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Sony just dropped a full-fledged trailer for the Until Dawn movie, just days after releasing a shorter teaser. The new footage gives us a proper introduction to the Groundhog Day-style gimmick that separates the film from the game. The game is known for permadeath, as any of the eight main characters can die and the narrative will just barrel along without them. The movie, however, takes a different approach. When these characters die, they wake up to start the night over again. This is like Groundhog Day, sure, but also Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day and more Star Trek episodes than you can shake a stick at. Time loops are fun! Sony says that the movie will connect to the game universe, despite the differing storytelling mechanic. For instance, Peter Stormare voices Dr. Hill in the game, but shows up in the trailer working at a gas station. The film will delve into his characters involvement in the events of the game, raising questions for fans to explore. The films directed by David F. Sandberg, who also helmed Shazam! and Lights Out. Its written by Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler. Dauberman is best known for writing films in The Conjuring universe, like Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, The Nun and Annabelle Comes Home. Until Dawn stars the aforementioned Peter Stormare, but also younger actors like Ella Rubin, Ji-young Yoo, Michael Cimino and Maia Mitchell. It hits theaters on April 25. In the meantime, a remake of the game arrived on PS5 and PC in October.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/until-dawn-trailer-shows-the-movies-groundhog-day-style-gimmick-in-action-162626389.html?src=rss
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Grill companies are taking a different approach in 2025. Instead of refining premium smart pellet models and adding even more features, theyre aiming to provide a solid outdoor cooking experience for less money than usual. Weber did so with the Smoque earlier this week and now Traeger is following suit. With the Woodridge series, Traeger offers an all-new look and simplified controls, and even the most affordable option is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus, you can upgrade them all with additional accessories. The regular Woodridge is the cheapest option of the new trio. At $800, its the same price as the smallest Pro series model, the Pro 575, and $1,000 less than the mid-range Ironwood grill. The entire Woodridge series has a novel design that differs from the pricier Timberline and Ironwood grills, and Traeger ditched the touchscreen for a simplified setup. But dont let the price fool you, the company didnt cut many corners to keep costs down. The Woodridge is a workhorse, and in some ways its better to cook on than Traegers more expensive grills. Design The first thing I noticed about the Woodridge is that Traeger got rid of the touchscreen controls. I dont doubt that component was expensive, and in my opinion it was unnecessary. Instead, theres a simple set of buttons for timers, food probes, ignition and menu. Next to them is a multi-color display with large numbers that make temperature, time and other stats easy to see, even from a distance. On the far right of the panel, a single knob allows you to scroll through and adjust temperature settings and more. Like other Traeger models, the controller is installed on the pellet hopper, which doubles as a small side shelf. On the Woodridge, the hopper has a 24 pound capacity, more than enough for most low-and-slow smoke sessions. These new grills also have Traegers Pop-And-Lock (PAL) rail system around the outside. These allow you to customize your grills with things like shelves, paper towel holders and condiment baskets. Theres also ample rack storage built in, with spots to store both the longer top rack and the smaller bottom ones, too. The Woodridge is the most basic of the new grills, and it doesnt have any kind of shelf or cabinet underneath. Instead, theres just an X-shaped bracket that keeps the legs snug and tight. On the hopper end, there are two wheels with rubber tread and two legs on the other. Theres no handle to lift the grill to move it, so you have to use the side-mounted PAL rail. On the underbelly, youll get Traegers so-called EZ-Clean Grease & Ash Keg that collects all the waste from the cook chamber for easy removal. Even the lid and cook box on the Woodridge have a new shape. The lid is flatter and looks more like a gas grill than the oval tops of the Timberline, Ironwood and Pro series. You still get two levels of grates inside covering 860 square inches of cooking area, but theres less vertical space to stack food. Traeger redesigned the components under the cooking surface too, installing handles on the drip tray for easy removal and a cover for the grease keg. The path for grease is now more enclosed, so errant embers should be less of a concern. Overall, Im impressed with the build quality on the entry-level Woodridge. It wouldve been easy for Traeger to use cheap materials to reduce cost, but the grill is sturdy and should last for years. The legs are rock solid and everything feels hefty and strong, which is a welcome surprise compared to other budget friendly options. Cooking with the Woodridge Billy Steele for Engadget If youre looking for a straightforward pellet grill that gets the job done, the Woodridge is a great option. It isnt loaded down with features you might not use, but does everything from low-and-slow barbecue to high-heat searing with a temperature range of 180-500 degrees Fahrenheit. I typically use pellet grills for smoking, so most of my testing focused on that, but I can vouch for the Woodridges ability to maintain temperatures of 500 (and slightly above). The Woodridge doesnt have Traegers signature Super Smoke mode, but the grill still imparts lots of smoke into your food. I particularly enjoyed the layered flavor on a double-smoked, glazed ham over the holidays. The convection air flow inside the cooking chamber moves smoke around to blanket your food with the nuance of the wood pellets. Even at higher smoking temperatures of 300 degrees and above, the grill was still producing significant amounts of smoke. A big feature on the Woodridge is Traegers WiFire tech. This Wi-Fi connectivity sends vital cooking stats to the companys app on your phone, allowing you to keep tabs on the process from anywhere. For the Woodridge, this means you can see data from wired or wireless food probes, adjust grill temperature, set timers, activate Keep Warm mode and shut down the grill on your phone. As always, the Traeger app has a wealth of recipes when you need some inspiration, complete with guidance for beginners. The app is one of the best tools on Traegers grills, so its nice to see the core features from the software are available on this base model. Other Woodridge options The regular Woodridge is the base model in the new trio with the Woodridge Pro and the Woodridge Elite above it. The Pro has 970 square inches of cooking space, Super Smoke mode, a folding side shelf and a bottom storage shelf. It also offers an upgraded controller with a pellet-monitoring sensor inside the hopper. Those upgrades cost $200, as the Woodridge Pro is $1,000. On the Woodridge Elite, you get some f the best aspects of Traegers most expensive grills the Timberline and Timberline XL. Those conveniences include insulated construction for better heat retention, a 1,100-watt infrared side burner and an enclosed cabinet base. The additions come on top of the 970-square-inch cooking area and other key specs from the Woodridge Pro. Youll pay a lot more for this grill, though, as the Elite is $1,600. So, its much less attractive than the other Woodridge options. The Woodridge, Woodridge Pro and Woodridge Elite were just announced today, but the first two are available now at Traegers website or from retailers in the US and Canada. Final thoughts on the Woodridge After Traeger went even more premium with its Ironwood makeover in 2023, the company had a big gap between its most affordable models and its more expensive ones. The original Ironwood was a nice bridge between the Pro series and the Timberline, but all of those upgrades killed that value proposition. The new Woodridge series reclaims some of that territory, and even the base trim gives you everything youd want in a basic pellet grill. In fact, Id argue it goes beyond that. The Woodridge and Woodridge Pro are massive upgrades compared to the Pro 575 and Pro 780. Every time I use the Woodridge Im amazed by the sturdy build quality Traeger delivered while keeping the cost down. The new look is certainly a departure from the companys other grills, so itll take some getting used to. But, when youre using it, that doesn't matter. I prefer the new simplified controls to Traegers affinity for a touchscreen and the Woodridge performed well every time I cooked on it. If you think most of Traegers lineup is too expensive, and that the Pro series has been around too long to invest in one, the Woodridge might be right for you. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/traeger-woodridge-review-a-big-upgrade-for-the-entry-level-pellet-grill-160010591.html?src=rss
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The UK has spent over a decade attempting to regulate who can access adult content online and has failed, again and again. But things might just change, as OfCom, the country's government-approved communication services regulator, has finally published its age checks guidance. How exactly, they'll enforce that guidance is unclear, but baby steps. The new obligations stem from the October 2023 Online Safety Act, which requires services to stop children from accessing pornographic content. Ofcom released an initial draft of expectations for services in late 2023, stating it would publish its final guidance in early 2025 so, we're right on time. "For too long, many online services which allow porn and other harmful material have ignored the fact that children are accessing their services," said Melanie Dawes, Ofcoms chief executive, in a release. "Either they dont ask or, when they do, the checks are minimal and easy to avoid. That means companies have effectively been treating all users as if theyre adults, leaving children potentially exposed to porn and other types of harmful content. Today, this starts to change." First off, Ofcom is requiring all applicable services to determine if children are likely to access any part of their offerings by April 16. That same month, Ofcom will publish its Protection of Children Codes and guidance on conducting a children's risk assessment. Any service likely to be used by children will need to conduct said assessment by July. They also need to have protective measures in place if children try to use their services, such as age checks. Any site that has pornography (whether created by the service, users or generative AI) must introduce strict age checks as soon as possible. As Ofcom puts it, "age-checking methods deployed by services must be technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair in order to be considered highly effective." These techniques can include photo ID matching, facial age estimation, digital identity services, and mobile network operator age checks, to name a few. Users self-declaring their age and online payments in which a person doesn't have to be 18 are not acceptable methods. Pornography shouldn't be at all visible before or while these checks are occurring. However, the regulator stresses that services must balance protecting adult users' privacy and access rights. Ofcom states it will contact many adult services about these requirements and "will not hesitate" to act against or investigate services that ignore their obligations. Again, these exact actions are unclear, so we'll see how well these regulations will be enforced. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-demands-adult-content-sites-introduce-effective-age-verification-methods-150057997.html?src=rss
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