Game companies delay events, make donations amid police brutality protests [Updated]

“Now is not the time,” Activision says of delayed Call of Duty content.

Game companies delay events, make donations amid police brutality protests [Updated]

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Activision is delaying the launch of new seasonal content in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Call of Duty: Mobile amid continuing protests over police brutality and the taped killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

"Now is not the time," publisher Activision wrote on Twitter of the previously planned release of new Call of Duty content. "Right now it's time for those speaking up for equality, justice, and change to be seen and heard. We stand alongside you."

Activision's delay came just hours after Sony delayed a planned press event to promote the PlayStation 5, saying that "we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration... For now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard." And earlier in the day Monday, EA Sports delayed a planned online "celebration" of the upcoming Madden NFL 21, "because this is bigger than a game, bigger than sports, and needs all of us to stand together and commit to change."

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After Crew Dragon soars, some in Congress tout benefits of commercial space

“The House bill you referenced, I think, is unfortunate.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and US Rep. Brian Babin stand in front of a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket at Space Center Houston on Sunday.

Enlarge / Sen. Ted Cruz, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and US Rep. Brian Babin stand in front of a flight-proven Falcon 9 rocket at Space Center Houston on Sunday. (credit: Space Center Houston)

Although the saying probably originated with one of the greatest Roman historians, Tacitus, President John F. Kennedy popularized the phrase—"Success has a hundred fathers, and defeat is an orphan." This aphorism can be applied to commercial space now that SpaceX has successfully launched two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on a Falcon 9 rocket inside Dragonship Endeavour.

Since this flight, several congressional leaders have begun speaking more about commercial space, an approach in which private companies self-invest in their hardware, own their vehicle, and sell services to NASA. Prior to Dragon's flight, no private spacecraft had ever flown humans into orbit before—only large government space programs in the United States, Russia, and China had done it. Now, private companies such as SpaceX are demonstrating their capabilities.

US Rep Brian Babin, a Texas Republican whose district includes Johnson Space Center, offered fulsome praise for SpaceX and its achievement after Dragon's flight. "Congratulations to SpaceX, who have never quit, and who have really revolutionized the launch business, and bringing costs down," he said. "These are going to be a great boon to our space program going into the future."

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MSI’s new Cubi mini PCs are available with Intel Gemini Lake or Comet Lake chips

MSI is launching two new small form factor computers to its lineup. The new MSI Cubi 5 10M is a 4.9″ x 4.9″ x 2.1″ computer with a starting price of $549 and support for up to an Intel Core i7-10510U Comet Lake processor, while the MS…

MSI is launching two new small form factor computers to its lineup. The new MSI Cubi 5 10M is a 4.9″ x 4.9″ x 2.1″ computer with a starting price of $549 and support for up to an Intel Core i7-10510U Comet Lake processor, while the MSI Cubi N is a 4.6″ x 4.4″ x 1.8″ model with […]

Former Police Officer Handed 12 Month Sentence For Selling Pirate TV Devices

A former police officer, currently serving a six-year sentence for running a cannabis farm, was handed an additional 12 months inside yesterday for running a pirate streaming operation. Daniel Aimson, who sold piracy-configured devices and ran an online streaming portal, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

IPTVOver the years there have been many claims that people involved in piracy are linked to other areas of criminality but a case concluded yesterday probably wasn’t the leading example the authorities had in mind.

In 2017, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) assisted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) launched an investigation into Daniel Aimson, who at the time was a serving officer with the force. Another matter, which we’ll come to shortly, triggered an investigation into Aimson’s finances and his connection to A1MSN Ltd, a company registered in the UK during October 2016 directed by his then-wife, Rachel Aimson.

It transpired that this company, which described itself as being involved in the “retail sale of audio and video equipment in specialized stores”, was being used to supply piracy-configured IPTV devices providing access to sport and movies for a monthly subscription.

According to GMP, the company also sold pirate streaming subscriptions that allowed users to log into a web-based portal where the content could be viewed without the need for a dedicated device.

“Over a seven-month period between January to August 2017, the turnover for just one of the accounts linked to the company was in excess of £300,000, none of which was declared to HMRC,” GMP said in a statement.

“Further analysis of the account revealed that between September 2016 and May 2017, approximately 1,640 illicit IPTV devices were sold.”

Alleged losses for SKY TV

In September 2017, Aimson was arrested at his home under suspicion and fraud and he was suspended from his role with the police. An analysis by Sky TV suggested it could have lost around £5 million in official subscriptions but a figure of $2.124m is now being cited by GMP.

Yesterday, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, a judge at Manchester Crown Court sentenced the former police officer to 12 months in prison.

“Aimson was making enormous amounts of money from what he knew to be an illegal activity,” commented Detective Constable Paul Bayliss of Greater Manchester Police.

“He was a police employee with a good career. That is now in tatters and he’s facing a lengthy prison sentence during which to contemplate his foolish and deceitful actions.”

While 12 months may sound like a long time in prison, many offenders spend just half of their sentences behind bars. However, Daniel Aimson’s case goes much deeper than that, something that went unmentioned in the force’s statement this morning.

Already Serving a Six-Year Sentence for Drugs Offenses

According to the archives of the Manchester Evening News, in 2015 when Daniel Aimson was still a serving officer, he and several other individuals were producing cannabis on a commercial scale. One of the growing locations was leased using the identity of the member of the public after Aimson stole the individual’s driving license during a spot check.

Aimson’s farms continued to produce cannabis for at least 30 months but in June 2017 the operation was raided by police and shut down.

“He (Aimson) was seen at various stages on his own CCTV hard drive to wear a t-shirt depicting the lead character Walt in the hit TV series called Breaking Bad,” Prosecutor Owen Edwards previously commented.

“In his various text messages it is clear that Aimson reveled in his double life as officer and criminal.”

IPTV Piracy Continued While Aimson Was On Bail

While Aimson was on bail for the drugs offenses, financial investigators found links to his still-operating set-top box business, his wife’s limited company through which they were sold, and bank accounts operated by other family members used to handle the money.

In 2017, Aimson was handed a prison sentence of six years and four months for running the cannabis operation. Yesterday, just two and a half years into that sentence, he was handed an additional 12 months inside for selling the pirate TV devices.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

G7-Gipfel mit Russland – und ohne Merkel?

Donald Trump will das Format modernisieren und auch Südkorea, Indien und Australien dabei haben – aber nicht die Chinesen

Donald Trump will das Format modernisieren und auch Südkorea, Indien und Australien dabei haben - aber nicht die Chinesen