flows Archives

AppWizard

July 8, 2025

This brilliant dark and moody cyberpunk city builder is my kind of cosy game—and for less than $7 you might as well see if it’s yours too

Dystopika is a low-pressure city-building game that challenges traditional cozy aesthetics by offering a darker, more complex experience. Players construct megacities filled with towering structures and vibrant holograms, evoking a unique sense of coziness amid a harsh environment. The game features a simple interface, allowing players to focus on creativity with customization options for colors, sizes, and personal images. It incorporates procedural generation, enabling smaller buildings to emerge organically, creating a vibrant ecosystem. The developer, Voids Within, has released updates that introduce new districts, props, and a synth soundtrack. Dystopika is priced under £6, providing an accessible and uncomplicated escape for players.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

Peak review

Peak is a cooperative climbing game developed by Landcrab and published by Aggro Crab, set to launch on June 16, 2025, priced at .99 / £6.39. It supports multiplayer experiences for up to four players, where they must scale a mountain on a deserted island while managing hunger and navigating treacherous terrain. Players can find food and climbing gear throughout the map, but some food items may cause debuffs. The game emphasizes teamwork, with players assisting each other during challenges like snowstorms and diverse biomes. Solo play lacks the dynamic interactions of multiplayer, making it feel isolating. Peak features responsive controls and satisfying gameplay mechanics.

Winsage

June 20, 2025

How Uniphore achieved 30% cost savings by modernizing Windows servers on AWS

Uniphore is an AI innovation company that faced challenges with its legacy Windows Server infrastructure, which was costly and raised security concerns due to its end-of-support status. To modernize, Uniphore utilized Amazon Web Services (AWS) for containerization and cloud-native solutions, achieving a 30% reduction in costs and improved operational capabilities. The migration involved transitioning from 50 bare-metal Windows Server 2008 R2 instances to a Linux environment on AWS, optimizing call-center analytics workloads and enabling better training of large language models. The modernization strategy included three key areas: application modernization through refactoring and containerization, a custom data migration solution using Type 2 hypervisor technology, and a cloud infrastructure setup with Amazon EC2, Amazon EKS, Amazon EFS, and Amazon S3. The migration was executed in three phases: deploying the hypervisor and DataSync agent, secure data migration and validation, and production cutover with application deployment. Best practices adopted during the process included Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform, CI/CD pipelines using GitLab, comprehensive monitoring with DATADOG and CloudWatch, and enforcement of AWS Backup policies. The modernization resulted in benefits such as improved scalability and performance, flexibility and portability of applications, enhanced security and compliance, efficient data management, reduced operational overhead, and significant cost savings.

Tech Optimizer

June 14, 2025

Hackers are sneaking malware into your browser using Google’s link, and antivirus software can’t stop it

A new browser-based malware campaign exploits trusted domains like Google.com to bypass traditional antivirus defenses. The malware operates through an e-commerce site using a manipulated Google OAuth logout URL, which executes an obfuscated JavaScript payload. This script activates silently during checkout or when the browser appears automated, opening a WebSocket connection to a malicious server. Payloads are dynamically executed using JavaScript, enhancing the threat's effectiveness. The attack evades detection by many antivirus programs due to its obfuscation and conditional activation. DNS filters and firewall rules offer limited protection since the initial request goes to a legitimate domain. Advanced users may use content inspection proxies or behavioral analysis tools to detect anomalies, but average users remain vulnerable. Recommendations to mitigate risks include limiting third-party scripts and maintaining separate browser sessions for financial transactions.

Tech Optimizer

June 14, 2025

Striim Announces Neon Serverless Postgres Support with Databricks

The integration of real-time data for AI applications is crucial, but traditional ETL processes can introduce latency and complexity. Open-source Postgres is a popular choice for developers, and Neon has developed an AI-driven approach to database creation. Databricks has launched Lakebase, a managed Postgres database, after acquiring Neon. Striim has expanded its Postgres offerings to facilitate high-throughput ingestion from Neon into Databricks for real-time analytics and enables rapid data delivery from legacy systems into Neon. This allows for seamless data flow for AI applications, including support for real-time ingestion, Change Data Capture (CDC), and event streaming from Apache Kafka. Striim's platform supports operational data replication from various traditional systems and upholds data governance with AI-driven PII detection. This expansion enhances partnerships with Databricks and supports real-time SQL Server data access.

Tech Optimizer

June 12, 2025

Striim Announces Neon Serverless Postgres Support to Broaden Agentic AI Use Cases with Databricks

The demand for real-time data in artificial intelligence is increasing, but integrating data from legacy systems poses challenges due to traditional ETL pipelines that can introduce latency. Open-source Postgres is favored for operational needs, and Neon offers a new approach to database creation using AI agents. Databricks has launched Lakebase, a managed Postgres database for AI applications, after acquiring Neon. Striim has expanded its Postgres offerings to enable high-throughput data ingestion from Neon into Databricks for real-time analytics and supports rapid data delivery from legacy systems into Neon. Striim's platform allows real-time replication of operational data from various traditional systems to Neon, real-time ingestion into Databricks, and enhances generative AI applications with inline data enrichment. Alok Pareek from Striim highlighted the importance of this expansion for Postgres-native teams to build real-time AI architectures. Striim also supports Databricks Delta Lake and SQL2Fabric-X for real-time SQL Server data access. Striim's platform processes over 100 billion daily events with sub-second latency, aiding proactive decision-making.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

5 Minecraft Farms to Build Early

Players in Minecraft face challenges such as food shortages and resource scarcity during the early stages of survival. Early-game farms are essential for providing resources and improving gameplay. 1. A basic crop farm can be established by planting wheat, carrots, or potatoes on well-tilled soil with a water source and sunlight. Fencing can protect crops from mobs, and villagers can help automate the process. 2. An animal breeding pen can be created by attracting cows, sheep, and chickens using wheat or seeds. Each animal provides unique resources, and a breeding cycle of about five minutes allows for a steady food supply. 3. A sugar cane farm is important for crafting paper and trading with villagers. It can be set up along a riverbank or with irrigation ditches, and can be automated with observers and pistons. 4. An XP and mob drop farm can be built around a dungeon with a skeleton or zombie spawner. A funnel system using water flows and trap doors can direct mobs for XP farming and valuable drops. 5. An iron farm can be established near a village using three villagers, beds, workstations, and a zombie to spawn Iron Golems. A kill chamber can provide a consistent source of iron ingots.

BetaBeacon

June 10, 2025

Download Candy Crush Saga (free) for Windows, Android, APK, iOS and Web App | Gizmodo

Candy Crush Saga is a popular game that can be downloaded for free and played without spending any money. It is available on major platforms such as Android, iOS, and Facebook. The game is convenient, provides specific tasks for each level, and offers a rhythm of gameplay. It also has level building, little pushes on what to do, and can be soothing with its music, animations, and colors. There are alternatives to Candy Crush Saga such as Matchington Mansion, Homescapes, and Disney POP TOWN for those who enjoy puzzle games with nice graphics and smooth mechanics.

AppWizard

June 10, 2025

How To Find And Use Minecraft Mushrooms

Mushrooms in Minecraft can be found in various locations and can be harvested using any tool. Mining a large mushroom block yields up to two mushrooms of the same color, and mushrooms thrive in dimly lit areas with specific spawn rates: a 12.5% chance for red mushrooms and a 25% chance for brown mushrooms. They can grow on nearly any block type and are abundant in swampy regions, mushroom fields, old growth taiga biomes, and the Nether. In a witch's hut, mushrooms can be found in flower pots, and in the Bedrock version, they can appear on fallen trees. Shearing a Mooshroom cow yields five mushrooms, transforming it into a standard cow. Mushrooms can be purchased from the Wandering Trader for one emerald each. Players can plant mushrooms on almost any block except slabs and stairs, and they can grow into large mushrooms with bonemeal under specific conditions. Mushrooms can spread to nearby blocks if there are fewer than five in the area. They are used in various recipes, including Mushroom Stew, Rabbit Stew, Suspicious Stew, and Fermented Spider Eye, which is used for potion brewing.

Tech Optimizer

June 3, 2025

Snowflake Inc. (SNOW) Acquires Crunchy Data to Add Enterprise-Grade Postgres to Its AI Data Cloud

Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly increasing energy consumption, with data centers using electricity comparable to small cities. Industry leaders, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, have raised concerns about the sustainability of this energy demand, warning of potential limitations in AI development due to energy shortages. A specific company is emerging as a key player in the AI energy sector, owning vital nuclear energy assets and having expertise in large-scale energy projects. This company is also involved in U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exportation and is strategically positioned to benefit from increased demand for energy resources. It is debt-free and has a cash reserve that constitutes nearly one-third of its market capitalization, along with investments in AI ventures. Recent assessments suggest that the company's stock is undervalued, trading at less than seven times earnings when excluding cash and investments. The company is generating real cash flows and possesses critical infrastructure that supports its growth in the evolving energy landscape.