Movies &; TV Star Trek: Discovery Here We Go ’Round Again — Star Trek: Discovery’s “Face the Strange” Burnham and Rayner are bouncing around time and space‚ visiting bits of the show’s past… By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on April 18‚ 2024 Credit: CBS / Paramount+ Comment 1 Share New Share Credit: CBS / Paramount+ In its seventh and final season‚ Star Trek: Voyager did an episode entitled “Shattered.” The episode‚ with its title reminiscent of a Rolling Stones song‚ had Voyager split into different timeframes‚ where each section of the ship was in a different time‚ and only the present-day Chakotay and a past iteration of Janeway were able to move freely among the different time zones. It was little more than an excuse to visit bits of the show’s past (and one possible future)‚ and even be reunited with a crew member who died (Martha Hackett’s Seska). Scientifically‚ the show made nothing like sense. It its fifth and final season‚ Star Trek: Discovery has done something remarkably similar to “Shattered.” In this latest episode‚ with its title that is borrowed from a David Bowie song‚ only instead Burnham and Rayner are bouncing around to Discovery in different times and places‚ also visiting bits of the show’s past (and one possible future)‚ and being reunited with a crew member who died. However‚ the science in this one actually takes a stab at plausibility (as plausible as time travel can possibly be). It even takes into account that Discovery is in totally different places in each time that Burnham and Rayner visit&;#33; Okay‚ before we start‚ I have to mention something that I somehow completely missed last week at the very end of “Jinaal.” I managed to completely not notice that Moll (disguised as a Trill Guardian) slipped some kind of bug onto Adira. However‚ I did notice it in the “previously on Star Trek: Discovery” re-showing of that scene at the top of “Face the Strange.” My initial thought was that it was a listening/homing device‚ but it was much more than that: it freezes Discovery in time‚ which apparently has effects throughout time and space. (We see Moll and L’ak acquiring the bug from a dealer who tries to cheat them‚ but they anticipated that and poisoned the latinum they gave him and he dies. It shows that our bad guys are definitely very bad guys‚ but doesn’t really do anything to make our Bonnie-and-Clyde-in-space pair interesting‚ something that needs to happen soon.) Discovery has two advantages‚ one inherent‚ one due to fortuitous timing. The latter is that Burnham and Rayner were trying to transport to the bridge right when the bug activated. Yes‚ after being reminded last week that‚ even in the thirty-second century‚ a “buncha rocks always beats centuries of technological progress‚” this week we’re reminded that the transporter can seriously fuck shit up. The inherent advantage‚ however‚ is a benefit‚ as Stamets‚ thanks to having tardigrade DNA‚ has a much more peculiar relationship with time and space than everyone else. This has already saved the crew’s asses on another occasion when they went on a wacky time-travel adventure‚ to wit‚ the Harry Mudd-induced time loops in “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.” What’s more‚ Burnham knows this‚ and so she and Rayner seek out Stamets. Unlike Burnham and Rayner‚ Stamets is actually inhabiting his own body in each time jump‚ and going through whatever he happened to be going through at the time—including one occasion when he was really badly injured and about to go into a coma. Credit: CBS / Paramount+ And when they go several decades into the future‚ everyone’s dead‚ because the Progenitors’ technology has been unleashed on the galaxy‚ and Burnham and Rayner show up to an empty Discovery‚ a slightly crazy Zora‚ and a destroyed Federation HQ. This was the first of several minor disappointments I had with the episode. When Burnham and Rayner went to a future version of Discovery‚ I was really really really hoping that it would cross over with the Short Trek “Calypso‚” maybe even with an Aldis Hodge appearance&;#33; But‚ alas‚ it was the “possible future” where Discovery doesn’t save the day and everyone dies. Which was another disappointment‚ because one of the things I liked about the quest for the Progenitors was that it wasn’t a Big&;#33; Major&;#33; Thing&;#33; That could destroy&;#33; Everything&;#33; Except now it is. We got a hint of this when Jinaal told Burnham and Book last week that the tech killed one of his fellow scientists‚ and this week we get confirmation that if L’ak and Moll get the tech‚ it will destroy the heart of the Federation. It’s not quite the major threat that Control or the DMA were‚ but it’s still too fucking big a threat. It’s just tiresome‚ is all… This episode’s reason for existing is mainly to get Burnham and Rayner to have their buddy movie‚ and for Rayner to come around to understanding how things work on Discovery and what kind of captain Burnham is. Because Rayner is an experienced captain in his own right‚ it’s a difficult transition for him. And it’s understandable. It’s incredibly hard to go back to being second-in-command after you’ve been the person in charge for so long. Plus‚ Rayner’s also adjusting to post-Burn life. The Federation was a different place during most of Rayner’s lifetime. And‚ like “Shattered‚” it’s also here to revisit some past storylines. We get them going back to the third season‚ when Burnham and Book are still a happy couple‚ and Burnham has to fake being someone who is still smitten with Book before she found herself forced into a place where she couldn’t trust him. And she’s reminded of the good times and that she loves him (and that David Ajala looks very good with his shirt off). We get them arriving when the Emerald Chain has taken over the ship‚ giving both Burnham and Rayner a chance to beat up some of Osyraa’s thugs. (One gets the impression that this is far from the first time Rayner has beaten up some Chain cannon fodder.) During that bit‚ Rayner encounters Reno (Burnham hides at the sight of her). Rayner bluffs that he’s a temporary crew member‚ and Reno gives him a pep talk and makes him promise to buy her a drink at Red’s. Another minor disappointment: the episode didn’t end with Rayner buying Reno that drink. The heart of the episode‚ though‚ is when they wind up on Discovery very shortly after Burnham came on board. She’s still a prisoner‚ trying to work off her mutiny conviction by helping Lorca. This is the longest they’ll be in one time zone‚ and it’s their best chance to destroy the bug (which is protected by a temporal force field‚ because of course it is). Between them‚ Stamets and Burnham come up with a technobabble solution that requires Discovery to go to maximum warp and break through the warp bubble and then Rayner has to deactivate it as they break out of the bubble. It has to do with relativity and temporarily losing the protection against relativity that the warp bubble provides so that they can get through the temporal force field. The problem is they have to convince the bridge crew to do it. Lorca‚ Saru‚ and Landry are off on a mission (because that would require getting Jason Isaacs and Rekha Sharma back‚ plus apparently this was an episode Doug Jones got off from having to be made up‚ as Saru only appears vocally over an intercom)‚ so Airiam is in charge of the bridge. Before Burnham can get to the bridge to convince the crew—including the one she saw die—to do her batshit plan‚ she bumps into herself. Credit: CBS / Paramount+ Which leads to another disappointment‚ as Prisoner Michael Burnham sees Captain Michael Burnham and assumes she’s a shapechanger or some other kind of violent life form‚ and fisticuffs ensue. And ensue‚ and ensue. It’s bad enough that the episode is riffing on the stupidest scene in Superman III‚ but it just goes on for-bloody-ever… It’s fun seeing folks in the old uniforms‚ and in some cases in their old hairstyles—Burnham‚ Owosekun‚ and Tilly all get their first-season hair back for some scenes. And it’s especially nice to see Hannah Cheesman return as Airiam‚ and also Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Bryce. And you can tell that we’re back on Lorca’s Discovery (and they’re in the middle of a war)‚ because everyone is angry and trigger-happy. When Burnham explains that in her future Airiam is dead‚ Bryce whips out a phaser and points it angrily at Burnham‚ refusing to believe that nonsense. But Burnham is able to convince Airiam herself‚ which is what matters. They do the thing‚ the day is saved‚ and the timelines all reset thanks to plot-convenient-itis&;#33; That same plot-convenient-itis is how Burnham and Rayner manage to wander iterations of Discovery they don’t belong on with impunity and without being detected. At least they’re able to have privacy with Stamets mostly by Stamets declaring a “spore breach” and needing to clear engineering. Though early-first-season Stamets can just clear the room by being a grouch‚ as he was a lot snottier then… Besides giving Burnham‚ and the viewer‚ a chance to indulge in some nostalgia‚ the episode also gives Burnham and Rayner a chance to do their little buddy movie‚ and Rayner starts to get the hang of the crew. In particular‚ he appreciates Burnham’s more free-spirited bridge more by the episode’s end. (My favorite is when he uses his knowledge of Rhys’ nerdity over starships in general and the twenty-third Constitution-class in particular‚ gained during his twenty-word meeting last week.) My final disappointment with this episode is that we were told last week that they’d be going to Tzenkethi space‚ and I hoped that meant we would actually see the Tzenkethi for the first time onscreen. Alas‚ it was not to be. Still‚ minor disappointments notwithstanding‚ this was a fun episode that didn’t exactly move things forward in terms of plot‚ but did fantastic work in doing it for character.[end-mark] The post Here We Go ’Round Again — &;lt;i&;gt;Star Trek: Discovery&;lt;/i&;gt;’s “Face the Strange” appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Teen Horror Time Machine Fatal Fun in the Sun: Bury Me Deep and Spring Break  Everyone needs to back away from the SCUBA gear. By Alissa Burger | Published on April 18‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share If teen horror has taught us anything‚ it’s that when left to their own devices‚ teenagers find all sorts of trouble‚ whether realistic (hit and runs‚ stalking) or supernatural (ghosts‚ aliens‚ and all manner of monsters). These characters get in plenty of trouble in their daily lives close to home‚ but the stakes are definitely higher when they hit the road. In both Christopher Pike’s Bury Me Deep (1991) and Barbara Steiner’s Spring Break (1996)‚ groups of unsupervised teenagers head out for some fun in the sun and instead find mystery‚ horror‚ and cases of ghostly mistaken identity.  Pike’s Bury Me Deep focuses on three teenage girls who are headed to a Hawaiian resort for spring break: Jean Fiscal‚ Mandy Bart‚ and Michele Kala. As the book starts‚ Mandy and Michele are already in Hawaii and Jean is catching a plane to meet them because of a truly bizarre sequence of events in which Jean missed a chemistry test when her mom made her come home because the dog was having puppies and Jean’s chemistry teacher told her the only time she could make up the test was alone in the school with him on a Sunday afternoon (there are half a dozen red flags here‚ though this whole weird situation is dismissed as simple exposition‚ left behind with all of Jean’s other cares as she steps on the plane). Jean dozes off on the plane and when she wakes up‚ there’s a cute boy beside her who wasn’t there before. He introduces himself as Mike Clyde‚ they have a lovely chat about everything they’re looking forward to doing in Hawaii‚ and he tells her about a beautiful moonlit cave: “When the moon is full‚ it lights up the water at night … You can see the dark fish. You can see the caves of colored coral. The fish swim in the caves‚ and the tide rushes out. When the time is right‚ the water rushes through the moonlight to the end of the cave” (14). This sounds beautiful but it’s a bit odd that Mike is sharing these incredibly specific details when this is his first trip to Hawaii and he’s presumably never seen this cave before‚ but that soon becomes the least of their worries when Mike says “Why is this happening again&;#63;” (16)‚ then has a violent seizure and dies.  Jean is understandably traumatized when she lands in Hawaii‚ but she decides the best course of action is to try to forget all about Mike and his inexplicable death‚ and just focus on having a good time. Hawaii is warm and beautiful‚ and Jean is thrilled to see her best friend Mandy‚ but there are plenty of interpersonal tensions and conflicts even on spring break. Jean and Mandy go to school with Michele‚ but they don’t really know her all that well; she just kind of joined in and invited herself along when she heard they were going to Hawaii for spring break. Michele has been to Hawaii before‚ though she’s pretty cagey about when she was there‚ what she did‚ and why she has chosen to come back just now. Jean’s on a tight budget and the girls bought the trip as a package deal‚ which means there are some financial disagreements and stressors‚ like Mandy and Michele upgrading their rental car for an additional charge without making sure it’s okay with Jean. This package also includes some kind of coupon-based system‚ but “The trouble was‚ they didn’t have enough coupons for all the possible activities. For example‚ if they went for a boat ride to Lanai—a small island off Maui—they couldn’t go snorkeling at Molokini‚ a submerged volcano also off Maui. They had to plan carefully‚ which Mandy liked to do about as much as she liked homework. Jean worried that Mandy and Michele had already wasted some of their most valuable coupons” (23). And Jean is right to worry. Mandy and Michele have been having a great time without her and every time she objects to a missed opportunity or an additional expense‚ they just shrug and tell her “Don’t worry about it” (23)‚ clearly speaking from a more privileged position than their friend‚ either insensitive or oblivious to the differences in their financial situations.  Jean doesn’t really want to take a scuba diving lesson at the hotel pool‚ but Mandy and Michele peer pressure her into it‚ mostly so they can flirt with the two scuba diving instructors‚ Dave and Johnny. In addition to hotel work and scuba tours‚ Dave and Johnny are also intrepid treasure hunters on the search for the riches from a sunken yacht‚ and have their own tragic backstory following the mysterious death of their third partner‚ who is (seriously) named Ringo. Michele has gone scuba diving before and Jean turns out to be a natural‚ but Mandy struggles‚ regularly panicking and needing assistance. After a very brief—and unsuccessful‚ on Mandy’s part—lesson in the pool‚ the guys take the three girls scuba diving in the ocean‚ which seems like an incredibly bad idea. Mandy struggles on a grander scale and uses up her air much faster than her fellow divers‚ which cuts the dive short for all of them. Jean was having a great time and is angry with Mandy because they have to wrap up their dive early‚ but Mandy’s mad at Jean too‚ because she told Jean she was interested in Johnny‚ but Johnny only has eyes for Jean. (Michele is having sex with Dave in the girls’ hotel room every chance they get‚ so there’s no romantic competition there‚ but Jean and Mandy do spend a lot of time sleeping on a cot in the suite’s living room as a result). Jean also keeps having unsettling dreams about Mike and almost sleepwalks right off the hotel balcony.  Mandy is a grumpy fifth wheel when the girls tag along on Dave and Johnny’s tour boat excursion to the island of Lanai for some more scuba diving. Dave’s pretty unhappy with this arrangement too‚ because the girls are coming along for free and the boat is already filled to capacity with paying customers. He invited Michele along as his special guest‚ but he didn’t know that Johnny invited Jean or that Jean said she wouldn’t come unless Mandy could come along too‚ which makes for a pretty tense morning at the dock. In the end‚ they all set off for the island and have a pretty great time‚ scuba diving with the large group. Jean feels an inexplicable draw to the other side of the island and asks Johnny to take her over there for another dive. Mandy tags along‚ runs out of air early (again)‚ and cuts their dive short‚ though Jean decides she’ll just stay behind when Johnny accompanies Mandy to the surface‚ diving deeper than she should … though as far as she’s concerned‚ this complete disregard for safety regulations and good choices pays off when she finds Mike’s mystery cave and a skeleton hidden within.  Jean gets stuck in the cave‚ panics‚ and nearly drowns‚ but Johnny comes to her rescue. Johnny and Dave are both pissed about her reckless behavior‚ though Dave does go down to take a look at the cave and comes back reporting that there’s no skeleton‚ dismissing Jean’s macabre encounter as a hallucination. (Who’s taking care of the boat full of tourists while all of this is going on&;#63; Are they having a good time or getting cranky at being abandoned by their guides&;#63; Do they know anything’s amiss&;#63; It’s a mystery).  Things only get weirder from here: once they return to the island‚ Jean does some investigatory work and finds out that Mike’s been dead for a month‚ having died from ascending too quickly from one hundred feet down on a scuba dive. She spent her flight chatting up a ghost‚ but this ghost did give her the clues she needed to find where he died and why. He’s buried on the island‚ so she goes to visit his grave‚ where she gets clonked on the head by a falling branch‚ and has an astral conversation with Mike‚ who shows her all the details of the night he died‚ when someone intentionally stripped him of his weight belt and messed with his buoyancy control‚ which caused his rapid ascent and resulting death. Jean wakes up and returns to the hotel with this newfound knowledge‚ only to discover that Mandy is dead‚ having jumped or been pushed from the balcony of their hotel room.  Jean connects the dots‚ decides Dave is the killer and has murdered Mike and Mandy to cover up the discovery of the skeleton in the cave (presumably Ringo). Jean is obviously next on his hit list and she decides the only reasonable course of action is to clonk Dave on the head‚ steal one of the jet skis from the guys’ boat‚ take it to the island‚ and go on a solo night dive back to the super dangerous cave‚ and recover the skeleton herself. Then everyone will HAVE to believe her. This is a terrible plan and (unsurprisingly) almost gets Jean killed: first‚ because as an inexperienced diver‚ she is putting herself in an incredibly dangerous situation and second‚ because the murderer is actually Johnny‚ who she called to tell all about her plan and who shows up to kill her the same way he killed Mike. She figures it out in the end and manages to not get murdered‚ by tricking Johnny into fatally crashing his jet ski into an outcropping of coral. Before she and Michele head back home‚ Jean goes to visit Mike’s grave again‚ where he thanks her and tells her that he and Mandy are very happy together‚ seeming to release her from any sense of lingering guilt or responsibility as he tells her “Goodbye‚ Jean. You’ve done well” (210). It has definitely been an unforgettable spring break‚ though it’s one whose losses and traumas will stay with Jean long after she boards the plane back home.  In Steiner’s Spring Break‚ the teens are staying much closer to home for their vacation‚ road-tripping from Houston to Galveston‚ Texas for some fun and sun on the Gulf Coast. Angie Hendrix‚ Kerry Cole‚ Paula Lantz‚ and Chad Grindle are all close friends‚ looking forward to a week away from school and adult supervision. Their spring break road trip gang is rounded out by Chad’s dog Brandy and Angie’s brother Justin‚ who at eighteen is a year older than the others‚ a responsible senior in high school‚ and legally an adult‚ which is why Angie and Justin’s parents have insisted that he go along with the group as a chaperone. This is ill-advised and shaky logic‚ but Justin is more serious-minded and responsible than the others‚ so he initially seems to be a good stabilizing influence‚ at least until he develops a crush on Paula and all “responsible adult” bets are off. As much as the teens have been looking forward to this trip to Galveston‚ they haven’t really planned ahead and when they arrive‚ they have no place to stay: they didn’t make any reservations and since it’s spring break for a lot of the high schools and colleges in the surrounding areas‚ everything’s full. It looks like they might be camping out (which they did‚ at least‚ come prepared for)‚ until they have the dubious good luck of getting a lead from a grocery store proprietor named Myra Adams on “the old Jamison place” (8)‚ a large‚ isolated beachfront house that’s in the middle of being renovated and reputedly haunted.  After a brief discussion with the house’s owner—a creepy old man named Eldon Minor who spends the next few days randomly showing up at the house to “check in” on the teens and leer at the girls in their swimsuits—they decide it’s better than nothing and rent the old Jamison place for the week. It’s old and musty‚ still filled with the furnishings of the family who abandoned it more than a decade ago‚ and it isn’t long before they start hearing ghostly music and voices from the attic. To their credit‚ the teens decide to investigate to see what kind of danger they’re dealing with: sure‚ it COULD be ghosts‚ but it certainly seems more likely that squatters could have taken up residence in the abandoned house and be hiding there‚ a possibility they give serious consideration. They have a difficult time finding the stairs to the attic‚ though when they do make their way up there‚ it seems to be just a large‚ empty‚ ballroom-like space‚ still decorated with streamers for the house’s last party.  After Paula and Justin start making eyes at each other‚ Angie feels like a bit of a fifth wheel‚ until she stumbles on a mystery of a more romantic sort: a handsome stranger named Val who just shows up on the beach one day. Angie quickly develops feelings for Val‚ despite the fact that he frequently disappears without a trace and is very cagey about where he’s been and what he’s been doing. (No red flags there.) The group invites Val to join them in the house‚ though he says he’s got a camp set up a ways down the beach and enjoys the outdoors‚ so thanks but no thanks.  The ghostly music and voices continue throughout the week‚ though the teens do their best to ignore them‚ filling their time with sunbathing‚ swimming‚ cookouts‚ and bonfires. When a tropical storm front rolls in‚ they finally convince Val to stay with them in the house. The thunder rolls‚ the electricity goes out‚ and then people start disappearing. First‚ they can’t find Chad and then Brandy disappears‚ presumably having gone to look for him. Val is the next to disappear‚ then Justin‚ leaving the girls to fend for themselves. After Angie is locked in the boathouse and they find Brandy murdered in the marshes‚ they begin to panic‚ but there’s nowhere they can go: they can’t leave their friends behind and if they could (even if it were just for long enough to go get help)‚ someone has siphoned all of the gas out of their car. Even creepy Eldon isn’t coming around like he used to‚ so there’s no one to help them and no way out.  The house’s ghost story is the only viable path forward in solving this mystery and the plot thickens when the girls return from their traumatic search to find party invitations for Caroline Jamison’s eighteenth birthday waiting on their pillows‚ summoning them to the attic. When they make their way to the attic‚ they find Chad and Justin‚ sitting in “straight-backed chairs‚ looking out at the storm‚ at the water sluicing the windowpanes” (176)‚ with their arms around a woman with long blonde hair sitting between them. Angie jumps to the relieved conclusion that this has all been an elaborate prank and that the blonde in the middle must be Val in a wig‚ though all of the evidence—the boys’ creepy silence‚ the murdered dog—argues against this. This dubious relief doesn’t last long anyway‚ as the girls charge around to the front of the chairs to confront the boys‚ only to discover that the guys are unconscious‚ their arms looped around the shoulders of a dead girl. This mysterious girl has been dead for a while and the “Parts of the girl’s body that showed out of the long dress were leathery‚ mummified. Arms‚ shriveled to nothing but bone covered by dried skin‚ lay folded together in her lap. Bony fingers held a bouquet of fresh flowers” (178). This is Caroline Jamison‚ the purported ghost of the old house‚ though the ghost story itself fails to acknowledge the tragedy and aftermath of this young woman’s death.  Val emerges from the shadows (never trust a mysterious stranger you meet on vacation‚ no matter how handsome&;#33;) and tells them that Caroline was his sister. On the day of her party‚ Val had built a raft for Caroline’s birthday‚ pestering her to go out on the ocean with him until she finally gave up and agreed. A storm came in‚ the raft fell apart‚ and Caroline instructed Val to hang on to the floating debris while she swam for help‚ but she never made it back to shore. Val blames himself‚ with the telling of his story alternating between his present-tense voice and regression to that of his childhood self. Following their daughter’s tragic death‚ the Jamisons almost immediately abandoned their house‚ despite the fact that Caroline’s body had not yet been found‚ and while it initially seemed like Val was recovering from his traumatic experience‚ that wasn’t the case. We don’t get any specific details on Val’s behavior‚ just Myra’s wrap-up explanation that “he started acting so strange‚ and they had to give up on him. I heard they put him in that hospital” (201)‚ though he escaped from the hospital to go back home and find his sister’s body. Angie relies on her connection with Val and their blossoming relationship to try to talk some sense into him‚ but is unsuccessful‚ and he locks them all in the old house’s attic and sets it on fire. Creepy Eldon ends up being an unlikely hero‚ showing up to check on the kids with a ladder luckily stowed in his truck‚ which allows them to climb down through the attic windows. Much like the ocean claims Johnny at the end of Bury Me Deep when he dies on the coral outcropping‚ in Spring Break‚ Val turns to the ocean for comfort and release‚ swimming out into the dangerous and storm-tossed seas‚ presumably in the hope of finally being reunited with his sister.  Neither of these beach vacations were quite what the teens had in mind and they get a different kind of excitement than they expected‚ as mystery and murder take the place of fun in the sun. While they have set out looking for a break from the worries and stresses of their everyday lives‚ they find that horrible things happen in even the most beautiful of places‚ often leaving a dark legacy behind. While ghostly intervention may offer some clues and potential paths forward‚ the first step is to figure out who’s ACTUALLY a ghost: in Bury Me Deep‚ Jean is certain that Mike was alive on the plane‚ a tragic but real encounter‚ while the ghostly voices of Spring Break are Val all along‚ and these revelations hold the clues to solving their respective mysteries. The rules for surviving a teen horror spring break seem to be pretty straightforward: stick close to your friends despite whatever romantic intrigues and conflicts threaten to separate you‚ don’t jump to conclusions about who’s a ghost and who isn’t‚ and stay away from handsome strangers.[end-mark] The post Fatal Fun in the Sun: &;lt;em&;gt;Bury Me Deep&;lt;/em&;gt; and &;lt;em&;gt;Spring Break&;lt;/em&;gt;  appeared first on Reactor.

Nothing beats the dopamine rush of earning an exquisitely rolled weapon after hours of grinding‚ but sometimes luck isn’t on your side. If RNG is never in your favor‚ here are the top 10 must-have Destiny 2 crafting patterns to unlock before The Final Shape. Best crafting patterns to unlock before the Final Shape Crafting offers Guardians a guaranteed route to their favorite perk combinations. You can’t craft every weapon in the game‚ but there’s a respectable list of guns you earn patterns for. Here are my picks for the best craftable weapons in the game. If you’re a new player or need a refresher on shaping‚ you’ll find a crash course at the end of the guide. Ammit AR2 Screenshot: PC Invasion Type: Auto Rifle Element: Solar I mentioned this weapon in our best Legendaries guide‚ and it finds itself on this list for a good reason. The Ammit AR2 is a superb Auto Rifle with a comfortable rate of fire and a desirable perk...

In many Bethesda games‚ console commands and cheats play an important role. If you’ve played Starfield‚ you can probably see how limitless the console commands can make their games. For Fallout New Vegas‚ this is pretty much the same‚ however‚ there are cheats on top of the console commands. Fallout New Vegas has tons of console commands and cheats to use. If you read on‚ you may find one that may make the game better. All console commands and cheats of Fallout New Vegas The Fallout games have always been about you and what you can do. While you can create things made by the community like Lucy from the show‚ you still have almost all the freedom in the world. These commands and cheats take that freedom even further‚ making the Fallout games fun. Before we get to the Fallout New Vegas console commands and cheats‚ you may not know how to input them. I didn’t‚ but I found the method by accident. Simply tap the tilde key (~). By pressin...

Creating a character is one of the hardest parts of starting a new Fallout New Vegas playthrough. Choosing your initial set of stats and Traits is hard enough‚ but then you need to decide which skills are worth leveling up during the early hours of the game. The first few hours of Fallout New Vegas (one of the best Fallout games) can make or break your build since there are so many easy quests that reward you with a ton of XP‚ and you can earn a surprising amount of skill points before you even leave the starting town of Goodsprings. If you want to be overpowered by the time you reach the titular city of New Vegas‚ you’ll need to have a good understanding of how each of the game’s skills works and which ones are worth investing in. All Skills in Fallout New Vegas Explained There are 13 skills in Fallout New Vegas. Each of them determines your character’s proficiency with certain weapon archetypes or social skills. SkillAffected AbilitiesSPECIAL StatBarterA...

Once your ship crashes in this action RPG‚ you’ll soon realize that you’ll need to look for some tools. We’ll explain where to find the Pickaxe and Woodcutter’s Axe in No Rest for the Wicked. No Rest for the Wicked: Where to find the Axe and Pickaxe Not only are you slaying enemies in this Moon Studios game‚ but you’re also collecting crafting materials. If you come across trees or ore veins‚ the game will give you a pop-up telling you they require special tools. You can find the Axe in No Rest for the Wicked north of spawn by a glowing caged cave‚ and the Pickaxe is on the ledge of a tower northwest of where you first spawn. Screenshot: PC Invasion How to find the Woodcutter’s Axe The easiest tool to grab first is the Copper Woodcutter’s Axe‚ which is sitting on the sand just north of where you spawn on the shore. From the shore‚ walk north and a bit east to where you’ll eventually find some water to swim in. Screenshot...

Fallout: New Vegas is considered one of the greatest Fallout games by a pretty large margin. It’s just a shame that so many encounter crashing issues – myself included. How to stop Fallout: New Vegas from crashing Fallout: New Vegas may be a great game‚ but it’s an old game that was made with an old engine that modern systems struggle to run‚ leading to issues and crashes. There are a couple of ways to approach fixing these crashing issues‚ from checking your device’s hardware to installing extra software to fix it. It is easier to fix crashing on PC devices‚ but there are some suggestions for console players. Image: Steam Firstly‚ for PC players‚ make sure you meet these minimum requirements: Windows 7/Vista/XP Dual Core 2 GHz or equivalent processor 2 GB Ram 10 GB free HDD Space NVIDIA GeForce 6 series or ATI 1300XT series video card‚ or equivalent If you do‚ and are experiencing crashes‚ then follow on for a fix. Fallout...

Democratic officials are throwing billions at California high-speed rail projects that have yet to be built‚ funding thousands of jobs specifically for union members. Despite funding initially being approved by a referendum in 2008‚ the California High-Speed Rail project currently has less than a quarter of its expected length under construction and was initially supposed to have connected Los Angeles and San Francisco by 2020‚ according to The Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council‚ which represents 48 local unions and more than 150‚000 members in California‚ boasted of the creation of 13‚000 unionized construction jobs due to continued funding of California’s high-speed rail project. The California High-Speed Rail Authority‚ in its community benefits agreement regarding the construction of the rail‚ lays out that it will exclusively bargain with union representatives for craft labor and that no employee will be required to join a union‚ but workers who are at the site for more than eight total days will be required to pay union dues. The agreement outlines that union members will be the primary source of labor and that the local unions will be given the opportunity to refer employees for the job. “The project has been a windfall for the union workers who’ve been on the job‚” Kerry Jackson‚ William Clement fellow in California Reform at the Pacific Research Institute‚ told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “By some counts‚ as many as 13‚000 have been hired. The California High-Speed Rail Authority itself even brags about the ‘steady union jobs that provide union wages and benefits’ they get. That’s not to mention the benefits the union bosses everywhere always enjoy when they have more dues-paying members supporting their salaries and perks.” The Biden administration announced $3 billion in federal funds for the project in December to push along the first phase of the project connecting Merced‚ Fresno and Bakersfield‚ adding to the $9 billion already appropriated by the state and the approximately $3.5 billion in grants given by the Obama administration. The project has been estimated to need between $88 billion and $128 billion to be fully completed‚ and the rail authority told the DCNF that it is aiming to be operational from Bakersfield to Merced between 2030 and 2033. “Of course‚ project costs are affected by higher‚ nonmarket wages‚” Jackson told the DCNF. “When you have so many workers making these wages over the years‚ it adds up. The unions are a force behind the rail and one of the reasons‚ if not the main one‚ that this project has not been halted even though it’s far behind schedule‚ way over initial cost projections‚ and looks like a failed enterprise. “The community benefits agreement that serves as the Project Labor Agreement requires unions to be the primary source of all craft labor.” The California High-Speed Rail Authority told the DCNF that‚ so far‚ 22.5 miles in the Central Valley have reached substantial completion‚ but that efforts are underway to design stations and track systems‚ complete environmental reviews and procure trains. “The project is very much happening and continuing to make progress with our commitment unwavering as we remain active and aggressive in moving the project forward while actively pursuing federal funding‚” the authority told the DCNF. Big News: Today‚ President Biden announced funding to build the first high-speed rail projects in our nation’s history.These investments will get people and goods where they need to go more quickly‚ reduce emissions‚ increase passenger safety‚ and create good-paying union jobs. pic.twitter.com/zxR6SQawIw— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 9‚ 2023 “Even if we didn’t have the Project Labor Agreement‚ there would be prevailing wage and benefits on this project‚ both because of state requirements and federal funding requirements‚” Anne-Marie Otey‚ communications and editorial director at the LA/OC Building and Construction Trades Council‚ told the DCNF. “So‚ they’d be there no matter what‚ so we might as well make the best of it. I think it is better for the workers when there’s also a union agreement on the project.” Otey pointed to the Davis-Bacon Act‚ which is a federal law that requires the government to pay at least the local rate to workers when constructing public projects‚ as the reason why using union workers on the project would not raise labor costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that if the Davis-Bacon Act were repealed in 2020‚ it would have reduced government spending outlays by $10.7 billion by 2030. “It’s benefiting workers‚” Otey told the DCNF. “And these workers are represented by unions‚ but no‚ we didn’t look at it as ‘What can we do for unions&;#63;’ We said‚ ‘What can we do for workers in the state&;#63;’ Especially again‚ in areas like the Central Valley‚ where they can’t just drive to San Francisco‚ Sacramento or L.A. for jobs‚ they live in the great heartland of our state. “So‚ we wanted to figure out a way to keep them employed and keep them working at least somewhat near where they live. So‚ we think it’s a positive.” Around $3 billion in federal funding was also announced in December for a high-speed railway between Las Vegas‚ Nevada‚ and Rancho Cucamonga‚ California‚ with Sen. Jacky Rosen‚ D-Nev.‚ claiming that 35‚000 union jobs would be created as a result. The funding for the project comes from the $1.2 trillion in new spending that was approved by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021. “We disagree that the California high-speed rail project has yet to make substantial progress‚” a spokesperson for the California State Transportation Agency told the DCNF. “Quite the contrary. There are 119 miles currently under construction‚ with one construction package already substantially complete‚ and preconstruction work is underway to complete the initial 171-mile operating segment between Merced and Bakersfield. The nation’s first high-speed trains will be tested by the end of the decade‚ and we expect service to begin between 2030 and 2033.” California is one of the more unionized states in the U.S.‚ ranking sixth in terms of the share of workers in unions‚ exceeded only by five other blue states (Connecticut‚ Hawaii‚ New Jersey‚ New York and Washington)‚ according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The share of California workers who were members of unions declined from 16.1% in 2022 to 15.4% in 2023. The Biden administration’s push for high-speed rail funding in California is part of a larger national push for increased passenger rail access for Americans. President Joe Biden announced in November that $16.4 billion would be given to Amtrak‚ the national passenger railroad of the U.S.‚ to fund 25 passenger rail projects along the East Coast. “Although in California‚ public works projects are always union labor‚ so I think their biggest reason they like high-speed rail is that it’s just such a long-term project‚” Edward Ring‚ director of water and energy policy at the California Policy Center‚ told the DCNF. “The unions get behind these projects because they’re big. The other reason‚ though‚ that they get behind these projects is because these are projects that the environmentalist community won’t vehemently oppose. They ought to be building things that are more practical; they ought to be upgrading freeways. But the environmentalists want us on a road diet.” Biden has also boasted of new train sets for the California rail project being all-electric‚ resulting in zero emissions and powered through renewable energy‚ according to a White House fact sheet. The president claims that all of his proposed rail projects will create “tens of thousands” of union jobs. As of September‚ the state of California had spent more than $600 million on environmental reviews for the rail project‚ not including a 78-mile stretch out of 500 miles that had not yet been evaluated. “The environmentalists are so powerful that the unions go‚ ‘Well‚ if we’re going to get our guys working‚ we’re going to have to play ball with the environmentalists‚” Ring told the DCNF. “And so‚ the environmentalists will buy off on projects that really have no practical value. High-speed rail has no practical value in California. You could also argue that it has no environmental value‚ and I think you could argue that very convincingly.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the DCNF. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post California’s High-Speed Rail Project Far From Finished‚ But It Is Putting Money in Unions’ Coffers appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Google fired over two dozen employees for holding sit-in protests over the company’s $1.2 billion contract with Israel. Protesters occupied multiple offices in Seattle‚ New York‚ and California‚ with signs that read “No more genocide for profit” and demanded that the company end its contract with the Israeli government for cloud and data services. Nine employees were arrested on Tuesday after sitting for hours in Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office and the company announced Wednesday that 28 employees had been fired over the protests‚ according to NBC News. “A small number of employee protesters entered and disrupted a few of our locations. Physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities is a clear violation of our policies‚ and completely unacceptable behavior‚” Google told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises‚ law enforcement was engaged to remove them to ensure office safety. We have so far concluded individual investigations that resulted in the termination of employment for 28 employees‚ and will continue to investigate and take action as needed.” The protest was organized by the group No Tech for Apartheid‚ which claimed that the firing was an attempt to ignore the protesters’ “concerns‚” according to NBC News. “This excuse to avoid confronting us and our concerns directly‚ and attempt to justify its illegal‚ retaliatory firings‚ is a lie‚” the group said in a statement. The company’s contract with Israel‚ also known as Project Nimbus‚ allows the Israeli government to access cloud and artificial intelligence services for defense purposes as part of a “multi-year‚ large-scale flagship project” started in 2019‚ according to Israel’s Government Procurement Administration. No Tech for Apartheid did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Google Fires Dozens of Employees Following Israel Contract Protest appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Soon the government might shut down your car. President Joe Biden’s new “bipartisan infrastructure law” gives bureaucrats that power. You probably didn’t hear about that because when media covered it‚ few mentioned the requirement that by 2026‚ every American car must “monitor” the driver‚ determine if he is impaired‚ and‚ if so‚ “limit vehicle operation.” Rep. Thomas Massie‚ R-Ky.‚ objected‚ complaining that the law makes government “judge‚ jury‚ and executioner on such a fundamental right&;#33;” Congress approved the law anyway. A USA Today “fact check” told readers not to worry: “There’s no kill switch in Biden’s bill.” “They didn’t read it‚ because it’s there&;#33;” says automotive engineer and former vintage race car driver Lauren Fix in my new video. The clause is buried under Section 24220 of the law. USA Today’s “fact check” didn’t lie‚ exactly. It acknowledged that the law requires “new cars to have technology that identifies if a driver is impaired and prevents operation.” Apparently‚ they just didn’t like the term “kill switch.” But it is a kill switch. Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants that. I say to Fix: “It would save lives.” “Are you willing to give up every bit of control of your life&;#63;” she asks. “Once you give that up‚ you have no more freedom. This computer decides you can’t drive your vehicle. Great. Unless someone’s having a heart attack and trying to get to the hospital.” The kill switch is just one of several ways the government proposes to control how we drive. California lawmakers want new cars to have a speed governor that prevents you from going more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. That would reduce speeding. But not being able to speed is dangerous‚ too‚ says Fix: If “something’s coming at you‚ you have to make an adjustment.” New cars will have a special button on the dash. If you suddenly need to speed and manage to find the button when trying to drive out of some bad situation‚ it lets you speed for 15 seconds. For all these new safety devices to work‚ cars need to spy on drivers. Before I researched this‚ I didn’t realize that they already do. The Mozilla Foundation reports that carmakers “collect things like your age‚ gender‚ ethnicity‚ driver’s license number‚ your purchase history‚ and tendencies.” Nissan and Kia “collect information about your sex life.” How&;#63; Cars aim video cameras at passengers. Other devices listen to conversations and intercept text messages. Then‚ says Mozilla‚ 76% of the car companies “sell your data.” “I just bought a new car‚” I say to Fix. “Nobody told me about this.” “Oh‚ it’s there‚” she replies. “Buy a new car‚ you get that really long document. … The small print says‚ ‘We’re collecting your data. We know everything you’re doing in your car‚ and we own [the data]. There’s nothing you can do about it.'” Finally‚ Biden’s infrastructure bill also includes a pilot program to tax you based on how far you drive. “A mileage charge seems fair‚” I say to Fix. “You pay for your damage to the road.” “Correct‚” she replies. “But when you start allowing them to do this‚ they could say‚ ‘We don’t want you to buy a firearm.’ … ‘We don’t want you to go to that destination. So we’re not going to let you start your car.’ It’s about control.” I push back. “They’re not controlling me.” “They can‚” she replies. “Wait until you get a bill for your carbon footprint. ‘You’re at your maximum for carbon credits. We’re not going to let you drive today&;#33; Take the train. Take the electric bus.'” “This is paranoia‚” I suggest. “Maybe‚” says Fix. “But so far‚ everything that I’ve said about these things‚ each step keeps coming through.” COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. The post The Kill Switch appeared first on The Daily Signal.