2024 is unquestionably the year of Balatro. It came out of nowhere to fill our heads with dreams of flush fives and legendary Jimbos. But I think what put it really over the top was when it launched on iOS and Android earlier this fall. That's because even though I don't have the numbers to prove it, Charlie Brooker — as he so often does in his show Black Mirror – made a particularly prescient prediction during an interview with Deadline when he said that after Balatro comes out on phones, "humankind's activity is going to drop about 25 percent." That said, I don't think people were prepared for the mobile version of Balatro to be an almost flawless example of how to properly translate a game from desktop to small screens and foldables. To start, on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, the mobile version of Balatro costs $10, which is actually $5 less than the desktop edition on Steam or the console ports on Switch, Xbox and PlayStation. But what's even better is that in a world where seemingly every phone game is crammed full of microtransactions, there are zero intrusive ads or other extra purchases to take away from the game. This includes all the crossover cardbacks (like the ones featuring characters from The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077 and more) and the big forthcoming update due out at the beginning of next year. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget On top of that, there's essentially no difference in features between the mobile and desktop/console versions. Granted, that's due in large part to the game... Sam Rutherford
Environment Don't miss out on the headlines from Environment. Followed categories will be added to My News. Residents in two states have been warned electricity blackouts could leave them in the dark as a sweltering heatwave puts electricity reserves to the test. A heatwave warning remains in place for areas of NSW on Tuesday, including a severe warning for the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast and Southern Tablelands Districts. Batemans Bay, Bowral, Camden, Campbelltown, Hornsby, Liverpool, Nowra, Penrith, Parramatta and Richmond are expected to be most affected by the heatwave, with the CBD tipped to hit 31C on Tuesday while areas like Richmond are set to hit 39C. There’s a chance the soaring temperatures could lead to blackouts across the state as millions turn on the air conditioning. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday acknowledged the electricity grid could be under pressure. “We will be as quick as possible with updates to the community about potential interruptions with supply,” Mr Minns said. Authorities have also issued blackout warnings for Queensland, with the highest-risk of blackout times being between 3.30pm and 7.30pm. Sydneysiders flocked to Bondi Beach on Monday to beat the heat. Picture: NewsWire / Simon Bullard. NSW Premier Chris Minns acknowledged the electricity grid could be affected by the heat. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard The severe temperatures come as power units at three of the state’s four coal-fired power stations undergo spring maintenance. NSW Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe urged people to conserve energy, asking them to consider whether it was necessary to “have every single light on in the house” on a hot day. “Do you need to have your airconditioning down at 19 degrees?” Ms Sharpe asked. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on Monday confirmed three generator units at Lake Macquarie near Newcastle had gone offline. “AEMO has alerted the energy industry and is working with power station operators and transmission businesses to boost electricity availability,” a spokeswoman said. “If a market response remains inadequate, AEMO will take actions available to maintain supply.” However, the operator later said that “forecast electricity reserves have improved” in NSW. “As a result, the previously forecast Lack of Reserve Level 3 (LOR3) has been downgraded to a less critical Lack of Reserve Level 2 (LOR2). This improvement is largely due to the cancellation of transmission outages in the region,” AEMO said in a statement. “AEMO remains focused on maintaining electricity reliability in both New South Wales and Queensland this week, as high temperatures are expected to drive strong energy demand amid significant generation unavailability in NSW. “If electricity supply forecasts deteriorate, AEMO will take all necessary measures, including the activation of off-market reserves, to ensure supply reliability.” A severe heatwave warning has been issued for parts of NSW. Picture: Stormcast. CALLS TO AXE ‘FOSSIL FUEL DINOSAURS’ Member for North Sydney Kylea Tink issued a call for Australia to transition from “unreliable coal-fired power stations”, claiming it’s “time for the fossil fuel dinosaurs to face reality”. “Businesses and households around the state are being let down by our unreliable, ageing coal-fired power plants,” Ms Tink said. “The threat of blackouts before we hit summer shows the urgency at which Australia must transition to renewable energy backed by reliable storage technology.” She claimed the situation highlighted “the Coalition’s nuclear fantasy is built on a house of cards”. Member for North Sydney Kylea Tink called the Coalition’s nuclear plan a ‘fantasy’. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard “There is no way Australia’s creaking coal fired power stations can support a dynamic, growing economy until the 2040s – when the first nuclear reactors could be expected to be built under Peter Dutton’s so-called ‘nuclear energy plan’,” she said. “The only way for Australians to enjoy more affordable and reliable energy is to double down on investment in renewables, and invest heavily in large-scale battery storage solutions, backed by a national small-scale battery storage target. “It’s time for the fossil fuel dinosaurs to face reality – coal is inflexible and unreliable, and any blackouts in NSW later this week will be squarely the fault of the state’s ageing and decaying coal fired power fleet.” Residents have been urged to seek a cool area. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology. ‘DANGEROUS’ SEVERE HEATWAVE Residents in heat affected areas of NSW have been urged to seek a cool place and use fans or air conditioners where possible, according to an alert from the Bureau of Meteorology. “Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell,” the alert states. “Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre. “Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home.” More Coverage Horror as woman dies after found with burns Thomas Sargeant Warning Australia could be loser under Trump Aisling Brennan Originally published as Blackout risk as severe heatwave sends mercury rising in eastern NSW More related stories Science Mystery of huge outback ‘scar’ solved The chance discovery of a mammoth 11-kilometre long scar in the earth in Australia’s remote outback sparked intrigue and conspiracy. Read more Sustainability ‘Unsayable’: Crisis leaders won’t even discuss Australia is sleepwalking into a major crisis that will dramatically change the way we live — but few are talking about the problem. Read more
After-hours movers: Zoom, Agilent, HanesBrands, Kohl'srtificial Intelligence could be set to replace countless jobs across the globe, including ring girls as a breakthrough in means promoters could turn to generative images to replace influencers on social media. That puts the likes of , who found fame at on November 15, at risk of pursuing their modelling careers as well as threatening the likes of . And the creator of , who developed her into one of the first successful AI influencers, suspects ring girls could be one of the first frontiers to fall to the tech at esteemed venues such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas or Madison Square Gardens in New York. "Technology is moving so fast and sports organisations, who are inherently innovative, are beginning to embrace AI Influencers," Hayes' creator told The Daily Star. "Lily has built an incredible fanbase over the past 12 months. "And boxing is a really exciting opportunity for her to break into the mainstream. Ring Girls have always been a massive part of boxing, but the interesting thing about AI Influencers becoming Ring Girls is fans can actually connect with them. "Online, 24/7, and in multiple languages in the lead up to, during, and after the event. There's some big fights touted for 2025, including at Wembley or in Riyadh so we'd love to get Lily on that card." AI tech breaks into professional sports According to data from Fanvue, Hayes can rake in up to $25,000 per month despite not actually being a real person. Advancements in AI images since 2020 have allowed the creations to resemble people accurately, with carefully customized features and assets to appeal broadly. The technology is also allowing AI to score fights too. 's contest with on December 21 featured an AI judge for the first ever time, although its verdict didn't count to the unanimous decision win for Usyk. "Fanvue is the platform AI Influencers join to build massive fanbases and monetise their content online," a spokesperson for Fanvue said, as per The Daily Star. "It can help kickstart their digital careers and quickly open up opportunities with brands and organisations who are looking to innovate with AI Influencers and connect with fans. "Appealing to Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha is the next big challenge for sporting events and marketers more broadly - and AI Influencers are essentially a new marketing channel for them to be able do that. "We've recently seen the exciting possibilities of AI Influencers in Formula 1, with Aston Martin creating an AI clone of Fernando Alonso to reach new demographics of fans - and we're predicting a lot more of this type of innovation in sport in 2025."
Preview: Hoffenheim vs. FCSB - prediction, team news, lineupsThe Minnesota Vikings now sit at 14-2 after a dominating win over the Green Bay Packers . Yes, the score might have been 27-25, but the game didn't feel that close in the slightest. “close games” pic.twitter.com/nxcxIvsS7y The Vikings got ahead of the Packers by 17 points on two separate occasions and dominated the game from early on. It got stressful at the end but the Vikings found a way to do what they have done all season: get the win The game was really good for the Vikings and they continued to beat teams with a winning record. Kevin O'Connell gives injury updates on Pat Jones II and Aaron Jones Not everything was good for the Vikings. They had two players leave the game with injury with the first being Jones. "It's a right knee injury," said O'Connell. "Hopefully we avoided kind of a super long term injury, but I won't know much more than that until he gets fully evaluated. Expecting him probably to miss a little amount of time. Like I said, I don't know what that looks like right now. Jones injured the knee in the first half and didn't return. He's dealt with knee issues for a good portion of the season. What we don't know is if this injury was to the same knee or not. After the game, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard called out Packers tight end Tucker Kraft for the low hit that caused the injury. Dude motioned from 30 yards away to STILL cut him. Pathetic. Be a man block up high. @NFL get rid of this block PLEASE. https://t.co/x6XP1Us9ji The other injury was to the other Jones on the team at running back. He got stepped on during the game and tried to come back, but ultimately was pulled. "Aaron Jones did get a quad contusion at some point. He was working his way through it, had some really good runs, but we decided to kind of pull him. I thought Ty Chandler showing up, having some physical runs, getting downhill fresh. Pairing him with Cam there in the second half was a winning formula to then get some of those plays off either in tempo or some of the play-pass role." The Vikings were able to find a way to get production at running back without Jones, including a touchdown and the game-winning catch from Akers. Not having Jones against the Detroit Lions could loom large. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.