Latest news with #Madsen
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Roblox has kids yearning for the farm with 'Grow a Garden.' I can see what it's addicting.
The hottest trend this spring for young people is … gardening. Growing carrots and strawberries, pruning weeds. I'm sorry to inform parents anxious about screentime: This doesn't mean your kids are digging in the dirt outside in the fresh air. They're probably on Roblox, playing "Grow a Garden," which, as I typed this Thursday, had more than 2.2 million people playing — four times as many as the next most popular game. (A Roblox spokesman told me the game had around 9 million concurrent players at one point over a weekend in late May — a Roblox record.) I tried the game myself, and I can see how — if you're willing to spend real money on seeds and other garden accoutrement — you can get ahead. Bloomberg reported there's already a robust secondary market for some of the things you can buy to help grow your garden. Items like seed and livestock have popped up on Discord, some niche sites, and even on eBay, to the tune of millions of dollars of turnover a week, the report said. (Selling items on third-party sites is against Roblox's rules, but it still happens.) How did 'Grow a Garden' sprout? "Grow a Garden's" origin story is much like many games on Roblox: A random user — in this case, reportedly a 16-year-old — created the game. The teen has remained anonymous, and I couldn't reach him. Roblox's user base is 40% under the age of 13, CEO David Baszucki has said recently. Users can create their own games — and by using " Robux," the platform's own virtual currency that players can buy with real money, players and game-builders can make money. (It's roughly one real cent per Robux, though they can be had cheaper with package deals and other promotions.) According to an interview in a gaming newsletter with well-regarded Roblox developer Janzen "Jandel" Madsen, "Grow a Garden" was initially created by the teen who built it in a few days. Then Madsen acquired part of the game to build it out with a team of developers. It got even bigger when Do Big Studios, a Florida-based company, also partnered in the game. The exact workout of who owns what isn't clear. Madsen and Do Big Studios didn't respond to my requests for comment. I played 'Grow a Garden' In "Grow a Garden," which is free to play, you start by planting some simple seeds (carrot, strawberry), which quickly grow into plants that you can sell. With that money, which comes in the form of the game's virtual currency, the Sheckle, you earn more to buy even more seeds, eggs, animals, and so on. Curious, I tried it. You start with just enough Sheckles to buy a few carrot seeds, which you can plant in your garden. Compared to my real-world failures in vegetable gardening, the carrots grew satisfyingly quickly, which I then harvested and took to sell at a farm stand, using my Sheckles to buy more seeds for strawberries and more carrots. I strolled around the world beyond my own garden to look at the gardens of other players, who were milling about, buying seeds and selling crops. Some players had really elaborate setups, which must've taken days or weeks of play to build up. After not too long, I had about 400 Sheckles. The leaderboard showed I was playing with someone who had 968 million Sheckles. I walked over to see her garden, which was full of lush plants and blocky animals walking around. Her profile showed she had created the account in early May — quite a feat (or a lot of real-world money). It's possible to "steal" another player's crops — but for that and other things, you have to use real Robux. In general, the gameplay is similar to other games — over time, you do a thing to trade in points for more things, which takes time and patience. And if you're willing to spend real money, you can get ahead much faster (this is not unlike the real world). So what makes 'Grow a Garden' so compelling? Justin Watkins, who runs the popular Roblox gaming YouTube channel ThinkNoodles, told me the game's creators obviously knew what they were doing. "The developers have really optimized everything about the game to maximize its spread in the Roblox algorithm, and also have a deep understanding of what players value in Roblox," he said. "There's been many games that use different hooks for players, but this game has incorporated almost all of them into a single game," including live events that he said are considered "must-attend" to get "rich" in the virtual world of "Grow a Garden" and "flex on others with cool mutations" in your virtual patch. How did 'Grow a Garden' get so big? "Grow A Garden" is undeniably popular. Roblox spokesman Eric Porterfield said it was one of the games that most quickly racked up 1 billion visits in Roblox's history. Still, some adults in video game forums on Reddit, X, and YouTube have criticized the game as being for "dopamine-addled children," saying it doesn't take a lot of brain power to play. (To be fair, there were plenty of adults who also said they found the game soothing and fun.) Others said that Do Big Studios' involvement led to a bigger focus on monetizing the game — in-app purchases to get ahead and the like — which they said had put a damper on the game's community. (Again, I couldn't get Do Big to respond to my questions, so I don't know what they have to say about this criticism.) "Grow A Garden" is still new, having launched in March 2025 — and the kind of momentum and popularity it has doesn't suggest it will fizzle out anytime soon. After playing a few minutes a day for a few days — without spending any of my own money on Robux or Sheckles — I had grown my garden to more than 180,000 Sheckles with tulips, watermelons, tomatoes, and a rare bamboo plant.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
BYU Football Commit Sends Strong Message While Shattering Records
BYU Football Commit Sends Strong Message While Shattering Records originally appeared on Athlon Sports. BYU football fans already knew they were getting a rare athlete in McKay Madsen. What they didn't know? He's rewriting history before even stepping foot on campus. Advertisement This weekend, Madsen, who signed with the Cougars in January did what no California high school athlete had done in over 100 years: win back-to-back state titles in both the shot put and discus. The last time it happened? 1922. Let that sink in. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Clovis North star launched the shot put 69 feet, 11 inches, just one hair shy of 70 feet and the third-best high school mark in the nation this year. He won the event by nine full feet, a margin that underscores just how dominant he is in the ring. In the discus, Madsen wasn't done. His throw of 210 feet, 8 inches placed him just three feet short of the all-time California record. He won the event by more than 24 feet. 'We peaked at the right time,' Madsen told ABC 30. 'Every day I thought about winning state, and it's led me to here, and we did it.' Advertisement Madsen isn't just a thrower. He's a certified two-way threat on the football field. As a senior, he racked up 1,238 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns at running back while tallying 49 tackles and four interceptions as a linebacker. His physicality and athleticism made him a top-300 national recruit, with offers from Oregon, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Washington. But it was BYU that ultimately felt like home. 'The love is always genuine and the culture is what I represent,' Madsen told 247Sports. 'It always felt like home and is the place I need to be.' Madsen will delay his BYU debut until 2027 as he serves a two-year mission in Argentina. But Cougar Nation won't forget this name any time soon. Not after a weekend like that. With a national pedigree in football and a high school track résumé now etched in California history, McKay Madsen isn't just a future Cougar, he's a future star. Advertisement Related: BYU Officials Send Clear Message About Jake Retzlaff's Future in Provo Related: Former BYU Basketball Star Takes New NBA Front Office Role This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Medscape
6 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
Intestinal Ultrasound Wins in Early Crohn's Prognosis
Findings on intestinal ultrasound (IUS) are useful for predicting remission in recent-onset Crohn's disease (CD), a prospective, population-based cohort of newly diagnosed patients in Denmark reported. Adding to the growing body of evidence on the utility of this noninvasive imaging tool in monitoring disease activity in the newly diagnosed, the multicenter study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology characterized ultrasonographic features at diagnosis and evaluated IUS's prognostic value. Existing literature has focused on patients with long-standing disease. Investigators led by first author Gorm R. Madsen, MD, PhD, of the Copenhagen Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children, Adolescents and Adults at Copenhagen University Hospital, observed continued improvement in most IUS parameters throughout the first year. 'Our findings thereby emphasize the role of IUS in improving patient management, and its use in patient risk stratification already at diagnosis,' the investigators wrote. Some 38% of patients reached ultrasonic transmural remission within 3 months of diagnosis, an achievement associated with higher rates of sustained steroid-free clinical remission and reduced need for treatment escalation. 'Ultrasonic transmural remission is achievable early in Crohn's disease and is associated with favorable outcomes, underscoring the value of intestinal ultrasound in early disease management,' the researchers wrote. Study Details While IUS is increasingly recognized for monitoring CD, little was known about its prognostic value early in the disease course. 'We aimed to determine whether sonographic inflammation at diagnosis — and particularly the achievement pftransmural remission after 3 months — could predict future outcomes,' Madsen told Medscape Medical News . 'This is important, as early identification of patients at risk of surgery or treatment escalation may help guide therapy decisions more effectively.' From May 2021 to April 2023, 201 patients (mean age, 35 years; 54.2% men) with new adult-onset CD were followed by IUS and monitored with symptomatic, biochemical, and endoscopic evaluations. After 3 months, transmural remission was achieved more often by patients with colonic disease, and no associations were found between sonographic inflammation at diagnosis and diagnostic delay. 'We were positively surprised. Nearly 40% of newly diagnosed Crohn's patients achieved transmural remission within 3 months — a higher proportion than seen in earlier studies, which mostly focused on long-standing or trial-selected populations,' Madsen said. 'It was also striking how strongly early IUS findings predicted the need for surgery, outperforming endoscopy and biomarkers.' In other findings, transmural remission at 3 months was significantly associated with steroid-free clinical remission at both 3 months and all subsequent follow-ups within the first year. It was also linked to a lower risk for treatment escalation during the follow-up through to 12 months: 26% vs 53% ( P =.003). At 12 months, 41% had achieved transmural remission. Higher baseline body mass index significantly reduced the likelihood of 12-month transmural remission. For overweight, the odds ratio (OR) was 0.34 (95% CI, 0.12-0.94), while for obesity, the OR was 0.16 (95% CI, 0.04-0.73). The International Bowel Ultrasound Segmental Activity Score in the terminal ileum at diagnosis emerged as the best predictor of ileocecal resection during the first year, with an optimal threshold of 63 (area under the curve, 0.92; sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 73%). The use of IUS has expanded considerably in the past 3 years, and in 2024, the American Gastroenterological Association updated its clinical practice guidance on the role of this modality in inflammatory bowel disease. IUS is noninvasive, radiation-free, inexpensive, and doable at the bedside with immediate results, Madsen said. 'For patients, this means less anxiety and discomfort. For healthcare systems, it enables faster clinical decisions, reduced need for endoscopy or MRI, and closer disease monitoring, particularly valuable in treat-to-target strategies.' In terms of limitations, however, IUS is operator-dependent and consistent training is crucial, he added. 'Certain anatomical regions, particularly the proximal small bowel, can be more challenging to evaluate. Additionally, while IUS is highly effective for assessing inflammatory activity, it becomes more difficult to accurately assess disease involvement when inflammation extends beyond approximately 20 cm of the small bowel.' Key Insights Commenting on the Danish study from a US perspective, Anna L. Silverman, MD, a gastroenterology fellow at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, agreed the findings in adult patients with newly diagnosed, rather than long-standing, CD contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting IUS's applicability for both treatment monitoring and prognosis. 'By focusing on early-stage CD, the study provides clearer insights into initial disease activity and response to therapy, reinforcing the value of this noninvasive, point-of-care modality,' she told Medscape Medical News . 'These findings enhance our understanding of IUS as a tool to help guide early management decisions in CD.' Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, director of the Crohn's and Colitis Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, concurred that this is an important study. 'It includes newly diagnosed patients — so a very 'clean' cohort in terms of not being influenced by confounders,' he told Medscape Medical News . 'We don't fully know yet the best treatment target in CD, and this study highlights the importance of early transmural healing in determining outcomes at 1 year,' he noted. In addition, the study highlighted a convenient tool that can increasingly be applied at point of care in the United States. 'Colonoscopy at 3 months is not practical and has low patient acceptability, so using IUS in this circumstance would have value and impact.' Ananthakrishnan pointed to several unanswered questions, however. 'Are there patients who may not have healing early but may take some extra time to achieve transmural remission, and if so, what are their outcomes? What is the best timepoint for transmural healing assessment? What is the incremental value of measuring it at 3 vs 6 months?' In addition, he wondered, how much is the added value of IUS over clinical symptoms and/or markers such as calprotectin and C-reactive protein? 'In the subset of patients with clinical and transmural remission, there was no difference in endoscopic outcomes at 1 year, so this is an unanswered question,' Ananthakrishnan said. This study was funded by an unrestricted grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
New York Post
25-05-2025
- New York Post
Underwater horror: Shocking details about the murder of journalist Kim Wall, killed in Danish inventor's homemade submarine
Peter Madsen, a self-taught Danish engineer and inventor, had a favorite pickup line he liked to use on women: 'You want to see my submarine?' It wasn't a joke. In 2008, when Madsen was 37 , he constructed the UC3 Nautilus, which at the time was the largest amateur submarine in the world. He built it in his private lab, in a shipyard lab off the coast of Copenhagen, Denmark. Though he was married at the time, he would often 'frequent BDSM clubs and private fetish parties,' seeking out what he called 'a web of 'crazy ladies' on the side,' writes Matthew Gavin Frank in his new book, 'Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines' (Pantheon), out June 3rd. 6 Amateur submarine builder Peter Madsen is serving a life sentence for the murder of Kim Wall. Advertisement His obsession with submarines (and women) ended with deadly consequences. On August 11, 2017, he agreed to take Swedish journalist Kim Wall, who was writing a story about him, on a brief submarine journey in Køge Bay. The 30-year-old woman was brutally assaulted and murdered by Madsen, who was 46 at the time. Wall's torso washed up on a beach almost two weeks later, and her various other body parts were eventually discovered. Madsen was accused of torturing Wall before killing her, dismembering her body, and having 'sexual relations other than intercourse of a particularly dangerous nature,' according to court records, with stab wounds found in and around Wall's genitals. It was shocking that Madsen, who had no previous history of violence, could commit such a horrifying crime. But as Frank argues, a passion for submarines 'can ruin a person for the surface,' and sometimes the compulsion to sink to great depths can 'dovetail with darker, more threatening traits.' Advertisement Madsen may have acted alone, but he was part of an 'eccentric micro-community of DIY submersible enthusiasts,' writes Frank. And their fascination with underwater travel might be symptomatic of something more sinister than just Jacques Cousteau fantasies. Since 2002, the PSUBS (or 'personal submersibles') collective has held an annual convention in Muskegon, Michigan, where hundreds of would-be submarine engineers — mostly white men ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s — gather to discuss their hobby and show off their inventions. They are self-described 'misfits' who live off the grid and 'have a distrust of government ranging from healthy to conspiratorial,' writes Frank. The lure of submarines is about more than just mastering the sea. For them, it's an escape. Water is where 'those prescient enough to have the machines to pilot themselves there can retreat and start fresh once we've sufficiently depleted the land,' the author asserts. Most of the mean are self-taught, avoiding a formal education for a DIY aesthetic. Advertisement 'Just like looking up how to fix a leaking faucet, Google can show you how to build a personal sub,' one of the men, Hank Pronk, told the author. The 60-year-old inventor is self-employed as a house mover, but taught himself submarine engineering by watching online videos. 6 The crime — and the subculture behind it — is the subject of a new book. In 2020, Pronk, who is based in Fairmont Hot Springs, B.C., built the Elementary 3000. It has pressure-tested to reach 3,000 feet below the sea and, as of this writing, is the deepest-diving homemade submarine in the world. Shanee Stopnitzky, one of the few female members in the personal submersible community, left her PhD program in marine biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2018 to devote herself to building 'experimental submarines.' She's built several, including one that she's named 'Fangtooth' that was originally painted yellow, but she recently repainted white because, as Stopnitzky told the author, she 'never wants to hear the Beatles song again.' Advertisement Another submarine, which she's named Noctiluca, was purchased from a 'private person' on Craigslist for $60,000.' She joked with the author that finding a great deal on a submarine on Craigslist involves putting 'wife' in the search parameters, 'because once a wife decides something's gotta go, it's, like, really gotta go, and that's how you get the best deals.' Albrecht Jotten, a German immigrant who lives in a one-room cabin in the woods of Homer, Alaska, dropped out of society to 'work on my art,' he told the author. His 'art' being home-made submarines. During his conversation with Frank, Jotten gestured towards his library of books, indicating that one day he will be written about like history's other great thinkers. 'The Navy will contact me,' he insisted. 'They'll have me conduct sweeps, ballistic missile research, radar cross-sectioning, flying infrared nuclear signature evaluation, build their anechoic chambers. They know I know how to stay invisible.' 6 On August 11, 2017, Madsen agreed to take Swedish journalist Kim Wall, who was writing a story about him, on a brief submarine journey in Køge Bay He also confessed to Frank that he believes the biggest genius who ever lived was Adolf Hitler. 'Look at everything he was able to do, and all of the people he influenced,' Jotten said. As for Madsen, his original goal was to become a rocket scientist, but he opted against it because it would mean spending more time in school. '[He] felt that the sea might be a space wherein he could indulge his passions and his desire to be a loner,' writes Frank. So instead, he pursued an independent education, taking welding courses and apprenticing with various engineers. After raising $200,000 in donations (for what he described as 'the ultimate art project… A political message about individual freedom'), he built Nautilus, a submarine where he felt more comfortable, 'away from the judgmental eyes of the surface dwellers,' writes Frank. But what caused his brain to snap, and for so many amateur submarine enthusiasts to become so … eccentric? Advertisement 6 Wall's torso washed up on a beach almost two weeks later, and her various other body parts were eventually discovered. Madsen was accused of torturing Wall before killing her, AP Dr. Ernest Campbell, a surgeon and diving medicine specialist, told the author that people obsessed with undersea exploration 'have different chemistries and personalities' than the rest of us, mostly because 'of the effects of various gases under pressure.' Breathing air under increased pressure can mess with the brain in much the same way that alcohol and drugs do, says Dr. David Sawatzky, an expert in diving medicine. Symptoms can include 'laughter, excitement, euphoria, overconfidence, terror, panic, impaired manual dexterity, idea fixation, decreased perception, hallucinations, stupor, and unconsciousness,' says Sawatzky. It's also a womb fantasy, writes Frank, a need to escape your own self, which is 'similar to the sort of 'regenerative dissociation' that also manifests in those who commit murder.' How might one of them react, Frank wonders, if a woman enters the safe space of their submarine? Would they 'be perceived as threats?' Frank writes. 'Does the fantasy become perforated, reminders of the outside, upper world slipping through the cracks?' Advertisement When Madsen was charged with murder in early 2018, his behavior during the first day of court suggested he wasn't thinking clearly. Meeting with journalists outside the courthouse, he spoke of having 'quite ordinary loving erotic intercourse' with many women on board Nautilus, writes Frank. 'He spoke of enjoying red lipstick, stilettos, and nylon stockings. He waved his arms in the air as he said this, (like) some terrible marionette.' 6 Hank Pronk has built the deepest-diving homemade submarine in the world. Hank Pronk/ Facebook During his own testimony, he brought up the movie Terminator 2 repeatedly and compared himself to the titular character, 'hinting at his latent desire to become part of the machines he built,' Frank writes. 'Madsen expressed that a part of him was Nautilus, and Nautilus was him. They shared a brain and a vision.' When Wall died in his submarine, he said, he 'smacked her cheeks to try to reboot her.' As for what caused Wall's death, Madsen gave several explanations. At first, he explained that she'd been hit by the 150-pound hatch door, but the medical report showed no signs of head trauma. He also claimed that she'd inhaled poisonous exhaust, but that was also contradicted by coroners. Advertisement He never admitted to killing her, but Madsen did confess to dismembering Wall's body, allegedly while he was in a state of 'suicidal psychosis,' in his words. Although police found Google searches and videos of women being tortured and beheaded on his computer, he denied any knowledge. Today, Madsen is serving a life sentence at Herstedvester Prison, outside of Copenhagen. He still likes to build things in the prison workshop, but he has far less access since 2020, when he created a wooden 'gun' and used it in an attempted jailbreak. 6 Shanee Stopnitzky is one of the few female members in the personal submersible community. Shanee Stopnitzky Advertisement 'When he was recaptured five minutes later, five hundred meters from the prison, he lifted up his shirt and exposed an explosives belt,' Clark writes. 'If the guards did not let him go, he said, he would detonate it. The belt, too, turned out to be fake, fabricated in the prison's carpentry workshop.' In prison, as in life, Madsen continues to dream of escape, convinced he could build the perfect tool to make it happen.
The Market Online
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Market Online
This micro-cap gold explorer just graduated into production
Micro-cap West Red Lake Gold Mines (TSXV:WRLG) will restart its flagship Madsen mine in Ontario's Red Lake district effective immediately West Red Lake Gold Mines is a mineral exploration company active in Ontario's Red Lake district, which has produced over 30 million ounces of gold to date West Red Lake Gold Mines stock has added 21.88 per cent year-over-year but remains flat since acquiring Madsen in April 2023 Micro-cap West Red Lake Gold Mines (TSXV:WRLG) will restart its flagship Madsen mine in Ontario's Red Lake district effective immediately. According to a 2023 resource estimate, Madsen houses 1.65 million ounces indicated and 370,000 ounces inferred at a base case of US$1,800 per ounce, which is heavily discounted to the price of US$3,306 as of May 22. The mine will process an average of 500 tons per today over the first two months, with a ramp-up planned through the end of 2025. The board-approved decision follows two years of development work and comes in slightly ahead of schedule, setting the company up for near-term cash flow and potential share price momentum. Leadership insights 'West Red Lake Gold acquired the Madsen mine in June 2023 with the goal to use our team's deep technical experience to unlock the abundant but at the time discounted potential of this mine,' Shane Williams, West Red Lake Gold Mines' president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. 'We have pushed hard for two years to accomplish that feat and now, with major infrastructure projects complete, and our bulk sample having delivered mined tons and gold grade aligned with modeled expectations, our approach has been validated and we are ready to mine on a continual basis.' 'This restart decision is a major milestone that has been achieved by systematically de-risking the technical, operating and funding requirements of a sustainable high-grade gold operation at Madsen and I am very pleased to deliver this restart to all key stakeholders, including our shareholders and neighbours,' Williams added. About West Red Lake Gold Mines West Red Lake Gold Mines is a mineral exploration company active in Ontario's Red Lake district, which has produced over 30 million ounces of gold to date. The company is developing its 47-square-kilometre Madsen gold mine and 31-square-kilometre Rowan property, the latter including three past-producing gold mines. West Red Lake Gold Mines stock (TSXV:WRLG) last traded at C$0.78. The stock has added 21.88 per cent year-over-year but remains flat since acquiring Madsen in April 2023. Join the discussion: Find out what everybody's saying about this Canadian micro-cap gold miner on the West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. Bullboard and check out the rest of Stockhouse's stock forums and message boards. The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. For full disclaimer information, please click here.
