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Microsoft hints at more developer acquisitions, post-Bethesda – Eurogamer.net

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“We will always look to grow inorganically where it makes sense.”

You might think, after dropping $7.5bn on Bethesda and Zenimax, Microsoft would be done buying games companies for the foreseeable future.

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Not so, Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has suggested.

Developer and publisher acquisitions remain on Microsoft’s radar, Nadella told CNET, playing down suggestions from some analysts that the company was done splashing the cash.

“We’ll always look for places where there is that commonality of purpose, mission and culture,” Nadella said. “We will always look to grow inorganically where it makes sense.”

On the one hand, Nadella is not stating any more acquisition deals are imminent – despite some swirling internet rumours which suggest as much. On the other, he clearly would not use this kind of forum to confirm any impending purchase.

Microsoft’s big Bethesda buyout was one of few recent Xbox stories not to leak. Sources close to Microsoft I spoke to suggested the deal was kept a closely-guarded secret within the company, with the desired effect that it sent shockwaves through the games industry upon its announcement, 24 hours before Xbox Series S and X pre-orders went live.

In the same interview, Nadella said Bethesda and Zenimax would remain semi-independent, to ensure their work is not negatively interrupted by Microsoft’s acquisition.

“It is about the culture of those teams,” he said. “They’re not about becoming us.”

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With Microsoft on the lookout for more games companies to purchase, the big question, then, is who might be next?

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has previously talked of purchasing a Japanese developer to shore up interest for his brand in the region – though as of today, no deals have transpired.

Closer to home, Microsoft briefly discussed a potential buyout of Bungie, Eurogamer sources have said – something which now looks dead in the water after Bungie’s rather abrupt response.

A key part of any future acquisition will likely be its value for increasing the catalogue and upcoming slate of games available via Xbox Game Pass – something Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh wrote about earlier this week. With that in mind, it’s interesting to wonder who might fit the bill.

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Cytiva Introduces Its Xcellerex Magnetic Mixer at Interphex – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

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Cytiva introduced its Xcellerex magnetic mixer at the annual Interphex meeting in New York City this week. The single mixing system has been specifically designed to address challenges faced by customers engaged in large-scale monoclonal antibody, vaccine, and genomic medicine manufacturing processes, according to Amanda Halford, president, bioprocess, Cytiva. Sized in 2000 and 3000 L capacities, the mixer offers several configurations to cater to diverse mixing processes, she adds.

“We’re tapping into our differentiated portfolio to solve a wide range of challenges for our customers,” continues Halford. “Our new magnetic mixing system is flexible and capable of meeting the many demands and constraints during buffer and cell culture media preparation. By reimagining the design, we’ve tackled some of the biggest obstacles to downtime.”

A major contributor to time and money losses are leaks. A minor leak can cause or lead to a major setback—it can mean a full working day lost for our customers, notes Jon Van Pelt, vice president, bioprocess single use technologies, Cytiva. When dealing with a 3000 L batch of cell culture media, the estimated financial loss can cost between $60k to upwards of $100k. That’s just the material and labor. It doesn’t factor in the opportunity cost and other effects caused by not having media available for your cell culture processes, continues Van Pelt.

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Mixer biocontainer

To help prevent leaks, the system includes a mixer biocontainer incorporating user-centered design elements aimed to bolster durability and improve ease of use. This evolution in design results in enhanced safeguards, providing added protection against leaks throughout shipping, storage, and operation, says Halford.

Another constraint during the development of drug therapies is the quality and time it takes to mix a batch. Mixing floating powders, like cell culture media, can be a challenge with many of the mixing systems currently available, maintains Halford, pointing out that most of these systems have underpowered impellers and with a circular or cubicle shape that is less than ideal, particularly for large production volumes. Powder tends to float on the surface of the liquid, making it difficult to mix evenly into the fluid or leading to prolonged mixing times.

The new mixing system has an impeller that when combined with the mixer’s hexagonal shape creates a vortex, enhancing the interaction at the liquid surface, according to Van Pelt. This vortex effectively pulls down the floating powders into the main body of the liquid to allow for a more efficient and shorter mixing process, he explains.

“Process engineers and scientists, who currently experience problems with tight facility constraints or complicated installation of large-scale consumables, will benefit from its compact size, allowing it to fit into tight facility spaces without compromising on capacity or requiring the need for facility expansion,” says Van Pelt. “We are always listening to our customers—solving issues to more quickly get life-changing therapies to patients.”

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Aaron Sluchinski adds Kyle Doering to lineup for next season – The Grand Slam of Curling

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Aaron Sluchinski’s team announced Wednesday on social media that Kyle Doering has joined the club for next season.

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Sluchinski was searching for a new player after second Kerr Drummond stepped back from competitive curling late last month. The Airdrie, Alta., team also includes third Jeremy Harty and lead Dylan Webster.

Sluchinski had a breakout season, winning the Boston Pizza Cup to represent Alberta at the Montana’s Brier for the first time and also competed in three Grand Slam of Curling events. The team finished 16th in the world rankings and seventh among Canadian clubs.

Doering has spent the past two years playing with Edmonton’s Karsten Sturmay and was also on the lookout for a new squad after his skip announced his departure from competitive curling.

Winnipegger Doering earned a silver medal at the world men’s curling championship earlier this month as the alternate on Team Canada, skipped by Brad Gushue.

Doering captured the Canadian junior title and a world junior bronze medal in 2016 playing with skip Matt Dunstone.

The Canadian men’s curling landscape has seen several shifts in recent days. Brendan Bottcher’s teammates announced Tuesday they were looking for a new skip and Reid Carruthers’ team revealed Wednesday it has parted ways with skip Brad Jacobs.

Skip Glenn Howard also announced his retirement Tuesday.

Meanwhile, skip John Epping unveiled his new team last week, featuring third Tanner Horgan, second Jacob Horgan and lead Ian McMillan.

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New EV features for Google Maps have arrived. Here’s how to use them. – The Washington Post

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Google has announced new features in its Maps app designed to help electric car drivers find a charge.

The updates include a tool to help drivers find nearby chargers with real-time information about availability and charging speed, the ability to find charging stops on longer road trips and more detailed instructions about how to find chargers within parking lots and garages.

Google expects to start rolling out these features “in the coming months,” according to a blog post. Some will come first to people who drive a car that comes with “Google Built-in,” the company’s driver-assistance software. Google updated its other route-finding app, Waze, with information on EV chargers last month.

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The update addresses one of Americans’ top concerns about owning an electric vehicle: finding a place to charge. Range anxiety remains a significant barrier for EV sales — especially for drivers who don’t own a house. Among people who don’t drive an EV, roughly half say they think finding a place to charge would be “extremely” or “very” difficult, according to a 2023 Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

EVs make up roughly 7 percent of new U.S. car sales, which some experts believe is a tipping point at which electric cars will quickly become popular and take over the market. But lately, the EV market appears to be cooling off. Sales slowed in the first quarter of this year.

In addition to building more charging stations, companies can make driving an EV easier by building apps that help drivers find chargers, said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive. “That could be really helpful with mitigating some of those concerns about charging anxiety,” she said.

Find available EV charging stations

For electric-car drivers who need a last-minute charge, Google is developing a feature that can find nearby chargers with updated information about how many ports are available and their charging speed. The company says this feature will eventually be available to all drivers but will be available first for drivers with Google Built-in.

Plan a road trip with EV charging stops

The Maps update will allow EV owners with Google Built-in to plan where they can power up when taking long trips with multiple stops, such as a cross-country road trip. The feature will access information about your car’s battery life to suggest the best places to charge up.

The company also announced a search feature that allows travelers to look for hotels with electric car chargers.

Locate hard-to-find EV charging stations

Some EV chargers are tucked in hard-to-find corners of parking garages. The Maps update will crowdsource information from Google reviewers to generate more detailed instructions about how to get to a charger. According to the company’s blog post, the instructions might read something like, “Enter the underground parking lot and follow the signs toward the exit. Just before exiting, turn right.”

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