xQc has built a reputation for failing to show up to events after making a commitment

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 22, 2023--

New constraints on US investments in advanced technology in China will exacerbate a slump in deals between the world's top two economies and deliver a "major blow" to Chinese startups, analysts and investors told CNN Thursday.

Meta has launched its new “Threads” app, widely thought to be an attempt to succeed Twitter. Threads is branded as an Instagram app and built by its team, but is focused on text updates, like Twitter. Users log into the separate app using their Instagram account and can then post up to 500 character text updates, which can also include photos and videos. Meta says that it has built the foundations of the app to be “open” and “interoperable” so that it can work alongside other social networks in the future. The company intends to support the ActivityPub technology that has been developed as a way of allowing other apps – such as Mastodon and Tumblr – to work together. Twitter was not mentioned in the announcement of Threads, despite its clear competition with the app. The launch of Threads comes at a difficult time for Twitter, which has faced serious technical issues and lost some of its central functionality in recent days. Threads is just the latest in a range of apps looking to take over from Twitter amid criticism of that service. Others, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, have struggled with technical issues and other problems. The launch also comes as Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg plots a mixed martial arts fight with Mr Musk. Meta said that Threads was intended to “take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas”. “Just like on Instagram, with Threads you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests – including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond,” it said in its announcement. A number of those influencers and celebrities had already signed up to post on Threads, Meta said. That included everyone from Netflix to Shakira, and from mixed martial arts champion Francis Ngannou to novelty song creators Ladbaby. For everyone else, Meta said the app had been built to be easy to get started with. While users must download the separate Threads app, they can use their existing Instagram account to log in, which will bring over their username and verification status, before their profile can be customised for Threads. Other data will be carried over from the main Instagram account, including profiles that have been blocked. Other safety features include the ability to block certain words or hide particular profiles. Like with Instagram, the Threads feed will push content from creators that people have not explicitly chosen to follow. The main Instagram app has received some criticism from users over its heavily algorithmic feed, with users arguing that the algorithm is pushing content that they would prefer not to see over updates from people they have actually opted to follow. The app is available in the US and UK at launch. It is not available in the European Union, apparently because of privacy concerns over the fact that data will be shared between different Meta apps. Perhaps the biggest departure from both rival services and other Meta apps is the decision to allow the app to be interoperable with other similar social platforms. By building on the ActivityPub protocol, Threads will allow users to take their posts into another app, for instance, or follow updates from different platforms. “Threads is Meta’s first app envisioned to be compatible with an open social networking protocol – we hope that by joining this fast-growing ecosystem of interoperable services, Threads will help people find their community, no matter what app they use,” Meta said in its announcement. The company has already announced that it plans to bring similar interoperable design to its existing, more popular apps, by integrating Instagram DMs with WhatsApp, for instance. Those tools are yet to be announced. Read More Meta to launch Threads app that will rival Twitter - live Judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms Meta’s Twitter alternative Threads to be launched this week Instagram and Facebook reveal how their AI decides what you see Celebrity impersonators banned from Facebook protest outside Meta offices Meta rejects accusation of censorship of language around female body

Players can't get enough of Starfield. Find out if the game will get DLC.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 20, 2023--

Singer Pink has become an instant meme after fans get creative about handing her things during concerts. The foundation for the new meme was laid when a fan at a London festival threw a plastic packet containing their mother’s ashes at the American singer-songwriter, leaving her stunned, saying it was a “first” for her. It was followed up by another viral clip of a fan handing Pink a massive 3kg wheel of brie, which the singer appeared thrilled by. Pink gratefully took the cheese and showed it to the crowd before thanking the fan for the gift and giving them an air hug. The clip has sparked a whole host of new memes as fans have creatively Photoshopped random items in the place of the brie wheel. One person joked: “Fan hands P!NK a dishwasher during her show in London.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Another said: “A fan hands P!nk a priceless imperial Fabergé egg that had been missing since the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917.” “Fan hands P!nk Skinnygirl branded ham during her show in New York,” someone else shared. One Twitter user added: “Fan hands Pink the Dial of Destiny.” It’s not the first time in recent weeks that a performer has been surprised by an object at a show, as singer Bebe Rexha was struck in the face by a phone thrown at her by a fan. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

LOS ALTOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2023--

Valorant Night Market is coming on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET to offer players randomized, discounted gun skins.

Billionaire Elon Musk has demanded that he personally approves every new employee at Tesla in a leaked email. Musk is a co-founder and the CEO of Tesla and according to leaked emails, it appears the South African entrepreneur is wanting to take a more hands-on approach to his role there. According to Insider, Musk wants to approve every new employee the automotive company takes on, writing in a leaked email: “Think carefully before sending me the request,” adding, “No one can join Tesla, even as a contractor, until you receive my email approval.” The email was sent by Musk on Monday (15 May) morning in which he said he wanted “to gain a better understanding of our hiring”. It requested that executives send him a weekly list of prospective candidates for him to approve – a big task since the company hires on average 30,000 people per year. It comes as Musk recently announced a new chief executive will be taking over the running of Twitter after the billionaire acquired the platform in October 2022 becoming its CEO. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Linda Yaccarino, the former chief executive of NBCUniversal advertising, is set to take the helm as CEO in approximately six weeks' time, while Musk will undertake the chief technology officer role. The news may explain why Musk is now keen to take on a more hands-on role in the hiring at Tesla, particularly as shareholders in the company expressed concern in an open letter that Twitter had left him “distracted” and “overly focused on other ventures”. Last year, the automotive company said it received more than 3.6 million job applications and hired around 127,000 people through its competitive process. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Evercore's Kirk Materne and team now rate Oracle's stock at Outperform as opposed to In Line or Neutral earlier.

One unfortunate patient found out the hard way why you shouldn’t wear metal during an MRI after a butt plug they were using shot through their body. A post on Twitter that appeared to show a scan of a butt plug that caused “major injuries” lodged high up in someone’s body as a result of an MRI scan has gone viral, undoubtedly making many people clench in the process. In the post by Twitter user @BradiusZero, he explained why you should “Never wear a butt plug to your MRI appointment” and shared an image of a scan that appeared to show a butt plug lodged in a person's chest cavity. Alonside the image, a separate text message read: “Greatest personal injury case I've ever heard. An estimated Valley attorney, has picked up a client who is suing a sex toy company. Said client purchased a butt plug that was advertised as ‘100 percent silicone’. Client wears butt plug to MRI appointment. “Much to client's dismay, butt plug in fact has a metallic core. Butt plug is accelerated at the speed of sound…into client's chest cavity. Described in memo as an ‘anal rail gun’. Client survived with major injuries.” The post has been viewed 10.8 million times with many speculating on what was going on there. One person tweeted: “I’m glad they’re alive but I can’t help but think that the patient was trying to intentionally shock the doctors upon doing the MRI scan as a joke and it went horribly wrong.” Wearing metal in an MRI can be dangerous due to the magnetic force that is created by the machines which is approximately 1,000 times stronger than a typical fridge magnet. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.