insights

AppWizard
July 5, 2025
Ratatan, a spiritual successor to the PSP rhythm game Patapon, was showcased at the PC Gaming Show with a new trailer and a demo on Steam, initially set for early access release on July 25. However, the release was delayed by developer TVT Co. due to feedback from the demo, which received over 1,200 user reviews and 2,000 comments. The developers are reassessing their timeline to incorporate community insights before the final product launch.
AppWizard
July 4, 2025
Custom NPC+ is a mod for Minecraft 1.7.10 that enhances player interaction by adding non-player characters (NPCs) and includes features such as the creation of NPCs with customizable skins and items, a quest creation system, a dialog system, a faction system, and distinct roles for NPCs. The author conducted an error analysis using the PVS-Studio static code analyzer, discovering several issues: 1. Localization issues in GuiMailbox.java related to singular and plural forms for minutes. 2. Integer division in JobHealer.java that caused loss of precision in Y-coordinate calculations. 3. Flawed regular expression in TextContainer.java for replacing line-break characters, leading to handling issues across platforms. 4. A logical error in ScriptDBCPlayer.java where a variable was compared to itself, causing unexpected behavior. 5. A mix-up between "and" and "or" operators in Availability.java that rendered certain exception conditions unreachable. The analysis aimed to improve the quality of the Custom NPC+ mod and highlighted the importance of attention to detail in software development.
Winsage
July 4, 2025
Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 in market share, reaching 50.24 percent compared to Windows 10's 46.84 percent as of July, according to StatCounter. A year ago, Windows 10 held a 66.04 percent share while Windows 11 had 29.75 percent. The end of support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, is prompting businesses to upgrade, with many preparing for the transition to Windows 11. Daniel Bowker from Phoenix noted that they are 80 percent prepared for the transition, with the remaining 20 percent needing investment in Extended Security Updates or alternative solutions like Windows 365. Canalys indicated that the increase in Windows 11 adoption is driven by enterprise activity rather than consumer demand, as IT administrators upgrade systems rather than consumers purchasing new hardware.
Winsage
July 4, 2025
Microsoft announced 9,000 layoffs, bringing the total for the year to over 15,300, including cuts within Xbox. The layoffs are attributed to unrealistic fiscal expectations set by CFO Amy Hood, creating an environment of fear and uncertainty. There is a perception that these layoffs are part of a broader shift towards artificial intelligence, with Microsoft executives and shareholders reportedly resenting the investment in Activision-Blizzard. The company plans to invest billions in new AI training centers globally, raising concerns about the impact on its core gaming and consumer products. Microsoft’s AI products have faced criticism, and the company has been accused of losing sight of the human element in its consumer businesses. The recent layoffs have left employees feeling uncertain about their futures, and there is a growing sentiment that Microsoft lacks a coherent mission or ethos, prioritizing short-term gains over long-term innovation.
AppWizard
July 4, 2025
Valve Corporation, founded in 1996 by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, is known for its influential role in the gaming industry, particularly with its groundbreaking title Half-Life, released in 1998. The company has a unique corporate structure and impressive revenue-per-employee metrics, reportedly exceeding .9 million. Valve's Steam platform, launched in 2003, dominates the PC gaming market, accounting for approximately 70% of sales in a sector valued at around billion, with over 100,000 titles available. Steam had an estimated 170 million active monthly users by May 2023. Financially, estimates suggest Steam may have handled around .3 billion in game sales in 2021, yielding a profit of approximately .6 billion from commissions. Valve's employee culture emphasizes self-organization and innovation, though it faces scrutiny regarding content moderation and legal challenges related to market competition.
Winsage
July 4, 2025
Microsoft is redesigning the Start Menu in Windows 11 to include automatic app categorization. A 15 megabyte JSON file categorizes applications from the Microsoft Store, assigning numerical identifiers for categories such as Productivity (0), Social (1), and Creative (2). The Start Menu will group applications automatically when a user has at least three apps in the same category, prioritizing app arrangement based on usage frequency rather than alphabetical order. Users will not be able to rename categories or create custom classifications, adhering to Microsoft's predefined organization.
AppWizard
July 3, 2025
Researchers from the Technical University of Berlin conducted a study using the video game Minecraft to explore how individuals learn both independently and collaboratively in changing environments. Participants engaged in a virtual foraging task, alternating between solo and group efforts to find hidden resources. The study manipulated environments to create "patchy" and "random" settings, examining when players chose to explore alone versus follow others. Data on players' visual attention and movements allowed the researchers to develop a behavioral model predicting actions based on individual and social learning strategies. Findings indicated that adaptability—switching between learning modes based on context—was crucial for success, highlighting that individuals are capable of adjusting their strategies rather than strictly imitating others or working independently. The research suggests that personal rewards influence learning types and emphasizes the importance of flexibility in decision-making.
AppWizard
July 3, 2025
Disney's Lilo & Stitch has surpassed Warner Bros and Legendary's A Minecraft Movie, becoming the highest-grossing MPA film of the year with 7.6 million globally, including 3.9 million from international markets. A Minecraft Movie has earned 4.9 million worldwide, with 0.9 million from abroad. Both films are the only ones to exceed 0 million in 2025. Lilo & Stitch is in its sixth week of release and is projected to be the first Hollywood film to gross over a billion dollars this year. However, A Minecraft Movie remains the highest-grossing film in the U.S. with 3.9 million, compared to Lilo & Stitch's 3.7 million. Lilo & Stitch has performed well in various international markets, with top earnings in Mexico (.1 million), the UK (.1 million), and France (.8 million). It is the highest-grossing film of 2025 in multiple countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico. The film opened domestically with 2.6 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, marking the largest opening of its kind in history. The original Lilo & Stitch film has generated over 579 million hours of viewing on Disney+, with more than 306 million hours attributed to the original film. Retail sales for Stitch merchandise have increased significantly, from [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: EXCLUSIVE: Disney’s Lilo & Stitch continues to dominate the box office, recently surpassing Warner Bros and Legendary’s pixelated adventure, A Minecraft Movie. With a remarkable 7.6 million in global earnings and 3.9 million from international markets, Lilo & Stitch has secured its position as the highest-grossing MPA film of the year to date. In comparison, A Minecraft Movie has amassed 4.9 million worldwide, with 0.9 million coming from abroad. As of now, these two films are the only ones to have crossed the 0 million threshold in 2025. Currently in its sixth week of release, Lilo & Stitch is on track to become the first Hollywood title to gross over a billion dollars this year. However, it’s worth noting that A Minecraft Movie still holds the title for the highest-grossing film in the United States, with 3.9 million, compared to Lilo & Stitch’s 3.7 million. Both films have successfully crossed the 0 million mark domestically. Industry Insights As the box office rebounds in the post-COVID landscape, studios are gaining renewed confidence in the theatrical experience. A significant trend emerging from this resurgence is the lucrative potential of nostalgic female-centric properties. Films like Lilo & Stitch (62% female audience), How to Train Your Dragon (50% female audience), and the anticipated Moana 2 (71% female audience) highlight this trend. With this in mind, all eyes are now on Disney’s upcoming sequel, Freakier Friday, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, set to release on August 8. To date, Lilo & Stitch has performed exceptionally well in various international markets, with top territories including Mexico (.1 million), the UK (.1 million), and France (.8 million). It has already become the highest-grossing film of 2025 in several countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico, as well as across all Latin American markets. In addition to its impressive box office performance, Lilo & Stitch has made its mark in the all-time industry rankings in Brazil and Mexico, along with the broader Latin American region. Notably, it has also become the highest-grossing Disney live-action title of all time in Mexico and several smaller markets. The film opened domestically with a staggering 2.6 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, marking the largest opening of its kind in history, surpassing Top Gun: Maverick’s previous record of 0.5 million. Among all four-day holiday weekend openings, Lilo & Stitch ranks second only to Black Panther, which achieved 2 million during the President’s Day weekend in 2018. Disney’s decision to create a live-action adaptation of the beloved 2002 animated classic was a strategic move, especially considering the original film’s 5.7 million domestic and 4.7 million worldwide gross. The Lilo & Stitch franchise has since generated over 579 million hours of viewing on Disney+ globally, with the original film accounting for more than 306 million hours. Retail sales for Stitch merchandise have skyrocketed from [cyberseo_openai model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Rewrite a news story for a business publication, in a calm style with creativity and flair based on text below, making sure it reads like human-written text in a natural way. The article shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. The article shall NOT start from a title. Response language English. Generate HTML-formatted content using tag for a sub-heading. You can use only , , , , and HTML tags if necessary. Text: EXCLUSIVE: Disney’s A Lilo & Stitch continues to upend the box office with the duo taking out Warner Bros and Legendary’s pigs and chickens pixelated pic A Minecraft Movie to become the highest grossing MPA movie year-to-date with $957.6 million worldwide and $553.9 million international. A Minecraft Movie stands at $954.9M million worldwide and $530.9M abroad. They are the only two movies to surpass $900M currently in 2025. Lilo & Stich is currently in its sixth week at the box office. Note the Dean Fleischer Camp directed movie is still on track to become the first billion-dollar grossing Hollywood title of 2025. Also, in all fairness to A Minecraft Movie, they’re still the highest grossing movie stateside with $423.9M to Lilo & Stitch‘s $403.7M. They’re also the only two pics to cross the four century mark stateside. Watch on Deadline As the box office in post Covid and strike times provides more confidence to studios about the potency of theatrical, here’s another big takeaway for the industry, and that’s that there’s big business in beloved nostalgic female properties, i.e. Lilo & Stitch (62% women), How to Train Your Dragon (50% women) and Moana 2 (71%). No pressure, Disney, but all eyes are on the sequel Freakier Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan on Aug. 8. To date, Lilo & Stitch top territories are as follows: Mexico ($66.1M), UK ($47.1M), France ($39.8M), Brazil ($36M), Germany ($30.2M), Spain ($25.9M), China ($25.2M), Italy ($24.5M), Argentina ($19M), Australia ($18.8M), Japan ($16.3M) and Central America ($15.8M). Lilo & Stitch is already the highest grossing film of 2025 in France, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Mexico as well as all the Latin American countries and many other markets. Lilo & Stitch is in the top all-time industry lists of such markets as Brazil and Mexico as well as the Latin America region as a whole. It’s also the highest grossing Disney live-action title of all-time in Mexico as well as several smaller markets. Lilo & Stitch opened domestically to $182.6M 4-day, repping the biggest 4-day Memorial Day weekend opening of all time, ahead of Top Gun Maverick’s $160.5M. Across all 4-day holiday weekend openings, Lilo & Stitch had the second biggest ever, only behind Black Panther‘s $242M (President’s Day Wknd 2018). As we’ve always noted, it was logical that Disney would make a live-action take of the 2002 animated movie (which only made $145.7M domestic, $274.7M worldwide). The Lilo & Stitch franchise in series and the original pic has driven over 579 million hours on Disney+ around the globe. The original Lilo & Stitch has accounted for more than 306M hours of viewing on the OTT service. Disney+ global. Retail sales for Stitch have grown from $0.2B in 2019 to $2.6B in 2024, representing a ten-fold increase. Stitch is one of 11 evergreen franchises for the Walt Disney Company that has surpassed $1B in retail sales last year (Stitch being in the top 10). A live-action sequel was announced last week." temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" ].2 billion in 2019 to an impressive .6 billion in 2024, reflecting a tenfold increase. Stitch remains one of Disney's 11 evergreen franchises that surpassed billion in retail sales last year, placing it firmly within the top 10. A live-action sequel was announced just last week, further solidifying the franchise's enduring appeal." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"].2 billion in 2019 to .6 billion in 2024.
AppWizard
July 3, 2025
Mojang has announced the introduction of a new mob type, the Copper Golem, in an upcoming update for Minecraft. The Copper Golem was a contender in the 2021 Mob Vote and will now be included in the game. The reveal was made by game director Agnes Larsson in a video filmed at a copper mine. The Copper Golem generates copper chests that help players manage their inventory by transferring items. Additionally, new copper gear will be introduced, marking the first new tool and armor tier since the Nether update. This new tier aims to enhance the utility of copper, making it more accessible for players. The Copper Golem and new features are currently available in the Minecraft Bedrock beta and will be released in Java Snapshot soon, although no specific release date has been provided.
Tech Optimizer
July 3, 2025
PostgreSQL supports 36% of all database workloads on Kubernetes, an increase of 6 percentage points since 2022. Managing PostgreSQL workloads on Kubernetes involves complexities related to StatefulSets, deployments, and performance optimization. Two deployment options for PostgreSQL workloads are available: Azure Container Storage for low-latency, high-IOPS requirements using local NVMe, and Premium SSD v2 for price-performance optimization. Azure Container Storage is a managed solution that dynamically provisions storage backed by local NVMe drives. Benchmark results show PostgreSQL can achieve nearly 15,000 transactions per second (TPS) with low latency using Standard_L16s_v3 VM, and up to 26,000 TPS with larger VMs. Premium SSD v2 supports up to 80,000 IOPS and 1,200 MB/s per volume. Benchmark tests indicated local NVMe achieved 14,812 TPS at 4.321 milliseconds latency, while Premium SSD v2 recorded 8,600 TPS at 7.417 milliseconds latency. The CloudNativePG operator simplifies high availability PostgreSQL deployment on Azure Kubernetes Service, offering built-in replication, automated failover, and application-consistent backups.
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