Valleys

Stardew Valley’s massive 1.6 update has been out on PC for less than 24 hours, and it’s already taken the game’s popularity to staggering new heights. The cozy farming simulator hit 146,159 concurrent players on Steam according to SteamDB data, smashing the game’s previous record as players flock to enjoy new content — including a new farm, festivals, and pets.Stardew Valley’s previous peak of 94,875 concurrent Steam players was achieved back in January 2021, shortly after the 1.5 update was released. By contrast, its new…

Satellite images of Death Valley’s Badwater Basin captured on July 5, 2023; August 30, 2023; and February 14, 2024.Refreshed by precipitation from an atmospheric river, a temporary lake in Death Valley is extending its stay.An ephemeral lake in Death Valley’s Badwater Basin is showing its staying power. After forming in August 2023 in the aftermath of Hurricane Hilary, the lake gradually shrank but persisted throughout the fall and winter. A potent atmospheric river filled it back up in February 2024.This series of images…

A former motocross champion and army veteran, Jack (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), returns to his home in the industrial north-east of England to care for his younger brother, who has learning disabilities, following the death of their mother. To earn a quick buck, he agrees to a risky North Sea pickup of a mysterious parcel for a former friend turned rave maniac, crime kingpin Silas (Joe Blakemore, off-the-charts bonkers and not in a good way), but finds himself double-crossed. What’s more, his brother has gone missing and his…

The Rocky Mountains conjure up images of grey rugged peaks capped with white. But within the upper reaches of the harsh mountain landscapes, a rosier hue often blooms.Watermelon snow, also known as glacial blood, is caused by algae that turns the snow a startling shade of red.The algae blooms in summer, forming on the snowfields that linger on glaciers, frozen lakes, rugged peaks and icy valleys in the upper reaches of mountain terrain.The darker the snow, the faster it melts — and new research sheds light on the threat…

Disney Dreamlight Valley entered early access at the end of 2022, and the Animal Crossing-meets-Mickey Mouse gameplay immediately caught on in my house. The light and easy gameplay paired with soft music and the presence of some of the world's most family-friendly characters made for low-stakes gaming sessions that served as a nice break from whatever review was on my slate.I honestly didn't expect much from the game; Animal Crossing never leaned heavily into its story so I didn't expect Disney Dreamlight…

A volcano that had rumbled for weeks erupted in southwestern Iceland, spewing semi-molten rock into the air in a spectacular show of Earth's power in the land known for fire and ice.The eruption that started Monday night occurred about four kilometres from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The town near Iceland's main airport was evacuated in November after thousands of earthquakes damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption.On Tuesday, fountains of orange lava shot into the…

Eric ‘ConcernedApe‘ Barone has revealed that Haunted Chocolatier has taken heavy inspiration from Stardew Valley’s Moonlight Jellies festival and classic Final Fantasy titles. According to Barone, Haunted Chocolatier is a “life-affirming” RPG about ghosts and chocolate and while it doesn’t currently have a release date, Barone has revealed what players can expect from the title in a new interview with NME. After revealing that he believed his “under-appreciated” soundtrack is one of the reasons Stardew Valley went on…

“What if there was a better way to make and deliver pizza to you?” asked CNBC’s Jim Cramer—shirtsleeves rolled up, wagging his finger at the camera—as he passionately set up a segment of his popular Mad Money show in June 2018. “Turns out, there is, which brings me to Zume, Inc., a Silicon Valley–based startup trying to bring this industry to the modern era.” Cramer, on location in Mountain View, California, and standing in front of a shiny red food truck, quickly introduced Zume’s robots, cuing up footage of a robotic…

Thanks to a sceptical press – and a subsequent FDA investigation – the technology was found to be a total sham, but only after investors had poured millions into the start-up and made Holmes one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires.The crypto industry is another plain example of what happens when hype and bluster overtake real utility.LoadingBitcoin alone is estimated to consume more energy per year than many countries – all for the sake of a made-up currency – and the unravelling of disgraced FTX founder Sam…

“There’s a lot of people from the tech community who would either come to voyeur, just to sort of see it in a state of shock,” says Stefanos Tiziano, who organises BDSM events in the city, and which he says draws a different crowd to the swinging scene (BDSM is an umbrella term that covers bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism).“There were folks from some of the big companies that are still there that I partied with, and a lot of them knew each other.” Tiziano says his events are particularly popular when big tech…