Techme101.com

Sometimes the internet and gaming is just pleasant and wholesome for a short time and this might just be one of those moments.
In March Red Wing Simulations launched its LZ129 airship for Microsoft Flight Simulator  – the LZ129 is most famously known for being the Hindenburg – still one of aviation’s most infamous accidents in New Jersey in 1937. Now, for the past two days, flight simmer PzKpfwIIIAusfL/Lina going by the name of The Zeppelin Girl has been attempting to recreate its famous journey from Frankfurt to the USA in real-time. A flight that was expected to take some 30 hours but with the winds and weather they have faced, plus a couple of technical difficulties is now looking like a 50-hour journey.
Keeping masses of loyal followers up to date on the journey with screenshots and flight updates, fans are able to track the flight Flight Radar style on a webpage called Volanta.
At the time of writing the flight is just south of Newfoundland approaching Nova Scotia. 19 hours or so again, The Zeppelin Girl estimated she had about 35 hours to go on this historic ‘first to cross the Atlantic in this ship’ journey.
The path of the Hindenburg as tracked on Volanta.
Posting on Reddit the latest update reads, “She’s still floating! More or less on course, I’ll expect to land in the next ~35 hours.
What happened so far? After the sunset on the French-German border yesterday evening, I was graced with a fault on the gyrocompass which I used for navigation. Luckily I noticed it on time so my course deviation was not too far. From now on, I needed to rely on crew commands to more or less stay on course. With an accuracy of 20°, course deviations are definitely to be expected.
After about 10 hours in, the power went out. It seemed to be an issue with the Generator, but the backup Generator didn’t help here. I tried to figured out the problem together with the Redwing development team, but they are still unsure/working on the issue. Luckily, the flight controls are all mechanical and the engines are Diesel ones, so it’s just the passengers who have to give up electrical light and some other amenities on their flights…
I’m kinda being blown around over the Pacific but the winds favour me. I’m a bit worried about my fuel reserves at the moment, but I should at least make it to Newfoundland or Nova Scotia so if all else fails I can perform an enroute landing to fuel up.”

This virtual journey has captured the imaginations of many other flight simmers, if only for the amount of time it is taking to complete.
If you want to follow along with the final stages and see if the Hindenburg makes it, you can do so on this direct link to the flight path.
 
The post Microsoft Flight Sim pilot attempts to recreate historic Hindenburg flight to the USA – all 50 hours of it – and you can track her progress appeared first on ReadWrite.

Publishers in the UK have urged Apple to rethink the so-called ‘web eraser’ tool that can block advertisements, as they believe the financial sustainability of journalism will be at risk.
Apple Insider was the first to uncover details about a new feature to the iPhone web browser Safari which is expected to be released as part of iOS 18. The AI addition will allow users to selectively turn off online ads and automatically remove certain parts of web pages.
According to the Financial Times, this upcoming feature has prompted the UK News Media Association to write a letter to Apple to urge them to reconsider its plans.
The News Media Association represents 900 national, regional, and local publishers throughout the United Kingdom. This includes the Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Sun, and more.
The letter says professional journalism requires funding “and advertising is a key revenue stream for many publishers.”
Online ads could be blocked with new Apple Safari feature
They also argue that online platforms, like web browsers and social networks, are go-to routes for the public to access journalism but also for publishers to “monetize their content in the digital marketplace.”
The prospect of ad blocking has caused concern amongst the publishers, as the Association’s letter continues: “Ad-blocking is a blunt instrument, which frustrates the ability of content creators to sustainably fund their work and could lead to consumers missing important information which would otherwise have been very useful to them.”
Apple are yet to make a comment or response to the organization’s concern and they’ve remained very tight-lipped about the possible feature and the others that will be unveiled in future updates.
Unless any changes take place, the feature is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Again, there isn’t a lot known about what will be spoken about at the event, but a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence has been suggested through rumors and insiders for some time.
The conference will take place at Apple Park from June 10 to June 14, 2024.
Featured Image: Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash
The post Breaking the news: publishers beg Apple not to block ads in Safari appeared first on ReadWrite.

Apex Legends, the free-to-play game released by Electronic Arts (EA) and Respawn Entertainment in 2019 has earned the company an eye-watering $3.4 billion since its launch.
The battle royale live service game has proved itself to be not only a highly successful free-to-play game but one of the most successful games of all time, despite launching to minimal interest.
However, the free-to-play model, paired with fast-paced, well-regarded game play, tactical depth, and frequent updates (the game is currently in its 21st season) quickly saw its popularity booming.
The figure, which was released in EA’s Q4 2024 earnings call, represents the game’s ‘net bookings’, which account for deductions and fees, meaning that the game’s actual revenue is higher than $3.4 billion.
The CEO of EA, Andrew Wilson, said in the call “Since its surprise, smash-hit release in 2019, the HD title of Apex Legends has surpassed $3.4 billion in lifetime net bookings.”
It is clear that EA remains committed to the game, with Wilson stating that they will continue “broadening the audience by building upon the epic characters of this world that go beyond the current Battle Royale.”
What has made Apex Legends so successful?
Part of the game’s success can be attributed to EA and Respawn’s dedication to incorporating player feedback into ongoing plans for the game. “We concluded the year with significant alterations to the mechanics of our popular Ranked Mode,” continued Wilson. “We actively engaged with the community, increased transparency, and carefully addressed their feedback, resulting in significant improvements in player sentiment scores globally.”
Wilson also touched on the improvements being made to make the game more welcoming to new players, a key factor in maintaining and growing a live service game. Simplified modes like Three Strikes and Straight Shot are integral to new player acquisition.
Apex Legends can be called a true free-to-play game. There are no pay-to-win elements, and the only monetization in the game is cosmetics. This makes the $3.4 billion figure even more staggering.
The reinforcement of EA and Respawn’s commitment to Apex Legends will be welcome in the community after a serious hacking incident recently led to the postponement of a major tournament and an increase in security measures. However, there are certainly gamers out there who would have preferred a Star Wars first-person shooter instead of more Apex content.
The post EA revealed how much Apex Legends has made and…it’s a lot appeared first on ReadWrite.