Latest news with #Aftermath
The Verge
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Discord might use AI to help you catch up on conversations
Discord has become the place for gaming communities on the internet. The company just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and its impact is now big enough that it's available directly on PlayStation and Xbox and was ripped off by Nintendo for the Switch 2's GameChat. But as it tries to grow, one of the big challenges Discord faces is that, for big or longer-running communities, it can be hard to know where to start, hard to catch up to the speed of real-time conversations, and hard to sift through the potentially huge amounts of conversations and channels. A lot of communities used to form around forums, but Discord just isn't a good replacement for that kind of structured messaging, as covered by Aftermath 's Luke Plunkett. 'This is something we want to solve,' Peter Sellis, Discord's SVP of product, tells The Verge. 'It is not our intention to lock a bunch of this knowledge into Discord.' One way Discord wants to tackle the problem is add features that are 'more amicable to structured knowledge sharing, like forums, that we could probably do a better job of investing in and is something we want to do for game developers,' Sellis says. Another involves LLMs. 'There's an incredible opportunity now with large language models and their ability to summarize conversations,' he says. That could help Discord take a long conversation between multiple people — 'what is essentially a really poorly structured shareable object,' he says — and boil it down to 'something that could be more shareable and then potentially syndicated to the web.' Sellis couldn't share many other details, and couldn't give a timeline for when any of this might be ready: 'I haven't seen a solution that we feel great about yet.' Discord wants to do it right, he says — especially because a solution that makes information more easily accessible outside of Discord could involve a lot of work for server moderators and admins. 'We have a very sensitive radar for stuff that causes them a bunch of work that doesn't give them the return they need,' he says. (It's wise not to piss off your moderators.) None of this was imminent, if it even happens at all. That said, 'I assure you that this is something that people within Discord feel the pain of themselves,' Sellis says. 'And when our engineers and product designers and product managers feel it personally, they generally want to solve it.' Another big challenge Discord faces is how to build the product to serve both the needs of giant community servers and the tiny servers where groups hang out — especially when, according to Discord, 90 percent of 'all activity on Discord' happens in 'small, intimate servers.' Sellis calls it 'one of the biggest challenges for the team' — but also says that it's 'honestly the biggest opportunity.' He says that Discord thinks about how it can make people 'feel comfortable in both these spaces, understand that there are different types of spaces, and the technology is familiar, but still different in both of these places.' Sellis says that the biggest Discord server is Midjourney, a key company in text-to-AI image generation that lets you generate visuals right inside Discord. Midjourney became popular because it turned the 'single-player game' of generating AI images into a multiplayer community. 'You can just watch people try things, experiment, fail, succeed, embarrass themselves, etc. And that made it kind of like a collective action.' He says Discord is seeing something similar with the recently launched Wordle app on the platform, too, which lets you compete with your friends. That all speaks to some of Discord's larger vision. Sellis is seeing a trend that 'everything is starting to kind of look like a game' and 'Discord can be used as a social layer on any game to essentially improve its engagement, its socialness, and its multiplayer capacity. That's something we like and are going to lean into.' And as for Nintendo's GameChat? 'I would say imitation is a very sincere form of flattery,' Sellis says. 'Hard to imagine being more flattered than being copied by Nintendo.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As Trump Eyes Energy Relief, Jim Rickards Says the Key Could Be a $150 Trillion U.S. Resource Hidden in Plain Sight
A Supreme Court Ruling Has Changed the Rules—and the Energy Equation Could Shift Fast WASHINGTON, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With inflation lingering and gas prices still straining household budgets, a bold energy shift may be underway. And according to former CIA advisor Jim Rickards, it's not coming from OPEC, pipelines, or subsidies. 'We could see gas prices fall to $2 a gallon—maybe even less,' Rickards says. 'And the power to make that happen isn't in the hands of oil companies anymore.' Instead, he points to a $150 trillion domestic resource buried under U.S. soil—an energy-rich 'inheritance' the federal government has held for over a century, but never fully used. THE COURT CASE THAT CHANGED THE GAME The breakthrough came with the 2024 Supreme Court decision to overturn the Chevron Doctrine—a decades-old legal precedent that had allowed federal agencies to broadly interpret and enforce regulations. 'Now, courts—not unelected bureaucrats—are driving the conversation,' Rickards says. 'That opens the door for a resource strategy that puts America first.' THE REAL POWER: ENERGY SECURITY, NOT DEPENDENCY What lies under U.S. federal lands could include trillions in raw materials: copper, lithium, silver, and rare earth elements. These are the same resources that power our grids, feed our AI, and make energy independence possible. 'We've fought to secure foreign oil,' Rickards says. 'Meanwhile, we've ignored what's already ours. That's finally starting to change.' OIL COMPANIES MAY NOT LIKE IT — BUT VOTERS MIGHT With executive orders from Trump already in motion, Rickards believes this legal shift could be used to fast-track access to lower-cost energy—without relying on global suppliers or Big Oil. 'It's not about breaking the system,' he says. 'It's about remembering we don't need to be held hostage by it.' A full interview revealing how this shift could work—and what comes next—is now available to the public at no cost. About Jim Rickards Jim Rickards is a lawyer, economist, and former advisor to the CIA, Pentagon, and U.S. Treasury. He's widely recognized as an expert in financial warfare, energy economics, and national security strategy. His bestselling books include The Death of Money, Aftermath, and Currency Wars. Media Contact:Derek WarrenPublic Relations ManagerParadigm Press GroupEmail: dwarren@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Inside Mick Jagger's former party pad on the market for £5.5million
Mick Jagger 's former London party house, a sub-penthouse valued at £5.5 million, is on the market for the first time in 30 years. Jagger and then-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull rented the Marylebone property from 1966 to 1968, a period coinciding with the Rolling Stones' rise to fame. The four-bedroom, 2,495-square-foot Edwardian mansion served as a backdrop for parties and band activities, including a photoshoot with Colin Jones. Keith Richards and Princess Margaret were among the notable guests who frequented the flat. Jagger's time at the property witnessed the release of iconic Rolling Stones tracks like "Paint it Black," "Aftermath," and "Ruby Tuesday."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Game Developers Launch North America's First Industry-Wide Union Anyone Can Join
Game industry unionization efforts that exploded across Sega of America, Bethesda, and others have recently been on pause. A new initiative by the Communications Workers of America could jumpstart things again. At the Game Developers Conference 2025 happening this week, the group announced the founding of the United Videogame Workers, a new sister organization that hopes to enlist developers from all different disciplines and studios in broader labor battles across the industry. The UVW-CWA's mission, per a press release reported by IGN, is 'to not only build community and solidarity amongst video game workers, but also to build large-scale education campaigns about labor organizing in the video game industry.' Unlike individual union shops which bargain contracts with employers, the direct-join model functions more like a voluntary trade group where paid dues and resources are pooled to help with various labor fights across the broader market. The announcement comes as SAG-AFTRA game actors enter their ninth month of striking for AI protections while publishers experiment with digital replicas. 'For two-thirds of modern industrial history, there were no legal forms of unions,' Emma Kinema, a game dev behind the 2018 Game Workers Unite campaign turned organizing operative for CODE-CWA, told Aftermath. 'They were just humans coming together to organize as best as they could in leverage against their employers for better conditions.' She pointed to statutory protections enshrined in the 1935 National Labor Relations Act as a 'peace treaty' that can cut both ways if rolled back by conservative forces in the second Trump administration. Despite developer unions forming across some of the biggest gaming companies in the U.S. in recent years, none have yet successfully bargained their first contract. Quality assurance staff at Raven Software, which works on Call of Duty for Activision, now owned by Microsoft, are nearing the three-year anniversary of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the company. The group filed an unfair labor charge against Activision and Microsoft for 'bad faith bargaining' last fall. 'We are committed to negotiating in good faith,' a Microsoft spokesperson said at the time. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix just got an emotional biographical drama movie — and it's already crashed the top 10
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Netflix top 10 has shifted quite a bit in recent days. For starters, the original rom-com 'La Dolce Villa' has rocketed straight to No. 1 spot over the Presidents' Day weekend, while action-thriller 'Aftermath' sits in the runners-up spot. However, it's the flick just behind these two that has caught my eye. 'Trial by Fire' was added to Netflix last week (on Thursday, February 13), and while this 2018 biographical drama struggled to gain much traction in theaters, it's finding a whole new audience via the world's most popular streaming service. As of writing, 'Trial by Fire' ranks as the No. 3 most-watched movie on Netflix U.S. charting ahead of Amy Schumer's 'Kinda Pregnant', Sly's curtain-closer 'Rambo: Last Blood' and animated family smash hit 'Sing.' Never heard of 'Trial by Fire'? I'm not super surprised. As noted, the drama made barely a splash upon release (its box office haul was a measly $150K). The largely forgotten drama flick recounts a tragic true story and packs two strong performances from Jack O'Connell and the ever-reliable Laura Dern. So, here's everything you need to know about this new to Netflix movie… 'Trial by Fire' chronicles the true story of Cameron Todd Willingham, a man accused of purposefully setting a deadly house fire that killed his three young daughters. A heavy metal music fan with a violent past, prosecutors are convinced Willingham set the fire to cover up his own domestic abuses. Sentenced to death by the state, Willingham (played by Jack O'Connell) strikes up an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth Gilbert (Laura Dern), a playwright sympathetic to his pleas that he is actually innocent. The two bond over their shared experiences of parenthood, and as Gilbert begins to investigate the case she uncovers some disturbing concerns about the high-profile trial. Gilbert's findings suggest that some of the state's key witnesses aren't as reliable as presented. She also learns that evidence that could raise a reasonable doubt about Willingham's guilt is being suppressed. But as Gilbert pushes for the case to be re-opened, the date of Willingham's execution draws ever closer, and there may not be enough time to save his life. Anyone who has seen the 1990s Oscar winner 'Dead Man Walking' with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn may feel a sense of déjà vu when watching 'Trial by Fire.' Both movies explore a surprising relationship between a death row inmate and a compassionate stranger sympathetic to their plight. The key difference between the two is the element of doubt. In 'Dead Man Walking,' Matthew Poncelet's (Penn) guilt is never in question. However, 'Trial by Fire' adds an element of mystery with Willingham's denial of starting the fire presented as more open-ended. Or at least, initially, it's presented this way. The movie does eventually come down on a clear side of the debate, but for the first act, you'll be thinking to yourself 'did he do it?' As with many biopic dramas, 'Trial by Fire' lives on the strength of its leading performances, and this movie is blessed with two strong actors. Laura Dern's role is well within her wheelhouse. Playing Gilbert doesn't challenge her, but she's as reliable as ever. Jack O'Connell is given the film's most intense material and thrives on it. Willingham is a complex character. He's a deeply flawed individual, but O'Connell manages to make him equally sympathetic. Plus, the movie's exploration of the morality of the death penalty is engaging. 'Trial by Fire's' biggest flaw is that it leans a little too heavily on emotionally manipulative techniques that have become commonplace in the genre. This is especially apparent in the third act. Rarely are the emotions of a scene left to breathe. Instead, everything is ramped up to ensure maximum melodrama. Director Edward Zwick would have benefited from trusting the viewer more and allowing the emotions to flow naturally instead of trying to force things. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, 'Trial by Fire' has scored a respectable 63% with critics. The performances of Dern and O'Connell were praised by reviewers, with the story also labeled 'heartbreaking' but the aforementioned manipulative approach was seen as the main flaw. Audiences were similarly impressed rating the movie 70% on RT's meter. The most recent user reviews call the movie 'powerful' and 'harrowing' praising its 'emotional depth.' 'Trial by Fire' definitely shouldn't be at the top of your Netflix watchlist if you want something light and breezy to kickstart your week. However, if you want to stream something with a real emotional punch that asks some difficult questions about what is justice and how the system can be rigged against those from disadvantaged backgrounds, 'Trial by Fire' is worth considering. It's by no means an easy watch, but it's got some important things to say. The lead performances from Jack O'Connell and Laura Dern are the biggest draws, and the two have a great on-screen chemistry as well. Just be warned, 'Trial by Fire' isn't afraid of resorting to some cheap tricks in an effort to make you reach for the tissues. Ironically, if the movie was more willing to let emotions flow naturally, it would probably hit even harder. Nevertheless, it's a well-made biographical drama that makes a compelling case for itself. If you're looking for some alternative options, be sure to check out our roundup of everything new added to Netflix in February 2025. Watch "Trial by Fire" on Netflix now New on Prime Video in February 2025 Netflix just got an overlooked sci-fi thriller movie New on Netflix: 5 movies and shows to watch this week
