Month: December 2022

Enlarge (credit: SOPA Images / Contributor | LightRocket)

After five people were killed and dozens more were injured in November during a shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado, Apple made what many would consider a very ordinary business decision to pause ads on Twitter temporarily. Two former Twitter employees told The New York Times that the tech company was protecting its brand by ensuring that Apple ads wouldn’t appear next to news reports of the mass shooting.

But Twitter CEO Elon Musk didn’t seem to connect the dots between the horrific event and Twitter’s biggest advertiser pulling ads from the platform. Instead, Musk sparked a rumor that Apple’s decision was about how Musk moderates Twitter content after he tweeted, “Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?”

Now, Bloomberg reports that Apple has “fully resumed” advertising on Twitter approximately two weeks after the Colorado shooting and days after Musk had a “good conversation” with Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to Musk. According to Reuters, Amazon is also investing big in Twitter advertising—committing $100 million a year—and joining other advertisers seemingly lured by the "biggest advertiser incentive ever" offered on Twitter.

Enlarge / Not pictured: the things that are far more dangerous to fortress-dwelling dwarves, like poor site planning, miasma, and a lack of drink.

After a long night of playing Dwarf Fortress, I had a concerned look on my face when I finally went to bed. My wife asked what was wrong. "I think I actually want to keep playing this," I said. I felt a nagging concern for many weeknights to come.

Available tomorrow on Steam and itch.io, the new version of Dwarf Fortress updates the legendary (and legendarily arcane) colony-building roguelike with new pixel-art graphics, music, some (default) keyboard shortcuts, and a beginners' tutorial. The commercial release aims to do two things: make the game somewhat more accessible and provide Tarn and Zach Adams, the brothers who maintained the game as a free download for 20 years, some financial security.

It may look simple, but these tips on how to cut down wood and where to stash it will probably save the average player at least an hour and maybe a couple of failed playthroughs. (credit: Kevin Purdy / Kitfox Games)

I know it has succeeded at its first job, and I suspect it will hit the second mark, too. I approached the game as a head-first review expedition into likely frustrating territory. Now I find myself distracted from writing about it because I keep thinking about my goblin defense and whether the fisherdwarf might be better assigned to gem crafting.

Enlarge / Dmitry Rogozin, second from left, has been active in the Donbas region of Ukraine. (credit: Dmitry Rogozin/Telegram)

It has been nearly five months since Dmitry Rogozin was sacked as director general of Roscosmos, the Russian state-owned space corporation. Later, a Russian space official acknowledged that Rogozin was removed from this high-profile post to ease tensions with NASA and other partners on the International Space Station. It has worked, as international spaceflight relations have improved.

Since his dismissal, it has been speculated that Rogozin might take some sort of leadership position in Russian-occupied areas of Eastern Ukraine. This has yet to happen, however, so Rogozin declared himself the head of the "Tsar's Wolves" inspection group of volunteers. Rogozin's stated aim has been to test and supply the advanced weapons technology needed by Russian troops to win the war.

As part of his efforts, Rogozin has been posting images and statements to his Telegram account from the Donbas region of Ukraine, visiting with troops. To look the part—and, knowing Rogozin, likely to build up his image as a "tough guy"—Rogozin has also posted images of himself dressed up as a soldier. At times, however, Rogozin's actions have looked more like cosplaying than anything else, and some Russians (as well as prominent former NASA astronauts) have taken to mocking the Russian politician who was once close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.