S. “Soma” Somasegar at Microsoft in 2014, giving a tour of the revamped Developer Division offices. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop)
S. “Soma” Somasegar, a fixture in the Seattle tech community who led Microsoft’s Developer Division as part of his 27-year tenure at the company before supporting a generation of cloud and AI startups as an investor, board member and advisor, has passed away.
The news was confirmed Tuesday afternoon by Microsoft and Madrona, the Seattle-based venture capital firm where Somasegar had been a key figure for the past 11 years.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who first met Somasegar at Microsoft in the early 1990s, remembered him in a statement as “a remarkable leader who helped grow and shape Microsoft’s developer ecosystem, and a dear friend and colleague that I valued greatly.”
“He brought depth, humility, and a real commitment to empowering developers everywhere and his impact on Microsoft and the broader technology community will live on!” Nadella said.
Somasegar was 59. No cause of death was given. He is survived by his wife, Akila, and two daughters.
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“Soma was beloved by so many people in all aspects of his life, and he had such a generous spirit for helping others,” said Matt McIlwain, Madrona managing director. “We are deeply saddened by this loss, most importantly for his wife and his two beloved daughters.”
McIlwain added, “We are focusing on supporting his family, the Madrona team and all those who knew and loved Soma, including the broader Microsoft community.”
Tuesday evening on its website, Madrona posted an initial tribute to Somasegar, saying, in part: “We all loved Soma, as everyone who knew him did.”
On a personal level, Nadella and his wife, Anu, formed a close friendship with Soma and Akila over the decades. Nadella and Somasegar were among a group of tech leaders who co-own the Seattle Orcas, a professional cricket team based in the region.
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“For Anu and me, this loss is very personal,” Nadella said. “Soma was there for us during some of the toughest moments in our lives, always with quiet strength, kindness, and a sense of steadiness we depended on. We will miss him very much.”
From Puducherry to Seattle
Born Aug. 13, 1966, in the southern Indian coastal town of Puducherry, Sivaramakrishnan Somasegar — known throughout his life by the nickname “Soma” — grew up in a household where education came before everything else, according to a 2008 profile in Mint, the Indian business newspaper. His father worked as a technician at a hospital, his mother stayed home, and neither had attended college.
“Food was a secondary priority in our house because education was a first priority,” Somasegar recalled in a 2024 oral history conducted for the Microsoft Alumni Network. “Whatever little I’ve done so far, it’s a direct result of that.”
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He arrived in the U.S. in 1987 to pursue a master’s in computer engineering at Louisiana State University, having mistaken the “LA” in his admission letter for Los Angeles. He realized his mistake only as the plane was landing in New Orleans, he recounted in the oral history.
After 18 months at LSU, Somasegar enrolled in a PhD program at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He left after a single harsh winter semester to join Microsoft, arriving in Redmond on Jan. 23, 1989 — a date he remembered precisely decades later.
He joined the OS/2 team as a software design engineer in test, working on memory management and file systems. Within six months, Microsoft’s relationship with IBM on the joint OS/2 project was fraying, and Somasegar was drafted in March 1990 onto what would become one of the most consequential projects in the company’s history: Windows NT.
Somasegar spent his first decade at Microsoft on the NT team, ultimately contributing to eight releases of the Windows operating system, as recounted in a 2015 GeekWire “Geek of the Week” profile. He rose from software design engineer to test lead to test manager.
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During the NT years, Somasegar designed the team’s overnight stress test program and ran the daily reliability check himself, arriving around 5:30 a.m. to walk the halls, leave yellow sticky notes on crashed machines, and report findings at the 9 a.m. bug meeting.
He also founded Microsoft’s India Development Center in Hyderabad in 1998, which has grown into one of the company’s largest engineering operations outside the United States. Especially given his roots, he often called the India effort one of his proudest contributions to Microsoft.
By the time Windows Server 2003 shipped, Somasegar had risen to vice president. In December 2003, Microsoft’s then-server and tools chief Eric Rudder asked him to take over the Developer Division — the group responsible for Visual Studio, .NET, and the tools used by millions of software developers.
Somasegar held the role for the next 12 years, eventually as senior vice president. Under his leadership, the division extended its reach from Windows into mobile and the cloud.
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In 2014, Somasegar was an internal advocate and leader for Microsoft’s decision to open-source the .NET core server runtime and framework, a surprise move that marked a significant shift in the company’s approach toward the broader developer world.
At Madrona, Somasegar focused on early-stage investments in cloud infrastructure, developer tools, AI, and what the firm calls intelligent applications.
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He led or played a key role in Madrona’s investments in Snowflake, UiPath, Pulumi, Statsig, Common Room, Rhythms, and RelationalAI, among others. Several became multibillion-dollar companies. Statsig was acquired by OpenAI for $1.1 billion in 2025.
Somasegar also served on the boards of UiPath and other portfolio companies.
He remained an active writer and commentator on the industry, including a February 2024 GeekWire guest post reflecting on Satya Nadella’s decade as Microsoft CEO and their friendship that began at Microsoft in 1992. He conducted interviews and served as the primary on-stage host of Madrona’s IA Summit in downtown Seattle last fall.
Just this week, Somasegar was named to Business Insider’s Seed 100 list of the best early-stage investors of 2026.
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Beyond venture capital, startups and technology, Somasegar was deeply involved in Seattle’s sports and cultural community. In addition to co-owning the Seattle Orcas, he was part of the ownership group of the Seattle Sounders FC.
Ed Lazowska, the longtime University of Washington computer science professor and a fixture in Seattle’s tech community, said Somasegar’s spirit fit a tradition going back to Madrona’s earliest days.
“Soma was a wonderful human being, in the tradition of the four Madrona co-founders,” Lazowska said, referencing Tom Alberg, Jerry Grinstein, Bill Ruckelshaus, and Paul Goodrich.
In one of his last extended conversations with GeekWire, recorded earlier this year at Madrona’s 30th anniversary celebration, Somasegar reflected on the venture firm’s role in the region and its philosophy of being a “trusted partner” to founders from day one.
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He spoke about being part of an early Madrona-led effort during the pandemic that helped raise more than $25 million for the All In Seattle campaign to support those impacted by homelessness and other community needs.
“We have a day job. We want to be the best venture capital guys,” he said. “But we are also all about the community. We are about embracing the community.”
Nadella said he will remember Somasegar’s “warmth, his thoughtful advice, and the integrity he brought to everything he did.”
“Our thoughts are with Akila and his daughters, and with everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” he said. “He will be deeply missed and remembered for all he did and contributed to our industry and our community.”
Listen up, nerds. Newegg currently has promo codes and deals on gently used, refurbished, new and hard-to-find electronics, gaming products and more. Remaining one of the biggest online-only retailers in the US for the last 20 years, Newegg is a leading global online retailer for PC hardware, home appliances and all things tech, as well as providing help with businesses’ e-commerce needs. In the last decade, Newegg has expanded its online retail presence, selling everything from PC parts to refurbished vacuum cleaners. So, whether you’re wanting to build your own PC or just looking to upgrade your laptop, Newegg has something for every type of tech lover. Plus, WIRED has found several Newegg discount codes (and other deals) for new and existing customers. Don’t wait too long—save big money on those big (and small) tech purchases in 2026.
Save 3% With Exclusive Newegg Promo Codes, Only at WIRED
We at WIRED know that one of the best ways to save on essential (often price) tech is buying through a trusted retailer like Newegg, and that’s why we have a WIRED-exclusive promo code, valid only on newegg.com only—not in Canada or Newegg Business. PCs can break or make your online experience, especially when it comes to gaming, so that’s why Newegg is offering 3% off gaming notebooks with our exclusive promo code only at WIRED. Even better, this deal is stackable, meaning it can be added on top of any other applicable coupon (but the max discount amount per order is $150).
One of the best ways to save big on fun tech purchases on Newegg is through Newegg combo deals. If you’re looking to build your own PC, when you buy the components to it on Newegg, you’ll save big. When you choose items from two or more categories, you’ll unlock combo savings, like processor, motherboard, and memory cards. Plus there’s AMD combo savings and Intel combo savings, with up to $15 off Intel processors.
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How to Redeem a Newegg Coupon
If you qualify, the best current Newegg promo code to save coins is their education discount, which gets you 8 to 10% off (up to $100) an entire order. Use this Newegg discount code, which will help you save once you have verified your status. Copy the code using the handy pop-up button below the coupon, and once you’ve found the must-have item, apply the Newegg edu promo code during checkout to get the discount. The coupon is available to students, faculty, and education staff with a valid .edu email address.
Enjoy Exclusive Discounts and Benefits With a Newegg+ Membership
Newegg has a free membership program that gives you access to exclusive deals. To get a Newegg+ account, you’ll need to register, or if you already have an account, opt in to the program. Once it’s on your dash, you’ll get perks like free shipping, exclusive early access and offers, member-only discount codes, extended warranties, easier returns, dedicated customer service, and more.
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Get the Latest Newegg Student Offers
You need a lot of tech as a student, which can get very expensive. Newegg wants to make those purchases a little less painful by offering student and faculty discounts and pricing for 5% discounts and more. Along with student pricing and discounts, there’s also special financing available to help offset initial expenses that may be a financial barrier to getting this necessary tech. This Newegg discount is available to anyone with a .edu email account. All you need to do is use your .edu email and click the ‘Student Discount Available’ button on eligible products.
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Stay Tuned for Newegg Coupons and Flash Discounts
Even if the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are only available in November, you can still save a significant amount on your order using special Newegg promo codes and their 24-hour flash deals. Newegg Shell Shocker coupons include steep discounts on everything from PC components to gaming gear and hard-to-find tech gadgets. Check out our favorite Newegg discounts to get up to 80% off. The best thing is, early shoppers have Newegg’s Price Protection, so if the price drops after you buy, you get a refund. Gear up now to make sure you score big on your favorite electronics this holiday season. Make sure you sign up for the Newegg newsletter to get special offers, coupon codes, and exclusive promotions.
Other Ways to Save at Newegg Without a Promotional Code
Along with the education promo code for students to save 8% to 10%, Newegg also has a rewards program called EggPoints where members earn points for qualifying purchases. For every 100 EggPoints spent, you get $1 to spend at Newegg.com. Newegg also has Shell Shocker deals, which change every day and feature limited-time, deeply discounted sales on specific products, from gaming laptops to graphic cards, processors and other components. So, be sure to check back often to not miss a product you’ve been eyeing going on clearance.
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Like I said before, be sure to check Newegg often for their seasonal sales throughout 2026, like the ultimate-capitalism-extravaganza that is Black Friday (and now, Cyber Monday, too), where Newegg has major discounts on a wide range of electronics for the few days leading up to Black Friday (through Cyber Week). Along with these peak holiday sales, they also have their own sales, like their Anniversary sale and FantasTech sale, which is essentially their version of Amazon Prime Day, where thousands of deals run for several days. It’s a good bet that if you check Newegg around Back to School time and during Memorial and Labor Day, there will be tons of end-of-season sales, too. After Christmas, they usually clear out a substantial amount of inventory with huge discounts on computer-related products like monitors and hard drives. Snag one of our Newegg promo codes above to save on your next tech purchase, some of which can be used on already discounted items.
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The model will reportedly be made available to enterprise customers and paid subscribers.
Just two months after rolling out Mythos to a limited pool of high-level users, Anthropic has announced the release of Claude Fable 5, an AI model similar to Mythos but with significant safeguards and blocks to prevent deliberate misuse and security breaches, according to the company.
Unlike Mythos, which is currently only available to a select number of organisations and institutions due to major concerns about securing critical infrastructure, Claude Fable 5 will be made available to enterprise customers and paid subscribers.
The model has built-in barriers that aim to block responses in high-risk areas such as cybersecurity, chemistry and biology, with such interactions automatically handled instead, the company said, by its Opus 4.8 model.
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Fable 5, Anthropic claimed, shows strong capabilities in software engineering, knowledge work, vision, scientific research and similar fields.
In a statement, Anthropic explained that over the course of the past few months, the organisation has worked to improve safeguards that would make Claude Fable 5 “robust enough for a general release”, adding that in prioritising safety, some measures are “stricter than would be ideal” and some benign requests may be classified as risky. However, there are plans to further refine the model’s regulation systems.
Anthropic has also announced an updated version of the Mythos model, Claude Mythos 5, reportedly similar to Fable 5 but with the cyber safeguards lifted.
The organisation said, “In consultation with the US government, we plan to steadily expand access to Claude Mythos 5, continuing our periodic addition of new partners, as well as pursuing a trusted access programme that allows cybersecurity organisations to apply in a more systematic manner.”
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In early June, Anthropic unveiled plans for a historic initial public offering that could take the company’s valuation soaring above $1trn. The proposal came less than a week after Anthropic overtook OpenAI’s valuation with a $65bn Series H funding round that valued it at $965bn.
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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Electrek: Solar generated more U.S. electricity than coal for the first month on record in May 2026, according to new analysis from global energy think tank Ember. Solar supplied 12.8% of U.S. electricity during the month, while coal dropped to 12.2%. That’s a dramatic shift in the U.S. power mix. Just five years ago, coal generated 19.7% of U.S. electricity in May, while solar accounted for only 5.4%. U.S. solar generation hit a record 45.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) in May 2026, up 17% from May 2025 and higher than the previous record set last July. Ember says another record could be broken again this summer.
Solar output usually peaks in June or July, but its share of the electricity mix is often highest in spring, when strong sunshine lines up with milder temperatures before summer cooling demand ramps up. May was also the first time solar became the third-largest individual source of electricity in the U.S., behind only natural gas and nuclear. (If solar is included with all other renewables, then they’re the second-largest source of electricity as an overall category of electricity.) Meanwhile, coal keeps sliding (and will continue to slide). Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low of 39.3 TWh in April 2026. Output rose slightly in May to 43.4 TWh, but it was still 11% lower than May 2025 levels. Even with that small rebound, coal couldn’t keep pace with solar’s rapid growth.
While the deal could be signed in ‘the coming days’, talks are ongoing and it may not materialise at all, sources told Reuters.
Nuvei, a payments company based in Montreal, Canada, is reportedly in “advanced talks” to acquire Payoneer Global for $2.7bn, according to Reuters.
The purchase price – which includes Payoneer’s cash holdings – implies an enterprise value of about $2.3bn, according to two sources familiar with the matter that spoke with the publication.
While the deal could be signed in “the coming days”, talks are ongoing and it may change or not materialise at all, the sources added.
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If the deal was signed, the resulting acquisition would combine Nuvei’s payment processing business with Payoneer’s cross-border payments solution.
Nuvei, which provides payment processing, risk management and payout solutions to merchants globally, was founded in 2003 by Philip Fayer, who is also the company’s chair and CEO.
Nuvei is backed by Canadian investment group CDPQ and private equity firms Novacap and Advent International – the latter of which took Nuvei private in 2024 through an all-cash transaction that valued the payments company at approximately $6.3bn.
Payoneer, which is based in New York, was founded in 2005 by Yuval Tal with $2m in seed funding from Tal and other private investors.
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The company – which processes cross-border payments for freelancers, sellers and businesses – supports 70 currencies and has a number of high-profile customers, including Google, Ebay, AirBnB, Fiverr, Visa and Walmart.
Since Reuters’ report on the potential acquisition, Payoneer shares have risen significantly, jumping by more than 24pc. Its market capitalisation at the time of writing is currently $2.13bn.
Boundless enables businesses to handle cross-border payroll, taxes, benefits and compliance, with the aim of simplifying complexities surrounding international employment to make it easier for companies to hire and support talent globally.
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The acquisition was expected to help Payoneer access and manage its talent spread globally, especially as limited staff and varying local regulations make payroll compliance difficult, the company said at the time.
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At WWDC 2026, Apple debuted the next version of the iPhone’s operating system, iOS 27. The public release is set for September, but those interested can try out the new features in iOS 27 early by installing the developer preview. As it is with every beta release, however, there is always a bit of risk involved, especially if you own an older iPhone model. Multiple iPhone 15 Pro owners have been reporting bricked devices after installing the update.
The issue seems to be triggered after a force restart. Affected users have reported that their iPhones became completely unresponsive, with the display remaining black even after trying to turn the device back on or plugging it into a charger. We were able to reproduce the issue on our iPhone 15 Pro Max running the first iOS 27 developer beta. To be safe, you may want to avoid installing the first beta if you’re on an iPhone 15 Pro. It’s unclear whether this issue affects the non-Pro iPhone 15s.
What worked in our case, as with many others, was restoring the iPhone using a Mac or PC by sending it into DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. Unfortunately, some users haven’t been able to enter DFU mode, in which case, reaching out to Apple Support or a verified technician may be the only option.
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How to fix a bricked iPhone on iOS 27
Adnan Ahmed/SlashGear
If you’ve recently updated to iOS 27 and ended up with a bricked iPhone, there’s a decent chance that you might be able to revive it yourself. You need access to a Mac or Windows PC, an internet connection, a data cable, and some luck. Start by opening Finder on your Mac. If you’re on Windows, install the Apple Devices or iTunes app and launch it. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a cable. Next, you need to enter DFU mode on your iPhone. Doing so is tricky and requires a sequence of button combinations. With your iPhone connected to your computer:
Quickly press and release the volume up button.
Quickly press and release the volume down button.
Press and hold the side (power) button for five seconds, then, without releasing it, hold down the volume down button as well.
After five seconds, release only the side button while continuing to hold down the volume down button.
The Apple Devices app or Finder should recognize your iPhone in DFU mode. Click on “Restore iPhone” and give it a while. Your device should now boot up fresh with iOS 26.5. Unfortunately, you will lose all your apps and data, and you might need to bypass the activation lock by entering your Apple ID and password. This is why you should always back up your iPhone before trying out beta builds.
What we know so far: As the server battle between AMD and Nvidia enters a new phase, the two companies have begun trading jabs through performance estimates and early benchmarks. While Nvidia-approved results suggest its Vera processors outperform most AMD Epyc chips, Team Red believes its upcoming Venice lineup can leave Vera in the dust.
AMD recently published performance projections claiming its upcoming server CPU platform will dramatically outpace Nvidia’s latest showing. AMD’s estimates directly reference earlier results from controlled benchmarks that had favored Nvidia’s processor.
Team Red’s next data center CPU platform recently entered production and is on track to launch later this year. Built on AMD’s Zen 6 architecture, Epyc Venice chips will offer up to 256 cores and 512 threads. The lineup also marks AMD’s transition to TSMC’s 2nm process, a jump directly from the 4nm Epyc Turin that skips the 3nm node entirely.
AMD is projecting a 70% overall improvement in performance and efficiency over Turin, along with a 30% increase in thread density.
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Nvidia, for its part, formally launched its Vera server CPU at GTC in March. The Arm-based SoC packs 88 cores and 176 threads. In recent benchmarks, Phoronix described Vera as the most capable Arm processor it has ever tested, outclassing Intel Xeon and AMD Epyc across most workloads. However, the tests were conducted at Nvidia’s headquarters and came with several restrictions to ensure Nvidia’s sign-off.
AMD drew on Phoronix’s figures when building the methodology for its Venice projections.
Comparing core counts per CPU, node power, nodes per rack, and a 100kW rack power budget, the company estimates Venice will deliver 3.3 times Vera’s per-rack performance. AMD also projects its 192-core Epyc 9965 Turin and the 128-core Intel Xeon 6980P GNR-AP can reach 2.37x and 1.46x of Vera’s output, respectively.
AMD is also challenging Nvidia on per-core performance, claiming a 64-core Venice chip can beat Vera by 27%, with the 96-core variant edging it by 11%.
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As both processors target AI workloads, AMD argues that Venice’s higher core counts will translate into a meaningful advantage for agentic AI deployments. Even so, the true performance gap will remain uncertain until independent benchmarks arrive.
While promoting Venice’s theoretical performance, AMD is already hinting at what comes next. “Verano” will be AMD’s first CPU designed specifically for AI infrastructure. That chip is expected to introduce the Zen 7 architecture. Supply chain reports suggest Zen 7 will target TSMC’s A14 node, a 1.4nm-class process that would mark AMD’s entry into the angstrom era and deliver further gains in performance and efficiency beyond 2nm. AMD has not confirmed those details.
The iOS 26 update has the second-worst adoption rate of all iOS releases since 2015, falling behind both iOS 18 and iOS 8.
Though all eyes might be on iOS 27 and its AI-infused Siri, which debuted at WWDC, the software has only entered beta testing.
Most iPhones, or 79% of all devices to be more precise, are currently running iOS 26. This is according to Apple’s App Store data for June 2026, which also revealed that 86% of all devices introduced in the last four years have iOS 26 installed.
While these figures might seem impressive when taken at face value, the iOS 26 adoption rate is actually worse than that of the preceding iOS 18 update. In June 2025, 82% of all iPhones ran iOS 18, more than the 79% currently running iOS 26.
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When taking into account Apple’s App Store data from all iOS releases from 2015 through 2026, the iOS 26 update actually has the second-lowest adoption rate, with only iOS 17 seeing fewer user upgrades.
The exact adoption rates for iOS 8 through iOS 26 for all compatible iPhones are the following:
2015 iOS 8: 84%
2016 iOS 9: 84%
2017 iOS 10: 86%
2018 iOS 11: 81%
2019 iOS 12: 88%
2020 iOS 13: 81%
2021 iOS 14: 85%
2022 iOS 15: 82%
2023 iOS 16: 81%
2024 iOS 17: 77%
2025 iOS 18: 82%
2025 iOS 26 79%
Note that all of these adoption rates were taken in June of the corresponding year, with the exception of iOS 12 usage data, which was published in August 2019.
At 79%, the iOS 26 adoption rate is below the 82.3% average from 2015 through 2026. Still, it’s not all bad news.
In February 2026, only 66% of all iPhones were running iOS 26, meaning more users have upgraded in the last couple of months. This is to be expected, though.
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Even so, not everyone has embraced the controversial iOS 26 upgrade. According to Apple’s June 2026 App Store data, 14% of devices are still running iOS 18, while 7% are still on even older releases.
Apple’s data on newer devices running iOS 26
Since 2020, in June of every year, Apple has published iOS adoption rates for devices “released in the last four years.” At 86%, the adoption rate for iOS 26 is identical to that of iOS 17 in 2024. Meanwhile, iOS 18 had a higher score, at 88%.
The adoption rate of iOS 26 is also lower than the 87.6% average when Apple’s data from 2019 through 2026 is taken into account. Previous iOS updates, like iOS 12 in August 2019, saw lower adoption rates among newer devices, so iOS 26 is not an outlier in any sense.
Apple’s exact numbers for “all devices introduced in the last four years,” since the company released such data, are:
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2019 iOS 12: 85%
2020 iOS 13: 92%
2021 iOS 14: 90%
2022 iOS 15: 89%
2023 iOS 16: 90%
2024 iOS 17: 86%
2025 iOS 18: 88%
2026 iOS 26: 86%
While iOS 26 has fallen behind iOS 18, possibly due to its Liquid Glass design language, the difference is likely not enough to cause alarm for Apple. Looking ahead, iOS 27 could boost iOS adoption rates.
Rather than controversial design changes, Apple says the iOS 27 update will deliver improved performance on older iPhones, with app opening speeds now being 30% faster, relative to previous releases.
Additionally, the same iPhone models that support iOS 26 can be updated to iOS 27, including the iPhone 11. As such, iOS 27 seems to have little to deter potential upgraders. Time will tell if the iOS 27 adoption rate will actually be higher than that of iOS 26, though.
Microsoft shared a 30-minute gameplay video for Fable right after the latest Xbox showcase. The footage offers the most detailed look yet at how Playground Games plans to handle the return to Albion. Players step into the role of a hero who begins as a child discovering unusual powers in the village of Briar Hill. A time jump then moves the story forward to adult life, where decisions start to shape both the character and the surrounding world.
Playground Games based the game on three key ideas from previous entries. A fairytale tone is undoubtedly evident, but it is balanced by a particular British sense of humor and a heavy emphasis on making decisions that will have long-term consequences. The new story stands on its own, but it has a very familiar approach to fantasy.
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The combat system functions efficiently because it is divided into three fundamental categories: Strength for close-up and melee combat, Skill for ranged attacks, and Will for magic. Some of the videos show some very innovative uses for that magic, such as transforming an enemy into a chicken and then shooting them with a fireball, or sneaking up behind someone and teleporting past for a quick strike before the green orbs light up to indicate you’re accumulating experience.
Reputation is based on what others see you do, not on an abstract number. So, assisting someone in need may earn you a virtuous or merciful reputation, which may result in a more welcoming reception from the community. If you cause disturbance in public, you may gain a reputation as a troublemaker, which could make things more difficult in the future. The system is clever since it allows you to build a reputation through a combination of good deeds as well as selfish goals, and you can even try to shape people’s impressions of you by spreading rumors or paying off local gossipmongers.
Is it more than just fighting and main quests? You can truly establish your existence in the world. You can purchase a home, open a bar, a blacksmith business, and so on. You can even develop relationships with others, some of which may lead to your own family or a shared home. Instead of always rushing to complete the main story, the game lets you to take a break and enjoy the journey.
Albion, the land in which you play, is full of little side paths and detours. There is no one “correct” way to play, so go explore, do some local jobs, and start building a life in any community you find yourself in. Towns look to be populated by real people, rather than just waiting for the hero to show, because the residents have their own schedules rather than simply hanging out till you arrive.
The visuals are bright and stunning, with a timeless quality about them. The villages are full of flowers and thatched roofs, and the locals look to be going about their everyday lives rather than standing around waiting for you, which is one of the most impressive elements of this demo, given that the entire game will be released on February 23rd, 2027. [Source]
Every generation has its iconic cars. From the hot rods of the 1930s to the sleek sports cars of the 1980s, each era can be defined by its unique take on the age-old idea of how to make cars that are fast, cool, and expressive.
Across all of automotive history, the 1960s stand out as a special time for cars. High-performance vehicles were incredibly affordable, and gas wasn’t the premium product it is now. Many houses had one- or two-car garages, and most had a car that served as an extension of their own personality. The cars of this era had not yet settled into the homogenized style of the 1970s, retaining much of the hot-rod flair of earlier decades without becoming luxury status symbols reserved for only the wealthiest elites.
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Let’s travel back in time to the golden age of automobiles and look at some of the most legendary vehicles of that one-of-a-kind decade. If you grew up in the ’60s, you definitely remember these cars. And if you didn’t, you surely still find yourself looking at them with an envious wistfulness of vicarious nostalgia. Simply put, they don’t make ’em like that anymore.
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1965 Pontiac GTO
Over the years, Jay Leno’s Garage featured tons of iconic and expensive cars, but few are as downright legendary as this one. When the 1965 Pontiac GTO Royal Bobcat was featured on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the former Tonight Show host described the vehicle as the first true supercar, an early example of the burgeoning American muscle car scene. He even went so far as to say, “This was the dream car when I was 14 or 15 years old.”
The Pontiac GTO was special because it broke, or at least sidestepped, the rules. Back in the day, General Motors limited the size of a midsize car’s engine to 330 cubic inches. Big cars get big engines, small cars get small engines. But the engineers at Pontiac managed to stuff a 389-cubic-inch V8 engine into a midsize car, and the rest was history. Initially pitched as an optional engine upgrade for the Pontiac Tempest, its popularity led to the invention of the 1966 GTO as its own bespoke vehicle, and the birth of the American muscle car.
There’s nothing like the rev of an oversized V8 engine that’s just a little (or a lot) too big for the car it’s powering. Every child of the ’60s who sat in a car and felt the entire frame vibrate as the driver revved the engine had the exact same thought: “When I grow up, I want one of these.” Chances are, that car was a Pontiac GTO.
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1968 Ford Mustang
For many automotive enthusiasts, love for cars comes from exposure to TV and movies. In that regard, the 1960s had some of the most legendary vehicles ever to grace the screen. There’s the 1966 Batmobile driven by Adam West in “Batman” and the Mach 5 from “Speed Racer,” as well as the Black Beauty from “The Green Hornet” and the Elva Mk VI, driven by none other than Elvis Presley in “Viva Las Vegas.”
However, if there’s a single scene that represents the blending of cars and cinema, it’s the 1968 Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in “Bullitt.” For the most part, “Bullitt” is a by-the-numbers detective movie bolstered by McQueen’s cool charisma in the title role. However, it kicks into overdrive during the show-stopping ten-minute car chase sequence, which was a turning point in action cinema. The entire car chase genre, including the “Fast & Furious” series, would not exist without “Bullitt.” McQueen does much (but not all) of his own driving in the scene, which sees Frank Bullitt outmaneuver hitmen in a pulse-pounding pursuit through the streets of San Francisco.
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The movie and its car chase inspired a whole generation of car fanatics. Everyone who saw “Bullitt” wanted a Ford Mustang. More than five decades later, Ford is still releasing modern Mustangs inspired by the one used in the film, such as the 2020 Ford Mustang Bullitt, named after the movie. As for the original 1968 Mustang used in the movie, it was sold for $3.74 million at a 2020 auction, making it the single most valuable Mustang of all time.
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1967 Chevrolet Camaro
In 1966, Car and Driver magazine went hands-on with the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350 and came away impressed, though with more than a hint of melancholy. The Camaro, they surmised, was aimed at the youth market, which had been sideswiped by the escalation of the Vietnam War. The Camaro was hip and relatively inexpensive but hindered by the fact that its target audience of young men had been drafted into military service.
Nevertheless, the Camaro was priced reasonably, with both the hardtop and convertible versions retailing for less than $3,000 each, competitive with its main rival, the Ford Mustang. One of the more popular versions of the Camaro was the RS, or Rally Sport, variant, which featured concealed headlights, mag wheels, options for vinyl roof customization, and rally stripes. They don’t make the car any faster, but they sure look neat!
The car was marketed toward young people, though it earned the respect of auto enthusiasts due to its use as the Pace Car in the 51st Indy 500 in 1967, with none other than three-time Indy 500 champion Mauri Rose behind the wheel, thus giving the vehicle credibility among the gearhead community. As a result, the Camaro ingratiated itself with Indy 500 fans of all ages. There would be many Camaro variants over the decades, but the 1967 version is among the best-looking Chevy Camaros of all time. Not bad for a car approaching 60 years old.
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Volkswagen Van
Even if you’re not a “car person,” you know what a Volkswagen van is. It’s the iconic “hippie bus,” and it’s instantly recognizable as an iconic car of the era. Design-wise, it had a ton of room in the back, which was perfect for road trips and the nomadic lifestyle of counterculture kids. Remember, back in, say, 1967, gasoline was only 33 cents per gallon on average, so going on even a cross-country trek wasn’t as difficult as it is now. If you wanted to drive for days at a time, you could just go without selling off all of your possessions first.
The original run of the Volkswagen Transporter was actually introduced way back in 1950, and it became popular in the beach scene. Teenagers of the era would pack into a VW and head to the beach for fun in the sun. Later on in the 1960s, however, the bus would become the de facto automobile mascot of the hippie scene. It was perfect for packing in many riders to go to protests, and there was plenty of room in the back for a little “free love,” if you will.
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In 1967, the second-generation iteration of the vehicle was introduced, though it lost some of its bus-like novelty with the removal of the iconic split windshield design in favor of a more traditional single-pane windshield, among other changes that sacrificed the classic identity of the original Transporter. The VW Bus would evolve considerably over the years, but the original is still a fan favorite.
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1963 Porsche 911
There were sports cars before Porsche, but the 1963 Porsche 911 changed the game. It wasn’t the first classic Porsche, but it was sleek and small with an instantly recognizable silhouette. Under the hood, the 911 boasted an air-cooled engine that delivered 130 HP. Despite making sports cars, Porsche also had a reputation for being (relatively) affordable and would go on to develop the Porsche 912 in 1965 as a less expensive alternative to the regular 911.
The Porsche 911 is an iconic car for bringing luxury sensibilities to everyday suburbia in the 1960s. Its engine may not have been able to compete with the muscle cars of Pontiac or Ford, but Porsche would upgrade the engine over the years. In 1966, the Porsche 911S boosted the engine to a more palatable 160 HP, and by 1971, the Porsche Carrera RS would boast a stellar 210 HP engine.
For many young people in the 1960s, Porsche was their introduction to the very concept of a sports car. For those who didn’t see the appeal of a bulky, muscular hot rod but still wanted to go fast, Porsche was the origin point for a lifetime of aspirational thinking.
A buckminsterfullerene, also known as a buckyball, is typically a fullerene consisting of sixty carbon atoms (C60) arranged in a way that resembles a football-like sphere. Extending this arrangement to other types of atoms has until now however proven as illusive as finding non-carbon-based lifeforms. In a paper by [Hyun Wook Choi] et al. and published in Chemical Science the discovery of boron buckyballs is detailed. There is also a soft-paywalled article in the Chemical & Engineering News magazine for a higher-level perspective.
The discovered boron-based buckyball ups the number of atoms to eighty, forming B80 (boron fullerite) with a slightly larger diameter than C60 at 0.85 nm versus 0.71 nm. Perhaps more interesting are the claims by the authors that boron fullerite may have more practical applications than its carbon-based cousin, mostly due to it being predicted to be a semiconductor with an 0.8 eV energy gap and better electron acceptance that provides interesting doping prospects.
Producing these boron structures used laser vaporization with a helium carrier gas that was seeded with argon to increase cooling efficiency. Inside this boron cluster the reported structures were then discovered and characterized as described in the paper.
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Obviously, going from a fascinating laboratory discovery to bulk production won’t be easy, and the predicted properties of boron fullerite may turn out to be incomplete or have a dark side that we aren’t aware of. Regardless, they’re bound to be more useful at least than the carbon version that’s remained mostly a curiosity despite many years of research.
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