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PC and laptop configurations equipped with an RTX 4000 series can command high prices, so high that they’re generally reserved for the wealthy or professionals who desperately need the performance of these components. However, some of these GPUs are cheaper and can even be found in discounted configurations, like this MSI Crosshair 15 with an RTX 4070, which drops in price from $1,949.99 to $1,599.99 during Amazon’s spring break sale.

A few months ago, Nvidia released five new graphics cards that managed to break the ceiling imposed by the RTX 3000 and soar even higher in terms of performance. These are the RTX 4000 and the two very high quality models RTX 4080 and 4090 that go far beyond what is currently being made. But this configuration from the manufacturer MSI, which interests us here, is equipped with an RTX 4070, also excellent, which benefits from a reduction of almost 20% during Amazon’s spring flash sales.

The MSI Crosshair 15 C12VG-432FR in a few points

• The performance of the GeForce RTX 4070
• A screen with a frame rate of 240 Hz
• A 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 16GB DDR5 RAM
• Nvidia Optimus technology that saves battery

Instead of the crossed-out price of 1,949.99 euros, the MSI Crosshair 15 C12VG-432FR is now on sale at Amazon for 1,599.99 euros.

A laptop gamer with concrete characteristics

Unlike the MSI Katana, the MSI Crosshair has a flashier design with a more colorful body like this Crosshair 15 with blue, green, and yellow painted buttons. On the other hand, this model weighs in at just 15.6 inches diagonally, easily tipping the scales at 2 kg. We expect nothing less from a laptop with plenty of state-of-the-art components in its belly. The connector set is also complete with USB-A and USB-C connectors.

However, the 15.6-inch screen offers the necessary minimum display with IPS LCD technology and a Full HD resolution (1920×1080 pixels), which prevents you from enjoying the games in their true graphic quality. We still have an impressive 240Hz refresh rate, ideal for highly competitive and naughty multiplayer games. In terms of storage, we already have a 512GB NVMe SSD installed, which can be accompanied by another M.2 SSD.

What the RTX 4070 is worth in this configuration

No suspense on this page, the RTX 4070 is one of the most powerful graphics cards currently available, only surpassed by the RTX 4080 and 4090 at the time of writing. That means this configuration is more efficient than the most powerful configuration of the previous generation, which was then able to rely on the RTX 3080 Ti. With this GPU you can run all current and upcoming games in 1440p at 80 FPS with ray tracing and DLSS 3 on the program. It’s just discouraging!

As a processor we have an Intel Core i7-12650H with 10 cores and 16 threads capable of reaching a maximum frequency of 4.7 GHz. It’s also supported by 16GB of DDR5 RAM, as this configuration can accommodate up to 64GB in two slots. The processor also has a dedicated GPU, which is an Intel Iris Xe that the laptop can switch to when you don’t need a lot of graphics resources thanks to Nvidia Optimus technology. Among other things, this preserves the life of your battery.

What are Amazon’s Spring Flash Sales?

Unlike Prime Day, an event organized exclusively for subscribers to the Amazon Prime service, the spring flash sales are for everyone, with a few exceptions. You’re just not entitled to fast delivery if you don’t have a current subscription.

The Spring Flash Sales on Amazon will run from Monday, March 27, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. to Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

The best deals from Amazon’s Spring Flash Sales

To make sure you don’t miss a good plan for this event, here are some reflexes to adopt now so as not to miss any of the offers we recommend:

• Follow us on our Twitter account @FrandroidPromos dedicated only to good offers (remember to activate the bell to receive notifications in real time)
• Download our Frandroid application (available for iOS and Android) to activate Bargain category notifications to receive new items related to Spring Flash Sales on Amazon in real time
• Subscribe to our Good Deals newsletter to be sure to receive the preview deals (no more than one email per day, 1-click unsubscribe, no sharing with third parties):

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It will be apparent to the most avid Microsoft Rewards members that the daily quest that grants the right to 50 points was no longer available. While Microsoft made the decision to remove this quest, it plans to replace it very soon.

A new Xbox Game Pass quest is coming

As per the Microsoft Rewards application, the quest “Move on. Earn more”, which allowed you to earn 50 points a day by unlocking an achievement, is coming to an end.

The quest was only worth 5 points for a few days and will be permanently deleted on April 3rd:

We regret to inform you that we are ending the Go Further offer. Earn more. in the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox on April 3, 2023. Starting April 4, 2023, we’ll be adding a new daily achievement to Xbox Game Pass quests.

Starting April 4th, an Xbox Game Pass related quest will be added. You must therefore go to the Xbox Game Pass application on your console or mobile to see the new quest and earn points. Let’s hope there’s a nice reward in there, because the initial quest still allowed you to bag around 1400 points every month!

It’s quite unfortunate that a new quest is going away. Over the past few months, Microsoft has made many changes to the Microsoft Rewards program, Xbox Game Pass quests, and many “easy” points that are no longer available.

If you’re not familiar with the Microsoft Rewards program, find all the information you need in our dedicated file.

Microsoft just released Teams 2.0. Rebuilt from scratch, the new version of the video conferencing application promises significantly better performance on the computer with less system resources.

With the popularization of remote working after the Covid pandemic, video conferencing and collaboration software have become indispensable daily tools. In order to meet the high demand, they must be constantly improved in order not to be left behind by the competition. And Microsoft understood that well with Teams! On February 1st, the company launched a premium offering in the United States that offers more than 400 new features, including automated meeting summaries and presentation chapters with timeline markers using ChatGPT (see our article). At the same time, there were rumors about the upcoming launch of a new version of the software called Teams 2.0, which was rebuilt from the ground up and equipped with a brand new architecture.

Rumors that have become reality. Microsoft used its annual Enterprise Connect conference to confirm the launch of the Windows version, which will be available in public preview starting March 28, as announced in its press release. According to the publisher, Teams 2.0 significantly improves the use of computer system resources and brings with it no less than 59 new features. For now, only the Windows version will benefit from this new version, which should be available in other environments (macOS, web, etc.) throughout 2023.

Teams 2.0: a complete and streamlined overhaul

According to The Verge, Microsoft has started testing this new version of Teams at scale within the company and plans to release a preview to users in March. In development for years, this version 2.0 was announced at the end of 2021 with no further news after that – although many improvements have been made to the video conferencing software since then, especially on Windows 11.

©Microsoft

Users often criticize Teams for being slow to start and open a meeting, not to mention that the software tends to take up memory. Therefore, Microsoft has made Teams 2.0 twice as fast and half as resource intensive. So, according to the illustration video, it now takes 9.1 seconds to open the new version of the software, compared to 22.23 seconds before. In addition, it would use 50% less RAM and 70% less storage space, which should improve battery life on laptops when in use. Also, switching from one talk channel to another would be 1.7 times faster. These performance gains are due to the move away from Electron – a set of tools and software components used to develop desktop applications – to the newer Microsoft Edge WebView2 technology. Additionally, the Redmond-based company now uses the Javascript-based React library, which allows its developers to make UI improvements while accommodating users of entry-level devices and low-bandwidth Internet access.

©Microsoft

In fact, Microsoft has incorporated several new features aimed at making Teams easier to navigate. It is now possible to search for content directly in a conversation, get replies to a specific message in the form of a nested conversation (thread), or access suggested actions. Additionally, users with multiple accounts no longer need to log in and out to switch from one account to another as they can remain logged in to all accounts. You can therefore receive all notifications from all accounts in real time. Teams also allows you to replace the user during a video conference with a 3D avatar that is customizable in terms of clothing, accessories, and makeup. The interface design has also been overhauled with native materials like Windows 11’s mica translucency, making it look more like a native Windows app. Finally, Microsoft intends to later integrate other features with AI, including filters with animated images, the ability to change the hue of its video in presentations and the future inclusion of the famous Copilot assistant (see our article).

There are a variety of volcanoes on the surface of the earth, some active, some dormant. While each has its own specificities, meaning no two eruptions are alike, the volcanic machinery obeys certain general principles.

Regardless of whether the volcano is explosive or effusive, an eruption is based on the rise of magma, ie molten rock, through the thickness of the lithosphere. This ascent takes place along fissures that act as channels, transporting the magma from its source to the surface or to temporary storage areas commonly referred to as magma chambers.

No volcano without magma

Magma normally forms in the mantle, at the base of the lithosphere, where temperatures exceed 1,200°C, about 100 to 110 kilometers deep. Under the action of heat or rapid rise, the rocks of the mantle begin to melt locally and partially, creating a liquid called “magma”. The liquid droplets created, which are less dense than the surrounding rocks, will then begin to rise through the numerous interstices of the lithosphere. This ascension will then benefit from the presence of pre-existing cracks and faults affecting the Earth’s crust. But these lines are rarely continuous to the surface.

As a result, as it rises, the magma can be found temporarily stored in the crust at very different depths, generally between 20 and 50 kilometers. These are the deep magma chambers. Today, people often prefer to use the term “reservoir” instead, because the word “chamber” indicates an empty space, a kind of pocket or cavity that would be filled with magma. Today, however, we know that magma storage is quite diffuse and extensive, within a network of more or less connected fissures that form magmatic lenses trapped in a sort of crystalline mixture (the mash) where liquid and solid elements are intimately mixed are mixed up.

From this deep reservoir, magma can continue to rise to the surface until it reaches a shallow reservoir just a few kilometers from the surface. This storage level results from a balance of density and pressure. In other words, the Archimedean thrust that pushed the magma up until then is now zero.

A storage of several thousand years in magmatic deposits

During its ascent, the magma undergoes an important chemical modification. In fact, numerous exchanges and contaminations take place in contact with the surrounding rocks. During its stay in the magmatic reservoirs (which lasts several hundred or thousand years), the magma slowly begins to cool, which leads to the beginning of crystallization, but only of certain minerals.

This is a process called fractional crystallization. The composition of the residual liquid changes significantly due to the depletion of certain chemical elements that form new minerals. This is magmatic differentiation. Many parameters are then changed compared to the original magmatic liquid, in particular the silica content, density, temperature, viscosity and the ability of the liquid to absorb gases (especially water vapor and CO2).

Within the surface reservoir, the gases thus gradually become supersaturated and create an overpressure until they reach a critical value that leads to the opening of the previously closed system. The overpressure in the reservoir then exceeds the mechanical strength of the rock. New channels then open, allowing the magma to quickly escape to the surface. These volcanic vents will then release the pressure contained in the reservoir: this is the eruption.

Eruption and partial emptying of the magma reservoir

The pre-eruption stage, when the reservoir becomes unstable, is accompanied by several warning signs. Many small earthquakes are recorded under the volcano, whose flanks will also “swell”. The characteristics of the eruption itself will depend on several factors, most notably the viscosity of the magma. If it is liquid we will witness an effusive eruption with many lava flows. If it is very viscous, its rise in volcanic chimneys will be slow and complicated, creating overpressure that leads to an explosion.

In any case, the emptying of the magma reservoir does not usually reach 10%. In addition, the reservoir becomes too unstable and collapses, creating a caldera.

Once the pressures within the reservoir equalize again, the eruption stops. The volcano then enters a dormant phase, but this does not mean that the deep magmatic processes have stopped. Reinjection of magma from the deep reservoir into the surface reservoir is often the cause of an awakening and a new eruption.

What types of volcanoes are there?

The Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) announces the availability of the eye-catching HUAWEI nova 10 SE from April 1, 2023. Adopting the iconic Star Orbit ring design of previous HUAWEI nova phones, the new version has new design features such as its two rings that adorn the module with stars. The phone’s 108-megapixel imaging system reveals a new level of detail, giving HUAWEI nova users the tools they need to capture and share life’s experiences, anytime.

The smartphone features a 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge2 battery and a long-lasting 4500mAh battery3. In addition, the HUAWEI nova 10 SE is equipped with a 6.67-inch HUAWEI Full View OLED display, which has a refresh rate4 of 90 Hz and a touch sampling rate of up to 270 Hz, and provides bright and detailed content renders with meticulous precision to achieve smooth playback and immersive viewing.

Developed based on innovative technology, each generation of HUAWEI nova series strives to represent the ideology of an innovative technological object, characterized by fashionable design, powerful cameras, excellent performance and intelligent interaction experiences. Now entering its 10th generation, the nova series recognizes Generation Z’s love of photography as a way to connect and even rediscover the beauty and wonder that surrounds them. With an enhanced imaging experience, the HUAWEI nova 10 series enables users to record their daily lives and express themselves with renewed confidence.

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE will be marketed on April 1, 2023 and will be available in Tunisia in StarrySilver and Starry Black colors on Huawei’s online platforms and authorized resellers.

A ring in the shape of a star orbit, exquisite appearance

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE is available in two colors: Star Silver and Star Black. The HUAWEI nova 10 SE inherits the iconic Star Orbit ring design found on previous Nova phones but with a twist as two rings exquisitely adorn the module. The Star Orbit ring shimmers and sparkles under the light, creating a diamond-like sparkle.

The phone’s other design element, the back’s Starry Flash Craft has a special Gravel processing technology and a crystal-like matte finish, giving it a frosty look and feel. The Anti-Fingerprint (AF) coating is dirt, oil and water repellent and the surface is highly resistant to daily wear and tear and scratches. The HUAWEI nova 10 SE also shows us that less is more. With an ultra-slim design and weighing just 184g and 7.39mm thick, it fits easily in your pocket or in the palm of your hand.

High-resolution 108MP portrait camera to capture the smallest details

The HUAWEI nova series has always been praised for its impressive mobile photography technology. With each new generation of phones come significant new advances and the HUAWEI nova 10 SE continues this legacy with its 108MP imaging system and multi-frame RAW domain fusion algorithm to deliver superior performance. Whether you are in a bright or dimly lit environment, indoors or outdoors, or in a backlit or frontlit scene, you can rest assured that the HUAWEI nova 10 SE will always perform at its best.

The RAW multi-frame blending algorithm interacts with the phone’s multi-frame noise reduction technology and high-resolution sensors to ensure that images of all types have less noise. Photos taken in low-light environments, such as Night scenes, for example, have less noise, optimized brightness and a wider dynamic range, revealing details that previously might have gone unnoticed.

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE automatically detects backlit environments and boosts the contrast to enhance the shooting experience. When HDR is enabled, portrait photos taken in backlit environments boast a high level of clarity, with facial expressions and details rendered vividly.

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE is also equipped with a 16 MP wide-angle front camera that offers an AI-assisted beautification function for selfies. 4-in-1 pixel fusion technology enables stunning selfies in low-light environments, and the camera automatically switches to wide-angle mode when needed, expanding the field of view up to 90° for group shots, so everyone can easily fit in the frame.

In addition, vlog videos have become one of the most important ways for young people to express themselves and share their lives. The HUAWEI nova 10 SE supports seamless switching between front and rear cameras to ensure footage remains uninterrupted and everything is stored in a single video file, making content creation and sharing easy and seamless. With Dual View Video, you can capture split-screen scenes and capture your own reaction as the scene unfolds before you—two perspectives at once.

Robust battery life, excellent games and intelligent communication

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE brings new and improved battery life, gaming features, entertainment features and smart communications, delivering the exciting experiences today’s young users expect. The phone packs a long-lasting 4500mAh battery and supports 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge for industry-leading fast charging, made possible by using an all-new dual-bass charging pump voltage and three-tab battery technology. It only takes 38 minutes to charge the phone to full capacity5, and according to Huawei lab tests, a fully charged battery can last up to 12 hours of short-duration video streaming at a time, giving users remarkable peace of mind when they’re outside.

When it comes to gaming, the HUAWEI nova 10 SE comes with Touch Turbo that improves the touch responsiveness of the screen.

6.67 inch HUAWEI FullView OLED display

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE is equipped with a 6.67-inch HUAWEI FullView OLED display that supports auto-adjustment, allowing the screen brightness to be calibrated according to the lighting conditions. Blue sub-pixels in images are minimized through state-of-the-art hardware and software interventions, reducing eye strain at night. In addition, the phone supports Always-on-Display (AOD) notifications, which means you can always see important information like the time and battery level, even when the phone is on.

The HUAWEI nova 10 SE also supports a P3 wide color display that offers vivid and cinematic colors with strong contrasts between light and dark areas. Finally, this smartphone supports a 90Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of up to 270Hz, ensuring excellent touch responsiveness whether users are browsing the web, scrolling through videos, or pausing audio playback.

A visionary and inspiring user experience

With Super Device features, Huawei has consolidated various menus into the Control Panel with a simple swipe; Users can explore the control panel and quickly access audio playback, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings while making it easy to control multiple devices as if controlling just one.

Thanks to the distributed file system, the HUAWEI nova 10 SE can also act as an external storage unit that connects to the PC wirelessly, making it easier than ever for users to access the files they want. That is, when users write an email on PC, they can add files from smartphone as an attachment, or when they see a picture they like while surfing the Internet on PC, they can save that picture directly to smartphone.

According to the press release

Scientists from the University of Manchester have developed a new building material called StarCrete. Thanks to potato starch and a pinch of salt, it could allow the construction of extraterrestrial habitation.

After the mushroom, the potato is the latest food being considered for building the homes of the future.

The discovery comes after American architecture firm Red House announced it is collaborating with NASA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to build space dwellings from mushrooms and dehydrated algae.

In order to ensure a permanent human presence on the Moon and Mars, one must figure out how to build robust and durable habitats that provide protection from radiation. In addition, high-strength materials must be found from local resources, which should ideally be produced using relatively simple and low-energy processes.

In their experiments, the scientists used ordinary starch with a pinch of salt — magnesium chloride found on the surface of Mars or in astronauts’ tears — to create “a very resilient” starch they called StarCrete.

In an article published in the journal Open Engineering, the scientists explain that the results obtained have made it possible to create a material twice as strong as ordinary concrete and “perfectly suited” for construction work in extraterrestrial environments.

“After optimization, Lunar and Martian StarCrete achieved compressive strengths on the order of concrete and outperformed most other technology solutions, despite being a relatively energy-efficient process,” say the study’s authors.

Why is potato starch so special?

“Basically, potato starch makes a better glue than other starches,” said lead researcher Dr. Aled Roberts to Euronews Next.

It is also not necessary to have water to use it.

“_The benefit of using potato starch is that we know we’re going to be producing some form of starch anyway to feed the astronauts, so we can produce more of it and use it in the build. ‘ explains Mr Roberts.

And if scientists can’t grow potatoes or other foods sustainably in extraterrestrial environments, “we can just take significant amounts of potato starch and use it as a binder.” The upside is that astronauts can eat it, too, in an emergency.

The team calculated that one sack (25kg) of dried potatoes (chips) contains enough starch to make nearly half a tonne of StarCrete, the equivalent of more than 213 bricks of material.

Is the potato really a tangible idea for building alien habitation?

“There are good chances … but there is still a long way to go before we start building habitats on the Moon and Mars,” Roberts said. “By then we will probably have made many more discoveries. Someone will come up with a better idea and innovate. And that’s how things always go, always.”

Mr. Roberts’ start-up, DeakinBio, will continue to research other plant binders to build homes on Mars and the Moon, as well as “exploring other crazy ideas to see what comes up.” But right now, she’s also exploring how to apply her technology on Earth to create clean, sustainable alternatives to concrete and ceramic tile.

Google is expecting a lot from its latest AI-powered chatbot, Bard. The company recently launched Bard for beta testing, stating that since it’s not an alternative to search, it’s a tool to help search, there will be bugs.

The tech giant has long been criticized for spending so much time launching the chatbot while other competitors, including Microsoft, have been making waves with their Bing search. But Google ignored that and wanted to make sure it was as perfect as possible.

Despite all the efforts and delays, the Bard tool doesn’t seem to live up to the hype and expectations it’s raised for so long.

Bard has really had to improve to compete with tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing, and he may not have made it yet, new expert analysis shows.

Potential popularity, or rather lack of popularity, would have a serious impact on Google’s search leadership. After all, Google is currently number one in today’s technology world.

But so far it would not be wrong to say that there are no significant positive signs.

Google started the beta testing process on Tuesday and really opened up its Bard tool by asking users in the US and UK to sign up and sign up to use the tool. The aim is to open up access now and expand it in the future.

Google has stated that its product is currently in the first phase of testing and will allow users to enter the world of generative AI. However, you must be at least 18 years old, have a Google account and use compatible browsers.

But the first testers are not satisfied with what is on offer. They compared it to the ChatGPT technology developed by OpenAI and found it extremely disappointing.

This lackluster launch is obviously not what Google was hoping for. When the demo launched last month, the platform took $100 billion off Alphabet’s valuation and shares plummeted.

We can only imagine the damage this can do to the company if it doesn’t live up to the hype and falls short of ChatGPT and Bing.

Source : Ethan Molick, Leo Kelion

And you ?

What is your opinion on the topic?

See also:

Microsoft isn’t worried about Google’s Bard chatbot, calling it inferior to Bing Search



Bard: Google has opened the waiting list to test its generative AI chatbot for the US and UK. The ChatGPT answer is not yet available in France



A search using Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s ChatGPT will likely cost ten times more than a keyword search, which could yield billions in rewards

Google unveils Bard, its answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence, which has been heralded as a threat to its search engine’s existence