Author: mangakiko

Categories
Technology

Gran Turismo Sophy AI was initially a skunkworks project

Gran Turismo Sophy AI project was initially a skunkworks project

Gran Turismo Sophy AI project was initially a skunkworks project

You can now learn more about the people behind the GT Sophy AI that isn’t a person. Turns out, the Gran Turismo artificial intelligence was initially an under-the-desk side project.

A new video has highlighted the team behind the Gran Turismo Sophy artificial intelligence project, and with it how the project initially came to light.

The Sony AI company has two physical offices, one in Tokyo, Japan and one in Zurich, Switzerland, but then relies on a remote network to form a global team.

That helped Senior AI Engineer, Kenta Kawamoto, to form a special, small, project on the side.

“So, Kenta Kawamoto-san started this as an under-the-desk kind of project,” said Sony AI’s Chief Operating Officer Michael Spranger.

“Essentially, by himself with a few interns, building racing agents for Gran Turismo. I was always wondering whether we could scale that project.”

“Could we build an AI that is able to beat the best Gran Turismo drivers in the world?”

At the start of 2020, Florian Fuchs moved to Tokyo to start an internship with Kawamoto-san, but then COVID-19 hit. So, he took his PlayStation 4s and his research from him to his apartment from him.

There, he ran GT Sport on nine PS4s, 24/7, checking them at least once every hour to see if they were still running.

GT Sophy overtakes

“HR sends me an email,” says Kawamoto-san

“The electricity bill goes up six-fold.”

After Fuchs’s initial experiments, these were used as a basis to then kick off the project in a ‘serious’ way in the Autumn of that same year.

The team was then split into four main tasks for the AI ​​to improve on:

  • Speed ​​– Single car time trial pace
  • Skills – Racecraft against other rivals
  • Architecture – Working out what it takes to race against opponents
  • Sportsmanship – Racing fairly
Gran Turismo Sophy beats the best GT players in the world… then loses

As it stands, GT Sophy is still in development. At the recent Gran Turismo 7 World Series Nations Cup event, it was used to race against the best Gran Turismo drivers in the world, winning one race but losing a second.

“We want to deliver Gran Turismo Sophy to all players through a future Gran Turismo 7,” stated the game’s producer Kazunori Yamauchi back in February, but if that is possible and what form it would take remains to be seen.





Categories
US

Surveillance photo of Kiely Rodni from day she went missing released

Surveillance photo of Kiely Rodni from day she went missing released

A surveillance image captured the day Kiely Rodni disappeared in Tahoe has been released by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

Kiely was last seen between 12:30 am and 1 am on August 6 near the Prosser Family Campground about 10 minutes north of Truckee. According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, she was attending a party “of more than 100 juveniles and young adults.” Her vehicle, a silver 2013 Honda CRV, is also missing, and her phone has been out of service since she disappeared. The sheriff’s office and FBI are treating the case as a possible abduction because Kiely’s vehicle is still missing.

On Tuesday evening, the sheriff’s office released a still caught by surveillance cameras at an unnamed local Truckee business. Detectives found the footage after contacting businesses in the area. Kiely is seen wearing a black bodysuit and dark green Dickies pants. The image was captured at 6:08 pm on August 5, a few hours before she headed to the campground party.

Kiely Rodni was caught on surveillance footage at a Truckee business on Aug. 5, 2022, shortly before she attended the party from which she went missing.

Kiely Rodni was caught on surveillance footage at a Truckee business on Aug. 5, 2022, shortly before she attended the party from which she went missing.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office/Handout

There are conflicting accounts of Kiely’s plans for the evening. According to one friend who attended the Prosser party, Kiely intended to spend the night at the campground, along with many other attendees. But Kiely’s mother Lindsey Rodni-Nieman said she received a text from Kiely saying she would be “straight home” in about 45 minutes.

“I told her to be safe and that I loved her. And she said, ‘OK, mom, I love you, too,'” Rodni-Nieman told ABC News. “She never came home.”

Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the region looking for any sign of Kiely, with volunteers meeting each morning at the Truckee community rec center to coordinate efforts. A helicopter has been deployed for aerial sweeps along the I-80 corridor between Donner Summit and the Nevada border, and on Tuesday, marine units from three local sheriff’s offices conducted water searches.

“The only lead they have is Kiely’s last known location before she went missing,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday morning.

Kiely Rodni, 16, was last seen in Truckee on Aug. 6, 2022.

Kiely Rodni, 16, was last seen in Truckee on Aug. 6, 2022.

Placer County Sheriff’s Office/Handout

Kiely is 5-foot-7 and 115 pounds and has blonde hair, hazel eyes and a nose ring. She has multiple piercings and a tattoo of the number 17 on her ribs. Her de ella silver Honda CRV de ella has the California license plate 8YUR127. Kiely’s family runs the Lost Trail Lodge in Truckee, about a 12-mile drive from the Prosser campground.

Anyone with information regarding Kiely’s disappearance is asked to immediately contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 530-581-6320, option 7. Callers may remain anonymous. Tips can also be sent to [email protected]. The sheriff’s office says it’s received about 300 tips so far.

Categories
Technology

Cult of the Lamb – all weapons and curses

Cult of the Lamb – all weapons and curses

Roguelikes tend to have a few things in common — a key one being access to a wide weapon and ability selection. Cult of the Lamb is no different, and with over 35 weapons and 25 spells, called Curses, you’re not hard up for choices. You don’t typically get a say in what appears, but you can increase your chances of getting the good stuff by sacrificing followers and completing the upgrade tree.

in this Cult of the Lamb guidandwe’ll show you all the weapons and Curses you’ll come across on your journey to godhood. If you’re looking for Cult of the Lamb Rituals and Cult of the Lamb Doctrines, we’ve got pages on those too.

Cult of the Lamb – all weapons

There is a solid range of weapons you’ll find as you battle your way through Cult of the Lamb, from lightning-fast daggers to bulky hammers. Here’s what they all do, alongside a little bit of lore to help you choose:

Bet’s Cleaver: Swing with intent. A mighty tool of unstoppable brutality.

Merciless Axe: Once borne by the executioners of old. Chance to deal a Critical Hit when attacking enemies.

Zealous Axe: Collected Fervor will also increase your Divine Inspiration bar. Used by the great Fanatic to execute heretics.

Godly Axe: Deals significantly more damage than mortal weapons. The blade that severed the Lands of the Old Faith from the world.

Vampiric Axe: Chance to heal the wielder using the life force of a slain foe. Consumer of the blood it spills.

Necromantic Axe: When slaying a foe, summon a ghost that will attack nearby enemies. Severed heads still may talk.

Bane Axe: Chance of poisoning enemies when attacking. Once struck by the toxins, one begs for the blade.

Traitor’s Razor: A fast blade designed for many cuts. Low damage but lightning quick. Never given, only taken.

Merciless Dagger: Chance to deal a Critical Hit when attacking enemies. Piercer of hearts.

Zealous Dagger: Collected Fervor will also increase your Divine Inspiration bar. Used by the Fanatic to give offerings of blood.

Godly Dagger: Deals significantly more damage than mortal weapons. Stolen from the tomb of one of the Old Gods.

Vampiric Dagger: Chance to heal the wielder using the life force of a slain foe. Eerily similar to the canine of some fierce beast…

Necromantic Dagger: When slaying a foe, summon a ghost that will attack nearby enemies. Only the God of Death may cut souls free.

BaneDagger: Chance of poisoning enemies when attacking. The signature weapon of the jealous lover.

Tempest’s Gauntlets: A set of deadly spiked gloves. Weak at first, but devastating on a complete combo. An iron fist from which none can escape.

Merciless Gauntlet: Chance to deal a Critical Hit when attacking enemies. Imbued with the restless spirit of a fallen crusader.

Zealous Gauntlet: Collected Fervor will also increase your Divine Inspiration bar. Protects against doubt.

Godly Gauntlet: Deals significantly more damage than mortal weapons. The last remnant of divine armor, long lost.

Vampiric Gauntlet: Chance to heal the wielder using the life force of a slain foe. Made for drawing out the fire of life.

Necromantic Gauntlet: When slaying a foe, summon a ghost that will attack nearby enemies. Once worn to gather the souls of the departed.

Bane Gauntlet: Chance of poisoning enemies when attacking. A venomous touch, however gentle.

Warmaker’s Hammer: Slow to fall, yet calamitous upon landing. Splinter of skulls.

Merciless Hammer: Chance to deal a Critical Hit when attacking enemies. What remains once the hammer has struck?

Zealous Hammer: Collected Fervor will also increase your Divine Inspiration bar. Gavel of judgment, strike true.

Godly Hammer: Deals significantly more damage than mortal weapons. Shaped these lands to the desires of their Gods.

Vampiric Hammer: Chance to heal the wielder using the life force of a slain foe. Driver of stakes.

Necromantic Hammer: When slaying a foe, summon a ghost that will attack nearby enemies. Used in ancient rituals to grind bones to dust.

Ban Hammer: Chance of poisoning enemies when attacking. Forged with ill-intent and evil spirits.

Crusader’s Blade: A well-balanced blade dealing moderate damage. Stalwart companion to the wandering warrior.

Merciless Sword: Chance to deal a Critical Hit when attacking enemies. Grant no mercy, take no chances.

Zealous Sword: Collected Fervor will also increase your Divine Inspiration bar. The blade of the great Fanatic.

Godly Sword: Deal significantly more damage than mortal weapons. Once used to draw Godly blood…

Vampiric Sword: Chance to heal the wielder using the life force of a slain foe. Vitality to those bold enough to take it.

Necromantic Sword: When slaying a foe, summon a ghost that will attack nearby enemies. Death’s own blade.

Banesword: Chance of poisoning enemies when attacking. Coated in the bile of a beast, long forgotten.

Cult of the Lamb – all Curses

If you lean more towards the magical side of things, Curses have got you covered. Here’s a list of all the Curses you can acquire:

Divine Guardian: Two seconds of invincibility. Deflects projectiles, causing damage. Under the shadow of wings, thou lie protected.

Divine Blizzard: Knocks back and freezes enemies. The breath of a forgotten God… once stronger than all.

Divine Blight: Knocks back and poisons enemies. Omen of great ill-fortune.

DivineForce: Locks enemies into position for a short time. For who is worthy to look upon a God?

Divine Blast: Knocks back enemies within your range while also damaging them. A curse against those unworthy of your presence.

Trail Blazed: Shoots projectiles both forward and back. Light the path trod, and the way to come.

Strike of the Crown: Shoots a fierce projectile that has a chance to possess enemies on hit. Embrace the crown and your sins shall be forgiven.

Hounds of Fate: Shoots multiple projectiles that seek out enemies. Seek and strike those who dare doubt.

Cleaning Fire: Shoots three projectiles at once. Flames of cleansing burn thrice as bright.

Flaming Shot: Shoot a piercing bolt of fire. Hold and release at the mark to make it explosive. Send forth the flames of the Underworld.

Oath of the Crown: A devastating melee attack that also has a chance to possess impacted enemies. The curse with which the Great Ones severed our world from theirs.

Death’s Disregard: A devastating melee attack that also deflects projectiles. And with a sweep of his hand he did his enemies fall.

Death’s Squall: A devastating melee attack that will also freeze hit enemies. A kiss from death, so cold and inviting.

Death’s Attendant: A devastating melee attack that will also summon ghosts to attack enemies. Retainer of Death, attend your master.

Death’s Sweep: A devastating melee attack that can be charged for increased power. Raze miscreants to the ground.

Ichor Consuming: Black Ichor will spread further. From the blood of the Old Gods did all life rise.

Call of the Crown: A sacred projectile that will directly hit enemies. You need only issue your word, and they will obey.

Point of Corruption: An explosive projectile. For none are undeserving of punishment.

Path of the Righteous: A projectile that creates a trail of black Ichor. Walk, and be guided by faith.

Ichor Thrown: A projectile that spreads black Ichor on landing. Part the oceans of blood.

Maelstrom: Tentacles will strike out in four directions. An Old God may still reside in the depths.

Touch of Ithaqua: An eruption of ice pillars that freezes enemies on hit. A call from below that began the Winter Year.

Passage of the Mariner: An eruption of far-reaching tentacles. A course chartered, a voyage made.

Touch of the Revenant: Tears open the earth to release a horde of ghosts that target nearby enemies. Release those trapped souls that clamor for freedom.

Touch of Turua: Summon a violent eruption of powerful tentacles. Sinker of ships, rise from the deep.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.

.

Categories
US

Nebraska teen and mother facing charges in abortion-related case that involved obtaining their Facebook messages

Nebraska teen and mother facing charges in abortion-related case that involved obtaining their Facebook messages

Norfolk police began investigating Celeste Burgess and her mother, Jessica Burgess, in late April following concerns Celeste had prematurely delivered a stillborn fetus, according to court documents. After the two were initially charged, law enforcement continued to investigate and obtained Facebook messages between Celeste and Jessica that appear to make reference to abortion pills and burning “the evidence,” according to a copy of the conversation — which is now being used in the case — contained in court filings. Police claim that after the body of the fetus was exhumed, it appeared to have “thermal injuries” indicating that it may have been burned after the pregnancy was terminated, court documents show.

The case began before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. But it highlights an issue digital privacy experts and some lawmakers have been raising alarms about in recent months: That law enforcement in some states could use people’s personal data to enforce laws prohibiting abortion, a practice which experts worry could increase following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Experts have warned that prosecutors could, for example, serve search warrants to tech companies requesting location data, search history or call logs to help corroborate whether someone had or aided in an abortion. The Burgess case shows how that has, in some cases, already been happening to enforce existing laws.

Celeste, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident, initially told investigators that she had unexpectedly miscarried a stillborn fetus, and that she and her mother later buried the fetus, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant. When interviewed by a police detective she “scrolled through her messages on her Facebook Messenger account” in an attempt to surface the date of her miscarriage, which police said led them to believe that there might be more messages with specifics about the case and to seek a search warrant, according to court documents.

The public defender’s office representing Celeste Burgess, who is being tried as an adult, declined to comment. CNN Business has also reached out to the attorney representing Jessica Burgess.

Investigators served Goal (fb), Facebook’s parent company, with a search warrant on June 7 for information pertaining to the accounts of Celeste and her mother. Facebook turned over the results of the search warrants within two days. The data provided by the company included over 250 MB of data related to Celeste’s Facebook account and more than 50 MB of data about Jessica’s account, such as account information, images, audio and visual recordings, messages and other data, court documents show. The data included direct message exchanges between Celeste and Jessica two days prior to the “miscarriage/stillbirth” that suggested they’d received pills, and made plans for how to use them and what to do with “the evidence,” according to a signed affidavit in support of an additional search warrant by Detective Ben McBride of the Norfolk Police Investigations Unit.
In a Tuesday night statement on Twitter responding to a story about the Burgesses’ case, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said “nothing in the valid warrants we received from local law enforcement in early June, prior to the Supreme Court decision, mentioned abortion.” In a post Tuesday on its website titled, “Correcting the Record on Meta’s Involvement in Nebraska Case,” Meta said “court documents indicate that police were at that time investigating the alleged illegal burning and burial of a stillborn infant. The warrants were accompanied by non-disclosure orders, which prevented us from sharing information about them.

The affidavit filed by McBride, the detective investigating the Burgesses, requesting approval of the search warrant to Facebook noted that he would be seeking evidence related to “prohibited acts with skeletal remains,” according to court documents obtained by CNN Business.

After the initial request to Facebook, prosecutors filed an additional search warrant on June 16 that requested evidence of internet searches or purchase of medications used for miscarriage, among other things. Thirteen technology devices belonging to the Burgesses were also seized in response to that warrant, according to the court documents

In June, Celeste and Jessica were each charged with one felony count of prohibited acts with human skeletal remains, one misdemeanor count of concealing the death of another person and one misdemeanor count of false information. Both have pleaded not guilty to all three, and trials have been set for later this year. After the police obtained data from the two search warrants Jessica was later also charged with two additional felonies, inducing an illegal abortion and performing an abortion as someone other than a licensed physician, to which she also pleaded not guilty. A 22-year-old man was issued a citation in relation to the case for allegedly concealing the death of another person, according to a May police press release. He pleaded no reply to a misdemeanor, according to a report from the Lincoln Journal Star.

The case was earlier reported by the Lincoln Journal Star, Forbes and Vice.

Nebraska currently prohibits abortions after 20 weeks, a law that has been in place since before Roe v Wade was overturned. Celeste Burgess was around 28 weeks pregnant when her pregnancy ended, court documents allege.

A big question for tech companies post-Roe: How to respond to law enforcement requests for data?

Although the Burgesses were charged before Roe v. Wade was rolled back — and the protection would not have applied to the women’s actions following the end of the pregnancy — the case demonstrates how private information such as direct messages on social media could be used to enforce laws prohibiting abortion. In 2018, a Mississippi woman was also indicted by a grand jury for second degree murder after an at-home pregnancy loss, after law enforcement pointed to her de ella internet search results such as “buy abortion pills,” although the charges were ultimately dropped .

Captain Michael Bauer of the Norfolk Police Division said in an email to CNN Business that officers and detectives may not comment on cases outside of court.

Following the Supreme Court’s June ruling, tech giants largely avoided saying how they would respond to law enforcement requests for data that could lead to the prosecution of abortion seekers or providers — even as some of those same companies pledged to help cover travel costs for their own employees who need to travel to obtain legal abortion services. Asked in June, companies including Amazon, Apple, Google, Lyft, Facebook-parent Meta, Microsoft, Uber, Snap, TikTok and Twitter either didn’t respond, declined to comment or didn’t directly answer questions about how they would handle data requests targeting abortion-seekers.

In many cases, tech platforms may have little choice but to respond to legal requests for information. Tech companies have broadly said they comply with government data requests so long as they are consistent with existing laws. Now, the rollback of federal abortion protections, combined with the passage of new legislation in numerous states restricting abortion, could make it difficult for platforms to fight certain data demands related to abortion investigations.

In June, Meta responded to questions about law enforcement requests for data by directing CNN Business to its transparency center and said the company requires government requests to be consistent with the law and with the company’s own data policies. “If we determine that a government request is not consistent with applicable law or our policies, we push back and engage the governmental agency to address any apparent deficiencies. If the request is unlawful (for example, overly broad, or legally deficient in any way ), we will challenge or reject the request,” the company states.

–CNN’s Brian Fung contributed reporting.

.

Categories
Technology

SpaceX Avoids Explosion in Test of Starship Booster

SpaceX Avoids Explosion in Test of Starship Booster

The static fire test of Booster 7, in which one of the rocket's 33 Raptor engines was ignited.

The static fire test of Booster 7, in which one of the rocket’s 33 Raptor engines was ignited.
photo: SpaceX

Engineers at SpaceX have performed the first static fire test of Booster 7, a prototype of the Super Heavy first stage. The test, in which just one of the booster’s 33 Raptor engines was ignited, moves the company closer to its first orbital test of the revolutionary Starship system.

The test happened on August 8 at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, according to a company tweet. Ground teams completed a single Raptor engine static fire test as the 227-foot-tall (69 meters) booster stood vertically at the “Mechazilla” launch tower. Booster 7 is equipped with 33 Raptor engines, but SpaceX, in a rare moment of caution, chose to ignite just one.

Encouragingly, a pair of spin-prime tests conducted earlier in the day did not result in an burst. SpaceX avoided a repeat of the July 11 incident in which a gaseous mixture of methane and oxygen was accidentally ignited, causing a significant explosion directly beneath the booster.

Spin-prime tests, in which propellants are pumped through the engines without igniting them, are typically done in preparation of static fire tests (static fire tests involve engine burns without an actual launch of the rocket). They’re done to test the plumbing, but the gasses produced during the July 11 spin-prime test got ignited by an unknown source. The resulting explosion damaged the prototype booster, sending it back to the Starbase factory for repairs.

Booster 7 returned to the launch pad on August 6 following the re-installation of 20 of the rocket’s 33 Raptor engines, accordingly to Teslarati. On August 8, “clearly indicative of a much more cautious second attempt at engine testing, SpaceX ‘primed’ just one of those 20 Raptors by flowing high-pressure gas through the engine to spin up its turbopumps without igniting its preburners (used to generate the gas that powers the turbopumps) or main combustion chamber,” as Teslarati reports.

Later that day, SpaceX ignited the lone Raptor engine. The company have you performed a static fire test of a Starship booster prototype before, but this marks the first static fire test of Booster 7, even if limited in scale. The test appeared to go smoothly, with the engine firing and shutting down following a four-second burn. Not content to stop there, SpaceX also performed static fire tests of two Raptors on an upper stage, namely the prototype Starship 24.

It’s a small step for Starship, but a potentially big leap for SpaceX, as it works to develop its revolutionary heavy launch system. The booster is the first stage of the fully reusable two-stage rocket, with the Starship spacecraft serving as the upper stage. SpaceX envisions Starship as a platform for delivering passengers and cargo to deep space, including future missions to Mars. It’s also NASA’s current first choice to serve as the human landing system for Artemis 3, scheduled for no earlier than 2025.

Both Starship stages are powered by Raptor engines, which are more powerful than the Merlin engines used on the company’s Falcon 9 rockets. The Starship upper stage has already completed a series of suborbital tests, including a successful vertical landing on May 5, 2021. A launch of the fully stacked system has yet to take place, but SpaceX expects to perform an orbital test at some point this year. CEO Elon Musk expects this test will fail, saying a successful orbital test could happen at some point within the next 12 months.

The sight of a single Raptor engine burn is impressive, making it hard to imagine what it’ll look like when all 33 Raptor engines are set to go-mode. The successful test on August 8 suggests a full-fledged static fire test of Booster 7 is closely approaching.

More: Gigantic Crowds Expected for Inaugural Launch of NASA’s Mega Rocket.

.

Categories
US

Robin Vos, top Wisconsin lawmaker targeted by Trump, wins GOP primary

Robin Vos, top Wisconsin lawmaker targeted by Trump, wins GOP primary

Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, narrowly survived a primary challenge on Tuesday after becoming the target of former President Donald Trump’s ire, the Associated Press projected.

As of 10:45 am ET on Wednesday, Vos’ lead over Trump-backed challenger Adam Steen was less than 3 points. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Vos in recent weeks after the Wisconsin Republican refused to overturn the 2020 election in his state.

Vos, the longest-serving speaker in Wisconsin history, told The Associated Press after his victory that the win proved lawmakers “don’t have to be a lapdog to whatever Donald Trump says.”

That Steen could even make the race as close as it was, only having been endorsed by Trump one week before primary day, showed Trump’s influence — and that of election denialism — remains strong in the critical presidential swing state.

For months, Vos was under pressure from Trump and faced criticism broadly from his right flank over not pursuing the decertification of the 2020 election in his state, which President Joe Biden won by more than 20,000 votes.

Vos said last month that Trump called him after the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a decision earlier in the month restricting the use of absentee ballot drop boxes in future elections.

That ruling said a decision in 2020 by the Wisconsin Elections Commission expanding the use of drop boxes because of the pandemic was “unlawful,” and Trump — who has repeatedly advanced evidence-free claims that the boxes contributed to widespread fraud — pressed Vos to decertify the results.

You told Milwaukee’s WISN that he declined, telling Trump it would be unconstitutional. Trump responded by railing against Vos on his Truth Social platform, saying election integrity “seems to mean nothing” to the Wisconsin lawmaker. In endorsing Steen, Trump accused Vos of “constantly fighting America First efforts and policies.”

“It was a RIGGED Election,” Trump wrote. “A lot of people will be voting against Vos on Tuesday, and for very good reason. A do nothing RINO!!!” (Republican in Name Only).

You have long resisted Trump’s efforts to upend the election. In June 2021, Vos hired former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to oversee a review of the election. Though Gableman said in a later report that lawmakers should consider decertifying the 2020 vote, Vos said there was no Constitutional power to do so. A Wisconsin judge said last month that Gableman found “absolutely no evidence of election fraud” in his report on him.

Gableman also backed Steen, who campaigned on decertifying the election, and both men appeared at Trump’s Wisconsin rally last week.

Speaking with The Associated Press, Vos said “this election was only about one topic.”

“It was only about whether or not we could decertify the last election and overturn it,” he said. “This was only a referendum on overturning the election, which is unconstitutional.”

First elected in 2004, Vos became speaker of the Assembly in 2013. He will not face a Democratic challenger this fall.

Vos’ victory comes after a Trump-backed challenger defeated Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers this month in a state Senate primary. Bowers, who testified before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, also refused pressure from Trump and allies to overturn the 2020 vote.

Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.

Categories
Technology

Cult of the Lamb Rituals list – all Rituals and what they do

Cult of the Lamb Rituals list – all Rituals and what they do

In Cult of the Lamb, you have access to a wide range of rituals to help you progress through the game. Some are unlocked by simply playing through the game and completing quests, while others are obtained depending on your Doctrine choices.

It’s impossible to see them all in one playthrough, but if you’re curious about what your options are, we have a list of them right here for you. here are all the rituals in Cult of the Lamb. And if you’re looking for all the weapons and curses in the game, we have a list of those, too.

Glory Through Toil: Followers will work tirelessly for 3 days and nights.

Wedding: Marry one of your Followers and gain +30 faith.

Sacrifice of the Flesh: Sacrifice a Follower to power up, unlocking new abilities and weapons in the process. Higher-level Followers are more valuable when sacrificed over lower-level ones.

Ritual of Resurrection: Bring a dead Follower back to life.

Re-indoctrinate Follower: Have a Follower recommit themselves so they may be customized again.

Holy Day Ritual: Your Followers will take the day off and gain +80 faith.

Ritual of the Harvest: All planted Farm Plots will immediately be ready for harvest.

Funeral: Conduct a funeral for a recently passed Follower and gain +20 faith.

Ritual of the Ocean’s Bounty: Catch double fish for two days, and special fish will be more common.

Fight Pit Ritual: Command two Followers to fight to the death – unless, of course, you decide to show mercy…

The Glory of Construction: Instantly build all structures currently under construction.

Ritual Fast: Followers will not need to eat for three days.

Ritual of Enlightenment: Temporarily increase devotion generation speed at your shrine by 20% for three days.

Ritual of Enrichment: All Followers donate gold to you.

Brainwashing Ritual: Followers will become brainwashed. Faith will be locked at full for two days.

Tax Enforcer: A Ritual to appoint a Follower as your Tax Enforcer. They will gather gold from other Cult members.

Loyalty Enforcer: A Ritual to appoint a Follower as your Loyalty Enforcer, tasked with patrolling the Cult and raising the Loyalty of Followers.

Ascend Follower Ritual: Perform a Ritual at your temple in which you can ascend a Followers spirit to a higher plane of existence. All Followers gain Loyalty.

Alms for the Poor: Distribute gold to all Followers to increase their Loyalty. You will also gain +10 faith.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.

.

Categories
US

Hours before the Albuquerque killings suspect was publicly identified, CNN reporters were inside his home. Here’s what happened

Hours before the Albuquerque killings suspect was publicly identified, CNN reporters were inside his home. Here's what happened

Hours before the announcement of the arrest, CNN had been allowed into Syed’s home and had spoken to his daughter as the family was still cleaning up after investigators, she said, executed a search warrant the prior night. Living room rugs were tossed around, and the contents of drawers had been strewn about. The flag of Afghanistan – from where Syed and his family moved several years ago – hung prominently in the living room.

In the home, authorities found firearms, along with information showing Syed may have known the victims “to some extent” and interpersonal conflict may have led to the killings, police said Tuesday.

One of the firearms recovered in his home has been linked to bullet casings found at the scenes of two of the killings, while casings for a handgun found in his car when he was stopped were linked to one of the scenes, according to the arrest affidavit .

Police haven’t yet determined a motive for the killings, they have said.

Syed denied any involvement in the killings during an interview with police on Tuesday, according to the arrest affidavit.

The daughter’s husband was friends with two of the men who were killed, Aftab Hussein and Naeem Hussain, she told CNN, which has chosen not to name her out of concern for her safety. Her father de ella was not happy when she got married in February 2018 but he had come to accept the union more recently, she said.

The woman, one of Syed’s six children, said her father was home during the shootings but could not offer proof.

“My father is not a person who can kill somebody. My father has always talked about peace. That’s why we are here in the United States. We came from Afghanistan, from fighting, from shooting,” she told CNN.

The daughter said her father, who works as a truck driver, also drives a gray Volkswagen Jetta. albuquerque police previously released images of a gray Volkswagen sedan, appearing to be a Jetta, that they called a “vehicle of interest” in the killings.

Syed left his home in his vehicle Monday night, telling his family he was going to Texas to find a place for them, fearful of the recent shootings that had taken place in the Muslim community, his daughter said.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina (left) is joined Tuesday by Mayor Tim Keller and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in announcing the suspect's arrest.

Authorities, acting on a tip from the public, had been preparing to execute a search warrant on Syed’s home Monday night when they saw him get into his car and followed him, deputy commander of the Albuquerque Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division Kyle Hartsock said in a Tuesday news conference.

Syed was pulled over and detained near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, about 120 miles east of Albuquerque and roughly halfway to the Texas border.

Meanwhile, police executed the search warrant in Syed’s home and found multiple firearms, Hartsock said.

Officials plan to charge Syed with two homicides — the killings of Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain — they said, and are working with the district attorney on potential charges for the August 5 killing of Naeem Hussain and the November killing of Mohammad Zaher Ahmadi , Hartsock said.

4 Muslim men were killed in Albuquerque. Here's what we know about them

There is evidence “strong enough that” authorities are continuing to view Syed as the “most likely person of interest or suspect” in those killings as well, Hartsock said.

The family has been in the US for roughly six years, the daughter said.

Hartsock confirmed Syed is from Afghanistan, saying he had “a few minor misdemeanor arrests (from the Albuquerque Police Department) from domestic violence” in the last several years and some other incidents, adding, “That’s our only known history with him locally.”

All three previous domestic violence charges Syed faced were dismissed, Hartsock said.

The four Muslim men were killed in Albuquerque between November and this month — the latest three within a span of two weeks. All victims were of South Asian descent, and an arrest affidavit obtained Tuesday by CNN affiliate KOAT provided more details on two of the killings.

Aftab Hussein was found July 26 with multiple gunshot wounds, lying next to a car, according to police. Detectives learned the gunman had waited behind a bush near the driveway where the victim usually parked his vehicle, then fired through the bush multiple times when Hussein got out of his vehicle, according to the complaint.

On August 1, police got a call about a drive-by shooting and found Muhammud Afzaal Hussain with multiple gunshot wounds, the complaint states.

Ashley Killough and Ed Lavandera reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Christina Maxouris wrote from Atlanta.

.

Categories
Technology

Elden Ring Patch 1.06 Comparison Videos Highlight Small Performance Improvements on PC and More

Elden Ring Patch 1.06 Comparison Videos Highlight Small Performance Improvements on PC and More

New Elden Ring comparison videos that have been shared online confirm that patch 1.06 brought some changes outside of those listed in the official patch notes.

A new video shared by MxBenchmarkPC reveals that the latest patch for From Software’s latest game brings small performance improvements, at least at 1080p resolution.

The Elden Ring patch 1.06 brought some important balance changes, such as tweaks to the Great Ax attack speed and changes to the Bloodhound Step and Quickstep Ashes of War and the Rivers of Blood katana. Videos shared by WaZeus, Gamers Cathedral, and Prizaa Gaming Channel highlight these changes by comparing the weapons and Ashes of War between different game versions.

Elden Ring is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One worldwide. Learn more about the latest game by From Software by checking out my review.

I tried hard to find any faults in Elden Ring, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find any outside of some technical issues that the developers could fix via patches. I firmly believe that perfection doesn’t exist and that it is always possible to improve, but I really couldn’t think of anything that Elden Ring could have done better. As such, the game wholly deserves a perfect score, an honor I would have given only to a couple of other modern games, not only for its extremely high quality but also for what it accomplished with its open world and for how it will surely influence video games as a whole in the future.

Products mentioned in this post

Categories
Entertainment

Issey Miyake, famous Japanese fashion designer, dies aged 84 | fashion

The Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, renowned for his innovative pleated clothing and for producing 100 mock turtlenecks for the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has died of liver cancer in a hospital in Tokyo. He was 84.

The Issey Miyake Group released a short statement about his work saying: “Miyake’s dynamic spirit was driven by a relentless curiosity and desire to convey joy through the medium of design.” It stated that “as per Mr Miyake’s wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service”.

Much like Andy Warhol, Miyake was interested in the overlap between art and design, and fashion. Throughout his 52-year career, the designer maintained an “anti-trend” stance, always referring to his designs as “clothing” rather than “fashion”.

“I am most interested in people and the human form,” Miyake told the New York Times in 2014. “Clothing is the closest thing to all humans.”

Perhaps best known for designing the polyester-cotton mock turtlenecks indelibly linked with Steve Jobs, it is believed he produced 100 at less than $200 each. Designed to alleviate “decision fatigue”, along with Jobs’ Levi’s 501s and New Balance 991s, the tops became shorthand for late 90s Silicon Valley uniform, based on the idea that busy people’s minds are on more important things than picking out ties.

Issey Miyake in Paris, 1997
Issey Miyake in Paris, 1997
 Photograph: Daniel SIMON/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Born in Hiroshima in 1938, Miyake studied graphic design at the Tama Art University in Tokyo. But piqued by the crossover between disciplines, he pivoted to fashion and moved to Paris to become an apprentice to Guy Laroche and eventually work for Hubert de Givenchy around the time Audrey Hepburn was wearing his dresses by him.

After witnessing the 1968 student protests, Miyake became disenchanted by an industry designed to dress only the wealthy. It was this interest in fashion as art and function, democratic but aesthetically pleasing, which led him to establish the Miyake Design Studio in 1970, and show his first very wearable collection in New York in 1971. One of his earliest pieces was a jersey body , hand-painted using traditional Japanese tattoo techniques.

A keen sportsman, function became the lynchpin of Miyake’s work. His most famous and most affordable clothes from him, the Pleats Please line, was launched in 1993 as a retort to the price and unwearability of high-end fashion.

Featuring capes and trousers, and flowing sleeveless tabards made from heat-treated polyester to create permanent pleats, the clothes never creased, could be machine washed and be rolled instead of folded. The line remains one of the first and best examples of gender-free clothing and still fetches hundreds of pounds on resale sites.

Models display creations from Issey Miyake's spring/summer 2023 men's collection during Paris fashion week
Models display creations from Issey Miyake’s spring/summer 2023 men’s collection during Paris fashion week in June. Photograph: Mohammed Badra/EPA

It was Miyake’s cynicism about the fashion industry, in particular the speed at which it was produced, that gave his designs such longevity in reputation and design. In an interview with the Village Voice in 1983, Miyake outlined his opposition to the fashion cycle: “I want my customer to be able to wear a sweater I designed 10 years ago with this year’s pants.”

Mikyake saw technology as a solution to the problem of overproduction, with one such solution the late 90’s “One Piece of Cloth” idea (later known as A-POC) which pioneered the idea of ​​making clothes out of a single tube of fabric, cutting down and waste and showing exactly what could be done with a knitting machine, a computer and the right knowhow.

Many of his designs are in museums, including the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. In 2010, he received the Order of Culture in 2010 and in 2016 he was decorated as a Commandeur de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur.

Loth to give interviews, Miyake had a pronounced limp – a result of surviving the 1945 atomic bomb dropped on his home town of Hiroshima when he was seven. Three years later, his mother died of radiation exposure.

In a rare 2009 op-ed for the New York Times, Miyake recounted just how much that day, and his mother’s subsequent death, informed his creativity. “I have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to put them behind me, preferring to think of things that can be created, not destroyed, and that bring beauty and joy. I gravitated toward the field of clothing design, partly because it is a creative format that is modern and optimistic.

“I did not want to be labeled ‘the designer who survived the atomic bomb’.”