culture

AppWizard
June 15, 2025
The Chinese Room has announced an expansion for the game Still Wakes the Deep, titled Siren's Rest, set to launch on Wednesday, June 18, priced at £10, with a 15% launch discount available. The expansion will introduce deep-sea wreck diving. The original game is currently offered at a 50% discount, priced at £15. Additionally, The Chinese Room's Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2 is set to debut this October, with positive early impressions regarding its combat and dialogue.
AppWizard
June 14, 2025
The modding community for Stellar Blade has rapidly grown following its successful PC launch, offering hundreds of fan-made modifications. These mods include aesthetic changes, such as reimagined title screens and character appearances, as well as more whimsical alterations like a pregnant main character and surreal gameplay elements. Developer Shift Up has acknowledged this trend, and the volume of available mods shortly after launch is notable. The Nexus Mods repository features a variety of outfit inspirations from popular culture, but users may encounter unconventional content.
Tech Optimizer
June 13, 2025
Microsoft attributed a recent global outage affecting various digital infrastructures to a "CrowdStrike update," which disrupted multiple applications including OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, PowerBI, Microsoft Teams, and others. Users experienced issues such as synchronization failures and access difficulties. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in supply chains that organizations rely on for managing sensitive data, which can be targeted by cyber threats. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a feature within Microsoft Purview designed to protect sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure. DLP policies can monitor user activity and take protective actions like alerting users about inappropriate sharing, blocking sharing attempts, or relocating data to secure locations. DLP can be applied across various platforms, including Office 365 applications and Windows endpoints. The DLP lifecycle includes planning and deployment phases, where organizations assess data to be monitored and ensure policies do not disrupt workflows. Monitoring and reporting tools provide insights into policy matches and incidents, helping organizations refine their DLP efforts. However, DLP has limitations, including false positives, user resistance, and challenges in detecting data leakages through new communication channels.
AppWizard
June 12, 2025
Stellar Blade is transitioning from PlayStation exclusivity to launch on PC, scheduled for June 11-12, 2025, with specific release times for various locations. The game initially released on PS5 on April 26, 2024, and has sold over a million units in its first month. It features updates that enhance gameplay and introduce new costumes for the protagonist, Eve, who has sparked discussions about female representation in gaming. The game draws inspiration from titles like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, offering a robust single-player campaign and a New Game Plus mode.
Tech Optimizer
June 7, 2025
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a critical advisory on December 18, 2023, regarding the rising threat of Play Ransomware, which targets various organizations, particularly critical infrastructure and public sector entities. The advisory details the tactics used by Play Ransomware actors, including exploiting unpatched systems and phishing campaigns, leading to severe consequences like data encryption and high ransom demands. The ransomware can disable antivirus software and exfiltrate sensitive data before encryption. Play Ransomware employs double extortion tactics, threatening to leak stolen data if ransoms are not paid. CISA recommends organizations prioritize patch management, implement multi-factor authentication, train employees to recognize phishing attempts, and maintain regular offline data backups. The advisory calls for collaboration between public and private sectors to combat this threat and emphasizes the importance of information sharing to stay ahead of ransomware tactics.
AppWizard
June 5, 2025
Minecraft and Adidas have launched a collaboration that includes an in-game add-on called the Adidas Adventurer, featuring three new companions: The Coach, The Mascot, and The Teammate. Each companion offers passive benefits and active abilities to enhance gameplay. Players can complete milestones to earn Adidas lootboxes, which contain random items and exclusive Adidas-themed armor. The physical collection includes hats, sneakers, and shorts, but is currently unavailable in India.
AppWizard
June 5, 2025
Saeed Wazir, a daily user of Google apps, discovered the Google Arts & Culture app, which transformed his perspective on art. Initially hesitant about the Visual Arts feature, he found it engaging due to its diverse collection of artwork and user-friendly interface that allows for casual exploration. The app offers a Nature feature showcasing breathtaking locations, a Food feature highlighting unique dishes and culinary traditions, a Travel feature providing virtual visits to various landmarks, and a Design section displaying historical artifacts and inventions. Wazir appreciates the app's extensive features but notes that its cluttered interface can be challenging to navigate, and some sections may not resonate with him as much.
AppWizard
June 5, 2025
A new residential tower named Out of the Box, designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, is being built in Taipei’s Tianmu neighborhood. The 25-story structure reaches a height of 250 feet and features a dynamic facade with box-like protrusions that create additional living spaces such as balconies and terraces. MVRDV utilized digital scripting to navigate Taiwan’s building regulations, allowing for a balance of sunlight and privacy. The design includes a small number of repeating apartment types with variations due to the protruding boxes. The tower aims to foster community by providing private outdoor spaces in a humid subtropical climate. It is clad in marble, enhancing its sophisticated appearance while integrating with planned greenery to create a vertical garden.
AppWizard
June 4, 2025
A gamer transformed an old typewriter into a fully functional gaming PC capable of running Minecraft. The project involved using an H110 motherboard, an Intel i5-6600 processor, a 4GB DDR4 memory module, a GT635 graphics card, a 240GB SATA SSD, a 200W SFX power supply, and a WiFi card. The components were integrated into the typewriter's chassis using hot glue, and the original keyboard was modernized with an Arduino Leonardo microcontroller to make it compatible with PCs. The project received positive feedback on Reddit, highlighting its creativity and eco-friendly approach.
AppWizard
June 4, 2025
Sara Leonard's video, "The Cubed Sphere," which models fetal development using Minecraft, won the top honor in the 3D visual art category of the 2024 "Create | Encounter" contest hosted by Rehumanize International. Rehumanize International is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting peace and human dignity. The "Create | Encounter" contest invites artists to engage with issues surrounding human dignity and encourages dialogue through creative works.
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