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Theres an understandable and undeniable pall hanging over The Last of Us after last weeks shocker. And its the calm before the storm thatll make up the rest of the season: Ellie and Dinas trip to Seattle to track down Joels killers. But amid the sadness of that loss and the frustration of Ellie not getting the support of the town in her revenge plan is the absolute delight of seeing more of Ellie and Dina together. They were probably the highlight of the first episode their chemistry didnt immediately hit Joel and Ellie levels, but Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced were doing great work together right off the bat. Here, we get to see a lot more of them together, and Dinas combination of playfulness and planning is a solid counter to Ellies dry humor and impulsive nature. A great example is their trip to Seattle on horseback, as Dina challenges Ellie to name the best band she can think of for every letter of the alphabet, something Ellie eventually has quite enough of. Dina says she can come up with another game, and Ellie immediately quips they could just travel in silence, something Dina ignores and makes Ellie tell her about the first person she had to kill. Just the kind of lighthearted road trip companion Ellie needs right now. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO Dina is at her best in this episode when she barges in on Ellie planning for a midnight escape from the city to bring Abby to justice on her own. Earlier in the episode, the Jackson town council votes down her proposal to assemble a large crew to go after the WLF group primarily because the town was so ravaged by the Infected horde the same day Joel was killed that they cant spare the people. Naturally, Ellie is ready to go rogue and go on her own, but shes not really ready. Dina shows up at her place, teases her for not planning to bring anything but guns, and lays out exactly what they need and what they dont. Oh, and she already has it all ready to go. Its a little too mean to say Ellie is not the brains of the operation, but shed almost certainly be in trouble without Dina. Beyond her practical skills, Dina flirts with Ellie constantly throughout the episode, asking Ellie to rate their kiss at the New Years Eve dance, teasing her about wanting to wear her Converse on a lengthy journey, whispering in Ellies ear that she is a badass after Ellie makes a dorky, action movie-style proclamation. But perhaps the most telling comment she makes is after they very briefly discuss that NYE kiss Ellie says Dina was high, Dina says Ellie was drunk, and they both agree it didnt really mean anything. They then turn off the light in their tent, and Dina cant help but say she wasnt that high. Ramsey and Merceds version of will they, wont they brings some much-needed levity to their situation. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO And to be clear, levity is much needed. Even though there isnt much real action, the fallout from Joels death and the Infected siege is all over this episode. It starts with Tommy slowly cleaning Joels body before the camera pulls out and shows a whole room of bodies covered with sheets. Thats followed by Ellie awakening in a hospital with a tube coming out of her chest; she then screams bloody murder at remembering what happened to her. Thats not to mention the sunrise visit to Joels grave where Ellie briefly smiles as she puts some coffee beans by his side, or her walk through his empty house where she finds his signature watch, revolver and jacket. Keep the tissues handy. While Ramseys Ellie is at her best when partnered with Dina, she also does some great work on her own the aforementioned hospital scene is chilling, but my favorite Ellie moments in this episode are when shes trying (and failing) to convince people shes okay. Her speech to the town assembly encouraging them to go after the WLF is not the off-the-cuff anger that Jesse encouraged her to avoid, but you can tell Ellie is just trying to placate the masses instead of saying what she really wants. The same goes for her conversation with Gail the therapist when she leaves the hospital, though Ellie doesnt even try to hide her therapy platitudes behind a veneer of belief. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO Oddly enough, its Seth (the bigot who got bowled over by Joel in episode one) who says what Ellie is really feeling, interrupting the meeting when someone objects to the plan to go to Seattle. Seth is enraged by what happened to a member of his community and thinks they should pursue justice at any cost. Its far from the most measured take, but it certainly feels like the most honest. Thus its not a huge surprise when hes ready to help Ellie and Dina as they slip out of town, offering them a load of supplies and insisting Ellie take his better rifle. He says hed go with them except for catching some friendly fire during the Infected battle, to which Ellie replies are you sure it was friendly? Shes clearly not ready to forgive him for his words, but a better gun, some supplies and a shared desire for revenge gets her close enough. She shakes his offered hand as they ride out of town. Infected Score: 0/10 The showrunners say season two will have more Infected than season one lets see if theyre sticking to their word. No Infected to be seen here, aside from some charred corpses around Jackson. Thats just fine with me after last weeks showdown.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-two-the-path-recap-the-calm-after-the-storm-before-the-storm-120036861.html?src=rss
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By all accounts, I am a good cook. Yet in all my years, I don't think I've ever made a wonderful batch of rice on the stovetop. Overcooking, undercooking, scorching; you name it, Ive done it. Those of us who grew up watching Alton Brown's insightful Good Eats cooking show may cling to the rule against bringing "unitaskers" into our kitchens, but I've decided that in order to more optimally enjoy my katsu, curries and burritos, it's time to bring in some specialized help.A rice cooker frees up your attention to do the rest of your food prep instead of babying your grains or abandoning them to a crispy, crunchy fate. I tested several options to find the best rice cookers that deliver delicious, fluffy rice every time, because life's too short to settle for disappointing food. Best rice cookers for 2025 How we test rice cookers Since rice is a foundation for so many different cuisines, I placed a high value on a machines ability to cook different grain types well. I started testing each rice cooker by making a Japanese style, sushi-grade white rice. The appliances that delivered tasty results moved on to the brown rice round, then the top performers made long-grain white basmati as a final challenge. Some models I tested included a steamer basket, but I didn't try all of them out. This is a rice-only party. Multi-cookers and steaming functions are merely a nice bonus in these, although if that's a feature you want, an instant pot might be more your jam. While I weighed rice tastiness and texture as the most important criteria, I also assessed how easy the machines were to use and to clean. Because a cool piece of gear that sits in your cabinet gathering dust is a cool, but ultimately useless piece of gear. I limited my testing to models retailing for less than $300, which felt like the most I could recommend investing in a specialized appliance, and value for cost wound up being the distinguishing point for my top picks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/best-rice-cooker-120015478.html?src=rss
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The UK's Children's Commissioner is calling for a ban on AI deepfake apps that create nude or sexual images of children, according to a new report. It states that such "nudification" apps have become so prevalent that many girls have stopped posting photos on social media. And though creating or uploading CSAM images is illegal, apps used to create deepfake nude images are still legal. "Children have told me they are frightened by the very idea of this technology even being available, let alone used. They fear that anyone a stranger, a classmate, or even a friend could use a smartphone as a way of manipulating them by creating a naked image using these bespoke apps." said Childrens Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza. "There is no positive reason for these [apps] to exist." De Souza pointed out that nudification AI apps are widely available on mainstream platforms, including the largest search engines and app stores. At the same time, they "disproportionately target girls and young women, and many tools appear only to work on female bodies." She added that young people are demanding action to take action against the misuse of such tools. To that end, de Souza is calling on the government to introduce a total ban on apps that use artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit deepfakes. She also wants the government to create legal responsibilities for GenAI app developers to identify the risks their products pose to children, establish effective systems to remove CSAM from the internet and recognize deepfake sexual abuse as a form of violence against women and girls. The UK has already taken steps to ban such technology by introducing new criminal offenses for producing or sharing sexually explicit deepfakes. It also announced its intention to make it a criminal offense if a person takes intimate photos or video without consent. However, the Children's Commissioner is focused more specifically on the harm such technology can do to young people, noting that there is a link between deepfake abuse and suicidal ideation and PTSD, as The Guardian pointed out. "Even before any controversy came out, I could already tell what it was going to be used for, and it was not going to be good things. I could already tell it was gonna be a technological wonder that's going to be abused," said one 16-year-old girl surveyed by the Commissioner. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 or you can simply dial 988. Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 (US), 686868 (Canada), or 85258 (UK). Wikipedia maintains a list of crisis lines for people outside of those countries.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/uk-regulator-wants-to-ban-apps-that-can-make-deepfake-nude-images-of-children-110924095.html?src=rss
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Forza Horizon 5 is the entire reason I have an Xbox Series S. Im not really a car guy in real life if money, practicality and burning through fossil fuels were less of a concern, Id get a fun hot hatch with a stick, for sure. I dont care about luxuries or exotics, and I drive a 12-year-old Prius C in real life. But Forza Horizon 5 so skillfully melds open-world exploration, intense competition and replayability while also letting me try out dozens of cars Ive daydreamed about driving that it felt like a must-buy. My colleague Jess Conditts review of Forza Horizon 5 in 2021 pushed me over the edge. A couple months later, I got my hands on my first Xbox console and had put a startling amount of time into the game; I was far more addicted than I expected and having an absolute blast. In the three-plus years since, I have fallen off it a bit. Its not a daily or weekly play at this point, but there are definitely times where it gets its hooks back into me and I hit my favorite tracks, try different cars or dive into the weekly challenges. And now, Forza Horizon 5 is available on the PS5, my preferred console. Its probably the biggest Xbox-born franchise to go cross-platform at this point and just the latest example of how Microsoft appears to be done thinking about console exclusives. More broadly, the company has given plenty of signs that consoles that sit under your TV arent its main priority moving a high-profile game like Forza Horizon 5 is just another example. It works for me, though, because it means I really dont need an Xbox anymore. I might keep it around for a bit, because Im a pack rat and there are still a handful of titles on Game Pass Id like to play at some point. But there are so few games that one needs an Xbox for at this point that I could dump it and really not miss much of a beat there are already tons of games Ill never get around to without worrying about Game Pass. And unsurprisingly, Forza Horizon 5 runs perfectly on the PS5. Everything that makes the game great on the Xbox shows up here, and I generally prefer the DualSense controller over the Xbox one. The triggers feel great for pumping the gas and brakes, and the haptic feedback is generally better too. Im a little sad to give up all my progression on the Xbox version specifically my garage full of cars Ive earned over the last few years. But, its also fun to start fresh and have a reason to unlock everything again and start fresh on the games many missions. Even though this game is three and a half years old, its still worth picking up now. Developer Playground Games has been consistently adding new content, including the Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure expansions from 2022 and 2023. And along with the PS5 launch, theres a new Horizon Realms feature (coming to all platforms) that rounds up 11 limited-time evolving world areas that were previously featured in seasonal updates. Im not expecting much more in the way of major content updates at this point, but if youre new to the game on PS5 there is more than enough to keep you busy for a long time. Playground Games Visually, the game matches its Xbox Series X counterpart, with 60 FPS performance mode and 30 FPS graphics mode. Its an upgrade over the Series S version Ive spent so much time with, as that console maxes out at 1440p, and there are graphical upgrades that go beyond just resolution. But Forza Horizon 5 is an absolutely gorgeous game regardless of what console youre playing on, and Im not a pixel junkie. If you have the game already on an Xbox console, theres no real reason to buy it on the PS5 unless youre looking to streamline how much is under your TV. As it turns out, thats where Im at right now. I need to cut back on my hoarding tendencies, and as much as I appreciate the tiny footprint of the Xbox Series S and the solid selection of Game Pass titles, I do not have unlimited space or time. I really appreciate what I got out of this little console over the years, but I dont think its a stretch to say that 75 percent of the time I used the Series S as a Forza machine. But hey, Microsoft got its cash from me and I got years of enjoyment, so Im not mad. I just hope if theres another Forza Horizon game in the future that it hits the PlayStation at the same time as the Xbox assuming there still is a console called Xbox, that is.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/forza-horizon-5-is-on-the-ps5-so-i-no-longer-need-an-xbox-110016202.html?src=rss
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Picture this: youre zooming through space in a torpedo-shaped ship doing the dangerous job of salvaging material in a planets cluttered orbit when some giant, alien cousin of a fangtooth fish pops up out of nowhere and starts chomping at your tail. Pretty stressful day at work if you ask me. One might even be forgiven for, ahem, accidentally crashing the ship in such conditions. In the Playdate game Suborbital Salvage, though, your supervisor isnt so sympathetic. Slam into an asteroid or drone and youll be ridiculed til kingdom come by the snarky cat who writes your performance reports. If the fish catches you with one of its enormous teeth, any resulting losses are your fault for feeding it (a violation of company policy). That cat has something to say about every slip-up you make, and its hilarious. In a weird way, it almost becomes part of the reward for finishing a run. Every time I catastrophically ended my turn, I wasnt only eager to see my scores, but also what new insult the cat would have ready for me. Your actual goal in Suborbital Salvage is to collect as many of the little C tokens as you can, and travel as far as possible while navigating a space filled with hazardous objects. Games Right Meow Controlling the ship is a bit tough at first, too. You have to use the crank to point it in the right direction, while also pressing the B button (or D-pad buttons) to fire the thrusters. The physics takes some getting used to and theres that fish chasing you all the while. The farther you get, the more complex the areas get, and youll have to dodge everything from asteroids and mines to what look like giant space mushrooms, and navigate through labyrinthine pipe systems. Flying through rings will give you a boost to get away from the fish, as will flipping the ship in a 360. The game had me on the edge of my seat concentrating on my survival at just about every second, but its not needlessly difficult. Once I got the hang of the controls and how my ship behaves, I was able to get pretty far. But there are leaderboards to show how you stack up against other players in the different areas of the mission salvage recovery, distance and overall performance which is always humbling. As are the remarks of that damn cat. Come for the thrilling space adventure, stay for the trash-talking feline. Some of my favorite lines so far include: I dont know if its occurred to you but You really should try flying through the rings, not into them; You know, most people try to steer AWAY from space rocks; and Are you between a rock and a hard place? No really. Where did you go? At one point, the cat simply said, Just be better. (In the Settings menu, there's an option to toggle the dialogue from Roast me to Shutup cat, but really, why would you do that?) Suborbital Salvage, by Games Right Meow, is available in the Playdate Catalog for $8.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/suborbital-salvage-is-a-thrilling-endless-runner-for-playdate-that-pelts-you-with-asteroids-and-insults-230014518.html?src=rss
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