Current State Archives

AppWizard

April 11, 2025

Enshrouded’s next update promises a ‘rebirth of the shroud,’ with new monsters, resources, and a whole new weapon customization system

The upcoming update for the open-world survival RPG, Enshrouded, is titled "Rebirth of the Shroud" and is scheduled for next month. It will introduce new monsters, locations, and a system for crafting customizable weapons. The creative director, Antony Christoulakis, mentioned that the update aims to enhance combat and the terrain, as well as increase points of interest in the shrouded areas. Players will discover special gems that can be embedded into weapons, which will have gem slots that can be unlocked at special forges. The rarity of a weapon affects its likelihood of having a gem slot. The shrouded areas will be improved for greater engagement, and nighttime gameplay will see new elements introduced. Water features will not be included in this update, but the development team is working on them for future updates. Enshrouded has surpassed four million players since its early access launch in January 2024, and the "Thralls of Twilight" update will be the sixth significant enhancement to the game.

AppWizard

April 9, 2025

They can’t keep getting away with this: Star Citizen has now raised over $800 million after 13 years, and it’s still in alpha

Chris Roberts, CEO of Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), expressed optimism about the release of Star Citizen, stating the company is closer than ever to achieving version 1.0 of the game, though no timeline was provided. Since its crowdfunding campaign began in 2012, CIG has raised over million, with the game generating over 0 million annually since 2022. Version 4.0 of the alpha was released in December 2024, introducing a server meshing feature. Despite advancements, the alpha version remains incomplete, with promised features still in development. Roberts indicated that overcoming server meshing was the last major technological barrier, and he assured fans that the envisioned gameplay would not take decades to materialize. However, as of now, Star Citizen remains in its alpha phase.

AppWizard

April 6, 2025

Minecraft movie spawns ‘annoying’ cinema trend that viewers claim ‘ruins’ the film

The film A Minecraft Movie, featuring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, is projected to earn around million domestically and million internationally during its opening weekend. It has sparked enthusiastic audience reactions, particularly during a scene involving a "chicken jockey," leading to collective chanting and applause in theaters. Some viewers have shared positive experiences on social media, while others criticize the disruptive nature of audience participation, expressing a desire for a return to traditional movie etiquette.

Winsage

April 5, 2025

Introducing Windows on arm. And by arm, we mean wrist

Gustave Monce, a PhD student from Bordeaux, is working on a project to run Windows on the Google Pixel Watch 3, referred to as "Windows on ARM." Initially announced on April Fools' Day, Monce clarified that the project is serious and involves UEFI on the Pixel Watch 3 with the capability to boot Windows and Linux. He has previously developed DuoWOA, enabling Windows 11 to run on Microsoft's Surface Duo, and is also working on LumiaWOA for the Nokia Lumia 950 and 950XL. The smartwatch project utilizes an Arm64 build of Windows PE, allowing the Pixel Watch 3 to boot a WinPE image via UEFI, though the final installation steps remain undocumented. Monce describes the project as real and goofy, acknowledging its current limitations while inviting others to explore the code.

Tech Optimizer

April 2, 2025

Improve PostgreSQL performance using the pgstattuple extension

PostgreSQL is an open-source relational database management system known for its extensibility, which allows developers to enhance its capabilities through various extensions and plugins. The pgstattuple extension provides detailed statistics at the tuple level from PostgreSQL tables and indexes, revealing key metrics such as the number of live tuples, dead tuples, average length of live tuples, total free space, and percentages of free space and dead tuples. These metrics help database administrators identify potential health and performance issues, such as excessive table bloat or index fragmentation. Both Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS support the pgstattuple extension, which can be activated using the command CREATE EXTENSION pgstattuple;. Functions like pgstattuple(relation) and pgstatindex(index) can be used to analyze physical storage and index statistics. Bloat occurs when unused space is left behind after UPDATE and DELETE operations, and the autovacuum process in PostgreSQL automates the cleanup of dead tuples. However, if autovacuum fails, manual intervention may be necessary. Regular monitoring of bloat is essential for maintaining performance, and metrics from pgstattuple can help optimize autovacuum settings. The pg_cron extension can automate VACUUM operations to manage bloat proactively. Index bloat can also be detected using pgstatindex, and significantly bloated indexes can be rebuilt using REINDEX or pg_repack. Best practices for using pgstattuple include estimating bloat with check_postgres, analyzing physical storage, monitoring dead_tuple_percent, and avoiding interference on highly active tables.

AppWizard

April 2, 2025

Google may finally stop forcing you to manually ask to ID songs (APK teardown)

Google is refining its music identification capabilities on Android devices, with potential upgrades revealed through an APK teardown. Currently, users can identify songs using features like Circle to Search and Now Playing, but the process often requires manual prompts. The latest version of the Google app (build 16.12.39.sa.arm64) shows signs of automatic music detection, changing the interface to "Searching song..." upon recognition, although users still need to tap a button to view results. The absence of the typical pulsing-sphere visual element indicates that this feature is still in development.

Winsage

April 2, 2025

Someone just booted Windows on a Pixel Watch, and it actually (kind of) works

PhD student Gustave Monce has successfully run Windows for Arm on the Pixel Watch 3, utilizing its quad-core Snapdragon processor and 456×456 OLED display. He modified Qualcomm’s UEFI-based XBL bootloader to boot the Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE). Despite challenges from the release of Android 15, which disrupted his code-loading process, Monce adapted the stock kernel image to restore booting into Windows PE with limited functionality. He has achieved basic USB support for mass storage, highlighting the potential of modern mobile hardware.

Winsage

March 31, 2025

Windows 11 setup bypass blocked, smaller Surface Pro confirmed, and Amazon raises concerns over Xbox & Surface returns

Microsoft is expected to unveil a smaller Surface Pro powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X platform, aimed at competing with the iPad Pro, featuring a premium metal chassis and high-quality display, with pricing projected to start between 0 and 0. Additionally, Microsoft plans to introduce a smaller Surface Laptop. The company has blocked a bypass that allowed users to set up Windows 11 PCs without a Microsoft account, which has led to the emergence of a new method involving the command prompt during setup. Certain configurations of the Surface Laptop 7 and the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 have been flagged by Amazon as frequently returned items. Bill Gates has stated that AI will replace humans "for most things," while identifying coders, energy specialists, and biologists as professions likely to remain safe from automation.

Winsage

March 29, 2025

Windows Central Podcast: Nobody wants the Surface Laptop 7?

The Windows Central Podcast discusses the current state of Windows on Arm, the high return rate of the Surface Laptop 7, and upcoming smaller Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models with innovative features. It also covers developments in Windows 11, including the first signs of the 25H2 update.

AppWizard

March 25, 2025

New report reveals top Trump admin. officials discussed classified information on messaging app

A judge compared the due process received by Nazis to that of Venezuelans facing deportation under the Trump administration. High-ranking officials from the Trump administration discussed classified military operations on the messaging app Signal, raising security concerns. A GOP senator admitted that claiming Social Security will remain untouched is disingenuous. GOP Senator Curtis clarified that Elon Musk's comments on potential cuts were merely suggestions rather than specific policy advocacy. A GOP senator indicated that impeachment of a judge who ruled against Trump is unlikely. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reaffirmed his commitment to his position amid internal party pressure and expressed concerns about a constitutional crisis in American democracy. Canadian officials responded to Trump's tariffs by stating that "nothing is off the table" regarding retaliatory measures. Trump asserted that he will have the final say in deportation cases, prompting discussions about the need for a nuanced approach to immigration policy.