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Disney has hopped into the realm of being play with the knob of time, as the company has developed a new AI tool that is capable of winding back the clock for actors.

The new artificial intelligence tool is called the Face Re-aging Network (FRAN), and is capable of automatically changing the age of actors, which will undoubtedly speed up the visual effects editing process that already takes several months to days, depending on the length of the content being altered. Manual de-aging typically involves an individual going through every single frame of the film and painting the appropriate effect onto the actor's skin. Another way is completely replacing the actor with a digital puppet to speed up the editing process.

Now, Disney plans on putting the majority of that heavy lifting onto the shoulders of an AI, specifically FRAN, that the company says already complements traditional re-aging techniques that are already widely used in film production. So, how does it work, and why is it better than what's already out there? According to Disney's paper and website, FRAN is able to detect specific regions of the face that can emphasize the age of the person and adjust them independently of the rest of the face. An example of this would be identifying an individuals wrinkles and winding the clock forward/backward to add/remove them.

Over the weekend, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter Spaces while he was flying from one location to another via his private jet.

Musk spoke to the public on Saturday, and during the talk, the Twitter owner was asked several questions about what the future looks like for Twitter and his plans surrounding tackling some of the platform's main issues, such as bot/spam accounts. Musk was asked how he plans to remove bot/spam accounts from Twitter 2.0, to which Musk replied, "I will defeat the bots. It's a war, and we are gonna win that war. We will expose those who want to manipulate people."

Additionally, the Tesla CEO explained that many of the bots are acting "in concert", and that engineers at Twitter are planning on developing software that will enable the bot influence to be controlled by Twitter. "Those software tools haven't been written, but we will make them", said Musk.

The relationship between Apple and Elon Musk has seemingly been repaired after the Twitter owner announced that Apple has "fully resumed" it's advertising on the social media platform.

At the end of last month, Elon Musk announced that Apple threatened to without Twitter from its App Store, which sparked a fully-fledged offensive response from the Twitter owner where he targeted Apple's stance on freedom of speech, its 30% tax on all in-app purchases, and claimed it censored select developers on its App Store.

Additionally, Musk said that Apple had significantly reduced its advertising on Twitter, with The New York Times then reporting that Apple stopped advertising on Twitter completely following the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs on November 19. However, the publication notes that a lot of advertisers roll back their ads on Twitter after tragic events and disasters such as shooting as they don't want their brand name and/or advertisements for their products to appear alongside posts about human tragedy.

CD Projekt RED says that the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel will not enter pre-production phases of development until 2024.

CD Projekt has a lot on its plate right now. The company is currently working on five Witcher projects, including a new Witcher trilogy, and is also making Cyberpunk 2077's big new Phantom Liberty expansion. And once that's done, the teams will target Project Orion, a new sequel set in the Cyberpunk universe. It might be some time before Orion is ready, though.

In a recent investor's Q&A session, CD Projekt president Adam Kicinski confirms that Project Orion's development won't start in 2023. Instead, pre-production will not begin until 2024 at the earliest. After Phantom Liberty releases, teams will shift over to Orion and start the concepting phase which begins before pre-production. This will see various aspects of the game being planned and plotted out.

CD Projekt clarifies the planned release timings for its new upcoming Witcher projects and games.

There's a lot of new Witcher games in development right now. CD Projekt is currently working on and/or planning at least five separate Witcher projects, including the Witcher 3 next-gen update planned for release on December 14, a brand new mainline Witcher trilogy that's codenamed Polaris, a new separate game codenamed Sirius from The Molasses Flood that will have multiplayer elements, and Canis Majoris, which is the new Witcher 1 remake built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5.

So when will these projects come out? In a recent Q&A session with investors, CD Projekt Group management confirms that the first chapter of Polaris will release before The Witcher 1 remake. The two games--Polaris part 1 and Canis Majoris--will enter parallel development and CD Projekt will work on both games at the same time. Once Polaris is released, Canis Majoris will be able to borrow assets, content, and tools from the episodic game.

Epic Games overhauls Fortnite with a big visual makeover thanks to the power of Unreal Engine 5.

Fortnite Chapter 4 is here and it's been completely reborn in Unreal Engine 5.1 with new high-end effects and visual tweaks. The game looks absolutely incredible for Fortnite, and is a kind of proof-of-concept design of what live service F2P shooters could look like utilizing the new engine toolset.

The new radical update was made possible thanks to Unreal Engine 5.1's optimized tech, including Nanite, which allows tons of extra detail thanks to its virtualized polygons, and Lumen, which adds ray-traced reflections and real-time global lighting effects to create a whole new sense of realism for the cartoony shooter.

The FTC could greenlight the $68.7 billion Microsoft-Activision merger in order to avoid a tie vote, sources tell The New York Post.

FTC Chairperson Lina Khan could give her blessing to the Microsoft-Activision merger in order to avoid potential fallout from a split vote. The FTC currently has four members of its panel that are scrutinizing the merger including three Democrats (Lena Khan, Rebecca Slaughter, and Alvaro Bedoya) and one Republican (Christine Wilson).

Sources say that Wilson and Slaughter may vote to approve the merger, with Khan and Bedoya moving to block it, leading to a split tie vote. Sources say this could undermine Lina Khan's authority over the regulator and she would instead proceed to approve the merger.

ICY DOCK has teased not one, but two new add-in cards for your PC that support both PCIe Gen5 M.2 + E1.S SSDs, with both add-in cards rocking active cooling to keep those super-fast PCIe 5.0 SSDs nice and cool.

The first one we're looking at today is the ICY DOCK CP073-1 which supports two regular PCIe Gen5 M.2 SSDs that get mounted through the sides of the shroud, with a fully tool-less design that makes them easy to get up and running.

ICY DOCK supports up to 2280/2580 form factor M.2 SSDs, with the design of the ICY DOCK CP073-1 including an active fan -- a 50mm blower fan -- with exhaust vents on the front and an aluminum heatsink on the shroud. There are some LED indicators on the front of the PCIe 5.0 SSD add-in card, too.

Global entry! We have teamed up with TEAMGROUP to give away two of its awesome T-Force VULCAN Z SATA III SLC 2TB SSDs to two lucky winners.

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Intel has come out swinging in a big way celebrating the 75th anniversary of the transistor, where at IEDM 2022 (the International Electron Devices Meeting) that the company is aiming for 10x density improvements in packaging technology, using a novel material that is just 3 atoms thick in order to advance transistor scaling.

Intel has unveiled its latest research breakthroughs that are fueling the innovation pipeline in order to keep Moore's Law on track towards 1 trillion transistors by the year 2030, where at the IEDM 2022 conference, Intel researchers showed off the latest advancements in 3D packaging technology.

The researchers showcased a huge 10x improvement in density, using novel materials for 2D transistor scaling beyond RibbonFET, including a super-thin material that is just 3 atoms thick. This will pave the way for massive improvements in energy efficiency and memory for higher-performing computing, as well as more advancements in the world of quantum computing.

GEEKOM is celebrating Christmas this year early by offering up its MiniAir 11 small form factor computer for just an incredible $179. Normally, it sells for $229, but when applying the $50 off coupon code XMAIR11A, you will only pay $179. There's also a MiniAir 11 Special Edition kit available, which we will discuss below.

GEEKOM's MiniAir 11 is a tiny little system weighing just 500 grams and measuring just 117 x 112 x 34.2mm. It is powered by Intel's 11th Gen Celeron N5095 (4M Cache, up to 2.90 GHz) TDP 15W processor and Intel's UHD 605 graphics. It comes installed with 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4 SO-DIMM memory modules in dual-channel mode, with upgradability up to 32GB if required. Also included is a 256GB 2280 M.2 PCIe/SATA SSD, which is upgradable to a 1TB drive.

As far as connectivity goes, you get the following assortment of ports which is impressive for such a tiny system.

AMD's new Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics cards are only a week or so from release -- December 13 to be precise -- but now SAPPHIRE's own Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT reference graphics cards have been spotted on Amazon.

SAPPHIRE's official Amazon US store has both of the cards listed in reference form, which are no different to AMD's in-house Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT reference graphics cards. Just to note, they are the reference GPUs... not the factory-overclocked, custom models with higher-end, better cooling solutions. But, you do have the standard dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors, versus the 3 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors on SAPPHIRE's higher-end Radeon RX 7900 series solutions.

The two cards spotted on Amazon are: the Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (21322-01-20G) Gaming Graphics Card with 24GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA 3, as well as the cut-down Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (21323-01-20G) Gaming Graphics Card with 20GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA 3.

PowerColor has shown off a bit more of its upcoming Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT Hellhound graphics cards, ahead of the big Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT launch on December 13.

The new PowerColor Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT Hellhound graphics cards will both sport a 14-layer PCB, with a 20-phase VRM which matches the just-teased SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 7900 series NITRO graphic cards. However, PowerColor will require dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors which brings the Radeon RX 7900 series Hellhound cards in line with AMD's own in-house reference RX 7900 series design.

PowerColor is using a huge GPU direct-contact copper plate area that measures in at 91 x 89 x 2.6mm, which will cover both the GPU and the GDDR6 memory: both the 24GB GDDR6 on the flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX Hellhound and the 20GB of GDDR6 on the Radeon RX 7900 XT Hellhound graphics cards.

I don't know why people try to do this, but I don't think it'll ever stop either... but a Chinese woman who pretended to be pregnant tried to smuggle over 200 full Intel 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" CPUs through customs with a prosthetic belly. Yeah, a fake pregnancy.

Chinese customs authorities report that a woman named "Zhao" from Zhuhai, Guangdong, recently entered Macau and was on her way back to China mainland through the Gongbei Port in Zhuhai, but walking through, Chinese customs authorities noticed something wasn't right... and that's when the inspection began.

Zhao said that she was around 5-6 months pregnant, but once the Chinese customs authorities had a closer look, they discovered she had a fake prosthetic belly attached. The size of the belly made the woman look like she was 5-6 months pregnant, but she was still walking comfortably. Underneath her top once the fake prosthetic belly was taken away, the authorities discovered 202 Intel "Alder Lake" CPUs and even 9 smartphones... all held together with scotch tape, and more.

Hideo Kojima has released three new cryptic symbols to build intrigue for his next project.

Right now Hideo Kojima is working on as many as two projects, including Death Stranding 2 and a new interactive horror game for Xbox's cloud streaming platform (codenamed OVERDOSE). Kojima has continued his penchant for secretive and often bizarre game teasers with a series of mysterious promo images that previously confirmed that both Elle Fanning and Deadpool 2 actress Shiola Kutsuna will star in the project. Symbols and logos accompanied these reveals.

Kojima is back with a new symbol depicting the Automated Public Assistance Company. No one knows exactly what these symbols are referring to, but the major guess is that Kojima is teasing Death Stranding 2 and the PAC will be a faction in the game. The other logos, a strange-looking art deco gate or perhaps a bridge, and a kraken that has been stuck with multiple spears, may also indicate other factions to be featured in Death Stranding 2.

Todd Howard reveals why Bethesda RPGs went from immersive choice-driven character builds to a kind of jack-of-all-trades style where classes are no longer established.

One of the most jarring leaps from Oblivion to Skyrim was the elimination of all player stats. Endurance, Strength, Agility, Intelligence--all stat and attribute modifiers were removed. On a surface level, it appears this standardization (or casualization, if you prefer) was designed to make The Elder Scrolls more appealing to the masses by removing a lot of the customization and guesswork with specific builds from the get-go, and now Todd Howard discusses why those changes were made.

In a recent interview with Lex Fridman, the Bethesda designer confirms that newer games are built to be classless experiences in an effort to reduce friction and the need for starting a new character. Long gone are the days of Morrowind where you are simply stuck with the build you make on day 1--Bethesda wants players to be able to morph between builds in a more seamless way.

Netflix has just released a new trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin, a new prequel that explores the inception of Andrzej Sapkowski's mythical fantasy world.

Right now is not a good time for Witcher transmedia. Henry Cavill, who dedicated himself to the role of Geralt of Rivia as a Witcher franchise superfan, recently left the show amid reports that the writers did not respect the source material written by author Andrzej Sapkowski. Much to the extreme dismay of fans, Cavill has been replaced by Liam Hemsworth who will now portray Geralt in season 4.

We're getting more Witcher content before season 4 releases, though. Gamers will soon get to experience The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC with new high-level optimizations, features, and tweaks. Then 10 days later, Netflix will release a new TV series called Blood Origin, which is expected to depict the Conjunction of the Spheres event that helped shape the current monster-ridden landscape of Geralt's era.

HBO has released a new official trailer for its upcoming The Last of Us television series that's set to premiere next month.

HBO just dropped an action-packed 2-minute trailer for the anticipated The Last of Us show that reveals some interesting tidbits on what to expect. Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal give dramatic performances in the footage, which depicts everything from all-out explosive mayhem, cruel and merciless factions like the Fireflies militia, a very armed, very serious, and well-maned Nick Offerman, and some fearsome clickers.

One notable segment confirms that The Last of Us' Left Behind DLC will be portrayed in the series, showing Ellie and Riley goofing off at the mall. This should bring some much-needed levity and light-heartedness to the brutal violence of the post-apocalyptic world. Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann is directly involved with The Last of Us TV series and has even directed an episode of the show.

An asteroid approximately the size of the one that finished off the dinosaurs collided with the surface of Mars, causing a massive tsunami that changed hundreds of thousands of square miles.

The new study describes the great tidal waves as megatsunamis, with previous research attributing two megatsunami events triggered by two asteroid impacts that happened approximately 3.4 billion years ago. In an older study, researchers pointed to a 75-mile-wide crater called the Lomonosov Crater for the location of an asteroid impact that caused one of these massive waves.

Scientists estimated that the asteroid that created the Lomonosov Crater created a tsunami that covered 309,000 square miles of land. Newer research is indicating that a second megatsunami that covered 386,000 miles of land was caused by an asteroid that carved a 69-mile-wide Pohl Crater. The massive diameter of the Pohl Crater leads researchers to believe that the asteroid that created it was about the same size as the 6-mile-wide asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.

The US Air Force has unveiled a new stealth bomber that is being described as the "most advanced military aircraft ever built".

The United States Air Force has unveiled its first new bomber in more than 30 years, the B-21 Raider, developed by Northrop Grumman, is a stealth bomber that was recently showcased at an invite-only event. An Air Force spokesperson informed Air Force Magazine of the unveiling and said that the aircraft isn't expected to take to the skies until next year.

Notably, Northrop Grumman will be conducting its own unveiling of the aircraft on December 2, and the event was streamed to YouTube. During the presentation, Northrop Grumman claimed that the B-21 Raider is the "world's first sixth-generation aircraft", putting it far beyond any other current aircraft in terms of capabilities than what is known to the public.