WTF?! Imagine being eight years old and getting $33,000 along with a $5,000 PC after becoming a pro gamer. For Joseph Deen, better known as Gosu, this became a reality last December when he signed with eSports organization Team 33, making him the second-youngest professional gamer ever. California-based Deen has been playing Fortnite since he was four years old, and was first noticed by Team 33 , a relative unknown in the community, 18 months ago. "I've thought about being a professional gamer a lot, but no one took me seriously until Team 33 came along," he told the BBC. A Team 33 scout spotted Deen's talent and started playing one-on-one matches with the boy, eventually realizing that if they didn't sign him, someone else would. Fortnite is rated T (for Teen) by the ESRB and has a PEGI rating of 12, though anyone who's played a Call of Duty online match will know age ratings are rarely a deterrent to kids. However, his young age does mean he won't compete in Fortnite … [Read more...] about Eight-year-old Fortnite player given $33,000 and $5,000 PC for turning pro
American heart associations
In the UK, some families must choose between internet access and food
This story is part of Crossing the Broadband Divide , CNET's coverage of how the country is working toward making broadband access universal. This week, 31-year-old Michelle from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, has access to the internet at home. But next week is already looking very different. Michelle's family has fallen behind with the broadband payments, and even though they managed to reconnect only last weekend, they'll be cut off again this Friday. Michelle (who prefers gender-neutral pronouns and whose name has been changed to protect their privacy), together with their partner and 13-year-old daughter, has been homeless since February of last year. They live in temporary accommodation, with Michelle supporting the family financially by working as a cleaner. "We've struggled with internet bills, we can't always afford data for my daughter's mobile either," Michelle said in an interview. "At the moment my daughter is doing schoolwork with mobile data and on her phone." … [Read more...] about In the UK, some families must choose between internet access and food
The best credit monitoring services in 2021: Experian, FreeCreditReport.com and more
Data breaches have become frustratingly commonplace. With hackers infiltrating companies from DoorDash to Equifax to Facebook, it's increasingly likely that you -- or someone you know -- has been impacted. And if it was your financial data that was floating around the internet, you may have learned the hard way how important it is to keep an eye on your credit report in order to protect yourself -- and your finances -- from the modern plagues of credit card fraud and identity theft. The first step to taking control of your credit is familiarizing yourself with your credit score . As the bedrock of your financial standing, a good score will improve your chance of being approved when you apply for a credit card or personal loan or a major purchase, like a new home . But monitoring your credit score can also help you play defense, putting you in position to respond quickly if you're involved in a data breach or your identity is stolen . Read more: The best … [Read more...] about The best credit monitoring services in 2021: Experian, FreeCreditReport.com and more
Great apes receive COVID-19 vaccine at San Diego Zoo
Several great apes at the San Diego Zoo received two doses each of a COVID-19 vaccine in February, National Geographic reports . The lucky recipients are four orangutans and five bonobos, who were distracted with treats as they got their shots. One of the orangutans is Karen, the first ape to undergo open-heart surgery in 1994. Ape vaccination is a welcome development at the San Diego Zoo, where a troop of eight gorillas tested positive for COVID-19 in January . The sick gorillas were symptomatic but have now recovered , according to the zoo. They’ll likely join their orangutan and bonobo compatriots in vaccination later in the spring. The vaccine the apes received is not one of the vaccines that have been authorized for humans. It was developed by a veterinary pharmaceutical company after the first recorded case of COVID-19 in a dog in February 2020. In addition to dogs and gorillas, minks , domestic cats, and big cats have also been infected by the virus. After … [Read more...] about Great apes receive COVID-19 vaccine at San Diego Zoo
Spotting UFOs: Do-it-yourself sky surveillance comes online
If you are perplexed, befuddled and bewildered about reports of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and possible visitations of alien spacecraft, you can take action with do-it-yourself sky-monitoring gear. Given the low cost and high capability of today's consumer-grade technology, you too can be at the ready to document out-of-the-ordinary events. Enter the world of Sky Hub, a global network of smart sensors designed to snag digital signatures of anomalous events. This crowd-sourced network of smart trackers with "edge processing" uploads data of unusual phenomena to a Sky Hub Cloud. The driving forces empowering the Sky Hub initiative center on the rapid growth and evolution of machine learning for streamlining the analysis of large datasets and the increasing affordability of artificial intelligence (AI)-ready hardware. These advancements can be harnessed to probe the ongoing, baffling behavior of UAP and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) reportedly crisscrossing … [Read more...] about Spotting UFOs: Do-it-yourself sky surveillance comes online