Betty White Forever: New stamp will honor the much-beloved 'Golden Girls' actor
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Luke Kromenhoek threw for 209 yards and tossed three touchdown passes as Florida State halted a six-game losing streak and routed Charleston Southern 41-7 on Saturday. Kromenhoek completed 13 of 20 passes in his first college start, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Khi Douglas, as the Seminoles (2-9) won for the first time since Sept. 21. The true freshman also connected with Amaree Williams for a 4-yard TD and Hykeem Williams for a 10-yard TD. Florida State had the nation’s lowest scoring offense at 13.3 points. The Seminoles hadn’t scored more than 21 points or surpassed the 300-yard mark in 2024. But Florida State overwhelmed FCS Charleston Southern (1-11), accumulating 415 offensive yards. Kaleb Jackson completed 22 of 32 passes for 218 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Landon Sauers, and an interception for the Buccaneers. The takeaway Charleston Southern: While the Buccaneers found some success through the air, they couldn’t sustain drives and managed just 57 rushing yards on 29 carries. Florida State: The Seminoles picked up a season-best 176 rushing yards, scoring 17 points in the second quarter and 14 points in the third quarter to take control. Up next Charleston Southern’s season is over. Florida State plays host to Florida on Nov. 30. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Pathstone Holdings LLC lessened its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. ( NYSE:A – Free Report ) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,861 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 1,668 shares during the quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $5,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in A. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Agilent Technologies by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 15,064,660 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,952,832,000 after acquiring an additional 809,149 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 13.9% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,542,054 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,242,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,042,926 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Agilent Technologies by 6.6% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,976,905 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $442,011,000 after purchasing an additional 183,716 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in Agilent Technologies by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 2,667,616 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $396,088,000 after buying an additional 203,234 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Agilent Technologies by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,386,039 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $309,302,000 after buying an additional 52,550 shares in the last quarter. Insider Buying and Selling In other Agilent Technologies news, SVP Dominique Grau sold 9,990 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total value of $1,448,550.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,801,595. This trade represents a 19.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Agilent Technologies Stock Performance Agilent Technologies ( NYSE:A – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The medical research company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.26% and a net margin of 21.75%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year. Agilent Technologies Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.248 dividend. This is an increase from Agilent Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Agilent Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 19.50%. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms have commented on A. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Agilent Technologies from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Agilent Technologies from $141.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.36. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on A Agilent Technologies Company Profile ( Free Report ) Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding A? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Agilent Technologies, Inc. ( NYSE:A – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Agilent Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Agilent Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Jaipur: Eight branded medicines failed quality tests from samples collected by drug control officers from chemist shops in the state, officials said Wednesday. These medicines did not conform to claims made with respect to presence, amount, or functional activity of their drug composition. According to the health department's report, samples of drugs in combination with nimesulide and paracetamol (pain relief), pheniramine maleate injection (to treat symptoms of allergic conditions), combination of calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 suspension (dietary supplement for people who have bone problems or low calcium and vitamin D levels), combination of telmisartan, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide (to treat high blood pressure), combination of telmisartan and amlodipine (for high blood pressure), combination of levocetirizine dihydrochloride and montelukast (relieves sneezing and runny nose due to allergies), heparin sodium injection (anticoagulant), and injection of sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim (treats infections caused by bacteria) failed quality tests. These drugs were manufactured in Baddi of Himachal Pradesh, Vadodara of Gujarat, Roorkee of Uttarakhand, Sirmour of Himachal Pradesh, Solan of Himachal Pradesh, and Digiana of Jammu. A health department official said directions were issued to all drug control officers of the state to ensure that the stocks of these drugs are not consumed anymore. Appropriate safeguards for consumers are to be provided by withdrawing the available stock and taking appropriate action as per the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
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Doughty shot 5 of 9 from the field, including 1 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 6 for 7 from the line for the Sycamores (4-4). Jaden Daughtry added 16 points while going 6 of 9 and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line while they also had six rebounds and three steals. Josiah LeGree shot 5 for 8, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points. The Gaels (2-6) were led by Dejour Reaves, who posted 30 points and three steals. Adam Njie added 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for Iona. Yaphet Moundi also had 12 points and nine rebounds. LeGree scored 11 points in the first half for Indiana State, who went into halftime tied 45-45 with Iona. Indiana State. Samage Teel scored 10 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition
A planned blockade of the world's biggest coal port is stretching into a third day after multiple people involved in a paddle protest were arrested and removed from their kayaks. or signup to continue reading Officers told protesters to move away from a shipping channel due to safety concerns after they tried to disrupt coal ships at the Port of Newcastle. A woman, 26, and two men, 27 and 59, were arrested on Saturday and charged with not complying with a direction by an authorised officer relating to safety. Several others were "assisted by police when they struggled to return to shore", police said. Event organiser Rising Tide claimed a total of nine people were arrested on Saturday. An 84-year-old great-grandmother, 16-year-old student and a doctor were among those pulled from their kayaks by police after they went out into shipping lanes, the group said. NSW Police said their operation would continue on Sunday and warned they had a "zero-tolerance approach" to actions that threatened the safe passage of vessels, with unlawful activity attracting fines and imprisonment. "For their own safety and that of the other users of the port, police request that people refrain from entering the harbour with the intention to obstruct other users of the port," police said. "We also encourage all participants to follow the directions of police." Former environment minister and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett performed at an associated festival on Saturday along with musicians including John Butler and Angie McMahon. He hit out at what he described as "overreach" from authorities, including the NSW government, for attempting to stop the peaceful protest event. Court challenges to the event had previously been told some protesters could seek to be arrested to attract publicity. Some 109 people were arrested at a similar event in 2023. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementGeorge Kresge Jr., who wowed talk show audiences as the The Amazing Kreskin, dies
HOUSTON — Anthony Edwards made a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to cap a furious rally and lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-112 win over the Houston Rockets Friday night. The Rockets were up by by 12 with about three minutes left before a 10-0 run by the Timberwolves, highlighted by a 3-point play by Edwards, cut the lead to 110-108 with 90 seconds to go. Alperen Sengun made 1 of 2 free throws after that, but Julius Randle's dunk on the other end got Minnesota within 1. Sengun was fouled a second time and again made just 1 of 2 free throws to leave Houston up 112-110. Edwards then sunk the 3-pointer to give Minnesota its first lead since midway through the third quarter. The Rockets had a chance for the win, but Fred VanVleet's 3-point attempt was off. Randle had 27 points and Edwards added 24 as the Timberwolves won their second straight after losing three in a row. Sengun had a season-high 38 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Rockets, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun, right, puts up a shot in front of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, left, and center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Houston. Credit: AP/Michael Wyke Takeaways Timberwolves: Edwards had scored just one point in the second half before his late-game heroics secured the win. Rockets: Houston could have used Dillon Brooks for his defense down the stretch Friday night. He missed his third straight game with a sore right ankle. Key moment The 3-pointer by Edwards. Key stat The Timberwolves got the win despite being outscored 66-40 in the paint. Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) lays up a shot against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Houston. Credit: AP/Michael Wyke Up next Houston hosts Miami and Minnesota hosts San Antonio Sunday night.
Dubare’s hanging bridge gets approval
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's game against the Packers with a sore throwing shoulderThese new California laws will go into effect in 2025
Think you've got the wine thing figured out? Knowing which varietals please your palate and how to spot a good budget bottle are big steps in the right direction, but there are a few easy-to-make wine mistakes that could be jeopardizing the experience. To brush up on common wine blunders, we pulled up a barstool next to Jerry Chandler, a wine consultant and the GM of Charlotte's The Bohemian Wine Bar . Chandler talked us through five mistakes almost every wine drinker makes at some point, including serving it at a suboptimal temperature or employing overzealous cork-popping techniques. Read more: 35 Best Wine Gifts for 2024, According to a Sommelier Perhaps most surprising was his suggestion to stick red wine in the fridge before pouring since most of us serve it too warm, Chandler explains. Here are five wine mistakes to avoid to help you get the most out of every bottle. 1. Serving white wine too cold and red wine too warm Wine is often served too cold or too warm to express its full slate of aromatic compounds. We tend to drink white wine straight out of the refrigerator and red wine right off the counter, but both could benefit from coming a little more toward the center for an ideal serving temperature. Neither ice cold white wine nor too-warm red wine can express their aromatic compounds effectively. The flavors of white wine are more dynamic in the 40s or 50s (Fahrenheit, that is) and red wines in the 50s or 60s. To achieve this, "it's OK to put red wine in the fridge for 10 or 15 minutes, just to get it a little bit cooler," Chandler says. Similarly, you can remove your white wine from the fridge 15 to 20 minutes before you intend to serve it, or just chill a room temperature bottle of white in a bucket of ice water for that same amount of time. "That's going to give you that temperature that's going to be in the 40s," he says, "but it's not going to be too cold." Note that ice plus water and salt will chill your bottle much faster than just ice alone. You can tuck a bottle into the freezer for a few minutes, "just don't forget about it, because you're going to burn that wine and a lot of the sugars are gonna separate," Chandler says. Sparkling wine can also do with a little temperature increase, but be aware of an increased degree of fizz as well. "It's going to be a bit more lively," he says, and give more of a pop when opened. 2. Popping sparkling wine incorrectly When uncorking Champagne, leave the cage on and use a gentle pull and twist. Speaking of which, while the pop of a bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine can be festive, it's reducing the carbonation in the bottle and also can be dangerous. Most sparkling wines are topped with a mushroom-shaped cork, plus a metal cage, which keeps the cork in place since the bottle's contents are pressurized. But that cage has another purpose. It can also help you open the bottle safely. It should be unscrewed and loosened, but left in place to help you remove the cork. "You use the sides of the cage to gently grip and twist. That's going to allow some of the pressure to slowly alleviate from the bottle," Chandler says, which releases the cork in a slower and more controlled fashion and preserves more of the carbon dioxide responsible for the bubbles. "I watch so many people just unscrew the cage and then take the cage off, and I always feel my heart skip a beat because you are allowing that cork to do anything it wishes, including blasting off in any direction, full speed," Chandler says. "Never remove that cage unless you're removing it with the cork." 3. Storing it improperly Wine should be kept somewhere dry, cool and away from direct sunlight. You don't have to have a wine cellar or wine collection to heed a few common sense practices when it comes to storing wine. Most wine in the US is consumed within a few hours of purchase, in which case not a lot can go wrong, but even if you're keeping a bottle for a couple of days to save for a special occasion, "make sure you're being mindful," Chandler says, to ensure that whatever wine you have doesn't become a waste of money due to improper handling. Light, heat and motion can have an effect even on inexpensive bottles. "You don't ever want to leave wine where the temperatures will constantly fluctuate" Chandler says, which can be anywhere that gets direct sunlight at any part of the day. "You also don't want to leave it somewhere where it is constantly going to be moving," he says, which can disrupt any sediment and affect its flavor. Leaving a bottle of wine in a vehicle, for example, can expose it to extreme temperatures both high and low as well as subject it to excessive movement. The best way to store wine for more than a few hours is on its side in a consistently cool place that doesn't receive direct sunlight. 4. Being a packaging snob If you turn your nose up at wine with a screw top, you're going to miss out on a few excellent budget-friendly bottles. There may have been a time when the heaviness of the bottle or the type of closure used were guarantees of a wine's quality, but that is no longer the case. Along with other types of alcoholic beverages, wine has evolved to meet the moment, and matters of sustainability as well as improvements in technology have created more diverse packaging options. "Science has come a long way in preserving wine, especially over the past 20 years," Chandler says, but some people still hold prejudices about wine that's sealed with a screw top. ("Stelvin closure" to wine pros.) "You're not going to want to lay down a bottle for 20 years that has a screw top," he says, "but for wines that you're going to drink soon, a screw top is perfectly fine." Read more: Ask the Expert: How to Find a Great Wine on a Budget Many wine producers are actually decreasing their bottle weight as they've rolled out sustainability initiatives, and some major wine reviewers are refusing to rate wines whose bottles are above a certain weight. Both canned wine and boxed wine are also increasing in quality as those packages are also becoming championed with sustainability measures. Basically, wine has entered its "don't judge it by its cover" era. 5. Never leaving your comfort zone Adventurous wine drinkers have more fun. There are literally thousands of wine grape varieties, not to mention wine producers, yet most of us tend to drink the same few bottles on repeat. Because of the way wine is distributed in the US, it's difficult to find producers whose wines are consistently available from store to store. Or to find a bottle you loved at a restaurant on your local retail shelves. A lot of us tend to drink the same mass-produced brands and familiar grapes, because we can always find them. This too, is a mistake, in terms of getting the best bang for your buck, knowing what's actually in your bottle and expanding your palate. "With mass-produced wines I always think about what else is in there to keep them at that same consistent flavor profile," Chandler says. (Hint: it's more than just grapes.) Anything that has the kind of marketing budget for major advertising tends to represent wine made in conference rooms rather than in vineyards. It can be understandably hard to branch out, however. "When I first started learning wine, I only wanted to drink certain things because I didn't want to spend the money and risk it," Chandler says. Rather than focus on a few bottles, try to understand the flavor profiles you like and be willing to engage with wine pros in retail or restaurant settings that can use your preferences to introduce you to new things. "Wine is an endless experience," he says, "and we want people to be as excited to try this thing for the first time the way we were."A 95-YEAR-OLD woman was left lying on the pavement with a broken hip in freezing weather for five hours waiting for an ambulance. Winifred Soanes fell over in Christchurch High Street, Dorset, in the early afternoon while out her 92-year-old husband Andrew. She was unable to move due to the sheer pain she was in. Despite multiple concerned members of the public making repeated 999 calls for an ambulance and explaining Winifred was elderly and vulnerable, they were told she "was not a priority". People managed to prop her head up with shoe boxes from market stallholders and a pillow from a nearby pub. Staff at Mountain Warehouse provided her with sleeping bags and charity shops gave blankets and hot water bottles to keep Winifred warm. Others provided coffee and food to help Andrew, who is an army veteran and diabetic and who refused to leave his wife's side. An ambulance eventually arrived at 7.45pm on Monday and took Winifred to hospital where she remains today. To add insult to injury, Andrew has developed a chest infection as a result of being out in the cold so long and cannot visit his wife in hospital. People who helped the couple have slammed the "broken system". Jennifer Baylis, who was working in a charity shop, said: "I can't tell you how upsetting it was, she actually said 'I'm going to die here tonight'. "She was in a phenomenal amount of pain and in such a vulnerable position, on a cold floor, totally reliant on complete strangers. "She fell at 2.30pm and the ambulance finally showed up at 7.45pm. "We were all distressed that there was no first responder available, no police officer, literally no one available to help for over five hours. "You feel so helpless, I was so angry that they were in this position. It shouldn't be happening in this day and age. "The NHS are fantastic once help is there. We know how hard they work. "But something went very very wrong to leave a 95-year-old lady on the pavement of a high street at night." David Lovell, who saw her fall and was the first to call for an ambulance, said: "I can't describe how cold it was, and as it got dark, the temperature dropped really quickly. "She was lying on the cold pavement and we couldn't move her because she was in huge amounts of pain." When others called again to chase up the ambulance, they were given no time frame for how long the wait would be. Winifred was eventually taken to Poole Hospital and is waiting for a specialist operation for her injuries. Andrew said: "The situation was dire, but it's great to know that when they need to, the community all pull together to help." A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service, said: "We are sorry that we were not able to provide a timely response to this patient. "Any occasion where the care we provide falls below the high standards our patients deserve and rightly expect is unacceptable. "Handover delays at emergency departments remain one of our biggest challenges. "To ensure our ambulances are available to attend the next emergency call within the community, we need to be able to hand patients over within the 15-minute national target . "We continue to work hard with our partners in the NHS and social care, to do all we can to improve the service that patients receive." THE NHS waiting list in England has become a political flashpoint as it has ballooned in recent years, more than doubling in a decade. The statistics for England count the number of procedures, such as operations and non-surgical treatments, that are due to patients. The procedures are known as elective treatment because they are planned and not emergencies. Many are routine ops such as for hip or knee replacements, cataracts or kidney stones, but the numbers also include some cancer treatments. This is how the wait list has changed over time: August 2007: 4.19million – The first entry in current records. December 2009: 2.32million – The smallest waiting list on modern record. April 2013: 2.75million – The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition restructures the NHS. Current chancellor Jeremy Hunt was Health Secretary. April 2016: 3.79million – Junior doctors go on strike for the first time in 40 years. Theresa May is elected Prime Minister. February 2020: 4.57million – The final month before the UK's first Covid lockdown in March 2020. July 2021: 5.61million – The end of all legal Covid restrictions in the UK. January 2023: 7.21million – New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledges to reduce waiting lists within a year, effectively April 2024. September 2023: 7.77million – The highest figure on record comes during a year hit with strikes by junior doctors, consultants, nurses and ambulance workers. February 2024: 7.54million – Ministers admit the pledge to cut the backlog has failed. August 2024: 7.64million – List continues to rise under Keir Starmer's new Labour Government.Editor in Chief Dann Sullivan pulls up a pew to discuss the previous year It's been a year of extremes, which we tend to say every year The highs of this year show that the future isn't as bleak as it might seem Well, we're now at the end of the (Gregorian) year, so now's as good a time as any to look back over 2024, which happens to have been one of the most eventful years in the gaming industry's history. I've decided that this year's retrospective should go beyond covering the state of the industry to also include the website and what current trends and moves mean for the future of mobile gaming. If you're looking for something lighter, like a list of our favourite games throughout the year (as, perhaps, teased by the header), then check out our . Back when I started writing about games I did so on a site that myself and a few buddies had launched. It was 2011, and at the time I was still working in retail (GAME, the main video game retailer in the UK). I'd been working there for several years and had always got a kick out of people coming back and sharing their happiness at my recommendations. With the shift to digital (and the joyful spread of indie) as well as more and more independent publishers and media outlets showing up online, my group of pals decided that we'd give it a shot. It's impossible to talk about 2024 without talking about industry layoffs, which surpassed 2023 back at the start of the year and continued at full speed throughout. For a glimpse at the numbers and damage, check out . I've seen sites that I idolised change hands several times before turning to dust, and there's not much left of the earlier generations of independent media either. That said, there's now a renaissance of smaller, independent, fan-funded media popping up - so there's some hope that tastemaker, recommendation-driven and critical media will persist, it's just that it won't be under the same names as before. We've also been blessed with a lot of support from a great sales team, technical team and central operations team - as well as benefited from our amazing Pocket Gamer Connects events and all of the access and fringe events they bring. The site has seen some tweaks too, as many of our regular readers will have noticed. We've had some tweaks made to how and where we write things, which has resulted in tidier URLs and titles as well as the addition of the highlights sections (where I refer to myself in the third person above). Our layout has also changed slightly, making our homepage more of a curated destination. We date back to the magazine days, so why shouldn't we be able to represent that on short notice? Pocket Gamer, through our parent company, Steel Media, has always thrived due to its ability to pivot toward (and invite discussions on) the next big thing. At times that's been Touchscreen, The AppStores, Subscriptions, Battle Passes, Microtransactions, Webstores, XR as well as slightly more controversial recent topics like NFTs, Blockchain and AI. AI has always been a core part of how video games innovate (Intelligence is, of course, in the eye of the beholder and 'pathfinding', 'adaptive programming' and 'procedural generation' are all AI, to gaming's original definition). However, as the world's major search provider (as well as some more questionable entities) attempts to replace the human-written word with generated content it's made things trickier for outlets. AI slop ( ) is making it tougher and tougher, and that's why so many outlets are moving to deliberately making 'more human' content rather than trying to content against both the slop, and the churn of larger guide sites. We're there with them. We saw Apple's privacy sandbox completely shake up how advertising worked (as it turns out, people WILL opt out of sharing data when given the choice), which changed how targeted ads work and shook up the hypercasual landscape. We also had Epic's war on the Duopoly continue, and it broke ground too, with them triggering the EU's lust for regulation and moderation as well as their (pretty respectful in 2024) dislike of monopolies. However, it's increasingly clear that Epic's war to open up the ecosystem is going to cost them (and their Tencent backers) a lot over time, and is going to be years of gruelling, trench-warfare battles. Apple opening up in the EU is a success, but other regional and national governments aren't as particular as the EU. That said, just two weeks back Epic landed a massive goal that only a few outlets covered: (o2, Movistar, Vivo). While it's not Epic's clear ultimate goal - the ability to be freely downloaded and used on all mobile devices, without any restrictions or charges - it does skip that step by having it preinstalled on phones. For us here in the UK, (and subsequently Epic's) sphere of influence to Virgin Media, Vodafone and Three - all major players. While a Telefónica deal doesn't instantly prep paper for that preinstall situation to spread further, it certainly opens doors, and I know we'll see more on that in 2025. A few years on we had Apple and Google's own App Stores. The internet was flourishing and phone technology had rocketed forward - we had full web browsers and easy interfacing with our smartphones. Then came the APK stores, and eventually alternative webstores. However, sideloading aside, we also recently started to see streaming and subscriptions on the rise. In 2025 we'll have titles like Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero and Infinity Nikki out and on the market, all of them having players who freely strafe between mobile and PC. At the same time, games that cut their teeth on mobile - like Clash of Clans and Subway Surfers - are now available on PC through . I played Netease's Badlanders and Lilith's Rise of Kingdoms both on my PC and phone. Next year we'll see Microsoft's store launch after its delay , the giant took , not long before launching their , which posited that everything from phone to PC (anything with a browser) will be able to access the Xbox ecosystem. This happened while Nintendo kept playing with mobile, Sega doubled down into the space (they Rovio) and most major publishers keep expanding into the space. That and, let's not forget, Microsoft now have not only Activision & Blizzard, but King. A lot of this isn't new, of course. We've been talking about big names getting into mobile for years, but people haven't really put their finger on the why. It's not just because mobile is often the battleground for new mechanics and monetisation techniques, but it's because you can scale mobile up to console, to PC and beyond... scaling PC or console down though... that's harder. So, now that everything (Discord, Netflix, Telegram, The New York Times... even LinkedIn) is a platform, and - through Microsoft and friends - is back, and Instant Games are on the rise, and subscriptions are more relevant than ever. Mobile gaming going to change, but it's going to be those inside the ecosystem that are going to be leading it, using these other technologies. If you look at popular 2018 turn-based strategy (and a personal favourite of our COO) Into the Breach you can see the single-screen singularity that we're entering into. You can play it on Switch, you can play it on iOS and Android and you can play it on Xbox, Playstation and PC too. This is facilitated by self-publishing and a string of partnerships, but critically, through casting from your phone, you can play it on everything from your phone to a cinema (or, probably bigger if you have a nice projector). You can, of course, run it natively through one of the other devices. As that little device in your hand gets smarter and more powerful, it's likely to wedge out most other, slower-moving gaming mediums like consoles - although I don't think 2025 is going to be the year for that. I do think that something that we'll be watching closely here at Pocket Gamer is how the Steam Deck encourages 'high tech, big budget' publishers to adopt a generational 'minimum' spec similar to console generations, and what that'll mean for wider adoption of 'mobile' teams and philosophies for 'mainstream' development. Anyway, 2024 is coming to a close and we've had a bumpy year, but the future is looking bright and exciting. Maybe we never left the creative 'wild west' in this industry, and it's time to fully embrace that again, especially here in the wild world of mobile.Published 5:39 pm Saturday, November 30, 2024 By Data Skrive The New Orleans Pelicans (4-16) are keeping their eye on six players on the injury report, including Brandon Ingram, ahead of a Sunday, December 1 game against the New York Knicks (11-8) at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have listed two injured players. The game tips at 6:00 PM ET. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Their last time out, the Knicks won on Friday 99-98 against the Hornets. Jalen Brunson’s team-leading 31 points paced the Knicks in the win. The Pelicans’ most recent outing was a 120-109 loss to the Grizzlies on Friday. The Pelicans got a team-leading 30 points from CJ McCollum in the loss. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get live and on-demand access to NBA games. Get tickets for any NBA game this season at StubHub. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .