NY Times changed Monday Wordle answer due to “major recent news event”
The New York Times has altered the solution to Monday’s Wordle puzzle, citing close connections to “a major recent news event.” The Times posted about the change on its games section, explaining why some Wordle players may have a different solution than their friends, family, or colleagues.
The Times called today’s pulled solution word “entirely unintentional and a coincidence — today’s original answer was loaded into Wordle last year.”
[Ed. note: Spoilers for Wordle’s answer for Monday, May 9.]
Some Wordle players were served a puzzle on Monday with the word “fetus” as its answer. Others received a different five-letter word. But the word fetus is obviously and visibly part of a major news event, the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, a legal precedent that if reversed would make abortion immediately illegal in more than 20 states in the U.S.
The New York Times Games team said early Monday that “we take our role seriously as a place to entertain and escape, and we want Wordle to remain distinct from the news.”
“But because of the current Wordle technology, it can be difficult to change words that have already been loaded into the game,” the team said. “When we discovered last week that this particular word would be featured today, we switched it for as many solvers as possible.”
Wordle players who refreshed their browser window won’t receive the outdated version (fetus, that is), the Times said. The games team is also in the process of updating Wordle to avoid a similar situation in the future.
” We want to stress that this is an unusual situation,” said the Times. “When we acquired Wordle in January, it had been built for a relatively small group of users. We’re now busy revamping Wordle‘s technology so that everyone always receives the same word. We are committed to ensuring that tens of millions of people have a gratifying and consistent experience, every day.”
Realme V23i listed in China with Dimensity 700 and 5,000mAh battery
China Telecom has listed a new Realme device dubbed Realme V23i. The phone brings a Dimensity 700 chipset, a 6. 56-inch HD+ LCD display and a 5,000 mAh battery. The device is listed in two variants – a 4GB RAM and 128GB storage trim and an 8/256GB version. It brings a 13MP main cam around the back alongside an additional 2MP sensor while the selfie cam is 8MP.
Realme V23i in black
The software side is covered by ColorOS 12 on top of Android 12. Realme V23i comes in black and blue colors. The base 4/128GB trim is going for CNY 1,399 ($208), while the 8/256GB model comes in at CNY 1,599 ($238). The exact date and availability of the smartphone outside China is unknown.
Lord of the Rings mobile game coming from EA’s Galaxy of Heroes studio
The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is Electronic Arts’ next big licensed title for mobile platforms, the publisher announced on Monday. It is being billed as a “collective role-playing video game”. A limited beta testing will be conducted in the region this summer.
The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth will be developed by EA Capital Games, based in Sacramento, California. That’s the studio responsible for Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, an enormously successful mobile collectible RPG, which launched in November 2015.
A news release from EA said Heroes of Middle-earth will involve turn-based combat and “a wide roster of characters from across the vast universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.” Malachi Boyle, EA’s vice president for mobile RPGs, said the game will also feature “high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art.”
The statement said that Heroes of Middle-earth is the first mobile game created by EA. It was inspired by storieslines, locations and characters from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary
Electronic Arts has published Middle-earth games under license going back to 2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, though that license was to adapt the Peter Jackson films of the day, and not the J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works are specifically mentioned. EA’s last Middle-earth game was 2009’s The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, for Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Xbox 360.
As far as mobile titles, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has published five of the last six Middle-earth games for Android and iOS, although Glu Mobile — acquired by Electronic Arts in 2021 — developed and published 2010’s tower-defense title The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Defense. Before that, Jamdat Mobile published eight LOTR adaptations for phones; Jamdat was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2006.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge blends classic arcade action with modern fun
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is stuck in a tricky position: It must play like the Konami-developed arcade beat-’em-ups of old, as you fondly remember them, but it needs to feel modern at the same time. After spending some time with a two-level demo of the new Ninja Turtles game, it’s clear developer Tribute Games is riding that katana-sharp edge of faithful, but not faithful to a fault.
Shredder’s Revenge sends the ninja turtles — Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael — and pals Splinter and April O’Neil on a mission to stop Shredder, Krang, and the Foot Clan’s evil schemes in a classic, arcade-style, conveyer-belt brawler. Bebop, a mutant warthog who has taken control of a TV studio and Rocksteady, a rhinoceros-man are the locations for the first two levels. In addition to delivering deep beat-’em-up combat, Shredder’s Revenge is sprinkled with great visual humor, thanks to stage-specific Foot Clan ninja animations, and subtle environmental storytelling.
In one area of the game, Foot Clan ninjas typed away on keyboards at office desks, ostensibly but hopelessly trying to blend in. In another section, they did ab crunches on what appeared to be yoga mats, but turned out to be shields. Elsewhere, Foot Clan ninjas emerged from an industrial freezer, lobbing massive hams frozen in ice blocks. Level two starts, humorously, with the Foot stealing the tires from the turtles’ signature van, ensuring the rest of the game is an on-foot adventure.
Image: Tribute Games/Dotemu
What developer Tribute Games appears to have captured best about those classic TMNT games, beyond the humor and colorful 16-bit aesthetic, is the pacing of combat.
“We noticed from the classic [TMNT] games that what made the combat fun wasn’t necessarily the combat moves themselves, or the combat mechanics, it was more like the pacing of the game,” Tribute Games co-founder and game designer Jonathan Lavigne told Polygon in an interview. The game [s] was very fast and enemies could enter and then be destroyed quickly. So getting that pacing and that rhythm right was really important.
“And then, for the combat, that’s where we could modernize the mechanics and make it fresher with combo systems and all the bells and whistles of modern fighting game mechanics like juggles, ground bounces, cancels, and stuff like that. It’s all simple stuff to pull off, but there’s a lot of depth.”
Image: Tribute Games/Dotemu
Each playable character has a trio of stats (range, speed, and power) that govern how they play, making them feel distinct. An all-rounder like Leonardo feels noticeably different from the speedy April O’Neil or the slower, but hard-hitting Splinter. And each character has a just-deep-enough well of moves to keep the process of beating up dozens of Foot soldiers interesting. There’s also a combo counter, and chaining together 100-string combos feels rewarding. And while I played Shredder’s Revenge solo, the game offers co-op multiplayer for up to four players — the more players, the more Foot soldiers get thrown into the mix, adding to the game’s variety.
Coop offers additional game-play tweaks. Players can perform moves that two people must pull off, and they can also high five one another to share their health.
Variety and replayability are obvious concerns for an arcade beat-’em-up-inspired game in the modern era. Lavigne assures that there will be many things to keep gamers interested including story mode, multiple difficulty levels and more.
“The main [source of replayability] is how the story mode is structured,” Lavigne explained. “You have incentives to replay levels multiple times, [because] there are secondary challenges and NPCs that you can find that are hidden in different levels. NPCs will give you some little [fetch quests] and there are collectibles hidden in the levels. So you can try to replay them and find all of this stuff. And when you find them, it gives you extra points [that] are used for a progression system.”
Image: Tribute Games/Dotemu
Players will also be able to engage with that light progression system in Shredder’s Revenge‘s story mode, unlocking new moves along the way. And Tribute Games’ take on the TMNT beat-’em-up is simply bigger than the classic Konami games, Lavigne said.
“Turtles in Time had, I think, 10 levels, and we have 16 of them so it’s not quite double in size but it’s a little longer,” he said. “It’s still doable in one sitting, I think, [but] it’s made to be played in more than one sitting.”
As for the future of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Lavigne and DotEmu CEO Cyrille Imbert said there are no lack of ideas for additional playable characters, but that the six announced heroes are it, for now.
“Of course, we have tons of ideas for other characters, but you know making a character takes a lot of time and attention to detail to make it truly unique and interesting to play,” Imbert said. “So it’s hard to make more and more characters but of course it’s in our mind and we’ll try depending on the game success and depending on how production evolves.”
“There’s plenty of options if we decide to do so,” added Lavigne.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One sometime this summer. It will bring with it a new version of the classic TMNT theme song, sung by Mike Patton of Mr. Bungle and Faith No More fame.
Samsung Galaxy A51 receives Android 12 with OneUI 4. 1
One of Samsung’s best-selling phones, the Galaxy A51 is getting the Android 12 update in Saudi Arabia and Africa at the moment. This is part of a broader rollout of Android 12, which started in Europe and the US in April and is trickling down to users in Asia and South America.
Samsung has vowed to bring two updates per year to the Galaxy A51 and this is a big one in terms of both features and literal size.
To get a better idea of what OneUI 4. 1 brings to your Samsung phone, we’ve created a neat video.
This electric guitar is a MIDI controller that turns you into a music wizard
You’ll still need musical knowledge and skill, of course, but you might make other things you have some superpowers with this cool electric guitar.
Not everyone can play more than two or more instruments, but many musically skilled people can control electronic instruments without actually knowing how to use the real things. There are going to be some differences, of course, but there is a serious and professional field of music that involves these electric and electronic soundscapes. These devices are usually operated using MIDI controllers. They look like geeky boards with lots of buttons and sliders. Or, at best, a plain keyboard. The Ni28, in contrast, looks more like a very stylish and cool electric guitar, and using it will probably make you look like some music god that can produce all kinds of music and sounds with something that looks like the skeleton of a guitar.
MIDI controllers often need two kinds of controls. One is for toggling certain settings or firing off some actions, while another set of controls maps to pitches like notes on a scale. That’s why most MIDI controllers take the form of keyboards with additional buttons, sliders, and switches because these more easily translate to the kind of things that the controller needs to communicate with. You don’t have to use a keyboard. Sometimes, a guitarist can be more effective, particularly when you are performing live.
The Ni28 Electronic Guitar does exactly that and could give the player the look and the feeling of being a rockstar god. Instead of strings and frets, however, the entire neck of the guitar has a matrix of nickel-plated (hence the name) brass plates that can activate nodes when touched. Unlike with a typical stringed instrument like a guitar, you don’t need to exert much pressure to cause an activation. To achieve the same result, you can either bridge the plates adjacent to each other or lightly touch one of the strings on the waist.
This design has quite a few advantages. For one, you don’t need muscle memory to play music like on a regular guitar, though you do need to remember which frets do which. A gentle tapping is enough to activate the plate. You don’t have to strain your fingers. This makes it easier to use even compared with a keyboard where you do still have to exert some force to press down on a key. You can dance your fingers over the guitar and make it appear that you are producing magical music.
There’s also an advantage to how such a guitar can be physically designed since all the electronics are confined inside the neck of the guitar. You can use the body as a skeleton or frame, or you can swap it out for another design. Because there is no acoustics, it has no impact on output and performance. This allows you to focus on aesthetics and looks that are crucial for a great stage performance.
Apple remote working proving vital in China despite US return to office policy
Apple remote working has been a bone of contention for many US workers, after the company insisted that almost everyone should return to the office at least three days a week. But there is one US team who is making extensive use of remote working: US engineers managing production in China.
Apple engineers are said to be using a combination of live-streaming video and augmented reality, with iPads the main device in use …
Background
During the peak of the pandemic most Apple employees worked from home. Many people found they felt happier working from home and were more productive, however Apple insists that everyone must return to work.
In April the minimum requirement was two days per week. This month, it is three days. There are possibilities for more.
Starting on May 23, employees will need to be in the office three days per week. This is the start of Apple’s so-called “hybrid” work plan. Apple does not yet know how long this hybrid plan will last, but Tim Cook described it as a pilot. This suggests that the company may change it at some point and could require full-time employees to resume work.
Many employees felt unhappy about this. One common factor cited was a better work-life balance by eliminating commuting, which for many amounted to two or more hours a day – time they have been instead able to spend with their families. They accused Apple of hypocricy.
We tell our customers about how amazing our products can be for remote work but we cannot.
While Apple seems to have adopted a ‘our way or highway’ strategy, it may lose significant talent. Yesterday, we were informed that Apple’s Director of Machine Learning resigned due to the policy. He had apparently been denied the ability to give remote access to his team.
Apple remote working proving vital in China
The WSJ reports that remote working is being used extensively by US engineers responsible for overseeing operations by Apple’s manufacturing partners in China.
They would spend most of their time in China, however strict travel restrictions have prevented them from visiting China over the past two decades. A month-long lockdown in Shanghai has prevented even those who are allowed to travel to Shanghai, home of many Apple manufacturing facilities.
That has led to a new approach of remote working.
The iPhone maker also uses live streaming technology to allow staff at Cupertino headquarters, Calif. to remotely monitor what is happening in China’s factories, according the people. Apple has used iPads to communicate and augmented-reality tools to help technical experts in Cupertino check factory issues, one of the people said […]
Apple used to book 50 business-class seats daily between San Francisco and Shanghai’s Pudong airport, according to posters from United Airlines Holdings Inc. that circulated on Twitter in 2019 and were confirmed by the carrier at the time. The route accounted for $35 million of United’s annual revenue.
But after Covid-19 broke out in early 2020, Apple gave up sending in battalions of engineers. That year’s new iPhone models came out a month to two months later than usual.
The report lacks detail but states that the video-based method was used by US engineers to remote guide contractors in the assembly of prototype iPhones.
Apple gradually gave greater power to Chinese managers. This allowed them to go beyond reporting to Cupertino about problems and to propose solutions, though the final decision was still taken in the USA.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Fold4 will keep the 25W charging
It seems the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 will continue to support a maximum charging speed of 25W, like their predecessors. Mind you, this is the same top speed for most high-end Samsung phones since 2019, even if the company has claimed differently on occasion.
The information comes from a Chinese 3C specification that leaked both the Z Flip4 and Z Fold4’s model numbers – SM-F7210 and SM-F9360, and the charger they’ll use – the good old EP-TA800. In China, Samsung supplies the charger in the box, unlike in the rest of the world.
The Galaxy Z Fold4 will have the same 4,400mAh battery as its predecessor and will likely not have a dedicated S Pen slot built-in. It’s also expected to adopt three of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s cameras – the 10MP 3x zoom, the 12MP ultrawide, and the 108MP main camera.
The three reasons MacBook Pro workers broke out of plant and fought with guards
More details have emerged following eye-opening video footage of MacBook Pro workers breaking through barriers and fighting with guards at a Quanta plant in Shanghai.
While frustration at highly-restrictive ‘closed-loop’ production practices was the key issue for workers, it appears that two other factors played a role …
Background
Unlike most countries around the world, China is attempting to completely eradicate COVID-19 from within its borders. Even a handful of infections leads to highly-restrictive lockdowns, with most places of work and schools closed. Even food shopping is controlled.
Quanta – in common with other Apple suppliers and more – is operating a ‘closed-loop’ production regime. This approach was pioneered in Wuhan during the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and has been extensively used in Shanghai, where there have been multiple lockdowns.
Closed-loop production means:
Companies provide dormitory accommodation within the overall campus
Workers remain on campus for extended periods, typically one month
No-one enters or leaves the plant without an on-the-spot negative test
Anyone testing positive on attempted entry is sent to a quarantine center
This is obviously tough on workers, who are unable to see their families and friends for weeks at a time.
Three factors behind the worker revolt
Although closed-loop production is challenging at the best of times, Quanta appears to have implemented even tougher conditions, by restricting access between production areas and dormitories.
Workers who were on a break between shifts were reportedly denied permission to return to their dormitories to rest. Quanta seemingly required them to instead remain within the production area of the facility. The reason for this isn’t yet known.
Frustration at this additional restriction was said to be behind workers breaking through barriers and fighting with guards. However, while this does appear to be the main reason, Business Insider reports that two additional factors were at play.
First, fear of infection. Workers who test positive when attempting to enter the campus are sent to a quarantine center until they test negative. A group of these workers was due to return to work, and some of those within the plant were said to be mistrustful of the screening process for release from quarantine.
Some said that they were concerned about getting infected by workers who returned from quarantine centers, according to told Taiwanese news outlets USTV and UDN.
Second, some were afraid that any outbreak of infection within the plant would result in a total lockdown, with nobody allowed to exit even if they were at the end of their scheduled time there. That could leave them unable to be at home with their families even on their time off.
Disruptions to MacBook Pro production
While conditions for workers are top-of-mind, there is also growing concern over disruptions to MacBook Pro production. As we noted last week:
Economic Daily says that Quanta’s plant is only operating at around 30% capacity due to the disruption, and doesn’t expect to achieve better than 50% even when things calm down.
This is likely to further lengthen delays for MacBook Pro orders, which has already gone on for many months. Just yesterday, we noted that some readers have been emailed by Apple to be told of delays to orders placed back in February. Some have been told that their machines won’t ship until July, some five months after the orders were placed.
Any increase to this delay could see customers waiting half a year for their MacBook Pro models to arrive.
Business Insider says that Quanta’s Shanghai plant is responsible for around 20% of worldwide MacBook Pro production, and that this was initially operating with just 2,000 employees against the 40,000 usually employed there. While it was aiming for 50% within a few weeks, this incident – and growing levels of infection within the city – now make the target appear ambitious.
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition appears in new live image
OnePlus is rumored to bring a Racing Edition of its recently announced OnePlus Ace and Evan Blass is here with an exclusive look at the unannounced device. The same device that previously appeared in a TENAA listing bearing the PGZ110 model number is now revealed.
The back of the Racing Edition has a different camera setup compared to the regular Ace model with four equally larger cutouts housing a total of three camera sensors. These should be a 64MP main shooter, an 8MP ultrawide snapper and an unspecified 2MP auxiliary sensor. The phone also looks to have a textured back.
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition
Thanks to the TENAA listing we know OnePlus Ace Racing has a 6.59” IPS LCD with FHD+ resolution and a 16MP selfie cam. The exact chipset used by the device is yet to be confirmed though odds are it will be a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 paired with 8/12GB RAM and 128/256GB storage.
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