You can save 10 percent on the game’s $60 price if you pre-order it, though if you managed to snag the Valve Index headset, you’ll get Half-Life: Alyx for free. Pre-order bonuses for people who bought the headset include Steam VR Home environments inspired by the game, which will also work with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
As the title suggests, you’ll play as Alyx Vance this time around. The plot centers on Alyx and her dad Eli’s battle against the authoritarian Combine. Given the timeframe in which it’s set, Half-Life: Alyx will hopefully fill in some of the blanks on how that regime came to power after the Black Mesa incident in the original game. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out.
The main part of the campaign has seen popular meme accounts like @grapejuiceboys and @tank.sinatra post fake direct messages from Bloomberg. In one of the DMs, for example, Bloomberg says he has learned how to use Photoshop before sharing a photo of Bernie Sanders that has been a wellspring of memes recently.
Most people haven’t responded enthusiastically to the ads, even if they’re properly disclosed. “Omg such an ironic and cool way to sell out,” wrote Jon Elkin, one of the people to comment on the post — and that’s just the most PG response.
The campaign is the brainchild of Mick Purzycki, the lead strategist of Meme 2020 and the CEO of Jerry Media. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Jerry Media was one of the companies that helped hype the infamous Fyre Festival.
Bloomberg’s social campaign extends beyond working with Meme 2020. Last week, the Daily Beastfound the Bloomberg campaign contracted a company called Tribe to pay micro-influencers — accounts with more than 1,000 followers but fewer than 100,000 — $150 per post to create original content “that tells us why Mike Bloomberg is the electable candidate who can rise above the fray, work across the aisle so all Americans feel heard and respected.” The way the Bloomberg campaign sees it, memes will be essential if Democrats are going to have any chance to win against Donald Trump in the presidential election later this year.
“Mike Bloomberg 2020 has teamed up with social creators to collaborate with the campaign, including the meme world,” Sabrina Singh, a senior national spokeswoman for the Bloomberg campaign, told The New York Times. “While a meme strategy may be new to presidential politics, we’re betting it will be an effective component to reach people where they are and compete with President Trump’s powerful digital operation.”
While there’s something to be said about how effectively President Trump uses Twitter and other social media platforms to engage his base, it’s hard to say if Bloomberg’s memes will energize young voters the same way. What’s clear, however, is that this is one of the first times a political candidate has tried to use influencers to secure potential votes and is likely a sign of things to come.
The JEDI contract is meant to modernize the Department of Defense’s cloud infrastructure. Amazon and Microsoft were the final contenders, and after the contract went to Microsoft, Amazon claimed that President Trump “launched repeated public and behind-the-scenes attacks to steer the JEDI Contract away from AWS to harm his perceived political enemy-Jeffrey P. Bezos.”
Last month, Amazon asked the court to pause Microsoft’s work on the project, due to alleged “deficiencies, errors and unmistakable bias” in the evaluation process. The court granted that motion today.
Earlier this week, unsealed court documents revealed that Amazon wants to question President Trump, along with Dana Deasy, the Defense Department’s chief information officer, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Defense Secretary James Mattis. Thursday’s ruling seems to be the government’s first step towards seeing if there is any legitimacy to Amazon’s claim. That doesn’t mean the outcome is going to change, but the decision may at least be reviewed.
These new charges allege that Huawei has run a decades-long attempt to steal intellectual property from six specific but unnamed US companies. Huawei allegedly got its hands on trade secrets and copyrighted work by entering into and then breaking confidentiality agreements, recruiting employees from competitors and using professors as proxies. Huawei even offered bonuses to employees who obtained confidential information from competitors.
According to the indictment, Huawei successfully obtained confidential information on internet router source code, cellular antenna technology and robotics. That allowed the company to cut its research and development costs and achieve a competitive edge. Then, defendants allegedly gave misstatements to US officials investigating the intellectual property thefts.
To make matters worse, the Department of Justice and FBI charged Huawei with aiding the North Korean and Iranian governments with domestic surveillance. These charges will undoubtedly make the already strained US-Huawei relationship even more tense.
Panzer Dragoon: Remake is an updated version of the Sega Saturn classic with revamped visuals and controls. This won’t exactly be a Stadia exclusive, though. A Switch version has been scheduled for a winter release while GOG also has a listing for the remake.
The Serious Sam Collection includes Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter, Serious Sam 3: BFE and all their expansions. As ever in that series, you’ll battle hordes of aliens. You can hop into co-op and deathmatch modes with up to four players locally and 16 people in online multiplayer.
As for the other titles, Lost Words: Beyond the Page is a story-driven 2D platformer that takes place inside a girl’s diary. You’ll solve puzzles by interacting with words as you explore a fantasy world. It’ll arrive on Stadia in the spring in what appears to be a timed exclusive. Lost Words: Beyond the Page is also slated for release on Steam, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
Also on the docket are 3D tower builder Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) and a chaotic-looking arcade multiplayer called Spitlings. Stadia hasn’t had many exclusives to date, with Gylt, Get Packed and Orcs Must Die 3 among those that were previously confirmed or released. But even then, those are only timed exclusives, as they’re likely to make their way to other platforms.
Google has said more than 120 games will join the Stadia lineup this year, including at least 10 timed exclusives in the first half of 2020. Delays to major titles including Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel’s Avengersand Gods and Monsters will have been a blow to gamers and the Stadia team, though. Whether the latest announced titles are enough to smooth over player complaints about the Stadia lineup remains to be seen, but at least Google is offering some firm details on what’s heading to the platform.
Rubén Rivera, finance director of the island’s Industrial Development Company, told AP that the agency received an email alleging a change to a bank account tied to remittance payments. In response, the agency transferred the funds to the fake account. It’s still unclear how officials discovered the scam, if anyone has been dismissed or if the agency’s operations have been affected because of the missing funds.
It’s one thing for government agencies to be hacked via ransomware, like we’ve seen in Baltimore and Atlanta. It’s another thing to be fooled by a phishing scam. The incident is a reminder that no one is safe, and one wrong move can cost millions. This is the last thing Puerto Rico needs in the midst of its 13-year recession, and as we’ve seen in Baltimore and Atlanta, the cost of recovering from cybercrime tends to grow quickly.
All titles work with both touch as well as a PC’s mouse and keyboard, and are designed to run on virtually any platform and device. Like many casual games, they’re designed to be playable with a minimum of instructions — important when they’re meant to reach people across many different languages. Some are not-so-subtle riffs on familiar titles like Puzzle Bobble and Tetris, but that’s probably not a bad thing for gamers who otherwise couldn’t play those games on their phones.
GameSnacks are available directly on the web, but people in Indonesia (and eventually elsewhere in southeast Asia) will soon have access to them through the “super app” Gojek. Google may not have Facebook’s advantage for distributing games (it can pitch users more directly), but it’s clearly betting that wider compatibility will help it reach players who can’t even consider other web games.
The amount of wear will vary by vehicle, but it’s apparently worse on Model X SUVs that have had to drive over winter roads salted with calcium or magnesium-based de-icers. In a worst-case scenario, the corrosion can cause the bolts to fracture and break, leading to a loss of power steering.
That said, if you own a Model X, you probably don’t have anything to worry about; the recall is limited to Model X SUVs the automaker manufactured before mid-October 2016. According to Reuters, the recall affects 15,000 vehicles. Tesla says the Model X is still safe to drive. The company is, however, telling owners of Model X cars included in the recall to schedule an appointment with a service center, so that its mechanics can replace any affected bolts and apply a sealant that will protect them against future corrosion. If a car has any broken bolts, Tesla will replace the steering gear for free. We’ve reached out to Tesla for additional details on the recall, and we’ll update this article when the company gets back to us.
This is not the first time road salt may sideline a group of Tesla vehicles. Back in 2018, the company recalled 123,000 Model S EVs so that it could retrofit them with new power steering bolts due to, once again, corrosion caused by calcium and magnesium road salts.
The THR remains the undisputed king of looks. Part of its allure is the retro styling that’s more reminiscent of a piece of stereo equipment than a guitar amp. The outside is a matte, cream-colored metal with a Y pattern punched out. (I’ll admit I much prefer the herringbone of the original THR.) The knobs and chrome handle on top also lean into the old-school vibe. And the kicker: The amp gives off a gentle, orange glow when powered on, similar to a tube amp’s.
Of course, there are no actual tubes here. The whole thing is digital, but the THR series does its best to capture the sound and feel of popular tube amplifiers. Yamaha won’t name names, but it seems safe to say that the Clean, Crunch and Lead channels on both the original and the new models are inspired by a Fender Twin Reverb, a Vox AC30 and a Marshall Plexi, respectively. However, the last two models available on the front panel are pretty different. The original THR has Brit Hi (Marshall JCM800, maybe?) and Modern (almost certainly Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier). The THR II has HiGain and Special, and honestly I’m not 100 percent sure what they’re supposed to be. HiGain might be another attempt at a Mesa tone, but Special — well, I’m kinda lost. It’s another high-gain sound, but it doesn’t feel quite as high as HiGain. (Author’s note: Hi! 👋)
All the amp emulations have been tweaked for the new version, mostly for the better. The Clean and Lead options are pretty close in terms of overall quality. But because the new model is actually a 20-watt amp instead of 10 (despite the name), there’s additional headroom, which means it takes effect pedals better, especially loop pedals. Those always introduced some unwanted distortion in the THR, but it now stays much cleaner at higher volumes. I do find the new Clean model a little more nasal than the original, but some people might prefer its pronounced mid honk.
The high-gain options on the II blow the original out of the water. Switching to Brit Hi or Modern on the THR10 always results in a compressed mess with half the volume of the other amp models. On the II it’s a much different story: HiGain and Special have some body and roar to them. Unlike on the original, you might even be able to hear it over an actual drummer in a rehearsal space. But I can’t personally vouch for that.
The place where the II can’t match the original THR, though, is on the Crunch setting. It’s hard to explain, but the original feels crisper and warmer. What’s more, it’s actually my favorite of all the amp sounds, which makes it all the sadder that frankly, Crunch on the new amp sounds pretty rough.
The effects algorithms have also been tweaked. Most of the differences are subtle, except for the chorus, which now has a much more modern voicing, compared with the ’80s-ish wash on the original. That’s neither good nor bad; it’s just a matter of personal taste.
THR10 versus THR10 II Wireless
For this video I’m playing a guitar loop with all the controls set to 12 o’clock as I cycle through each amp model. The amps were recorded using two SM57s connected to a Scarlett 2i4. No additional processing was done to the raw recordings.
All right, so it’s a digital-modeling amp with some built-in effects. Big deal, right?
Well, beyond still offering some of the best tones you can get without waking a light-sleeping baby, the THR has a number of features that help elevate it above your standard practice amp. But there’s a bit of give and take between the old model and the new.
Let’s start with the battery. Yes, that’s right, the THR10 II Wireless has a built-in rechargeable battery. This might not sound like a huge deal, but let me tell you: It’s an absolute game changer. Yes, most of the time my amp just sits on my desk in my “studio” (read: a corner of the living room behind a baby gate). But sometimes I want to sit on the couch or — really anyplace other than the desk I’ve been working at all day. If I’d prefer to keep the amp at a gentle whisper instead of cranking it, I can just stick it on the coffee table facing directly at me. It’s also super handy for spontaneous jam sessions and busking. (Though clearly the latter will be relevant to few of you.)
The original THR could also be powered by batteries, but it required eight AAs. That’s far less convenient than an integrated rechargeable. But remember, the THR has to take too. The base model $300 THR II can’t be powered by batteries at all. You have to spring for the $450 THR10 II Wireless. That’s a pretty big price jump and a pretty major feature that’s lost.
The Wireless version also includes support for Line 6’s G10T transmitter. That means with the right adapter for your instrument, you don’t need any cables at all. If the transmitter was packaged as part of the bundle, the $450 asking price might be easier to swallow. But it’s a $100 optional accessory that you have to spring for. That’s not the case with the $400 Katana Air, for example, which comes with a Roland transmitter in the box.
I’ll say this though: I was pretty dismissive of the wireless at first. But after a few weeks living with it, I was a convert. Being able to freely wander around my living room and entertain my child, all while keeping my amp safely plugged in behind a baby gate, was pretty great. In general it was nice having one less thing to worry about tripping over.
The THR line can also still be used as an audio interface with your computer. Plug it into the USB port and you can capture riffs and record songs without having to wire up a mic. There’s even an option to simulate different speaker cabinets to pair with your virtual amp through the THR remote. Again, there’s a trade-off here. On the original THR you could capture both the affected tone running through all of Yamaha’s amp and effect simulations and a dry tone without any of that simultaneously. That’s super handy when you’re recording. Maybe you decided that you like a particular take but not the effects or amp you applied. You could grab that unaffected signal and reamp it in your DAW. But on the THR II, you have to choose one or the other; you can’t capture both at the same time.
Housing Connector is a Kings County-based organization whose mission it is to fill the area’s vacant rental units with those most in need of a home. It does so by providing free referrals to ready-to-rent residents, and risk mitigation to landlords willing to lower barriers and rent to households experiencing homelessness. Zillow will now include an “Accepts Housing Connector” checkbox on its property search, meaning that case managers no longer have to laboriously look for suitable homes for their clients on a property-by-property basis.
Some 35 landlords and 42 nonprofit service providers are already active on the platform as it launches, with more expected to be added soon. Housing Connector has already helped 460 individuals and families find suitable homes, and says that by using its services those experiencing homelessness can find and move into their next home 30 percent faster than those facing the same barriers without support. It’s hoped that the inclusion of the Housing Connector search function on Zillow will help drive wait times even lower.
