"WhisperGate" malware was used to overwrite Master Boot Record and other files to render systems inoperable at several organizations in Ukraine, Microsoft says.
The Sims 4 developer Maxis has announced that customizable genders are on the way. The announcement was shared during its official Sims 4 livestream, in which key members of The Sims team sat down with various gender researchers to discuss the update--as well as show off how it might look once implemented.
The Sims 4's pronoun customization menu.
While the team made it clear the shared footage is still in development and is therefore subject to change, as of right now it appears the feature will make its way into The Sims 4 in the shape of an additional drop box players fill out during the Create A Sim phase of the game. Upon selecting the drop box, players will be given the option to write in three pronouns for their sims. Once inserted, the pronouns will then be populated into a series of sentences in an effort to ensure everything is grammatically sound. SimGuruDuck, a producer on The Sims 4, says the update is part of the team's efforts to create a more inclusive experience for players and work towards "a fully inclusive society."
"In our world today, we believe that gender neutrality plays a critical part in working towards a fully inclusive society." SimGuruDuck said. "This Sims continues to evolve and we as a team continue to learn and work on making our game more inclusive, step by step, and day by day."
SimGuruDuck went on to emphasize the new feature is a work in progress, with the team taking careful measures to consult with gender neutral language advisors and doing its research prior to any changes being rolled out.
The update comes nearly six years after The Sims 4 opened up all its various Create A Sim options to all genders, allowing players to adjust their sims clothing, hair, and physical features without any gender-imposed restrictions. While this addition was certainly a leap forward at the time, granting players unprecedented control over their sims physiology and gender expression, users were still ultimately resigned to select from two genders: male and female.
As of right now, the team has yet to announce a release date for the free upgrade, though it seems safe to assume we'll be hearing more about it later this year. However, the team did confirm that the custom pronouns update will be coming to the English version of The Sims 4 first, followed shortly by the game's 17 other language versions.
Original AfreecaTV Post: https://bj.afreecatv.com/afgsl/post/82678868AfreecaTV have announced the schedule and format for the 2022 Global StarCraft II League Tour. 2022 will introduce huge changes...
Intel, a chip giant manufacturer, appears to be contemplating about entering into the Bitcoin mining hardware business. However, that might not be part of its upcoming GPUs.
Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is expected to depart the company once Microsoft finalises the deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard, according to reports. Microsoft's official announcement indicates that Kotick will stay on as CEO of Activision-Blizzard until the deal closes, which is expected to take place before July 2023. After that, the companies expect him to leave, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. Microsoft's plan to acquire Activision-Blizzard for nearly $70 billion sent shockwaves through the games industry when it was announced January 18, and initially it was unclear what plans were for executive-level leadership once the buyout was finalised. Kotick said that he had told Microsoft that following the acquisition, he would "be available to ensure that we are going to have the very best integration," the WSJ reports. The WSJ's sources, however, have indicated that Kotick will leave one the deal is completed. Indeed, it appears that it was the Journal's bombshell report in November, which included interviews with current and former Activision-Blizzard employees and a review of a trove of internal company memos, that set the acquisition in motion.
On Tuesday, Microsoft unexpectedly announced a “simpler” version of Windows, Windows 11 SE, in its latest effort to push aside Chromebooks and make Windows the operating system of elementary- and middle-school classrooms.
For years, that operating system was Windows 10 (and now Windows 11) Home in S Mode, aka Windows 10 S or Windows 11 S, which powers the new Surface Go 3. Windows 11 SE appears to be a slightly more flexible alternative: The operating system will support third-party apps including Chrome and Zoom, Microsoft said. Windows 11 SE will also be exclusive to the education market, Microsoft said.
The new operating system has won the approval of hardware developers, too, Microsoft said. Classrooms and parents will have the option of buying Windows 11 SE PCs from Acer, Asus, Dell, Dynabook, Fujitsu, HP, JK-IP, Lenovo, and Positivo. Even more surprising, Microsoft said it will debut its cheapest Surface yet, the $249 Surface Laptop SE. They'll be available beginning later this year, Microsoft said.
For years, the American classroom has been a battleground for the major tech players, beginning with basic Commodore computers, then moving to early Windows PCs, Apple Macintoshes, and even iPads. In 2011, however, Google moved Chrome OS off its own CR-48 pilot laptops and onto the first Chromebooks from Acer and Samsung. For the last decade, Google-powered Chromebooks have been growing in might, influence, and features, enough to make the decision between buying a laptop and a Chromebook an important choice.
It should be no surprise that Chromebooks surged during the pandemic, or that Microsoft is making a renewed push into that territory. Chromebook sales soared as kids turned to remote schooling and parents hunted down the technology that they would normally use in the classroom. According to Canalys, Chromebook sales erupted a massive 275 percent year-over-year during the first quarter of 2021, after climbing even higher during 2020. For the year, Chromebooks even outsold Macs, according to analyst firm IDC. (However, Canalys reported on November 1 that Chromebook sales fell 37 percent from a year ago, as students returned to the classroom. Mercury Research reported similar findings in the PC CPU market.)
What is Windows 11 SE?
Microsoft is only talking about Windows 11 SE in vague terms, though company representatives followed up with more specifics on how it will differ from Windows 11. According to a blog post authored by Paige Johnson, the vice president of education marketing at Microsoft, educators have told Microsoft that “they need options that are simpler, secure, and work on more affordable devices.” Johnson described Windows 11 SE PCs as “distraction-free” and easy to manage.
Microsoft
According to screenshots Microsoft pro
vided, Windows 11 SE looks exactly like Windows 11. But there's a few key differences. For one, Microsoft did away with the distracting Widgets menu in Windows 11 SE, according to an email sent by a company representative. Apps will be launched in full-screen mode by default, too. Unlike Windows 11, kids using a Windows 11 SE PC will only be able to run two apps side-by-side, rather than four. Finally, the Start menu will only include four “Recommended” files to help kids find what they need, the representative said.
Johnson also said that the new PCs will be optimized for the most-used education experiences, including Microsoft 365, and that they'll be configured specifically for both online and offline experiences. Microsoft called out Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote as apps that will be included on Windows 11 SE PCs. As you might expect, a Windows 11 SE PC would allow the student to work offline. Students will be able to sync files with OneDrive locally, which will then connect and sync with the cloud when back online. Naturally, school administrators will be able to manage Windows 11 SE devices via InTune for Education, keeping them up to date behind the scenes.
For years, Windows 10 S and now Windows 11 S have forbidden users to download or sideload third-party apps like Chrome or Zoom in the interest of security. But as Zoom's usage soared during the pandemic and users switched out of Windows 10 S to accommodate it, it's likely that Microsoft simply relented.
Microsoft
Well, sort of. While Microsoft will allow apps outside of the Microsoft Store to be loaded onto Windows 11 SE devices, only the IT admins will be able to perform those tasks, a company representative said. That sounds like it will prevent kids from loading apps willy-nilly. According to Johnson, Windows 11 SE also includes “broad support for web-based learning apps,” though it's unclear whether Microsoft is simply talking about supporting something like Zoom's web app versus a true standalone, downloadable application.
Microsoft
Finally, it's unclear what will eventually happen to Windows 10 S / 11 S as a result of Microsoft's new operating system. Microsoft originally launched Windows 10 S in June 2017 as a solution “streamlined for simplicity” for schools, similar to the language Microsoft used to describe Windows 11 SE. But Windows 11 SE certainly seems like a middle ground between Windows 11 and Windows 11 S, and possibly an altogether wholesale replacement. For now, though, both will exist: “Windows 11 in S mode is still a great option for people looking for a general streamlined Windows experience, and in fact, it continues to ship in devices like Surface Go 3,” a company representative said.
Microsoft representatives also noted that Windows 10/11 S will be used to power retail devices, while Windows 11 SE will only be used in laptops for the education market. For now, the two operating systems are on two different tracks.
This story was updated at 10:59 AM to clarify that Windows 11 SE will only be used in the education market.This story was updated a second time on January 18 to note that the Surface Laptop SE and the third-party laptops are now shipping.
Oil jumps as OPEC see a well-supported market Oil is trading at a seven-year high and the latest OPEC report offers little hope of that trend reversing course, with the group confident that demand growth will remain strong this year. OPEC sees demand hitting 100m barrels per day in Q3, surpassing pre-pandemic levels this year. […]
Microsoft announced it’s planning to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, making it the largest gaming acquisition to date. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the studio will play a key role in the development of its future metaverse platforms. Microsoft seems to be gradually absorbing some of gaming’s most influential companies in an apparent bid […]