tech
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Source: Capcom / Street Fighter 6 x Lil Wayne
Now this makes all the sense in the world.
On 4/20, the official smokers’ holiday, Lil Wayne will host an upcoming Street Fighter 6 presentation that Capcom says will be the final look at the highly anticipated fighting game before its June 2 release.
The presentation will not only feature the rapper. The game’s developers will also join him, and they will share more details on Street Fighter 6’s World Tour, Battle Hub, and Fighting Ground modes.
Capcom also boasts there will be some “big news” at the end of the 30-minute presentation, and we wonder precisely what it could be.
Barring a huge leak, Capcom has steadily released news about Street Fighter 6’s lineup of characters, old and new, the new game modes, and its better graphics, a direct result of moving to Capcom’s RE Engine.
As for Lil Wayne, this is not the first time for him in the video game space. Weezy, who is a big fan of skateboarding was a playable character in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5.
He also teamed up with Ubisoft for Ghost Recon Breakpoint’s “Squad Up” commercial spot. Street Fighter 6 also reuintes Lil Wayne with Capcom, the Japanese video game company was the sponsor of the Lil Wayne vs. Drake concert tour which used a dedicated Street Fighter theme in the marketing for the concert, tour merchandise and stage choreography.
We have a strong feeling Lil Wayne will have something to do with Street Fighter 6 when it launches.
You can watch the announcement trailer below.
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Photo: Capcom / Street Fighter 6
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Source: Jeff Kravitz / Getty / Max
Do you want to see a dumb idea? Warner Bros Discovery did something nobody wanted them to do dropped HBO from HBO Max, and now, it’s just known as Max.
Wednesday, April 12, during a press event at Stage 14 on its Burbank lot, Warner Bros Discovery officially unveiled Max, which will combine programming from the streaming services formerly known as HBO Max and Discovery, and it will officially go live on May 23.
It will cost potential subscribers $15.99, according to The Verge.
“This is a real moment for us … This is our time,” CEO David Zaslav said during his opening remarks.
He continued, “This is our chance, and I feel like, for our company, this is our rendezvous with destiny.”
The rebrand news comes almost a year after the $43 billion Warner Media-Discovery merger closed. 2023 also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the founding of Warner Bros.
According to JB Perrette, President & CEO of Global Streaming & Games, Warner Bros Discovery, the decision to rebrand and put all of the content in one place is to help Max stand out “in a sea of streaming services.”
He continued, “In this era of peak confusion, we’re trying to simplify and improve the experience for consumers.
Twitter Thinks The Rebrand To Max Is A Stupid Idea
There were also announcements of new original programming coming to Max, including another Game of Thrones prequel show, The Penguin, a Harry Potter reboot, and much more.
The news of the rebrand did not land positively. Variety said in a report that the company’s stock immediately took a hit and was down 6% after the announcement.
Even with the news of all the new shows, Twitter has been roasting Warner Bros Discovery for changing the name of the steaming service.
“Getting rid of the HBO in HBO Max is probably one of the most insane marketing decisions in tv history,” one Twitter user wrote.
You can see more reactions to HBO Max becoming Max in the gallery below.
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Photo: Jeff Kravitz / Getty
3. Love the sarcasm
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Source: Nintendo / The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom
If this latest trailer didn’t excite you even more for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, you have no pulse.
When Nintendo said they had another trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to Breath of The Wild, many wondered what more the video game company could show us about the game that we have not seen already.
Well, the action-packed, 3-minute final trailer before the game’s impending launch had plenty of eye candy to show while an epic remix of the iconic Legend of Zelda theme blasts through the speakers, pretty much invoking single tears of joy from Zelda fans worldwide.
As far as the game’s plot, Hyrule is in trouble again from some new threats that will require Link, aka Hyrule’s “final hope,” as Princess Zelda calls him in the trailer to link up with allies old and new to take down new enemies, and of course, as always, Ganondorf has found a way to return to stir up trouble.
Link must pick up the Master Sword again and use his new Ultrahand and building abilities to fight on the ground, take to the skies, and even get his Mission Impossible on to defeat his longtime nemesis while trying to find Princess Zelda and save Hyrule from doom.
All in days work for Hyrule’s longtime hero.
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The Hype Is Real For Tear of The Kingdom
Video game Twitter is currently sharing its thoughts about the new trailer, and, yes, they are ready to save Hyrule…AGAIN.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom arrives on May 12; a limited-edition Nintendo Switch OLED is also available for pre-order.
Source: Nintendo / Nintendo Switch – OLED Model – The Legend of Zelda Tears of The Kingdom Edition
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Nintendo / The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom
1. We felt that.
2. We wanna know too
3. Let’s goooooo
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Elon Musk
It’s beginning to sound like Elon Musk is regretting buying Twitter.
Elon Musk has successfully made Twitter a dumpster fire, and rightfully longtime users of the app have been taking Phony Stark to task for ruining the platform.
In a recent sit-down interview with BBC North America tech reporter James Clayton at Twitter HQ, Musk called the acquisition “quite painful,” From what it sounded like; he is expressing some buyer’s remorse after dropping $44 billion on Twitter.
“I’ve been under constant attack, Musk said. “It’s not like I have a stone-cold heart or anything. If you’re under constant criticism or attack and that gets fed to you, including through Twitter – it’s rough, you know. Now at the end of the day, I think if you do lose your feedback loop that’s not good so I think it is important to get negative feedback. I don’t turn replies off, and I removed my entire block list, so I don’t block anyone either. So I get a lot of negative feedback.”
“If the media is writing non-stop stories about why you’re a horrible person, I mean, you know, it’s hurtful, obviously,” Musk continued.
Awwww, poor Elon.
Musk Admits To Having An “Odd” Relationship With The News Media
Clayton then asked Musk if his relationship with the news media is “odd.” “It is somewhat of a love-hate relationship, although it might be [going] a little more towards the hate,” Musk told Clayton.
“This is part and parcel of having a free media situation. I do take heart in that the media is actually able to trash me on a regular basis in the U.S. and the U.K. and whatnot. Whereas in a lot of places, the media cannot say mean things to powerful people. But I think it’s better that we have a situation where the media can say mean things to powerful people.”
Elon Musk Admits To Enjoying Taking Away NYT’s Legacy Verification Badge
When the hot topic of taking away legacy verification badges from media companies like the New York Times and whether or not it would lead to a misinformation problem on the platform, Musk pretty much confirmed how much of a jerk he is.
I must confess to some delight in removing the verification badge from the New York Times,” Musk said. “Anyway, they’re still alive and well, so they’re doing well.”
Word on the e-streets is that Elon Musk is preparing to snatch away the blue checks and companies who will not pay the money to keep their verification badges.
He also claims if he can find someone willing to buy Twitter, we are hoping someone steps up to the plate to take Twitter off his hands because he sucks at this job.
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Photo: NurPhoto / Getty
National Public Radio is quitting Twitter after the social media platform owned by Elon Musk stamped NPR’s main account with labels the news organization says are meant to undermine its credibility.
“NPR’s organizational accounts will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent,” NPR said in a statement Wednesday.
Last week, Twitter labeled NPR’s main account as “state-affiliated media” on the social media site, a label also used to identify media outlets that are controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments. Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media” and gave it to at least one other public news organization, the BBC.
“We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence,” NPR’s statement said.
The Public Broadcasting Service said Wednesday it has also stopped tweeting from its main account because of its new label and has no plans to resume. PBS said: “We are continuing to monitor the ever-changing situation closely.”
NPR’s main account had not tweeted since April 4. On Wednesday, it sent a series of tweets listing other places to find its journalism.
The company said NPR journalists, employees and member stations can decide on their own if they want to keep using the platform.
NPR’s chief communications officer, Isabel Lara, said in an email that “NPR journalists and employees will decide on their own if they wish to remain on the platform, same for NPR member stations as they’re independently owned and operated.”
NPR does receive U.S. government funding through grants from federal agencies and departments, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The company said it accounts for less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget.
Twitter’s new labels have often appeared arbitrarily assigned. It tagged NPR with the “state-affiliated” label after Musk participated in a public conversation about NPR on Twitter, and then deleted mention of NPR, but left up BBC, on a web page where it described why they should not get that label.
Since then, it has given NPR, BBC and some other groups a “government-funded” label but hasn’t done the same for many other public media outlets, such as their counterparts in Canada and Australia.
In an interview Tuesday with a BBC technology reporter at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, Musk acknowledged that the British news organization “is not thrilled” about the state-affiliated labels and asked the reporter for feedback.
“Our goal was simply to be as truthful and accurate as possible,” Musk said. “So I think we’re adjusting the label to be ‘publicly funded,’ which I think is perhaps not too objectionable. We’re trying to be accurate.”
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Source: EA / EA Sports FC
All good things eventually come to an end. When it comes time for EA to roll out its annual soccer video game, it will have a new name.
After 30 years, EA Sports, the video game studio, has moved on from FIFA and unveiled its soccer video game franchise’s new name, EA Sports FC.
The new black and white logo is simple with an EA Sports bubble next to FC, which is in the shape of a triangle, a symbol synonymous with the sport of soccer as it is the makeup of the formations on the soccer pitch and the pixels that make the game come to life.
The new logo is a product of EA and FIFA failing to reach a new licensing agreement to extend their 30-year partnership. As a result, EA will no longer use the FIFA branding in its video games.
The iconic video game studio has been using the FIFA branding since the release of the inaugural FIFA video game for the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis console in 1993.
When Will The New Logo Officially Debut?
In a press release, EA says the rebrand is “a new Football Club for the future of football we want to build together.”
“From passing techniques to set plays, the [triangle] shape has also been woven into the DNA of EA Sports football experiences for decades,” EA wrote. “From the isometric angles of our very first 8-bit experiences and the triangular polygons that make up every pixel of our most modern games, as well as the iconic player indicator symbol that appears above every athlete in every match.”
The new branding will debut this weekend during matches from the biggest soccer leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, German Bundesliga, Ligue 1, the Women’s Super League, and the National Women’s Soccer League.
We hope this rebrand does not affect the quality of the games. EA’s soccer video games are a model of consistency.
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Photo: EA / EA Sports FC
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Source: FabrikaCr / Getty / Bowie State
Getting into the tech space is difficult, especially if you don’t have the right skin tone. One HBCU, Bowie State, has a cheat code for its students to achieve that goal.
A New York Times report highlights Bowie State and how it is helping Black computing students get their foot in the Silicon Valley door by bypassing its strict vetting process.
Bowie State University, located in Bowie, Maryland, has created an internship placement program that does not require the typical Silicon Vally dog and pony show undergraduates have to deal with, like enduring high-pressure technical assessments. At the same time, an interviewer looks on or hours of studying for a company coding test.
Rose Shumba, the chair of Bowie State’s computer science department, describes it as “a brutal process” when referring to the internship application process at large tech firms, adding, “We see things very differently here at Bowie.”
So How Does The Internship Placement Program Work?
Per the NYT’s piece, Bowie’s computer science department has its own internship placement program, which it set up last year in partnership with numerous companies and government agencies.
The program focuses on “matching students directly with employers seeking interns.” Students in the program also work on their interview skills in training sessions, while workshops will touch on topics like machine learning.
Bowie’s program gives its students an alternative to the massive, impersonal system that would see them throw in an application and hope to be chosen out of tens of thousands of college students submitting their resumes through a portal system that is typically sorted and ranked using resume reading software.
The companies and agencies part of Bowie’s program often come to the campus to meet the students, mentor them, interview and directly recruit them for internships making the process more intimate.
How Successful Is Bowie’s Program?
According to the New York Times, 60 Bowie computing students interned at federal agencies like NASA, companies like Deloitte, and local startups last summer.
The story highlights Dejai Brown, who worked at a Chick-fil-A fast-food restaurant before applying for internships. After getting some encouragement from Dr. Shumba, she applied for security clearance and got an internship at the Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command.
Battelle, a nonprofit technology research company, also recruited Ms. Brown.
Head here to read more about Bowie State doing the lord’s work for Black computing students.
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Photo: FabrikaCr / Getty
March saw the launch of two Web3 record labels, a free NFT from Grimes and NFT streaming royalties tied to several viral hits. Overall, the crypto market has bounced back with Ethereum now 100% higher than its lows of last year, injecting some optimism back into the crypto economy.
However, it was a weaker month for music NFTs — a common symptom of the NFT market when crypto prices are trending higher as many buyers prefer to hold onto their ETH as it gains value. Volume across the 10 biggest projects netted 381 ETH compared to 1,016 ETH in February. In dollar terms, it’s $697,393 compared to February’s $1.6 million. Based on analysis of sales data from 19 different NFT platforms, independent releases combined with secondary sales volume on OpenSea, here are the 10 biggest-selling music NFTs and collections in March 2023.
1/ Helix Records Genesis PassMonthly trading volume: 137 ETH ($250,710)Primary sales (March): ~91 ETHSecondary sales: 46 ETHDrop date: March 10
Patrick Moxey, founder of PayDay and Ultra Records, has launched a new label with Web3 at its heart. Helix Records sold 3,333 NFT genesis passes in March, granting access to the inner workings of the label. Holders can pitch their music to Helix Records’ A&R team, get access to free tickets and claim a free NFT of Marshall Jefferson’s iconic house classic ‘Move Your Body.’ Moxey aims to onboard the label’s entire roster of dance artists into Web3.
View the collection on OpenSea.
2/ Grimes – Gen-1 AvatarsMonthly trading volume: 60.7 ETH ($111,081)Primary sales (March): 60.7 ETHSecondary sales: N/ADrop date: March 24
To celebrate a performance at Ultra Festival, Grimes dropped a free NFT on Web3 platform Zora in March. The Grimes Gen-1 avatars will unlock quests, exclusive music and other digital experiences. More than 78,000 were minted in a 7-day window. Although the NFTs were free, each edition was subject to a 0.000777 platform fee which generated a total of 60.7 ETH.
View the collection on Zora.
3/ Dreams Never Die – Founders PassMonthly trading volume: 46 ETH ($84,180)Primary sales (March): ~40 ETHSecondary sales: 6 ETHDrop date: March 15
Dreams Never Die is a record label founded by Chad Hillard, credited for discovering Billie Eilish and breaking “Ocean Eyes” through his music blog HillyDilly when the track had less than 1,000 plays on SoundCloud. Fast forward eight years and Hillard’s record label Dreams Never Die has established itself deeply in Web3 culture.
The label was the first to release a debut single as an NFT via their flagship artist Sloe Jack and last month launched a thousand Founders Passes. The NFT gives holders the opportunity to participate in the label as scouts and other roles, as well as get direct feedback on music.
View the collection on OpenSea.
4/ KINGSHIP – Key CardsMonthly trading volume: 37 ETH ($67,710)Primary sales (March): N/ASecondary sales: 37 ETHDrop date: July 2022
The Bored Ape supergroup launched a new initiative in March called Crowns. Members of the KINGSHIP community can earn Crowns by helping out new members, retweeting social posts, sharing music and engaging in the Discord server. The Crowns can then be redeemed for items in the upcoming KINGSHIP digital store.
View the collection on OpenSea.
5/ Violetta Zironi – Another Life Monthly trading volume: 30 ETH ($54,900)Primary sales (March): N/ASecondary sales: 30 ETHDrop date: Feb. 20
Italian singer-songwriter Violetta Zironi recently launched a new collection, Another Life — an EP encompassing five tracks and 5,500 unique profile picture illustrations. Holders get access to virtual shows, live concerts and the ability to use the songs for their own projects. The project launched in February but continued to generate strong secondary sales through March.
View the collection on OpenSea.
6/ Maddix – Heute NachtMonthly trading volume: $36,990 Primary sales (March): $36,990Secondary sales: N/ADrop date: March 15
Producer Maddix released Heute Nacht in October of last year and it quickly turned into a viral hit, racking up 20 million Spotify streams in five months. In March, the track was released as a collection of 260 NFTs via Royal, offering a percentage of streaming royalties in the hit song. 250 ‘Gold’ tokens give holders 0.0295% of royalties while 10 ‘Diamond’ NFTs offer 0.262% ownership.
7/ David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Romy Dya, Jamie Scott – So Far AwayMonthly trading volume: $30,781Primary sales (March): $28,000Secondary sales: 1.52 ETH ($2,781)Drop date: March 28
With 352 million streams, So Far Away dropped as a collection of 200 NFTs in March, each offering 0.01% ownership in the track. The NFT was released via Anotherblock which unlocks streaming royalties in major hits, usually via a producer or songwriter’s share rather than the lead artist. In this case, the NFT is released through featured artist Romy Dya.
8/ Reo Cragun – SpentMonthly trading volume: 15.6 ETH ($28,548)Primary sales (March): ~7.5 ETHSecondary sales: 7.9 ETHDrop date: March 28
Rapper and producer Reo Cragun has been at the forefront of independent Web3 music for the last 18 months, previously appearing in this chart for his EP Criteria with Daniel Allan in December. Cragun returned in March with a new single “Spent.”
The track was the first to use a new drop format on Web3 music platform sound.xyz called Sound Swap. The mechanism begins with a familiar 24-hour mint period where fans can buy as many editions of the song as they want for 0.005 ETH (~$7). However, when the 24 hour period ends, the price rises steadily for each additional purchase.
If there is sufficient demand and the price rises, existing collectors can instantly sell at the current price — an innovative upgrade from trying to trade or sell NFTs on a secondary market like OpenSea. The track generated 1,500 mints in the first 24 hours and an additional 350 mints using the Sound Swap mechanism.
View the collection on OpenSea.
9/ Illenium – Phoenix Family Founders PassMonthly trading volume: $28,000Primary sales (March): $28,000Secondary sales: N/ADrop date: March 29
DJ and producer Illenium launched a Web3 fan club in March called The Phantom Family, powered by tech platform Medallion. Once inside, fans could mint the Phoenix Family Founders Pass for $25 each, giving them access to a digital jersey, fast-track access to merchandise and exclusive content. Illenium sold 1,132 in a two-day window.
View the collection on OpenSea.
10/ Wes Ghost – SleepwalkingMonthly trading volume: 12.6 ETH ($23,058)Primary sales (March): 10.7 ETHSecondary sales: 1.9 ETHDrop date: March 16
Wes Ghost exploded onto the Web3 music scene in March with a debut single “Sleepwalking” — a pop-punk electronic crossover anthem. Using an NFT character from the “Kid Called Beast” NFT collection to front the project, Wes Ghost sold 2,351 editions of the track by tapping into dozens of different NFT communities through giveaways and cross-collaboration.
View the collection on OpenSea.
Methodology: The chart was compiled using data from primary music NFT sales across 19 different NFT platforms, independent releases and combined with secondary volume data from OpenSea. Data was captured between March 1 – March 31, 2023. Conversion rates from crypto to US dollars were calculated on March 31.
Disclaimer: the author owns NFTs from Reo Cragun and Dreams Never Die, however, the above list is based purely on sales data.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday it remains to be seen if artificial intelligence is dangerous, but that he believes technology companies must ensure their products are safe before releasing them to the public.
Biden met with his council of advisers on science and technology about the risks and opportunities that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence pose for individual users and national security.
“AI can help deal with some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change, but it also has to address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security,” Biden told the group, which includes academics as well as executives from Microsoft and Google.
Artificial intelligence burst to the forefront in the national and global conversation in recent months after the release of the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot, which helped spark a race among tech giants to unveil similar tools, while raising ethical and societal concerns about technology that can generate convincing prose or imagery that looks like it’s the work of humans.
The White House said the Democratic president was using the AI meeting to “discuss the importance of protecting rights and safety to ensure responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards” and to reiterate his call for Congress to pass legislation to protect children and curtail data collection by technology companies.
Italy last week temporarily blocked ChatGPT over data privacy concerns, and European Union lawmakers have been negotiating the passage of new rules to limit high-risk AI products across the 27-nation bloc.
The U.S. so far has taken a different approach. The Biden administration last year unveiled a set of far-reaching goals aimed at averting harms caused by the rise of AI systems, including guidelines for how to protect people’s personal data and limit surveillance.
The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights notably did not set out specific enforcement actions, but instead was intended as a call to action for the U.S. government to safeguard digital and civil rights in an AI-fueled world.
Biden’s council, known as PCAST, is composed of science, engineering, technology and medical experts and is co-chaired by the Cabinet-ranked director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Arati Prabhakar.
Asked if AI is dangerous, Biden said Tuesday, “It remains to be seen. Could be.”
Marshall Amplification, known for furnishing amps to a who’s who of rock stars, is being acquired by the Swedish tech company Zound Industries, Zound announced on Thursday (March 30). Zound had previously licensed the Marshall name for more than a decade and helped spread it around the world through popular headphones and speakers.
The new combined company will be dubbed the Marshall Group. Zound’s press release trumpeted that “on day one, Marshall Group revenues will be over $360 million with double-digit profitability.”
“Combining our strengths and unique positioning… will fuel our ambition to create premium, innovative, products and experiences for musicians and music lovers around the world,” Zound CEO Jeremy de Maillard said in a statement. “Zound has proven itself as a global, fast growing, and progressive company. With the Marshall Group, we are set to accelerate our profitable growth in a $100 billion market.”
“I am proud that this deal has finally been completed,” added Konrad Bergström, founder and board member of Zound Industries until 2018. “The success that we have achieved with the Marshall brand over recent years is soon going to be seen as having been the warm-up to a new British-Swedish headline act that is going to shake the tech and music industries to their foundations.”
Jim Marshall and his son Terry created the first Marshall amp in 1962, and the gear was subsequently popularized by rockers like Jimi Hendrix and The Who. “We have always looked for ways to deliver the pioneering Marshall sound to music lovers of all backgrounds and music tastes across the world,” Terry Marshall said in a statement. “I’m confident that the Marshall Group will elevate this mission and spur the love for the Marshall brand.”
The Marshall Family will be the largest shareholder of the Marshall Group, holding on to 24%.
Zound first started licensing the Marshall name back in 2010. “We brought the Marshall brand to over 90 countries through the headphones and the speakers,” de Maillard told The Verge. “So it became a much more known brand by the masses than it was before. Before it was the in-the-know, the musicians, people who were really into music who knew about the brand. But through this partnership, we’ve managed to touch a lot more people.”
“We’re very complementary to each other and this deal will enable us to bring together the full range of products and the entire consumer experience under one roof,” de Maillard added in a separate interview with Forbes. “It will allow us to be quicker with innovation and to have a deeper and more holistic connection with musicians and music lovers.”