It’s official: Elon Musk just bought Twitter for $44 billion
Last week Elon Musk announced his bid to fully acquire Twitter and take it off the stock market, and initially it seemed like the company would politely (or not so politely) decline. It appears that Musk was not as politely declining to accept his bid a few days later. Today, however, it announced its acceptance of Musk’s offer.
This means that Twitter “entered into an irrevocable agreement to be purchased by an entity wholly controlled by Elon Musk.” According to the press release, The price is $54. 20 per share in cash (which means not shares in SEC-speak, and not actual cash, by the way). Thus the total value of the transaction is approximately $44 billion. Twitter, which will be a private company upon completion of the transaction (which may take several months due to all the regulatory scrutiny that it will come across), will cease trading its shares on any stock exchange.
This was Musk’s initial plan after all, and it looks like it’s all coming together quite nicely for him. The price per stock he’s paying represents a 38% premium over Twitter’s closing stock price when its shares were last traded.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated”, Musk said. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it”, he continued.
Musk has secured $25. 5 billion of “fully committed debt and margin loan financing” and is using about $21 billion of his own equity on top of that to finance the purchase.
Pokemon Go Mega Evolution evolves with easier raids, new Mega Levels
Niantic is overhauling the Mega Evolution mechanics of Pokemon Go, making it easier for players to evolve (and re-evolve) their Pokemon using Mega Energy. New bonuses are also being offered by the developer to encourage players to take part in Mega Evolution, the mobile game that’s gotta-catch’em all.
The biggest change coming to Mega Evolutions are Mega Raids. These raids, according to Niantic, will be simpler and easier than the rest. The current four-star Mega Raids rank just below the hardest tier. Niantic hasn’t said just how many players are required or recommended for Mega Raids yet.
Mega Evolving has also become a one-time fee. Once players have enough Mega Energy to evolve their Pokemon they will be able to mega Evolve them once again after a cooling down period. Players can use Mega Energy to decrease a Pokemon’s cooldown period, Niantic said, and Mega Energy required to Mega Evolve a Pokemon will decrease as the Pokemon’s cooldown period becomes shorter.
Niantic is also introducing Mega Levels for Mega Evolved Pokemon. “Every time you Mega Evolve a Pokemon, you work toward increasing its Mega Level,” Niantic said in a blog post. “You’ll get more bonuses every time a Pokemon’s Mega Level goes up, and these bonuses will stay active while your Pokemon is Mega Evolved.”
Those bonuses earned from Mega Evolved Pokemon include existing perks like extra candy when catching Pokemon that are the same type as players’ current Mega-Evolved Pokemon and damage boosts in Raids and Gym Battles; as well as new bonuses, like an increased chance of earning Candy XL and increased XP when catching Pokemon of the same type as your Mega-Evolved Pokemon.
And in a nice quality-of-life update, players will be able to Mega Evolve Pokemon from raid and battle prep screens. (Monday’s announcement also came with a video teaser, embedded above, that indicates that Mega Kangaskhan is headed to Pokemon Go. )
What doesn’t appear to be changing is the temporary nature of Mega Evolutions. Pokemon who are Mega Evolved will eventually return to their normal state.
Changes to Pokemon Go‘s Mega Evolution roll out today in Australia and New Zealand, and will roll out globally soon, Niantic announced.
Mega Evolutions were added to Pokemon Go in the summer of 2020. Initially just four Pokemon could be evolved using the Mega Energy earned from raids: Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, and Beedrill. Although Niantic added more in the years, many people haven’t found the system to be appealing due to its limited life span and high energy cost. Mega Raids can prove difficult for players to join, so Niantic has made Mega Energy more accessible through research tasks.
It’s official: Elon Musk acquiring Twitter in a deal valued at $44 billion
Twitter has made it official: it will accept Elon Musk’s offer to buy the company at a value of $54. 20 per share. After Elon Musk made what he described as his “best, final and best” offer to buy the company earlier in this month. Head below for the full details on Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
Elon Musk is buying Twitter
Initial reports suggested that Twitter wasn’t interested in Musk’s offer of the acquisition. Twitter’s board adopted a poison pill “ in order to prevent hostile takeovers. Then, reports earlier on Monday indicated that Twitter’s board of directors were considering the offer and the company could announce the deal as soon as Monday afternoon.
That has now come to fruition, with Twitter announcing that it has indeed accepted Musk’s offer to acquire the company. The deal is valued at $54. 20 per share, for a total value of $44 billion. This means that Twitter shareholders will receive $54. 20 per share owned.
Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s CEO, said, “Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. We are proud of our team and feel inspired by their work .”
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“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Mr. Musk. I also hope to improve Twitter by making it better, open-sourcing the algorithm to boost trust and defeating spambots. Twitter is a great platform. I am excited to work with them and their community to make it .”
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Twitter says that Musk has secured $25. 5 billion of fully committed debt and margin loan financing and is providing an approximately $21.0 billion equity commitment. The company will become privately owned once the agreement is done.
This deal was “unanimously approved by the Twitter Board of Directors” and is expected to close this year.
Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s CEO, said:
Twitter is a tool with a global purpose. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.
Musk stated that Twitter should be made private to allow it to thrive. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Jeff Bezos, said Twitter’s current structure “will not help this society” and “will never prosper.”
I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.
However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form. Twitter must be transformed into a private business.
What do you make of Twitter’s acceptance of Musk’s acquisition offer? Let us know down in the comments.
This Bitcoin Wallet is as small as a credit card, but with an unbreakable metal construction
It comes complete with a QR code for easy transfers, an unbreakable design that’s water and fireproof, and due to its analog nature, it’s virtually hack-proof too.
Meet Materials Bitcoin is a card that serves as your crypto address. It’s like a business card but it serves as your crypto wallet. Material Bitcoin doesn’t have a physical wallet. It doesn’t actually store any coins, it just acts as a gateway to your online wallet, thanks to what’s printed on it. The metallic card comes with your crypto address and its companion QR code printed on the front. You can get paid with crypto. Just show your card to someone and they can scan the QR code and make the payment directly into your wallet. The Material Bitcoin does more than that. You (the owner) can log in to your wallet, which allows you to view your money, withdraw funds or check the status of your account. It does this by allowing you to access your wallet. Well, each Material Bitcoin comes with your unique password printed on the back. You can peel off the magnetic strip to see the password. It’s printed on, so a digital hacker can’t access it unless they physically have the card with them. Even if the card does get stolen, the magnetic sticker is designed to look like branding, so it won’t occur to someone to peel it away and read the password underneath – sort of like an extension of the fake rock on the porch with the key strategy. If someone doesn’t know what they are looking for they will not find it.
So what’s really the purpose of such a device? Well, for starters, it’s a combination of convenience and vanity. This is a cool and unique way to share your crypto with others, as well as to help you raise funds. Instead of sharing your address via a text message or displaying a QR code on your phone, you get to whip out a flashy metal card that people can admire. This analog print is a good substitute if your smartphone has been lost or you are unable to use it.
Unlike actual hardware wallets that store your crypto offline, Material Bitcoin doesn’t quite do that. Although your cash is stored on an external server, it has access to the card that allows you to use it as a physical token. It’s better than a physical wallet. For starters, it’s virtually indestructible. The card, made from stainless steel is waterproof, fireproof and almost indestructible. The card has a modern, cool dog-tag design and the details are etched on the metal. This ensures that the information is not smudging, chipping or shifting. In fact, the card comes with a 100-year guarantee, if that helps.
Locked Out puzzle walkthrough for Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
“Locked Out” is one of the many puzzles you’ll encounter in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and you can complete it once you are able to go to both Coruscant and Naboo. Our “Locked Out” puzzle guide explains where to find the door code and complete this Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga puzzle.
The start of the “Locked Out” puzzle is at a guy locked out of his apartment in Naboo. We’ve marked his location below, but he’s also marked on your map with a Kyber Brick. It’s not clear if you will need to speak with him in order to find his key.
Image: Traveller’s Tales/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
The key code to enter his apartment is on Coruscant, specifically in the Uscrus District. To find the key code console, enter the doorway as shown below. You will need a Protocol Droid unit to use the console, but if you’re far enough in the game to have access to Coruscant and Naboo, you should be able to use C-3PO.
Image: Traveller’s Tales/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Head back to the NPC’s apartment in Naboo. After entering the key code you will be allowed to access the apartment of the NPC and receive your reward, a Kyber Brick HTML1.
PS 5 VRR update adds support for Call of Duty, Deathloop and more
Variable refresh rate (VRR) support arrives for PlayStation 5 through an operating system update this week, and it will be coming soon to new games such as Deathloop, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands,and Call of Duty: Vanguard. Announced back in March, VRR support synchronizes the PS5’s graphical output to the refresh rate of a compatible TV. This results in sharper visuals and less artifacts.
The console update that normally rolls out on Tuesdays will bring VRR support in this week, Sony Interactive Entertainment said today on the PlayStation Blog. The feature will then be supported by games. Sony stated that the following games would be updated in the “coming weeks” to enable variable refresh rates.
Astro’s Playroom
Call of Duty: Vanguard
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Destiny 2
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
DIRT 5
Godfall
Marvel‘s Spider-Man Remastered
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Resident Evil Village
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Tribes of Midgard
Additionally, Arkane Studios said on Monday that Deathloop, the PlayStation exclusive that launched in September, now supports VRR.
VRR requires both a PS5 and an HDMI 2. 1 VRR-compatible TV (or PC monitor). After the PS5 system update, players can find the option in the Screen and Video tab of the system settings menu. Players can also apply VRR to PS5 games that don’t officially support it. It may improve video quality, but if it doesn’t, the feature can be deactivated from the settings menu (via the toggle marked “Apply to Unsupported Games”).
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Games that have already launched on PlayStation 5 can gain VRR support with a patch and future games may support VRR at launch, Sony said.
One popular game not yet listed on the PS5’s VRR support page is Elden Ring; in March, Digital Foundry noted that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X struggled to maintain 60 frames per second performance in the game — and recommended that Xbox Series X users take advantage of VRR support on that console “to smooth out the performance drops.”
Elden Ring mod makes co-op available anywhere, anytime
Elden Ring has a lot of mystery. That’s the appeal! Even in a popular, widely poured-over title like this one, it’s the rare game where every discovery a player makes can feel like they’re the first person in the world to figure it out — even if they followed a guide to get there. However, some things about Elden Ring would be better if they were less mysterious and opaque — like how the dang game’s co-op works. This, naturally, has inspired a modder to dream up a way to make Elden Ring‘s co-op seamless and unrestricted, and honestly? This is a vision.
First spotted by The Gamer, YouTuber LukeYui has been working on a mod that does away with a lot of Elden Ring‘s multiplayer restrictions. To recap: the game usually only lets players summon a cooperator in certain areas, typically where there’s a boss or a den of enemies to clear out. The player-to player connection does not end until the boss of the zone is defeated or a player leaves the designated multiplayer zone.
In YouTube footage, LukeYui appears to have worked out a way to circumvent the triggers that would normally cause their cooperator to be dismissed, defeating a Tree Sentinel area boss with another player, and then resting at a bonfire with them — both of which are actions that would normally bring an end to the co-op session.
Less is often more, and the fact that Elden Ring only lets you temporarily summon help in certain areas –areas where you might really need it — does a lot to make that help feel more meaningful. Sometimes it is nice to explore The Lands Between together.
Overwatch 2‘s PvP beta begins on Tuesday, April 26. It’s a closed beta, which means players get in by invitation only, and they’ve been signing up for access since March 10. If you still haven’t received yours yet, Blizzard is still accepting requests ,.
The beta test is the first stage of what will be a multi-step launch for the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 2016 hero shooter. Blizzard announced last month that the game would be “decoupling” its PvP, and the first ever PvE modes to make it more accessible for players.
Though Overwatch 2, announced at BlizzCon 2019, still has no launch date or window, parent company Activision told investors back in November that the game was planned for a later-than-expected launch.
In any case, Tuesday is the day many will finally get to taste this much-anticipated sequel. Here are some :
expectations
When will Overwatch 2 beta emails go out?
An FAQ posted Monday afternoon said beta emails will be sent beginning at 11 a.m. PDT on Tuesday. “While players selected initially should all receive access on the first day, we may extend invitations to more players at later periods in this test,” Blizzard says.
Appearing on Twitch content creator Flats’ stream on Thursday, Overwatch community manager Andy Belford told fans that Blizzard will be sending out invitations in a gradual process, too.
Can I still sign up for a beta invite?
The beta page on Overwatch’s official website was still taking opt-in requests as of Monday afternoon, so, why not? A Battle.net account is required.
In an FAQ posted on Thursday, Blizzard said that beta testers will be chosen “based on a variety of factors,” including “when you signed up.” So even though this is called an opt-in, there is no guarantee that requests will be granted, even now.
If you’re reading this and you didn’t make the opt-in cutoff, or didn’t get an invitation, Blizzard will be doling out access under a Twitch Drops promotion with several featured streamers during the beta period, beginning April 27 at 10 a.m. PDT. You will receive Twitch Drops if you watch any channel participating for at least four hours. The FAQ lists all participating streamers.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
How will I access the beta?
The first closed beta is a Windows PC-only test and players will need to own a copy of Overwatch on PC to participate. They’ll access the Overwatch 2 beta client through Battle.net — which can report PC specifications back to Blizzard. When sending invitations, Blizzard evaluates PC specifications.
How long will the beta run?
The beta will run from April 26 at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT) through May 17, with time and date subject to change, Blizzard said. Additionally, players may stream their gameplay.
What will players see in the Overwatch 2 beta?
Sojourn, for starters. She is the newest hero joining the Overwatch canon. Sojourn is the first playable Black woman on the game’s roster, and she packs a railgun with both rapid-fire and charged-fire capabilities. Her Overclock ultimate keeps her weapon auto-charged for a short duration, and charged up shots will go through multiple enemies.
Players also will see a new ping system for calling out tactical items, areas and areas. Reworks of Orisa and Doomfist and Bastion as well as four maps: Circuit Royale, Midtown and Toronto (Sojourn from Canada). Maps from the first Overwatch will also be playable.
A new playlist called “Push”, will be available in beta. Push takes place on symmetrical maps (Toronto and Rome in this case) and features a robot, in a central location, that players will push toward the enemy team’s base. The team that pushes the robot furthest at the match’s end wins.
Overwatch 2‘s public beta will also show what 5v5 games look and play like. The original game involves two teams of six only.
Will there be another beta?
“Yes. We are planning more tests than this initial PvP Beta,” Blizzard stated on Monday.
Return to Monkey Island details: Hint system and easy mode teased
Return to Monkey Islandwon’t exactly be returning to everything fans may remember.
In a rare and recent interview with Ars Technica, the Monkey Island co-creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman gave some insight into what the future holds. interview with Ars Technica picked up by the folks at Eurogamer, Monkey Island co-creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman gave the first hints at what the long-awaited sequel might look like.
While the pair aren’t sure what Return To Monkey Island will be all about, they do share a few things that they want to see change.
“It’s a new Monkey Island game rather than another Monkey Island game, which is a subtle distinction, but an important one,” Grossman said.
Two of the new things in store: a hint system and a casual mode. This would be a minor issue in almost all other games, except maybe FromSoftware titles. But it’s a big deal with Monkey Island. As a sequel to Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (Return to Monkey Island will ignore the three subsequent Ron Gilbert-less sequels), Return to Monkey Island is following up on the pinnacle of classic adventure games, famous not just for their wit, charm, and character, but also for wildly difficult puzzles that encouraged players to embrace the games’ sometimes-absurd logic and find everything the devs hid in each scene.
But it’s been 31 years since Monkey Island 2 and expectations are different, says Gilbert. Per Ars Technica:
A big part of why he changed his mind, Gilbert said, is simply the rise of the Internet. In the early ’90s, before Internet access was widespread, getting stuck on completely impenetrable puzzles was just “what [adventure game] players expected,” he said. Today, though, “if [players] don’t have a built-in hint system, they’re just going to jump over to the web and… read a walkthrough.” To prevent that, Return to Monkey Island will include a hint system that has been designed to make sense “in the fantasy,” Gilbert said. It will provide “more than just a walkthrough.”
The full interview is well worth reading –Gilbert and Grossman are both old-school legends that don’t like to make a big deal of their stature in gaming history, but are always incredibly insightful, even when they’re being grumpy.
Return to Monkey Island is scheduled for release later this year.
Geelink GL-02 portable power station can be mixed and matched to your needs
Battery-powered backups are becoming more common these days, especially as people start to move away from inefficient, loud, and dangerous gasoline generators. There is quite a number of options out there, differing in sizes, battery capacities, and output ports, demonstrating that there isn’t really a “one size fits all” solution in this case. There are some modular designs out there as well, but they sadly lean towards the hefty side of the spectrum, sorely testing the definition of the word “portable.” This portable power station, in contrast, is really something you can carry around without breaking your back. More importantly, however, you can lighten your load even further by bringing only what you need, leaving the rest behind if you’re sure you won’t need either AC or DC power while you enjoy a relaxing day off the grid.
Designer: OCEAN DESIGN
Different portable power stations try to meet different needs, which is why there are dozens of them available in different sizes. Some are hulking beasts that are really only portable if you roll them around on their wheels but, in turn, can power an entire house in an emergency. Some are small boxes that are only slightly larger but definitely heavier than a toolbox, and they can charge laptops and very small appliances for just a few hours, just enough for an afternoon outdoors.
The thing with these big batteries is that you are stuck with what you have. Sure, some let you daisy chain to power stations together, but the number of ports you have available is fixed forever. You can neither add more nor can you remove those that you don’t need, which could actually decrease the mass you need to carry. The Geelink GL-02 actually tries its hand at that modular approach, and while not completely perfect, it lays the foundation of what could be the modular and portable power station of the very near future.
Instead of a single box or crate, the GL-02 is made up of four parts that nicely stack on top of each other. The cover on top is really only needed when you’re not using the power station, but the battery box that sits at the bottom is the one constant part of the assembly. That module houses an 80,000 mAh battery that, thanks to sine wave inverters, can output a good 300W of AC power for appliances.
What goes on top of that battery is really up to you, but there are two modules available. The DC module is going to be popular with gadget lovers with its USB-C and USB-A ports, as well as a 12V DC barrel-type port. It is also the module that has a flashlight that is typical for camping and emergencies. The AC module, on the other hand, has two 220V AC outlets for appliances and a switch that manually turns the output on or off. Both modules have their own displays, but the odd location of the AC module’s screen pretty much decides that it will always be at the top.
With this design, you can opt to either attach only the DC module or only the AC module if you’re sure you won’t be needing the other. Of course, having the full assembly means you won’t have to think hard about that, but at least the option is there. The one flaw in this design is that it is limited to these four pieces and in a fixed stacking order. You can’t swap the placement of the DC and AC modules, and you can’t have two modules of the same type. You can’t even stack batteries to double the output. The execution might not be perfect, but it definitely sparks the imagination of what can be done with some tweaks to this stackable and modular design.
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