News from November 4, 2025

Technology

Country star Todd Snider arrested after claiming he was the victim of a ‘violent assault’ in Utah

Country singer-songwriter Todd Snider has reportedly been arrested and accused of threatening hospital staff after it was announced his recent tour had been suddenly canceled. A statement on Snider’s Instagram account claimed that he had been the “victim of a violent assault” outside of his hotel in Salt Lake City, which left him unable to perform. According to KUTV’s report, the singer, 59, was discharged from Holy Cross Hospital on Sunday, but he argued with staff, believing he was not ready to be released. Snider then allegedly yelled and cursed at hospital employees. When he eventually left, the singer reportedly returned shortly afterwards to threaten staff with physical violence. The singer was subsequently arrested and booked into Salt Lake County Metro Jail. The Independent has reached out to the South Salt Lake Police Department for comment. The Portland-native, who has released more than a dozen albums throughout his 30-year career, said in his social media statement that he would be taking time off from performing for an undetermined amount of time as he recovers from his injuries. Aimless Inc., his management company, posted the statement on Snider’s Instagram page. “We are heartbroken to announce the cancellation of the High, Lonesome and Then Some 2025 Tour dates,” the press release said. “Ahead of Todd Snider’s show in Salt Lake City, Todd sustained severe injuries as the victim of a violent assault outside of his hotel. “Todd will be unable to perform for an undetermined amount of time. We deeply apologize for the cancellation and any inconvenience it causes. “We appreciate your understanding as Todd receives needed medical treatment. We hope to have more information on new dates soon.” Snider was touring in support of his most recent effort, “High, Lonesome and Then Some,” which was released on October 17. The singer’s website lists 11 tour dates for 2025 and an additional seven scheduled for January and February. The tour began on Thursday, with a day off on Friday for Halloween before Saturday’s event. The nature of the assault has not been made clear. The Independent has reached out to Snider’s management team for comment. In preparation for the tour, Snider’s team posted to his Instagram last week expressing their excitement for the upcoming performances. “We pulled into the mountains of Colorado with some beautiful fall weather and new tunes to play in support of the new album,” the post read. “Todd will be joined by an ace band of troubadours, including Joe Bisirri, Robbie Crowell, Ted Pecchio, Erica Blinn and Brooke Gronemeyer!”

Olivia Ireland 17 hours ago

Technology

Singles’ day is thriving in China. Will America welcome this new holiday?

On Nov. 11 each year, a curious holiday takes over China. What began among Nanjing University students in the 1990s as a tongue-in-cheek counter to Valentine’s Day has exploded into the world’s largest shopping event: Singles’ Day. The date, 11/11, was chosen because the four ones resemble “bare sticks,” Chinese slang for singles. Today, the holiday generates more than $150 billion in annual sales, exceeding those on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day combined. As a bachelor, behavioral economist and business school professor, I study how single living is transforming consumer behavior and market dynamics. My work has convinced me that Singles’ Day, or something like it, could resonate far beyond Asia. Here’s why. The unmarried will soon make up the majority in many countries, and this shift is already reshaping culture and commerce across Asia. It’s not a coincidence that Singles’ Day emerged in China. The country’s one-child policy, in effect from 1980 to 2015, led many families to prefer sons – creating a gender imbalance that left millions of men without potential female partners. At the same time, rising education and career opportunities have given many women the independence to forgo traditional marriage altogether. You can see a similar pattern across East Asia. In Japan, single-person households now outnumber those of married couples with children. In South Korea, one-person households reached nearly 36% in 2023, the highest share on record. Together, these shifts are fueling what Japanese call “ohitorisama,” or the “party of one,” and what Koreans describe as “honjok,” or “alone tribe,” cultures: movements that celebrate independence and self-reliance. Businesses across Asia have seized the opportunity, catering to independent lifestyles with offerings such as single-seat karaoke booths and movie theaters designed for solo patrons. Singles’ Day is a prime example of companies capitalizing on this shift. Each year, retailers across Asia embrace the occasion with themed promotions, presales and limited-edition product launches. Companies such as Xiaomi release exclusive smartphones, while Nike introduces new sneakers every Singles’ Day. Even airlines have joined in: Singapore’s Jetstar Asia once offered 111,111 discounted seats, positioning solo travel as an empowering experience. Singles’ Day channels massive spending power – reframing singlehood as something to celebrate rather than lament – and shows how a retail event can feed a cultural shift. In the U.S. and across much of the rest of the world, meanwhile, businesses remain wed to an outdated assumption: that marriage is everyone’s destiny. It’s not. Right now, half of American adults are unmarried, and half of those singles aren’t seeking a relationship. In 1960, only 10% of American adults would remain single for life. Today, some forecasts show that 25% of millennials, who are now between 29 and 44, and 33% of Gen Z who are 13 to 28, will never marry. While the average age of first marriage was just 21 in 1960, today it has risen to 29. Through my Solo project – which includes a book, podcast and TED talk – I explore how widely single people’s goals vary, both in relationships and beyond. By understanding singles’ diverse goals and lifestyles, American businesses can gain a competitive edge with targeted communication, innovative products and tailored services. Singles aren’t a monolith. My research identifies four main types: This diversity matters. “Somedays” may respond to dating apps and matchmaking services. “Just Mays” and “New Ways” gravitate toward experiences, hobbies and personal growth. “No Ways” are alienated by romance-centric messaging and instead embrace autonomy and community. To explore how Singles’ Day might be received in North America, I surveyed nearly 400 U.S. singles ages 24 to 59. The most common ways they said they’d celebrate were by finding a date, treating themselves to a gift or practicing self-care. In many industries, a 2% demographic shift ought to trigger an all-hands marketing meeting. So how can the decades-long rise of single living still go largely overlooked by most companies in the U.S.? To be fair, there have been glimmers of recognition in recent years. For example, in 2021, Visible Wireless repositioned its “family plans” to “friends and family plans without the family drama.” In 2024, Norwegian Cruise Line introduced studio cabins for solo travelers, tackling the long-standing and dreaded “single supplement.” Similarly, IKEA, after offering a Valentine’s dinner only for couples in 2024, pivoted this year to an inclusive promotion: “Bring a loved one, a good friend, or the whole family.” But those are the exceptions rather than the rule. What should U.S. brands do to appeal to this growing market? Here’s my advice: I teach my business students to ask, “Is there a market?” and “Can we serve it profitably?” The answers here are obvious. Singles are everywhere. They’re dining alone, traveling solo, buying homes and spending billions. And yet they remain largely overlooked in a world built for two. The rise of Singles’ Day in Asia shows what happens when businesses take singles seriously: consumer innovation, cultural relevance and record-breaking profits. I expect the U.S. will follow – whether reluctantly or enthusiastically. The only question in my mind is: When?

Peter McGraw 17 hours ago

Technology

Proposition 50 live election results: Californians weigh in on redistricting measure

Proposition 50 is a ballot proposal appearing on California ballots that will determine whether the state will redraw its congressional voting districts to add as many as five Democrat-held seats to Congress. Championed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the ballot initiative intends to offset the effects of President Donald Trump's efforts in Texas to add five Republican-held seats to Congress as Republicans seek to maintain their control of the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm election. California and Texas are just two states that have been at the center of the contentious battle for control of the House in 2026, as more states across the country take a closer look at redrawing their congressional districts mid-decade to bolster their party’s power in Washington. As a result, redistricting efforts like the one in California have drawn national attention, garnering input from figures such as former President Barack Obama, who is for Proposition 50, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is against the measure. Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into the contest from both sides of the aisle, as Newsom aims to frame the battle as a fight to save democracy from Trump and Republicans aim to depict it as a power grab from Democrats.

Halle Troadec 17 hours ago

Technology

Gabby Thomas on the power of self-compassion in elite sports

Paris Oymmpics sprint queen Gabby Thomas talked on the most important topics as an elite sprinter, delving majorly into self-compassion and dealing with mental pressure. With the 2025 season already done and dusted, three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas is shifting her focus to a quality often overlooked in the high-stakes world of elite athletics: self-compassion. "Self-compassion has been crucial throughout my athletic career," Thomas revealed in an exclusive interview with Her Campus. "If I’m being too hard on myself, it can chip away at my confidence and affect my self-care routines." The renowned American sprint queen and Harvard graduate, represents a unique blend of fierce determination and intellectual rigor. However, she credits the quiet strength of self-compassion as being just as vital to her success as any physical training regimen. "My own self-care is important, like how I speak to myself, getting rest, and prioritizing mental health," Thomas explained. "But it’s also about how I show up for my community and the people around me. Surrounding myself with people and routines that make me feel grounded is a big part of my self-care." While Olympic sprinters are often known for their fierce and disciplined nature, the 28-year-old argues that compassion—for herself and others—is a foundational source of power, not a weakness. Her work as a public health advocate off the track gives her a professional understanding of well-being, which directly informs her personal approach. Thomas is currently channeling her passion for equity into a partnership with Mrs. Meyer’s for their "Lots of Compassion" initiative, which transforms vacant lots into community gardens. "This work is incredibly important and personal for me because my mom has always taught me to leave places better than you found them," she said. "Health and well-being are very important to me, and off the track, I carry that same spirit into my work at my local community health clinic." This professional background also provides Thomas with a unique insight into public perceptions of athletes' mental health. "One of the misconceptions that the public has about athletes is that we are superhumans who don’t experience doubt or get shaken up," she noted. "Truthfully, we feel anxiety and burnout just like everyone else, but perhaps magnified due to the expectations placed on us." Dealing with mental pressure as an elite sprinter Gabby Thomas is no stranger to this immense pressure. She recalled a low point in 2022 while recovering from a torn hamstring that disrupted her season. "I was worried about proving to myself and everyone else that I could come back feeling like myself, or stronger," she shared. "In this moment, I had to lean into self-compassion and remind myself to not focus on what could go wrong, but to focus on how much had gone right." Her strategy involved a gentle shift in mindset rather than an intense physical push. "I reminded myself how much work and resilience it took to get back on the track and that real progress takes time," she said. "I started practicing gratitude journaling and prioritizing rest—ultimately, these self-compassion tools are what helped lead me to winning three Olympic golds just two years later." She further explained: "Not only has compassion been key for me in my academic career, but also in my track career. It helps me reset after setbacks, and also makes me a better teammate." Thomas welcomes the increasingly open dialogue surrounding mental health in sports. "I’m glad these conversations are happening now so that being open about mental health struggles is no longer stigmatized, but rather humanizing," she stated. "Creating more compassion across sports culture is definitely important to me." After a bright start to the 2025 season by winning her trademark 200m event and running a personal best in the 400m at the Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Thomas' season became traumatized with lingering Achilles injury that saw her withdraw from the World Championships in Tokyo. With the disappoitment now behind and full recovery expected for next year, Thomas will be gunning to bounce back stronger and regain her position as one of the world's best sprinters.

Unknown 17 hours ago

Technology

New York City 2025 election results: Mamdani, Cuomo, Sliwa face off

New York City's mayoral race both gives voters a chance to choose between divergent visions for the city, and, to an extent, represents the struggle between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party. The Democratic nominee, state Assemblyman and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, is facing off against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who is running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, along with some other independent and third-party candidates. Mamdani, campaigning on a progressive economic platform, has remained the front-runner since clinching the Democratic primary and has notched key endorsements from figures such as Gov. Kathy Hochul. But he has faced some backlash over the feasibility of his proposals and current or former views on issues such as policing. Meanwhile, Cuomo has been attempting a political comeback, after leaving the public eye when he resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct allegations. He has framed himself as a moderate who can tap into his previous experience as governor to deliver. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, separately, has rebuffed calls to drop out of the race and argued that he's above the fray of the other candidates; he faced off against incumbent Eric Adams in 2021. Adams himself chose not to run in the Democratic primary and initially mounted an independent campaign, but suspended his campaign in late September, saying that media speculation and funds withheld by the city's campaign finance board undermined his ability to fundraise.

Oren Oppenheim 17 hours ago

Technology

Zimbabwe veteran faces end of international career after disclosing drug addiction

Williams withdrew from Zimbabwe's squad on the eve of the T20 World Cup Africa qualifier in September, citing personal reasons at the time. A statement from Zimbabwe Cricket released today (November 4) stated that, during an internal investigation into the reasons for his unavailability, Williams disclosed to the board that he had been struggling with drug addiction, and that he had voluntarily entered rehabilitation. Zimbabwe went on to win the Qualifier, beating Namibia in the final, and subsequently qualified for the 2026 men's T20 World Cup.The statement also referred to "a history of disciplinary issues and repeated unavailability" from Williams, "which has impacted team preparations and performance"."While ZC commends him for seeking rehabilitation, withdrawal from team commitments under circumstances involving potential testing raises serious concerns regarding professional and ethical standards," continued the statement. "After careful consideration, ZC has concluded that Williams will no longer be considered for national selection. Consequently, it is not feasible to continue his national contract beyond its expiry on 31 December 2025."Williams has played 273 matches for Zimbabwe across his career, which has spanned more than 20 years. He made his international debut in 2005, and has scored more than 8,000 cross-format runs for Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, he became the longest-serving active international cricketer.However, this is the latest of several incidents between him and the Zimbabwe Cricket board. Early in his career, he turned down a central contract in order to play overseas, but changed his mind months later. He did the same in 2008, where he went to play in South Africa only to come back to Zimbabwe weeks later. In 2014, he was left out of a tour of Bangladesh after a reported dispute with then head coach Stephen Mangongo. Williams also served as Zimbabwe captain on 21 occasions across formats. Earlier this year, he made 88 in a one-off Test against England in Nottingham, and made 77 off 45 balls in his most recent appearance for Zimbabwe in a T20I against Namibia."ZC sincerely acknowledges and appreciates his immense contribution to Zimbabwean cricket over the past two decades," read the statement from Zimbabwe Cricket. "Williams has played a pivotal role in some of the most significant moments in our recent history, leaving a lasting legacy both on and off the field."Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

Katya Witney,Null 17 hours ago

World

Haaland says he is far off Ronaldo and Messi but in ‘good way’ to beat goal tally

The striker felt he could better his 56 goals total this season and he makes up part of Guardiola’s leadership group at City

Jamie Jackson 17 hours ago

Technology

WARDC, CRR unveil online hub to empower adolescent girls, women on SRHR

In an age where the internet often shapes how young people learn about their bodies, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has taken a bold step to provide safer, accurate, and youth-friendly access to information on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). In partnership with the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), WARDC has launched the National SRHR Hub for Adolescent Girls and Women (AGW), an online platform called SRHR Naija Hub, aimed at creating a digital safe space for young women and girls to access information, resources, and support services on sexual and reproductive health. The web-based platform, unveiled during a recent event in Lagos, also featured a live demonstration that drew excitement from participants, including persons with disabilities. Many described the hub as a timely intervention to address misinformation and the growing risks young people face online. Speaking at the launch, the Acting Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, described the hub as a collaborative initiative designed to empower adolescent girls and women with accurate, accessible, and inclusive SRHR information. “The SRHR Naija Hub is not just a website, it is a safe space and a movement toward dignity, autonomy, and informed choice. It offers peer-led education, digital resources, legal support, and referral pathways for SRHR services. For WARDC, this is a strategic investment in the next generation of feminist leaders.” She said. Dr. Olufemi-Kayode explained that the platform was developed in close collaboration with youth advocates, health professionals, and community stakeholders to ensure it meets the real needs of adolescents and young women across Nigeria. Participants at the launch hailed the initiative as a major step in addressing the challenges of misinformation about sexual and reproductive health. One of them, a Social Work student at the University of Lagos, Kehinde Oyagha, noted that many young girls often rely on the internet for answers but end up encountering misleading or harmful content. “Many girls, especially preteens, are naturally curious, but because of the internet, they often access wrong or harmful information about their bodies. This leads to digital abuse and miseducation about reproductive health.” Oyagha said. Oyagha called for a more interactive approach, where young girls can learn from one another through online mentorship and peer education. “We want a space where girls can learn from each other’s experiences, almost like a mini mentorship programme,” she said, adding that social media can play a powerful role in changing perceptions. “If influencers talk about these issues, consent, contraceptives, and health, it normalises the conversation,” she added. “We also need collaboration with government and health professionals to make youth-friendly centres visible and accessible.” With the launch of the SRHR Naija Hub, WARDC and CRR are leveraging technology to bridge the information gap, empowering adolescent girls and women to make informed choices and advocate for their rights in a digital age where misinformation often thrives.

Our Reporter,The Nation 17 hours ago

Technology

Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga becomes free agent after club and player options declined

Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga is a free agent after the team declined its option to extend his contract to five years and $80 million, and he then declined a $15 million option for 2026, a source confirmed Tuesday. Imanaga, 32, signed a four-year deal worth $53 million guaranteed with the Cubs in 2024, transitioning to Major League Baseball after a successful career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. His contract had an intricate structure, giving the Cubs the option after both his second and third year to extend his deal to five years. Declining the option, however, would give Imanaga the opportunity to opt out. That’s what happened this week. The Cubs still have the ability to extend a one-year qualifying offer ($22.025 million) to Imanaga in the coming days. As soon as the Cubs decided not to make Imanaga part of their long-term plans, the left-hander’s next move was obvious. He’d built a strong platform for free agency over his first two years in MLB. Imanaga was an All-Star in his rookie season. With a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts, he finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting and forth for NL Rookie of the Year. This season, a hamstring injury interrupted his sophomore campaign and is believed to have contributed to some mechanical inconsistency down the stretch and into the playoffs. But Imanaga, the team’s Opening Day starter in the Tokyo Series, still had flashes of dominance post-injury and compiled a 3.73 ERA over the course of the season. The Cubs laid out an offseason plan for him to attack some of the lower-body issues they identified in his delivery late in the year, and he was ready to apply them. “When we signed Shota, if he’d shown us his production over the last two years, we would have taken that in a heartbeat,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said in his end-of-season news conference last month. “Not only has he produced for us, but he’s a great teammate, a terrific asset to the organization. Obviously, we have decisions to make, and we’ll have discussions, and over the next two or three weeks, we’ll do that. But I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about Shota.” The Cubs already were in need of starting pitching depth this offseason. Unless the Cubs extend a qualifying offer and Imanaga accepts, losing him in free agency would exacerbate that demand.

Maddie Lee 17 hours ago

Technology

'AI food pantry' will make sure you get enough protien cubes to power its servers [Awkward]

Skip to content Do you have adblock enabled? Try Ads-Free Fark It's Not News, It's Fark How To FarkLog In | Sign Up » Forgot password? Turn on javascript (or enable it for Fark) for a better user experience. If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page. Discussion Entertainment 'AI food pantry' will make sure you get enough protien cubes to power its servers (pix11.com) More: Awkward 364 clicks;posted toMain »on 04 Nov 2025 at 10:05 AM(1 hour ago) | Favorite | Watch | share: Copy Link 21 Comments Enable JavaScript for Fark in order to vote for entries. Log in (at the top of the page) to enable voting. View Voting Results:SmartestandFunniest (9) Funniest 3 hours ago What the hell would be the role of AI in this??? That warehouse is not large. Sounds like a significant expense for exactly zero benefit except "muh AI". When will people wake up to the idea that the wealthy are choosing to invest in machines instead of people? Any conclusions we would care to draw from this idea??? Jake Havechek (3) Funniest 3 hours ago I'm getting a little concerned about all this reliance on AI. freakdiablo (2) Funniest HotWingConspiracy (2) Funniest HailRobonia (4) Funniest Plankton and fish and sea greens and protein from the sea! Comic Book Guy (3) Funniest tom baker's scarf (3) Funniest Jake Havechek: I'm getting a little concerned about all this reliance on AI. I ran this question through Chat GPT 2 minutes ago. for sure this is what we want figuring out who gets food, or anything for that matter. (1) Funniest ENERGON CUBES IS PEOPLE!!! (6) Funniest So how much more food could they have purchased if they didn't do the stupid AI tie-in (0) Funniest When this stupid AI bubble pops, and yes despite what powell says this shiat is a bubble, its going to be bad. AI is not farking AI. Its a glorified copy machine, and alot of people and companies will get burned because a lot of people and companies are trying to use it in dumb ways. If the trend contues and the bubble doesnt burst first, we will have massive unemployment and very low profits. Cause companies are being stupid. But atm no one is making money off this garbage. AmbassadorBooze (0) Funniest 55 minutes ago tacoPHX: What the hell would be the role of AI in this??? That warehouse is not large. Sounds like a significant expense for exactly zero benefit except "muh AI". When will people wake up to the idea that the wealthy are choosing to invest in machines instead of people? Any conclusions we would care to draw from this idea??? The role is that only AI knows what foods the different races like. It's wrong for a meat bag to say which race like to eat donkey teeth, but it's fine for AI to stick the pantry in that ethnic group's domain with donkey teeth. Also it's it cultural appropriation for certain races to eat certain foods. to combat cultural appropriation, the AI can stock the pantries in white zones with white foods, approved by mayonnaise tacos Tim Walz. No flavor, no spice. Just bland. Problem solved. Jake Havechek (0) Funniest 54 minutes ago tom baker's scarf: Jake Havechek: I'm getting a little concerned about all this reliance on AI. I ran this question through Chat GPT 2 minutes ago. [Fark user image image 844x191] for sure this is what we want figuring out who gets food, or anything for that matter. I imagine the Futurama episode with Bender making those horrible dinners because he thought it was what humans ate. Daddy's Big Pink Man-Squirrel (0) Funniest 52 minutes ago I used to mistrust AI, but then I fell asleep next to one and now I think they are great. HailRobonia (0) Funniest 52 minutes ago Jake Havechek: I imagine the Futurama episode with Bender making those horrible dinners because he thought it was what humans ate. LordOfThePings (0) Funniest 52 minutes ago I, too, have a gimmick Condescending Ellipses (0) Funniest 51 minutes ago tom baker's scarf: Jake Havechek: I'm getting a little concerned about all this reliance on AI. I ran this question through Chat GPT 2 minutes ago. [Fark user image 844x191] for sure this is what we want figuring out who gets food, or anything for that matter. Strawberry does have two Rs. It's correct in a Mitch Hedbergian way. alechemist (0) Funniest 49 minutes ago meat0918: So how much more food could they have purchased if they didn't do the stupid AI tie-in Chthonic Echoes (0) Funniest 48 minutes ago tacoPHX: What the hell would be the role of AI in this??? That warehouse is not large. Sounds like a significant expense for exactly zero benefit except "muh AI". When will people wake up to the idea that the wealthy are choosing to invest in machines instead of people? Any conclusions we would care to draw from this idea??? You're absolutely right. AI is not enough. This food pantry also needs . . . Blockchain! (0) Funniest 44 minutes ago I can only afford a NFT of this food pantry. meanmutton (1) Funniest 34 minutes ago Jake Havechek: I'm getting a little concerned about all this reliance on AI. The more you use it the more you realize how little use it actually provides. It impacts my life about as much as having an electronic calculator did in the 1980s and I use the heck out of it. (0) Funniest 33 minutes ago Makes at least as much sense as gilded toilets in a homeless shelter. Displayed 21 of 21 comments Enable JavaScript for Fark in order to vote for entries. Log in (at the top of the page) to enable voting. 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Unknown 17 hours ago

Technology

Can't afford a house? It's probably your fault

Buying a house today is hard, particularly for younger people. I should know. I have children in their early 30s, and they and their friends are all trying to make it happen. Supply is low. It’s also pretty tough to persuade someone with a 2% mortgage to trade it for a new mortgage that comes with a rate as much as three times higher. What makes it even tougher is when you look at history: In 1984, when the median household annual income was about $60,000, the average price of a house nationally was about $95,000. True, incomes have increased by 40% to about $84,000 annually, but home prices are now averaging $512,000 across the country, a fivefold jump. The reality is that homes are still affordable if you want one. Sure, you can ask your parents for a little help on the down payment or wait for that multitrillion-dollar transfer of wealth that experts keep promising once the boomers start dying off. These aren’t always great strategies (unless you have a lot of patience, very sick grandparents or a very good relationship with Mom and Dad). The best strategy to own a home? Take it from this certified public accountant and small-business owner: You have to make choices. To buy a $500,000 home, assuming you can put 20% down, at current interest rates, you’ll have an annual mortgage of about $30,000. If you’re in that demographic and you really want that house, you’ll have to ask yourself some tough questions. For example, the average cost of a wedding is more than $36,000. Does it make sense to spend that kind of money, or would it make better sense to take it and put it down on a house? Maybe it’s time to have a few tough conversations with your besties. The average bridesmaid is asked to cough up $1,500 to $2,500 to participate in a friend’s local wedding. If it’s a “destination” affair, it can be as much as $3,000 to $5,000. That’s a pretty high price to pay for being a good friend. Saying no would go a long way toward that mortgage payment. Today, people spend an average of $6 to $8 every time they visit a Starbucks, which for many is almost every day. That amounts to about $1,500 per year. What about eating out? Before the 1980s, people didn’t do that nearly as much. One survey found that people spend, on average, about $166 every month on dining out, or $4,000 per year. According to one report, the average American spends about $583 per year on alcohol, or about $1,200 a couple. That’s a third of a monthly mortgage payment. If we decide to eat in, many of us go to Whole Foods, where as much as 80% of the products are more expensive than they are at cheaper grocery stores. We spend $500 to $700 per year on gym memberships, even though we can just as easily work out at home or go for a run. Our dogs cost us $2,500 per year. According to one report, a whopping 42% of men buy three or more pairs of shoes every year, compared with 39% of women. Do we need all these shoes? Living your best life means going on vacation. If you are a couple planning to visit Disney (I know more than a few who enjoy doing this, or something similar, annually), you can spend $4,000 to $8,000. If you want to spend five days in Las Vegas, that will set you back about $4,000. No surprise; it’s even more expensive to vacation overseas. I’m not any better. I’m to blame for being duped into spending so much on higher education. Anyone can attend a local community college for $4,000 per year for two years and then transfer to their dream college, saving two years of exorbitant tuition and room and board, which can cost $63,000 per year. (State schools are half the price.) We don’t because, God forbid, we tell our friends and neighbors that we (or our children) are going to a (gasp!) community college. To pay for all this, people are running up credit card balances and incurring huge interest charges. In 2012, credit card debt was about $571 billion. Now it’s $940 billion, a 65% increase. In 2012, 8.8% of people were paying the minimum balance due on these cards. Today, that number has increased to close to 11%. When economists compare incomes and housing values for generations going back to the 1950s, they usually miss one big thing: Today’s younger generations are living their best life, and they are spending on things their grandparents could only dream about. Good for them! Life is short. By all means, buy shoes. Eat out. Travel. Drink. Live. But don’t complain about not being able to afford a house. If you add up just the amount of money spent on the items above, many people would be able to afford that mortgage. They’re not wrong, and they’re not right. They’re just making choices. • Gene Marks, CPA, runs The Marks Group PC, a financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Gene Marks 17 hours ago

Technology

Republicans- Nuke the filibuster

The future has been weighing heavily on President Trump, 79, who understands he is term-limited and wants to make as significant an impact on society as possible in his last four years in office. “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven,” Mr. Trump told the press on Air Force One last month, the second time he has made such a musing in his second term. A few weeks earlier, he commented, “I want to try to get to heaven, if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole.” That’s not to say Mr. Trump hasn’t been striving to enter the pearly gates. He is working to end the Russia-Ukraine war, having resolved eight other conflicts around the world as the 47th president of the United States. He is determined to end the fentanyl scourge that has ravaged our nation by striking a deal with China to limit the precursors that country exports to Mexico and blowing up drug cartel boats in the Caribbean Sea. However, much of what Mr. Trump has done in his second term, which this column has argued is for the betterment of America, is on shaky legal ground. Two hundred thirty-three active court cases are challenging the Trump administration’s actions, according to the blog Lawfare. These lawsuits include Mr. Trump’s forceful immigration policy and his sweeping cuts across the federal government, enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency. So, is it any surprise Mr. Trump is in favor of nuking the Senate filibuster, the rule that requires 60 Senate votes to pass legislation instead of majority rule? The filibuster was designed to facilitate compromise in the Senate, requiring a supermajority to pass spending bills and primary legislation that can’t be rushed through the budget reconciliation rules, which allow lawmakers to sidestep the filibuster. Mr. Trump has considered using the “nuclear option” to end the government shutdown. “It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” he wrote on Truth Social. Mr. Trump warned that Democrats would end the filibuster if they ever regained control of the Senate, so Republicans should go ahead and do it now. “If we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN,’” he wrote. Republicans, wary that Democrats would take advantage of the rule change if they retook control of the Senate, have largely resisted Mr. Trump’s cries. Indeed, it was Republicans who stymied Democrats’ bid to rewrite election law under President Biden, using the filibuster when they were the minority party. At the time, Democrats were advocating for abolishing the filibuster so they could advance the process of packing the Supreme Court in their favor and incorporating Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia as states, thereby retaining their majority in both the House and Senate. Democrats have already chipped away at parts of the filibuster, namely requiring a 50-vote majority to confirm Supreme Court justices. Luckily, two Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, opposed the rule change, and Democrats lacked the votes to enact it. Needless to say, Ms. Sinema and Mr. Manchin were vilified by their party in their opposition and no longer hold office. When confronted about the yo-yoing effect of the Senate if the filibuster was nixed, and Democrats’ plans to alter every branch of government in their favor if they gain the majority, Vice President J.D. Vance had a bit of a nihilistic take, arguing that the “left is already going to do it regardless of whether we do it.” Mr. Vance, a former senator, suggested that Republicans shouldn’t be afraid to change the rules. “We cannot be afraid to do something because the left might do it in the future,” he said. Although his statement reflects poorly on our current political culture, it does reveal the truth: Democrats have proved they will weaponize every aspect of our legal, political and bureaucratic systems once they gain control to minimize, censor and jail their ideological opposition. That is why, ultimately, I’m not opposed to the Republicans going nuclear. However, they shouldn’t do it to end a government shutdown. Republicans must line up a series of bills aimed at codifying all Mr. Trump’s executive actions, including his trade deals, use of tariffs, strikes on cartel boats, the ability to fire federal workers, and upholding his ban on biological men from competing in women’s sports. Then, and only then, will the more than 200 court challenges to Mr. Trump’s agenda be declared null and void. It would also make it harder for a Democratic presidential successor to upend Mr. Trump’s executive orders. Mr. Trump’s legacy, which he is obviously concerned about, would endure beyond his last four years in office. So, by all means, Republicans, nuke the filibuster — but only once you have a stack of laws ready to pass to blast the Democrats’ agenda back for decades, not to merely pass an extension of Biden-era spending to reopen the federal government. • Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.

Kelly Sadler 17 hours ago

Technology

I've been playing with the 'world's first' glasses-free 3D handheld PC and my early impressions are that the $1,500 Abxylute 3D One is absolutely huge, annoyingly clunky and a little bit silly

Weary-eyed, desiccated, seen-it-all cynicism is something of an occupational hazard for a hackneyed hardware reviewer such as I. But just occasionally something lands on your desk that's genuinely surprising. And the Abxylute 3D One, a new glasses-free 3D handheld gaming PC, is just such a device. But maybe for all the wrong reasons. We'll have a full review in due course. However, the literal out-of-the-box experience with this Kickstarter-funded device is worth a few immediate impressions. This handheld is extraordinary by several measures. First up, it's absolutely massive. The screen is 11 inches. But it comes with a centimetre-plus of bezel all round, plus a pair of huge clip-on controllers. The upshot of which is that the Abxylute 3D One pretty much dwarfs the laptop on which I'm typing these words. It's so big I have serious reservations about how realistic it is as an actual handheld device. I'm not sure I'd want to game with this beast in my actual hands for very long. Moreover, the comparison between gaming handhelds and gaming laptops is often unflattering, in performance terms, for the former. But the idea is that in return for compromised performance, handhelds give you dramatic advantages in terms of portability and gaming ergonomics. The ergonomics are debatable when it comes to the Abxylute 3D One. But the portability ain't. This huge "handheld" really isn't any more portable than a thin-and-light 14-inch gaming laptop. And a 14-inch laptop with a proper discrete GPU is always going to be more powerful than a handheld with an APU that relies on integrated graphics. In this case, it's Intel's Lunar Lake (the 258V model, if you are interested), which is a very nice APU. But it's still an APU with an iGPU that will get blown away by even the most basic discrete GPU. Then there's the glasses-free 3D display. Abxylute inevitably doesn't exactly go into forensic detail with the precise display technology implemented, describing it as a "naked-eye 3D display" with eye tracking. But I'm pretty confident is uses the same technology as other glasses-free LCDs we've seen of late, including the Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27 I reviewed earlier this summer. That uses a combination of eye-tracking cameras and lenticular lenses to effective "send" a slightly different image to each eye, thus creating the illusion of 3D visual depth. I'm sure it's the same approach with the Abxylute 3D One. And just like that Acer monitor, the results here are mixed, to say the least. The 3D effect does work, but as on the Acer monitor, it looks much better viewing a single 3D model in, say, a graphic design context, than it does in games. Baldur's Gate III is one of the titles Abxylute highlights as supported, but in practice it's awfully clunky. For want of a better term, the way the 3Dness in the scene in mapped is very patchy. So, some objects have 3D depth, others don't, while yet more seem to be "painted" onto 3D depth that doesn't quite match the actual shape of the object being rendered. Then there's the performance. While I won't draw final conclusions here, my first stab at enabling the 3D effect in Baldur's Gate III absolutely hammered performance to truly unplayable slideshow levels. That might be fixable with settings tweaks. But my initial impression is that the glasses-free 3D functionality will only be usable in games that are very undemanding. The broader experience is also hopelessy clunky. You must run any game through a special launcher to ensure full 3D support. But it's not entirely transparent whether the game is running properly, or in the case of Baldur's Gate, there's something wrong and the game was running in the alternative "2D-to-3D universal conversion" mode that's available for unsupported apps. Likewise, games must be run at the screen's full 2,560 by 1,600 native res for optimal support, which is hardly ideal for an integrated GPU, and the device comes with a firm warning not to update the graphics driver for fear of causing instability issues. All told, it's a million miles from a usable experience, let alone seamless. Actually, maybe it could work quite well with, I dunno, emulated Nintendo 3DS games? But if that's really all this thing is good for, get yourself a 3DS and save a whole hill of cash is the tempting conclusion. All of which isn't to say this thing is unremittingly awful. The screen is pretty nice (2,560 by 1,600 resolution, 480 nits, 120 Hz), first impressions are of decent build quality, the controllers are OK, the connectivity is decent and so on. But the size and the utility of that glasses-free 3D tech are both major potential flaws on early viewing. Oh and the price. I forgot to mention the price. Abxylute says the retail price for the 3D One is a scarcely credible $1,799. OK, the early bird price on Kickstarter will be $1,499 and if you sign up for a "VIP reservation", you'll pay $1,449. But, still, this is intergalactic money for a gaming handheld. Right now on our best gaming laptop deals page, you can snag an MSI Vector 16 HX AI with Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti mobile GPU for $1,499. And let's be absolutely clear. An RTX 5070 Ti mobile will absolutely obliterate this handheld for raw rendering performance. Anywho, let's just say the Abxylute 3D One has plenty to prove. Watch this space.

Jeremy Laird 17 hours ago

Technology

'Gamers deserve clarity': UK Parliament debates videogame ownership while also beating the dead horse named Concord

Yesterday, the UK Parliament conducted a small debate on an e-petition that had been raised by concerned constituents about consumer law and videogames. In layman's terms, it was all about how frustrating it is when players don't have ownership over their games and get left hung out to dry by big studios, unceremoniously ending support for live service games. "I come to the debate not only as a member of Parliament, but also as a lifelong gamer," Ben Goldsborough MP says during the e-petition debate. "The videogame industry itself contributes £7.6 billion to the UK economy and supports over 75,000 jobs. We are home to world-leading studios, cutting-edge research, and some of the most talented and creative minds anywhere on earth. We should value this industry not only for its economic output but as a cultural powerhouse that shapes stories, art, music, and technology." The petition in question that started it all is now closed, but not before gathering 189,887 signatures. It had the goal of getting the UK government to update consumer law to prohibit publishers from disabling videogames that have already been sold without any refunds for players. I wouldn't want to call this a pipe dream, especially as we've seen some headway made in strengthening consumer protections via the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. But a debate in the Commons doesn't necessarily mean any worthwhile change will happen. Although it has to be said that it was nice to see representatives take this issue seriously. "The nature of games has changed," Goldsborough continues. "Many modern titles are live services, constantly updated, server-dependent, and reliant on ongoing operational costs. It's not inherently a bad thing, live services have created vibrant global communities, but it has also changed what it means to 'own' a game. "When a game shuts down without clear notice, the investment is lost. The shared world disappears. The Videogame History Foundation estimates that 87% of games released before 2010 are now critically endangered. This is not just a consumer issue; it is a cultural one. This debate is not just about keeping games playable; it's about preserving our cultural heritage. "We do not accept our mobile phones being switched off whenever a company produces a new model and wants us to buy the new model," MP Warinder Juss adds. "So why should we allow thousands of pounds worth of games to be made unplayable just because new games have been introduced?" It's become increasingly common over the last few years for games to come out, float around for a while and then disappear into the ether as game publishers try to distract us with ramblings of making teams more aerodynamic or whatever excuse they can come up with. When XDefiant closed up shop, Ubisoft simply said that it "didn't have the gas to go the distance" for this live service shooter. Others stick around for a while before getting axed out of nowhere, while some sadly don't even make it out of development, missing the chance to prove themselves altogether. But when you think of videogames with a messed-up launch and short lifespan, the most popular word association at this point is probably Concord, so popular even that its horror story made its way into the Commons debate. "A recent example is 'Concord', a game released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in August 2024," MP Henry Tufnell explains. "Following a disappointing launch, Sony Interactive Entertainment made a commercial decision to shut it down. To its credit, Sony refunded all purchases, but that is not always the case. Members will agree that if publishers fail to make the lifespan of a game clear at the point of sale, they must be held accountable." Since its disastrous launch last year, Concord has become shorthand for when a game implodes in on itself, an abrupt ending to a live service game that some had already put quite a bit of money into. Any time someone wants to bring up how unstable live service game ownership is, you'd best bet Concord's name will quickly follow suit. It's a tough legacy, but a fair one. But mishaps like Concord are why petitions like this one exist. Players have every right to get the reassurance that their investments will be refunded if studios fumble the ball. "I would urge the government to explore funding, partnerships, and sector support to ensure we maintain a library full of significant games," Goldsborough ends with. "We would never imagine pulping every copy of Shakespeare, and we should not think any differently about videogames. "Requiring developers to define end-of-life strategies upfront could stifle innovation and create unintended risks. But gamers deserve clarity. If a game is likely to go offline, they should be told."

Elie Gould 17 hours ago

World

The mind-boggling valuations of AI companies

You try wrapping your head around a string of deals worth nearly $600bn

Blake Montgomery 17 hours ago

Technology

No explosives found in suspicious package that closed Vernon skate park

No explosives were found in a suspicious package that closed a Vernon skate park upon its discovery Saturday, Nov. 1. The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP said Tuesday the package did not contain any explosives. It was seized for further examination once it was determined safe to do so by the RCMP’s explosive disposal unit, which attended the skate park at Polson Park Saturday. An area of Polson Park was cordoned off by police tape Saturday morning. The large closed-off area surrounding the skate park was reopened to the public around 8 p.m. “The package was found in an open area near the skate park and frontline officers have cordoned off the area to ensure the safety of the public,” stated Vernon North Okanagan RCMP in a press release Saturday. The entrance and exit to Polson Park from 25th Avenue was also blocked off, with a police vehicle remaining at the scene throughout the day. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Brendan Shykora 17 hours ago

Technology

Adam Sandler to receive Movies for Grownups career achievement award

Adam Sandler is set to receive AARP’s prestigious Movies for Grownups career achievement award, the group announced on Tuesday. The recognition highlights the 59-year-old actor's remarkable range, from beloved comedies to acclaimed dramatic roles. Sandler’s career spans from his beginnings on Saturday Night Live to cult classics like Billy Madison (1995) and Happy Gilmore (1996), alongside dramatic turns in films such as Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and Uncut Gems (2019). AARP lauded Sandler as "one of Hollywood’s most enduring and ever-evolving stars, whose talents resonate across generations." Myechia Minter-Jordan, the group's CEO, praised him as "a Hollywood legend whose remarkable career has set a new standard for comedic storytelling, captivating audiences across generations. Adam’s enduring success, his ability to reinvent himself, inspire laughter, and move us through dramatic performances, is a testament to the power of creativity at every age." The Movies for Grownups initiative, launched by AARP in 2002, champions audiences over 50, combating ageism within Hollywood and promoting films "for grownups, by grownups." Actor Alan Cumming will host the ceremony in Beverly Hills on 10 January, to be broadcast in February on PBS’s "Great Performances." This honour follows a memorable moment at the 2020 awards, where Sandler, winning for Uncut Gems, famously rushed the stage prematurely, only for host Conan O’Brien playfully sent him back, instructing him to await "a signal". The two reprised the skit at this year’s Oscars when O’Brien questioned why the actor had turned up to the prestigious ceremony wearing a blue hoodie and gym shorts. During his opening monologue, O’Brien noted how Hollywood’s biggest stars were all “properly dressed” for the awards show, before pausing and turning awkwardly to Sandler. “Conan. What’s up, my brother? What’s going on, man?” Sandler asked, before O’Brien replied and asked: “Adam, what are you wearing?” Sandler claimed: “Nobody even thought about what I was wearing until you brought it up.” To which, O’Brien responded: “You're dressed like a guy playing video poker at 2AM, Adam.” Sandler, who recently reprised his Happy Gilmore role for a hit sequel to the sports comedy on Netflix, will appear with George Clooney in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly in November. In the film, Clooney plays an ageing movie star on a trip through Europe with his longtime manager, portrayed by Sandler. The film also stars Laura Dern, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, Stacy Keach, Riley Keough, Patrick Wilson, Jim Broadbent, Eve Hewson, Lenny Henry, and Isla Fisher.

The Associated Press 17 hours ago

Technology

Porn-Addicted Children Are A 'Regrettable' Reality, Therapist Says

Former Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba has opened up about his decades-long addiction to pornography. On the We Need To Talk podcast, he said: “Nine, that is when my addiction started, when I was introduced to pornography.” Describing the experience as “isolating”, he added: “This is, I believe, one of the biggest problems we have societally. There is such a prevalence.” Speaking to HuffPost UK, psychotherapist Dr Paula Hall, who founded sex and porn addiction provider The Laurel Centre and sex and porn addiction support hub Pivotal Recovery, said this reflects what she sees in her practice. “Regrettably, we see this a lot,” she said. “According to our stats at Pivotal Recovery, [among those] who are seeking help for problematic porn use, 51% say their problem started under the age of 15, 15% said under the age of 12. “And recent research from LADbible with over 5,000 Gen Zs showed that one in 20 accessed porn under the age of 10 and 49% accessed porn for sex education.” Here, we asked Dr Hall how to approach the topic with children. How (and when) should I talk to my child about porn? Oduba said he thought the “traditional idea of sex education, that right now kids are being educated at 14 at school” was outdated – by that age, he pointed out, he’d “had five years of exposure to a world that nobody is discussing”. Dr Hall agreed: “Regrettably, even with the recent Ofcom age-gating restrictions, many young people will still find ways to access porn, and for many, it may be too late. Therefore, it’s essential that parents talk about pornography and have open, honest conversations about the potential risks that accompany it.” For the therapist, it is never too soon to start conversations about our bodies. “Even with a toddler, we can start talking about why we keep our genitals private and why it’s not OK for adults to show us their genitals,” she said. “We can also be real about the fact that our genitals provide nice and interesting sensations, and enjoying that is OK. It’s essential not to shame children, but to talk to them in language that is appropriate for their age.” This, of course, evolves as children age. By the time they’re approaching adolescence and “have increasing access to online material, either at home or with peers,” the therapist said, “we need to talk about the kind of material they may find that might leave them feeling confused or uncomfortable.” Shaming children and teens for sexual curiosity will not help Oduba explained that fear of punishment led him to keep his porn addiction to himself as a child. He warned that children in homes where sex is never discussed may “start self-educating, because it’s too sensitive to touch. They will start sharing it between themselves.” Dr Hall is on his side. “Sexual curiosity is a very normal and healthy response as we begin to go through puberty, so [the lead-up to adolescence] is a particularly important time to have conversations to help young people navigate the online world, including social media and image sharing with peers,” she told us. Keeping the lines of communication open, without judgment or shame, can make your child feel comfortable opening up to you about any concerns they might have, she ended. “By all means, talk about the potential risks, but be sure to do so in a non-shaming way that encourages children and young people to feel confident and comfortable continuing to talk to you whenever they need to.”

Amy Glover 17 hours ago

Technology

The 25th anniversary of the ISS operationally in orbit reminded me the ESA once challenged an Assassin's Creed and Far Cry dev to get DOOM running on a satellite

When the original Doom launched over 30 years ago, you needed a pretty beefy PC to run it well. Fast forward three decades, and Id Software's classic can be powered by a TI-84 calculator (with 100 lbs of potatoes), a USB charging station, and even an Apple Lightning dongle. Beating them all for sheer out-of-this-world coolness, though, is Doom on a satellite, orbiting the Earth. Well, it was. The European Space Agency (ESA) deorbited its OPS-SAT device back in May 2024, but before it was turned into dust motes, Georges Labrèche (engineering manager at ESA) contacted Ólafur Waage, a Norwegian software engineer, to see if he fancied a little challenge. Waage is no random coder, though, as he's a highly experienced game developer, working for Massive Entertainment—makers of Far Cry 6, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and countless others. The challenge was simple on paper: port Doom to run on OPS-SAT. This satellite was an experiment by the ESA, which could be used by members of the public directly over the Internet. Essentially, if your access was approved, you could upload code to the little satellite (just 10 x 10 x 30 cm in size) and have it do stuff for science. Of course, there's nothing scientific about having Doom run on a satellite in space, but as a final hurrah for the highly successful project, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with something better. Waage freely admits to not being an expert on Doom ports, but it was a presentation he did on Doom on GitHub Actions that caught Labrèche's eye. Between the two of them, they were hard-pressed to get the whole thing to work in the first place, but not because the cubesat wasn't up to the task. The main platform of OPS-SAT was powered by a Critical Link MitySOM-5CSx, where SOM means 'system on module.' Within this module, there's a dual-core Arm Cortex A9 processor, an Altera Cyclone V FPGA, 1 GB of DDR3 RAM, and 8 GB of storage. That Arm CPU only ran at 800 MHz, and with no kind of GPU present, everything had to be software rendered, so at least it was an authentic, OG port. As basic as all that sounds, it's more than enough to run a port of Doom. However, they had an inspired idea: Use the camera on OPS-SAT to take an image of Earth and use that as the backdrop in Doom, instead of a block Martian landscape. The problem is that the image generated is high in resolution and uses far more colours than the 256 of Doom's built-in palette offers when running in software rendering mode. Cue lots of clever coding and computer science (can you tell I don't fully understand it?), and hey presto! Doom running on a satellite, while in space, and applying some neat shots of our planet in the background. And it wasn't one of those Doom-on-a-carrot projects that just use the carrot as a display: OPS-SAT was running a genuinely playable game. As it turns out, the whole process also accelerated the satellite's demise, as to get the required views of Earth, OPS-SAT needed to be oriented in such a way that its solar panels generated a bit too much drag in the thin wisps of Earth's atmosphere, even at its 500 km altitude. What a way to go out, right? OPS-SAT might be long gone, but it will always hold the record of being the first ever satellite to run Doom in space. The only problem now is how to top this. When are we going to see Doom running at the bottom of Challenger Deep, or Doom running in the volcanoes of Io? I guess if there's a processor at those places, anything is possible.

Nick Evanson 17 hours ago

Technology

Fundraising appeal to bring historic tall ship Result back to Carrickfergus

The ship, named the Result, was built in 1893 by renowned Carrickfergus shipbuilder, Paul Rodgers. Her long career at sea saw her carry a variety of cargoes around the coasts of Britain, Ireland and to the continent, providing an important lifeline to coastal communities in both peace and wartime. The Result also saw action during WWI as a Royal Navy Q-Ship with hidden weaponry used to lure in and attack German U-Boats. Later, in the 1950s, she even starred in a film. Today, the Result is on open air display at the Ulster Transport Museum, and the project aims to restore the vessel and bring her back to Carrickfergus as a heritage attraction and community events hub. Historian and Project Director Christopher Kenny explains: “We could easily fill the large cargo hold space on-board with a permanent museum; however, this would not encourage people to regularly revisit or maximise her potential to serve the local community. Instead our bold vision would see her become a flexible space with a changing series of living history experiences, tours, displays and cultural events benefiting both visitors and locals alike. "The income from these events would better cover her long term maintenance, safeguarding the historic ship for future generations.” The Result's fascinating history as a ship built in Victorian Carrick, coastal schooner, and Q-Ship would be at the forefront of the attraction on board the vessel. Following the recent granting of charitable status, the project is now appealing to the public to help raise funds for the necessary vessel conservation, transport logistics surveys, and enabling works. Since the Carrickfergus Tall Ship Project was launched in July 2024 it has been engaged in discussions with the Result’s owners National Museums NI, and Mid East Antrim Borough Council. Alongside these efforts the project team have been continuing to raise awareness of the Result’s history and potential with the local community through talks, social media, and a series of drop-in sessions earlier this year. The project’s website has also been updated and enhanced to allow the public to discover more of the ship’s story, especially her war service, and to find out how they can support the project. Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at https://www.yourworld.net/submit/ It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.

The Newsroom 17 hours ago