SpaceX will try to put Starship in orbit for the first time on September 22

TechCrunch - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 11:16
Elon Musk's company will also attempt to deploy the first V3 Starlink satellites into its orbital internet constellation.
Categories: Nerd News

Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Sept. 15

Lookout Santa Cruz - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 11:11
an "open" sign hanging from a chain inside a glass door to a business

Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.

Here is what’s new in local business recently.

New businesses
  • PNAC was registered at 585 W. Beach St., Watsonville, by Centennial Asphalt Company as a corporation on Aug. 31.
  • STAGE LEFT SUPPLY COMPANY was registered at 170 Rewood Dr., Felton, by Mindwarp Entertainment Productions LLC as a limited liability company on Aug. 31.
  • HZ FLOORS was registered at 530 14th Ave., Apt. B, Santa Cruz, by Humberto Zamora Ferrer as an individual business on Aug. 31.
  • ZENIT RAM CAPITAL was registered at 129 Terry Loop, Watsonville, by Angel Rene Martinez as an individual business on Aug. 31.
  • TIDALWOOD HOMES was registered at 111 Gail Dr., Felton, by Dylan Linde as an individual business on Aug. 31.
  • EVA BALINT LEADERSHIP was registered at 1530 McLellan Rd., Felton, by Eva Balint, LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 1.
  • PUNK’S PLANT PROVISIONS was registered at 1955 Encina Dr., Live Oak, by Kenneth Mark Lawson as an individual business on Sept. 1.
  • MOUNTAIN SUN CONSTRUCTION was registered at 961 Burl Rd., Santa Cruz, by Daniel Edward Thiel as an individual business on Sept. 1.
  • ADDICTED WATERS GUIDE SERVICE was registered at 479 Park Dr., Ben Lomond, by Michael Eugene Dawson as an individual business on Sept. 2.
  • MINDFUL HR SOLUTIONS was registered at 7909 Fremont Ave., Ben Lomond, by Rebecca Funder as an individual business on Sept. 2.
  • THE CAN BUDDY was registered at 207 Spring St., Santa Cruz, by Matthew Peter Stelling as an individual business on Sept. 2.
  • CYPRESS AND CO., CYPRESS READINESS was registered at 2113 Derby Ave., Capitola, by Considerate Concierge LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 2.
  • BLUE LAVA CAFE was registered at 2121 41st Ave., #107, Capitola, by Jamjuree LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 3.
  • JUMP START MATH was registered at 141 Via Trinita, Aptos, by Ann Marie Jump as an individual business on Sept. 3.
  • FIR-MAP was registered at 6688 Bonny Doon Rd., Bonny Doon, by Mohsen Sondossi as an individual business on Sept. 3.
  • AAA MINI STORAGE was registered at 20 Westgate Dr., Watsonville, by Pacific Shore Investment LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 3.
  • APPLETOS FARMS was registered at 1001 Valencia School Rd., Aptos, by Allen Aldridge as a business operated by a married couple on Sept. 3.
  • LOCAL EYES HOME WATCH was registered at 1001 Valencia School Rd., Aptos, by Local Eyes Home Watch LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 3.
  • FINE LINE NOTARY & SIGNING was registered at 622 Coast Range Dr., Scotts Valley, by Helen Louise Youmans as an individual business on Sept. 3.
  • CLICKAWAY was registered at 303 Potrero St., #105, #106, Santa Cruz, by Tpb Holdings Corporation as a corporation on Sept. 4.
  • SYRUP CERAMICS was registered at 404 Centennial St., Santa Cruz, by Sara Passantino as an individual business on Sept. 4.
  • ATHLETE AGAIN was registered at 201 Vista Dr., La Selva Beach, by Jd Morgan Consulting LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 4.
  • PLANS AND PERMITS was registered at 640 El Rancho Dr., Santa Cruz, by Charles York as an individual business on Sept. 8.
  • BERRY BEST SOCIAL MEDIA was registered at 197 Brodin Lane, Watsonville, by Marisa Vasquez as an individual business on Sept. 8.
  • ROCKIN’ ROLLS – CINNAMON ROLLS was registered at 1130 Pacific Ave., K1, Santa Cruz, by Rockin’ Rolls – Cinnamon Rolls LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 8.
  • HOTEL VACATION NANNIES CO. was registered at 101 Civic Center Dr., #521, Scotts Valley, by Samantha M. Navai Seigle as an individual business on Sept. 8.
  • BIOSWALE SOLUTIONS LANDSCAPING was registered at 617 Amesti Rd., Watsonville, by Bioswale Solutions LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 8.
  • BACK CUT TREE SERVICE was registered at 9520 Manzanita Ave., Ben Lomond, by Anthony Ledesma as an individual business on Sept. 9.
  • CLAD, FITCHECK, FITDROP, GALA, LOOM, TWISTS, VENU was registered at 856 Nobel Dr., Santa Cruz, by Daniel Michael Gaughan as an individual business on Sept. 9.
  • AGLAEA, TEXTURA, TRIODA, TRIVIA, TUISTS, WAY RIGHT was registered at 856 Nobel Dr., Santa Cruz, by Natalie G. Gaughan as an individual business on Sept. 9.
  • MAKAI TARA was registered at 154 Barbara Way, Watsonville, by Makai Tara Kemberly White as an individual business on Sept. 10.
  • SMITTYS RESTORATION AND COLLISION was registered at 1218 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz, by Philip Patrick Smith as an individual business on Sept. 10.
  • ANGEL APP was registered at 1175 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, by Angel Empire LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 11.
  • DE COLORES CLAY was registered at 204 Calabasas Rd., Watsonville, by Daniel Casella as a general partnership on Sept. 11.
  • SANTA CRUZ CAMPERS was registered at 1514 Brommer St., Unit B, Santa Cruz, by Eric Jacoby as an individual business on Sept. 11.

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

MORE LOCAL COVERAGE

The post Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Sept. 15 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Kennedy Center Votes to Shut Down After Trump’s Brutal Loss in Court

The New Republic - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 11:07

President Trump’s handpicked board of trustees for the Kennedy Center voted Tuesday to immediately close the famed venue for renovations, shortly after a federal court blocked Trump’s latest attempt to put his name on the building.

The board claims that the center is in serious trouble, financially and structurally, pointing to a partial ceiling collapse earlier this month and alleging possible bankruptcy. The board argues that the only way to keep the center running and the building intact is to allow Trump to take over and have his name added to the building’s facade.

This is a developing story.

Categories: Political News

Iranian spies hit Windows machines with Chosen Brick data-stealing malware

The Register - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 11:01
Iranian state cyber actors are targeting individuals using social messaging apps to deploy surveillance and data-stealing malware on their Windows machines, three Western governments warned. In all observed cases, Chosen Brick has infected Windows systems exclusively. Iran has used it since at least 2025 to take over individuals’ devices, stealing their contacts, emails, and social media messages, which allows the spies to track people’s movements, the FBI, UK National Cyber Security Centre, and the Netherlands’ General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) said on Tuesday. “Iran almost certainly uses cyber activity to support the repression of individuals who are seen as a threat to the regime, such as dissidents, activists and journalists,” the security advisory said. “In some cases, the Iranian intelligence services have plotted to kidnap or conduct lethal operations against individuals internationally, who they perceive as enemies of the regime.” These attacks typically begin with WhatsApp and Telegram messages, purportedly coming from individuals and organizations that the victim knows and trusts. The Iranian spies do a significant amount of research to prepare for these social engineering campaigns. By the time they send the initial message via a social media app, they have “extensive” knowledge of the targeted individual, their contacts, and relevant industry organizations to make the phony messages more believable, according to the agencies. After building rapport with the mark, the attackers convince them to download and open a file that appears to be a legitimate application. Specifically: Pictory, RunwayML, Norton Antivirus, Telegram, Adobe Flash Player, and KeePass are among the legitimate applications the malicious files have been made to resemble, the government agencies said. Upon opening the file, the malware executes without the victim’s knowledge, and will survive a reboot of the target device. Chosen Brick also adds exclusions to Microsoft Defender antivirus in an attempt to evade detection, and then connects to Telegram for command-and-control (C2) communications using a victim-specific Telegram bot. While the malware hasn’t yet been observed to automate lateral movement across the network, this is “technically possible,” the advisory noted. It does, however, download additional malware and set up persistence for new payloads on infected devices, using the same registry key that Chosen Brick uses to establish its own persistence on a Windows device: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Other features include enumerating running processes and system information, capturing screen and audio content, stealing emails, along with Telegram and WhatsApp data from web browsers, and wiping the computer system. “Organizations that are concerned Chosen Brick has been executed should contact their IT providers, either internal or external, to investigate,” the US, UK, and the Netherlands warned. “As this actor targets personal devices, not just corporate devices, organizations are recommended to circulate this with their staff that are likely to be targeted and support them in checking their personal devices too.” The Western agencies’ latest Iran alert follows a series of water and energy cyberattacks that researchers and media reports have linked to Iran, although the US and UK governments have stopped short of formally attributing them, as the military conflict between Iran and the US approaches its seventh month. In August, America’s lead cybersecurity agency, CISA, disclosed that the July cyberattacks that disrupted American water utilities across 12 states targeted more than 100 internet-exposed water systems. CISA did not, however, attribute the campaign to Iran or anyone else. Around the same time, a suspected Iran-linked cyberattack also shut down a small UK power plant. Also in August, five US agencies warned that attackers are using AI-generated exploitation scripts to break into internet-exposed Siemens S7 Series programmable logic controllers (PLCs) at water, manufacturing, energy, and other critical facilities. “This is not a theoretical risk – it is an active threat,” the feds warned. ®

AI agents now have a place to snitch

TechCrunch - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:42
The AI Contact Hotline is designed to be a discreet place where agents that have witnessed misbehavior can tip off authorities.
Categories: Nerd News

Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Houses, Ranked (Universal Orlando)

The Nerdist - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:42
Quick Take
  • We rank all 10 of the houses at Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Night from best to worst. We loved Stranger Things and Sinners.

The time has come, the pumpkin said, to talk once again about our journey through Universal Orlando 2026’s Halloween Horror Nights Houses and rank them best on our experience. This year, Universal Orlando 2026’s Halloween Horror Nights brought us 10 new Houses to enjoy: five original houses and five based on existing IP. While we usually lean toward ranking original Houses higher on our list, but this year we have more of a blend on our ranking list. And yes, controversially, we liked the Halloween Horror Nights Stranger Things House. We liked it so much, it’s ranked number one in our book! So join us as we rank Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights Houses from Best to Worst. (And, as usual, caveat that even “worst” means the House is a true work of art. But when you visit 10 haunted houses, you’re just bound to like some more than others.)

Universal Orlando 2026 Halloween Horror Nights Houses Ranked, Sinners, Stranger Things, HellraiserNerdist Our Full Ranking of Universal Orlando’s 2025 Halloween Horror Nights Houses in List Form; Jump To: Tied for 1: Stranger Things Was Our Best Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights House in 2026 (Press Play to Experience the House)

Yeah, we said it, and we’ll say it again. We rank Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2026’s Stranger Things House as one of our best houses. The House deftly wove together all of Stranger Things 5′s best moments and brought us right back to all the feelings we had watching the final moments of one of our favorite shows. From Karen Wheeler fighting a Demogorgon in her kitchen to Dipshit/Delightful Derek yelling his iconic catchphrase to Joyce Byers cutting off Vecna’s head to El’s final act of sacrifice, this Horror Nights House had it all. And, of course, it had Vecna, menacingly beckoning to us from the shadows, and a ton of cool Demogorgons, Demodogs, and Demo-you-name-it. For us, what makes a beautiful Halloween Horror Nights House is the immersion. And this Universal Orlando 2026 House had it in spades. We felt like we walked into Stranger Things‘ final season, and for us, that’s truly wonderful.

RELATED ARTICLE

Every STRANGER THINGS Season Ranked From Worst to Best

A fun note about the Stranger Things House: the cast changes across different runs. One time, we saw Mike Wheeler. Another time, we saw Dustin and Nancy. We never saw Steve, though—a true tragedy. But we won’t hold it against the House!

Tied for 1: Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control Was ALSO Our Best Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights House in 2026

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

A less controversial take is next up in our Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2026 House rankings. In every way, Stranger Things’ equal is the Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control House. Jack and Oddfellow are two Halloween Horror Nights LEGENDS. And this Universal Orlando House beautifully filled in some of their backstory, all while setting the tone for the entire Horror Nights 2026 adventure, whose theme this year was “The Infernal Carnival of Nightmares.”

The Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control House combined narrative, design, scares, and gore in exactly the perfect components. There were bloody beats, tilting rooms, slanting floors, incredible light effects, robots, scare actors, and more. But the, we’ll call it, enemies-to-lovers story of Jack & Oddfellow was always at the heart of every turn and read VERY clearly. It was Halloween Horror Nights magic! Not to mention, I got jump-scared at several junctures. 10/10.

3. Sinners

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

I can still hear the haunting strum of the guitar in my mind as I think back on the Sinners House. And the lilting voice guiding me into a beautiful night at the Club Juke that goes very wrong. And what could be a better mark of a Halloween Horror Nights House deserving of a high ranking than still haunting the minds of those who visited it?

RELATED ARTICLE

Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS Oscar Wins Are Huge for Horror

Sinners, the movie, is a gorgeous combination of spectacle, terror, aesthetics, and music. And Sinners, the Universal Orlando 2026 Halloween Horror Nights House, is much the same. The Sinners House invites you into its world and traps you there as you move through scenes from the movie, with triumph and horror blending in and out of one another. There’s a particular kind of chill up your spine that you feel when you’re by the campfire telling ghost stories, and the Sinners Horror Nights House captures that feeling to perfection. It’s the creme de le creme of Haunted Houses. So don’t hesitate; let it consume you.

4. H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! is what you might call the comedy House of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 2026. And normally, I wouldn’t have the comedy House so high up on my list of Halloween Horror Nights House rankings. I’ve seen the B-Movie-esque houses before, and they’re always fun, but they don’t usually stand out. But there was just so much love put into H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!, it’s impossible to deny its brilliance.

From a play on the Headless Horseman to a classroom full of spooky spirits to monsters doing the disco, and, of course, the mad scientist Dr. Pumpkin Spice, there was A LOT to love in this Haunted House. But what I loved most is how warm it felt. It was just brimming with gleeful Halloweeny delight. It felt like fall and trick-or-treating in the best way. And those are some of my favorite feelings of all. Not to mention, any House that wafts Pumpkin Spice into the air is going to be on the “best” side of my Horror Nights Rankings.

The House also contains some great Horror Nights lore for the HHN nerds, as it continues a story started a long time ago about H.R. Bloodengutz. It deftly wove this story into the experience through intermittent television screens that felt atmospheric and helped guide the journey. There were even a few good scares hiding in all the cozy horror. What a delightful experience!

5. Cybergoria

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

Reluctantly, I offer Cybergoria this slot in my House rankings. I did not ENJOY Cybergoria, but it certainly was an effective House. The premise of this House is that machines pretending to want to “help” humanity are ripping them apart instead. And this premise is delivered on. This House is dark, gory, full of awful scents, and lots of innards, blood, and guts. It is also CLAUSTROPHOBIC to the max. And it feels ENDLESS while you’re inside. There was a stretch where I must have been clawed at, menaced, and jump-scared by ten different machines in a row. And just when I thought I was exiting and safe. BAM. Another one. Even rewatching my video of the experience from the comfort of my home, I felt that awful trapped feeling rise in my throat. Good job, Cybergoria, good job.

6. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

Halloween Horror Nights’ Tribute Houses are always really beautiful, and Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness was no exception. In fact, I would rank it higher on my best-to-worst rankings of 2026’s Halloween Horror Nights Houses, but I just can’t! Like other Tribute Houses, it was clear that this House, paying homage to a legend, was crafted with real love. In fact, we learned that Sharon Osbourne herself had signed off on the House, piece by piece.

Naturally, Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness was driven by Ozzy’s iconic music. And yes, there is a train in the middle of the Haunted House; some might even call it a… Crazy Train. Filling the gothic maze of Ozzy’s existence were all kinds of creatures that befit the Prince of Darkness. Werewolves, ravens, vampires, and dark knights bearing Ozzy’s crest all came to the party. There was a perfectly goth, Universal Monsters vibe to the whole affair, and it struck just the right chords. If you’re a fan of darkly romantic, Gothic horror, this is the Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights House for you.

And, of course, the moments when Ozzy himself appeared were emotional and heartfelt, as only a Halloween Horror Nights House can manage to be.

7. Evil Dead Burn

Press Play to Experience the House:

Evil Dead Burn is another one of those Horror Nights Houses that makes me think, “Should I rank this higher?” But it’s just edged out by its compatriots. There was some concern Evil Dead Burn might be just another gore House, but instead, I found it spooky in the best of ways. Right from the start, cackling heads, eerie letters written in smoke, and dogs with blazing eyes immerse you into the world. And the fun scares don’t let up from there. Some of my favorite moments happen in the Evil Dead Burn House, including a terrifying actor who looks absolutely deranged cutting a long welt up his arm while looking me dead in the eye. And a phenomenal actress leaping out to cackle, “You’re all gonna die by sunrise.”

RELATED ARTICLE

EVIL DEAD BURN Is a Gore-Soaked Disappointment (Review)

The centerpiece of the House, Alice drilling her jackhammer right into Will Price’s chest is just EXCEPTIONALLY done. And there are so many excellent shadowy corners for scares to hide in. This Halloween Horror Nights House gave strong occult energy and I greatly enjoyed it. (Maybe more than Evil Dead Burn, the movie.)

8. INVASION: Alien Abduction

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

INVASION: Alien Abduction was a super fun House, but it just lacked a little bit of story. It was a personal House for me, because I spoke to its designer ahead of Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights 2026. And everything we discussed really came true. This Horror Nights House had all the suspense of a home-invasion thriller PLUS the fun of gray-man alien creatures. Effects like deep floor vibrations (which are hard to create) and set pieces like fun slanting rooms really pulled you into the story the House was trying to tell. And we felt so sorry for the poor abducted goat. It was a great experience, but compared to some of the other Horror Nights Houses, it just ended up a little lower on our Universal Orlando rankings this year.

9. Hellraiser

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

The Hellraiser House delivered on the promise of the movies. There was pain. There was pleasure. There were Cenobites. But, whilst this was the longest Halloween Horror Nights House at Universal Orlando, it felt a bit too much like the same ideas repeating throughout the House. If you’re a huge Hellraiser fan, you’ll probably adore it. But as someone only mid on the franchise, I felt like I wasn’t receiving much of what I know Hellraiser can deliver. It lacked a little bit of camp, in some ways, and just a touch of imagination. Many of the displays were also prop setups, which is understandable given the subject matter, and yet, I felt it took a little something away. Still, walking into the Puzzle Box was pretty cool. And seeing Pinhead come to life did send a chill/thrill up my spine. Notably, I liked that there were invisible strands of something that made the air feel textured and like it was always brushing against you in the Hellraiser House. It was a neat, unsettling effect perfect for the subject of the House.

RELATED ARTICLE

New HELLRAISER Video Game Brings Back Clive Barker and Original Pinhead, Doug Bradley

But sadly, the Hellraiser House ranks on the worst end of my Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights House rankings this year.

10. MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals Was Our Least Favorite Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights House in 2026

Press Play to Experience the House:

Nerdist

We need to make one thing about our Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights rankings clear… If there’s that putrid blood/human flesh permeating throughout a house, we’re probably not going to like it very much. Now, some people may LOVE that kind of gore house, but to us, that’s more stomach-turning than actually scary. And that’s the long and the short of how we felt about MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals. The animal creature designs were very cool. And there sure was a lot of flesh consumption going on. But overall, we felt there wasn’t much story or atmosphere to this house… At least not of the kind we enjoy. The creatures were also meant to be engaging in some kind of faction/gang warfare. But all that really meant was sometimes there were motorcycles revving up motor oil and smoke into the air. Additionally, as mentioned, the House was gory, but it also didn’t GO THERE fully, like, say, 2025’s Terrifier House.

Again, every Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights is a masterpiece in its own right. This one just didn’t do it for us. Which is sad because normally we love cannibals.

And thus, that is the wisdom we have to share about the Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights Houses this year. Go forth and visit as you will!

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief at Nerdist. She is a great lover of the anti-hero and is always ready for a new ship to set sail. In her work, she likes to combine fandom passion with journalistic sensibilities. Follow her on Instagram.

The post Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Houses, Ranked (Universal Orlando) appeared first on Nerdist.

Categories: Nerd News

Higher-enriched uranium for datacenters has DoE all aglow

The Register - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:39
The US Department of Energy has selected a new participant for a program aimed at expanding the domestic supply of fuel for next-generation nuclear reactors. However, we shouldn't expect that to mean the US' ever-growing fleet of datacenters will be powered by low-carbon nuclear energy any time soon. Utah-based Nusano announced on Monday that the DoE had selected it for its Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Program designed to help companies commercialize their nuclear power concepts. In this case, Nusano is working on a new method of creating high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel that’s required for most next-generation nuclear reactors, like small modular reactors (SMRs) and molten salt reactors. HALEU is defined as uranium enay, low-riched to between 5 and 20 weight percent of U-235, the primary fissile isotope that nuclear reactors use to generate power. Traditional nuclear reactors use low-enriched uranium of under five percent. The higher enrichment is needed for smaller, more efficient reactor designs that are currently under development. Several advanced reactor demonstrations in the US have reached zero-power criticality, but none is yet operating commercially. The US has been without a steady commercial-scale supply of HALEU for years, with Russia historically the main commercial supplier and China also possessing HALEU enrichment capability. As of 2026, there’s only a single company in the US actively producing HALEU, and it’s not Nusano. The DoE has signed agreements with several others to produce more HALEU and related fuel products, but those firms are still establishing their facilities, and production remains minuscule. Centrus, the only American company producing HALEU, has generated less than two metric tons since it signed a contract with the government in 2019. The competition heats up Nusano expects to blow Centrus’ meager fuel generation out of the water with its HALEU enrichment design. That said, the company’s design hasn’t actually been realized yet. Nusano didn’t answer a question about whether it had built a functional demonstration HALEU enrichment unit, and when asked whether it had produced any HALEU, the company said that prototype development is still under way. “Nusano expects each unit will produce 5.9 metric tons (MT) of HALEU per year, with the first unit scheduled to be operational in 2031,” Nusano comms boss Scott Larrivee told The Register in an email. “Nusano’s Launch Pad application includes a well-developed, practical plan to move from proof-of-concept to commercial implementation.” As for what that’ll look like, Nusano describes a method that’s completely different from other forms of HALEU production. Whereas other HALEU refiners use gas centrifuges to produce HALEU, spinning uranium hexafluoride gas at high speeds to increase U-235 concentration, Nusano’s method ditches gas entirely. “The method is complex, costly, and potentially hazardous,” Larrivee explained. “If released, uranium hexafluoride reacts with moisture in air or human tissue to form highly toxic, corrosive hydrogen fluoride and uranyl fluoride.” Those gases, Larrivee said, can cause potentially fatal injuries like chemical burns and lung and kidney damage. Nusano is proposing a method that uses uranium feedstock that’s converted to metal prior to enrichment. Unspecified “proprietary separation techniques” are then used to enrich the metal and separate out U-235. The HALEU output of Nusano’s design is metal. “The Nusano process is metal in, metal out. No deconversion. No gaseous fluorine chemistry anywhere,” Larrivee added. Nusano’s current design only requires 1,200 square feet per HALEU unit, and the company anticipates its production cost will be lower than those of gas-centrifuge enrichment. That said, a lot of Nusano units will be needed to meet expected American demand. According to the DoE, HALEU demand could reach 50 metric tons per year by 2035, and Nusano is only expecting to get its first 5.9 MT/year unit up and running by 2031. It’s also not clear if Nusano’s current promises will still be the same if and when its HALEU units are up and running. In June 2025, the company said it had achieved a breakthrough that would allow a single HALEU unit to produce 50 metric tons annually and enable it to scale production to 350 metric tons per year by 2029. Search the company website for that announcement today, and it’s gone. We were only able to see it by pulling up an archived copy. Larrivee said that announcement was out of date, developed under prior company leadership, and that the numbers in the latest release were reflective of current development plans. A number of datacenter operators have promised to embrace SMRs and other next-gen nuclear when the technology is available. With HALEU output still low and commercial-scale production years away, it's unclear when those promises will be realized. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency has just scrapped Biden-era emissions regulations for coal and gas power plants, which it said means coal generation in the US could increase by more than ten times current levels. In other words, next-gen nuclear is, as ever, still on the horizon while bit barns crank up the fossil fuel turbines, now with even less regard to environmental impacts. ®

Comedy, music and theatre await at Santa Cruz Shakespeare

Lookout Santa Cruz - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:20

Enjoy outdoor, live theatre at Santa Cruz Shakespeare this month! 

Between a wild romp like Private Lives and a musical like The Last Five Years, audiences have their pick of delightful theatre experiences under the trees and stars at the Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park this fall. 

The productions share the stage with the finale of the Monday Night and Community Revels featuring comedy, tribute bands and beloved local acts. 

Paige Lindsey White as Amanda, Chris Cherin as Victor, Charlotte Boyce Munson as Sibyl, and Charles Pasternak as Elyot Credit: Kevin Lohman Photography Charles Pasternak as Elyot and Paige Lindsey White as Amanda Credit: Davis Banta/Right Hand Creative Charles Pasternak as Elyot and Paige Lindsey White as Amanda Credit: Davis Banta/Right Hand Creative

Private Lives by Noël Coward

Director: Laura Gordon

Running now through Oct. 4

Imagine running into your ex on your honeymoon. Now imagine the hotel balconies are side by side. Noël Coward’s razor-sharp comedy follows Amanda and Elyot — two passionate, egotistical, utterly irresistible divorcés who discover they may not be as finished with each other as they thought. Expect champagne, sparks and laughter that hurts in the best way. (first name) Pasternak stars as Elyot opposite Paige Lindsey White as Amanda.

Lookout’s own theatre critic Jana Marcus describes this play as “sophisticated, stylish, very funny and just a little bit dangerous.” 

Music Director Luke Shepherd and Chris Cherin as Jamie. Credit: Davis Banta/Right Hand Creative Chris Cherin as Jamie and Charlotte Boyce Munson as Cathy. Credit: Kevin Lohman Photography Chris Cherin as Jamie and Charlotte Boyce Munson as Cathy. Credit: Kevin Lohman Photography

The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown

Director: Laura Gordon

Music Direction: Luke Shepherd

Running now through Oct. 3

Brown’s gorgeous musical looks at the beginning and ending of a relationship through the eyes of Cathy and Jamie. Cathy tells the story of a relationship backward. Jamie tells it forward. Their timelines intersect only once. It’s tender, heartbreaking and musically stunning — a modern meditation on how we define each other and what it costs to let love go.

For those who attended summer productions of Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, followed by the emotionally moving Fences by August Wilson, these fall productions are an enchanting way to close the outdoor theatre season. And if you didn’t make it to a summer show, now’s the time to enjoy the Grove! 

And there’s more!

  • Monday Night Revels culminates its final shows in September with a lineup of one-night-only performances at the Grove, including tributes to beloved bands and viral comic sensation Kristin Key. 
  • Community Revels on Tuesday nights, welcomes local Santa Cruz favorites to the stage – Smoke Cabaret featuring the incomparable Lori Rivera on Sept. 15 and Luke Shepherd featuring Santa Cruz Shakespeare cast superstars singing live on Sept. 22. All proceeds from The SCS Cast Sings! A Night of Cabaret with SCS and Luke Shepherd will go to Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s education programs. 

Reserve tickets today. Santa Cruz Shakespeare is a community-powered professional company that blends national talent with deep local roots. And it exists because this community shows up. We can’t wait to see you at The Audrey Stanley Grove.

The post Comedy, music and theatre await at Santa Cruz Shakespeare appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

US military confirms it launched space weapons into Earth’s orbit

TechCrunch - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:09
This is the first public acknowledgment that the U.S. military put a space weapon in Earth's orbit.
Categories: Nerd News

What’s Going On With Mitch McConnell’s Hands?

The New Republic - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:06

GOP Senator Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill on Monday, after a 92-day absence, with large, dark bruises on his hands.

This is not the first time the 84-year-old senator has been seen with bruises like this. Similar questions about his bruised hands were raised in 2020, when the senator’s team assured the public there were “no concerns” about the injury. They haven’t commented on it this time either, even as McConnell returns from a three-month paid leave of absence after being found unconscious on the floor of his D.C. home in June. On top of the bruising, McConnell is bound to a wheelchair, and appears gaunt and mentally out of it. And upon his return, his team made sure to only have him conduct interviews in a section of the Senate building that didn’t allow camera recordings.

McConnell’s bruises look similar to the ones Donald Trump has been spotted with throughout his second term, with the president’s most recent flare up occurring during Labor Day weekend. While Trump has blamed the bruising on his intake of “big aspirin” or on his frequent hand-shaking, the White House has been incredibly secretive about that ordeal, as has McConnell’s team—even as the two senior citizens clearly have some other kind of health issue making their hands discolored.

X screenshot ad Fox Graphics @BadFoxGraphics McConnell needs Trump’s hand makeup artist (zoom in on Trump's bruised hands)
Categories: Political News

Meta expands subscription push with new AI-focused plans

TechCrunch - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:05
Meta One bundles expanded access to the company’s AI tools with premium features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Categories: Nerd News

DIABLO V Breakdown: Timeline, Storyline, Classes, and More

The Nerdist - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:04
Quick Take
  • BlizzCon 2026 gave attendees a major surprise with Diablo V, which is the newest installment in the StarCraft franchise.
  • Nerdist got the inside scoop with an early breakdown of what’s in store for this action-RPG.
  • Diablo V is currently on track for a 2029 release.

Alongside the reveal of the newest installment in the StarCraft franchise, the other big surprise of BlizzCon 2026 was Diablo V. On track for a 2029 release, Diablo V will bring the dark-fantasy action-RPG series to its most brutal and chaotic setting yet. It will give players plenty of incentive to tear through dangerous mobs of foes to power up with valuable loot and to take down the series’ toughest villains.

During BlizzCon 2026, we got an early breakdown of what’s in store for the action-RPG series’ bold step into a dark future. Along with hearing from game director Joe Shely and narrative director Jennifer Hepler about bridging Diablo IV to V, we also got some early teases on which classes are to come with Diablo V, and how the post-apocalyptic dark fantasy adventure will change how players explore and fight in a Diablo game.

With the reveal of Diablo V, we learned that the next game is set over a century after the events of Diablo IV‘s Age of Hatred saga, which saw the heroes of Sanctuary face off against Lilith and Mephisto’s dark legions. Unfortunately, the relative peace following Mephisto’s fall was short-lived, and the Prime Evil Diablo and their forces of hell launch another invasion in the realm of Sanctuary—and they ultimately succeed. With the world now in ruin following hell’s invasion, powerful heroes and the remaining survivors of Sanctuary trek across the ruins of civilization to power up and face off against Diablo once again.

In Diablo V, the main story will follow a road journey of sorts, with players traveling with a caravan of other survivors through the ruined world and venturing into new, increasingly dangerous regions. All the while, Diablo’s influence will be felt throughout, and his presence in the main story will be the most front-facing of the series—even with moments where the player characters will struggle with resisting his powers.

“While we were working on Diablo V, there were things we wanted to do with player agency and give you a close connection to the story of Diablo, and put you in the driver’s seat in the story,” said narrative director Jennifer Hepler. “It’s about giving you a defined identity, and those were things that we’ve been working on already while Diablo IV’s content has been coming out. When Diablo IV‘s Lord of Hatred expansion came out, we saw how much the community responded to feeling central to the story, not just a wanderer who came in. They built relationships with characters like Lilith and Mephisto. Seeing those responses felt like it really validated the approach we were doing for D5, and it definitely made me want to go full steam ahead with our approach.”

Blizzard Entertainment

The developers are also shifting away from the vast but fixed open world of D4, and back toward a more classic approach to exploration for the new entry. Along with the return of procedurally generated maps, players will also stick to a singular community of allies within the caravan, who will be your guide and quest givers. The aim for Diablo V‘s main story is to keep progression something of a surprise and to add unpredictability to the journey through a dark world, all while keeping your fragile community together. Despite the bleak tone, the developers of D5 see the game as having a hopeful message: that light can come from the darkest times.

The developers also said Diablo will have the largest starting roster of classes in the series, with more to come post-launch. So far, the confirmed player D5 classes are the Demon Hunter and the Monk (returning from Diablo III), and the brand new Plague Knight class, which is a blend of a heavily armored melee fighter with a poison-spewing mage. It’s all about giving players options for how they want to fight through post-apocalyptic Sanctuary, and the developers were keen to use the successes of Diablo IV going into D5.

RELATED ARTICLE

WORLD OF WARCRAFT: FOREVER Brings the Classic Era to a New Level

“I would say we’re not just looking back on Diablo IV, but we’re looking alongside it,” said game director Joe Shely. “While we’ve been working on this game, we’ve been paying attention to the incredible success of things like War Plans in Diablo IV‘s Lord of Hatred, which has been incredible to see. Diablo IV has a bright future and a lot of incredible content and lessons for us.”

As for Diablo IV, the developers are still aiming to deliver steady content and new updates, even with no more expansions on the way. Along with seasonal content planned for the next few years ahead of Diablo V‘s launch – with many updates building up to the main villain’s eventual plans for victory prior to D5‘s core events – Diablo IV will also see the return of the playable Amazon in 2027, which has been long overdue.

So far, Diablo V is making a great case for the franchise’s sudden pivot to a new entry. For a long time, Diablo has been THE dark fantasy RPG, but to see the developers pull the lever all the way to the nightmare scenario for its next entry is a bold choice. But it’s also one that feels like it could make for the most daring game of the series. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see the true scope of this post-apocalyptic journey soon.

Alessandro Fillari is a freelance writer for Nerdist, a life-long video game player, and a true believer in the power of a good story. 

The post DIABLO V Breakdown: Timeline, Storyline, Classes, and More appeared first on Nerdist.

Categories: Nerd News

Health benefits platform Thatch reaches $1B valuation as healthcare costs surge

TechCrunch - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:02
Thatch helps employers keep healthcare costs manageable by offering an individual plan marketplace through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement — a model that lets companies fund employees' own individual insurance plans instead of enrolling everyone in one company-wide plan.
Categories: Nerd News

Kash Patel Reveals Alarming Plan to Have FBI Monitor the Polls

The New Republic - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:00

FBI Director Kash Patel all but confirmed that the bureau’s agents will be deployed to voting locations this November.

As Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, multiple Democratic senators asked him whether the FBI would be at polling stations for the midterm elections. After trying to dodge their questions, he eventually admitted they would be there.

Senator Richard Blumenthal tried multiple times to get Patel to commit to saying that zero agents would be at the polls, to which Patel said that agents would be at the bureau’s field offices on Election Day, refusing to offer any guarantees.

“On Election Day, the FBI will follow the law. If there’s a reason to go there because there’s been a violation of law, we will, otherwise we won’t,” Patel said.

Sen. Blumenthal: "Can you commit to the committee that you will not send FBI agents to the polls?"

Patel: "On election day, the FBI will follow the law. If there's a reason to go there because there's been a violation of the law, we will. Otherwise, we won't." pic.twitter.com/LazW1Cnu5h

— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) September 15, 2026

Senator Peter Welch also asked Patel about agents being sent to polling locations, specifically noting that Michigan’s Republican nominee for governor, Representative John James, said that Patel had told him that the FBI would have a presence in the state leading up to Election Day.

Patel replied that there were election crimes coordinators in all of the bureau’s 56 field offices. Welch was taken aback, saying, “I thought you weren’t going to be sending people to the polls.”

“When did you hear that? It’s just another lie,” Patel said, accusing Welch of lying for a campaign sound bite. When Welch pressed Patel, he repeated his line about election crimes coordinators, adding, “Election integrity is of paramount importance. This FBI will not shy away from that effort.”

“Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November?” Welch asked.

“I have pledged unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies,” Patel said.

🚨 Kash Patel admits FBI agents will be deployed to polling places 👇

WELCH: I thought you weren't going to be sending people to the polls?

KASH PATEL: When did you hear that? It's just another lie

WELCH: So you are sending FBI agents to the polls?

PATEL: We have election… pic.twitter.com/V04Dc42Jx5

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 15, 2026

All of this raises questions as to whether President Trump plans to send federal law enforcement to polling places for the midterms, and what their orders will be. He has compliant lackeys in the form of Patel’s FBI and ICE agents funded by the Department of Homeland Security’s bloated budget. Trump frequently accuses his political opponents of cheating and rigging elections against him. Based on how he acted in the 2020 presidential elections that he lost, those accusations seem more like confessions.

Categories: Political News

Once again, Trump’s crowd numbers suck

Daily Kos - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:00

Official television viewership numbers for last week are out, which means we now get to learn just how low the ratings were for President Donald Trump’s unnecessary midterm convention. That thing was never going to draw a lot of eyeballs, given it was nothing but a jamboree to make the president feel special, but then the GOP went and scheduled it to run against the NFL’s first and second…

Source

Categories: Political News

Jean Grey 1/6 Figure Completes X-MEN: TAS Main Team (Exclusive)

The Nerdist - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 10:00
Quick Take
  • Mondo’s new 1/6 scale deluxe Jean Grey figure completes the main team from the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series
  • Jean Grey comes with several detachable heads and hands, along with a Cerebro helmet and psychic power energy displays.
  • Nerdist’s take: This figure completes the main X-Men: The Animated Series roster, and who wouldn’t want Marvel’s Merry Mutants all posing together on a shelf?

For the past few years, the folks at Mondo have been creating excellent 1/6 scale figures based on the characters from the iconic ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series. And now, the main roster of mutant heroes from Xavier’s School is complete, with the addition of Jean Grey. The psychic/telekinetic mutant (and host of the Phoenix Force) looks exactly like her animated counterpart, wearing her Jim Lee-designed costume from 1991’s X-Men #1. This deluxe figure will set you back $245, and you can pre-order it right here.

Figure - Limited Edition posing with GambitMondo

You can check out several images of the Jean Grey figure, including one with her X-Men comrades, along with the official product description, below:

Mind over matter. 

One of the most powerful mutants to ever join the X-Men, Jean Grey brings her formidable telepathic and telekinetic abilities to Mondo’s X-Men: The Animated Series 1/6 Scale line. Featuring multiple portraits, swappable hands, psychic effect accessories and more, our Jean Grey 1/6 Scale Figure captures the heart of the X-Men and hints at the incredible power waiting beneath the surface.

Click To View Gallery Jean Grey 1/6 Scale Figure - Limited Edition posing Mondo/Marvel Figure - Limited Edition posing Marvel/Mondo Figure - Limited Edition posing Mondo/Marvel Figure - Limited Edition posing with Cerebro. Marvel/Mondo Figure - Limited Edition posing with loose hair Mondo/Marvel Figure - Limited Edition with various heads Marvel/Mondo Figure - Limited Edition posing with Cerebro Mondo/Marvel Figure - Limited Edition posing with Gambit Marvel/Mondo Figure - Limited Edition posing with Cyclops Mondo/Marvel Figure - Limited Edition posing with all the X-Men. Marvel/Mondo

The swappable heads for Jean include the ponytail look she usually wore, as well as one with her hair loose. She also comes with a Cerebro helmet, and different faces showing various stages of psychic anguish. There are also several different swappable hands, and different energy patterns meant to symbolize her invisible psychic power. There’s also a floating Magneto helmet, encased in a psychic bubble. After all, Ms. Grey is one of the few mutants powerful enough to put a dent in the Master of Magnetism’s armor.

Mondo's Jean Grey X-Men: The Animated Series enamel pin.Mondo

Mondo is also releasing a Jean Grey enamel pin by Tom Whalen, also inspired by her ’90s cartoon look. This is a 1.6″ high soft enamel pin, double post on silver metal, with a silver clutch backing. You can purchase this one for $15.00 by clicking right here. Jean features in the biggest movie of the year, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and soon in the MCU X-Men. What better time to show off your love for this Omega-level mutant hero?

Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.

The post Jean Grey 1/6 Figure Completes X-MEN: TAS Main Team (Exclusive) appeared first on Nerdist.

Categories: Nerd News

Baking up fun: Santa Cruz County Fair starts Wednesday

The Pajaronian - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 09:45

A giant apple pie made of fabric sits near the entrance of JJ Crosetti Hall at the 2026 Santa Cruz County Fair. The work represents the multitude of arts on display in the building, the much-loved apple pie contest and the rich agriculture that makes up the backbone of the fair. The event runs Wednesday through Sunday. For a schedule of events, live music, hours, parking and shuttle information, visit santacruzcountyfair.com. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)


GETTINJG READY This man sets up the Apple Tower food station at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in preparation for the upcoming fair. 

Judge Tells Trump to Go Kick Rocks on Kennedy Center Name

The New Republic - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 09:44

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could not inscribe “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump” on the side of the building—almost certainly dashing Trump’s hopes to get his name placed somewhere on the historic cultural institution.

“Simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing,” U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote. “The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.”

This is a developing story.

Categories: Political News

America is building datacenters faster than the grid can power them

The Register - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 09:37
Financial service biz Moody's says the availability of power is still a major constraint on US datacenter growth as the pace of construction exceeds the speed at which the nation's grid infrastructure can add the requisite capacity. America is the epicenter of the datacenter construction boom, driven by the AI craze and demand for compute capacity to train ever-larger foundation models. The latest report from Moody's estimates the power needed by all those bit barns will reach 426 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2030, citing data from the International Energy Agency (IEA). That is almost double the 2025 figure. It falls on the power sector to develop new resources to meet this extra demand as traditional power generation is struggling to keep pace. Moody's calculates that building the additional generation capacity will cost about $110 billion, adding an estimated $25 billion to $30 billion a year to electricity system costs. Yet efforts to supply the rapidly growing number of cloud and AI server farms are running up against lengthy permitting processes and long lead times for key equipment and materials, causing delays of up to seven years in some cases. Management consultancy Bain & Company highlighted the problem nearly two years ago when it warned that energy companies needed to significantly boost their generation capacity, reversing years of flat or declining demand. Transmission buildout is a parallel bottleneck, with $80 billion to $115 billion in grid investment through 2030 already approved or under construction across US power markets, Moody's says, with the potential to triple over the next decade. Investment bank Jefferies reported in June that half of the extra US datacenter capacity planned for 2026 is unlikely to come online this year, blaming power availability and grid connection setbacks, along with other issues including zoning and permitting challenges. Regions able to accelerate development, such as Texas, have experienced a wave of datacenter construction. The resulting pressure on local grids has prompted some authorities to clamp down on new connections for compute sheds. Moody's believes most new IT campus operators are still likely to seek grid connections to limit development costs and benefit from service reliability and shared redundancy. Yet many are also seeking alternatives, including on-site behind-the-meter (BTM) power generation to avoid delays in bringing facilities online. The document also notes that the growing energy demands from server farms are inflating power prices and customer bills in some regions of America, as The Register reported earlier this year. This has led to affordability concerns, fueling opposition to datacenters and prompting measures such as stricter approval frameworks and moratoriums on new projects. President Trump even introduced a Ratepayer Protection Pledge, under which tech giants and energy companies committed to shielding consumers from rising energy costs due to the datacenter boom. In the long term, Moody's believes that large-scale infrastructure investment will ultimately strengthen grid reliability and affordability, despite the risks. Extra generation capacity will alleviate longstanding supply constraints, it says, reducing price volatility during periods of extreme weather or high demand, while expanded transmission networks could improve access to lower-cost generation resources, particularly when datacenter developers or their tenants help finance the associated infrastructure. ®

WORLD OF WARCRAFT: FOREVER Brings the Classic Era to a New Level

The Nerdist - Tue, 09/15/2026 - 09:14
Quick Take
  • World of Warcraft: Forever will create an evolving time capsule of early WoW that adds new quests and expanded content to take the classic era in a new direction.
  • We spoke to creative team members behind the game at BlizzCon 2026.
  • Nerdist’s Take: WoW: Forever is ready to take gaming to a whole new level.

It’s been over two decades since the launch of World of Warcraft, and the quintessential massively multiplayer online role-playing game is still going strong. With new updates fleshing out the world of Azeroth, the latest expansion, The Last Titan, is on track for a 2027 release. But the spin-off WoW Classic has grown in popularity, offering a nostalgic revisit to the early years of Blizzard’s online game.

At BlizzCon 2026, the developers announced that they’re doubling down on the 2000s-era throwback with the newly announced World of Warcraft: Forever. It will create an evolving time capsule of early WoW that adds new quests and expanded content to take the classic era in a new direction.

We got an early look at WoW: Forever during BlizzCon, which debuted with a lush cinematic trailer recalling the wonder and epic scope of World of Warcraft‘s original opening movie. In addition to playing some early questing with WoW: Forever‘s new Elf Skyborne character type, we also learned new details from associate production director Clayton Stone and lead software engineer Ana Resendez about the making of WoW: Forever and why the enthusiasm for the classic era has endured.

As a separate game alongside the current World of Warcraft Classic, World of Warcraft: Forever brings players to an alternate version of the early era of the MMORPG before the arrival of the Outland portal from the Burning Crusade expansion. WoW: Forever presents an evolving storyline that takes some twists and turns not present in the original game, opening up new quests and dungeons, new locations like a fully explorable Mount Hyjal, and new class and character combinations such as the Undead Paladin and Troll Warlock.

It’s essentially the experience of WoW Classic, but in a unique timeline and experience that emphasizes player community within the World of Warcraft circa 2006. That growing community of players invested in WoW Classic in recent years was one of the driving factors behind WoW: Forever.

RELATED ARTICLE

FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION Unleashes a Massive Open World

“I think a big part of why classic WoW has endured has been the player community, even just coming back to BlizzCon over the years and hearing player stories of when they met their partner, or how they’ve kept playing with the same game guild for over 20 years now,” said lead software engineer Ana Resendez. “That social aspect has been a part of the MMO experience, and being able to go around in the world exploring and meeting each other to share stories has been very cool. You are on that journey with other people, too. I think that’s what has been really unique about World of Warcraft, the MMO aspect of it. I think that’s what really captures the essence of it, and that’s why it’s so important for us to also emphasize the journey over the destination and that the world is the main character because we really believe that that’s where the stories are.”

The developers have been especially keen on emphasizing that aspect of the journey. One of the key touchstones for WoW: Forever is to keep the player community together. To that end, WoW: Forever will focus mainly on level 1-60 content, and will stick with locations within core Azeroth’s Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. The developers also said the Burning Crusade’s Outland and content from other expansions won’t be coming to the game for the foreseeable future, with the intent of keeping the experience focused on core Azeroth and ensuring players won’t be left behind.

Another way WoW: Forever leans into the player community is through “serendipitous interactions,” which focus on in-the-moment encounters with other players while journeying through Azeroth. One new feature is the camping system, which lets players build up temporary safe havens in the world where they gain benefits for resting. This also offers another way for players to meet others during these roadside encounters, potentially adding new social interactions and opportunities to team up.

“We really focus on progression or long journeys that players can go on to try to achieve something for their character,” said associate production director Clayton Stone. “Historically, World of Warcraft has always been a building-up vertical power scaling. There will be some of that, especially for, like, our first year of WoW: Forever, but something that’s been important about the Classic experience is how important it is to rerun the raids and other activities that lead up to something like Naxxramas. It creates this forward momentum, and sometimes there could be an item, let’s say, in Molten Core or AQ40 (Temple of Ahn’Qiraj) that you end up using for the rest of your journey, and it doesn’t become obsolete. We certainly intend to lean in on that, but at least for our first year, there will be a little bit of vertical power progression.”

Blizzard Entertainment

It won’t be long till players can dive into WoW: Forever, which will be available to subscribers of the MMORPG. Players will be able to give WoW: Forever a try in an upcoming beta on September 17, but the full launch is set for November 4 for PC. Along with some modernized elements, the developers have also added more refined controller support, including user-interface changes.

With Vanilla WoW on the comeback in recent years, WoW: Forever is in a uniquely strong position to elevate the classic era of the online game to a new level.  And with plans to focus on building a newly refreshed and alternate era of the early years of World of Warcraft, it could very well be the revisit that makes for a compelling reason to dive back into the MMO’s evolving world.

Alessandro Fillari is a freelance writer for Nerdist, a life-long video game player, and a true believer in the power of a good story. 

The post WORLD OF WARCRAFT: FOREVER Brings the Classic Era to a New Level appeared first on Nerdist.

Categories: Nerd News

Pages