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Ubisoft teases Ghost Recon news soon after leaks
Will the long-rumored Project OVR be officially revealed?
Apple Seeds Fourth iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 Betas to Developers
Apple today seeded the fourth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the third betas. Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update. iOS 27 introduces Apple's smarter version of Siri, Siri AI.
This Analyst Bets On Tesla’s Robotaxi And Cybercab Businesses Ahead Of Q2 Results – Retail Sees Stock Climbing To $450
Cantor Fitzgerald said Tesla’s Robotaxi business and upcoming Cybercab platform represent a high-margin software-as-a-service opportunity, according to a report by CNBC.
Bipartisan Bill Pushes $25M 4D Software for Veterans' Respiratory Health
Lawmakers unveiled a bipartisan bill to invest VA funds into diagnostic scanning software that could detect asthma or lung conditions.
Hackers are exploiting recently patched WordPress bugs, putting millions of websites at risk
Two critical security flaws in WordPress’ software have given hackers the chance to remotely take over tens of millions of websites, according to an estimate by a cybersecurity researcher.
Many cancer survivors have impairments that make using mobile devices and websites difficult
Cancer survivors often experience cognitive, visual or physical challenges that hinder software use. Better designs can help.
Windows KB5121767 OOB update fixes shutdowns on some Dell PCs
Microsoft has released emergency updates to fix a known issue causing some Dell PCs to shut down after installing the July 2026 Windows 11 security updates.
Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) Opens Record Coaster As Investors Ask If The Stock Is A Bargain
Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) just opened Tormenta: Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas, a record-setting giga dive coaster that could influence how investors think about the company’s park assets and guest appeal. See our latest analysis for Six Flags Entertainment. Despite the buzz around Tormenta: Rampaging Run, Six Flags Entertainment’s share price has softened recently, with the 30-day share price return down 29.71%, while the 1-year total shareholder return has declined 43.38%,...
Health tech firm Craneware says customer and staff data stolen in cyber attack
The Edinburgh-based company provides software to the US healthcare industry, including thousands of hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
Bipartisan bill would invest $25M to bolster use of key medical imaging software
The AIR CARE for Vets Act would establish a new five-year pilot program, utilizing 4D imaging software to assess the lungs of vets impacted by burn pits.
New Official Ghost Recon Release Confirmed For PS5 and Xbox Series X
Ubisoft’s latest Ghost Recon Wildlands release could be the first sign of a long-awaited current-gen revival for the beloved 2017 shooter.
UNM’s Medical Laboratory Sciences Program Trains the Experts Behind Modern Diagnosis
The Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) program at The University of New Mexico School of Medicine prepares students for one of health care’s most essential and often unseen roles – performing the laboratory testing that helps clinicians diagnose and treat...
Coffee and heart health: How many cups of caffeinated coffee are safe to drink each day?
Statement Highlights: The latest research indicates that consuming up to 400 mg of caffeine/day (equivalent to up to 5, 8-ounce cups of caffeinated coffee per day) is generally safe for most adults and appears to be linked to a lower risk of several ...
Best Entertainment Stocks To Follow Now
Verizon Communications, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Autodesk, SEA, Take-Two Interactive Software, and FOX are the seven Entertainment stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeat's stock screener tool. Entertainment stocks are shares of companies involved in creating, distributing, or mo
Windows 11's big 2026 update is almost here, and these 10 things you need to know before upgrading could save you time and frustration
Windows 11 2026 (26H2) Update looks like a new version, but it follows Microsoft's newer approach of smaller, faster upgrades.
Small Business Technology News Roundup: IBM Shares Crash, ChatGPT To Replace Wall Street Analysts
IBM shares collapse, OpenAI says AI will replace workers, Upwork says AI is reshaping freelancing, Microsoft will let you pause Windows 11 updates, Expensify consolidates travel billing
5 Powerful Laptops Cheaper Than MacBook Air After The Price Hike
With the MacBook Air getting more expensive, a few options from Lenovo, Microsoft Surface, HP, and Asus can offer good power and value for money.
This wild Microsoft tech may solve data storage and backup crisis forever
Future data storage backup crises may become a thing of the past, thanks to Microsoft's groundbreaking technology innovation.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced sells over 3 million copies, New Game+ is coming
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced seems to be a much-needed Ubisoft hit as it sails past 3 million copies sold in its first week.
Saturday Sports: Summertime golf, softball, and lacrosse updates
Here’s a recap of your North Country sports this Saturday.
Android lockscreen bypass allows Gemini to send SMS without verification
It is apparently a known issue, and a fix is incoming. These things happen from time to time, especially when dealing with such complex software with so...
Fitbit's Whoop Challenger Quietly Added a Game-Changing Upgrade
The Fitbit Air launched with great hardware and work-in-progress software. Now, a new partnership with a cult-favorite health startup may shore up the new tracker's biggest weakness.
Windows 11’s massive July 2026 update fixes 570 vulnerabilities and shows how AI is quietly reshaping Patch Tuesday itself
Microsoft says AI is reshaping Windows security, and the July 2026 Patch Tuesday update is the first major sign of what's coming.
"There has to be a reason for people to buy an Xbox": Making sense of Microsoft's messy return to console exclusivity
The Saturday Read | Senior leaders across Xbox detail why the platform is returning to console exclusivity, and explain why Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are only the beginning
4 Disadvantages Of Using Microsoft Word Instead Of Google Docs
MS Word's Ribbon interface is not beginner-friendly, there's no free offline version, working in the cloud requires setup, and there are formatting issues.
Ubisoft Celebrates 3 Million Sales for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and Promises New Game+ Content
Exactly a week after the game crossed the two-million-sales mark—in less than 24 hours, no less—Ubisoft has announced that Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has officially sold three million units. Black Flag Resynced has also managed fairly decent player retention, with SteamDBstill reporting...
Irvine video game maker Obsidian Entertainment lays off 52
Irvine-based video game development studio Obsidian Entertainment is laying off 52 workers as part of a larger restructuring to reset Microsoft’s Xbox video game business.
Bethesda teases Fallout 5 soon after Xbox’s mass layoffs
Microsoft’s gaming division attempts to share some good news amid the fallout of its large-scale ‘reset.’
Even Microsoft couldn’t make Windows 11 work well on 8GB of RAM
RAMageddon claims another.
No, Doom maker id Software hasn't been "nerfed into the ground and gutted" by the Xbox cuts, insists director Hugo Martin
Doom and Quake creator id Software tries to reassure fans it's okay following the devastating recent Xbox cuts.
LG TVs and monitors said to surveil users and install bloatware without asking
Anyone who owns an LG smart TV must inform all guests and family members that they are being monitored – this is required by LG’s current terms of use. Meanwhile, LG monitors install potential malware and surveillance software on a connected Windows computer.
Doom Director Addresses The State Of id After Xbox Bloodbath
id Software was hit hard in the latest round of Xbox mass layoffs
EU Orders Google to Give Rival AI Apps the Same Android Access as Gemini
The European Commission today formally ordered Google to give third-party AI services the same access to Android device features that Gemini has. Europe's Digital Markets Act requires software makers like Apple and Google to grant equal interoperability to third-party apps and services, and the EC is enforcing it. DMA interoperability rules are why Siri AI won't be available in the European Union when iOS 27 launches.
GameStop CEO Says Games Are "Irrelevant" To Company
In a new interview, GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen says that games and software are "irrelevant" to the company's business.
The Best Small-Business Payroll Software
Here are the payroll software providers that are highly rated and offer entrepreneurs peace of mind.
Motorola is bad at Android updates, confusing promises are on full display with latest release
Motorola is pretty bad at software updates, with new Android versions delayed by months and devices often getting the bare...
OnePlus will continue software updates, all devices move to ColorOS with Android 17
While OnePlus will continue software updates, the brand's OxygenOS is fully going away with devices moving to ColorOS instead.
Galaxy S26 Ultra’s red screen stain is a software issue, not OLED burn-in
Earlier this week, we reported that some Galaxy S26 Ultra units displayed a rectangular red stain in the center of their screens. Users affected by the issue we
Prinny Party: Going Overboard! launches November 12 in Japan and Asia, coming west
Nippon Ichi Software has officially announced four-player party game Prinny Party: Going Overboard! for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch on November 12 in Japan and A…
A clear message – wildfire smoke plus summer heat is double trouble for heart health
DALLAS, July 16, 2026 — Parts of the U.S. are experiencing smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting down and summer temperatures pushing up, creating a potentially deadly situation, according to the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing...
College grad pivots from software engineering to data analytics
Mackenzie McAllister, a 22-year-old computer science grad, said she used AI as a crutch during school. Now she's considering data analytics roles.
OnePlus officially gives up on the US and Europe
Existing OnePlus devices will transition to Oppo’s ColorOS for future software updates.
CMS signals intent to revamp how it pays for clinical software and AI
CMS wants to build a standardized payment structure for clinical software and AI that factors in their impact on patient outcomes.
ZeniMax Online Studios leadership to exit as part of Xbox cuts
There are major changes happening atop Maryland-based ZeniMax Online Studios, developer of the Elder Scrolls Online, Game File has learned. Joe Burba, a 14-year veteran of the studio who was appointed to run it last July, is departing, along with ESO executive producer Susan Kath, studio game director Rich Lambert and production director Ala Diaz. Their roles were listed among hundreds of others cut last week from the Maryland offices of ZeniMax, in a WARN letter sent to the state by ZeniMax and obtained today by Game File. Tonight, BUrbam Kath, Lambert and Diaz notified Zenimax Online Studios workers of plans to “transition” to a new leadership team consisting of promoted ZOS veterans. That transition will occur “over the next few months,” they told workers, according to a copy of the notice reviewed by Game File. “We will remain in place during the transition period to help ensure a smooth handoff.” Last week, Microsoft laid off of 1,600 workers across its vast gaming teams in locations around the U.S. and abroad. Just who has been impacted and how hard various studios have been hit has been emerging day by day. Game File reported last week that Microsoft/ZeniMax notified officials in Maryland that 379 gaming jobs were being cut across the state. They tallied cuts in two locations: one for ZeniMax Media Inc. (covering Elder Scrolls/Starfield/Fallout-maker Bethesda Game Studios and central Bethesda game publishing) and one for ZeniMax Online Studios (Elder Scrolls Online). More than 200 jobs were cut at the latter. Last week’s totals did not reveal job titles, nor did Microsoft announce any leadership changes in the ZeniMax group. That has now happened. Earlier today, Game File obtained from Maryland officials a breakdown of the 379 impacted roles, which, extraordinarily, included “studio head.” Microsoft later confirmed to Game File which studio head that referred to: ZeniMax Online Studios’. Microsoft has since has notified studio employees and internally announced new leadership. ZOS will now be run by Josh Henderson, previously head of business operations at the studio, and Nick Giacomini, who was promoted to game director for ESO last August. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Last week’s news of 200+ cuts at ZeniMax Online Studios generated public sympathy for those workers and questions about the long-term viability of the Elder Scrolls Online. ESO is a massively multiplayer online game that inherently persists on the strength of new content being developed for it. Earlier today, fans and workers in Maryland protested the cuts at the ZeniMax teams in a rally organized by the Communication Workers of America, the union that represents many of the impacted employees. Regarding concerns around the game, a community manager stated on Saturday: “The plan is still to deliver great content, and we will hopefully have an update soon.” In their note to the studio today, the outgoing leaders of ZeniMax Online Studios predicted “growth” for the game: We have tremendous confidence in Josh and Nick, the future of this studio, and the continued growth of ESO. With exciting experiences still ahead for our players as we wrap up work for Update 51 and beyond, we believe that your passion, creativity, and commitment to each other and the community will continue serving as the heartbeat of ESO. The list of jobs cut in the ZeniMax WARN notice in Maryland includes several very senior roles, including: Studio Head Studio Operations Director Studio Game Director Studio Audio Director Studio Art Manager Vice President and Controller VP, Global Sales & Business Development While some of those job descriptions match the exiting ZOS leadership team, Game File couldn’t verify if all were from that studio. The full list of cut roles shared by Maryland officials also covers workers at Bethesda Game Studios and its central publishing office. The following is an excerpt: The list of 379 eliminated ZeniMax jobs in Maryland also includes: four animators three bilingual CS (community service) leads for Chinese, Italian, and Japanese a creative director for the Elder Scrolls Online Player Life Cycle two food service workers seven producers more than 60 senior QA testers. and many others The WARN notice states that almost all of the 379 workers were notified of their layoff on July 6. In fine print, it states: “Approximately 9 employees were notified of the elimination of their position prior to July 6, 2026.” A 2021 mega-merger scaled back Microsoft announced in 2020 that it intended to buy ZeniMax and its network of game studios in 2020, and closed the $7.5 billion deal in March 2021. The purchase, which preceded Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, added several award-winning studios to Microsoft’s portfolio, including Bethesda (Elder Scrolls, Fallout), Arkane (Dishonored), and id Software (Doom). The studios’ output since then included a 2024 Game of the Year contented from MachineGames in the form of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle along with Starfield from Bethesda and the poorly-received Redfall from Arkane Austin. In recent years, a Microsoft repeatedly in cutback mode closed ZeniMax’s Tango Gameworks (which was reconstituted by Krafton) and closed Arkane Austin. The Xbox cuts last week have hit the ZeniMax group hard, with 158 jobs eliminated in Texas, many of them at id, and 379 from the ZeniMax teams in Maryland. Xbox also said last week that it would be entering a consultation process around Arkane Lyon, a process expected to end in a sale, shutdown or other form of divestment. The Lyon team has been working on a game tied to Marvel’s Blade vampire-hunting super-hero.
Windows 0-day drops the same day Microsoft releases record number of patches
HiveLegacy is a "powerful primitive" that's likely capable of other nefarious actions.
Emergent CEO shares what he looks for in developers
Mukund Jha said he expects demand for software to "exponentially increase."
How Does Air Quality Affect Our Health?
Our experts explain the impact of air quality on health and how to best protect ourselves.
Microsoft patches bug in video game Age of Empires II
The vulnerability in the decades-old game could have allowed hackers to take over victims’ computers with a malicious game invite.
Microsoft patches record number of security vulnerabilities, citing its use of AI
Microsoft's monthly release of security fixes, dubbed Patch Tuesday, resolved a record 570 security vulnerabilities across the company's product line, thanks to discoveries with AI.
ESA Announces 2026 Recipients of the Interactive Entertainment Impact Awards
/PRNewswire/ -- The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today announced the 2026 recipients of the Interactive Entertainment Impact Awards: Representative...
The Duskbloods closed network test set for August 21 to 23
FromSoftware will host a closed network test for player-versus-player-versus-environment-based multiplayer action game The Duskbloods from August 21 to 23, the developer announced (2). Sign-ups wil…
Inside the WTA's Player Business Mentoring Programme fueling careers beyond tennis
Through WTA's Player Business Mentoring Programme, players are looking at life after tennis with clarity and confidence. In partnership with learning and development company, Give Learn, players are gaining exposure to respected business professionals and develop leadership, entrepreneurial and soft skills.
Researcher Drops New Windows Zero-Day PoC Hours After Microsoft Patch Tuesday
LegacyHive is a PoC for a Windows ProfSvc privilege escalation flaw that works after the July 2026 update, but the public build needs extra credential
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse for Switch launches October 15
The Switch version of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse will launch day and date with the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store) versions on October 15, publisher Konami and d…
Microsoft Secure Boot has been broken for most of its existence
Old and forgotten "shims" Microsoft failed to revoke have made Secure Boot bypasses simple.
Microsoft Patches Record 622 Flaws, Including Two Zero-Days Under Active Attack
Microsoft fixes a record 622 CVEs, including two exploited SharePoint and AD FS zero-days, while a Kerberos RC4 change could break service account log
Apple opens its new Siri AI to everyone with the iOS 27 public beta
If you’ve been waiting to try Apple’s revamped Siri without installing a developer beta, you now can. The company on Tuesday released the iOS 27 public beta, giving iPhone owners early access to its AI-powered assistant and other new features before the software’s official launch this fall.
47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.
From S&T to Spain: Business student gains global internship experience
Giorgio Panci, a senior in business management systems from Rome, is gaining international experience in Barcelona, Spain, this summer as a digital demand associate intern with SAP, a global software company.
Microsoft July 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes massive 570 flaws, 3 zero-days
Today is Microsoft's July 2026 Patch Tuesday, and with it comes security updates for a record-breaking 570 flaws, including two zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in attacks and one publicly disclosed.
College softball player dies at 19
Softball player Gabriella Muñoz, who played at Livingstone College, has died.
Microsoft keeps proving you own NOTHING with them — it blocks another user's entire Xbox game library, including his OneDrive
Gamer Joshua Khane is yet another victim of Microsoft's apathy towards its customers, in yet another example of it banning a user for the crime of ... being hacked?
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's Controversial Day 1 DLC Earned $1 Million, Just on Steam
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's controversial $85 collection of day one DLC earned Ubisoft an extra $1 million on Steam, it's been reported.
Vieu launches AI-ready map of business relationships, challenging sales-tech incumbents
Vieu, a Seattle startup founded by former Microsoft leaders, launched its "Business Graph" — a live map of business relationships built from observed signals like shared work history and board affiliations, rather than the self-reported connections on LinkedIn.
Vieu launches AI-ready map of business relationships, challenging tech incumbents
Vieu, a Seattle startup founded by former Microsoft leaders, launched its "Business Graph" — a live map of business relationships built from observed signals like shared work history and board affiliations, rather than the self-reported connections on LinkedIn.
Xbox Helix May Only Sell 2 Million Consoles In Its Launch Year, Says Analyst
Microsoft has given out perilously few details about Xbox’s Project Helix, its next-generation console which will arrive on the back of a truly dismal period for the brand.
IBM plunges on preliminary Q2 miss, cites weakness in software, infrastructure businesses
CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla, Jim Cramer and David Faber discuss the news of the day.
D-topia review – cosy sci-fi mystery takes aim at AI
A soft puzzle game makes a sharp point about the over-optimised future ahead
Microsoft Entra ID gets passkeys default authentication starting September
Microsoft has announced that passkeys will become the default authentication method for the Entra ID enterprise identity service starting September 2026.
Microsoft Patches a Record 570 Security Flaws
Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to plug at least 570 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, almost triple the number of vulnerabilities the software giant fixed in its record-smashing Patch Tuesday release last month. Microsoft…
I helped Jeff Bezos build Alexa; lessons I took with me from Amazon
Chai Atreya worked as a software development manager at Amazon from 2012 to 2015. He left to apply what he learned from Jeff Bezos at another company.
Mamdani announces new tech crews to make city services easier
Crews will be made of software engineers, product managers, designers, researchers and data experts.
Microsoft tests Windows Search without all the ads and fluff
A much cleaner search experience.
Satya Nadella has issued a shocking warning to companies using AI
In a surprising blog post on Monday, Microsoft CEO is warning enterprises of the dangers of using proprietary models like Anthropic's and OpenAI's.
First macOS Golden Gate Public Beta Now Available
Apple today released the first public beta of macOS Golden Gate, expanding the macOS 27 beta test to non-developers. You can sign up to test the update on Apple's beta website, and then download it by going to System Settings > General > Software Update and toggling on the macOS 27 beta. macOS Golden Gate includes the same Siri AI features as iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, but you get to Siri through Spotlight with a Command + Space keyboard shortcut.
The Metro: Why partisan politics makes it harder to keep the lights on in Michigan
Despite the fact that consumers won’t reap the benefits immediately, residents are having to pay for the upgrades now.
Apple releases iOS 26.6 beta 5 for iPhone, here’s what to expect
While iOS 27 is very much the new focus for pre-release software, Apple is still preparing iOS 26.6 as the...
Microsoft announces major Windows 11 search overhaul that prioritizes clearer, local results, and removes ads: Huge effort to fix search on Windows is finally happening
Windows 11's search user experience is getting a big update, with Microsoft moving to prioritize local results, remove promotional content, and much more.
The Death Of Physical Media And The Real Challenges To Software Archiving
Along with the many displays of outrage, gnashing of teeth and other displays of profound grief at the recent news that Sony will no longer manufacture physical game discs come 2028, we have also h…
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Performance Benchmark Review
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced breathes new life into the classic with modern graphics, gameplay improvements and full ray tracing support. In our performance review, we examine its graphical fidelity, VRAM usage, upscaling options, and how well it runs across a wide range of modern GPUs.
Xbox fan successfully sues Microsoft for blocking his entire digital games library — in what could be a huge win for consumer rights
Brazilian Xbox player, Ordo_Liberal, recently won a court case against Microsoft, proving you can fight for the right to preserve digital ownership of your games and win.
Cut Business Software Costs With This $35 Microsoft Bundle
Upgrade one work PC without adding a monthly bill.
Software engineer decided to pursue nursing after a layoff and AI
She spent a year trying to stay in tech. The industry's obsession with AI drove her to pursue a career in nursing.
Despite having an offline mode, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced was unplayable when Ubisoft Connect went down
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced players on PC were shocked to find that a Ubisoft Connect outage has locked them out of playing the game.
AMD FSR Multi-Frame Generation With Up to 8x Mode in Development
AMD has reportedly been testing a new and highly anticipated FSR multi-frame generation (MFG) technology for its Radeon RX GPUs. This information comes from a third-party software called RadeonTuner, which allows access to Radeon driver settings without using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition...
Special Microsoft Flight Simulator controller is coming to Xbox
So far, the Echo Aviation Controller has only been available for PC, where it supports Microsoft Flight Simulator and other titles. It can also be used on Mac for Laminar Research's X-Plane. A new model with console support is expected to follow soon.
Brazilian Courts Force Xbox To Restore Hacked Account
Microsoft reportedly assigned 12 lawyers to argue over $400 and some video games
Xbox Gamer Wins Lawsuit Against Microsoft To Restore Account And Digital Library
Microsoft also has to pay roughly $400 in damages to the user.
Microsoft may make big changes to bring Android and Windows 11 closer together
Microsoft is reportedly working on several major changes to improve and expand upon Phone Link, deepening Android integration.
Microsoft wants to integrate your smartphone more deeply with Windows 11: Plans major UX enhancements that will make your PC and phone more seamlessly connected
Sources say that Microsoft is exploring several ways it can introduce new smartphone integration features across the Windows 11 interface in the coming months.
Small Business Technology News Roundup: Microsoft Makes A Major AI U-Turn
Microsoft gives users more AI control in Teams as AI coding, dictation and actors reshape business, while rising Google Ads costs push SMBs toward new marketing strategies.
They're Building Half A Bridge to Save Science...
Today’s post is about science: what you can do now to protect it from unprecedented threats, and how your action is the first half of a long-term program that Congress must take up next. Let me start with describing the embryonic state of science advocacy. There are many well-meaning organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Research!America, and subject-specific organizations such as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physical Society. Their general approach is to emphasize the common good: the remarkable value that science and innovation have provided to all Americans. However, these organizations are offering an incomplete solution. Before I start, a preliminary: If you already know about the threat, go ahead and weigh in with OMB at this link. Ideas about what to say come from Research!America and the American Physical Society. You have until Monday, July 13 at 11:59pm Eastern. Then come back here and read the rest of this post. Finally, get in touch with whoever is likely to be your next member of Congress in 2027. The threat: An end to merit-based science… The onslaught of attacks on science is accelerating. It’s not just cuts to grants, which was the last battle. That battle is not done yet, but there is a new and worse threat. Now comes a proposed public rule from the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would take decision-making power over grants away from experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. Former NIH official Elizabeth Ginexi wrote an excellent summary of what OMB is trying to do, which is codify the executive branch’s ability to award or terminate grants, for arbitrary cause or no stated cause. Since World War II, a necessary step in scientific grant-making has been consideration of scientific merit. This approach has made America into a dominant scientific superpower, the envy of the world. Of course, political considerations do come into the mix. The proposed rule tilts the balance dramatically away from merit. …but why? Many people have difficulty comprehending why Russell Vought and OMB would want to damage science in this way. If you’re a working scientist, you are likely to be particularly uncomprehending. Who would hurt an activity so self-evidently good? The answer is: this is part of the program to replace the rule of law with a personalist regime. OMB Director Russell Vought, a Christian nationalist, would like to implement what legal scholars call a “unitary executive,” and what I would call a dictatorship. Or if you like, a personalist authoritarian regime. I am a working scientist. This rule will debilitate my research. It may chill the speech of scientists for speaking freely in the public sphere. It is a form of personalizing power and decision-making within the executive branch. In short, it sacrifices science in the service of tyranny. To Russell Vought, a decrease in the quality of science might be an acceptable cost. He might even consider it an added benefit to weaken a pillar of soft U.S. power based on knowledge and skepticism. The professional societies are building half a bridge The nonprofits are asking you to make public comment. Public comment is like building the first half of a bridge. Before implementation, OMB is compelled by law to have a period of public comment. Rules have to be consistent with the law and the Constitution. They express the federal government’s stance toward how those laws will be implemented. When a presidential administration works in good faith, these public comments are used to inform their eventual action, and sometimes mitigate it. The comment period reflects our First Amendment right to petition our government. The executive branch is then supposed to take those comments into account - completing the bridge between us, the people, and our government. Project 2025 seeks to take away the second half of the bridge. We have to replace it. The first half of the bridge Organizations like AAAS, Research!America, and SfN are partly right. You should certainly comment. Their core model is earnest: if enough of us make noise, then we will achieve change. This idealistic point of view is offered in good faith. That point of view is also currently bullshit. The fundamental reason is that the federal rulemaking process has two parts: There has to be a period of public comment. OMB makes the final rule…but is free to disregard public comment. Oops. That’s a loophole. However, not all is lost. Congress can complete the bridge Congress has enormous power. That power suggests a roadmap for how to proceed. This lawless administration is still going to issue that rule. Nonetheless, your comments still play an essential role. Here are two steps you can take. Step 1: Send your comment to your Representative and Senator. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, many of them support science. Whatever you wrote as public comment in the Federal Register, also send it to your member of Congress. You can include information about jobs in your district or state by looking at Joshua Weitz’s ScienceMatters interactive map. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give your town, zip code, or state, then deliver your message. Step 2: Politicize the hell out of science. You heard me, politicize it as an issue. We hear a lot from the old scientific establishment about science being nonpartisan. This is obsolete, sentimental thinking. Under normal conditions, it was true. But we can no longer make that assumption. We can keep on pretending, but we’re putting science at risk. There is a way forward. Rules are subordinate to the law…and Congress makes laws. Therefore Congress can step in. In this fall’s election, it is likely that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives. That puts at least one chamber of Congress in the hands of Democrats. They are far more inclined than the current Congress to investigate and legislate. This opens a path to undoing the damage. It also creates a permission structure for pro-science Republicans to find a way back from the brink. We have to encourage them. In the House, every district is up every two years. In your district, contact both of the major party candidates. If your state has a Senate race, contact those candidates too. Specifically mention the proposed OMB rule. Ask for two things: For this year’s appropriations process in August and September, ask that amendments be added to stop the implementation of the new rule. Those amendments should support peer-reviewed science and stop political interference. Looking ahead to next year, ask the Congressman/Congresswoman/Senator to work to hold hearings in 2027 on the importance and benefits of peer-reviewed science for health and prosperity. What hearings and amendments will accomplish Congress can use its investigatory power to summon heads of agencies and the director of the OMB. That will allow fact-finding regarding the consequences of this rule. Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science. Postscript: Moving forward Now I have a request for you, to help me. As many of you know, I ran for Congress in order to save democracy and science. Although I did not win, that battle continues by other means. I met and heard from thousands of supporters both here in New Jersey and nationally. I learned that pro-science, pro-democracy activists have the potential to become a much greater force. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be building ways to harness that energy. I will be announcing those plans soon. In the meantime, an important step is to wind down the Congressional campaign, which has a few remaining bills to pay. Please help me retire that last debt.
ServiceTitan (TTAN) Wins TrussPoint Business, Is The Stock Still Below Fair Value?
ServiceTitan (TTAN) is back in focus after TrussPoint Roofing & Exterior Renovations chose its cloud platform as the operational backbone for an expanding portfolio of roofing brands, highlighting the software’s role in multi-brand growth. See our latest analysis for ServiceTitan. ServiceTitan’s recent customer wins, including TrussPoint and the June rollout data for its Max software, come against a mixed backdrop where the share price closed at US$77.69 and is up 35.47% over 90 days, but the...
Microsoft defends Asha Sharma, says she is an American CEO and Xbox layoff had nothing to do with H-1B
As Asha Sharm, the CEO of Xbox, came under vicious trolling after the gaming division of Microsoft announced the elimination of 3,200 positions, Microsoft came to her rescue and clarified that it had nothing to do with replacing Americans with foreign workers. Frank X Shaw, the lead for the communications for Microsoft, also addressed the 'Indian-origin' angle of the immigration debate and called Asha an American born, educated CEO from Wisconsin.
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id Software insists in new statement that it still has "the crew we need to build the games and tech we're known for"
id Software has posted a brief statement on social media, insisting, "We still have the crew we need to build the games."
New Details On What Was Cut From Ghost Recon Project OVR
Insider Gaming has learned new details about some of the features that were cut from Ghost Recon Project OVR at Ubisoft.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced opens to 2 million sales on launch day
Ubisoft tends not to share sales figures publicly – which means we can't even compare it to the sales of prior Assassin's Creed games, let alone its peers.
Microsoft loses Brazilian court case after telling hacked Xbox user to re-purchase games — tech giant ordered to restore Xbox account with all games and pay $400 in damages
A Brazilian gamer who lost his Microsoft account and all his digital games has won a court order requiring the company to return them.
John Carmack responds to Microsoft laying off id Software staff, and his comments hit hard for fans who watched him help build DOOM from the ground up
Carmack speaks out after Microsoft cuts jobs at id Software, raising questions about the studio’s future under Xbox.