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3 great free movies to stream this weekend (May 23-25)

by admin May 23, 2025

Death still has friends at the theater. Final Destination Bloodlines, the franchise’s first entry since 2011, ruled the box office with a $51 million domestic opening. Thanks to good reviews and an impressive box office, expect more Final Destinations for years to come.

This weekend, Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning are the two biggest attractions for Memorial Day. If you can’t make it to the theater, there are plenty of free options on FAST services. One of our recommendations is Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Our other two picks involve basketball and college parties.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.

Hoosiers (1986)

The NBA playoffs are in full swing. The unpredictability of the games means upsets are bound to happen. One of the greatest basketball upsets at the high school level is dramatized in Hoosiers. The late Gene Hackman stars as Norman Dale, a college coach who flamed out and gets to coach basketball again at Hickory High School.

The small Indiana town loves its basketball team but hates Coach Dale, who implements drastic disciplinarian measures in his coaching methods. However, Dale’s coaching and the return of star player Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) allow Hickory to experience a magical run in the 1951 state tournament. Hoosiers is the perfect underdog story and expertly captures the essence of small-town sports.

Stream Hoosiers on Prime Video.

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)

After the so-so reception to Mission: Impossible 3, Tom Cruise and Ethan Hunt needed a reset. Cruise brought in animation veteran Brad Bird to direct the fourth entry, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. The gamble worked, as the movie reignited the Mission movies and set the blueprint for future movies.

After being blamed for the Kremlin bombing, the IMF is disavowed, forcing Ethan (Cruise) to go on the run. To clear his name and restore the IMF, Ethan must team with other IMF fugitives to find those responsible for the bombing. Ghost Protocol leaned into set pieces and practical effects, highlighted by Cruise’s scaling of the Burj Khalifa, which might go down as his most memorable stunt.

Stream Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol for free on Pluto TV.

S#!%house (2020)

Cooper Raiff understands young adults. Not since Richard Linklater has a new filmmaker captured the ethos of a coming-of-age film like Raiff did in S#!%house. (We’re going with the marketing title, but by all means, pronounce it with the swear words.) Homesick college freshman Alex (Raiff) struggles to adjust to his new life.

One night, Alex attends a party at the “S#!%house” fraternity and meets Maggie (Dylan Gelula), his sophomore residential advisor. Alex and Maggie spend the rest of the night together walking and talking as they form a genuine bond. Alex wants more in this relationship, while Maggie looks for the exit ramp. Don’t let the vulgar title fool you. S#!%house is all heart and a fantastic directorial debut.

Stream Escape Room for free on Tubi.

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May 23, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Alex Garland Will Write and Direct A24’s ‘Elden Ring’ Live-Action Movie

by admin May 23, 2025

The video game adaptation train keeps on a-going, and the next stop is a big-screen take on 2022’s Elden Ring. Alex Garland and A24 are making it happen.

Rumors of an adaptation have been swirling around for some time, but now it’s official. According to Deadline, the fantasy RPG published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and developed by FromSoftware will become a feature film courtesy of A24. At the helm is Garland as writer and director; he’s a genre veteran whose credits include Ex Machina and Annihilation, as well as Civil War, Men, and the recent Warfare. He also scripted the upcoming 28 Years Later for director Danny Boyle, the much-anticipated follow-up to the zombie series they created.

Last year, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki said he’d be open to a film if the “right partner” was involved, and A24, which is also doing a Death Stranding movie, appears to be it. Elden Ring is based on a story by Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, who’ll be among the feature film’s producers.

Set in the Lands Between, Elden Ring tasks players with repairing the titular ring—runes that control reality—and becoming the new Elden Lord to usher in a new age. Uniting the ring requires a lot of horseback and a lot of dying, but by that point, players had become familiar with FromSoftware’s work and eagerly dived in.

Ring was a critical hit and one of 2022’s biggest games. After last year’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, FromSoftware is returning to the game with Nightreign, a standalone multiplayer-focused spinoff. Both the base Ring and Erdtree are releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2 later in 2025.

Expect more news on the Elden Ring movie as it develops.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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May 23, 2025 0 comments

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10% Off Canon Promo Code and Coupons

by admin May 23, 2025

Normally we think the Canon EOS R8 is the best deal, but when you can save $300 on an EOS R5 C Body, why not upgrade? The R5 offers a 45 Megapixel Full-frame sensor and can shoot 8K RAW Video. It’s a powerhouse of a camera and a steal at this price.

If you don’t need the huge 45 MP sensor of the R5, the smaller, cheaper R6 mark II Body is also available for $200 off. There are plenty of otherCanon discounts and free shipping offers live now, so you can save extra on lens kits, printers, cameras, and more.

Save up to $1,000 on Tech With Today’s Canon Coupons

Right now, Canon has some of the lowest prices we’ve seen. Jump on camera deals, like up to $1,00000 off mirrorless cameras, including the EOS R3 Body, $300 off the EOS R5 C Body, $100 off EOS R6 Mark II and EOS R7 models. Even better, you’ll score up to a whopping $5,000 off in discounts on refurbished cameras. Canon also has discounts on office essentials, like up to 40% off photo paper, up to $250 off Inkjet printers and $50 off MegaTank PIXMA printers.

How to Get a 10% Off Canon Coupon

Canon has deals out on a myriad of products, and while they rarely release a “true” sitewide code, we have a few insider tips for getting a 10% discount. If you’re having gear repaired, you can get a single-use 10% off Canon promo code through the Upgrade Program (valid for 14 days). Canon wants to reward full-time industry professionals with their membership structured by different tiers, which gives professionals huge discounts on and other perks on necessary equipment. To sign up for membership, you have to create a MyCanon account, register existing Canon equipment, and click the Canon Professional Service tab to submit an application. After it’s been processed and approved by the Canon team, a Welcome Kit will be shipped within 7-10 business days. Best of all, Canon Professional Service customers get 10% off online orders. Silver tier is the free program which only requires 10 points. Next is gold, which costs $100 a year and gets members 20% off repairs on up to 10 products and complimentary maintenance on up to 5 items. Platinum is $300 per year and gets you 30% off repair discounts on up to 15 products and maintenance covered on 10 products. The top level is cinema, which costs $1,000 per year and has discounts of 30% off repairs on up to 20 products and maintenance covered on up to 10 products.

Canon Professional Service discounts also extended to Students over 18 years old—with no annual fee or points required to sign up. With the Canon Professional Service Student Membership, you can get a 10% off repair discount on up to 2 products and a 10% discount on one Canon product per year.

Save With Top Canon Refurbished Camera Deals

The phrase stands true—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—even on camera. You can snag extra discounts on refurbished cameras, like a refurbished EOS R5 Mark II Body, which is now $3,689 at $180 off. (With this refurbished discount, you’ll save $410 versus the regular version which retails for $4,099.) There’s also the refurbished EOS R3 Body, now $3,599 at $900 off, EOS R6 Mark II Body for $1,799 at $180 off, EOS R6 Body for $1,619 at $450 off, and the refurbished EOS R7 Body for $1,119 with $80 off. All of these discounted Canon items are certified by Canon and come with a one-year limited warranty, for added peace of mind.

Score up to $250 Off With Canon Coupons for Ink and Printers

Wanting to upgrade your WFH setup? Now may be the perfect time to work in style for less. Right now, you can get a free Pro Paper Sampler Pack when you spend $80 or more on Professional Ink; plus free standard shipping on all ink cartridges and toner. You can also save 25% more by opting for Value Packs, which offer even more convenience and savings for your MAXIFY & PIXMA line printers. Twin packs contain two of the same inks, while multipacks contain two or more different inks for the same printer— for those busy worker bees who print a lot. Canon’s rotating printer deals can help you save up to $250 on laser, Inkjet, MegaTank, and compact or portable printers, including $250 off Canon’s brand new MegaTank GX6120. These deals also include savings of $70 on PIXMA Inkjet Printers, $100 off the newly launched PIXMA PRO, and $70 to $200 off Color imageCLASS printers.

More Canon Discounts and Free Shipping Deals

Canon is offering free shipping on all cameras and lenses, as well as ink and toner for the company’s printers. You can expect other deals for up to $300 off popular items like RF28-70 mm lenses, PIXMA printer, and more during 2025 sale events. Make sure to regularly visit our page for the latest offers and Canon discount codes whenever they are available.

Canon has made shopping even easier by organizing products by special offers, or in product categories with instant savings that don’t require a Canon promo code. As a bonus, hundreds of Canon products qualify for free shipping, including the more practical purchases like printers and ink.

Our Favorite Canon Cameras

Canon has a wide variety of cameras to capture all the details you need in photos and video. If you’re looking for jaw dropping non-stop 8K recording with excellent imaging, the Canon R5 is our favorite. The R6 strikes a balance between shooting for personal and professional purposes with a 24.2 megapixel full-frame. In the deals section, you can always find discounts on new and refurbished cameras, lenses, and kits.

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May 23, 2025 0 comments

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What to expect and how to watch games revealed live

by admin May 23, 2025

As if early June wasn’t already going to be a wild enough time in the gaming world with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, that’s also when a whole host of showcases takes place as part of Summer Game Fest. Along with the two blockbuster events — Summer Game Fest Live and the Xbox Games Showcase — there are a bunch of other ones in store, including the always-delightful Day of the Devs.

There could be even more on the docket. There’s always a chance that Nintendo and Sony will run a Direct or State of Play, respectively, over the next few weeks. Ubisoft hasn’t yet announced a Forward event for this year either — perhaps because it has delayed a bunch of big games and isn’t ready to talk about them. We haven’t yet heard about a Devolver Direct either (c’monnnn, we need Baby Steps and Skate Story release dates already!).

As things stand, SGF is slated to run from June 6 until June 8. With E3 officially dead (organizer Entertainment Software Association is planning an industry-focused event for next April instead), SGF is now the de facto replacement and the biggest event for announcements and updates this side of Gamescom in August.

We’ll update this preview as more details about the showcases emerge, including additional events in the SGF nebula. We’ll embed videos for each stream as they become available as well.

Engadget will be on the ground in Los Angeles for the in-person side of SGF, which is for media and creators. We’ll be bringing you hands-on impressions of many of the games that are featured during SGF Live.

Most folks will be keeping up with everything from home, though. To that end, here’s a breakdown of how to watch Summer Game Fest 2025 and what to expect from the extravaganza (we’re bound to get a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date this time, right?!?!)

Summer Game Fest 2024 schedule

Summer Game Fest Live — June 6, 5PM ET
Day of the Devs — June 6, 7PM ET
Wholesome Direct — June 7, 12PM ET
Women-led Games Showcase — June 7, 1PM ET
Latin American Games Showcase — June 7, 2PM ET
Xbox Games Showcase — June 8, 1PM ET

How to watch Summer Game Fest Live — June 6, 5PM ET

Watch on YouTube or Twitch

Putting aside our annoyance at the timing of this showcase — late on a Friday evening in the UK and right when many folks on the East Coast are clocking out for the weekend — Summer Game Fest Live is one of the bigger events in early June. It starts at 5PM ET and will run for two hours.

Organizers are promising “spectacular new video game announcements, surprises and reveals.” That’s pretty compelling, especially since host Geoff Keighley (rightfully) downplayed expectations ahead of last year’s show.

We do know about a few games that will appear. SGF Live will include a fresh look at Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a Soulslike action RPG from Leenzee, a studio based in China. That game will arrive in July. Open-world MMORPG Chrono Odyssey will make an appearance as well.

You can watch SGF Live on more than 20 platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, X, TikTok, Steam and international services. The event will stream live from the YouTube Theater, and you can attend in person, if you like.

In any case, we’ll be bringing you all the major news from Summer Game Fest Live. We just can’t promise we won’t have an adult beverage with an umbrella next to us while we’re covering the event.

How to watch Day of the Devs — June 6, 7PM ET

Watch on YouTube (the same stream as SGF Live above) or Twitch

Immediately after SGF Live ends, the YouTube and Twitch streams will segue into the summer 2025 Day of the Devs stream. This indie-focused showcase invariably has a fantastic lineup of games worth keeping an eye on.

Among the games making appearances are Possessor(s) from Heart Machine and “nightmarish RPG” Neverway from Coldblood and co-publisher Outersloth. We’ll also see something from House House (Untitled Goose Game) — presumably the co-op “walker-talker” Big Walk that was revealed in 2023. In all, this edition of Day of the Devs will feature 20 games.

Last year’s show included 2024 game(s) of the year contender UFO 50, the very intriguing platformer Screenbound, survival climbing game Cairn, the delightfully kooky-looking Building Relationships and sci-fi mystery Phoenix Springs. My Steam wishlist somehow expands quite significantly after each Day of the Devs showcase. Weird how that always happens.

How to watch Wholesome Direct — June 7, 12PM ET

Watch on YouTube or Twitch

Definitely don’t overlook the smaller events that take place during SGF, as you can always find plenty of treats among them. One such event is the Wholesome Direct, which will feature around 60 cozy games. It will include world premieres, demo announcements and updates from publishers and developers including Playstack, btf Games, ustwo games and Wētā Workshop (whose Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game arrives in July).

How to watch Women-led Games Showcase — June 7, 1PM ET

Watch on YouTube

This one does what it says on the tin. It’s a showcase featuring games from women-led and majority-women studios. Women-led Games will feature 39 titles, including world premieres and release dates.

How to watch Latin American Games Showcase — June 7, 2PM ET

Watch on YouTube

The Latin American Games Showcase will feature more than 50 games, all of which are from Latin American developers, oddly enough. Expect world premieres, game update news and more from this one.

How to watch Xbox Games Showcase — June 8, 1PM ET

Watch on YouTube or Twitch (there’s a separate ASL stream on Twitch too)

What’s the over/under on the number of times the phrase “day one with Game Pass” will appear on this stream? That’s one phrase you can definitely expect to hear, but Microsoft will have plenty to share here. It’s the biggest Xbox showcase of the year. There will be reveals and updates from across Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard.

Games that the company has in the pipeline include Fable (2026), Perfect Dark, Gears of War: E-Day, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Clockwork Revolution, Hideo Kojima’s OD and Contraband. It feels a little early for an update on The Elder Scrolls 6 since that game is still years away. But we may find out more about those other games and some we don’t yet know about.

I have my fingers crossed for more info on the Blade game that Arkane Studios is working on. It’s a reasonably safe bet that we’ll see something about the next Call of Duty here as well.

One game we’ll definitely hear more about on June 8 is The Outer Worlds 2. That’s getting its own time in the spotlight, with a dedicated event that will start as soon as the main Xbox Games Showcase ends.

Meanwhile, several publishers and other organizations are hosting their own shows around SGF. Here’s when those will take place:

IGN Live — throughout June 7 and 8
Southeast Asian Games Showcase — June 7, 3PM ET

Phew. Get ready, gamers. Details on many, many new games are coming your way very soon.

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May 23, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

The wireless GameCube controller for Switch 2 is available to pre-order

by admin May 23, 2025

The wireless GameCube controller that’s for use exclusively with the Nintendo Switch 2 can now be pre-ordered by those who have a Switch Online account. The controller costs $64.99, and is currently limited to one per account. For those who’ve bought one, you’ll get it on Switch 2’s launch date, which is June 5th. There’s no waiting room this time, unlike Nintendo’s previous rollout of preorders on May 13.

While GameCube controller support on the original Switch is nothing new (made possible thanks to the GameCube controller plug-to-USB adapter, or with newer third-party USB versions based on the original controller’s design), game support for the new wireless version is quite a bit more limited. It won’t be compatible with Switch backwards compatible titles that work on the Switch 2, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, or at least support hasn’t been confirmed yet. Instead, its use is limited to the GameCube games that are coming to Switch Online’s Expansion Pack tier, which at launch will include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur 2, and more.

This GameCube controller has USB-C charging, and comes with the C button that’s used to summon GameChat features. Just a reminder: GameChat will be free to use for all Nintendo Switch 2 owners through March 31st, 2026.

Update, May 22nd: Preorders have opened again for the wireless GameCube controller, so we’ve updated this post with relevant information.

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May 23, 2025 0 comments

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Enterprise Communication Evolution: Avaya’s Infinity Platform Bridges the Gap Between What’s Needed Today and Expected Tomorrow

by admin May 23, 2025

Enterprises find themselves at a pivotal moment in communication technology, facing a difficult decision: embrace modern technology or protect their investments in existing systems. This has created a divide between all-new cloud solutions and approaches that work with the infrastructure organizations already have in place. Avaya’s new Infinity platform solves this dilemma by offering a way to do both.

Bridging Technological Divides

The enterprise communication technology landscape has fragmented into distinct camps. On one side stand cloud-native solutions promising flexibility and innovation but requiring complete system replacement. On the other hand, traditional vendors offer incremental improvements to on-premise systems without fundamentally reimagining their architecture.

Our approach with Avaya Infinity platform targets the substantial middle ground with a hybrid solution for enterprises seeking modernization without abandoning functional infrastructure investments. This hybrid model acknowledges a fundamental reality: most large organizations operate complex technology ecosystems built over decades, making complete replacements impractical regardless of the benefits.

Differentiated Architecture

What differentiates Avaya Infinity platform is its architectural approach. It’s a secure platform that ensures compliance, deployment flexibility, and top-tier performance — a single code base across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. Rather than forcing customers into two distinct choices, Avaya Infinity platform offers:

Modern, Secure, Ready-to-Use Architecture: The unified platform with a single code base delivers the flexibility, security, and control that large enterprises expect. This approach ensures data privacy, regulatory compliance, and unmatched scalability. The modular design enables organizations to activate specific capabilities without implementing the entire platform—essential for phased adoption strategies.
Layered, Intelligent Orchestration: AI capabilities function as an enhancement layer across both cloud and on-premises components, end-to-end, allowing intelligence to flow throughout the platform regardless of where components physically reside. It unifies AI, native applications, and disparate systems, whether they’re from Avaya, our partners, or enterprises’ existing own infrastructures. This empowers enterprises with a seamless, single-source approach to business agility and desired outcomes.
Data-Driven Customization: Enterprises can customize experiences for their customers, contact center agents, and employees by leveraging rich data insights. With intelligent engagement tools, this platform enables hyper personalization at every touchpoint, driving satisfaction and loyalty.

This architecture addresses the realities enterprises face in the contact center. The vast majority of organizations simply cannot afford operational disruption during technological transformation, yet they’re also unable to ignore competitive pressure to implement AI-powered experiences.

The Strategic Benefits

Avaya Infinity platform offers a hybrid solution that enables organizations to:

Extend the value of existing investments while incrementally introducing new capabilities
Deploy AI capabilities selectively based on specific business needs and readiness
Scale cloud adoption at a pace aligned with organizational change capacity
Maintain operational stability throughout transformation processes

For those managing customer experience strategies, this approach transforms the contact center into a connection center ─ connecting channels (voice and digital), connecting insights (data and behavior), connecting technologies (unifying AI, applications and disparate systems), and connecting workflows (delivering hyper personalized experiences). When customer interactions generate not just service outcomes but actionable intelligence, every conversation becomes a source of competitive advantage.

Balancing Innovation and Stability

The enterprise technology landscape has historically swung between innovation cycles and stability periods. Today’s environment is unique in demanding both simultaneously—rapid innovation in customer experience alongside operational stability in core systems.

Avaya Infinity platform embraces this hybrid reality offer a compelling vision: transformation without operational upheaval. Its architecture is enabled by existing investments while enabling future capabilities, indicating that for most enterprises, technology evolution occurs on a continuum rather than through discrete revolutions.

The Path Forward

Avaya Infinity platform supports sustainable transformation strategies using on-premise investments while systematically introducing AI-powered innovations. It delivers what enterprises need today and expect tomorrow.

Watch this video to learn more about Avaya Infinity platform and contact an Avaya expert to request a demo here.

TechRadar Pro created this content as part of a paid partnership with Avaya. The contents of this article are entirely independent and solely reflect the editorial opinion of TechRadar Pro.

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May 23, 2025 0 comments

A member of the Leagues of Votann in white armor fires a gun

Gaming Gear

Warhammer 40,000’s space dwarfs will make their videogame debut in turn-based tactics sequel Mechanicus 2 this year

by admin May 23, 2025

When Games Workshop first released sci-fi miniatures for Warhammer 40,000 in the 1980s the line included space dwarfs, also called squats, with a hairy biker aesthetic—like if the forgemasters of trad fantasy evolved into greasy spaceship mechanics. Never as popular as space elves or space orks, by the second edition of Warhammer 40,000 they were written out of the setting as a casualty of the tyranid invasion, and Warhammer players say old aspects of the lore that no longer apply have been “squatted” to this day.

The squats came back a few years ago, however, rebooted under the less insulting name of “the kin”, with their main force arrayed as the Leagues of Votann. The descendants of human mining fleets sent to the galactic core in ages past, generations of genetic adaptation with technology they call cloneskeins have turned them into, well, space dwarfs. But now they wear cool armor.

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II | Allegiances Unknown | Gameplay Trailer – YouTube

Watch On

Given their relative unpopularity and how long they spent in the stomachs of the tyranids, the squats never showed up in any of the many Warhammer 40,000 videogames. That’ll change when Mechanicus 2 comes out later this year, though unfortunately they won’t be a playable faction.

Lian Li flexes new PSU with rotatable power outlet at Computex 2025

by admin May 23, 2025

Lian Li unveiled a novel new power supply series at Computex 2025, featuring a power outlet on a swivel, duplicate connectors on different sides of the unit, and a built-in USB hub on the back panel that can be swapped out for a fan controller.

These new power supplies, known as the RS series, will be available starting in Q3 2025. Pricing starts at $154.99 for the 1000W version, $159.99 for the same unit paired with a USB 2.0 hub, and $179.99 for the 1200W version that also comes with a USB 2.0 hub.

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The RS series’ design is all about improving the flexibility of traditional ATX power supplies. The lineup’s most definitive feature is its swiveling three-prong power outlet on the back. This outlet can be moved from the front side of the unit to the right, to improve compatibility with non-conventional installations.

In addition to this swiveling outlet, Lian Li has also mounted duplicate 24-pin ATX power connectors and primary 8-pin EPS power connectors on the front and left of the unit. Having the power connectors on the left side specifically can be beneficial in a traditional ATX case, where the power supply is mounted on the bottom with the fan facing downwards. Installing the 24-pin and EPS cables on the left side will provide better cable management, less cable clutter in the bottom PSU chamber, and better reach to the motherboard if cable length is a problem.

The front-mounted connectors are presumably designed for ITX enclosures, which can often have the PSU mounted in unorthodox areas — such as the front of the case, where a cable adapter is required to wire the PSU’s three-prong power outlet to the rear of the chassis. In these cases, again, having the 24-pin and 8-pin EPS in the front of the unit alongside the three-prong outlet can improve cable management and declutter the back portion of the unit where most of the cables will inevitably be installed.

These changes also make room for the RS series USB hub/fan controller hub mounting point on the back. Lian Li installed a mount below the rear CPU, PCIe, and SATA power connectors that can house either of the aforementioned hubs. The fan controller hub is a combo USB/fan controller hub that houses four additional USB 2.0 headers (for internal use), and six 4-pin fan connectors powered by an 8-pin connector (either SATA or PCIe). Lian Li also has a dedicated USB 2.0 hub with five USB headers for those who don’t need an extra fan controller. (This is the same hub that is combined with the more expensive 1000W unit and 1200W unit, mentioned previously.)

3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (May 23-25)

by admin May 22, 2025

There’s nothing better than an extended weekend to treat yourself to some guilt-free gaming time. Memorial Day means a ton of us get a whole extra day to chill out and explore the best games on PlayStation Plus, which just so happen to have added a huge chunk of titles. We’ve got multiple dangerous open world games, RPGs, and more to pick from, making this one of the hardest weeks I’ve had in narrowing down my recommendations to just three. That’s a great problem to have and only means you will easily find a game that clicks with you. Even though we’ve got a three-day weekend, there’s no time to waste, so here are the three best new PlayStation Plus games you need to be playing.

Sand Land

Akira Toriyama is most famous for creating the Dragon Ball universe, but that wasn’t his only creation. Sand Land was one of his last projects, but has that trademark Toriyama look and feel. This is an open world RPG where you play as the Fiend Prince Beelzebub on a big adventure in search of the Legendary Spring in the desert world of Sand Land. Don’t expect huge energy beams and cosmic-level clashes here. The majority of your time will be spent piloting and fighting inside all sorts of charming and creative vehicles. You can even collect resources to build and customize your own vehicles to suit your needs. Plus, since this game covers the relatively short story, you can jump right in and understand exactly what’s going on.

Sand Land is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy – Enhanced Edition

All of us PlayStation fans still can’t get our hands on Stalker 2 just yet, but we can at least be prepared when it eventually does come to PS5 with the brand new bundle of the first three games fully remastered. If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, you’re exactly who this package is made for. The Stalker games invite you to investigate the deadly Zone, an alternate version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. These games are meant to be hardcore and incredibly unforgiving. At the same time, the systems and AI are such that every situation is unique. You won’t hear any two people’s experiences mirror each other in this game. If you can put yourselves into your character’s shoes and really roleplay, this survival FPS trilogy will easily become your next obsession.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Battle Engine Aquila

Anyone who has been reading these recommendations regularly knows I can’t help but include a classic game whenever possible. This week, there was only one to pick from, but I was instantly intrigued because it has to be one of the very few remaining PS2 games I’d never heard of. Battle Engine Aquila is a vehicular combat game where you pilot the titular mech in massive battles. Your Battle Engine can swap between an airborne and land mode to trade off more mobility and speed for stronger weaponry. You can choose between multiple Engine types for each mission, each of which is ranked to encourage you to replay them for a better score. There’s not much story going on in the game itself, so just enjoy this one for the technical combat and novelty.

Battle Engine Aquila is available now on PS5 and PC.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

President Donald Trump speaks as US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins (L), US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (2R), and US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon look on during a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Commission Event in the White House in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2025.

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RFK Jr.’s MAHA Commission Releases First Report to Donald Trump

by admin May 22, 2025

President Donald Trump’s new Make America Healthy Again commission, established through an executive order signed Feb. 13, released its first report on Thursday, titled “Make Our Children Healthy Again: Assessment.” Trump held an event at the White House on Thursday afternoon to discuss the report with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The 68-page report is a mix of perfectly reasonable observations about the availability of nutritious foods and the influence of giant food companies, along with hints at more fringe theories for the cause of sickness in America.

“The health of American children is in crisis,” reads a copy of the new report obtained by Axios. The report had not been published by the White House yet at the time of this writing.

“Despite outspending peer nations by more than double per capita on healthcare,” the report continues, “the United States ranks last in life expectancy among high–income countries and suffers higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.”

The report lays the blame for the poor health of American kids on four broad categories: poor diet, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, “overmedicalization,” and the “aggregation of environmental chemicals.” The report also blames technology and tries several times to suggest that vaccines are making children ill without explicitly saying what anti-vaccine advocates have falsely claimed for years: that vaccines cause autism.

President Trump has repeatedly hinted at his own belief that vaccines cause autism, something that is not supported by years of research. And yet, Trump emphasized his concern about autism on Thursday, saying that statistics around the “alarming” rise of autism was the part of the report that “gets” him the most.

“Just a few decades ago, one in 10,000 children had autism. Today it’s one in 31,” Trump said at the event Thursday. “Last time I heard the number is one in 34, right? Now it’s one in 31. There’s something wrong and we will not stop until we defeat the chronic disease epidemic in America.”

The new MAHA report points to the lack of vaccine requirements in many European countries while trying to suggest that it’s the reason Europeans live longer than Americans. But it ignores the fact that Europe is currently experiencing a historic measles outbreak and the benefits of universal health care coverage, something every wealthy country in Europe has achieved, either through government-run healthcare systems like the UK and Norway or through hybrid public-private systems like Germany and France.

“Today’s children are the sickest generation in American history in terms of chronic disease and these preventable trends continue to worsen each year, posing a threat to our nation’s health, economy, and military readiness,” the report claims, repeating a line that Secretary Kennedy has used before about needs from the Defense Department.

The report questioned the heavy use of pesticides like glyphosate, which is found in Monsanto’s Roundup, as well as atrazine. The report also raises concerns about microplastics and flouride, as well as an unproven idea linking cellphone and wifi radiation to low sperm counts.

The MAHA commission sat at a table for the White House event on Thursday, comprised of pro-Trump extremists, including Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, as well as FDA commissioner Marty Makary, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and OMB Director Russ Vought. Other members of the commission include Lee Zeldin, the head of the EPA, and Stephen Miller, the far-right Trump advisor best known for shouting during TV interviews and threatening to suspend habeas corpus. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Medicare and Medicaid, was also present and spoke at the event about his efforts to lower drug prices.

“Just tremendous talent around this table, the most respected people,” said Trump of the MAHA commission during the event, which was livestreamed online but wasn’t picked up live by any of the major cable TV networks.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is also on the MAHA commission, which is curious given the fact that she stripped roughly $1 billion of funding from the USDA that used to allow local farmers to deliver food to food banks and schools. Rollins is perhaps more responsible than anyone in the current regime for taking food out of the mouths of hungry kids and yet is seen as an expert on how to make America’s children more healthy.

The commission met just once behind closed doors, according to STAT News, before the White House event on Thursday. Last-minute changes were made to the report at the behest of the White House, according to the Wall Street Journal, including some cuts to references to corporate lobbying about so-called forever chemicals. The EPA under Zeldin will soon weaken rules intended to keep forever chemicals out of water, as the Washington Post recently reported, though it’s not clear whether that decision has anything to do with that section getting nixed from the report. The White House also reportedly added some recognition that childhood vaccines can protect kids from infectious disease, according to the Journal, perhaps blunting some of the anti-vaccine messaging that may have been present in earlier drafts.

The U.S. is indeed struggling with poor health outcomes. It has lower life expectancy compared to other wealthy nations. And it spends more than any other country for those poor outcomes, according to JAMA. None of that is contested. But the MAHA movement dabbles in enough anti-scientific thinking and seems to get tunnel-vision when it comes to the ways in which Americans can get healthier. Kennedy has repeatedly said that MAHA has a strong spiritual component, something echoed in a 2024 podcast by Casey Means, the new nominee to be Surgeon General. Means does not have an active medical license and dropped out of her residency program.

The MAHA commission is scheduled to release another report in August to lay out a policy strategy that’s supposed to fix the country’s health problems. That planned report is roughly in line with Secretary Kennedy’s promise to reveal the “cause” of autism by the fall, something he asserted at the White House in April. Needless to say, announcing you’ll find a cause for a specific ailment in a particular timeframe isn’t how science works.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments