 million iPhone SE 4 units through the first quarter of next year.

The sub-$500 device is expected to feature a design similar to the base iPhone 14. Rumored specifications include a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a newer A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, and Apple's first in-house 5G modem. Apple released the existing iPhone SE in March 2022.

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Austrian smart lock maker Nuki has announced its new Smart Lock Ultra, featuring a smaller design and claiming significantly faster operation than its predecessor.


The Smart Lock Ultra is one-third the size of previous Nuki models. This has been achieved through a new built-in battery design that eliminates the need for a bulky battery compartment, according to the company. The lock features a new brushless motor, similar to those used in electric vehicles, enabling it to unlock in under 1.5 seconds, which could make it one of the fastest smart locks available.

Built-in Wi-Fi eliminates the need for a separate bridge, while Matter-over-Thread and Bluetooth connectivity options are also included. The lock supports all major smart home platforms including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. Battery life is rated at six months per charge, with charging handled via an included two-meter magnetic cable.


The European version requires replacing the entire lock cylinder and comes with three physical keys, while an upcoming US model will work as a retrofit solution similar to August smart locks. The lock can be controlled through multiple methods, including geofencing, via the smartphone app, or compatible smart home platforms, and it works with Nuki's existing accessories like key fobs and keypads.

The fifth-generation Nuki Smart Lock Ultra will be available in Europe this December for €349, with the US version planned for the second quarter of 2025.

This article, "Nuki Unveils Smart Lock Ultra With Faster Operation, Compact Design" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Music Classical was updated today with CarPlay and Siri support, as well as stability and performance improvements, according to Apple.


CarPlay support was briefly added to a previous version of Apple Music Classical earlier this year, but it was removed just hours later. Starting with version 2.1 today, the app is once again available on CarPlay, as shown in our screenshot below.

CarPlay support provides Apple Music Classical listeners with access to their playlists, library, recommendations, and more on their vehicle's infotainment display. And with Siri on iOS 18.1 and later, users can also search via CarPlay for composers, artists, works, and instruments in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch, according to Apple. Additional languages will follow over time.


Apple Music Classical first launched in March 2023, offering users with a standard Apple Music subscription access to over five million classical music tracks at no additional cost. The streaming app features advanced search functionality, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.

The app is available for the iPhone and iPad, as well as Android. It is based on Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.

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Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates, allowing the public to continue testing new features ahead of when the software launches. The public betas come a day after Apple provided developers with new betas.


Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website. Note that Apple has also released public betas for watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and the latest HomePod software.

iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ introduce the next Apple Intelligence features, including the first image generation capabilities.

The update adds Image Playground, a new app for creating images based on text descriptions. You can enter anything you want, though Apple will suggest costumes, locations, items, and more to add to an image. There are options to create characters that resemble your friends and family, and you can choose a photo for ‌Image Playground‌ to use as inspiration to create a related image. Elements added to ‌Image Playground‌ creations are previewed, and there is a preview history so you can undo a change and go back to a prior version.

While ‌Image Playground‌ is a standalone app, it is also integrated into Messages, Notes, Freeform, and more. ‌Image Playground‌ does not make photorealistic images and is instead limited to animation or illustration styles.

The update also adds Genmoji, which are customizable emoji characters that you can create based on descriptions and phrases. Like ‌Image Playground‌ creations, you can base them on your friends and family, with the data pulled from the People album in Photos. You can also make characters using basic elements, and you'll get multiple ‌Genmoji‌ suggestions to choose from. You can create ‌Genmoji‌ using the emoji keyboard.

‌Genmoji‌ are limited to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 right now, and will be coming to ‌macOS Sequoia‌ later.

Siri in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 has ChatGPT integration. If ‌Siri‌ is unable to provide an answer to a question, ‌Siri‌ will hand the request over to ChatGPT, though ‌Siri‌ will need user permission first. ChatGPT will answer the question and relay the information back through ‌Siri‌.

ChatGPT can be used to create content from scratch, including text and images. No account is required to use ChatGPT integration, and Apple and OpenAI do not store requests.

If you have an iPhone 16, there's a Visual Intelligence feature in iOS 18.2 that provides information about what's around you. Open up the camera and point it at a restaurant to get reviews, or point it at an item to search Google for it.

Some other Visual Intelligence capabilities include reading text out loud, detecting phone numbers and addresses to add them to Contacts, copying text, and summarizing text.

Apple added Writing Tools in iOS 18.1, but in iOS 18.2, you can more freely describe the tone or content change that you want to make, such as adding more action words, or turning an email into a poem.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ now supports localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK in addition to U.S. English.

Wait List

If you've already been testing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and are opted in, you will have access to Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence automatically.

There is a secondary waiting list for early access to use ‌Genmoji‌, ‌Image Playground‌, and Image Wand. You can sign up to get access in ‌Image Playground‌ or in the areas where you access ‌Genmoji‌ or Image Wand.

When you request access, you are added to a wait list for all three capabilities and you'll get a notification when the features are available for you to use. Apple will roll out access over time.

Availability and Compatibility

The public betas are available on all devices, but the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features require a device capable of ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

Apple is still working on refining the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ tools, and the company warns that ‌Genmoji‌, Image Wand, and ‌Image Playground‌ can sometimes give you results you weren't expecting. Apple is collecting feedback on these experiences and will refine them over time.

Release Date

Apple is expected to release the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 updates in early December.
This article, "Apple Seeds Second Public Betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple previously confirmed that iOS 18.2 will be released in December, and now a potential release date within the month has surfaced.


We believe that Apple is likely planning to release iOS 18.2 on Monday, December 9, based on a recent notice that British carrier EE provided to its customers. In the notice, EE said it will be discontinuing an iPhone feature known as "Wi-Fi calling on other supported iCloud-connected devices" on December 9. The feature enables users to make Wi-Fi calls on devices like the iPad and Mac, even when their iPhone is not nearby.

The second developer beta of iOS 18.2 last week came bundled with a new EE carrier settings version numbered 60.5.2, up from 59.5.1 on the first iOS 18.2 beta and iOS 18.1. The new carrier settings version removed the "Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices" toggle from the Wi-Fi Calling section in the Settings app on iPhones used by EE customers, in line with the carrier announcing that it will stop offering the feature next month.

Most carrier setting updates are bundled with iOS updates, aside from ones with bug fixes, so EE has likely indirectly revealed that iOS 18.2 will be released on December 9. We are not absolutely certain about this date, but it is a very likely possibility.

iOS 18.2 being released on December 9 would not be very surprising. Apple already said the update was coming next month, many iOS updates are released on Mondays, and the second half of the month is pretty much ruled out due to the holiday season. Nevertheless, you can now mark your calendars a little more precisely.

iOS 18.2 includes additional Apple Intelligence features for iPhone 15 Pro models and all iPhone 16 models, including Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration for Siri, and more. On all compatible iPhones, the update also adds a new Defaults section in the Settings app, an item location sharing feature in the Find My app, and more.

(Thanks, Harvey!)

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Apple is planning to launch an AI-powered smart home display as soon as March 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will measure in at approximately six inches, and while it is similar to an iPad, it is square rather than rectangular and it has thick bezels around the edges. There is a camera at the top front so that it can be used for FaceTime, plus there are internal speakers for playing music and a built-in rechargeable battery.


Apple will offer the hub in silver and black, and it will use a touch-based interface. The operating system will look like a mix of the iPhone's StandBy mode and watchOS, though it will primarily be controlled by voice. Apple plans to integrate Apple Intelligence for accessing apps and controlling smart home products, and it was designed around App Intents, a Siri system that will be able to control apps and tasks.

Apple designed a customizable home screen with widgets that can be used to show things like the weather and upcoming appointments, a photo slideshow, or important home controls. A software-based dock will be available for launching apps, and multiple systems in different rooms will work as intercoms. Apple plans to focus on security as well, providing alerts and camera footage from connected smart home cameras.

Built-in sensors will be able to determine how close a person is standing to the device, and it can adjust features from there. When no one is nearby, for example, it might show the temperature, but as someone approaches, it can switch to an interface for adjusting the thermostat, much like Nest thermostats. It could also detect how many people are nearby using external sensors that plug into outlets throughout the home, but Apple may or may not manufacture these extra sensors.

In addition to offering smart home controls and FaceTiming features, the device will include several Apple apps like Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Notes, Calendar, and Photos, but there will not be a dedicated App Store. Apple is designing different attachments, such as a plate for attaching it to the wall and a base with additional speakers for using it in a central location in the home.

Apple plans to position the smart display as a "command center," with the aim of furthering Apple's position in the smart home market. The smart home hub has been in development for more than three years, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has been pushing the engineering and design teams to prioritize the device. It will be a standalone device, but it is meant to work in concert with other Apple products and will require an ‌iPhone‌ for setup.

With the smart home hub, Apple is looking to compete with Amazon and Google, who have similar devices. Amazon has the Echo Hub, and Google offers the Nest Hub Max. Apple will likely need to price the device similarly to these products, and the Echo Hub costs $150, while the Nest Hub Max costs $230.

While Apple has considered creating its own line of smart home accessories like an indoor security camera, it is not yet clear if the company will do so. Apple could get into accessories if the smart home display is a success. Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple was working on a smart home camera with wireless connectivity and deep integration with ‌Apple Intelligence‌, with Apple planning to launch the device in 2026.

In the future, Apple plans to release a robotic version of the smart home hub that can move the screen around, Gurman reports.

This article, "Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has considered building its own line of smart home accessories, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple could manufacture smart home cameras and other devices that would connect to its HomeKit smart home platform and that would tie in with a planned smart home "command center" that could come out as soon as next year.


As one example, Gurman suggests Apple could create an indoor security camera that could also be used as a baby monitor, which is in line with a report we heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo yesterday.

Kuo claimed that Apple is designing a smart home camera that will be manufactured starting in 2026, with Apple planning to sell "tens of millions" of the devices over the long term. Kuo says that the cameras that Apple is working on will have wireless connectivity and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Gurman does not seem as sure that Apple will follow through on plans to create its own smart home products. He says that it's something Apple is "exploring" that could be prioritized should its upcoming smart home hub device turn out to be a success.

Apple would likely emphasize privacy with its smart home cameras, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest. Ring has been derided for its privacy policies over the years, primarily because it had a "Request for Assistance" tool that allowed law enforcement officials to request video footage from Ring customers. Ring has provided police officers with Ring camera footage without notifying users, and reserves the right to do so in emergency situations. Google's Nest brand also says that it will provide police with smart home camera footage in emergency situations without a warrant.

Apple is known for having strong privacy protections, and it is possible that customers would trust a smart home camera from Apple more than a smart home camera from a company like Ring. Apple already designed a ‌HomeKit‌ protocol for cameras called HomeKit Secure Video, which is end-to-end encrypted.

Prior to coming out with any smart home accessories, Apple plans to release an iPad-like smart home display that will serve as a home hub. The smart home device, which is set to come out as soon as March 2025, will run apps and will control ‌HomeKit‌ and Matter-based accessories.

This article, "Apple Might Make Smart Home Products Like Cameras" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today released a new Gold Link Bracelet, which is available for $349. The band was first shown off when Apple introduced new Apple Watch Series 10 models, but it was not available for purchase in September.


The gold version of the Link Bracelet is identical to the natural and slate options, but it is designed to match the stainless steel Apple Watch Series 10 that comes in the same gold color. It is made from 316L stainless steel alloy with a custom butterfly closure.

Apple sells the Gold Link Bracelet in both 42mm and 46mm sizes to fit all Apple Watch models. The 46mm version fits 44mm to 49mm Apple Watch models, while the 42mm model fits 38mm to 42mm models. Apple is also selling a kit with additional links for larger wrists.

If ordered online today, the Gold Link Bracelet will arrive between December 20 and December 30. It is not yet available for Apple Store pickup.
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In the wake of the devastation rendered by Hurricane Helene, Carolina Furfare released a newsletter on October 1 stating the cancellation of the event that was to occur this weekend, and indicating that the hotels and facilities were needed in order to assist with rescue and sheltering efforts after the Hurricane hit the mountainous region.

This weather event hit the top ten most fatal and costly hurricanes in the United States even before full recovery efforts could be finalized. People who pre-registered have been given the option to roll over to next year, or to Bewhiskered 2025; due to the cancellation being so close to event day they cannot guarantee refunds for now.

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"It's a brutal world for all of us, really, and some aspects of it are not comfortable for the sentimental or the squeamish. Somehow that's never dimmed my love for all animals. I celebrate their beauty, even the darker side of it." (Introduction, The Book of Deadly Animals)

"The predators far outnumbered the vegetarians."
(last words, The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators)

It's October, the "spooky" month with Halloween at the end of it; I sometimes take advantage of that to bring to light something a bit more horror themed than the usual Flayrah fare.

This year, I'd like to share the non-fiction books of Gordon Grice, which are about animals and their sometimes very tense relationship with man, because they are some of the scariest things I've ever read, and so appropriate enough under the "it's about animals and it's spooky" month to stretch the boundaries of what a furry publication can cover. Furthermore, from a personal angle, Grice spent much of his life where I'm originally from, the Oklahoma Panhandle (we share a birth town), and I occasionally like to shine a light on what would be to me local authors.

"The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators", Delacourte Press, 1998, 259 pages, Kindle $5.99, hardcover $19.32, paperback $17.10
"The Book of Deadly Animals", Penguin Books Ltd., 2010, xxvii + 383 pages, Kindle $4.99, paperback $24.00, illustrated, originally published as Deadly Kingdom

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Democratic politicians don't fear the mob. Notice that? Why? Because they don't need to. They control the mob. The mob operates with their permission. These are their foot soldiers. This is their militia. Continue reading →

So Apple isn't fighting for diversity. They're doing exactly what they appear to be doing: they're trying to keep wages down and keep their workers compliant by importing labor from abroad.This isn't about diversity. It's about exploitation. It always is Continue reading →

The problem is the corruption that is absolutely pervasive in the U.S. news media. There are newsrooms all throughout New York and Washington DC, where top editors are explicitly saying they do not want this story investigated. And they're being clear that the reason that they don't want to investigate it is because they think even if there's corruption that's exposed here, in their view Trump is worse. And therefore it would be malfeasance on the part of the media to report corruption on the part of Biden when Trump is so much more corrupt. What they're really saying is they see their role as journalists not as informing the public, to let the public decide which candidate is better and which is worse. They see journalism, the function of it is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden. Continue reading →

The real threat is collusion. When journalists strike secret alliances with the very people they're supposed to be holding accountable, we are in deep trouble. Lies go unchallenged.  Democracy cannot function. And that's what we're watching right now. Continue reading →

This ruling class of administrative state, big tech, corporations: all of these people think that they can get rid of Trump and we'll go back to normal. They're wedded to a broken system that has sold out the American people. And now they're going to try to sell out the American people and the middle class especially. They're not going to fix immigration; they're not going to fix trade deals; they're not going to break up big tech; they're not going to do any of these things. Continue reading →

Democrats and elites are making straight white men the enemy of their new world order. Blacks, hispanics, gays are now the good guys; straight white men are the bad guys. Continue reading →

Darryl Cooper, AKA @MartyrMade, is a podcaster who had a Twitter thread go viral with 13k retweets and 20k likes of the first Tweet alone. This one is 36-Tweets long. It makes very cogent arguments of not only why millions of Trump supporters believe the 2020 election was stolen, but also why we are justified to believe it. Continue reading →

The government is instructing social media companies what should and shouldn't be allowed to be on the internet, these are the people least competent to judge what is misinformation. Continue reading →

FBI CIA NSA are not only spying on American citizens but also are illegally unmasking their identities to journalists who support our fascist government Continue reading →

And so that is what I call the birth of this woke industrial complex. It is a new leviathan, a new monster, that is far more powerful than what Thomas Hobbes might have envisioned 400 years ago, and it is the biggest threat to individual liberty today. It is not big government alone. Its conservatives are reciting lines that they memorized in 1980, thinking that big government was the threat to individual liberty. Maybe it was in 1980. It's not today. It is this new hybrid of big government and big business and big government not just in the United States but big government in places like China, co-mingled with big business creating the actual threat to our liberty and our prosperity. Continue reading →

THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE USING JANUARY 6TH. IT'S DEMENTED TO COMPARE 9/11 AND JANUARY 6TH BUT IT'S SO CENTRAL TO THE AGENDA OF THE SECURITY STATE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, TO ESSENTIALLY INITIATE A SURVEILLANCE REGIME, A DETENTION REGIME, AGAINST PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT WHO ARE AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT. AND THEY’RE ALREADY DOING IT. AND THEY PUT PEOPLE ON THE NO-FLY LIST, THE KIND OF DEFINING FEATURE OF THE FIRST WAR ON TERROR, THEY WANT TO DO NEW LEGISLATION THAT GIVES THE FBI AND THE CIA NEW POWERS, SPENDING MORE MONEY ON LAW ENFORCEMENT. THIS WAR ON TERROR IS CRUCIAL TO THEM. Continue reading →

Видео с выступления KINGS OF THRASH, которое состоялось десятого ноября в Principal Club, Thessaloniki, Greece, доступно для просмотра ниже:

01. Orange Light (opening) 0:01
02. Into The Lungs Of Hell 0:10
03. Mary Jane 4:00
04. Train Of Consequences 8:44
05. Victory 13:11
06. Skull Beneath The Skin 17:53
07. 502 22:55
08. Drum Solo 26:20
09. In My Darkest Hour 31:04
10. Black Friday 37:53
11. Guitar Solo 44:11
12. Drum Solo 45:50
13. Bass Solo 46:12
14. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (short version) 47:09

Encore

15. Wake Up Dead 50:19
16. Peace Sells 54:07

#Kings_of_Thrash #KingsofThrash