It's that time of year again when news outlets begin publishing their big lists of things that 16th Century CE astrologer Nostradamus predicted would happen in the following year.Last year‚ predictions included everything from disaster on Mars to a "celestial fire on the Royal edifice"‚ which Nostradamus-enablers took to mean a meteor could set Buckingham Palace on fire and force the King to live in one of his many other palaces‚ castles‚ or cottages. Well‚ we made it through those things which definitely happened – but don't get too cozy‚ for this year outlets are claiming that we will have to deal with all of the above things that failed to materialize‚ as well as global disasters and a war with China.Though none of that sounds very nice‚ it's not bad considering Nostradamus "predicted" that the world would end in 1999. Here's what Nostradamus supposedly has in store for 2024‚ 25 years after the apocalypse.War with ChinaSome outlets have claimed that Nostradamus predicted an upcoming war with China‚ based on a passage saying that a "red adversary will become pale with fear. Putting the great Ocean in dread." "Analysts" alluded to by JPost say that NATO countries could become involved‚ potentially ending in an all-out war‚ which is a more than generous interpretation of an unnamed red adversary looking a bit peaky.King Charles gets sackedIt looks like King Charles‚ the ultimate nepo baby‚ may not enjoy his new role for long. One passage in Nostradamus's long and deliberately vague works refers to a "King of the Isles" being "driven out by force". Another passage claimed to be about King Charles reads that "soon afterward [a disastrous war] a new King shall be anointed / Who‚ for a long time‚ will appease the earth."This has also been interpreted as referring to King Charles‚ who is apparently going to have a busy year of appeasing the Earth before being hounded from his palace for it.What has he really predicted for 2024?Absolutely nothing. The great thing about predicting the future is the vaguer you are‚ the more right you can be about a larger number of topics. It's why horoscopes don't say things like "throw out that Bolognese you made on Tuesday‚ it may look ok but you are in for a tsunami of diarrhea‚" instead opting for sentences like "the Sun in the harmonic aspect will make you experience great changes‚" which is so vague you can read anything into it and is really unhelpful with the diarrhea situation.      Nostradamus was especially good at creating predictions so loose that eventually‚ someone would be able to ascribe it to a not-too-dissimilar real-world event. They are what's known as "postdictions"‚ in that you could not possibly guess what he was predicting before the event happened‚ but after the event you can find a passage that makes it look like he'd known all along – and even then they are not that accurate.For instance‚ a passage that is touted as predicting the rise of Hitler would in no way warn you of Hitler himself:“From the depths of the West of Europe‚ A young child will be born of poor people‚ He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop; His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.”Were you to read it beforehand‚ you could maybe guess that he meant someone famous will be born in Western Europe‚ but that's about it. Once Hitler had risen to power‚ people decided he must have been referring to Hitler and declared Nostradamus once again to be an incredible prediction wizard‚ on an incredibly vague passage.This year‚ just like every other year‚ Nostradamus predicted nothing.

It’s been quite the two months for NASA’s Psyche mission. Now‚ in the latest of its long list of successes‚ the spacecraft has snapped its first images – achieving a milestone called “first light”.On December 4‚ the mission turned on Psyche’s twin cameras and photographed a star field in the constellation Pisces‚ according to the space agency. The resulting images – there were 68 in total‚ captured by both cameras – have been combined to create a stunning celestial mosaic.NASA’s Psyche‚ the first-ever mission to a metal-rich asteroid‚ launched in October‚ embarking on a six-year journey to one of the most unusual (and expensive) objects in the Solar System. The spacecraft will travel 3.5 billion kilometers (2.2 billion miles) to visit its namesake‚ asteroid Psyche‚ which may be made of up to 60 percent metal.Psyche (the asteroid‚ not the spacecraft – it’s confusing‚ we know!) has been known about for almost two centuries‚ but is still something of a mystery – one that the NASA mission is attempting to solve. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the asteroid in July 2029 and will spend two years taking pictures‚ mapping the surface‚ and unveiling the chemistry of this weird world.As a side mission‚ Psyche will be testing NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology. Just a handful of weeks ago‚ it successfully beamed the first-ever laser message to Earth from far beyond the Moon‚ sending a laser encoded with test data 16 million kilometers (10 million miles)‚ the farthest-ever demonstration of this type of communication.The mission has also been busy snapping the stars‚ and in doing so‚ testing its imager instrument – check out its first images‚ of a star field in the constellation Pisces‚ below:Stars in the constellation Pisces‚ imaged by NASA's Psyche.Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUOne of the cameras‚ Imager A‚ took the left half of the mosaic‚ while the other‚ Imager B‚ took the right half. The brightest star you can see is called mu Piscium (far right).“These initial images are only a curtain-opener‚” Arizona State University’s Jim Bell‚ the Psyche imager instrument lead‚ said in a press release. “For the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument‚ first light is a thrill. We start checking out the cameras with star images like these‚ then in 2026 we’ll take test images of Mars during the spacecraft’s flyby. And finally‚ in 2029 we’ll get our most exciting images yet – of our target asteroid Psyche. We look forward to sharing all of these visuals with the public.”It’s not just pretty pics we have to look forward to: the data collected will hopefully help to spill some of Psyche’s secrets (and maybe Earth’s too). The imager uses color filters to photograph in wavelengths of light both visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the metal-rich asteroid.The team will also create 3D maps of Psyche‚ furthering our understanding of its geology and offering clues as to its history. Check back in six (ish) years for the big reveal…

We know: “time crystals” sound like something out of a movie. And not a good movie‚ either – probably something from the same scriptwriter who came up with “unobtainium”. However‚ not only are they real‚ but they’re actually much cooler than anything Hollywood could come up with. They break the laws of physics. They turn up in children’s gifts. They were thought to be impossible for years‚ and then we found like‚ half a dozen in the space of a few years.Since they may hold the key to the technology of the future‚ it’s probably best we get to grips with them. So here it is: what they are‚ why they’re awesome – and how‚ just maybe‚ you might be able to get one of your very own.What exactly is a “time crystal”?Despite the name‚ a time crystal is not actually a crystal. At least‚ not the kind you’re thinking of.“A crystal is a system of many atoms that‚ due to mutual interactions‚ organize themselves into a periodic pattern in space‚” Kostyantyn Kechedzhi‚ a staff research scientist at Google‚ told IEEE Spectrum in 2021. A time crystal‚ meanwhile‚ “is a quantum system of many particles that organize themselves into a periodic pattern of motion – periodic in time rather than in space – that persists in perpetuity‚” Kechedzhi explained.Get the idea? While a normal crystal is defined by its super-ordered system of atoms in space – so that you can move left and right and through and back and so on and the whole thing will look the exact same – a time crystal has that‚ but through time (go figure). You can think of it as a more complicated version of our own Earth-moon system‚ kind of: two objects that orbit a barycenter and return to the same positions relative to each other on a regular period. Of course‚ that’s an overly simple illustration. Time crystals don’t really consist only of two objects: “the key novelty of a time crystal is the periodic motion of a system of many objects interacting with each other‚” Kechedzi said. In reality‚ planetary motion is a terrible candidate for a time crystal: “the true behavior of planets is chaotic‚” Kechezdi explained‚ “which means a small deviation of a planet from its path today will result in a completely reshaped trajectory over time‚ albeit billions of years.”But if you’re looking for a headline‚ here it is: what is a time crystal? It’s probably the first ever human-invented phase of matter. They are "something that doesn’t actually exist in nature‚” Loughborough University physics researcher Achilleas Lazarides told NBC News in 2022. “As far as we know‚ we created this phase of matter.”Why should I care (or: Thermodynamics who?)There’s no doubt about it: among the quantum physics crowd‚ time crystals are a very big deal.“A time crystal keeps moving and repeats itself periodically in time in the absence of external encouragement‚” Samuli Autti‚ a research fellow in the physics department of Lancaster University‚ told Live Science in 2022.“This means they are perpetual motion machines‚ and therefore impossible.”How‚ then‚ can they exist at all? The key is in that word “quantum” – the space where cats can be simultaneously alive and dead at once‚ and light can be both a particle and a wave at the same time. In both these seemingly paradoxical examples‚ the apparent conflict is due to what’s known as the “observer effect”: in quantum mechanics‚ particles exist in a superposition state – that is‚ all possible states at once – until somebody looks at them and‚ by doing so‚ causes the superposition to collapse.And it’s this kind of weirdness that lets time crystals if not break‚ then certainly bend‚ the laws of thermodynamics. “In quantum physics‚ a perpetual motion machine is fine as long as we keep our eyes closed‚” Autti said. “It must only start slowing down if we observe the motion.”As long as we’re only side-eyeing them‚ time crystals may hold the key to resolving some of the most stubborn disconnects in modern physics. “The continuum from quantum physics to classical physics remains poorly understood‚” Autti said. “Time crystals span a part of the interface between the two worlds. Perhaps we can learn how to remove the interface by studying time crystals in detail.”Some experts claim the crystals have the power to illuminate the nature of time itself. “However much you try to treat [time] as being just another dimension‚ it is always kind of an outlier” in classical physics‚ Chetan Nayak‚ a research engineer at Microsoft Station Q‚ University of California‚ Santa Barbara told Quanta Magazine in 2021. But when time crystals enter the picture‚ “all of a sudden time is just one of the gang."Wow‚ that sounds cool! Not very useful‚ though…Yeah‚ okay – we admit it: time crystals are‚ at least for now‚ pretty useless outside of the research physicist crowd. But that doesn’t mean they always will be – and according to those who study them‚ time crystals are full of potential.“A time crystal is‚ like ferromagnetism or superconductivity‚ an example of spontaneous symmetry breaking‚ or spontaneous order‚” Kechedzi noted. This puts time crystals in the same league as utopian tech such as superconductors or ferromagnetism‚ he explained – except that‚ even among these celebs of the physics world‚ time crystals have something unique going on. “Spontaneous symmetry breaking is associated with equilibrium‚” he told IEEE. Liquid water‚ for example‚ becomes ice when the ambient temperature drops low enough; the hydrogen and oxygen atoms that make it up settle into the state with the lowest energy possible‚ and eventually‚ their properties become stable. Time crystals‚ on the other hand‚ play by different rules: they break time-translation symmetry. And they’re the only things in the universe known to do so.“A remarkable property of the time crystal we observed is its spontaneous order despite it being driven out-of-equilibrium‚” Kechedzi said. “Stable examples of spontaneous symmetry breaking […] often have significant technological value.”Precisely what that value will be – well‚ that remains to be seen. The door is open‚ however: “time crystals can be used as a building block for quantum devices that work also outside the laboratory‚” Autti told Live Science. “Maybe time crystals will eventually power some quantum features in your smartphone‚” he told NBC.Great! Where do I get one?If you want to get your hands on a time crystal‚ you’d better have a physics lab at your disposal – they are‚ frankly‚ finicky little buggers to get a hold of.Most successful breakthroughs have involved the use of supercomputers – like Google’s Sycamore quantum computing hardware‚ which was used to realize a time crystal in 2021 by Stanford researchers along with Kechedzi and his colleagues – or the ability to cool gases down to microscopic temperatures‚ as Autti and his colleagues did last year.In fact‚ time crystals are so difficult to create that‚ until physicists at the University of Maryland semi-accidentally discovered one in 2017‚ their very existence was thought to be impossible. Even now‚ with a handful of success stories in the headlines‚ we don’t have anything long-term: “after a sufficiently long time‚ the order is lost and the periodic pattern no longer repeats itself‚” Kechedzi admitted.Still‚ if you’re really intent on finding one‚ there is an alternative to all that hifalutin’ laboratory tech – and it’s kind of delightful‚ actually. Back in 2018‚ just one year after the first time crystals were created‚ researchers from Yale University discovered signs of one hiding in a rather unusual place. Not in a quantum processor; not in a super-cooled tube of hydrogen – but in a kid’s toy.“My student Jared Rovny had grown monoammonium phosphate (MAP) crystals for a completely different experiment‚ so we happened to have one in our lab‚” Yale physics professor Sean Barrett said at the time.Strip away the chemistry jargon‚ and what you’re looking at there is a grow-your-own crystal kit – the kind you might give to a kid as a neat science experiment on a rainy afternoon.“Our crystal measurements looked quite striking right off the bat‚” he said. “Our work suggests that the signature of a DTC could be found‚ in principle‚ by looking in a children’s crystal growing kit.”So‚ aunts and uncles of the world‚ beware: next time you gift your niblings a slightly nerdy pastime‚ you might just be setting the stage for the discovery of a brand new state of matter.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

Dusk is a great shooter‚ especially for those of you who want the old-school fast-paced stylings of FPS games like Doom. It remains a modern classic‚ and now it's dirt cheap as the team releases a free HD update‚ alongside some great new features‚ mod support‚ and a whole lot more. You can even run around Half-Life and Counter-Strike in the game‚ if you want to. Continue reading 10/10 Doom like boomer shooter gets free remaster‚ big Steam sale

AMD's RX 7600 is comfortably the most cost-effective current-gen graphics card you can buy right now‚ if y0u're on a tight budget. It offers decent 1080p performance and is priced at just $269‚ which is $50 cheaper than Nvidia's nearest competitor‚ the RTX 4060‚ which it also outperforms in most games. However‚ the RX 7600 certainly has its limitations and includes just 8GB of VRAM. As such‚ AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT rumors that suggest a new higher-tier AMD graphics card is arriving in January 2024 should be of great interest to budget GPU buyers. Continue reading AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT could have 16GB of VRAM‚ arrive in Jan 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Radeon RX 7800 XT review

The Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake exists in a bizarre limbo state at the moment. According to some sources‚ the new version of BioWare’s classic RPG game is finished‚ over‚ never going to see the light of day. According to others‚ the KOTOR remake might be troubled‚ and going through a patch of development hell‚ but it’s still alive‚ and in the works. One of the greatest Star Wars games ever‚ a return of Knights of the Old Republic would be very welcome indeed. With Star Wars Eclipse also in the works‚ one Disney executive comments on the new KOTOR. Continue reading Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake update shared by Disney MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Star Wars games

What are the best Lego Fortnite seeds? Where you start off in a survival crafting game like the new Lego Fortnite can be paramount to whether you make it to the advanced stages of the game or not. We've found some of the best Lego Fortnite seeds so you can ensure you've got all you need close by. Lego Fortnite features several different biomes across the map‚ and you'll want a seed that places you in easy reach of all of them‚ as well as plenty of caves and preferably a beach. This makes it easier to harvest materials specific to those biomes‚ such as flexwood or obsidian. But what are the seeds you should be using? Continue reading The best Lego Fortnite seeds MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fortnite map - key locations‚ Fortnite skins‚ All Fortnite Chapter 4 weapons

How do you upgrade the Lego Fortnite village? Upon creating the Village Square‚ you'll soon attract a whole bunch of Loopers who have suddenly found themselves on this new island with nowhere to go. Obviously‚ they'll need a bed to sleep in‚ but they'll also not move in if they feel the village is rather crowded. This is where upgrading the Lego Fortnite village plays a key role. Not only will each level allow you to increase the number of residents in each village up to a maximum of five‚ but you'll also get village rewards that help with generating items to help you create Lego Fortnite weapons and tools‚ or perhaps cook up some meals with items looted from Lego Fortnite animals. Either way‚ it's worth buffing your Lego Fortnite village level‚ so here is how to do it. Continue reading How to upgrade Lego Fortnite village MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Fortnite map - key locations‚ Fortnite skins‚ All Fortnite Chapter 4 weapons

Searching for the best Warzone loadout? With over one hundred weapons to pick from‚ along with perks‚ grenades‚ and equipment‚ it can be a daunting task to pick out the perfect loadout. Fortunately for you‚ we’ve played for countless hours to determine exactly what you need to select to put together the best loadout drops in Warzone. Our best Call of Duty Warzone setups differ from our favorite builds for Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer mode as they’re optimized for Urzikstan’s vast environments. Not only do the weapons in Warzone feature tweaked stats‚ but we also have to take into consideration Warzone’s armor plates and the additional player count. We’ve used our extensive knowledge of the best Warzone guns to pass on our victory prowess to you - use our best loadouts for Warzone to dominate the competition. Continue reading Best Warzone loadout drop – top setups in Urzikstan MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Warzone loadouts‚ Best AR in Warzone ‚ The best guns in Warzone