Free Games

• Twitch

  • Mad Tracks

    • 2006
    • Toy car racing game that has you managing your vehicle’s spring-powered engine and racing through toy stores, mini-golf courses, and restaurants. It also has arcade modes like pool or darts where you compete for the high score

• Epic Games

  • AER: Memories of Old

    • 2017
    • Adventure game that puts you in the role of Auk, a girl with the ability to transform into a bird. You will fly to explore and experience a world of floating islands, where exploration will be the key to unlock secrets and progress through a story leading you to the end of the world.

  • Stranger Things 3: The Game

    • 2019
    • 16-bit beat ’em up with local co-op based on the third season of Stranger Things on Netflix, showing never-before-seen quests, character interactions, and secrets

PSA for online activists, the ‘chip in’ function on Change.org isn’t a donation for the cause.

• Once someone has added their name to a petition they’re invited to chip in a small donation to fund promotion of the campaign, with the phrasing “Can you chip in $3 to get this petition on the agenda?”
• Anyone not reading carefully may think they’re donating to the cause, but really they’re just paying for advertisements of the petition and Change.org itself
• The feature came under fire after more than half a million people ‘chipped in’ on the Justice for George Floyd petition, which funded more than 100 billboards across New York City and Minneapolis promoting it, but critics are saying that the money should have gone to his family or the ongoing protest movement
• The ‘chip in’ feature is enabled by default on all petitions, and though organizers can opt out of it they can only do so by calling the company’s help desk and speaking to a representative, when something like this could easily be a checkbox when settings things up.
• The backlash has seen Change.org temporarily disable the feature, and hopefully they rework things to make it more clear and easier to opt out of

Juneteenth has become an even more important holiday milestone this year, with many calling on the US to celebrate it as a true independence day for all

• On June 19th 155 years ago, Major General Gordon Grander announced that all slaves were to be set free under federal orders, leading June 19 (Juneteenth) to become an annual celebration of the end of slavery in the US
• In the midst of what’s been happening many corporations have taken the opportunity to encourage their staff to celebrate in a few different ways
  • Nike, Uber, Twitter, Spotify, and Target have made Juneteenth a paid holiday.
  • Amazon and Google encouraged employees to cancel meetings.
  • Capital One and JPMorgan will close branches early.
  • Bank of America and Citigroup encouraged workers to use a personal day.
• It’s something, but it really needs to be set up either by presidential declaration or an act of Congress to be a proper statutory holiday in the United States
• And if you want a stark reminder of the legacy of slavery in the US, and how echoes of it are still continuing today in the legislative and prison systems, you should absolutely watch 13th on Netflix
  • It’s a powerful documentary about the legacy of racism and slavery in the US and how it’s evolved over the decades, starting with the 13th amendment to the constitution that outlawed slavery except as a punishment for a crime
  • Starting from that point it goes through the disenfranchisement and disproportionate targeting of people of colour as a substitute for the systems that had been seemingly shut down

Microsoft is officially shutting down their first party streaming service, Mixer, and releasing everyone from their contracts

• They had a lot of good ideas but clearly the adoption just wasn’t there, so they’re working with Facebook to rework the platform into Facebook Gaming
• FG will honour and match all existing agreements as closely as possible, and they’re letting people connect their accounts to bring over streamer channels and subscriptions
  • One big thing to note here is that none of this is automatic- Facebook will not be integrated into the Xbox UI, and unless you explicitly link your accounts Facebook will not receive any of your account data
• They’re encouraging viewers to spend their remaining Embers and Sparks (in-app currency) to support streamers, offering double the normal payouts for their partners for the month of June, but anyone with remaining credit will receive it on an Xbox Gift Card
• After July 22, Mixer will start redirecting to Facebook’s gaming video sites and will redirect viewers to watch on Facebook Gaming

The UK’s upcoming contact tracing app is shifting to use the Apple-Google APIs to prioritize privacy while still keeping people safe

• Some are still complaining that it doesn’t offer as much data, like your GPS coordinates at all times, but that’s really a feature and not a bug
• There are also some concerns about distance calculation, but Google maintains that since they’ve only developed an exposure notification framework it’s up to the individual apps to build on that to make true contact tracing apps
• Unfortunately there’s still no sign of an update to Alberta’s app

WWDC 2020

• The production values were solid, everyone was filmed separately, and there were no awkward third-party software demos, so really just an overall win for presenting in the days of COVID
• Apple reiterated its support for the BLM movement, and announced a new developer and entrepreneur camp for black developers
• iOS 14 – coming to all phones currently supporting iOS 13
  • 5 year old phones will get all the new features, compared to Samsung devices from as recent as 2 years ago not being supported for updates
  • Widgets are coming to the home screen, and getting massively updated from what we currently see on the Today screen
    • They’ll also use a feature called Smart Stack to show relevant widgets depending on time or location
  • Taking another cue from Android, you’ll now have the ability to hide apps from your home screen and view them in a main App Library that’s sorted by category and fully searchable
  • We’re getting picture in picture on all devices now, instead of just iPads
  • Phone calls and Siri won’t take up your entire screen any more
    • Other Siri updates include dictation no longer needing an internet connection, and a built-in Translate app that can facilitate offline multilingual conversations- turn your phone sideways, and it will show both sides of the conversation side-by-side
  • Messages is getting the ability to pin conversations to the top of your list, in-line replies in group messages to clarify what you’re replying to, and the ability the mention specific people to notify them (as well as the ability to mute notifications unless you’re mentioned)
  • Maps is bringing Look Around, their version of Street View, to the UK, Ireland, and Canada
    • They’re also introducing a ton of new features for cyclists, starting in NYC, LA, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Beijing
      • It’ll do things like adjust your ETA for current conditions, and let you know if there are stairs or steep hills involved
    • And for electric vehicles, your phone will track your charge level and factor in weather and elevation changes to calculate charging stops along your route
  • All those changes to things like Siri and Maps will also flow through to Carplay, along with some visual updates
  • They’re also implementing digital car keys, starting with the 2021 BMW, so you can tap your phone on your door to unlock it and plug it in to start the engine
    • That feature is also coming to iOS 13
  • Another new feature is App Clips, which will let you have limited interactions with apps without actually downloading them
    • You can be prompted from within another app, or with an NFC tag or QR code
  • And the last big piece, and it’s a big one, is that you can finally set default email and browser apps!
  • All in all they’re adding complexity to the phone, but it’s all optional so it will be there for people that want it and not forced on those that don’t
• iPadOS
  • They’ve reworked apps like photos, files, and music to be able to do more on one screen using 1

Min Min from ARMS is coming to Smash!

• Holding the A button
  • her left arm will stretch out for a quick attack.
  • This has more distance than most basic hits and can be considered her Tilt Attack when you take into account the Side Smash is the same attack but much more powerful.
• If you quickly tap the A button instead
  • she’ll attack with quick kicks instead of her arm,
  • which can be useful for fast interactions.
  • Her Up Smash is called the Somersault Kick.
    • When timed correctly, it can also reflect projectiles from opponents.
• All of her Smash and other movement-based attacks will also use kicks
  • giving her more options to deal with opponents outside of stretching her arms.
• The normal, Tilt Attack can also be used while moving or jumping
  • so it’s a great way to apply pressure on a retreating opponent or approach someone who doesn’t like playing in the air.
  • The Smash variant can be used while in the air and both versions of the attack can be angled up or down at the end of the strike.
    • It imitates the curving punches you can get in ARMS by twisting the JoyCon
• Once you switch over to the B Specials, that’s when you incorporate her right arm into the mix.
  • Using the Right ARM punch Neutral or either Side Special will send her right arm flying
  • You can extend both the left and right arms independently in the same direction or use them to cover both sides of the stage.
  • And because of the range on these ARM attacks
    • you’ll never need to worry about getting countered
    • Sword users will have one less option to respond with unless you’re fighting Shulk and get too close.
• Down Special is called ARMS Change.
  • It will allow players to cycle through various attachments for Min Min’s right arm.
  • You can rapidly change abilities without worrying about a cooldown and each different ability opens up a lot of possibilities.
  • Ramram
    • Normal ARM that extends for a hit but throws a ring-like projectile once fully extended and can be angled.
    • Very fast release and the ring provides great coverage while swinging back to reattach to the ARM, though the power is low.
  • Megawatt
    • A slow-moving attachment with a lot of power behind it that can KO opponents at low percentages if you land a fully charged blow.
    • It is easy to dodge, doesn’t bend a lot, and has a shorter range than the other ARMs.
  • Dragon
    • The default ARM for the left arm, shoots out a laser if you hold down the Smash Attack.
    • After a successful grab throw, the left arm Dragon will power up for a short period of time, allowing for more damage and a more powerful laser.
• Just like in ARMS, you’ll grab your opponent at a distance using both arms, which can leave you open to attacks if you miss.
• Her Up Special is called the ARMS Jump,
  • which is a standard recovery move that can be angled and adjusted for height depending on how you hold down the buttons.

Also announced was more Mii Fighter costumes

Interesting note is that Vault Boy from the Fallout franchise will be available for the Mii Gunner

• The Ford government’s new elementary math curriculum will introduce coding, computer storage measurements and personal finance terms starting in Grade 1
  • as part of a bid to improve sliding math scores.
• Starting this September, students in Ontario public schools will begin learning mathematics with more emphasis on a “back to basics” approach
  • with certain concepts introduced in earlier grades and other concepts pushed into higher ones.
• Throughout grades one to eight, children will learn concepts related to coding for the first time.
• They will also learn about personal finance in each grade
  • and they will learn about measurements of data storage,
  • such as a byte, kilobyte, megabyte and gigabyte, alongside the other units of measurement they learned previously.
• Ministry of Education officials said teachers will be given professional development time through the summer as well as during the new school year to adapt lesson plans to the changes.
• Premier Doug Ford said it was the first addition to elementary math since 2005
• The new curriculum also changes when children will be introduced to some core skills.
  • For instance, learning to tell time on a round clock with hands will now begin in Grade 3, instead of Grade 1.
  • Meanwhile, plotting coordinates on a grid will be taught in Grade 4, down from Grade 6, with officials saying the skill is useful to have when learning about coding.
• Part of the “return to basics” approach means memorizing multiplication tables will return.
  • The minister of Education also added that in future years that annual tests could be conducted online.

Tidbits

• Republicans in the US have proposed a law to make end-to-end encryption illegal
  • The language they’re using is that they’re ending the use of “warrant-proof” technology by terrorists and other bad actors, but it amounts to making it illegal to build secure systems. The whole point of encryption is that it needs to be provably secure, and all this law would do is remove the privacy that every person has a right to
• Facebook’s fact-checking system has had a massive new loophole added to it, with climate-change denial now being deemed ineligible for checking because it’s an opinion
• MSCHF, a company building its brand by creating viral moments, is holding an app-based contest starting June 30th at 3PM EST
  • The app, only available in the US, challenges users to hold their finger to the screen as long as possible. The last person standing will win between $0.01 and $25,000, based on votes from everyone that loses
  • You can also get up to three bonus lives by playing with friends within Bluetooth range
• Titanfall 2 has seen a resurgence with its Steam release last week, becoming the top-selling game on the platform right now and jumping into the top 100 most popular games being played
  • The Titanfall subreddit has continually seen tens of thousands of people playing during peak hours, leading many to hope that the popularity will show EA just how well a third instalment would sell
• Mac-using podcasters rejoice, Audacity has finally been updated to work with macOS 10.15 (Catalina) released late last year
  • The update introduced new controls over microphone control, which prevent Audacity from recording anything unless launched manually through Terminal
• Elder Scrolls Online is now on Google Stadia with the ability to link your progress cross-platform, marking the first time in months that we’ve had any news about the platform
• Cineplex is reopening and offering ridiculously low ticket prices, for those willing to brave crowds without mandatory masks
  • Staff will be deep cleaning theatres between showtimes and wearing masks themselves, but they’re only suggesting moviegoers do the same without requiring it

Homework

• ArsTechnica has a great write-up on Walmart’s $140 Windows laptop, with the bottom line being please do not buy it
  • Its resources are criminally undersized and underpowered, with its 32GB drive lacking the storage to even perform Windows Updates, and on some performance benchmarks it scored a previously thought impossible ‘0’
  • You can spend less on a used laptop from a couple years ago with much better performance
  • All the gory details are available at https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/06/we-bought-walmarts-140-laptop-so-you-wouldnt-have-to/
• There’s a class action lawsuit against Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile Canada, alleging that they used customers’ personal information without consent as part of their proposed Relevant Advertising Program.
  • If you had a Bell or Virgin account with data service between November 2013 and April 2015 you’re included unless you opt out, and you can get more info at www.strosbergco.com/class-actions/bellmobility/