For years, animation studio MAPPA has been noteworthy for the quality of the anime it puts out, which includes widely beloved shonen like Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and Jujutsu Kaisen. At the same time, it’s been noted that the 12-year-old studio has a habit of taking on a lot of projects at once, with allegations…
Aardman Animations has been defined by its clay animation techniques. Known as Newplast plasticine, it’s been used since the studio’s inception back in 1972, and have been used in all their productions, from the Wallace & Gromit shorts to more recent fare like Star Wars Visions and Shaun the Sheep. You know you’re…
Newly ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former president Greg Brockman are meeting with executives at the company’s San Francisco headquarters now as discussions about possibly reinstating their positions continue, The Information reports. Per The Information, interim CEO Mira Murati and others have been leading the push to get Altman reinstated as CEO, and invited the two to HQ on Sunday. Altman and Brockman showed up for talks this afternoon, sources told The Information.
Around the time of the report’s publication, Altman tweeted a photo of himself wearing a guest badge for entry into the building, writing, “first and last time i ever wear one of these (sic)” — which could be interpreted several different ways, at this point. Sources told The Verge that Altman has set a 5PM PT deadline for board members to reach an agreement that could ultimately determine whether he walks away from OpenAI, or they do.
first and last time i ever wear one of these pic.twitter.com/u3iKwyWj0a
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 19, 2023
After Altman was fired without warning on Friday, Brockman stepped down in solidarity, along with a slew of senior researchers. Other staff members have reportedly pledged to resign as well and follow the two to other projects, signaling their support on social media, according to The Verge. The state of Altman’s position — and OpenAI’s future leadership — has remained up in the air this weekend as backlash against the board’s initial decision grows.
On Saturday evening, The Verge broke news that the board was considering reinstating him as CEO, and had “agreed in principle” to resign if so. But, the board reportedly couldn’t make up its collective mind in time, and missed the deadline that had been set for the decision.
According to Bloomberg, that’s at least in part because they’ve hit a brick wall in trying to agree on what the board will look and what its role will be if he’s reinstated. Altman reportedly wants the existing board gone if he’s to return, among other “governance changes” — including making former Salesforce CEO Bret Taylor a board member and possibly bringing on a Microsoft executive, Bloomberg reported, though the latter has not yet made a decision.
There has been much speculation over the reason behind Altman’s removal as CEO and from the OpenAI board of directors, which came as a surprise to Altman, staff, and investors. An internal memo sent that morning to staff and seen by Axios said that the decision to unseat Altman came as the result of “a breakdown in communication between Sam and the board.” It “was not made in response to malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices,” the memo from COO Brad Lightcap said.
Altman was reportedly fundraising for a custom AI chip project codenamed “Tigris” prior to his unexpected firing, Bloomberg reported. Per Bloomberg and The New York Times, which previously reported on his plans for other AI ventures, Altman has already pitched the idea of custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) that would rival NVIDIA’s to potential investors in the Middle East.
Altman was also reportedly looking for backers to fund his hardware collaboration with former Apple designer, Jony Ive, for which he approached SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. Sources with knowledge of the discussions told Bloomberg that Altman is trying to raise “tens of billions of dollars” to get these projects off the ground.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sam-altman-and-greg-brockman-are-meeting-with-openai-execs-now-in-ongoing-talks-over-reinstatement-212124319.html?src=rss
The mental health champion and wife to former President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter was diagnosed with dementia before entering hospice this month.
For years, animation studio MAPPA has been noteworthy for the quality of the anime it puts out, which includes widely beloved shonen like Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and Jujutsu Kaisen. At the same time, it’s been noted that the 12-year-old studio has a habit of taking on a lot of projects at once, with allegations…
Nintendo has formally rolled out its set of Black Friday deals for the year. While there aren’t any straight cash discounts on Switch hardware, the company is offering a new Switch OLED bundle that pairs the $350 console with a digital copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a three-month individual Nintendo Switch Online subscription for no extra cost. The console’s Joy-Con controllers feature a Smash Bros.-themed design as well. This bundle is available at several retailers, including Walmart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy and Nintendo’s own online store.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate typically retails in the $50 to $60 range and the Switch Online membership goes for $8, so that’s about what you’re saving here. We’ve seen the console go for less on its own, but if you’ve been meaning to give Smash Bros. a shot, there are much worse options for a free pack-in game. Although Ultimate was released way back in 2018, we still consider it the quintessential fighter for Nintendo’s system, and it currently holds a spot on our list of the best Switch games.
Speaking of, Nintendo has also discounted a handful of its own Switch titles. The digital eShop will begin its “Cyber deals” on November 20, but right now other retailers have the cutesy adventure game Luigi’s Mansion 3 down to $40 and the 2D platformer Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze down to a new low of $30. (Cue the memes.) Both of those are included in our roundup of the best couch co-op games. Elsewhere, the RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is on sale for $40, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe and Mario Strikers: Battle League are each available for a low of $30, while the hack-and-slasher Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is down to a low of $15. A few of these deals aren’t the best we’ve ever seen — and it’s hard to call games like Battle League, Kirby or Three Hopes essential — but each is at least a little cheaper than usual.
Nintendo is advertising Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for $40 each as well, though Walmart says it’ll have both of those games available for $30 on November 22, so it’s worth waiting if you’ve yet to play either of them. Among Switch games that aren’t published by Nintendo (in America), the turn-based strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is on sale for $15, the recently released Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is $20 off at $40 and the hardcore RPG Shin Megami Tensei V is back at an all-time low of $20.
Unfortunately (and perhaps predictably), many of Nintendo’s newest hits aren’t part of the sale, so we don’t expect to see official discounts on 2023 games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4 or Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Staples is technically listing Zelda and Wonder for $40 each, but it doesn’t have either game in stock as of this writing.
There’s also a bundle that pairs a red and blue set of Joy-Cons with a digital copy of Super Mario Party for $100. Since the controllers usually go for $80, the deal effectively brings the game down to $20. That’s roughly $30 less than it typically costs on its own. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the latest Mario Party game, though — that would be Mario Party Superstars, which came out two years ago. Still, if you want a few new boards to play and need a set of Joy-Cons anyway, it might be worthwhile.
If you’d rather not pay up for the Switch OLED, Nintendo is still selling holiday bundles for the standard Switch and Switch Lite as well. The systems themselves aren’t any cheaper at $300 and $200, respectively, but the Switch is available with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and that same Switch Online membership at various retailers, while the Switch Lite now comes with Animal Crossing: New Horizons at Walmart and Target.
These bundles have been available for a few weeks, and the included games are again on the older side — Mario Kart arrived way back in 2017, while Animal Crossing hit in 2020. The Mario Kart bundle in particular is one that Nintendo rolls out just about every holiday season, so it’s not an amazing deal. Still, both titles tend to retail between $40 and $50 on their own, and both are included in our Switch games buying guide. If you’re late to the Switch train, they’re strong starting points.
The big caveat to all of this is that we may be nearing the end of the Switch’s life cycle. The original console arrived nearly seven years ago, and various reports have suggested that we’re likely to see some sort of follow-up in 2024. A recent Eurogamer report, for instance, said that Nintendo demoed a possible “Switch 2” for developers in August. If you aren’t dying to catch up on Switch games you missed, it might be wise to wait.
That said, the Switch’s library is still excellent. If you (or your kid) have been looking to finally hop on the bandwagon, these deals provide at least a little extra value — even if we’d have preferred to see more substantial discounts by this point.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-black-friday-deals-include-a-new-switch-oled-bundle-and-discounted-games-150043995.html?src=rss
The win ends India’s dominant run in its home tournament, with a six-wicket victory in a low-scoring final on the back of Travis Head’s 137.
Netflix’s big new release for the weekend is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, an anime revival of the popular graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It’s a bit of a weird bag; pre-release, O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski repeatedly said the show would offer something similar to the comic while also being a different…
If you haven’t yet hopped on the air fryer bandwagon, now is the perfect time to do so thanks to an Amazon Black Friday deal on one of Ninja’s DualZone Foodi air fryers that’s slashed $100 off the normal price. The XL Ninja DZ401 Foodi air fryer, which has two separate cooking compartments, is only $130 right now. The 10-quart beast of an appliance usually costs $230, and this is the best deal on it yet.
The DZ401 Foodi uses Ninja’s DualZone technology, which allows it to cook different types of food simultaneously in its two separate compartments. Each basket has a capacity of 5 quarts. With its Smart Finish setting, it can even coordinate the timing of the different dishes so they’re done at the same time. It’ll take up a fair amount of counter space, but would come in handy for anyone cooking for a large family or guests. In addition to frying, Ninja’s DZ401 Foodi can broil, roast, bake, reheat, and dehydrate food. It’s a versatile appliance, and one of the best air fryers on the market right now.
While it brings the option to cook with both baskets at the same time, you can also just cook using one for smaller or less complex meals. You won’t have to wait for it to preheat thanks to its rapid heaters, or worry about it being overly noisy. The current 43 percent discount on Amazon is far better than even the previous low of $180, so snatch one up now if you’ve been waiting for just the right moment.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-ninja-foodi-dualzone-air-fryer-is-cheaper-than-ever-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-191803817.html?src=rss
Veterinary laboratories in several states are investigating an unusual respiratory illness in dogs.
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