Author: palmbeachocean.com

In a nutshell: Epic Games focused its 2024 GDC keynote on unveiling its additions to Unreal Engine with version 5.4. Amy Hennig revealed a new action game showcasing the technology, explaining the engine’s new detail and animation improvements, while Epic unveiled new tools for Fortnite’s user-generated content suite. The first preview of Unreal Engine 5.4 is now available. The update introduces significant new features to the animation toolchain and Nanite, Epic’s ambitious polygon rendering system. Amy Hennig, known for her work on the Uncharted series, demonstrated the developments by revealing her studio’s new game – 1943: Rise of Hydra. Planned…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has approached a major Indian think tank to develop a homegrown democracy ratings index that could help it counter recent downgrades in rankings issued by international groups that New Delhi fears could affect the country’s credit rating. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which works closely with the Indian government on multiple initiatives, is preparing the ratings framework, according to two people closely involved in the discussions on the project. The index is expected to hew more closely to New Delhi’s narrative than Western-based rankings that Modi’s team has criticised. “A review meeting was held by…

Making alcohol-free beer more widely available on draught nudges people towards healthier choices, a study suggests.Customers bought less standard beer but substituted it for alcohol-free varieties, with no reduction in bars’ overall revenue.Alcohol can lead to weight gain, addiction and has been linked to seven types of cancer, including mouth, upper throat, larynx, oesophagus, breast and bowel cancer.Offering alcohol-free options is often seen as a good alternative for people who want to be healthier.For the study, researchers from the University of Bristol, working with Bristol City Council, recruited 14 pubs and bars in the city. Alcohol can lead to weight…

The parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has agreed to a $335 million settlement with a group of mixed martial artists whose antitrust lawsuit accused the organization of abusing its market position to suppress fighter pay, the company, TKO Group, disclosed on Wednesday.The settlement avoids a costly trial, which was set to start in a month. For the U.F.C., it also eliminates the risk that a judge could have imposed remedies that might have upended the industry’s business model. In addition to monetary damages, the fighters had sought changes like a ban on long-term contracts, which would have given…

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the first stop of a Mideast trip amid efforts to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas for a pause in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages and a flow of more humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.The visit to the city of Jeddah came as the Biden administration was hoping it could convince Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, a long-term objective that the United States considers important to stabilizing the broader Middle East.The State Department said that Mr. Blinken met with…

acronym: A word made by combining some of the starting letter or groups of letters from a number of words. For instance, STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Radar is an acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging. Even laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.atmosphere: The envelope of gases surrounding Earth, another planet or a moon.atmospheric physics: This field of meteorology is related to climate science. People who work in this field, called atmospheric physicists, use computers and math to model the properties of Earth’s atmosphere that drive weather and climate.atom:…

Shares of Paramount Global popped in afternoon trade on a report that Apollo Global has made an $11 billion bid for the company’s film and TV studio. The private equity giant has been in and out of the mix of suitors, which also include David Ellison‘s Skydance Media and Byron Allen. The stock heading into market close is up over 11% at $12.48 in heavier than usual volume. That’s still half of where it was a year ago as the company battles streaming losses and high debt. It’s been a takeover target for months now without any deal. The WSJ…

A pair of SEC teams were among the first to make big splashes in college basketball’s transfer market this week as Alabama and Missouri landed commitments Tuesday from two of the bigger names to hit the portal early in this cycle. The Crimson Tide landed a pledge from former Pepperdine shooting guard Houston Mallette, while former UT Martin wing Jacob Crews committed to the Tigers. Both players are featured in the 2024 CBS Sports transfer rankings, which highlight the top players on the move in college basketball. Crews is an elite 3-point shooter with good size who should immediately help a…

Apple’s marketing chief Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPhone marketing Kaiann Drance, and a few other senior employees at the company recently participated in a ride-along interview with YouTube video creator Brian Tong. Greg Joswiak talks with Brian Tong in a golf cart ride at Apple ParkThe interview took place in a golf cart driving around Apple Park, with various employees hopping in and out to talk with Tong along the way. The video provides an update on the “state of the iPhone,” with Joswiak and others discussing the device’s past, present, and future. Apple also once again hinted at…

A group of 19 Democratic senators led by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) have sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to establish a “bold, public framework” for establishing a two-state solution recognizing a “nonmilitarized Palestinian state” after the war in Gaza. The senators argue that Biden needs to “reignite U.S. leadership on a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” “We call on you to publicly outline a path for the United States to recognize a nonmilitarized Palestinian state,” they wrote. The letter comes amid mounting Democratic concern over civilian casualties in the Gazan war and reports that children…