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Acer unveils compact RTX Spark PC with 128GB unified memory
Acer is developing a compact PC around NVIDIA's RTX Spark superchip. The IFA 2026 design supports up to 128GB of unified memory for local AI workloads.
Earth Will Become One Big Supercontinent Again—And It Will Probably Kill Us, Scientists Say
In 200 million years, there will be no borders–and possibly no humans.
Signant Health and Lothar Medical Sign Letter of Intent to Commercialize ALDS PRO for Clinical Trials
Signant Health, a leading provider of evidence generation solutions for clinical trials, and Lothar Medical today announced that they have signed a letter of intent outlining a planned strategic collaboration to bring Lothar Medical's next-generation pulmonary function technology to the global clinical trial market.
You Can Train Your Body to Handle Exercise in the Heat, Experts Say
Here’s what experts say about whether heat training is worthwhile—and safe—for people who want to keep exercising outside as temperatures rise.
Mizzou Hoops Player Review: Trent Pierce
As a junior Pierce missed time due to an injury, but stepped back into a familiar role.
UEFA Women’s Champions League
The Women’s First Team’s schedule for the 2026/27 UEFA Women’s Champions League League Phase has been confirmed. After securing qualification by overcoming St. Pölten in the third qualifying ro...
Walmart bets to grow beyond general merchandise retail
Walmart is gearing up for more direct competition in restaurant delivery. It's not the first time the retail giant has bet on a new line of business.
Charles Barkley is ‘100 percent’ leaving Inside the NBA unless one condition is met
NBA legend Charles Barkley’s time with ESPN and Inside the NBA may come to a quick end. Last season, Inside the NBA officially moved on from TNT Sports as the show started airing on ESPN.
Tesla Cybercab Entertainment, Explained in 5 Points
Elon confirms PlayStation and Xbox support on the Cybercab's 22-inch screen. Here's what we know about gaming, Starlink V5, and the ride experience. Read now.
BepiColombo sheds its ride and starts the final glide to Mercury
Eight year after launch, Mercury probe and its Mercury Transfer Module consciously uncouple as orbit approaches
LeaseAssured Introduces AI-Assisted Commercial Lease Platform With Solicitor Review
The new online service provides landlords and businesses in England and Wales with a guided way to create commercial lease documentation, combin...
Fast business funding: Big fees, few protections for merchant cash advances
A Colorado man says he lost $4,000 after applying for online business funding tied to Goldman Financial. Denver7 Investigates examines merchant cash advances, complaints, fees and industry oversight.
Meadows Shopping Center wants locals to take part in small business
Businesses at the Meadows Shopping Center in Terre Haute are hosting the Meadows Market on the first and third Saturday of each month to support local commerce and increase foot traffic.
Small businesses withdrawing from Duluth Chamber of Commerce
Small businesses are withdrawing their membership from Duluth Chamber of Commerce showed support for the proposed Data Center in Hermantown.
GOP Lawmakers Discuss Economic Development At W.Va. Chamber Business Summit
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS – The final day of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce 90th Annual Meeting and Business Summit at the Greenbrier wrapped up Friday morning with Republican lawmakers talking about the state’s economic future. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, moderated a panel discussion with House Judiciary Committee Chairman JB Akers, R-Kanawha; state Sen. […]
Indiana County Chamber inducts 2026 Business Hall of Fame Class
The Indiana County Chamber of Commerce honored its 2026 Class of Business Hall of Fame Inductees at its award ceremony and dinner Thursday at the Indiana Country Club.
Maui Chamber reminds community to submit nominations for the Mayor’s Small Business Awards
The Maui Chamber of Commerce is reminding community members that nominations are open for the 2026 Mayor’s Small Business Awards, with nominations due Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. Nominations are being accepted for businesses, nonprofits, or individuals who are making a difference in Maui County.
FDIC Deposit Rule Gives Banks More Room for Business Cash
For banks seeking a larger share of their commercial customers’ operating cash, new federal deposit rules may help those efforts. The Federal Deposit
Game 141: Twins at White Sox
The series begins in the Windy City, or Second City, Chi-Town, City of Big Shoulders, Great Commercial Tree, Mud City…
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches
In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.
Get free personal training while helping Exercise Science students build skills
Key takeaways: For Exercise and Sport Sciences students, working with someone they don’t already know provides an important opportunity to translate classroom learning into practical experience. All Exercise Science students have the opportunity to serve as student trainers during their senior year, said Jason Casey, Ph.D., associate professor of Exercise Science. “We greatly value these […]
Already Threatened, Rare Wildlife Dealt Blow by Trump Administration Rule Change
Rule changes to the Endangered Species Act by the White House could make survival more difficult for rare wildlife. The Dept. of the Interior and Dept. of Commerce changed the definition of "harm" in the law, allowing industry to encroach on habitats of endangered species
Already Threatened, Rare Wildlife Dealt Blow by Trump Administration Rule Change
Rule changes to the Endangered Species Act by the White House could make survival more difficult for rare wildlife. The Dept. of the Interior and Dept. of Commerce changed the definition of "harm" in the law, allowing industry to encroach on habitats of endangered species
Supreme Court Sides With Republicans in TV Ad Fight
Republican groups had asked the court to clear the way for political parties to pay the same low-cost ad rates as candidates, a move that could undercut a Democratic advantage in the midterms.
Maria Bartiromo’s lawyer says she’s ‘still an employee at Fox’ despite network announcement
Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo’s lawyer tells EW she’s ‘still an employee at Fox’ despite the network announcing that she’s ‘no longer with’ the channel.
The Fierce Battle For Kids’ Eyeballs...Plus Two “Devils” Face Off
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) During the week of this report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters and went on to become one of the biggest films of all time. So, you know what that means! It’s time for a poll! Recently, Project Hail Mary came to Prime Video and became a top five film for them, but didn’t smash streaming records, a feat I cautiously thought it could accomplish. Can Spider-Man 4 do better? To set the stakes, some of the biggest films of all time do just okay on streaming. Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, and Barbie come to mind... But unlike those films, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Sony film which means it’s headed to Netflix, the world’s largest streamer. Now, per friend of the newsletter and my go-to Netflix expert, Kasey Moore of What’s on Netflix, Sony films usually appear on Netflix 120 days after they premiere, which means Spidey 4 would land on Netflix on, checks notes, 28-November, one of the two biggest streaming weekends of the year! But Sony occasionally delays its biggest hits for a bit longer, to give them more time to make money on PVOD, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day might not swing onto Netflix until late December or even February 2027. Loading... Okay, on to this week’s issue. Since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to Peacock, I’m looking at the true workhorse of streaming viewership: kids films. And the surprising film that bested most Netflix animated movies. All that, plus Hulu has a new show that might be a hit (for them…?), two “Devils” square off on streaming, Zendaya tries to find some streaming magic, Netflix’s I Will Find You continues to do well, House of the Dragon tries to break into the season three top ten, some big NBC sports and summer programs, what friendly neighborhood Spider-Man character actually generates the most viewership on streaming, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 27th to August 2nd, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Hits Peacock, How Have Kids Films Fared in 2026? Like Mario hopping on a Koopa, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie landed on Peacock on 30-July. (Yeah, I kinda forced that Mario reference.) How did it do? Great, just like the first film. It got 13.0 million hours on its opening, and that’s good enough to take second place among Peacock films on the Nielsen charts all time: As I mention all the time, Peacock just isn’t the world’s biggest streamer—in fact, nowhere close—so its films struggle to put up numbers like Netflix (or even Prime Video and Disney+). So this is a solid debut for that streamer. And as we saw last time, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a HUGE second life on Netflix when it moved streamers. This chart doesn’t even show how long the first Mario lasted on Netflix: a whopping, KPop-esque 31 weeks. For NBCUniversal, though, the big win was the second Mario movie grossing $429 million in America and over $1 billion globally. But yeah, to add a very strong streaming performance only makes its success even greater. Illumination pretty clearly has another hit franchise on their hands. This is a good time, though, to check in on kids films so far in 2026. We’ve had a few big, big titles, a rare Netflix success, and some disappointments. Let’s start with the top animated films since November of 2025, over their first four weeks on the charts, along with a few of the “best all time” animated films: (As a reminder, if a film doesn’t make the Nielsen top ten lists, I don’t have data for it, so it gets a “zero” in terms of viewership. Now, it had some viewership, but I don’t know what it is, so it gets a zero.) I added a few titles to get an idea of what the best of the best looks like in terms of animation. And you can see, through four weeks, Zootopia 2 can now claim “one of the biggest streaming films of all time” titles. GOAT too did surprisingly well, besting Netflix’s biggest films (Swapped and In Your Dreams) through four weeks. When I’ve talked about how films can have varying performances on streaming compared to their box office, this is what I mean. Goat just managed to gross even $103 million at the box office—so it’s popular, but just barely—but did very well on streaming. Of course, what set Encanto and KPop Demon Hunters apart from the rest was their absolutely insane longevity. Here are the kids film charts through eight weeks to show that: And really KPop Demon Hunters just kept going, and no 2025 or 2026 kids films have had that sort of longevity. I can’t wait to see the sequel in theaters. Film - Two Devils and a Drama As I wrote last week, in the past, theatrical-first film flops weren’t eligible for “Miss of the Week” or “Miss of the Year” honors/dishonors, but since so many more films go to theaters first these days, I’ve made them eligible now! But it’s complicated. You see, this is a Streaming Ratings Report, emphasis on streaming, which makes analyzing this week’s two biggest streaming misses—The Drama on HBO Max (A24’s dramedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) and Prime Video’s The Devil Mouth (a killer shark movie starring young attractive people)—somewhat tricky. The Drama isn’t eligible for Luminate, but The Devil’s Mouth only had 1.5 million hours in its first week: The Devil’s Mouth notched 5.2 million hours according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, The Drama missed the charts entirely. Not great! But Prime Video is a much bigger streamer than HBO Max. That said, HBO Max titles are on Prime Video, but I think Prime Video prioritizes their original/exclusive titles, which helps boost their viewership. Complicating this further, The Drama made $48 million in the US—while A24 sells foreign distribution; the $57 million of overseas grosses helps A24 sell overseas rights for money in the future—off of a $28 million budget (which seems low for Zendaya and Pattinson, so they might have backend). The Devil’s Mouth, though, had zero dollars at the box office. The other stats for The Devil’s Mouth are bleak, and by “bleak”, I mean horrendous: a 4.7 on 15K reviews on IMDb (yikes) and a 46 on Metacritic (double yikes). The Drama, though buzzy online, only has a solid (but far from elite) 7.1 IMDb score on 121K reviews and a 59 on Metacritic (which is far, far lower than I’d have guessed). So which film is the “Miss of the Week”? I’m giving it to The Devil’s Mouth for one simple reason: it’s a horror film. And almost all horror films, even poorly reviewed horror films, should get a shot in theaters to at least try to recoup some of their budgets. The Drama made money at the box office and The Devil’s Mouth didn’t. It’s just like the situation last issue with Obsession and Masters of the Universe. Sure, Obsession didn’t pop on the streaming charts, but at least it already made it money at the box office. And as we’ve been seeing for years now and we’ll see all fall, theatrical films just do better on streaming. After all, the big “devil” winner this week was actually The Devil Wears Prada 2 with 14.8 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s right, The Devil Wears Prada 2—one of the box office success stories of May—came to streaming and parlayed its $220 million box office into 14.8 million Nielsen hours. Disney also put out a datecdote that it had 15.2 million “views” globally in five days, but again we don’t have a lot of great context for what that means. Here’s how it stacks up to other Hulu films, since I’m categorizing this mainly as a Hulu title (though it was also on Disney+): Share Quick Notes on Film We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Whether Hulu has a new hit show on its hands... The top first and third seasons of all time and which shows are climbing those charts… What version of Spidey is the most popular... What sport and TV show are performing better on NBC than the NBA... All the flops, bombs and misses... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, wow, things stay so busy. One of streaming’s biggest shows of all time, Ted Lasso, returns along with new YA-ish shows from Hulu (The Shards, from Ryan Murphy) and Prime Video (Sterling Point). The Challenge moves to Paramount+, plus My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix and Futurama returns to Hulu. And Netflix has a new horror film, The Last House. Lots to talk about! All month, things stay busy. We’re talking Reacher on Prime Video! Outer Banks and Tires on Netflix! Lanterns on HBO Max! UFC 330 on Paramount+ and the MLB Field of Dreams game on Netflix. And a ton of smaller films come to streaming. Long term, the VMAs are back on 27-Sep! I feel like I haven’t heard much about this show in past years, but I’m seeing more news coverage and buzz for this show than in past years. I’m curious to see how it does.
Commercial Spacecraft for NASA’s Swift Boost Continues Tech Demo
This week, Katalyst Space conducted in-space tests and maneuvers to exercise the capabilities of its robotic servicing spacecraft, LINK.
HHS Cancels Infant Mortality, Postpartum Grants to Focus on Sperm Counts, ED
Officials at the Office of Minority Health told grantees that they’re prioritizing “root causes” of infertility and promoting exercise.
Merchants Alley Happy Hour Music Series returns with free fall entertainment lineup
The Merchants Alley Happy Hour Music Series is returning for fall, bringing live music to one of downtown Athens’ favorite gathering spots every Friday evening from September 4, and running […]
Tesla's Cybercab launch draws US regulator probe
Tesla is facing a NHTSA audit inquiry into its self-certification for the Cybercab hours after deploying a small number of the robotaxis in Austin.
50 Memphis businesses, nonprofit to refuse serving Memphis task force
Free The 901 held a press conference encouraging local businesses to join the 50 that have already committed to not serving Memphis Safe Task Force.
Local spots fared well in the latest Merced County health inspections
The latest round of inspections was made from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2.
9 Fruits With the Most Carbs Dietitians Love For Energy and Fiber
These high-carb fruits provide energy for exercise, plus fiber and nutrients to boost health. Carbs are “the most efficient fuel source” for the brain and muscles, dietitians say.
MKBHD: My hair is safe after Tesla Cybercab bet
YouTuber Marques Brownlee, popularly known as MKBHD, famously bet he's shave his head if Tesla delivered its lofty Cybercab promise.
'By Any Means' star Mark Wahlberg reveals how prayer helps him choose mercy over judgment
Mark Wahlberg has shared how his Catholic faith continues to shape how he thinks about forgiveness, judgment and mercy, even as his latest film, By Any Means, plunges him into a world where justice
Vasquez decries 'ICE tax' on New Mexico home health services
Vasquez argued for policy changes like his Careworker Visa Act, which would create a new visa for child- and eldercare workers.
Shoppers buying online while drunk is big business—but who is responsible?
One Sunday morning, Juliet* woke up to a delivery driver with a large package that she had no recollection of ordering. She was quick to dismiss it as an e-commerce mistake before the card inside helped ...
Nigel Farage unveils small boats deal with Jordan Bardella at Reform conference
Reform says it would use the Navy to intercept boats and return migrants to France, if the party wins power.
Where have all the soft-shell clams gone? Scientists and shellfishers seek answers.
A scientific-commercial partnership has sparked research to better understand the life and death of a North Shore export.
Man Utd in 'good place' despite imperfect squad, says Carrick
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said he is delighted with the additions to his squad despite being outspent by Premier League rivals in the transfer window and short on depth in some areas.The Red Devils' fiercest rivals spent almost that budget on a single player as Manchester City broke the British transfer record for Enzo Fernandez, while Liverpool splashed up to £123 million on French winger Bradley Barcola.
Two sectors are powering Ascension’s commercial property market
Retail and industrial properties kept Ascension Parish’s commercial real estate market on steady ground during the second quarter, even as the office sector continued to lag. The market recorded … Already an INSIDER? Sign in. Already an INSIDER? Sign in
BMW North America secures long-term lease in Wellford logistics park
Developed by Charleston-based Greystar, Mid85 is an industrial logistics park in Wellford adjacent to I-85 near the U.S. 29 interchange.
Gravity Media Appoints Alex Pannell as Chief Business Officer
Gravity Media has appointed Alex Pannell as Chief Business Officer. Pannell joins from Appear, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer. He will be based in London. In the newly...
Texas Association of Business Names Kelly Keel as New President & CEO
AUSTIN, TX – The Texas Association of Business (TAB), the state’s leading business advocacy organization and the Texas State Chamber of Commerce, today announced that Kelly Keel has been named President & Chief Executive Officer, effective October 2, 2026. Keel currently serves as Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and will…
Day three of W.Va. Chamber of Commerce 90th Annual Meeting and Business Summit
The third day of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 90th Annual Meeting and Business summit kicked off Wednesday at The Greenbrier.
Portland Trail Blazers' Season Opens With a Gauntlet
The Blazers will be on the road for a majority of the first two months of the season, and the competition is fierce.
Sony's PlayStation disc plant is losing 10 percent of its volume in 2028, not 90
Sony’s PlayStation disc plant is losing 10 percent of its volume in 2028, not 90 Sony won’t license disc pressing to anyone else, Microsoft does, and a former PlayStation boss thinks that’s the whole problem. When Sony DADC chief Dietmar Tanzer spoke with an Austrian broadcaster in July about PlayStation disc production at the Thalgau plant, a number of press outlets misunderstood the report, writing that production would fall to a tenth of current levels. It won’t. Sony DADC confirmed to Game this week that the figure is a 10 percent decline, not a decline to 10 percent. “To clarify and avoid any misleading information: in that statement Dietmar anticipated an overall product volume decline by 10 percent, not a decline down to 10 percent,” a spokesperson with Sony DADC told Game. That figure covers 2028. Tanzer didn’t put a number on the years after, and the spokesperson declined to comment further. What we do know is that on July 1, PlayStation announced that physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028 and that the transition has no impact on games that have already released in disc format or will be releasing in disc format prior to that month. “So, there will be reorders going to the market after January 2028,” the Sony DADC spokesperson said. “For details around that I would ask you to liaise with the PR team from PlayStation, as we can’t speak or comment on their behalf.” PlayStation officials did not respond to questions about reorders or other disc-related matters. But I did recently speak with Shawn Layden, Game Industry Strategic Advisor and former chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, who called a future without physical PlayStation discs “depressing, but solvable.” then added, “I think.” The chief hurdle to third-party manufacturing of collector’s editions or any other version of a PlayStation game disc is that Sony owns the proprietary process to press those discs, Layden said. “And unless they decide or determine a way to license that to some of these bespoke disc manufacturers, there’s no way to make it happen,” he said. Layden was careful to add that he understands the concept but doesn’t have “line of sight on the particulars.” “Depressing but solvable, I think.” — Shawn Layden Microsoft already licenses replication to outside plants. Xbox discs are pressed by manufacturers Microsoft certifies as Authorized Replicators, a term defined in its publisher agreements, with the approved list set at the company’s sole discretion and Microsoft retaining the right to halt manufacture. The structure is still in place today: publishers select an Authorized Replicator in Partner Center and submit a bill of materials created with a Microsoft representative. Sony, by contrast, presses PlayStation discs through Sony DADC, its own manufacturing subsidiary. No one I spoke with said they were in discussions with Sony about doing that, and PlayStation hasn’t responded to questions about whether it would be open to a licensing deal. There is an obvious reason Sony might not want to. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed it out on the day of the announcement: it’s a platform-led decision, he wrote, designed to cut costs, eliminate the resale market, and drive all revenue through the PlayStation Store. The math is not subtle. On a $70 third-party game sold through the PlayStation Store, Sony keeps $21. Sold at retail, Ahmad says, it earns about half that. Licensing disc replication to an outside manufacturer might not be worth it. And even if it were, it seems unlikely that such a deal would come from boutique companies like iam8bit, which sells collector’s editions of video games. “We would absolutely love to find a way forward to continue making physical PlayStation games,” said Jon Gibson, co-owner and co-creative director of the company. “We are big believers in giving humans the option to truly own media. If we can play a role in helping make that a reality for the future of PlayStation games, count iam8bit in!” If it were to happen, it would most likely be with a company like Conectiv Supply Chain Solutions, a Memphis-based manufacturer of optical discs and vinyl records that also runs third-party logistics, fulfillment and distribution for packaged media. The company, which was formed in 2025 when Los Angeles private equity firm Variant Equity Advisors purchased Vantiva’s Supply Chain Solutions division, traces its lineage back to Technicolor. When it sold the division, Vantiva described the business as having served video game creators for more than 25 years. Conectiv is also buying, not shrinking. Last month it acquired SDS, the distributor for Universal and Warner Bros. home entertainment, consolidating those studios’ packaged-media pipeline from pressing plant to retail shelf. I reached out to Conectiv and its CEO, but haven’t heard back. Layden pointed to music and books in our discussion about the ongoing value of physical media. “No one ever saw the comeback of cassette tape,” he said. “And vinyl didn’t so much come back. The flame went down, the fire’s dying, but the ember was always there, and it just kind of came back. Much like the book business. We thought we’d all be on Kindles right now. “I believe that physical media is crucial and important. One of the things that makes us gamers, one of the core game mechanics, going back to the beginning of time, is collecting stuff. “Did you get all the diamonds in Crash Bandicoot? Did you get all the stars in Mario? And we like to collect our games. And we have a game shelf. And we put all our boxes up there. And if you’re super hardcore, when you buy a game, you buy two copies, right? One stays in the shrink wrap, and you play the other one. What happens to that important cultural part of the gaming world? You know, we buy the steelbook and the three-disc Final Fantasy set and the figurine and, you know, you can’t download any of that. “What happens to that?” And Layden believes it shouldn’t have been a revenue question for PlayStation. “This was a core thing to the experience of our most devoted fans,” he said. “Yeah, it’s fan service. Why would we take that away? Well, we can’t afford to. It’s already 120 bucks, you know, limited edition special purchase onyx box version of whatever, and those sell at a higher rate than the box selling at $69.99 does. So yeah, the market has said they will continue to buy them. You’re just saying you just don’t want to make them anymore.” Layden said he was recently talking with someone about these sorts of business decisions and how they’re made. Too often, he said, it’s all about the financials and nothing else. “OK, we can do this and save this much money, or we can invest this to look at that outcome, or we can do this and have this happen over there, or move this team to Sri Lanka,” he said. “But each one of those, someone also has to have a ledger there saying, ‘OK, what is the brand impact from that move?’ “Iif you can’t resell it, do you really own it?” — Shawn Layden “If we do that, dollars and cents work out. I get it. That’s just math. But what’s the brand impact? Are people going to say, ‘Good move, you guys?’ Or are they going to say, ‘We hate you guys. Quit doing that.’ And sometimes they say, ‘We hate you.’ Then you take a note and say, OK, how much of that can we live with? How much ‘we hate you’ is OK. And when does it go over the line? “I see a lot of companies making decisions which, objectively speaking, I don’t know what the dollar end of that was for you, Mr. Company, but your brand value just dropped 30 percent. So I hope it was worth it.” Of course, shifting to a digital-only model for games raises other issues beyond simply wanting to collect. The biggest is ownership. Layden pointed out that once you go to a streaming-only or download-only model, it’s just a digital footprint on a hard drive. “What does ownership mean anymore?” he said. “It’s a genuine question. Well, in fact, it’s not even a question anymore. It’s like you are shifting the model from ownership to accessibility. “And what’s always been true, which people forget, is you’ve never been able to sell your iTunes library. And you can’t sell your PlayStation download library. So if you can’t resell it, do you really own it?” The touching tribute found in the credits for Star Wars Zero Company. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Interview and Hands-On with a Minoan Masterpiece Star Wars Zero Company hands-on: Attack Astromechs, permadeath, and delightfully fatal Rube Goldberg tactics Control Resonant opens up as you get stronger — and as characters start trusting you
New revelations about Reform UK and funding
Nigel Farage again denies party have broken the law after undercover filming shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform
'Feisty' Doyle an all-round package for Wrexham
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Amherst chamber tops list of WNY's largest business advocacy groups
The Amherst Chamber of Commerce is the only organization representing over 1,000 members. The Construction Exchange of Buffalo & WNY Inc. ranked second.
Ursinus to Launch First Graduate Program in College’s History
Ursinus College will launch its first graduate program, an online M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science, beginning May 2027.
Ursinus to Launch First Graduate Program in College’s History
Ursinus College will launch its first graduate program, an online M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science, beginning May 2027.
Ursinus to Launch First Graduate Program in College’s History
Ursinus College, Department of Health Sciences, Gundolf Graml, Holly Hubbs, Collegeville, Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Science
How Penn State football will wear down, overpower Marshall
See why Penn State football should overcome early struggles to dominate Marshall in the season-opener in Beaver Stadium.
Flock Donations to Local Politicians’ Groups Skyrocket as Protests Against AI Cameras Mount
As fed-up activists target Flock, the surveillance camera company is increasing donations to associations for mayors and other local officials.
Minnesota is losing hospital obstetrics units faster than most states, new data finds
Minnesota is one of only eight states that lost more than 20 percent of hospital-based labor and delivery units since 2010. It’s part of a nationwide trend of hospitals closing birthing centers across the U.S, especially in rural areas, where obstetrics services tend to be too expensive to staff for the relatively few babies delivered each year.
Registration open for local business forum
The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce is holding its next Let's Talk Business forum this month.
Two senior Reform UK officials step down after undercover report
The party has launched an investigation into claims about funding aired during a Channel 4 News report, and denied any wrongdoing.
College sports are awash in more money than ever, yet a growing number of schools are losing money on intercollegiate athletics
The number of top schools that are losing money on intercollegiate athletics has nearly doubled over the past decade. Many others are profitable only because schools are subsdizing the programs or …
New Jensen Interceptor GTX breaks cover as a track-focused V8 beast to mark a new era
The Jensen Interceptor is underrated classic, and the Britain's first muscle car as some people call it, and now there's a new one with a V8
Jensen's Reborn Sports Car Debuts With Nearly 1,000 Horsepower And A Manual
For now, it's just a prototype, but the 960-horsepower Interceptor GTX previews Jensen's future road cars.
The Jensen Interceptor GTX is a new V8 track-only monster (for now)…
Reborn Sixties super-GT has supercharged American firepower and plans for an entire Interceptor family
Rome’s Inequality Was Bad. But China's Han Dynasty Was Even Worse
The richest one percenters dominated ancient Rome and Han China.
Two Reform UK officials step down after undercover report on party donations
Reform says Dan Jukes and James Orr have left their roles as it launches an investigation into the report.
Labour asks Met police to launch criminal inquiry into Reform UK donations after undercover report
Two key aides to Nigel Farage have stepped down pending an internal investigation
Google Releases Chrome Update to Patch Actively Exploited V8 Zero-Day
Google patched an actively exploited Chrome V8 flaw that enables arbitrary code execution inside the sandbox through a crafted HTML page.
China rare earth firms halt some US shipments over geopolitical worries, sources say
Some Chinese rare earth suppliers are declining to ship to the U.S. for fear of repercussions from Beijing, three sources said, underscoring how access to the materials remains an issue for the U.S. weeks before President Xi Jinping visits Washington.
Farage aides step down after undercover report on Reform UK donations
James Orr and Dan Jukes have stepped down from positions pending outcome of party investigation, says Reform UK
DaVita settles ransomware attack lawsuit for $15M
The 2025 data breach exposed records on 2.7 million patients. The cybercrime syndicate Interlock claimed credit for the attack, posting its stolen bounty on the dark web shortly after the incident.
NATO drills highlight Iceland's role in Arctic defense
Iceland is at the heart of NATO monitoring activities in the North Atlantic and Arctic amid rising Russian and Chinese presence. DW reports from a NATO exercise practicing submarine attack scenarios.
Health benefit costs to jump 8.2% in 2027, highest since 2003
Marsh survey finds GLP-1 drugs, AI billing, and No Surprises Act disputes are each adding a full percentage point to trend
How Deion Sanders and Colorado overcame sloppy play to eke out crucial win over Georgia Tech
Richmond officer shot while responding to mental health crisis call
On opposite sides of Contra Costa, two police officers were shot and wounded in unrelated incidents Thursday.
Tesla launches steering-wheel-free Cybercab robotaxi in Austin
Tesla said on Thursday that public rides in the Cybercab — a two-door, steering-wheel-free robotaxi — is now available in Austin.
Business leaders, official, community members honor 2026 Business Hall of Fame inductees
Hundreds of local business leaders, officials and stakeholders attended the Indiana County Chamber of Commerce's 11th-annual Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Award Dinner on Thursday at the Indiana
Arsenal brace for Chelsea test as Spurs seek spark
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Why does a funnel-web spider new to science turn up at just three sites in northern Idaho, about 500 kilometres east of the western Cascades and coast ranges where its genus was known to live?
Four collecting dates at three sites near Kooskia and in the Nez Perce National Forest produced a mygalomorph spider from a genus whose only previous revision was published in 1979, and whose two other species live a long way west. The genetics place it firmly. The map around it does not.
Jett Lawrence To Miss SuperMotocross Playoffs for Ankle Surgery
Three-time SMX champ goes under the knife Sept. 9 Photo by Honda. The reigning SuperMotocross World Champion won't defend his crown, after American Honda confirmed Jett Lawrence will sit out all three rounds of the 2026 SMX Playoffs. Lawrence will instead undergo follow-up surgery on the right ankle that has troubled him all year. The injury dates back to last December, when Lawrence hurt the ankle in training, keeping him out of the entire AMA Supercross Championship. He returned for the openin
‘It’s a sellout’: The Small Business Mercado hopes to uplift small vendors and give them the confidence to keep coming back
Cristian Berumen organizes the night market event in downtown Arlington every month.
Michigan Supreme Court clears ballot measure restricting business political giving
The court said it was not persuaded to grant injunctive relief sought by a coalition of business groups and companies and Jim Holcomb of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Michigan Supreme Court clears ballot measure restricting business political giving
The court said it was not persuaded to grant injunctive relief sought by a coalition of business groups and companies and Jim Holcomb of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Science of Speed off to fast start
PITTSBURGH — One month in and Pittsburgh is proving it’s ready to put the pedal to the metal. Since opening Aug. 1, Science of Speed, Powered by Lenovo, at Kamin Science Center has welcomed nearly 10,000 visitors, with 90 percent of racing experiences selling out through the first month of operations. The 21,000-square-foot immersive experience […]
University of Arizona lunar scientists building upcoming moon missions
They are designing experiments to be carried aboard unmanned commercial landers and rovers.
Wisconsin health officials urge back-to-school shots as measles spreads
Federal data shows only 85 percent of Wisconsin kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles during the 2025-2026 school year.
The Woodlands Chamber announces Speakers for the 2026 Woodlands Area Business Summit
The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce an impressive slate of speakers for the 2026 Woodlands Area Business Summit, presented by
Farage senior aide filmed suggesting way to avoid donations law
A film broadcast by Channel 4 shows senior Reform UK figures discussing donations with an undercover reporter.
Aransas Pass chamber names September Business of Month
The Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce has selected a local business that has been deemed the best of the month.
Fitness for Hope classes raising awareness for mental health, suicide prevention
Fitness for Hope is bringing together exercise communities across the country in a weekend of movement, remembrance and hope.
Should you trust AI with your health questions?
If you’re concerned about your health, AI chatbots promise detailed answers in seconds. One survey found 17 percent of adults ask AI chatbots health questions at least once a month.
Cabot man accused of stealing $46K in property from Worcester business
The Vermont State Police say Jeremy Churchill, 46, broke into a commercial property.
Colts' Alec Pierce: Practices fully Thursday
Colts' Alec Pierce: Practices fully Thursday
Video: Why the N.B.A. Banned the Richest Owner in U.S. Sports
A yearlong league probe, sparked by Pablo Torre’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, found that the billionaire Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer helped to secure endorsement deals for star Kawhi Leonard, breaking salary cap rules.
Nvidia wants to turn your house of gaming PCs into an AI supercomputer
Nvidia's free RTX PAIR app spreads local AI workloads across multiple GPUs on your network, dramatically cutting down on processing times.
Independents aren’t just undercover partisans after all
Plus: Why people are drinking less, and who’s best friend is a chatbot?
Iran targets Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. bombardments
It came after U.S. allies Bahrain and Jordan said their air defense systems also intercepted several Iranian air attacks Wednesday
NANO Nuclear and Howden, a Baker Hughes Business, Advance Engineering Collaboration for the KRONOS MMR™ Primary Helium Circulator to Detailed Design Phase
Engineering milestone marks continued progress in the maturation of the KRONOS MMR™ toward commercial readiness New York, N.Y., Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear micro modular reactor and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, announced continued progress toward […]
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem dies at 92
Steinem was a celebrated author and activist who became one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the U.S. women’s movement and a fierce advocate for feminist causes throughout her life.