Month: December 2020

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  L-R: Luigi Mario, Super Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and Mario Mario, posing at Universal Studios Japan's upcoming Super Nintendo World theme park in Osaka. [credit: Nintendo / Universal Studios Japan ]

On Friday, Nintendo and Universal Studios Japan took the veil off a years-in-the-making project: the very first Nintendo-themed theme park, appropriately named Super Nintendo World. And who better to introduce the world to this life-sized walk through all things Mario than the character's creator himself, longtime Nintendo developer and designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

The 15-minute video, embedded at the end of this article, revolved largely around the park's introductory moments, which are full of Super Mario melodies and interactive elements. Many of the park's decorations and objects can be interacted with by park visitors who wear a special wristband, dubbed the Power-Up Band, which includes an Amiibo-like NFC chip. Press its sensor near park objects like a Super Mario coin block, and a new virtual item will appear in a synced Super Nintendo World app on your smartphone. Exactly how these virtual items will affect your visit to Super Nintendo World remains unclear, but Miyamoto-san hinted to surprising attractions and hidden interactable panels for park visitors to discover in person. (Additionally, those Power-Up Bands will double as Amiibo for compatible hardware, like Nintendo Switch.)

Only one "ride" received a showcase in the video, albeit a brief one: a Mario Kart race against Bowser. It's hosted inside a replica of Bowser's castle, and visitors will sit in one of a series of Mario-styled go-karts that appear to be linked on a rollercoaster-like track, as opposed to freely controllable. Exactly what visitors will see on that ride remains unclear, but previous news about the ride's augmented reality (AR) elements was reinforced with the first official look at the park's AR glasses, which come attached to a Super Mario hat.

Enlarge / Microsoft has so far neither confirmed nor denied Bloomberg's claims regarding in-house CPU designs. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Grid Engine)

This afternoon, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft is in the process of developing its own ARM CPU designs, following in the footsteps of Apple's M1 mobile CPU and Amazon's Graviton datacenter CPU.

Bloomberg cites off-record conversations with Microsoft employees who didn't want to be named. These sources said that Microsoft is currently developing an ARM processor for datacenter use and exploring the possibility of another for its Surface line of mobile PCs.

Bloomberg's sources paint the datacenter part as "more likely" and a Surface part as "possible." This seems plausible, given that Microsoft's chip design unit reports to the Azure cloud VP, with no direct reporting ties to the Surface division. Microsoft declined to comment on any specific plans, saying only that it "[continues] to invest in our own capabilities in areas like design, manufacturing and tools, while also fostering and strengthening partnerships with a wide range of chip providers."

Enlarge / Microsoft has so far neither confirmed nor denied Bloomberg's claims regarding in-house CPU designs. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Grid Engine)

This afternoon, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft is in the process of developing its own ARM CPU designs, following in the footsteps of Apple's M1 mobile CPU and Amazon's Graviton datacenter CPU.

Bloomberg cites off-record conversations with Microsoft employees who didn't want to be named. These sources said that Microsoft is currently developing an ARM processor for datacenter use and exploring the possibility of another for its Surface line of mobile PCs.

Bloomberg's sources paint the datacenter part as "more likely" and a Surface part as "possible." This seems plausible, given that Microsoft's chip design unit reports to the Azure cloud VP, with no direct reporting ties to the Surface division. Microsoft declined to comment on any specific plans, saying only that it "[continues] to invest in our own capabilities in areas like design, manufacturing and tools, while also fostering and strengthening partnerships with a wide range of chip providers."

Enlarge / Protests by medical staff took place both inside and out of the hospital. (credit: Ars Technica)

One of the more challenging aspects of the initial round of vaccinations is deciding who gets the first doses of a limited supply. The need to have a functional medical system in the face of an out-of-control pandemic has meant that most places have prioritized doctors and nurses who provide most face-to-face patient care. But an apparent failure to prioritize those caregivers at Stanford Medical Center has caused many of its doctors to stage protests today.

Ars received a copy of an open letter sent by the Chief Medical Residents to the Stanford administration that outlines the problems that sparked these protests.

In the US, a residency occurs after the completion of medical school, and is a requirement for the practice of medicine. Residents typically operate under the supervision of a physician in a training program at teaching hospitals, and they learn to practice a specialized branch of medicine, such as internal medicine or pediatrics. In many cases, residencies are followed by fellowships, which are used to develop further specializations. Because these positions are both temporary and required for practicing medicine, however, those occupying them have little political weight within hospitals.