Tech billionaires Team up to Take on Climate Change

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and practically every other crazy rich tech pioneer you can envision have reported that they're banding together to battle environmental change with another association called the Breakthrough Energy Coalition. Their timing couldn't be better—or all the more telling.

Through the organization, the bunch's individuals have resolved to utilize a significant part of their several billions of dollars in aggregate total assets to put resources into ahead of schedule stage clean vitality organizations.

Zuckerberg composed a Facebook post Sunday night reporting the organization, complete with a photograph of WIRED's 2010 spread shoot of Zuckerberg and Gates. In the post, Zuckerberg surrounded clean vitality as foundational to fathoming so a large portion of the world's different issues. "Tackling the spotless vitality issue is a key some portion of building a superior world," he composed. "We won't have the capacity to gain significant ground on different difficulties—like teaching or joining the world—without secure vitality and a steady atmosphere."

The timing of the declaration corresponds with the worldwide atmosphere meeting, COP21, occurring in Paris this week, where world pioneers including President Barack Obama will assemble to talk about their arrangements to manage environmental change. On one hand, with this timing, the Coalition is exploiting the way that perfect vitality is on everybody's radar this week. Then again, the declaration likens to a particularly tech-driven conviction, shared by such a variety of in Silicon Valley, that there's just so much that the administration pioneers accumulated at COP21 will ever have the capacity to finish without the private division's assistance.

In a video clarifying his contribution with the coalition, Bill Gates basically said as much., man.) Stay

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Batman vs Superman Teaser Unmasks the Dark Knight

Hey, you. The one with the altar to Zack Snyder in your lounge room. Is it true that you are prepared for some Batfleck? Indeed, we have a prime cut for you. In another teaser for Batman v Superman: Day break of Equity, which debuted amid this evening's Gotham, we see Ben Affleck's Dim Knight serving his best Batman scowl to an extremely irate looking Superman (Henry Cavill). The bat is tied up alongside a few convicts (?) in what has all the earmarks of being a prison when the Man of Steel drops from above, glowers, and rips off Batman's cowl to uncover Bruce Wayne's face. Extraordinary! is about all we get, yet the clasp teases that the new trailer will drop Wednesday amid Jimmy Kimmel Live! (That gentleman gets all the great trailers, man.)

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Facebook's Internet.org available in India

Internet.org, Facebook's drive to give free Internet administrations in creating nations, is presently accessible to all Indians through the Free Basics application on Reliance Communication's system. The venture is intended to give individuals in developing economies simple access to the Internet, yet has been hit by a huge number of feedback.

Dependence Communications is India's fourth-biggest telecom administrator, with around 110 million supporters as of June. As per its site, Free Basics will empower clients to utilize Facebook and Facebook Messenger and access destinations like Wikipedia, BBC News, Bing Search, Dictionary.com, and neighborhood news administrations.

Depreciators say that by making a modest bunch of administrations accessible on its stage, Internet.org gives special treatment to its accomplices, along these lines abusing the fundamentals of unhindered internet. 

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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Metal Gear series has always delivered complex plots, with unexpected twists and revelations altering your perception of people and events you thought you understood. Though Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain continues this tradition, the majority of its plot focuses on the events at hand. Fans of the series will find their diligence rewarded in ways that newcomers can't begin to imagine, but such loyalty and knowledge isn't a prerequisite. Top-notch cinematography and voice acting echo--and at times exceed--contemporary standards for film and TV, carrying extraordinary characters into the realm of believability. Though you will cross a few elements in the world that illicit a chuckle, there's very little humor in The Phantom Pain's story; the dark themes and subject matter like disenfranchised youth being forced into combat call for a serious tone, after all. The gravity of the game's encounters leaves you on the edge of your seat, with a racing pulse.

As Big Boss, the leader of a private military group The Diamond Dogs, you go behind enemy lines to carry out recon and assassination contracts, as well as infiltrate the hideouts of your enemies. These include world powers and military leaders, many of whom work in the shadows. The Phantom Pain mixes historical events from the 1980s with a pinch of James Bond villainy and an exciting dollop of sci-fi dressing. There are times when it feels grounded in reality, but there are also just as many moments when it goes off the deep-end to great effect. Impossible technology and super-human abilities accompany almost every beat of the story. These oddities surprise you and instill wonder in the crazy, mixed-up world that you're meant to save.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes gave us a taste of the series' new mechanics, which feel as excellent now as they did then, but the freedom of choice in Ground Zeroes pales in comparison to the possibilities that await you in The Phantom Pain. Instead of roaming around a small base as in Ground Zeroes, you have the freedom to explore entire countrysides. You crawl, walk, and sprint to and fro, and each action feels spot on thanks to responsive controls that shed the stiff nature that plagued some of the earlier games in the series. You can even learn to climb up cliff faces, instilling a refreshing sense of verticality. You don't always have to sneak, and in some cases, you must attack head-on. Both types of scenarios instill a nerve-wracking sense of tension that either gives way to crushing defeat, or a resounding sense of victory.

You also have the opportunity to react on the fly in numerous ways when spotted by an enemy. The game's Reflex systems gives you a momentary advantage as time slows down, allowing you to pinpoint the perfect head shot. If you're quick enough, you can dive out of your enemy's sightline, roll onto your back, and fire from the ground, all before alerting others in the vicinity. If you want something really challenging, this can be disabled at any time. The Phantom Pain encourages you to be active, but you have more than enough tools to tip the scales in your favor. If you think all is lost, you can also call in an airstrike, though it's only suitable for some missions and will limit your ranking at the end of the mission, and thus the rewards you receive.

One mission in particular put all of my skills and tools to use, and stands out as a perfect example of how playing The Phantom Pain is such an engrossing and varied experience. While searching for a secret weapon developed by the US government, I had to infiltrate a series of caves in the Afghan countryside. The problem: there's a heavily guarded area in front of the caves. Even worse: the caves are like a maze that's nearly impossible to navigate logically. In order to acquire the weapon, I had to sneak through the shadows, creep up to soldiers and incapacitate them one by one, without alerting guards near the mouth of the cave. They held a prisoner who knew where the weapon was hidden. Throwing empty bullet cartridges to distract them, I choked out the guard in the rear, and then followed suit to his friend in the front. The prisoner spoke the local tongue, but because I had previously captured an interpreter who was listening over my radio, I was able to understand his instructions. I then searched the caves, inch by inch, taking out threats until I found the weapon. Afterwards, I charged out, hoping for freedom, but I was confronted by never-before-seen enemies that couldn't be taken down with conventional weaponry. I was initially ordered not to use the weapon by the person who gave me the contract, but I had no choice but to blast my way out while I ran to freedom. It was an exhilarating mission that I won't soon forget as it took every ounce of skill I had to move in undetected, and then it bombarded me with a full-on action sequence that fueled a massive rush of adrenaline. Thankfully, there are plenty like it to go around.

more on gamespot.com

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Offline Google Maps arrived in India

Google hopes to make getting around in India a little easier, with the launch of new offline functions in Google Maps. Users can now download an area of the world to their phone, and the next time the find there’s no connectivity, Google Maps will continue to work. Whereas before you could view an area of the map offline, now you can get turn-by-turn driving directions, search for specific destinations, and find information about places such as like hours of operation, contact information and ratings.

Now, before you leave for a particular destination, you can download the area by searching for it and then tapping “Download”. Alternatively, you can go to “Offline Areas” in the Google Maps menu and tapping on the “+” button. Once you’ve downloaded your map, Google Maps will still work when you’re making your way around the city, even when you’re somewhere with spotty service or no connectivity at all.

Offline Maps has arrived! Find your way, even when the internet can’t find you https://t.co/N8fJwcTMSs pic.twitter.com/tBHnqZeAS0

— Google India (@googleindia) November 19, 2015

When a connection is found, it will switch back online so you can access the full version of Maps, including live traffic conditions for your current route. However, Google Maps will, by default, download areas to your device only when you are on a Wi-Fi connection.

These new capabilities were first previewed during Google I/O in May, and started rolling out globally last week. Now, the company is gradually rolling out the first set of these improvements with the latest version of Google Maps on Android (coming soon to iOS) in India.

“Having a spotty internet connection shouldn’t mean you miss your next turn. With the launch of these new offline features, like turn by turn navigation and the ability to search for places, we hope it will be easier for people in India to find their way using Google maps.” explains Suren Ruhela, Director, Google Maps.

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The Future Of Digital Media In 2015

For the first time, that investment (much of it SoCal-based) finally took its rightful place in the sun –even in the eyes of ever-skeptical NorCal venture capitalists.

It was easy to see why, given mega–deals like Disney Studios buying leading multi-channel network (MCN) Maker Studios for up to $1 billion, Facebook buying virtual-reality company Oculus VR  for $2 billion, Microsoft uploading Minecraft maker Mojang for $2.5 billion, Apple buying Dr. Dre’s Beats for nearly $3 billion, and Amazon snatching up live gamer site Twitch for $1 billion. Five deals totaling roughly $10 billion.

What does this portend for 2015? Certainly, accelerating digital media activity and a continued investor focus –- meaning billions of dollars of new bets placed by VCs, strategic investors and acquirers on content-driven opportunities.

Beyond that, here are a few specific thoughts on what’s in store for the content landscape over the next year:

(1) The mobile-driven, premium, short-form video economy “grows up,” and traditional media companies take notice on a mass scale.

Shell-shocked studio executives internalize that digital-first platforms are where they must be to reach smartphone-obsessed millennials. MCN acquisitions will quicken as more studios jump into the M&A game rather than try to figure out this new content platform themselves.

Some leading MCNs ripe for acquisition include foodie-focused Tastemade, dance-focused DanceOn, Latino-focused Mitu, sports-focused Whistle Sports, and Collective Digital Studio.

International also becomes a major new battleground for these borderless video opportunities (European media company RTL Group’s $150-$200 million acquisition of U.S.-based fashion-focused MCN StyleHaul is a recent indicator of more to come).

(2) Major consumer brands follow suit and act in earnest.

Massive marketing dollars shift from traditional media to more measurable digital platforms in the form of branded content (not just ads), cannibalizing the former for the first time. Major investments are placed on ad-tech companies to maximize and measure those spends.

We see a number of significant ad-tech exits like Yahoo’s recent acquisition of BrightRoll for $640 million. Several brands go further and invest big to become digital-first lifestyle media companies themselves a la Red Bull, developing and aggregating content. GoPro, Pepsi and Marriott have proudly announced such ambitions.

(3) YouTube comes under siege from competing video platforms like Facebook and Vessel.

These “off YouTube” platforms lure content creators away with promises of more compelling care, feeding and economics (including the tantalizing prospect of real subscription revenues).

(4) Traditional pay TV packages likewise come under fire in the “Great Unbundling” that began in 2014.

What was unthinkable just one year ago (even 6 months ago!) became reality as HBO, CBS, Starz and others announced stand-alone over-the-top (OTT) services. A parade of others follow suit in 2015 (which is not all bad for cable companies that benefit from the thirst for larger pipes).

(5) Media and tech companies will literally converge.

Facing these tectonic shifts in long-established business models traditional media companies  and major tech companies, which find content increasingly critical to fuel their own businesses, take M&A seriously. One will pull the trigger on a big deal.

(6) On the music side, businesses move away from stand-alone services. 

Massive moves are made away from business model-challenged stand-alone services (Spotify and Pandora both still operate at a loss). Like Apple buying Beats (which was never about the economics of Beats Music), numerous potential behemoth buyers exist.

(7) Gamers see real action too.

App developers increasingly focus on story-telling and compelling characters to build multi-platform media companies a la Rovio with Angry Birds. Rather than take traditional media properties and “gamify” them, these companies flip the model with an Apps-first approach.

Finnish-based Silvermile and Seriously are two companies with Rovio roots to take … well … seriously. VR also enters the ring with gamers en masse in 2015.

(8) Gamers take to wearables.

We see an Oculus under every hard core gamer’s tree next year, alongside their parents’ new digital health and fitness watches.

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