Indiana vs. Notre Dame: How to watch NCAA Football this weekend  Yahoo Sports
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ZitoBox Casino | Get Free Coins At Sign-Up  Play NY
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We have previously discussed how the AI-oriented plot point was presented in the central narrative of the Good Night World anime series, where a personal tragedy and the overbearing presence of grief and guilt led to the creation of the AI entity Black Bird. Despite the character being projected as the series antagonist, the Black Bird raised some topical questions about human egocentrism, the nature of humanity, and life itself. But even that was not the best use of an AI-oriented narrative device in the series, that came through the character of Captain Pico, the pirate leader in the augmented reality of PLANET. It is through her characterization that Good Night World gains a major relatability factor, and the way her arc is ended through an ambiguous resolution makes for an interesting discussion as well.
Spoilers Ahead
The viewers are introduced to Captain Pico as the quirky, headstrong guildmaster of the pirates, the biggest community in the virtual world of PLANET. While the majority of the other characters, like her second-in-command Shigatera, have set their sights on the elusive grand prize known as Black Bird or invested in upskilling their game personas, Pico is not remotely interested in any of that. She is single-mindedly invested in recruiting Ichi (Taichiro’s in-game character), her oldest friend in PLANET, and in order to do that, she is prepared to clash with the strongest group in the game, the Akebana family, of which Ichi is currently a member.
However, despite her best efforts, Pico fails to defeat the Akebana family but finally reunites with Ichi after five long years. It is through a flashback sequence that it is shown that Ichi was the first character in PLANET whom Pico befriended, and the duo had ventured on a number of adventures together before eventually parting ways. To know the reason for the duo drifting apart from each other and what Pico truly feels about the make-believe world of PLANET, we have to sneak a peek at the ‘real’ person behind the character, Hinaka Sakurai.
Through multiple flashback sequences, viewers get to know about the person whose virtual world counterpart is Captain Pico, and like a majority of other players, she and her PLANET character are almost totally polar opposites of each other. Unlike the jubilant, sassy Pico, Hinaka Sakurai is an extremely reserved, lonely, and broken teenager who is overburdened with the antics of her extremely controlling freak mother. Belonging to the affluent family of a known crime boss already isolated her from the majority of her peers, and with the constant monitoring of her mother, Hinaka gradually became a shell of a human being. Finally, after taking a day off with some of her friends, Hinaka manages to muster some courage to rebel against her mother, which was the reason she started to play the game in the first place.
From this perspective, Hinaka’s predicament can be compared to Taichiro, as in virtual reality, both of them were living the life they were supposed to if reality hadn’t disappointed them. Broken and dejected, both of them found solace in each other’s presence, but their worldview regarding the real world differs a lot. While Taichiro holds the opinion that the real world is irredeemably corrupted and therefore shuts himself away from it, using PLANET as an escape module, Hinaka accepts the real world despite all the pain and suffering she had to endure, as she firmly believes that no wonder of the virtual world can ever substitute the real one. At the same time, she is aware of the bitter truth that for most of the players, like many among her pirate group, PLANET is the only coping mechanism—and the fact that Ichi’s real-world counterpart is also morbidly addicted to the game for the same reason as well. With time, Hinaka gradually fell for Ichi, and her willingness to meet with his counterpart in real life caused Taichiro to cut ties with Hinaka earlier, despite him feeling the same for her, as he was scared of getting emotionally attached.
Hinaka’s experience in PLANET solidified her belief about the hollowness of the virtual world even more, and although she wanted to know Ichi in real life and was prepared to leave PLANET forever to do so, she dare not say that to him a second time, fearing separation once again. But as she repeatedly pleaded with Ichi to join the pirates, she told him about her feelings regarding the virtual world, and to her surprise, Ichi didn’t seem to mind that much; instead, he was prepared to join her group at the end. Hinaka knew that to really live his life to the fullest, Ichi needs to love his life in the real world as well, which she might have helped him to do. Unfortunately, reality strikes just when it seems that things are going to get better, and Hinaka’s world falls apart in the worst possible way.
In order to defeat her second-in-command Shigatera, who had gone rogue, Hinaka, aka Captain Pico, goes into the captain’s cabin in the pirate group’s attack aircraft, where she meets Shiro Akebana, who, unbeknownst to her, is the virtual avatar of Taichiro’s father, Kojiro, who had developed the PLANET and every associated system. She initially assumes that the reason for his arrival is to take Ichi back or defeat the pirates by taking the guild flag, but it turns out he has a much more sinister revelation to make. Kojiro reveals that Hinaka is the strongest power core of the Black Bird, a sub-AI developed to enhance the gaming experience of other players. None of her memories are real; even her identity is constructed from the digitized memory of the real Hinaka Sakurai, who is the sister of Kamuro, Kojiro’s subordinate.
To save the world from the eventual uprising of Black Bird, Kojiro has arrived to hunt down Pico, like he did to many other subAIs through the years. The unbearable truth is that the life she lived was a lie. While pining for comfort in the real world, she herself was an object designed to mimic reality, which crushed Pico’s spirit in the worst possible way, and in shock, she almost became catatonic. The irony of the most sensible person in the series when it comes to dealing with escapism turning out to be an automation who is twice removed from reality (sentient AI in a virtual world) is unmistakable. Shiro puts her out of her misery by dealing a fatal blow, and she breathes her last. He desperately wants to hear her last words. Pico’s final words turn out to be professing her love for Ichi, and out of all the atrocious acts Kojiro conducted through the series, revealing Pico’s truth is easily the worst one.
Although Captain Pico was decommissioned during the interaction with Shiro, it is hinted that Hinaka’s AI consciousness still lived on with Black Bird. When Taichiro sends his AI consciousness of Ichi into the bird cage to save his brother Asuma, one of the forms of Black Bird attaches itself to him, which is undoubtedly Pico’s disembodied consciousness. During the end of the series, when the Black Bird prime, Sasumata, has finally been taken down, viewers see Ichi finally meeting with Hinaka and instinctively recognizing her as Pico’s user. It can be assumed that at long last, despite all the trauma she went through, Hinaka’s AI received some form of closure by reuniting with the person she loved—that is, if the incident isn’t taking place on yet another illusory plane.

 
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How to indulge the right way during the holiday season  TODAY
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Bitcoin (BTC) tumbled from a high of $108,135 on December 17 to $99,500, following US Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish remarks yesterday. However, some crypto analysts are pinning their hopes on a potential decline in Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) that may pave the way for an altseason.
Since yesterday, the total crypto market cap has fallen by more than 6%, with the bulk of the losses recorded in altcoins. In absolute terms, over $200 billion has been wiped out from the crypto market in the past 24 hours.
Powell’s hawkish statements triggered the decline in the crypto market, which suggested that the Fed’s battle against inflation is not over yet. Powell indicated that there might only be two interest rate cuts in 2025 instead of three.
Additionally, the Fed has raised the 2025 inflation forecast from 2.1% to 2.5%. Even the 2026 forecast is pegged at 2.1%, higher than the central bank’s goal of 2%. The Fed sees inflation as an issue that might persist for another two years, resulting in interest rates remaining high for longer than initially anticipated.
The crypto market reacted negatively to Powell’s statements, resulting in liquidations exceeding $850 million in the past 24 hours. Nevertheless, some crypto analysts view the fall as an opportunity to accumulate altcoins, expecting BTC.D to decline in the coming days.
According to the following chart, during the weekly timeframe, Bitcoin Dominance has been on a continual uptrend for the past two weeks, rising from 56.24% to 58.50% at the time of writing. Some analysts are confident that BTC.D is forming a lower high, which may be followed by a steep decline leading to a full-fledged altseason.
Bitcoin analyst Eric Crown took X to share his thoughts on the BTC.D chart. The analyst noted that the metric may fall to 54% after a small surge to 59%. 
Another crypto analyst @CryptoGoos noted that BTC.D top is already in. The trader added that the altcoin season will likely continue after BTC.D gets rejected from resistance levels between 58% and 59%.
Similarly, Bitcoin and stock market analyst Seth highlighted BTC.D’s behavior during the last two market cycles. He stated that BTC.D might follow a similar trajectory this cycle, consolidating at a key support level of around 58% before an eventual crash.
That said, former BitMEX exchange CEO Arthur Hayes recently shared his crypto market outlook, predicting a “harrowing dump” around US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. BTC trades at $100,978 at press time, down 3% in the past 24 hours.
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Ash is a seasoned freelance editor and writer with extensive experience in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to major publications, playing a key role in shaping informative, timely content related to decentralized finance (DeFi), cryptocurrency trends, and blockchain innovation. His ability to break down complex topics has allowed both seasoned professionals and newcomers to the industry to benefit from his work. Beyond these specific roles, Ash’s writing expertise spans a wide array of content, including news updates, long-form analysis, and thought leadership pieces. He has helped multiple platforms maintain high editorial standards, ensuring that articles not only inform but also engage readers through clarity and in-depth research. His work reflects a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving blockchain ecosystem, making him a valuable contributor in a field where staying current is essential. In addition to his writing work, Ash has developed a strong skill set in managing content teams. He has led diverse groups of writers and researchers, overseeing the editorial process from topic selection, approval, editing, to final publication. His leadership ensured that content production was timely, accurate, and aligned with the strategic goals of the platforms he worked with. This has not only strengthened his expertise in content strategy but also honed his project management and team coordination skills. Ash’s ability to combine technical expertise with editorial oversight is further bolstered by his knowledge of blockchain analysis tools such as Etherscan, Dune Analytics, and Santiment. These tools have provided him with the data necessary to create well-researched, insightful articles that offer deeper market perspectives. Whether it’s tracking the movement of digital assets or analyzing blockchain transactions, his analytical approach adds value to the content he produces, ensuring readers receive accurate and actionable information. In the realm of content creation, Ash is not limited to just cryptocurrency markets. He has demonstrated versatility in covering other emerging technologies, market trends, and digital transformation across various industries. His in-depth research, coupled with a sharp editorial eye, has made him a sought-after professional in the freelance writing community. From developing editorial calendars to managing content delivery schedules, he has honed a meticulous approach to project management that ensures timely, high-quality work delivery. Throughout his freelance career, Ash has consistently focused on improving audience engagement through well-researched, insightful, and relevant content. His ability to adapt to the evolving needs of clients, whether it’s enhancing the visibility of digital platforms or producing thought-provoking pieces for a wide range of audiences, sets him apart as a dynamic force in the field of digital content creation. His contributions have helped to shape a well-rounded portfolio that showcases his versatility, technical expertise, and dedication to elevating the standards of journalism in blockchain and related sectors.
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The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk’s news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.Read More

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The Meta Quest 3 Lite could cause big problems for Pico in China  Android Central
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Augusta Animal Services: Home for the Paw-lidays 2024  WJBF-TV
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As much as we love covering the careers of prominent actors like “Spider-Man” franchise star Zendaya or “Mad Max: Fury Road” protagonist Tom Hardy, there’s something uniquely exciting about looking at the work of a fast-rising star like Louis Partridge. Since appearing in Netflix’s “Enola Holmes,” opposite “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown, the 21-year-old English actor has appeared in some high-profile films and television shows, building his resume under the guidance of visionaries like Matthew Vaughn and Academy Award-winners Danny Boyle and Alfonso Cuarón.
At present, it sure seems as though Partridge is preparing to set the world on fire for the next few years, with starring roles in Steven Knight’s “House of Guinness” and George Jaques’ “Sunny Dancer” on the way. He’s also slated to appear in Noah Baumbach’s next film and will seemingly lead a new(ish) action franchise for Vaughn. If you want to get acquainted with someone who may well be one of the defining young actors of the late 2020s, you’ll definitely want to check out the films and television shows below.

“Argylle” had a bit of a tough go when it was released in early 2024. Though we at /Film found it to be a wild, twisty, and mostly satisfying romantic action-comedy, critics at large were pretty harsh on Matthew Vaughn’s spy romp — an icy reception which played a part in its unimpressive $17.4 million opening weekend. By the time it bowed out of cinemas, it hadn’t even grazed $100 million in worldwide box office returns against an admittedly ludicrous budget of $200 million. That said, for fans of Vaughn, spy movies, and especially Louis Partridge, “Argylle” is required viewing.
The film follows writer Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) after she unwittingly becomes enmeshed in a world of spies, secret organizations, and criminal masterminds. Her spy novels (which themselves follow a fictional operator named Argylle, played by Henry Cavill) are apparently so realistic and well written that they border on prophetic, making her authorly brain a priceless asset to the villainous Division.
Given its abysmal box office numbers, chances are readers of this article won’t have heard much about “Argylle” beyond its viral marketing campaign, with its mystery novelist, Taylor Swift connections, and stoked interest around Agent Argylle’s true identity. But the film boasts more than superficial intrigue. Its biggest action scene is arguably one of the best romantic movie moments of 2024, and Vaughn’s signature, colorful touch is more fearless here than in his adaptations of other work. As for Partridge, it would be a massive spoiler for us to even talk about who he plays, and he’s not in the film much. However, if you’re a fan of his, you’ll definitely want to give “Argylle” a watch, as it could very well shape the next chapter of his career as an actor.

For fans of historical epics, Netflix’s “Medici” may hit the spot. Produced in Italy, it chronicles the lives of the powerful Medici family, who ruled as lords over 15th century Florence.
Louis Partridge joined the series for its third season as Piero de’ Medici, the eldest son of Lorenzo “The Magnificent” de’ Medici (Stuart Martin). The majority of the season focuses on bringing Lorenzo’s story to a close, having been the series’ protagonist following a 20-year time jump after the end of Season 1. His controversial decisions while serving as Lord of Florence begin to yield unexpected consequences, corroding the trust of his advisors, friends, and family, as well as his own moral compass.
The series takes a somewhat ahistorical approach to Lorenzo’s end, steering him toward the same fate in a significantly darker fashion. Piero, then, must reckon with even more responsibility at a young age, all while trying to make sense of the way his family and home have radically changed before his eyes. It may not be a history lesson, but “Medici” offers an accessible window into a unique political world, along with plenty of excitement and some compelling performances, especially from Partridge.

If contemporary biopics are more your thing, Louis Partridge is excellent in the FX miniseries “Pistol,” which tracks the musical journey of the English punk band the Sex Pistols. Directed by Danny Boyle and based on the autobiography “Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol” by guitarist Steve Jones, it primarily looks at their history from Jones’ perspective. Partridge has a meaty supporting role as Sid Vicious, the band’s darkly enigmatic bassist.
The actor was cast as Vicious almost immediately after he became the breakout star of Netflix’s “Enola Holmes,” a young adult mystery film starring Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill in the universe of Sherlock Holmes. “I was worried about getting typecast as the posh, floppy-haired kid — and here’s me playing Sid Vicious…” he told Rolling Stone in 2022. 
Indeed, the two artists led very different lives, with Partridge having to consult with an expert to better understand the role drugs played in the rockstar’s life. He died of a heroin overdose in 1979 at the age of 21 — just two years older than Partridge was while shooting “Pistols.” “I just tried to understand him,” he said of playing the controversial figure. “[Vicious’ behavior] comes from a place of insecurity. … He sees a crowd and acts up to them; he wants to get a reaction because he just wants some attention and love. I feel sorry for him in that respect but, as well as being the innocent Sid, he was also that other Sid at many points of his life.”
The series is as raw and powerful as the band that inspired it, and Partridge shines in each of his scenes. Unfortunately, because Disney made the decision to pull a baffling amount of shows from both Disney+ and Hulu, it’s difficult if at all possible to watch.

If “Argylle” was tough to write about without revealing the twists that make it worth watching, “Disclaimer” is almost impossible. Written and directed by Academy Award-winning auteur Alfonso Cuarón and starring equally lauded actors Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, it tells three interweaving stories that together have the potential to destroy multiple lives — that is, if you can trust any of those stories at all. The two present-day stories follow different perspectives of a feud between documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) and writer and academic Stephen Brigstocke (Kline). Stephen believes Catherine was responsible for the death of his son Jonathan, and he enters Catherine’s life with a novel that purports to tell the story of why.
In the third story, Louis Partridge stars as Jonathan Brigstocke, destined to meet his demise following a passionate romantic affair with a young Catherine (Leila George). Coming on the heels of the rock-and-roll style of “Pistols,” it was a very different working environment for Partridge. “I enjoyed [filming “Pistols”], and I enjoyed mucking around on set and being physical,” he told Collider. “[But] Jonathan was very much informed by what Alfonso was after, so I did feel tightly bound for a lot of it because he was after getting a specific shot or holding a position.” 
Still, Partridge appeared more than thrilled to accept this challenge, as he was working with a caliber of artists he’d always dreamed of. “My word, sharing a screen with [Blanchett] is unreal,” he marveled. “Also, it was just a big confidence boost to know that Alfonso wanted me in there at all and trusted me with that role and to tell a story alongside these people at the top of their game. It was amazing.”

Of course, as his first major starring role, we had to include Netflix’s “Enola Holmes” on this list. The film tells the story of the titular heroine (Millie Bobby Brown), the younger sister of famed private detective Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) and the significantly less-famed bureaucrat Mycroft Holmes (Sam Claflin). When the two brothers attempt to send her away to boarding school following the sudden disappearance of her mother (Helena Bonham Carter), Enola finds herself unexpectedly wrapped into a mystery.
The focus of her investigation happens to be Viscount Tewkesbury, a romantic if slightly confusing boy played by Louis Partridge. For some unknown reason, Tewkesbury has been targeted for assassination by the mysterious contract killer Linthorn (Burn Gorman). Though we won’t spoil how this plot ultimately unfolds, Partridge is perfectly cast in this role and plays extraordinarily well against Brown’s hyperintellectual Holmes. Both actors were still teenagers while working on the film, with Partridge auditioning in the middle of final exams at school. 
“I learnt how to balance having a laugh and joking on set from Millie, while also getting on with the actual serious work,” Partridge shared to The Gentleman’s Journal. “I also learnt how helpful it can be to really get along with who you’re working with. That can give you complete freedom to try new things and not feel embarrassed when they don’t go right.” 
Partridge is also featured in the sequel “Enola Holmes 2,” which some argue is even better than the first.

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Giving people the ability to shape the internet and their experiences on it is at the heart of Mozilla’s manifesto. This includes empowering people to choose how they search.
On Nov. 20, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed proposed remedies in the antitrust case against Google. The judgment outlines the behavioral and structural remedies proposed by the government in order to restore search engine competition.
Mozilla is a long-time champion of competition and an advocate for reforms that create a level playing field in digital markets. We recognize the DOJ’s efforts to improve search competition for U.S. consumers. It is important to understand, however, that the outcomes of this case will have impacts that go far beyond any one company or market. 
As written, the proposed remedies will force smaller and independent browsers like Firefox to fundamentally reexamine their entire operating model. By jeopardizing the revenue streams of critical browser competitors, these remedies risk unintentionally strengthening the positions of a handful of powerful players, and doing so without delivering meaningful improvements to search competition. And this isn’t just about impacting the future of one browser company — it’s about the future of the open and interoperable web. 
Since the launch of Firefox 1.0 in 2004, we have shipped with a default search engine, thinking deeply about search and how to provide meaningful choice for people. This has always meant refusing any exclusivity; instead we preinstall multiple search options and we make it easy for people to change their search engine — whether setting a general default or customizing it for individual searches. 
We have always worked to provide easily accessible search alternatives alongside territory-specific options — an approach we continue today. For example, in 2005, our U.S. search options included Yahoo, eBay, Creative Commons and Amazon, alongside Google. 
Today, Firefox users in the U.S. can choose between Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, eBay and Wikipedia directly in the address bar. They can easily add other search engines and they can also benefit from Mozilla innovations, like Firefox Suggest.
For the past seven years, Google search has been the default in Firefox in the U.S. because it provides the best search experience for our users. We can say this because we have tried other search defaults and supported competitors in search: in 2014, we switched from Google to Yahoo in the U.S. as they sought to reinvigorate their search product. There were certainly business risks, but we felt the risk was worth it to further our mission of promoting a better internet ecosystem. However, that decision proved to be unsuccessful. 
Firefox users — who demonstrated a strong preference for having Google as the default search engine — did not find Yahoo’s product up to their expectations. When we renewed our search partnership in 2017, we did so with Google. We again made certain that the agreement was non-exclusive and allowed us to promote a range of search choices to people. 
The connection between browsers and search that existed in 2004 is just as important today. Independent browsers like Firefox remain a place where search engines can compete and users can choose freely between them. And the search revenue Firefox generates is used to advance our manifesto, through the work of the Mozilla Foundation and via our products — including Gecko, Mozilla’s browser engine. 
Since launching Firefox in 2004, Mozilla has pioneered groundbreaking technologies, championing open-source principles and setting critical standards in online security and privacy. We also created or contributed to many developments for the wider ecosystem, some (like Rust and Let’s Encrypt) have continued to flourish outside of Mozilla. Much of this is made possible by developing and maintaining the Gecko browser engine.  
Browser engines (not to be confused with search engines) are little-known but they are the technology powering your web browser. They determine much of the speed and functionality of browsers, including many of the privacy and security properties.  
In 2013, there were five major browser engines. In 2024, due to the great expense and expertise needed to run a browser engine, there are only three left: Apple’s WebKit, Google’s Blink and Mozilla’s Gecko — which powers Firefox. 
Apple’s WebKit primarily runs on Apple devices, leaving Google and Mozilla as the main cross-platform browser engine developers. Even Microsoft, a company with a three trillion dollar market cap, abandoned its Trident browser engine in 2019. Today, its Edge browser is built on top of Google’s Blink engine.
So how do browser engines tie into the search litigation? A key concern centers on proposed contractual remedies put forward by the DOJ that could harm the ability of independent browsers to fund their operations. Such remedies risk inadvertently harming browser and browser engine competition without meaningfully advancing search engine competition. 
Firefox and other independent browsers represent a small proportion of U.S. search queries, but they play an outsized role in providing consumers with meaningful choices and protecting user privacy. These browsers are not just alternatives — they are critical champions of consumer interests and technological innovation.
Rather than a world where market share is moved from one trillion dollar tech company to another, we would like to see actions which will truly improve competition — and not sacrifice people’s privacy to achieve it. True change requires addressing the barriers to competition and facilitating a marketplace that promotes competition, innovation and consumer choice — in search engines, browsers, browser engines and beyond. 
We urge the court to consider remedies that achieve its goals without harming independent browsers, browser engines and ultimately without harming the web.
We’ll be sharing updates as this matter proceeds.
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