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BioMatrix introduces PoY, the world's first UBI token with 60 years Issuance Commitment
Entering the digital future, I have had the chance to explore BioMatrix's cutting-edge blockchain platform. As a technology enthusiast, the idea of the Proof of You (PoY) token caught my attention at first, especially with its pledge to "distribute wealth in a fair and equitable manner."
The selling point of the PoY token is that it is not just a digital asset, but it is an integral part of the company's Universal Basic Income (UBI) distribution strategy, which is designed to connect the user's biological identity to blockchain technology - an important development that could help bridge financial divides around the world.
At its recent launch in Dubai, the BioMatrix platform showcased its potential to redefine the UBI landscape. Like many other secure platforms, BioMatrix is built with user empowerment in mind, and leverages advanced AI and blockchain technology to facilitate its ecosystem growth and expansion. However, the key difference that sets BioMatrix apart from other UBI platforms is using newer cryptography solutions like Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) to protect user privacy and security.
TSMC doesn't need ASML's new High-NA EUV lithography machines for its next-gen A16 process
TSMC has said that its new chip manufacturing technology -- A16 -- will enter production in the second half of 2026, where it will be in a semiconductor battle with Intel for the world's fastest chips.
During a news conference in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) executives said that AI chip makers will be the first adopters of its new A16 process technology rather than smartphone makers like Apple.
Intel came out banging its chest in February this year, saying that with its new High-NA EUV lithography machines from ASML, the company would make the world's fastest chips in the coming years with its new Intel 14A process node. TSMC's senior vice president of business development, Kevin Zhang, told reporters that TSMC has developed its new A16 process node quicker than expected, thanks to the insatiable demand from AI chip companies like NVIDIA.
Noctua's new NH-L12Sx77 low-profile CPU cooler is perfect for small form-factor SFF PCs
Putting together a small form factor (SFF) gaming PC, or productivity PC, can be a lot of fun, as you can fit some serious hardware inside sleek and stylish cases like the Fractal Design Terra.
As one of the premier brands for high-performance and stylish cooling, Noctua has introduced a new low-profile CPU cooler designed specifically for SFF builds: the Noctua NH-L12Sx77. It's an improved (and taller) version of its acclaimed NH-L12S cooler, offering improved thermal performance and more clearance for RAM modules and motherboard heatsinks.
Like the previous model, it includes a Noctua fan preinstalled underneath the fin stack. The fan blows upwards, which Noctua describes as "ideal in compact cases that typically have a perforated panel right above the cooler." With that in mind, Noctua says the NH-L12Sx77 is perfect for smaller chassis like the Fractal Design Terra, SilverStone Milo MILO 12, and Louqe RAW S1.
NVIDIA DLSS 3, Reflex, and ray tracing is coming to open world tactical FPS Gray Zone Warfare
Gray Zone Warfare is a new Unreal Engine 5-powered realistic tactical FPS set on a mysterious island in Southeast Asia that is coming soon to PC (via Early Access on Steam). Described as "a vast MMO open world with PvEvP and PvE gameplay, it's currently one of the most wish-listed games on Steam.
As part of its weekly DLSS update, NVIDIA has confirmed that the game will launch with DLSS 3 Frame Generation, Super Resolution, and NVIDIA Reflex support. This will be useful because the game features real-time ray tracing via Unreal Engine 5's Lumen lighting system.
The other game getting DLSS 3 support this week is the DLC for the popular co-op looter shooter Remnant II. The launch of the Remnant II: The Forgotten Kingdom DLC/expansion supports DLSS 3 and Frame Generation, boosting performance by up to 3.5X.
New Halo Infinite Banished Honor pass criticized for lack of unlockables
Halo Infinite fans aren't happy with the new free operation pass.
Halo Infinite's new Operation: Banished Honor battle pass rolls out on April 30, bringing a new 20-tier track of digital goods for gamers to unlock. Only...the tiers are a bit lackluster compared to previous passes. There's a big reason for that: 343 Industries wants to make sure you have enough UNSC space bucks to spend on bonus trinkets.
The devs just announced that Spartan Points are coming to Halo Infinite. That's not a premium currency--Infinite already has credits, which are sold for real money. Instead, Spartan Points are a "soft" currency that can be earned by playing the game. SP will roll out alongside the new Banished Honor pass, but there's just one issue: Spartan Points--which are free--apparently make up a big proportion of the free operation pass.
Spartan Points are coming to Halo Infinite
Spartan Points are coming to Halo Infinite, but thankfully they're still free.
343 Industries today announced some changes coming to Halo Infinite's cosmetic rewards. The developer will be introducing Spartan Points to Halo Infinite as part of the Operation: Banished Honor event on April 30, a new type of "soft" currency that isn't sold for real money. Halo Infinite will soon have Credits as the premium currency, and Spartan Points as the soft currency.
Spartan Points were originally introduced to the Halo Master Chief Collection in 2022, and back then, 343i had originally wanted to charge money for the points and sell them as premium currency. Massive backlash forced the studio to abandon these plans. The system is similar to the cR economy found in Halo Reach.
Continue reading: Spartan Points are coming to Halo Infinite (full post)
Stellar Blade climbs PlayStation's best-sellers list as positive reviews roll out
New PlayStation exclusive Stellar Blade appears to get a sales lift from positive reviews.
Reviews for Shift Up's new femme fatale action game are in, and the dust has settled on a strong 82 out of 100 on Metacritic. It looks like these positive reviews may have boosted Stellar Blade's game sales in the United States.
Stellar Blade has enjoyed a boosted position on the PlayStation Store's top 25 best-selling games. The Korean hack-and-slash is now in the #12 spot, beating out Overwatch 2 and Fallout 76 while brushing up against the mighty Roblox. At #12, Stellar Blade is higher today than it has been since I started tracking sales data a week ago. Just yesterday, Stellar Blade was at #17 - on April 17, Steller Blade was #21.
New Apple TV+ TV show details Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton and the trailer's here
Apple TV+ has announced a new trailer for The Big Cigar, a new upcoming limited series that will see André Holland star as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton. The show will also star Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P. J. Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie and Glynn Turman.
The Big Cigar will make its global debut on May 17 with the first two episodes made available to stream on Apple TV+ around the globe. From there, viewers can expect new episodes to be made available every Friday through to the season's conclusion on June 14.
The six-episode show is based on the magazine article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman who also happens to serve as the show's executive producer. The show tells the true story of what Apple calls Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution. It tells the story of Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider. Amazingly, the whole plan involved a fake movie production and the escapade did not go according to plan. In fact, Apple says, it went wrong in every way that it possibly could.
Apple's best-ever iPhones could be behind a slowdown in new device activations
There once was a time when the iPhone could do no wrong and Apple couldn't make them quickly enough to keep up with demand, but those times are now few and far between. According to a new report by the researchers at CIRP, Apple's share of the US smartphone activations has taken a tumble despite the fact that the report believes that Apple's installed user base is still higher.
The number of smartphone activations for Apple topped out at 40% in the first and second quarter of 2023, the report notes, But Apple experienced a new smartphone activation decline to 33%, a full third of all smartphone activations, in the United States during the first quarter of 2024. You don't have to be too great at maths to know that the figure means that two-thirds of all smartphone devices are not iPhones - and that means that they're all running Android.
The reason for that isn't always easy to come up with, but CIRP believes that Apple may be a victim of its own success. The latest iPhones are so good and they last for so long that people simply don't see the need to update so often.
Apple reportedly working on its own chips for use in AI servers
Hot on the heels of huge success in designing its own custom chips for use in Macs, iPhones, iPads, and more, Apple is now reportedly turning its attention to designing the chips that will power its future AI endeavors. Apple is strongly thought to be working on new AI features for the iPhone and its other platforms and while some of the large language models and other components will run on those devices, a server in the cloud will also be required for some features. Now, it's thought Apple is working to design the chips that will power those servers.
That's according to a poster on the Weibo Chinese social network, at least. The user is said to have 25 years of experience in the integrated circuit industry, including work on the famous Intel Pentium chips, and suggests that the new AI server chips will be based on TSMC's 3nm manufacturing process. That process is already used to produce Apple's M3 Mac and future iPad chips as well as the A17 Pro that powers its best iPhones.
TSMC has long been a key partner in Apple's supply chain and is already producing some of its most important chips, including those that power the new Apple Vision Pro spatial computer. That means it's the obvious choice to produce future AI server components as well, and it's easy to see why Apple might want to go that route. By designing its own chips Apple can ensure that it has full control over what they can do and how they work. It's a process that has stood Apple in good stead in other products, and there is little reason why it won't do the same server-side.
Continue reading: Apple reportedly working on its own chips for use in AI servers (full post)
Apple Watch X tipped to feature a thinner logic board, likely be thinner overall
The next non-Ultra Apple Watch may be thinner than previous models if a new report suggesting a thinner logic board turns out to be accurate. It's reported that the new Apple Watch will use resin-coated copper, a move which will allow Apple to make the wearable's logic board thinner than previous iterations.
Resin-coated copper is a thin layer of copper foil coated with a resin and while it's thought that such a move would have multiple benefits to the Apple Watch, the ability to make the logic board thinner is one that could be particularly notable.
By making the logic board thinner Apple could theoretically open up extra space within the wearable's chassis, allowing that space to be used for other things. The most obvious use would be to allow Apple to make the Apple Watch's battery larger, improving battery life. But it's also possible that Apple could simply make the overall Apple Watch thinner, a move that would be well received by some. However, with Apple thought to be working on new sensors that could monitor blood pressure and glucose levels, it's also possible that the saved space could be taken up by those sensors.