What Local Texans Pay to Subsidize New Gas Terminals: $4 Million Per Job
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Three low-income school districts in Texas have granted more than $2 billion in tax relief to new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the Gulf Coast, according to a report released Monday by the Sierra Club, which tallied publicly […]
How Democrats (Just Barely) Flipped America’s Most Expensive House Seat
In late November, more than three weeks after Election Day, GOP Rep. Michelle Steel conceded to Democrat Derek Tran in one of the most hotly contested US House races in the country. In the end, Tran won by roughly 650 votes in Southern California’s 45th congressional district, making it one of the country’s closest contests […]
Itch.io is currently offline due to a ‘trash AI-powered’ phishing report
Image: Epic Games
Indie game storefront Itch.io is currently offline because of what it describes as a bogus phishing report. While the game store’s servers are still online, the domain for the website is currently pointing towards IP addresses that itch.io doesn’t own — making it inaccessible for most people.
Itch.io blames pop culture collectibles company Funko for the issues in a post on X, “because they use some trash ‘AI-powered’ Brand Protection Software called Brand Shield that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar.”
I kid you not, @itchio has been taken down by @OriginalFunko because they use some trash "AI Powered" Brand Protection Software called @BrandShieldltd that created some bogus Phishing report to our registrar, @iwantmyname, who ignored our response and just disabled the domain
— itch.io (@itchio) December 9, 2024
While the disputed page has been taken down, itch.io’s domain registrar, iwantmyname, still disabled the domain likely due to automated systems. According to a post on X, the indie game marketplace is now waiting on the domain registrar to respond and re-enable its domain.
If you know how to tweak your hosts file that maps hostnames to IP addresses then you can use the 45.33.107.166 IP address in the meantime, but you’ll need to remove the entry once the domain is restored. Itch.io is hoping the problems will be resolved in a matter of hours so it doesn’t have to deploy a new domain name instead.
The domain issues come just days after itch.io started allowing its users to use its domain name for Bluesky accounts. If you have spent $10 on the platform then you have the option to use your itch.io profile URL on Bluesky, but the current domain issues mean anyone who switched to the custom itch.io URLs has an “invalid handle” error on Bluesky until the main itch.io domain is back online.
South Korea's Justice Ministry imposes travel ban on President Yoon over martial law
Yoon's martial law decree plunged South Korea into political turmoil and caused worry among its key diplomatic partners.
Under Trump, an 'all of the above' energy policy is poised for a comeback
Trump promised to "drill, baby, drill." What does that actually mean for the U.S. oil and gas industry – and other types of energy, too?
Why these doctors started writing medical 'prescriptions' for solar power
Doctors in Boston got tired of writing letters to power companies asking them to help vulnerable patients. Then they realized the solar panels on the hospital roof might offer a solution.
Mississippi communities scarred by ICE raids fear future under Trump
Morton and nearby towns in central Mississippi saw the biggest workplace ICE raids in the country in 2019, when nearly 700 workers were arrested from chicken processing plants. Five years later, the impact is still felt here, even as activists and immigrants brace for more workplace raids under a second Trump term.
Russia targets Ukraine's energy grid as winter sets in. Here's how one plant copes
Russian strikes continue to destroy Ukraine's power grid, prompting nationwide power cuts while temperatures drop. Workers at a damaged plant try to restore its operation before the winter freeze.
Kennedy Center pays tribute to the Grateful Dead, Raitt, Sandoval and The Apollo
A packed house honored the Grateful Dead, director Francis Ford Coppola, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt. The venerable Harlem theater The Apollo also was recognized.
Ruby slippers worn in 'The Wizard of Oz' are auctioned for a record $28 million
Including the Dallas-based auction house's fee, the unknown buyer will ultimately pay $32.5 million for the pair of iconic ruby slippers that were stolen from a museum nearly two decades ago.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
2012—FUCK THE FOUNDING FATHERS! | Tumblr:
"At this point, I think we need to be asking ourselves about how we think this nation should be governed. We need to stop bickering about how we think a bunch racist, sexist White men from over 200 years ago would have answered our nation’s vastly changing problems. "
Tumblr in its heyday sure was something. https://www.tumblr.com/corruptedspacecore/34424663005
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
We’ll never scold people into being polite. It’ll only reaffirm the notion that minding our manners is more important than the lives of everyday Americans.
On that note, I simply cannot see how it’s possible to feel the full weight of death caused by the for-profit healthcare system and remain somber when one of its merchants perishes. If you’re scolding people for celebrating that CEO’s death, there’s no way you actually believe ... https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/12/09/well-never-scold.html
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
SmudgeTheInsultCat@mas.to ("Smudge The Insult Cat 🐀") wrote:
Attachments:
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
qurlyjoe@mstdn.social ("Kindness is jingly") wrote:
Cashier: Do you need bags?
Me: Do any of us NEED anything?
Cashier: Sir, I have a liberal arts degree too.
Me: Plastic, please.
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
TFW you nuke 50+ lines of JS and a multiple event handlers *per page* because you (belatedly) realise that print stylesheets mostly work now.
Magical.
Lawsuit accuses Jay-Z of raping a 13-year-old with Sean 'Diddy' Combs in 2000
Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, was added as a defendant on Sunday in a lawsuit first filed in October. The anonymous accuser said the assault happened at an MTV music awards after-party.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
Herr Musk coddles Nazis, and has a great influence over the President-Elect. WTF has happened to my country?
https://www.texasobserver.org/revealed-operators-neo-nazi-x-accounts/
Elissa: Someone found very stepped-on prints of the original Star Wars trilogy and digitised them. STAR WARS: GRINDHOUSE VERSION is beautiful.
*These prints are quite evocative. I can SMELL the cigarettes. I can FEEL the sticky carpet.*
Attachments:
gleick@mas.to ("James Gleick") wrote:
Amazing fact: It's illegal in the United States for anyone to donate more than $3,300 to a candidate in any federal election. That's the absolute limit. No kidding. There's a vast apparatus meant to enforce it.
Just one exception: if you're very rich, you can do whatever you want. https://mas.to/@carnage4life/113617945518251067
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
Taylor Lorenz has exposed the dark side of BlueSky:
"It’s a curious reasoning: that to be “against death and suffering”, you must appear to wish for death and suffering on people with whom you disagree."
As if sending thousands of sick Americans to their grave, then looting the stock market is merely a “disagreement” we can hash out over tea. The disingenuous, minimizing language from the media the past week has been really ... https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/12/08/taylor-lorenz-has.html
Reblogged by pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑"):
argr@glaceon.social ("dragons imaginer") wrote:
the far left: we need to get rid of CEOs for the sake of humanity's future!
the far right: we need to get rid of Trans gender for the sake of anti-basilisk antipaperclipper eugenical Space Marine good guy cottage homeschool
reasonable centrism: 😌 we need to turn the transgender CEOs into Space Marines and make them build cottages
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
matiu_bidule@mamot.fr ("matiu bidule") wrote:
#Assurance
#CEO
#USA
#Capitalisme
#LateStageCapitalism
#Journalisme
(suite des pouets précédents ⤴️ )
Attachments:
- meme from The Hard Times : image : un groupe de pesonnes corporate l'air étonnés. En petit dans un coin une image du gars qui a tué un CEO d'un compagnie d'assurance américaine. Texte (traduction approximative) : les médias d'actualités ont du mal a expliquer pourquoi le tueur à attaqué un riche directeur au lieu de s'en prendre à des immigrants ou à des femmes. (remote)
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
Broward Co. to vacate convictions for people who bought crack made by the Sheriff’s Office:
"For three years, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office produced its own crack cocaine, so it could sell it to people that deputies would then arrest for buying crack cocaine."
In 2024, Broward county Sheriffs Department received an $84 million budget increase totally $765 million. ... https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/12/08/193332.html
bcantrill ("Bryan Cantrill") wrote:
Why Gelsinger was wrong for Intel
https://bcantrill.dtrace.org/2024/12/08/why-gelsinger-was-wrong-for-intel/
Trailers of the week: Star Trek, Severance, and Gundam
Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek: Section 31. | Image: Paramount Plus
It’s the first week of December, and the end of the year is coming in fast and with a lot to look forward to at theaters this month. That very cool-looking Lord of the Rings anime hits US theaters on the 13th; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 follows on the 20th; and I’m deeply excited to see Nosferatu on December 25th. (If you’re not with me on that last one, give Matt Zoller Seitz’s RogerEbert.com review of it a read and get back to me.)
While I’m waiting to go be unnerved by Robert Eggers’ new spooky vampire movie, let’s take a look at some good trailers from the last week.
Star Trek: Section 31
I’ll admit that the biggest appeal for me about this straight-to-streaming spy movie spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery is Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou. She’s just having so much fun in this trailer. The trailers haven’t revealed yet what threat she’ll be facing, other than being forced to do teamwork, but it seems like it’ll be pretty heavy on the rag-tag team of antiheroes action thing.
The Olatunde Osunsanmi-directed movie also stars Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sven Ruygrok, Humberly Gonzalez, Rob Kazinsky, and Sam Richardson. It premieres on Paramount Plus starting January 24th.
Severance
I was late to the Severance party, having finally finished it a few months ago, so I can only imagine how eager people who saw its cliffhanger ending have been to see the story continue. Well, the second season of creator Dan Erickson’s bizarro sci-fi drama is almost here, and it looks like it’s probably going to bring answers, with even more mystery heaped on top of it.
All of the first season’s main characters, including Mark (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) are returning, and they’ll be joined by characters played by the likes of Alia Shawkat, Gwendoline Christie, and Bob Balaban. Season two of Severance premieres January 17th on Apple TV Plus.
Invincible
The third season of Invincible will see a stronger, older Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) tell off GDA director Cecil Stedman (Walton Goggins) and episodes that show creator Robert Kirkman hopes will each feel like a finale. And there’s no season break this time around.
The show debuts with three episodes February 6th on Amazon Prime, with new episodes releasing every Thursday after until March 13th.
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time continues its retelling of the Robert Jordan fantasy epic on March 13th next year. In its third season, the show follows Joshua Stradowski’s Rand al’Thor — the “Dragon Reborn” — and Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) as they go into the Aiel Waste. It’s been more than two decades since I read the book series, so I couldn’t spoil what happens there for you if I wanted to, but I seem to recall this was a fairly dark time in the series.
The Gorge
Who knows what evil is in The Gorge’s, uh, gorge, but it’s apparently contained well enough that humanity only needs two snipers — who aren’t allowed to interact with each other — stationed on either side of it to make sure it stays there. The snipers, Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), do interact and fall for eachother, then end up in the gorge. Oops!
Scott Derrickson directs the movie, which also stars Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, and William Houston. It premieres February 14th on Apple TV Plus.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Giant robot anime fans rejoice: there’s a new Mobile Suit Gundam coming next year. It’s called Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and it’s produced by Khara, the studio behind the Rebuild of Evangelion films.
The weird name references a Gundam called the gMS-Ω GQuuuuuuX. The show will follow a highschooler — named Yuzuriha “Machu” Amate (Tomoyo Kurosawa) — who learns to co-pilot the building-sized, sword-wielding robot with pilot Shuji Ito (Shimba Tsuchiya). Some of its episodes will head to Japanese theaters on January 17th.
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
rchusid@med-mastodon.com ("Ron Chusid :verified:") wrote:
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information related to the shooting of Brian Thompson. Note that this reward has a $40,000 deductible before you can collect and you must make a $2500 copay.
Gargron ("Eugen Rochko") wrote:
That's it, the Mastodon stuffed toy is fully sold out in Europe now. I hope everyone has lovely holidays with their new friends, don't forget to share a picture with the hashtag #plushtodon!
Photos: See the fall of Damascus after Syrian rebels topple Assad's regime
Assad's downfall came less than two weeks after an initial incursion west of the country's second largest city, Aleppo, triggered a cascading series of routs and retreats by the demoralized Syrian military.
claytoncubitt.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy ("Clayton Cubitt") wrote:
Wow so Zuck is *scared* scared
Attachments:
- Security expenditures for executives in 2023: Meta Platforms, Inc. Alphabet Inc. $6.775,631 Blackstone Inc. $4,579,444 Las Vegas Sands Corp. $3,083,515 Oracle Corporation $3,048,090 Amazon.com, Inc. $2,660,431 Palo Alto Networks, Inc. $1,660,554 Salesforce, Inc.$1,.628,437 Fox Corporation $1,544,663 Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. $1,508,311 The Walt Disney Company $1,310,446 Palantir Technologies Inc. $1,299,766 Netflix, Inc. $1,295,805 Ford Motor Company $1,244.098 Moderna, Inc. $1,053,767 Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. $1,042,080 Starbucks Corporation $869,779 BlackRock, Inc. | $831,814 Apple Inc. | $820,309 Pfizer Inc. $805,235 (remote)
JL_Lycette@mindly.social ("JL Lycette MD, author🩺📚") wrote:
Here's a common "peer-to-peer" conversation I have repeatedly with the #insurance companies as an oncologist:
Me: I want to appeal your denial of my patient's PET scan
Them: Sorry, PET scan isn't on our approved list
Me: You approved it last time, and it's a standard-of-care that the patient have a repeat PET scan to assess if their treatment is working
Them: Oh, we approved it last time?
[much hemming and hawing while they verify this]Me: By the way, are you a board-certified oncologist?
Them: [again much hemming and hawing, and only when I insist do they tell me their name and credentials (and about 95% of the time they aren't an oncologist)]
Me: Let me make sure I have the spelling of your name correct for the chart so I can make a note of who is denying the necessary medical care for my patient
Them: [Finds a way to approve the PET scan]
And scene
(many times a month)
#MedMastodon #healthcare #healthinsurance #healthcareisahumanright #cancer #oncology
Reblogged by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
simon@simonwillison.net ("Simon Willison") wrote:
Blogged about the new-to-me (but online since 1994) Holotypic Occlupanid Research Group, dedicated to collecting and taxonomizing plastic bread clips https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/8/holotypic-occlupanid-research-group/
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
Logging off like...
Attachments:
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
All of this has taught me 2 lessons:
- buy from an integrator that will do a burn-in. We bought ~identical specs for F from Puget, and it has been trouble-free on the hardware side.
- I probably need to give up entirely on the dream (that I lived for a while[1]) of having a smol, super fast, storage-and-memory expandable machine w/ great thermals and zero noise
President Bashar al-Assad Has Fled Syria and His Brutal Regime is Finally Over
In an unexpected development Saturday night, Syrian rebels who had been fighting government forces for over a decade, captured the capital city of Damascus, bringing an end to a more than decade-long civil war and an even longer reign of terror by the family of President Bashar al-Assad. Opposition forces reportedly announced on national television, […]
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
In practice:
- Asus...*sigh*
- Windows is still Windows
- Intel software update tools are *rough*
- Memory incompatibility at rated speeds
- 4080 (bought *direct* from NVidia) needed an RMA for bad fan bearings
- nics still cut out
- regularly checking Event Viewer and configuring machine to output larger dumps on crashes
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
The NUC was *absolutely* the right choice on paper:
- Small enough not to notice under the desk
- Quiet, and could be made moreso (have replaced all fans w/ Noctua, FTW)
- Tons of storage potential
- Good I/O
- Fits (and is validated for) a 4080, both physically and in power budget
- Fewer thoats to choke
On-paper downside was only 64GB of memory.
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
Owning a PC is a wild ride. Bought a NUC Extreme as it involved the fewest third parties (Intel CPU, Intel designed mobo, Intel networking, etc.). Since then:
- Intel sold the group to Asus
- Asus have failed to issue the final microcode patch [1] (0x129 is available, but not 0x12B)
- I've had endless issues with both of the built-in nics (Intel I226-V 2.5Gbit and Marvell AQtion 10Gbit), running at just 1Gbit...and I'm not alone [2]
[1]: https://www.asus.com/us/displays-desktops/nucs/nuc-elements/nuc-13-extreme-compute-element/helpdesk_bios?model2Name=NUC-13-Extreme-Compute-Element
[2]: https://www.reddit.com/r/gigabyte/comments/12otamj/ethernet_internet_connection_drops_with_marvell/
camaradabakunin@paquita.masto.host ("Camarada Bakunin :anarchy:") wrote:
Dilemas clásicos actualizados.
Attachments:
bruno_j_navarro ("Bruno J. Navarro") wrote:
“I have yet to see a single video that’s pounding the drum of ‘we have to find him,’ and that is unique,” said Michael McWhorter, better known as TizzyEnt on TikTok, where he posts true crime and viral news content for his 6.7 million followers. “And in other situations of some kind of blatant violence, I would absolutely be seeing that.” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/internet-sleuths-say-wont-help-find-unitedhealthcare-ceo-suspect-rcna183228
carnage4life@mas.to ("Dare Obasanjo") wrote:
The largest tech donors to the Trump and Harris campaigns. I didn’t realize Elon spent a quarter of a billion dollars on campaign donations to Trump.
Attachments:
cyberpunklibrarian@glammr.us ("Cyberpunk Librarian") wrote:
So some librarian fun facts for you:
The guy who shot the CEO in New York wrote the words deny, defend, and depose on his bullet casings. This seems to refer to a book about the insurance industry written by Jay Feinman and titled Delay, Deny, Defend.
This book is currently out of print, though it appears you can get a copy on Kindle. But fuck Amazon, let's see what's happening at some local libraries. 1/2
RWA@super-gay.co ("Rob 📚") wrote:
@objectrecyler @jessamyn @cyberpunklibrarian This was one of the books the Internet Archive was forced to take down. But, I see someone said f*ck it, and uploaded a copy people can download.
https://archive.org/details/delay-deny-defend-why-insurance-companies-dont-pay-claim-and-what-you-can-do-abo
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
Time out from grading, I'm going to goof off for an hour.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/12/08/time-to-take-a-break-this-afternoon/
The latest Invincible season 3 trailer shows off Mark’s new duds
Invincible season three is on its way, and Amazon has released a new trailer in which hero Mark Grayson takes on robots, rams a rocket in space, and chastises Oliver. He also gets a new blue suit.
“Mark’s speed has increased 65 percent; his endurance, 70 percent; and his strength, 138 percent,” says GDA agent Donald Ferguson (Chris Diamantopoulos), setting up the action-filled trailer. What follows are a _Mortal Kombat-_style beheading, nuclear explosions, and the promise of drama as Mark (Steven Yeun) tells GDA director Cecis Stedman (Walton Goggins) that he’s quitting.
The action will apparently persist all season long, as Invincible creator Robert Kirkman said earlier this year that he wanted every episode of it to “feel like it’s a finale.” And unlike the last season, this one won’t have a midseason break. Three episodes will start streaming on February 6th, 2025, with a new one following every Thursday through March 13th.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
It’s unfortunate how the phrase “be kind to others” has become a war cry for the status quo. It’s tosssd around as a way to silence descent and keep us smiling at our oppressors. Justice and kindness are not mutually exclusive ideas. Increasingly, the cruelest thing someone can do is mind their manners when witnessing abuse.
Let’s take back “kindness” from the bootlickers.
Syrians ransack Assad's private residence in Damascus after the regime's downfall
The private residence of deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was ransacked after rebels took over the capital, forcing him to flee the country.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
surPRISE! overall ,Russian Federation forces are overextended and allies who depend upon them for survival are probably somewhat concerned
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/syria-s-bashar-al-assad-fled-to-moscow-kremlin-says/ar-AA1vuhPN
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
QasimRashid ("Qasim Rashid, Esq.") wrote:
This is a deeply vulnerable and personal piece my wife Ayesha and I wrote about our daughter & the incurable disease with which she suffers. We wrote it not because her story is special, but because it is all too common. This torture must end, and as Americans we must stand united to end it.
Please read, share, and share your story.
https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/when-insurance-rejects-life-saving
The Wheel of Time spins up its third season in March
Rand (Joshua Stradowski) and Moiraine (Rosamund Pike). | Screenshot: YouTube
Amazon announced at CCXP in Brazil yesterday that season three of Prime Video fantasy series The Wheel of Time will start streaming on March 13th, 2025, writes Deadline. The company also released a new teaser trailer, setting stakes that include the life of at least one main character.
The trailer opens with Rand al’Thor (Joshua Stradowski) and others standing on a hill overlooking a fog-shrouded city. Rand and Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) are headed to the Aiel Waste “to uncover the true fate of the Dragon Reborn” in this season, according to the trailer’s description. If you haven’t watched the show or read Robert Jordan’s book series by the same name, Rand is the Dragon Reborn, a prophecied being who could save the world — or destroy it if he succumbs to the Dark.
We’ve seen a thousand, thousand futures, and in every one of them, The Wheel of Time returns March 13. Behold the official Season 3 teaser trailer. pic.twitter.com/ULZiKjWEHy
— THE WHEEL OF TIME (@TheWheelOfTime) December 7, 2024
“I have seen a thousand thousand futures. In every future where I lived, Rand dies,” says Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike). “And the only way he lives is if I don’t,” she adds before she’s seen being carried, unconscious, by Rand at the end of the trailer.
Besides Stradowski and Pike, season 3 will see the return of several characters, including Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robbins), Mat Cauthon (Dónal Finn), and al-Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney).
Trump Just Provided Details for His Dystopic and Sweeping Presidential Agenda
President-elect Donald Trump appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday to deliver his first televised interview after winning the 2024 election. In a wide-ranging conversation with moderator Kristen Welker, filmed at Trump Tower on Friday, he outlined some of his priorities for social policy, immigration, his plans to use the presidential pardon, the economy, […]
Sony is still slashing prices on consoles, controllers, and more for the holidays
Sony’s “cosmic red” DualSense Wireless Controller is down to $54.99 ($20 off) for a limited time. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be over, but Sony’s ongoing holiday sale lives on, giving you a chance to save on various PlayStation 5 consoles, games, and accessories through January 2nd. Now until December 25th, for example, you can save up to $75 on the newer PS5 “slim” (now $424 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target) and the PS5 Digital Edition (now $374 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart).
If you already have a PS5 and are looking for new ways to play, the PlayStation VR 2 is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target with Horizon Call of the Mountain for $349 ($250 off), which may be tempting. The virtual reality headset is easy to set up and offers excellent PC-grade immersion, though its lineup still remains somewhat limited nearly two years after its release.
Not into VR? It’s also a great time to pick up extra controllers, gaming headsets, and other PS5 accessories. Now until December 13th, Sony’s standard DualSense Wireless Controller is on sale for as low as $54 ($21 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, while the reflective “Chroma” variants can be had for $59. There aren’t many PS5 controllers we’d recommend over the DualSense, namely because most third-party options lack the adaptive triggers and haptic engine, which add real tension to mirror your in-game actions.
You can also pick up Pulse-branded headsets throughout the same period, including the Pulse Elite, which is down to an all-time low of $129.99 ($20 off) at Best Buy, Walmart, and GameStop. The Pulse Explore earbuds are also on sale starting at $169 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Both use planar magnetic drivers, which noticeably impact the 3D audio listening experience, along with a proprietary low-latency codec that works natively on PS5 consoles and Windows PCs with the included dongle.
If you’re looking to change up the look of your PS5, you can also pick up one of several Console Covers starting at $44.99 ($10 off). A number of games are on sale, too, including the collector’s editions of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for $149.99 ($80 off) and MLB The Show 24for $49.99 ($10 off), along with Astro Bot for $49.99 ($10 off).
More deals to shop this weekend
- Now through January 2nd, new Mint Mobile customers can get a year of cellular service with unlimited talk, text, and data for $180 (50 percent off), which breaks down to $15 a month. You have to pay for all 12 months upfront, but that’s a great value for the T-Mobile-owned MVNO carrier. Just bring your phone, drop in the SIM card (or activate via eSIM), and you can connect to the same 4G LTE and 5G towers that T-Mobile customers do. Just be mindful that you’ll be slowed after using 40GB of data each month, and your video streaming will be limited to 480p.
- It’s a little nippy out in many parts of the US, but the birds are still cutting through the chilly winds to get their food. Fortunately, you can keep watch on them from the warmth of your home with Bird Buddy’s smart bird feeder, which is currently available for $199 ($20 off) directly from Bird Buddy. The feeder will alert you when new visitors arrive, take a photo of them, and even detect their species so you can learn more about them. It also uses a detachable solar roof, allowing it to stay powered indefinitely.
- The Marshall Emberton II, a Bluetooth speaker that resembles a mini guitar amp, is on sale for $99.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Marshall’s online storefront. While we haven’t reviewed the second-gen model yet, the original offered a warm, bassy sound signature with well-balanced mids and highs. The sequel builds on it with IP67 water resistance while retaining up to 30 hours of battery life and the ability to sync with multiple units for an even bigger sound.
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
digits@ravenation.club ("Digits") wrote:
I really wish we'd have gotten this McCartney/Asimov collaboration about aliens who impersonate Wings: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/dec/08/its-like-they-were-smoking-something-potent-the-bizarre-paul-mccartney-alien-musical-that-never-was
Trump focuses on tariffs, not retribution, in first network TV interview
President-elect Trump lays out plan for his first 100 days during interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press."
Reblogged by pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑"):
jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net ("Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:") wrote:
Dear journalists and editors. I am NOT interested in any stories on "How did Assad escape" and "What did he take with him" or picture stories on "This is how the former dictator and his beautiful wife and children now live". I hope you can resist the clickbait pressure and instead publish investigative articles on what is happening in Syria and to the Syrian people. Start with asking refugees that are willing to share their interpretation, without asking them if they plan to return, OK? #kthxbai
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
Music to grade by.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/12/08/its-a-grading-day/
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
camille@praxis.nyc ("Camille lives at Praxis Now") wrote:
Updated statement from Syrian anarchists Tekoşîna Anarşîst (7 December 2024)
We Carry a New World in Our Heart: The Regime Has Fallen, the War Continues
https://www.blackrosefed.org/ta-statement-dec-3-2024/
"There is a small window of opportunity when a regime collapses. A brief revolutionary time, where the people can take the power back in their hands, preventing a new centralized authority from imposing itself. We have to be ready to seize those opportunities when they come."
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
erosdiscordia@onycha.monster ("Mystery Babylon") wrote:
Want to listen to a bumping little song?
Tom Grennan, "Higher"
Our hottest and coldest 2025 takes
There’s a lot we don’t know about what’s coming for tech in 2025. AI could save the world, or ruin it, or do pretty much nothing interesting at all. A new US president could change priorities and policies on antitrust fights and privacy rules. Will TikTok get banned? Will the fediverse take off? Will it be the year of Matter? Will Grand Theft Auto VI change society forever? Will the next Mission: Impossible movie be awesome? Look, I didn’t say the stakes were always super high. But there are lots of questions.
On this episode of The Vergecast, we try and offer some answers — with absolutely no evidence. Nilay, David, and Wall Street Journal columnist (and forever friend of The Verge) Joanna Stern take turns offering their predictions for the year to come.
We start with our mildest, most milquetoast takes on tech in 2025, before ramping up to our biggest, hottest, spiciest thoughts. And because we need to be held accountable for our actions, we make a game out of it.
Here’s how the game works: Each host offers a prediction, and the other two get a chance to either agree with or reject the prediction. At the end of the year, whoever is right about that prediction gets a point....
Apple and Sony are working on Vision Pro support for PSVR2 controllers
Sony’s PSVR2 controller support may be coming to the Vision Pro through a special partnership. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Vision Pro could gain support for Sony PSVR2 controllers soon, according to Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. Apple and Sony apparently planned to announce support for the controllers “weeks ago” but have pushed back the rollout. Under this rumored partnership, Apple would begin selling Sony’s controllers, which aren’t currently available on their own.
Sony has apparently been working on adding the support for months, while Apple has asked third-party developers if they would take advantage of Sony’s VR controllers. That’s potentially great news for Vision Pro owners who wish the headset had more gaming chops. (There are precious few good, native visionOS games — Thrasher, a mesmerizing game where you fling a giant worm / dragon thing around a psychadelic space using just hand movements, comes to mind.)
Gurman writes that Apple also wants to use the controllers for more than gaming — the controllers will be able to navigate visionOS, and would offer more precise controls in apps like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop. Right now, you can pair a standard Bluetooth controller and navigate visionOS — tapping buttons to select things, scrolling with the analog sticks, and so on. They also work for gaming, but you’re mostly limited to iPad and iPhone games with controller support or made-for-iOS emulators or that native Virtual Boy one.
Will this partnership bear fruit and help games actually flourish on the platform? I’m not immediately hopeful, given the Vision Pro’s sales and Apple’s track record of support from game publishers.
Still, the Vision Pro is fundamentally different from Apple’s other devices, and VR is its own landscape. And there are signs the community wants this, with at least one fully-funded Kickstarter project to develop Meta Quest 3-style controllers, called the Surreal Touch, for the Vision Pro. Maybe the Vision Pro will get some great VR games — whether anyone will be around to buy them is another question entirely.
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
TIL that Brenda Lee (of the "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" fame) is younger than my dad. Huh.
Cancer interrupted their school lives, but also set them on a mission
Pediatric cancer survival rates are a crowning medical achievement. But the impact of missing school is a less-discussed side effect children then face.
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
It's good to see that smug, evil face running away in fear. #Syria
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/12/08/a-totalitarian-police-state-falls-and-goes-splat/
Attachments:
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
It's unfortunate when the first comment on a potholer54 video is an example of Dunning-Krueger.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/12/08/reading-the-daily-mail-is-not-how-to-do-research/
December's Cant-Miss Game Releases, Amazon's Free Games For Prime Members, And More Holiday Season Tips
This week, holiday sales and giveaways are in full swing, and we’ve got the lowdown on all the games Amazon is giving away to Prime subscribers, the best games to pick up in PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary sale, and more.
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
When I was single, I had a "Christmas Stick" tradition. I would go out and find a suitably sized tree branch that had fallen to the ground and bring it home. I would hang it from the ceiling with twine or fishing line, and then I would decorate it in the usual way with lights and little ornaments. It was very cheerful, and I often miss it, especially when the holidays become stressful with all the demands we place on each other.
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
derthomas@metalhead.club ("Turbo Toms") wrote:
To celebrate Tom Waits' 75th birthday, @buffyleigh and I are doing a chronological deep dive through his discography.
You are more than welcome to join us. Tag your toots with #TomWaitsAWeek if you like.
I drafted a rough schedule taking into account all his studio albums and Orphans. This makes it 4 albums a day.
You can add live albums and soundtracks for imaginary bonus points and good karma.Of course you don't have to stick to the agenda, just follow your instincts and real life schedule. If you take longer, Tom can wait I guess.
Happy listening and enjoy the ride!
Find the schedule in the next toot 👇
🔁 appreciated 🙏
1/2
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
'Mighty Warriors! Please enjoy this new song about my robotic adventures across the galaxy! I love you all!'
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
That video led me to a recent animated video from Gloryhammer and Alex Henderson, which is as welldone as "Bekhauf's". "He Has Returned":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-LfjLewYb4
Which can also be listened to at bandcamp instead:
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
I admit I'm a sucker for a music video that features well done animation, and doubly so when the featured music is well done. Anyway, interesting and intense collab between Bloodywood, Babymetal, and Goppo Animation for "Bekhauf":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skXlKxjlUoo
Or you can just listen to the track at a less offensively advertising laden site (you won't get the subtitles):
https://bloodywood.bandcamp.com/track/bekhauf-feat-babymetal
(Even with uBlock, Youtube is starting to be annoying. Yt-dlp, NewPipe, etc to the rescue.)
PHOTOS: Take a ride with the Elephant Response Team. And be careful!
Their job is to keep the peace amid a worsening and at times deadly conflict between humans and the world's largest land animal in the town of Livingstone, Zambia.
The Installer gift guide, part two
Image: David Pierce / The Verge
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 63, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, it’s a lot of stuff to watch this week, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I’ve been reading about clog crime and bright headlights and Robert Pattinson, starting my 564th rewatch of Community, testing Sill as part of my news reading flow, taking copious notes on Mrwhosetheboss’ new office setup,watching a lot of videos about sports stadiums for some reason, trying out all of Esquire’s best podcasts of 2024,and continuing to eat too much Swedish candy. For journalism, I swear.
I also have for you a great new feature for a great to-do list app, a new Peloton app, a comic book series worth your time, a couple of good tech-culture documentaries I think you’ll like, and lots more. We’re definitely in “new stuff to watch on cold evenings” season rather than “new apps and gadgets” season, but I’m not mad at it. It is cold out there.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into right now? What should everyone else be playing / reading / watching / eating / building / doing...
Norway’s Whales Harassed, and Threatened, by “Nonstop” Underwater Din
This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. From the moment that the biologist Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes […]
NYPD releases 2 new photos of man sought in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspected shooter that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi.
John Lithgow on having a "good ending" — on and off screen
Actor John Lithgow grew up in a theater family but always wanted to be a painter. On Wild Card this week, he opens up what changed his mind.
I just remembered that I ordered a bag of actual coal to use as runners-up prizes in the costume contest in our Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along and it never arrived. It seems it was delivered and stolen. (Mail theft is a problem in my building.)
Someone stole my COAL.
Definitely going on te naughty list.
https://jwz.org/b/ykeN
In Syria, the Assads leave a bitter legacy after a half-century of repressive rule
President Bashar Assad and his father, Hafez Assad, combined to rule Syria for more than 50 years, always with an iron fist that crushed dissent and relied on the country's feared security forces.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
Education Is Key to Fighting Disinformation on Social Media - The New York Times:
"These groups can be broadly defined as people who have a deep distrust of authority and traditional sources of information such as governments, scientists, doctors or bankers. This distrust is frequently rooted in a sense of feeling betrayed or harmed by those authorities. There could be completely legitimate reasons — whether personal, social or ... https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/12/08/education-is-key.html
Syrian government appears to have fallen in stunning end to long rule of Assad family
The Syrian government appeared to have fallen early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a lightning rebel offensive.
Reblogged by isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:"):
ayoub@spore.social ("Elia Ayoub (he/him)") wrote:
It’s over for Assad. It’s finally over for the Assad dynasty. I am speechless
Attachments:
- Rami Jarrah @ramijarrah.bsky.social BREAKING: HTS (The Military Operations Command): "Heads of the intelligence branches in Damascus have completed arrangements with us to take control of the capital Damascus" December 7, 2024 at 10:53 PM & Everybody can reply 34 reposts 10 quotes 66 likes ₫ 44 66 (remote)
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
mo@icelandphotos.co.uk ("Mo") wrote:
Once in a lifetime photo.
Towards the end of a fabulous auroral display, a meteor streaked through my shot.
I was literally dancing with joy!Early November 2021, near Egilsstaðir in eastern #Iceland.
ISO-800 f/2.8 15 seconds exposure.#NorthernLights #Aurora #DailyPhoto #WeatherPhotography #AstroPhotography
Attachments:
- A strong auroral display beginning to break up, creating a swirling mass of green loops and spikes in the lower two-thirds of the shot. Above them, the stars are visible, in particular Ursa Major the Plough (Big Dipper) in the top left. The foreground is a silhouette of gentle hills, some trees are visible on the skyline which give scale. Near the centre of the shot, travelling from upper right to lower left, a sputtering fireball is streaking through. (remote)
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
pixelnull@infosec.exchange ("platos_cave.webm") wrote:
remember when ICE is in your neighborhood or in a place you are also in, fuck with them as much as you can... LEGALLY
you help nobody by getting arrested, but you can make it difficult. use your privilege, whatever it is.
"WELL HELLO ICE OFFICERS! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ILLEGALS?" you scream at the top of your lungs while banging on a bell or trashcan
"they went thatadda way" as you point to the sky
"I DON'T KNOW WHERE [person's name] IS OFFICER! I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYBODY WHO LOOKS LIKE [person's description, but wrong]."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" times infinity as you act like you're trying to be helpful
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
One day I’ll slip this into a client’s color palette and my life’s work will be complete.
Attachments:
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
What would the liberal Joe Rogan this of all this
Cdespinosa ("Chris Espinosa") wrote:
It’s probably institutionalist of me but I just don’t think that one’s entire presidential cabinet should have conflicts of interest with their personal businesses, be unable to pass an FBI background check, and not be allowed within 100 feet of a schoolyard
Reblogged by mbrubeck@mefi.social:
ryan@dads.cool ("Ryan, the Dad Who Loves Coffee") wrote:
turning in my journalist badge. and my journalist gun. my boss is asking where i even got these and saying i’m not even a real journalist. i know, man, that’s why i’m turning these in
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
@ClaraListensprechen4 I blocked you for a reason. Please don't use any other alt accounts to attempt to follow me. When I block this account too it's goodbye forever, okay? Okay good thank you.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
Microblog never quite cross-posts how you'd think
https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/12/07/screenshots-maybe-i.html
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
Screenshots
Maybe I start doing “photo dumps” but with screenshots from around the web and definitely not using the term “dump.”
Attachments:
- iPhone home screen with a picture of a dog. Two text messages from Stephanie. 1: Someone shot a CEO. 2. H-O-T-T-O-G-O
- Black and white photo of person flying through the air on a skateboard. &10;&10;Source: [bsky.app/profile/e...](https://bsky.app/profile/evanmathis.co/post/3lcjjjc7tnc2q)
- Man in a car driving visibly upset. Woman in back seat talking on the phone. Still image from the movie Parasite.
- Keith Olbermann sitting on the floor wrapped in the American flag.
](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/614/460/149/999/067/original/ddfebf08c35c790c.jpg){kind=link}
slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell") wrote:
I'd missed this by @simon , but it's excellent and explains why so many calendar-adjacent systems are terrible to use in practice, particularly if you travel:
https://simonwillison.net/2024/Nov/27/storing-times-for-human-events/
NZXT’s Flex PC rentals are still ‘misleading’ and ‘predatory,’ claims Gamers Nexus
Image: NZXT
Gamers Nexus has released a video deconstructing NZXT’s defense of its Flex gaming PC purchase and rental program. In it, host Steve Burke says the company is still misleading customers, despite adjustments made in response to his previous video in which he called the program “a scam.”
NZXT said in its response this week that it would clarify details about its Flex program, which Gamers Nexus had criticized for having specs that would change sometimes “day-to-day.” The company has appeared to update specs and performance numbers for its purchase builds. But Gamers Nexus reports it still spotted issues like inconsistent FPS numbers and a FAQ that implied NZXT’s for-sale Player: Three Prime build uses an RTX 4090 graphics card, despite its specs saying otherwise.
The FAQ entry Burke mentions seems to be gone now, but as of this writing, there’s still an entry titled “What GPU is right for me?” that lists the RTX 4090 and its benefits. Such inconsistencies are a problem for potential customers, Burke says.
The fact that NZXT misrepresented its product, even after its statement, as having a 4090 when it still had a 4080 Super ... seemingly indicates that even NZXT can’t keep up with its own specs changes. If NZXT can’t keep up with it ... how are they expecting the customer to keep up with it?
Gamers Nexus offers other criticisms of the company’s rental program, from “improper packaging” damage fees with upper bounds that exceed the cost of equivalent non-rental versions of the PCs to the creator-based ad videos that continue to exist, despite the company saying it had “pulled all influencer-led Flex advertising.” NZXT did not immediately respond to our request for comment on the new video.
Gamers Nexus said Thursday that it’s working on a deeper investigation, and its video today ends with Burke saying he’s received “a number of very concerning tips” from former employees and customers.
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻"):
anildash@me.dm ("Anil Dash") wrote:
The NY Times refuses to cover the murder of Yeremi Colino, which took place in Manhattan the same day as the murder of the UHC CEO, because Colino was an immigrant child killed by a white supremacist who asked whether he could speak English. Just like NYPD refuses to carry out the same kind of manhunt with hourly updates on the killer. They only care about corporate tycoons, not teenagers being killed. This is how they cover for the hate crime.
Photos: Notre Dame Cathedral reopens, with its first service since a devastating fire
The bells of Notre Dame Cathedral rang on Saturday evening in Paris for the first time since a fire heavily damaged the Paris landmark in 2019.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
STATUS: peeling roasted ‘Elephant Garlic’
Reblogged by collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth"):
aworkinglibrary@mstdn.social ("mandy brown") wrote:
“It is useless work that darkens the heart.” https://aworkinglibrary.com/writing/living-in-alignment
Michelle Yeoh’s spy team assembles in Star Trek: Section 31’s official trailer
Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou. | Screenshot: YouTube
There’s a lot of Star Trek: Discovery in the official trailer for the Star Trek: Section 31 movie that Paramount Plus just released — big drama, explosions, and some looming threat that’s “unlike anything that Starfleet’s ever seen.”
The trailer shows off a little more of the film, with moody corridors, some sort of electrified space ball, and brief looks at the spaceships that the show will feature. It also devotes more time to characters besides Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou — namely Omari Hardwick’s Alok Sahar and Kacey Rohl’s future Enterprise C captain, Rachel Garrett. It’s still a mystery what trouble Emperor Philippa is leading her team into, though.
Philippa will work with a team that also includes a pointy-eared alien named Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), an empath named Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), the exoskeleton-wearing Zeph (Rob Kazinsky), and a Chameloid shapeshifter named Quasi (Sam Richardson). Star Trek: Section 31 starts streaming January 24th on Paramount Plus.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz ❤️ 💻") wrote:
Your AI clone could target your family, but there’s a simple defense - Ars Technica:
"For example, you could tell your parents, children, or spouse to ask for a word or phrase to verify your identity if something seems suspicious, such as “The sparrow flies at midnight,” “Greg is the king of burritos,” or simply “flibbertigibbet.” (As fun as these sound, your password should be secret and not the same as these.)"
Lol what is ... https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/12/07/your-ai-clone.html
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
this fork of the Multiverse is very strange indeed
