The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom is nearly here, seven years after its critically acclaimed, genre-defining predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, launched. Prior to release, GamesHub was able to get hands-on experience with a preview build of this blockbuster Nintendo sequel, and based on our initial impressions, it feels like the sky is the limit in this boundless, creative adventure.
Beginning the gameplay demo with only simple weapons and an inventory full of crafting materials, our hero, Link, initially seems under-prepared for this new puzzle and enemy-filled world of Hyrule. However, when these rudimentary items are paired with the game’s new, mysterious Zonai Devices – seemingly relics from the Zonai tribe first mentioned in Breath of the Wild – they become key ingredients to creating your very own weapons, shields, and tools.
Images: Nintendo
New Abilities: Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall
These creations are productions of new abilities Link has at his disposal, like Ultrahand and Fuse. Both are focused on the act of combining objects – Ultrahand lets you craft vehicles and structures out of objects in the environment, and Fuse lets you combine weapons, items, and crafting materials within your inventory.
Need to get across a river with a strong current? Use Ultrahand to create your own raft out of fallen trees, powered by Zonai Fans. Want to deal some extra damage while defending against a larger enemy? Fuse a nearby explosive barrel to your shield, and let it explode in their face as you block their next swing.
A new Tears of the Kingdom marketing campaign, aptly titled ‘You Can Do What?’, leans into stoking player creativity to overcome the game’s many challenges, and from our experience so far, the game is certainly conducive to open-ended, creative problem solving when tackling puzzles and problems at hand.
It really seems as if there is no one way to fix a broken pathway to your next destination, and you are really encouraged to think outside the box. For those who were fond of the sense of freedom that Breath of the Wild fostered, this increased open-endedness is likely to go down well.
In the preview build we played, ‘correct’ solutions could be well thought-out, but also extremely goofy. For example, you could use the Zonai Hot Air Balloon to float through the sky, avoiding a major combat encounter, or more interestingly, fuse the hot air balloon to your weapon for a new, ‘bouncier’ spear to fight your way in – whether this extra bouncy quality deals additional damage or knocks enemies back further is unclear, but it does make for a more amusing way to get through some Bokoblins.
Fuse also comes into play very well with ranged weaponry, with the game’s large assortments of random, collected materials each adding a variety of fun effects to arrows. Chuchu Jelly in its multitude of colours can create different elemental effects on impact, while certain flowers can shed light into a dark space when seedlings are fused to an arrow, and shot into the environment.
Images: Nintendo
Experimentation with all of the weird and wonderful elements found throughout Tears of the Kingdom is likely to reveal even more new effects, and thankfully, fusing materials pauses time, allowing for you to stop and think about the best possible combinations for the situation at hand.
Fuse and Ultrahand weren’t the only two abilities given a major spotlight during the Tears of the Kingdom preview, with the new Ascend ability also put to good use. It’s a key ability that lets you leap into a ceiling and come out on the other side, which is incredibly useful in a map that features a high degree of verticality. The ability to pop your head back down before fully emerging through a ceiling – should your point of entry into a new area land you in a sticky situation – is particularly helpful.
Meanwhile Recall, one of the other abilities at Link’s disposal, allows you to send moving objects back to where they originated from. It comes in handy not only while forcing projectiles back at far-off enemies, but also for recalling seemingly lost Ultrahand creations or materials while exploring the floating landmasses of the Great Sky Island.
The risk of your well-thought-out creations seemingly falling off the face of the earth may vary depending on your adeptness, but Recall has you covered in these instances, regardless.
Futhermore, there’s also yet another ability that you’ll acquire at a certain point in the game which makes building structures and vehicles with Ultrahand even easier – but you’ll have to wait to experience it for yourself.
One of the most interesting new additions to Tears of the Kingdom is the aforementioned Zonai Devices. These Devices are collected from Zonai Device Dispensers, which look like ancient gacha machines and can be activated by inputting Zonai items – little fragments of objects from the Zonai tribe that otherwise don’t seem to have much utility beyond activating the dispenser.
Zonai Devices are dispensed at random, in little capsules that fit comfortably in your inventory. Once a capsule is opened and released into the world, it can’t be packaged back up. The devices are powered by Zonai Charge, a mana-like resource that Link can collect from defeating certain enemies. Extra charge can also be distilled into batteries, and added to creations for extended use. Once whatever unconventional contraption you’ve built is assembled, you simply power it up with a strike from your weapon.
Given a number of these devices, such as the rocket, have a high level of power behind them, placement is key to ensuring your newest creation moves you in the correct direction, or works in the ways intended. Trial and error is certainly necessary, especially given the random nature of obtaining Zonai Devices, and this adds a level of challenge and ingenuity to mastering the Ultrahand ability fully.
Image: Nintendo
Beyond the utility of the Zonai Devices, their existence within Tears of the Kingdom is interesting in its own right. The Zonai in Breath of the Wild are only seen through the abandoned architecture and ruins left behind throughout Hyrule, but are said to be long gone by the time the events of the game occur. While the preview didn’t show any further evidence of the Zonai, the tribe’s contribution to the world and story of the upcoming title could go beyond their powerful devices left behind in conveniently placed gumball machine-style dispensers.
With such a focus on improvisation and creative problem-solving, Nintendo’s next foray into the world of The Legend of Zelda has left a promising first impression, based on our initial preview. This version of Hyrule is a blank canvas filled with countless tools and possibilities that will hopefully let your imagination run wild.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases on Nintendo Switch on 12 May 2023.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
