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Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Digital Trends
This was the perfect time for AMD to make a flagship GPU
AMD has certainly made some of the best graphics cards of this generation with RDNA 4. That's not an opinion — that's a fact. However, this is also the generation when Team Red decided to keep things accessible to the mainstream gamer, meaning that it didn't even try to compete against Nvidia's RTX 5090. I understand why AMD chose to stick to the mainstream market this time around. But, knowing what I know now, I really wish that it took the leap of faith and made a flagship GPU this time around. The RTX 5090 was the perfect target Going into this generation of GPUs, the RTX 5090 seemed like a tough target to beat. We saw the kind of gains Nvidia was able to deliver going from the RTX 3090 to the RTX 4090 — the newer card was up to 89% faster. Many expected Nvidia to do the impossible and deliver a similar performance uplift with the RTX 5090. Recommended Videos Unfortunately, it didn't. In our review of the RTX 5090, we noted that it was fast, but not twice as fast as the RTX 4090. The gains were there, don't get me wrong, but they were far from as unattainable as what we saw in the previous generation. Take a look at our benchmark of the RTX 5090. This is based on our test suite of 13 games played at 4K. In this benchmark, the RTX 5090 basically doubles the performance of AMD's last-gen RX 7900 XTX, which was its halo card at the time. The RX 9070 XT, AMD's current-gen top GPU, can't outperform the RX 7900 XTX. But, let's assume that AMD did make the RX 9090 XT, or XTX, and it tried to target Nvidia this time around. Doubling the performance from the previous generation is no easy feat, but even if we assume that never happened, it'd still be competitive. It'd be a 'shoot for the moon, land among the stars' type of thing, where AMD might not have the firepower to obliterate the RTX 5090, but it could offer a reasonable alternative. Then, there's the RTX 5080. Many hoped that the RTX 5080 would beat Nvidia's RTX 4090 at a much more affordable price point. That never happened, though. Our benchmarks show that Nvidia's RTX 5080 trails behind the last-gen flagship. Moreover, it doesn't offer that much of an uplift over its predecessor, the RTX 4080 Super. There's also a pretty wide gap between the RTX 5090, which averages 119 frames per second (fps) in our test suite, and the RTX 5080, which hits close to 84 fps. That wide gap is where the (theoretical, mind you) RX 9090 XTX could've landed. And it would've fit perfectly, too. AMD didn't need to beat Nvidia Comparing GPUs is never an easy feat. We have to take rasterization, ray tracing, upscaling, pricing, and all sorts of other things into account — and even if AMD made a flagship GPU, chances are that it wouldn't have destroyed Nvidia on every single point. That's fine. It didn't need to. It'd just have been nice for it to provide an alternative for that in-between segment — the gap between the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080. AMD itself says that most gamers want mainstream cards, and it's definitely not wrong. There's an argument to be made about the point of enthusiast GPUs and how many of us truly need them. Regardless, though, many people want to own one, and there'd definitely be interest if AMD delivered one in this generation, where the gains in the enthusiast segment weren't as impressive as before. This generation offered AMD the unique opportunity to beat Nvidia without needing to outperform it. The RX 9090 XT would have to be carefully priced, of course, but I imagine it'd have been well-received. Just look at the success of the RX 9070 XT — the card is universally praised. The elephant in the room There's an elephant in the room, though. I'm talking about the recommended list price (MSRP). I love the RX 9070 XT, but I struggle to recommend it in the current climate, all because it's hardly ever available at MSRP. This problem isn't unique to AMD — the same can be said of Nvidia, and even Intel, which made the one GPU I keep telling people to buy. Considering that the RX 9070 XT still hasn't dropped back down to its MSRP months after launch, I can imagine a world where the RX 9090 XT would be faced with the same problem. A card that outperforms the RTX 5080 would need to be affordable to bring in enthusiasts. Those are the gamers who usually don't mind spending an extra $200 to get something objectively better, so undercutting would be the name of the game here. But with neither GPU selling at MSRP, we might be stuck in the same limbo as we are now, except with more options available to us. It's a tricky situation. Ultimately, AMD doesn't seem to have any plans to launch an RX 9080 XT or an RX 9090 XT (although who knows what the future brings). This is just speculation with a dash of wishful thinking on my part. The bottom line here is that the stars have aligned, and this was the right time for that impressive AMD flagship to happen. I wish it had, but I am happy with the RX 9070 XT for everything it delivers. Now, my hopes and dreams are centered on RDNA 5, which is said to — once again — aim high.
National Post
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
Hulk Hogan leaves behind a complicated legacy
The biggest name in professional wrestling history was and probably always will be Hulk Hogan. Article content The man credited with single-handedly propelling pro wrestling into the mainstream has passed away, taking with him a complicated legacy. Article content Article content The wrestling character, Hulk Hogan, represented everything WWE needed in 1980s to overtake the territorial system that Vince McMahon Jr. was bent on disassembling. His bleached blonde hair, handlebar moustache, chiselled physique, red and yellow gear and all-American values captured lightning in a bottle. Article content He preached about saying prayers, eating vitamins and vanquished foreign foes such as Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik and threats at home like Sgt. Slaughter. No one grew to greater fame, no one became more of a household name and no one put pro wrestling in a bigger spotlight than Hulk Hogan. The man himself, Terry Bollea, however, found himself embroiled in various scandals over his life, including the 1990s steroids scandal, a sex tape scandal involving his former best friend and radio personality Bubba The Love Sponge and later racism allegations following the release of a tape on which he was heard spewing racist remarks. Article content While pro wrestlers will often tell you that they became their characters, with different aspects of a character mimicking their 'shoot' lives, as they say in the business, Terry Bollea became Hulk Hogan. Article content There wasn't a time or place where you could encounter the hulking man when you wouldn't find him wearing his signature look, colourful clothing, thick jewelry, signature bandana and handlebar Hogan moustache. Article content Hogan might be the only wrestling figure in history who could claim that he was responsible for the rise of a company and nearly being responsible for its demise. After helping McMahon tear apart the territories and create the global titan now known as WWE, Hogan quite nearly tore it all apart when in the late 1990s, he defected to rival World Championship Wrestling to join Ted Turner's rival company, which very nearly took down WWE in the so-called Monday Night War. During that time, Hogan also successfully — and improbably — turned his world-famous superhero character heel, practically unheard of. Article content His Hollywood Hulk Hogan heel persona would go on to dominate WCW and spawn a whole new generation of fans. It can still be argued that no one who reached Hogan's level of success as a babyface (good guy) ever was able to so successfully swing his persona in the other direction and not lose money and legions of fans in the process. Article content Hogan's accolades, at least in wrestling, are simply too many to mention. In his prime, he was on the cover of every wrestling magazine nearly monthly, even finding his way onto mainstream covers and into the wildly popular Sylvester Stallone Rocky series.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gated Communities Are Actually Great for Crypto—Marc Vanlerberghe
For more than a decade, the crypto industry has championed decentralization, transparency, and self-sovereignty. These principles are noble—and in many ways, essential. But, if we're honest, they haven't yet translated into broad, mainstream adoption. The dream of billions of people using blockchain every day is still largely that—a dream. To make it reality, we need to rethink how we build and deliver blockchain-powered experiences. One of the biggest hurdles is usability. The current dominant interface to blockchain —non-custodial wallets—remains too complex for the average person. Managing private keys, writing down 24-word seed phrases, buying native tokens just to perform transactions, navigating multiple chains, bridging assets, KYC'ing repeatedly for each app, and figuring out how to convert crypto to fiat and back. This is not a user experience built for the mainstream. We often ask ourselves why Web3 hasn't 'crossed the chasm.' The answer may be simple: most people don't want to know they're using a blockchain. And frankly, they shouldn't have to. This is where 'gated communities' come in. I use the term gated communities to mean, simply, 'urban planning.' A nice setup that is easy to navigate, offers comfort, security, and curated experiences. And in the case of a neighborhood, yes, also behind a protective layer of some kind. In crypto, gated communities are platforms that abstract away blockchain complexity while retaining its benefits. These environments give users seamless, Web2-style interfaces while the blockchain does the heavy lifting in the background. Custodial wallets, centralized interfaces, and trusted intermediaries are the gatekeepers—not to restrict access to only a special few, but to reduce friction for all. Critics argue this betrays the ethos of decentralization ('not your keys, not your coins'). But this overlooks the broader opportunity: to onboard millions, even billions, of users through intuitive experiences that build real value and solve real problems for users. Not everyone will start their crypto journey managing a cold wallet. Many will begin inside a safe, guided, user-friendly 'gated' experience—and that's okay. We can see this with dApps that successfully serve non-crypto natives. In the U.S., is quietly transforming real estate investing by using blockchain behind the scenes while delivering a simple, intuitive experience for traditional investors. Users can buy fractional ownership in income-generating properties for as little as $50, receive rental income automatically, and resell their shares at any time. What's notable is that Lofty doesn't attract the typical crypto crowd—it appeals to mainstream real estate investors who want passive income without the legal paperwork, title transfers, or tax headaches typically involved in managing properties. Renters can gradually invest in the property they live in, reducing their monthly rent as their equity grows—eventually becoming full owners. Blockchain enables flexibility and trust; but the user experience is pure Web2 simplicity. On the other side of the world, in Kabul, HesabPay enables women to buy food and supplies at local shops using simple plastic cards and SMS confirmations. These transactions settle instantly on-chain, providing transparency and traceability to NGOs and donors. But for the women using them, it's just a card—not a crypto wallet. They never had a bank account and probably will never need one. That's what success looks like: real-world utility without a steep learning curve. In Italy, home renters can buy 'tokenized' solar panels through Enel's blockchain-enabled app—even if they live in apartments or can't install anything physically on their roof. The app tracks the energy generated by those panels elsewhere and deducts it from the user's electricity bill. The blockchain ensures automatic accounting and real-time settlement; the user experience is intuitive, app-based, and familiar. In online chess, players can now earn rewards for participating in games, tournaments, or contributing to the community—without ever knowing that the loyalty points they're collecting are blockchain tokens. Worldchess, the official organizer of the FIDE Grand Prix, has launched a blockchain-based rewards program that allows players to accumulate and redeem points simply by playing and engaging. The underlying infrastructure ensures transparency and portability, but for the users, it feels like any other modern loyalty program. The technology is invisible—the experience is seamless. These examples demonstrate that blockchain is not a product. It's an infrastructure layer. And like all great infrastructure, its job is to disappear. Over time, we believe these gated communities will serve as ramps—onboarding users gradually into more decentralized, self-sovereign experiences. But to get there, we need a new generation of tools that marry user control with ease of use. Self-custody will evolve. Social recovery mechanisms (like those being developed by the DeRec Alliance) will make it possible to recover wallets without remembering seed phrases. Verifiable credentials will let users carry their identity securely across apps and services, enabling one-time KYC that persists across platforms. And complete fee abstraction will mean users never need to touch native gas tokens unless they want to. You'll sign in and approve transactions with your fingerprint, and access any app without even realizing you're interacting with a blockchain. That's the path forward: a world where the blockchain fades into the background, and delightful, safe, user-centric experiences come to the fore. If we're serious about mainstream adoption, we must stop building for crypto-native users alone. The future belongs to builders who can merge the best of Web2 design with the power of Web3 infrastructure—without making users choose between them. Gated communities are not the end-goal. But they are the best way to get millions of people in the door. And once they're in, we can invite them to explore everything else that the open world of blockchain has to 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 Guardian
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The right to an education, health and care plan must be retained
The legal rights to an education that meets the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are under threat. Many thousands of children risk being denied vital provision, or losing access to education altogether. As new education reforms loom, every sign from the government suggests the right to an education, health and care plan (EHCP) is to be removed from children attending mainstream schools. Local authorities want EHCPs drastically reduced, or removed altogether, to relieve them of duties they often find costly and troublesome. About 85% of children with Send are educated in mainstream settings. Over 270,000 of these children have EHCPs. These legally enforceable documents detail a child or young person's needs, and the support to enable them to fulfil their individual potential. EHCPs allow children and young people with all kinds of disabilities to receive an education. Without statutory support, underpinned by necessary extra resources for schools, it's extremely unlikely that ministers will achieve their aim of more children with Send thriving, or even surviving, in mainstream education. A reduction or complete snatching-away of EHCPs in mainstream education wouldn't mean their needs magically vanish. It would, instead, increase applications for already overcrowded special schools or mean they would be forced out of school altogether. We believe the public are on our side, and we support the newly launched Save Our Children's Rights (SOCR) campaign led by Special Needs Jungle, IPSEA and others. This campaign is calling for EHCPs to be retained, now and in the future. SOCR's recent petition reflecting this aim rapidly passed 100,000 signatures, meaning the issue will be considered for a parliamentary debate, and is still growing. For more than 40 years, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities have had a statutory right to an education that meets their needs. Set alongside catastrophic plans to cut benefits for disabled people, this raises the question of who we are as a country and the kind of society in which we want to live. Whatever the Send system's problems, the answer is not to remove the rights of children and young people. Families cannot afford to lose these precious legal protections. Amel Alghrani Professor, school of law and social justice, University of LiverpoolElizabeth Archer CEO, PDA SocietyJane Asher President, National Autistic SocietyProf Simon Baron-Cohen Director, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge UniversityAnna Bird CEO, ContactIan Birrell Journalist and disability campaignerAlison Bloomer Editor, Learning Disability TodayCarol Boys Chief executive, Down's Syndrome AssociationLucy Bray Professor in child health literacy, Edge Hill UniversityJane Campbell Disability rights campaignerMadeleine Cassidy CEO, IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice)Samantha Clark CEO, Learning Disability EnglandLuke Clements Cerebra professor of law and social justice, Leeds UniversityDr Mine Conkbayir Early years researcher, author and consultantJustin Cooke Head of policy and influencing, National Deaf Children's SocietyClaire Coussins Director of fundraising and engagement, KidsClaire Dorer CEO, National Association of Special SchoolsRachel Filmer Founder, Send Rights AllianceAnita Franklin Professor of childhood studies, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityCarrie Grant Broadcaster and Send parentFazilet Hadi Head of policy, Disability Rights UKJane Harris CEO, Speech and Language UKJohn Harris Journalist, writer and Send parentAngela Hassiotis Professor in intellectual disability, University College LondonBen Higgins CEO, BildCherylee Houston Actor and disability campaignerDr Rhidian Hughes CEO, Voluntary Organisations Disability GroupSarah Johnson President, PRUsAPDr Anna Kennedy Autism charity founder and campaignerJolanta Lasota CEO, Ambitious About AutismDr Tony Lloyd Former CEO, ADHD FoundationChristine McGuinness Broadcaster, campaigner and Send parentDavid Mitchell Novelist and Send parentRosa Monckton Disability and Send campaignerEmma Murphy Managing director, INFACT (Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust)Chris Packham Broadcaster and neurodiversity campaignerScarlet Page Photographer and Send parentLiz Pellicano Professor of autism research, University College LondonSally Phillips Actor, campaigner and Send parentSharon Pratt Founder member, Send National CrisisTom Purser CEO, Autism ActionBrian Roberts Director of education and wellbeing, National Association for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and Send parentKatherine Runswick-Cole Professor and chair in education, University of SheffieldSara Ryan Professor of social care, Manchester Metropolitan UniversitySaba Salman Journalist and campaignerMelissa Simmonds Autistic campaigner and Send parentTom Shakespeare Professor of disability research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical MedicineStephanie Shirley Autism philanthropist and businesswomanCaroline Stevens CEO, National Autistic SocietyJon Sparkes CEO, MencapRachel Stevenson CEO, Reverse RettTania Tirraoro and Renata Watts Co-directors, Special Needs JungleJames Watson-O'Neill Chief executive, SenseEleanor Wright Legal officer, SOS!SENStephen Unwin Director, writer and Send parentSuzy Yardley CEO, Child Autism UKand 50 others (full list at
Forbes
02-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Bright Ideas For Crypto Summer
Updated Jul 2, 2025, 01:56pm EDT June was a big month in Cryptoland. Despite bitcoin's strong gains, there are other alt-coins ready to capitalize on crypto's growing mainstream acceptance.
