How can I make money?: October 2022

Monday 31 October 2022

Elon Musk Officially Takes Over as Twitter CEO After $44 Bln Acquisition

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk officially took over Twitter last week after months of legal wranglings. Since he acquired the social media giant, the multi-billionaire businessman has made drastic changes to the company structure with the latest being his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

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Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 1

Woman plays Wordle on her smartphone from the living room of her home

Spooky season is over, Mariah season has begun, and today is the 500th Wordle! It was around this time last year that Josh Wardle's puzzle game began to pick up steam online, soon becoming a daily habit for thousands and then hundreds of thousands. Whether your streak's solidly in the multiple-hundreds today or you're a regular X/6er doing your best, we're here to help with handy hints, as we do every day.

If you just want today's word, you can jump straight to the end of this article for October 31's Wordle solution, for puzzle #499. If you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some tips, tricks, and clues.

**Where did Wordle come from?**

Wordle was initially created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, though it quickly spread until it became an international phenomenon. Thousands of players across the globe tackle Wordle each day, with some fans even having created alternate versions of the daily word puzzle game. These include battle royale format Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.

The popularity of Wordle even reached such heights that the New York Times bought it earlier this year, while TikTok creators live-stream themselves playing it.

**What's the best Wordle starting word?**

The goal of Wordle is to have fun, and there's no right way to have fun. Just choose whatever starting word feels right to you, and don't let anyone shame you for it. However, if you want to take a more strategic approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that will spark joy. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

**What happened to the Wordle archive?**

The entire archive of past Wordles used to be available for anyone to play in glorious days gone by. Unfortunately it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

**Is Wordle getting harder?**

If you're finding Wordle too easy, you can try enabling its Hard Mode to give your brain a tougher challenge. But Wordle isn't getting any harder by itself — it's the same difficulty that it's always been.

**Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?**

Wordle is a fun, collective experience specifically because everyone's solving for the same word every day. Occasionally, though, Wordle has accepted two different solutions as correct on the same day. This is because the New York Times made changes to the Wordle word list after acquiring it, and sometimes swaps out words from the original list. To ensure you're getting the right answer every day, refresh your browser before you play — the site will save your streak.

**Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:**

It's one of the scents of the season.

**Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?**

Nope!

**Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that ends with...**

The letter... Y. (Yup, the same as yesterday!)

**What's the answer to Wordle today?**

Get your guesses in — it's the last call before we reveal the answer to today's Wordle!

Are you ready?

The solution to Wordle #500 is...

PINEY.

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A lifetime subscription to Dollar Flight Club is on sale for 94% off

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus+ is on sale for £86.09, saving you 94% on list price.

Going out and experiencing the world abroad is something that can be so impactful that it actually changes how you think. It’s also just really fun, and who doesn’t love bouncing around the world eating great food? The only problem is that flights can be super expensive and stressful to find.

But you don’t actually have to find your flights yourself. With a subscription like Dollar Flight Club, you can have deals on flights sent to your inbox. Get an exclusive deal on a lifetime subscription to Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus+ for £86.09 for a limited time.

The way Dollar Flight Club works is by searching for flights leaving from the airports of your choice. Once you’ve selected your home airports, it’ll start searching for business, premium economy, and economy class flights going to domestic and international locales.

This also includes mistake fares, which happen when an airport accidentally prices a flight for far cheaper than it should be. If you get in quick, you may be able to grab the mistake price, and DFC notifies you as soon as it finds one. All that’s left is to pack your bags.

Along with discounted flights, your subscription also gives you access to perks with DFC partners. That includes discounts up to 50% on Babbel, Acanela Expeditions, Huckberry, and more. If you want to learn more about travelling, you can also check out DFC’s own travel tips that come from seasoned travelers.

You may be able to book your next holiday’s flights for a huge discount. Get a Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus+ lifetime subscription for £86.09.

Credit: DFC

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Get an extra 2 months for free with the best VPN for Netflix

SAVE 82%: CyberGhost VPN can reliably unblock extra Netflix libraries from around the world. A two-year subscription to CyberGhost VPN is on sale for £49.92 and includes an extra two months for free — save 82% for a limited time.

If you're looking to unblock extra movies and shows from around the world, you've probably got a shortlist of streaming-friendly VPNs to consider. ExpressVPN might be at the top of that list, but it's also one of the most expensive services on the market. CyberGhost VPN is cheaper and just as effective when it comes to accessing bonus Netflix libraries.

CyberGhost VPN offers dedicated apps for every leading operating system, with access to over 9,000 secure servers and up to seven simultaneous connections. To access more content from around the world, you simply need to download the CyberGhost VPN app, connect to a server in another country, and then head over to Netflix. This simple process makes Netflix think you are based in another country, meaning you get access to all of the content that is normally locked to that location.

A two-year subscription to CyberGhost VPN is on sale for £49.92, saving you 82% on list price. This heavily discounted plan includes an extra two months for free, and is fully refundable for 45 days. That generous money-back guarantee can be used to unblock Netflix for free. You can watch or download the extra shows on your list, and then recoup your investment. This is sneaky, but it works.

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Credit: CyberGhost VPN

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Norwegian Arms Manufacturer Lands Massive Contract With US Army

Since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and the West's huge arms flow to Kiev, shares in Kongsberg Group have soared by more than 30 percent as operating profits have reached record levels. In recent months, its order backlog also bulged to $5.4Bln.

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Colombian President to Visit Caracas November 1 to Meet With Maduro

MEXICO CITY, (Sputnik) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro, as head of a working group, will visit Caracas on November 1, where he will meet for the first time with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the Colombian leader's administration said.

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Sunday 30 October 2022

At Least 132 Reportedly Dead After Suspension Bridge Collapses in India

A cable bridge collapsed in Gujarat - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state - just days after it had reopened after years of reconstruction.

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Four Russian Women Who Died in Seoul Stampede to Be Delivered to Russia by Ferry -Official

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) - The bodies of four Russian women who died in the stampede that occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon nightlife district in the South Korean capital will be brought to Russia by ferry, Andrei Brovarets, head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in Vladivostok, told Sputnik.

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Death Toll From Tropical Storm Nalgae in Philippines Reaches 98 - NDRRMC

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A total of 98 people have died and 69 others were injured as a result of flooding and landslides in the Philippines, caused by tropical storm Nalgae (Paeng), the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) says.

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Video: Thousands of Supporters Descend on Sao Paulo to Celebrate Lula da Silva's Election Win

The Sunday win by Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva marks the first time since Brazil's 1985 return to democracy that the incumbent president failed to win reelection.

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Kiev, Ankara & UN Approve Traffic of 16 Vessels in Black Sea on Monday - JCC

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations have agreed on the traffic route for 16 vessels in the Black Sea on October 31 under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, commonly known as the grain deal, the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center (JCC) said.

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Lula da Silva Declared Winner of Brazil's Runoff Presidential Election

Brazilians flooded the polls on Sunday to elect a new president in what turned out to be an extremely close runoff competition between two of the biggest names in Brazilian politics eyeing drastically different versions of Brazil’s future.

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Saturday 29 October 2022

‘Right Now, I’m Talking’: Obama Shuts Down Heckler During Weekend Michigan Rally

The former president has recently hit the campaign trail as part of an effort to throw public support behind Democratic candidates ahead of the looming midterm election, which is due to take place on November 8.

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Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for October 30

A close-up of a person playing Wordle on their smartphone.

It's the end of the week, and the beginning of a new Wordle! It's both a trick and a treat to finish your Halloween weekend, but we've got some clues and the solution to help you out, as we do every day.

If you just want today's word, you can jump straight to the end of this article for October 30's Wordle solution, for puzzle #498. If you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some tips, tricks, and clues.

**Where did Wordle come from?**

The popularity of Wordle even reached such heights that the New York Times bought it earlier this year, while TikTok creators live-stream themselves playing it.

**What's the best Wordle starting word?**

**What happened to the Wordle archive?**

**Is Wordle getting harder?**

**Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?**

**Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:**

Get those dancing shoes on.

**Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?**

Nope!

**Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...**

The letter... W.

**What's the answer to Wordle today?**

Get your guesses in — it's the last call before we reveal the answer to today's Wordle!

Are you ready?

The solution to Wordle #498 is...

WALTZ.

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Russian Ambassador: Unfair to Blame Russia for Suspending Participation in Grain Deal

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov says it is unfair to accuse Russia of halting its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, since the withdrawal from the deal was caused by reckless action of the Ukrainian authorities.

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Biden Submits Early Vote in Delaware Ahead of November Midterms

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden, who turns 80 next month, has voted early in the midterm elections.

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UN Coordinator Informed About Russia’s Concerns Regarding Grain Initiative - Spokesperson

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Russia has informed the UN coordinator at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul (JCC), which controls the transportation of Ukrainian grain, about its concerns regarding the safety of civilian ships traveling under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a JCC spokesperson said.

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Palestinian Gunman Opens Fire in Hebron, Injures Four Israelis - IDF

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Four Israelis were injured in the city of Hebron by a Palestinian gunman who was later neutralized by a security guard, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and medical services said on Saturday.

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Friday 28 October 2022

At Least One Dead, 14 Injured During Unrest in Iran’s Zahedan - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - At least one person died and over a dozen others were injured during unrest near the Grand Makki Mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, the Tasnim news agency reports.

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Paul Pelosi Expected to Make Full Recovery After Violent Hammer Attack, Spokesperson Reveals

Just 10 days ahead of the midterm elections, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, was rushed to the hospital on Friday morning after he was attacked at the couple’s San Francisco home by an assailant who was armed with a hammer.

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Stepanov: Canada Sanctions & Ukraine Bond Offer Show Allegiance to US, UK Anti-Russia Line

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Ottawa's new sanctions against Moscow and its announcement of new government-backed Ukrainian sovereignty bond demonstrate its allegiance to the anti-Russia line pursued by Washington and London, Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov told Sputnik.

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Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for October 29

A close-up of a person playing Wordle on a smartphone.

It's the end of the week, and the beginning of a new Wordle! It's both a trick and a treat to kick off your Halloween weekend, but we've got some clues and the solution to help you out, as we do every day.

If you just want today's word, you can jump straight to the end of this article for October 29's Wordle solution, for puzzle #497. If you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some tips, tricks, and clues.

**Where did Wordle come from?**

The popularity of Wordle even reached such heights that the New York Times bought it earlier this year, while TikTok creators live-stream themselves playing it.

**What's the best Wordle starting word?**

**What happened to the Wordle archive?**

**Is Wordle getting harder?**

**Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?**

**Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:**

If you get this wrong, it could be damaging.

**Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?**

Not today.

**Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...**

The letter... L.

**What's the answer to Wordle today?**

Get your guesses in — it's the last call before we reveal the answer to today's Wordle!

Are you ready?

The solution to Wordle #497 is...

LIBEL.

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Musk's Twitter takeover isn't going the way you think

Judging by the stans that cluster in his replies, Elon Musk's $44 billion buyout of Twitter was a scene out of a Marvel movie. Never mind Iron Man; they posted pictures of Musk as Captain America. After this hero fired four people, they also gleefully posted pictures of Musk as Thanos – perhaps forgetting that Thanos caused untold damage and was ultimately defeated once the planet's most powerful defenders banded together against him.

"The bird is freed," Musk tweeted. It was Orwellian language from someone who just took a public company and stuffed it into a private cage. The bird is not free; the bird is shackled to a consortium that includes Musk, banks, fellow billionaires, and various Saudi investors. Whatever happens to the bird next, whether it lives or dies, is less in Musk's court than anyone thinks.

Still, the bird stuff sounded superheroic to the stans, many of whom were agitating for the "freedom" of banned accounts, like a certain ex-president who used Twitter to help incite a coup. Musk had said in May that he'd restore Trump's account.

Musk, as we're all starting to learn by now, says a lot of things to a lot of people.

Soon enough, Musk's tweets started to sound less Avengers, more The Hangover. The supposed troll savior announced a "content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints" would be formed prior to any "major content decisions or account reinstatements": So much for anyone expecting a Trump reinstatement before the midterms. He made vague "I'll be digging into it" promises on that perennially vague complaint, "shadowbanning," to a Trump-supporting account named Catturd, as if he were a bored customer service rep and not the billionaire owner.

Musk is all carnival barker, no bite

And as for all those supposed firings? The 75 percent of the company that Musk had talked tough about removing? Beyond the immediate removal of CEO Parag Agrawal and three other executives, no other oustings have been announced. Bloomberg and CNBC were taken in by a couple of pranksters claiming to be just-fired data engineers outside Twitter HQ, though. (Musk, a teenage boy at heart, later saluted the prankster who gave his name as "Ligma.")

Guess we'll wait to see if Mr. "Let the Good Times Roll" actually aims to make it rain pink slips at the holidays. But at least for now, it seems that Musk – a seasoned showman since his early Twitter days – is all carnival barker, no bite.

Because here's the thing: No matter what happens now, Musk is going to run headlong into reality, regulators, and simple business sense. He overpaid for Twitter, couldn't find a way to back out of the deal, and now he must make it make money or risk the wrath of his fellow investors. Social media experts cannot foretell what will happen next, but they do seem to believe Musk has bitten off a more complex political problem than he can chew.

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

Running a global content company with no prior experience is difficult — especially when investors are breathing down your neck and sophisticated government influence operations are everywhere. It means not spooking advertisers (who Musk preemptively courted by promising "Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape." Ya think?) It means not annoying the majority of users who just want the Nazis to be banned and stay banned, some of whom are threatening to make the platform as worthless as Tumblr after Yahoo bought it. And it means not courting a revolt by the employees who actually run the shiny machinery you just bought.

Oh yeah, and it means playing nice with the European Union. With 450 million people, the EU has more potential Twitter users (and Tesla buyers!) than the United States, and it has much stricter laws safeguarding internet users' rights.

Those "accept cookies" pop-ups you keep getting, which (in theory) cut down on the number of companies tracking you? Largely the doing of the EU regulation known as GDPR. Now here comes the Digital Services Act, which just received final approval from the EU Parliament and Council. The DSA sets standards for content moderation, aims to fight disinformation, and was praised by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen as "the gold standard" for keeping social media giants in check with minimal regulation.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton reminded Musk of his DSA obligations immediately after the Twitter sale went through – "the bird will fly by our rules" – and Musk had no response. Not even his classic bomb-throwing "LOL" emoji. How could he? He's in a video with Breton announcing their joint support for the DSA back in May.

And what's Musk going to do if he gets on the wrong side of European law? Pull every Twitter office, every Twitter server, out of an entire continent that also buys his overpriced electric cars? Seasoned Euro watchers are already preparing the popcorn.

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

To recap, then: a billionaire with a habit of founding (or pretending to found) new companies got addicted to Twitter. He became so intoxicated by the validation, he bought the platform at huge cost. He had a simplistic libertarian view of free speech and a blind spot for hate speech (and the laws against it). He told friends he was going to fire thousands of workers; he told bankers he was going to hire thousands of workers to create more value.

He walked into the offices, made a dad joke, hung around chatting, fired four big names to appease his horde. Then as reality set in and he was reminded that laws and regulations exist, he decided to punt the content moderation question to a committee – just as Zuckerberg found himself doing with the Oversight Board, which itself punted on the big Trump ban question.

Turns out running a social media company isn't as easy as it looked before the takeover. Musk may soon get bored with his complicated new toy, wary of turning off too many customers and advertisers, and decide to delegate most of the big decisions to a team that keeps Twitter chugging along pretty much as is.

In which case, there may not be enough popcorn in the world for the disappointment of those stans. Sooner or later, they may realize they weren't caping for a Marvel superhero, but a bored billionaire who never really cared for them in the first place.

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Thousands of Czech Protesters Demand New Government, Gas Talks With Russia - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Thousands of people gathered for a demonstration in the Czech capital of Prague, demanding the resignation of the country's center-right government and calling for negotiations with Russia on gas supplies, media reported on Friday.

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'Business Goes On': Construction Exec Weighs In on Russian Firms Finding Alternatives to EU Goods

As the XV Verona Eurasian Economic Forum came to a close on Friday in Azerbaijan's Baku, the event's main takeaway turned out to be that while Russians are quickly adapting to the tectonic shifts in Eurasian business relations, the EU may inevitably lose various partnerships after breaking ties with Moscow.

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Thursday 27 October 2022

US Senate Study Concludes COVID-19 ‘More Likely Than Not’ Result of Research Incident

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Republican members of the US Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pensions released a report that concluded the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for COVID-19 was most likely the result of a research incident rather than from an animal-to-human transmission.

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Ex-CIA Officer: Biden Defense Strategy Timed for Election, 'Mostly Propaganda'

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden's new National Defense Strategy announced on Thursday was timed to impress the US public before the November 8 midterm congressional elections and is not completely serious, former CIA analyst and station chief Phil Giraldi told Sputnik.

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Elon Musk Reportedly Now in Charge of Twitter After Departure of Firm's CEO, CFO From Headquarters

Twitter earlier accepted Elon Musk's $44 billion proposal to purchase the company and take it private in April; however, within a few months, the South African native backtracked after claiming the firm failed to disclose the amount of fake accounts on the platform. After months of back and forth, Musk had until Friday to complete the acquisition.

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Video: Paraguay-Bound Airbus Suffers Major Damage After Getting Caught in Severe Storm

On Wednesday, passengers on a flight to Paraguay got more than they bargained for when a massive storm damaged their plane. In response to the incident, Paraguay’s national civil aviation authority (DINAC) will jointly conduct an investigation with Chile’s aviation authorities. The plane involved in the incident is set to retire in 2024.

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Xbox head Phil Spencer dunks on the metaverse and teases 'Call of Duty' on Switch

Put a microphone in front of Phil Spencer and the guy will always deliver.

Spencer, who you may or may not know as the head of Microsoft Gaming (he’s in charge of all things Xbox), sat down with the Wall Street Journal at its WSJ Tech Live event for a wide-ranging interview about everything from Microsoft's plans for mobile gaming to Spencer's personal feelings on the metaverse. Spencer is one of the few industry leaders who actually gives real answers to questions on occasion (and comes across as "one of the good guys" for it), so let’s break down the highlights.

Metaverse catching strays

Undoubtedly the funniest thing Spencer said at WSJ Tech Live came at the expense of Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg-fueled metaverse efforts. As you can see at about the 1:15 mark in this clip from the WSJ YouTube channel, Spencer seemed to take a bit of a jab at Meta’s work-focused metaverse, without naming names of course.

“It’s a poorly built video game,” Spencer said. “Building a metaverse that looks like a meeting room, I just find that’s not where I want to spend most of my time.”

It’s not difficult to connect the dots and see this as a criticism of Meta’s Horizon Workrooms VR app. Zuckerberg’s corporate ambitions have almost become synonymous with the word “metaverse” itself. That said, it’s not like Microsoft is shunning the concept entirely. Spencer is just one guy in a much larger corporate machine; Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said earlier this year that acquiring Activision in a $69 billion deal would “provide building blocks for the metaverse,” whatever that means. Nadella also showed up at Meta Connect 2022 recently to announce Microsoft Teams (among other things) integration with Meta Quest headsets, so working in VR is part of Microsoft's agenda to some extent.

Call of Duty on Switch?!

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

Speaking of the Activision deal, a big part of that massive acquisition is the Call of Duty franchise. There’s been a bit of a war of words between executives at PlayStation and Xbox throughout 2022, as Sony believes Microsoft could eventually block the popular shooter series from releasing on PlayStation consoles at all. It’s been a sticking point for global market regulators who are in a position to potentially block the merger from happening if it proves too monopolistic.

For instance, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority recently asked the public to weigh in on whether or not Call of Duty going exclusive would be bad for customers.

Anyway, Spencer tried to calm the masses at WSJ Tech Live, claiming the company wants Call of Duty on every platform, even the Nintendo Switch. That’s fascinating because Call of Duty has yet to grace Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console, potentially due to its relative lack of graphical horsepower. According to Spencer, that may change in the future.

It's also an interesting comment because it seems to position Microsoft as being magnanimous with its newest toy, despite the fact that keeping Call of Duty multiplatform would merely extend the status quo.

Remember kids, corporations aren't your friends.

Mobile ambitions

This is where the real money lives. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Spencer also spoke about Microsoft’s mobile gaming plans (the video is available on the WSJ website), which right now mostly extend to cloud streaming Xbox games to Android devices and iPhones via the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. However, another huge part (arguably the biggest, at least monetarily) of that Activision deal is the inclusion of massive mobile games like Candy Crush Saga. If the deal goes through, Microsoft will rake in cash from a whole new marketplace that Spencer called the biggest gaming platform on the planet.

“We want to be in a position with content and players and storefront capability to take advantage of [mobile gaming],” he said. “Gaming is the largest form of monetization on mobile and we’re a gaming company.”

Interestingly, Spencer also spoke of the “duopoly” of Google and Apple controlling the only two viable mobile storefronts: the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store, respectively. Both companies take 15 to 30 percent cuts of all in-app purchases from games on those storefronts. The Verge reported earlier this month that Microsoft wants to build its own mobile storefront, but we’ll see if that actually happens down the road.

It's also slightly funny to see Spencer position Microsoft almost as an underdog in the mobile space compared to Google and Apple. For what it's worth, all three companies have market capitalizations of more than $1 trillion, so this isn't exactly David vs. Goliath.

No Keystone, for now

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

Another one of Spencer's noteworthy quotes from the WSJ interview might deflate some hype you may have had for a rumored new piece of Xbox hardware.

Earlier this month, Spencer tweeted an image of a crowded memorabilia shelf that included a small white object on the top. This was largely thought to be Keystone, the codename for a streaming device Microsoft was said to be working on to facilitate Xbox gaming without expensive hardware.

Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)

Unfortunately, Spencer poked a hole in the hype tire and deflated all the air. According to Spencer, that little object was indeed Keystone, something Microsoft had been working on internally. But in spring of this year, the company decided to pivot to working with Samsung to add a game streaming app to its smart TVs rather than continue work on Keystone. In other words, Keystone ain't coming anytime soon.

Still, Spencer said it may only be a matter of time before something like that does come to the market.

"Will we do a streaming device at some point? I suspect we will," Spencer said. "But I think it's years away."

Get your Xbox now while it’s (not really) cheap

Could either of the new Xbox consoles get a price increase eventually? Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Last but not least, Spencer talked about pricing on both Xbox hardware and Game Pass. The Xbox Series S currently costs $300 while the more powerful Series X is $500. Meanwhile, Game Pass is $10/mo for just console or PC games, or $15/mo for both plus the ability to stream games remotely.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to [maintain current prices] forever,” Spencer said, per The Verge. “I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was really important that we maintain the prices that we have.”

Hardware price hikes in gaming are exceedingly rare, but so are the current global economic conditions.

The reason Spencer's comment is cause for concern at all is because Xbox would simply be following its rivals' lead. The PlayStation 5 already got a variable price increase in every market but the U.S. ahead of this holiday season. And Meta recently bumped the cost of its Quest 2 headset up $100, so now it starts at $400. Microsoft and Nintendo both confirmed in August they wouldn’t be following suit, but that could change in the near future.

Don’t be shocked if Game Pass eventually goes up in price, though. It’s an absurdly good deal right now, but subscription services always cost more eventually. Just ask Netflix.

Between the deflating Keystone news, the hilarious metaverse commentary, and the potential horror of an Xbox price increase, there's a ton to chew on with Spencer's comments at WSJ Tech Live. Naturally, a lot of it makes Microsoft seem like the good guys despite being a gargantuan corporation with many of the same aims as its rivals. It's amazing what a little honesty can do sometimes.

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Disgruntled NY Post Employee Fired After Hijacking Paper’s Twitter, Calling for Assassinating AOC

An employee of the New York Post temporarily took over the conservative newspaper’s social media account on Thursday, posting a series of lewd and offensive fake headlines about area politicians, as well as calling for the assassination of US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

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Wednesday 26 October 2022

Apple to Change iPhones to USB-C To Comply With EU Law

Apple was one of the main drivers of the original USB adoption when it included it in the original 1998 iMac. The popularity of that home computer helped make the Intel-developed Universal Serial Bus (USB) the most popular computer connection port of all time.

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Skechers Tosses Kanye West Out of Their Offices After He Made an Unannounced Visit

The incident comes a day after the German sportswear company Adidas dropped the 45-year-old rapper and fashion designer following antisemitic comments he made both online and in interviews. The end of the partnership with Adidas cost West his billionaire status, according to Forbes.

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GOP’s Dr. Oz Says Abortion Between ‘Women, Doctors, Local Political Leaders’ in Senate Race Debate

With Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman having difficulty speaking clearly following a stroke in May, many expected celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to run circles around him in their sole debate for the open Pennsylvania US Senate seat. Instead, Oz put his foot in his mouth with an answer that shocked abortion supporters.

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Taylor Swift's 'Midnights' is taking over TikTok one song at a time

Taylor Swift smiling on the TIFF red carpet.

People on TikTok are using tracks from Taylor Swift's Midnights to talk their talk and go viral.

Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights, has been out for less than a week, and it's already taking over TikTok. However, the most popular tracks on the platform may or may not surprise you.

Here are the eight most popular songs off Midnights, according to TikTok. (This list is based on the number of videos posted for each song.)

1. "Anti-Hero"

Unsurprisingly, the album's lead single — and the track with arguably the most viral lyrics — is causing the biggest stir on TikTok with a whopping 84,000 videos and counting. The song's vulnerable, yet humorous lyrics and its Swift-directed music video have inspired thousands of fan edits and lyrical analysis videos. Not to mention, "It's me. Hi. I'm the problem it's me" is perfectly designed for users to share the ways in which they are the problem — something we know they love to do.

2. "Karma"

Coming in second with over 24,000 videos is "Karma." The undeniable bop has Swifties dancing and lip-synching along to the catchy track, which features very Swiftian lyrics like, "Karma is a cat, purring in my lap 'cause it loves me."

3. "Midnight Rain"

Despite its uncharacteristic production (how much pitched-down vocal modulation is too much vocal modulation?), "Midnight Rain" is another fan favorite. Listeners are picking up on the tragically mismatched couple depicted in the lyrics and making fan edits of similarly ill-fated fictional couples like Little Women's Jo and Laurie.

4. "Vigilante Shit"

Perhaps the most controversial track on the record, "Vigilante Shit" has TikTokkers split between poking fun at Swift's dramatic lyrics, like "draw the cat eyes sharp enough to kill a man," and embracing the song in all its cringiness. Users have also taken inspiration from Swift's "Vigilante Shit" TikTok and are posting transition videos of them "dressing for revenge."

5. "You're On Your Own, Kid"

"You're On Your Own, Kid" is track five of Midnights, and as any Swiftie knows, Swift's track fives are always the most emotionally devastating song on each album. If the over 17,000 TikToks are anything to go by, "You're On Your Own, Kid" did not disappoint. Users have honed in on the lyric, "So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it" and are posting sweet montages of themselves and their friends.

6. "Bejeweled"

The second single off Midnights is a favorite for lip-synching, dancing, and blinging transition videos.

7. "Lavender Haze"

"Lavender Haze" was our collective introduction to Midnights, and as the first track on the album it seems to be the go-to song for any TikTok loosely related to the release and the pop star. It's become the soundtrack to a truly eclectic mix of videos, from Midnights-inspired drink recipes to Midnights-inspired Instagram captions.

8. "Mastermind"

In "Mastermind," Swift describes how she plotted to ensure someone (Joe Alwyn) would fall in love with her. The track made many fans feel so seen that they've gotten on TikTok to expose the crazy schemes they concocted to get close to someone.

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Woman Says Dead Father Murdered 50-70 People, Knows Where the Bodies Are, FBI Investigating

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which is funded by the US Department of Justice, there are more than 22,000 unsolved missing person cases in the United States.

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Tuesday 25 October 2022

Chinese Experts Warn of Threats From US B-21, B-52 Bombers

The US made high-profile announcements over the past week on two of its strategic bombers, the fully upgraded B-52 and the brand new B-21, with Chinese experts saying that the duo are likely to become the US Air Force's core strategic strike force in the next few decades, and China should be prepared to counter the planes and also learn from them.

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Save 49% on the best VPN for your iPad

SAVE 49%: Stay anonymous and unblock streaming sites with ExpressVPN. A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £91.64 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time.

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ExpressVPN provides users with strong connection speeds, reliable live customer support, and powerful encryption for your data. You can also connect five devices simultaneously with the same account, which is great news if you want to bolster your entire lineup of devices. It's also on sale for a limited time.

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £91.64, saving you 49% on list price. This plan includes an extra three months and a year of unlimited cloud backup for free. Subscribers can also rely on a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you're not totally satisfied, you can recover your investment without hassle.

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Billionaire Blues: Adidas Drops West

On Tuesday, Adidas decided to drop West as a partner for his Yeezy clothing line, ending the rapper’s billionaire status, according to Forbes. The partnership between the sportswear giant and the 45-year-old rapper began in 2013, with sales grossing up to $100 million annually and Yeezy sneakers ranging from $200 to $600 a pair.

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Penn State Cancels Proud Boys Founder’s Event, Citing Threat of Violence

A comedy event at Pennsylvania State University (known colloquially as Penn State) was to feature Proud Boys founder, Gavin McInnes, a co-host of the now canceled show. Proud Boys is a far-right, fascist and authoritarian group in the United States and has been deemed a terrorist group by both Canada and New Zealand.

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Walker: China and Mexico Are Putting Fentanyl into Halloween Candy

Herschel Walker is running for Senate in Georgia. The former NFL player has been at the center of several controversies, including claims from an ex-girlfriend that he paid for her abortion. Walker has vehemently denied that claim, despite acknowledging that a check paying her $700 came from him.

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Phoenix-area Police Forced to Increase Security Around Ballot Boxes Due to ‘Vigilantes’

Vigilantes subscribing to conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 presidential election have been monitoring ballot boxes around the Phoenix, Arizona area. They are often armed and sometimes masked, and advocacy groups and voters have accused them of voter intimidation.

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Monday 24 October 2022

Actor Leslie Jordan Dies in Car Accident at 67

Leslie Jordan was beloved for his role as Beverley Leslie on “Will & Grace” and made appearances in “American Horror Story,” “The Cool Kids,” the film “The Help,” “Ally McBeal,” “Ugly Betty,” “Reba,” “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” as well as many other shows.

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Watch: Ted Cruz Gets Heckled By Expletive-Throwing Yankee Fans

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) decided to watch his hometown Houston Astros in game 4 of the ALCS on Sunday at Yankee Stadium and Yankees fans gave him a decidedly New York kind of welcome.

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Netflix's '1899' trailer teases a new mystery from 'Dark' creators

A promotional image from 1899, featuring a woman falling.

The official trailer for Netflix's 1899 has arrived, giving us a look at the next project from Dark co-creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Set 13 years before the Titanic's first and last voyage, the eight-episode mystery thriller also involves a relatively grand passenger ship — though exactly how ill-fated 1899's vessel is remains to be seen. Its prospects don't look good, though.

1899 follows a ship full of European migrants sailing from London to New York in the titular year. When the crew receive what appears to be a transmission from a vessel that vanished months ago, they decide to take a detour and investigate. Unfortunately, this act of humanity quickly veers what should have been a simple seven-day trip into a disturbing, dangerous mystery.

If the trailer's repeated triangle motif is anything to go by, the fact that the infamous Bermuda Triangle is a relatively short detour along the ship's route will probably come into play.

1899 arrives Nov. 17 on Netflix.

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Rats With Tiny Backpacks Could be the Answer for Earthquake Rescues

An unpopular rodent may have found a way to improve its reputation. Giant pouched rats are being trained by the Belgian nonprofit APOPO, which also trains dogs, to save human lives. The rats, nicknamed “HeroRATs” by the organization, have already been trained to detect landmines and tuberculosis, and are preparing for a new step in their career.

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Politics in EU Getting Increasingly Detached From Reality - Hungary Justice Minister

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Politics is increasingly detached from reality in the European Union as the bloc’s bureaucrats push a so-called "progressive" agenda to weaken the nation states and the institutions of family, the Christian religion and the traditional communities across the European continent, Hungary's Minister of Justice Judit Varga said.

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Bob Woodward to Publish Tapes of 20 Trump Interviews From Trio of Books on His Presidency

Veteran White House chronicler Bob Woodward is preparing to release audio recordings of 20 different interviews he performed with former US President Donald Trump, saying the three books he wrote using them “didn’t go far enough” in exposing the danger Trump poses to US democracy.

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Roughly Half of a Virginia School’s Students Are Sick With the Flu

All 50 states closed schools in some capacity during the 2019-2020 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools reopen, they have faced a variety of issues, some separate from the spread of COVID-19.

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Sunday 23 October 2022

How 'House of the Dragon' is different from George R.R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood'

A woman with white-blonde hair in a black gown.

The Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon is finally here, bringing George R.R. Martin's massive fantasy tome Fire & Blood to the small screen.

Fire & Blood tells the history of House Targaryen as they ruled over Westeros, including events like Aegon's initial conquest and the civil war knowns as the Dance of the Dragons. House of the Dragon focuses on the Dance and the events leading up to it, including the rivalry between Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower. However, just like with the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon makes several changes from the source material in order to make the transition from page to screen. Don't worry, book loyalists: Change can be a good thing, and in House of the Dragon's case, a grand majority of the adaptation choices work to enhance the narrative instead of detract from it.

From structural differences to missing characters and more, here are the biggest changes House of the Dragon has made so far.

A history book vs. a TV show

Caraxes, my beloved. Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Starting out, the biggest difference between Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon is each work's individual structure. Fire & Blood is written as a history book by the fictional Archmaester Gyldayn, whereas House of the Dragon is a narrative TV show that adapts only a small portion of the centuries-long history covered in Fire & Blood.

Throughout Fire & Blood, Gyldayn discusses his differing sources for his work, especially during the section dealing with the Dance of the Dragons. These sources include conflicting reports from Maesters and Septons, as well as a court jester named Mushroom. Each source gives us a slightly different take on key moments that take place behind closed doors, Rashomon-style, with Mushroom's accounts tending to be the most lascivious and extreme. While characters like Mushroom do not figure into House of the Dragon, it will be fascinating to see which course of events House of the Dragon chooses to portray, as it will have to take a definitive stance on some of Fire & Blood's more ambiguous moments.

An exciting element that comes with adapting a history book (albeit a fictional one) is the chance to play around within the historical framework. Fire & Blood rarely delves into scene-level detail, which means House of the Dragon gets to add new scenes or embellish events that are already in the book. So while book readers may know the general story arc of House of the Dragon, they won't be able to anticipate some of the more granular, character-focused scenes. It's a good way to keep viewers on their toes, and to keep this adaptation somewhat unpredictable.

A tournament and a birth

The first episode of House of the Dragon is built around two key events: the birth of King Viserys and Queen Aemma's son, and the tournament to celebrate it. Scenes of fighting, like the brawl between Prince Daemon and Ser Criston Cole, are juxtaposed directly with Queen Aemma's painful labor, hammering home her earlier point to her daughter Rhaenyra that childbirth is a woman's battlefield. While Aemma's labor and the tourney introducing Criston do not happen at the same time in the books, the choice to bring them together is a smart one. We get the thematic parallels mentioned previously, as well as a good, old-fashioned Game of Thrones-style tournament. The lavish celebration also signals just how important a male heir is to the realm: If Aemma has a son, peace will likely continue. If not, questions about the line of succession will fester.

Aemma's death during childbirth isn't detailed in great amounts in Fire & Blood. However, Viserys's dilemma about whether to kill Aemma in order to make sure his son is born actually happens to other characters in the book. Much earlier in the Targaryen dynasty, Queen Alyssa Velaryon, mother to King Jaehaerys, experiences a similarly painful birth. The maester tending to her tells her husband, Lord Rogar Baratheon, that there's still a chance they can keep the child, but Alyssa is sure to die; Rogar chooses to save the child. The fact that House of the Dragon is drawing from events like this throughout Fire & Blood to enrich its narrative is fascinating, and proof of the flexibility the show has given its source material's historiographical nature.

Childhood friends: Rhaenyra and Alicent

Two young women in lavish fantasy dresses. One stands with her back to the other, but they're holding hands over each other's shoulders.

Best friends forever... I wish. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

House of the Dragon makes the excellent decision to center Rhaenyra and Alicent's friendship right from the start. The rift between them is what brings about the Dance of the Dragons, so it makes sense that House of the Dragon begins developing their relationship in the very first episode.

In Fire & Blood, Rhaenyra and Alicent aren't particularly close before Alicent marries King Viserys, but in House of the Dragon, they are fast friends. Their in-show childhood bond promises to make their fallout even more heartbreaking, which is sure to give later episodes even greater emotional weight.

A song of ice and what now?

During the first episode's final moments, King Viserys drops a truth bomb on Rhaenyra. Their ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror, conquered Westeros not just because of ambition, but because he had a dream. That dream foretold the end of mankind, brought on by a terrible winter — White Walkers, anyone?

There's nothing in Fire & Blood that suggests Aegon had this dream, but given that the book rarely delves into its characters' thoughts, there's nothing saying that Aegon didn't have this dream either. Perhaps this was Martin's intent all along. However, I'm not a fan of this particular storytelling tweak. It's way too neat a connection to Game of Thrones, and after the adverse fan reactions to Season 8, House of the Dragon needs as much of a fresh start as it can get. Plus, the reveal of Aegon's dream — which he called A Song of Ice and Fire, eliciting a massive eye roll from me — shifts focus away from the politics of House of the Dragons in favor of reminding us of a Big Bad we already know is coming. Heck, we already know that the Night King fails to conquer Westeros, so why bother tying it back to Aegon? In a series that has so far made many smart adaptation decisions, this is the only one I outright disagree with. We don't need "winter is coming," round two — House of the Dragon already has plenty of great characters and plot points to choose from.

The showdown at Dragonstone

The second episode of House of the Dragon, "The Rogue Prince," gives us a tease of what full Targaryen-on-Targaryen violence might look like. When Prince Daemon steals a dragon egg with the intent of giving it to his child with paramour Mysaria, King Viserys won't let that stand. He sends his Hand, Lord Otto Hightower, to Dragonstone to retrieve the egg.

However, it'll take more than a mere Hightower to change Daemon's mind. Just when violence between Daemon's gold cloaks and Otto's soldiers threatens to break out, Rhaenyra arrives on Dragonstone with her dragon, Syrax. She faces off with Daemon, goading him to kill her if he truly wants to be the heir. He relents and returns the egg, and the meeting concludes without bloodshed. Rhaenyra returns triumphantly to King's Landing, only to face the ire of Viserys for her disobedience.

While the egg saga takes up a sizable chunk of "The Rogue Prince," Martin details it in just a few sentences in Fire & Blood:

When he learned that his concubine was pregnant, Prince Daemon presented her with a dragon's egg and woke his brother's wroth. King Viserys commanded him to return the egg, send his whore away, and return to his lawful wife, or else be attainted as a traitor. The prince obeyed, though with ill grace...

When you compare this passage with House of the Dragon's version, you really see the show's adaptation process. Take a key incident from the book and make it the focal point of an episode, all while looping in more of your central characters, such as Rhaenyra.

The show's framing of the Dragonstone showdown places Rhaenyra in opposition with both her father and her uncle. This helps us understand just how much she has to offer, as well as how much she, as a woman in this male-dominated world, has to fight in order to be viewed as a viable heir.

Plus, we get to see Caraxes and Syrax in full force, and it never hurts to see more dragons.

Alicent and Viserys

An old man and a young woman sit facing each other. An ornate stone model of a city sits between them.

Alicent is on an uncomfortable mission. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Like in Fire & Blood, King Viserys chooses to marry Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. In the book, Alicent is described as having been the former king Jaehaerys's companion before he died, but we don't hear much more about her between then and the marriage announcement. However, more disreputable sources (looking at you, Mushroom!) claim she had sexual relationships with Daemon and Jaehaerys, and even with Viserys while he was still married to Queen Aemma. Luckily, the show does not take this route.

In the TV series, Alicent is pressured to gain Viserys's affection by her own father, the sneaky Otto Hightower. She's clearly uncomfortable with this, but obeys, acting as a companion to Viserys in a similar way to how she accompanies Jaehaerys in Fire & Blood. Her interactions with the king are early proof of her cunning and manipulation. Plus, they continue to set up the coming rift between her and Rhaenyra.

House of the Dragon goes hunting

Episode 3 of House of the Dragon, "Second of His Name," takes us on a hunting trip that is extremely tense for everyone involved. The hunt is a lavish affair: a celebration of Viserys and Alicent's son Aegon's second nameday. Of course, the arrival of a new male heir sparks questions about Rhaenyra's future, so she's understandably on edge. As the festivities get underway, she rejects advances from men like Jason Lannister, bonds with her sworn protector Ser Criston Cole, and gets all stabby-stabby with a boar. An all-around productive weekend for Rhaenyra.

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And wouldn't you know it, none of this is in Fire & Blood! The novel does make mention of festivities held in the name of Alicent's children, but it never dives into them on a scene level. The same goes for Jason Lannister's attempted marriage proposal: One sentence reveals that he and his twin brother Tyland tried to win her over during a visit to Casterly Rock.

The addition of this hunt is a great way to delve into these events and bring the building tensions between characters to the forefront. This plot highlights Rhaenyra's worries about her title, Alicent's attempts to appease her best friend-turned-stepdaughter, Viserys's indecision about damn near everything, and so much more. While this hunt never explicitly happens in Fire & Blood, it would absolutely fit right in on the page.

Fighting the Crabfeeder

A badly sunburned man with long brown hair and a cracked golden mask.

You've fed your last crab, sir! Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Besides the hunt, the other main thread of "Second of His Name" involves Corlys Velaryon and Daemon's fight against the villainous Crabfeeder. Their quest to take back the Stepstones results in House of the Dragon's first real battle, including Prince Daemon's mad sprint to glory and Corlys's son Laenor swooping in on his dragon Seasmoke.

As epic as this battle is, Daemon and Corlys's campaign in the Stepstones is most glossed over in Fire & Blood. Presumably, Archmaester Gyldayn cares more about the intrigue at court. He writes:

It is not our purpose here to recount the details of the private war Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon waged on the Stepstones. Suffice it to say that the fighting began in 106 AC... In 108 AC, when at last [Daemon] came face-to-face with Craghas Crabfeeder, her slew him single-handed and cut off his head with Dark Sister.

So far, House of the Dragon's best adaptation choices come from the fact that it knows when to take moments that Fire & Blood simply summarizes and tease them out into full-blown set pieces. The Stepstones battle sets a high bar for the show's action sequences and gives Laenor a worthy introduction. Remember him — he'll be important later.

Let's talk about sex, baby

Well, it happened. In episode 4 of House of the Dragon, "King of the Narrow Sea," the Targaryen incest hits in full force. Daemon brings his niece Rhaenyra on an excursion through King's Landing, and the two hook up at a brothel. Family bonding, the Westeros way! When Daemon leaves abruptly, Rhaenyra takes her desires into her own hands and has sex with Ser Criston, who is thankfully not related to her. However, he is also a member of the Kingsguard and took a vow of celibacy, so the whole situation is quite messy, to say the least.

This episode marks a large turning point for Rhaenyra and her relationships with Daemon, Criston, and Viserys. However, Rhaenyra's first sexual experiences and their consequences are somewhat ambiguous in Fire & Blood. Once again, we have different accounts from sources like Septon Eustace and Mushroom. According to Eustace, Daemon seduced Rhaenyra, and when the two were caught together, Rhaenyra begged Viserys to let her marry her uncle. On the other hand, Mushroom claims that Daemon had been teaching Rhaenyra about sex so she would be able to seduce Criston. These lessons included dressing as a page boy and visiting brothels, which we see occur in House of the Dragon. Despite the ambiguity in Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon makes a firm decision here and fully chooses Mushroom's account (minus some of the bluest details).

However, the same cannot be said when it comes to Rhaenyra's romance with Criston. Eustace states that Criston confessed his love for Rhaenyra and begged her to run away with him, but she refused. In Mushroom's much more bawdy account, Rhaenyra declared her love to Criston after she learned she was to be wed to Laenor. This version of the story sees Criston refuse Rhaenyra due to his vows as a member of the Kingsguard. House of the Dragon chooses neither account and instead charts its own path, with Rhaenyra successfully seducing Criston. This appears to mark the start of a secret relationship between the two, something that does not happen in Fire & Blood but which will surely have massive consequences going forward.

Farewell to Otto

Two men argue in front of a stone model of a city.

Nothing worse than a Hand-King breakup. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Viserys gets wise of Otto's cunning and ambition in episode 4 — only after Rhaenyra points it out. She's trying to deflect suspicion from her tryst with Daemon, but Viserys hears some truth in her words and dismisses Otto from the position of Hand.

In Fire & Blood, Viserys gets rid of Otto after he keeps pushing for Alicent's son to be named heir. This happens way before Rhaenyra's scandal, meaning that House of the Dragon is bringing several different threads together here. It's a strong choice: Now, Rhaenyra has far more of a hand in Otto's dismissal, continuing to create tension between her and Alicent.

Not only that, but this episode also forces Viserys to choose between believing his brother, his daughter, and his most trusted advisor. By the end of the episode, we can see he's believed elements of all three's stories. From Daemon and Otto's accounts, he thinks Daemon and Rhaenyra had sex, hence the contraceptive tea he has delivered to Rhaenyra at the end of the episode. But he also believes Rhaenyra's statement that Otto is a social climbing vulture. After spending so many episodes making bad decisions, finally Viserys makes some big — and fascinating — moves. And none of it would have been possible if House of the Dragon hadn't made this adaptation change.

Another bloody wedding

"We Light the Way," House of the Dragon's fifth episode, gives us a classic Game of Thrones staple: a wedding. It also gives us another Game of Thrones staple: death at said wedding.

The victim at Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding is none other than Ser Joffrey — no, not that Joffrey. This is Joffrey Lonmouth, Laenor's lover. He taunts Criston about the marriage of their lovers to each other, and Criston, still reeling from Rhaenyra's rejection of his plan to run away and get married in Essos, decides that it's clobbering time.

Criston does kill Joffrey in Fire & Blood, but he does at the wedding tourney instead of the feast. House of the Dragon has already given us an intense tournament sequence in its first episode, so the choice to move the fight makes sense. The show also expands on why Criston would want to kill Joffrey. In the book, it's just said that Joffrey "felt the fullest measure of [Criston's] wroth" — the level of violence at the tourney is strange, but since this is a historical account, we don't dive into the reasoning behind it as much. In House of the Dragon, with Criston and Joffrey's interaction at the wedding, we understand what led Criston to snap so completely.

Alicent takes center stage

Alicent, a young woman in a green gown, stands at the entrance to a great hall.

And the award for best entrance goes to... Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Rhaenyra and Laenor may have gotten married, but their wedding — and their whole wedding episode — is all about Alicent. In Fire & Blood, Alicent is villainous, self-serving, and the all-around worst. House of the Dragon delves deeper into her motivations in order to make her more of a compelling human being. She's been used as a pawn by her father and lost her best friend as a result. Plus, since Alicent's children present a threat to Rhaenyra's succession, she also has to deal with the worry that Rhaenyra will try to have them killed. "We Light the Way" does a great job of laying this out, and of showing how Alicent plans to move forward. For example, Alicent's green dress, mentioned in passing in Fire & Blood, gets a much bigger moment in House of the Dragon. This is her first major stand against Viserys: a retaliation for him sending her father away and for learning about Rhaenyra's lie.

"We Light the Way" also clarifies how Alicent and Criston come to be such fierce allies. In Fire & Blood, Criston becomes Alicent's sworn protector after the tourney where he kills Joffrey. We don't learn much more than that, but House of the Dragon fills in the gaps: heartbroken at Rhaenyra's impending marriage, Criston tells Alicent about his relationship with her. Later, after killing Joffrey, he prepares to die by suicide. However, Alicent stops him, and the two join forces. This choice is yet another smart move in a string of strong adaptation choices, continuing House of the Dragon's trend of fleshing out Fire & Blood's most important historical points. Plus, we're able to watch Alicent assemble her allies after episodes of seeing her get used by those around her. Her actions here will have major consequences going forward, and they cement her as one of House of the Dragon's most important players.

Larys started the fire

A man sitting down, resting his hands on his cane.

Who, me? Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

House of the Dragon undergoes a 10-year time jump between episodes 5 and 6. During this time, both Rhaenyra and Alicent have more children. However, Rhaenyra's children's parentage is called into question because none of them bear a resemblance to Laenor. They don't even have the trademark Targaryen and Velaryon silver hair! Instead, they all look suspiciously like Rhaenyra's sworn protector and head of the City Watch, Harwin Strong. When Criston Cole insinuates that Harwin is the boys' father, Harwin very publicly snaps and beats him up. Harwin's father Lyonel, now Hand of the King, realizes the implications of the act and attempts to resign to preserve his house's reputation somewhat — a detail that isn't in Fire & Blood but that helps flesh out the Strongs' relationship to honor.

That takes us to one of episode 6's biggest death scenes: A fire breaks out at the Strong castle of Harrenhal, killing both Harwin and Lyonel. Who was responsible? Fire & Blood presents multiple theories as to who may have started the fire. Could it have been Daemon, trying to eliminate a romantic rival, or Viserys, hoping to salvage Rhaenyra's honor? Or maybe it was Corlys, seeking vengeance for Harwin's cuckolding of Laenor? (Rhaenyra and Laenor's arrangement that they get to see other people is new to the show, so the cuckolding is less of a point of tension.) The book also suggests Larys Strong, Harwin's younger brother, as a possible culprit, and that's the route the show takes.

In positioning Larys as the orchestrator of his family's deaths, House of the Dragon once again chooses a definitive path where Fire & Blood opted for historical ambiguity. This choice sets Larys up as a major player in the coming episodes. With his father and brother dead, he becomes Lord of Harrenhal. He also cements himself as a part of Queen Alicent's inner circle — although from the looks of it, she may regret bringing such a ruthless man so close to her.

Death by "Dracarys!"

A woman with silvery hair seated at a dining table.

RIP, Laena. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Harwin and Lyonel are not the only House of the Dragon characters to die by fire in episode 6. They're joined in fiery death by Laena Velaryon, a dragonrider and Daemon's second wife. In Fire & Blood, Laena dies after a horrifying childbirth. She attempts to ride her dragon Vhagar one last time before she dies, only to collapse and perish before she can get to her. House of the Dragon takes things in a more dramatic direction, to say the least. In House of the Dragon, a pain-stricken Laena reaches Vhagar, but instead of trying to take flight, she utters that immortal phrase: "Dracarys!" After some initial hesitation, Vhagar sets Laena on fire.

When it comes to House of the Dragon deaths, self-immolation by dragonfire has to be the most metal way to go. Yet the scene is undeniably tragic. Laena's passing plays like a companion to Aemma's remarkably cruel death in episode 1. Both women suffer from immense pain during labor, and both their husbands are offered the choice of killing the mother to save the child. While Aemma is subjected to this horror, Laena flees and, in a last grasp at agency, chooses to die as close to a dragonrider's death as she can.

Fighting at a funeral

Episode 7 of House of the Dragon takes us to Driftmark for Laena's funeral, where Prince Aemond Targaryen tames and rides Laena's old dragon, Vhagar. When he lands, Rhaenyra's children, as well as Laena's daughters Baela and Rhaena, attack him in anger. In the ensuing brawl, Lucerys Velaryon takes out one of Aemond's eyes. In Fire & Blood, this sequence actually happens at Laenor's funeral (more on that later), and Baela and Rhaena aren't involved. However, in moving the Aemond fight and emphasizing Baela and Rhaena's grief, House of the Dragon is able to ground the scene even deeper in emotion, as well as highlight why the children are so upset. Laena only just died and Aemond is already stealing her dragon? Heck, I'm angry too!

In the aftermath of the children's fight, Alicent demands that Lucerys lose an eye just as Aemond did. She also makes this demand in the book. What she doesn't do in Fire & Blood, but does in the show, is steal Viserys's dagger and try to take Rhaenyra's eye out herself. Alicent's full-on attack perfectly sets up the coming Dance of the Dragons, and it gives us a welcome chance to watch her snap. Throughout the show, Alicent has been composed and calculated, always doing what's asked of her while she sees Rhaenyra flouting her marriage entirely. Here, her frustration and rage get the best of her in an explosive scene that's one of the show's best so far. Olivia Cooke's delivery of "Where is duty? Where is sacrifice?" will go down in House of the Dragon history, along with Emma d'Arcy's whispered, "Now they see you as you are."

Laenor lives!

A man with silvery-white hair in a great hall.

Congratulations on surviving! Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

For what might be the first time ever, a Game of Thrones show lets one of the characters that died in its source material walk away unscathed. Laenor, who perishes in a fight with his paramour Ser Qarl in Fire & Blood, doesn't die in House of the Dragon! Instead, he and Qarl fake his death and flee Driftmark to travel across the Narrow Sea. There, they can be open about their love for one another.

How did Laenor and Qarl's escape come about? Well, Rhaenyra and Daemon decide to marry to shore up their power. (Hear that? That's the sound of the Targaryen incest alarms.) However, to get hitched, they need to get Laenor out of the way. Daemon dons the murder cloak he wore to kill his wife and bribes Qarl for a quick death. But he never specifies whose death! Qarl stages Laenor's murder, making it look like he burned in the hearth at Driftmark. As Corlys and Rhaenys mourn their son and Rhaenyra marries Daemon, Qarl and a very much alive Laenor head out to sea.

This is easily the biggest change Fire & Blood makes from its source material, especially given George R.R. Martin's penchant for killing his characters. However, it's unclear whether Laenor's survival will impact the plot moving forward. Everyone thinks he's dead, and why would he and Qarl return to Westeros when they can be happy elsewhere? As sides in the Dance of the Dragons solidify, there's one thing we can be sure of: Somewhere in Essos, Laenor and Qarl are living happy, lavish lives thanks to Daemon's bribe money. It's as close to a fairy-tale ending as Game of Thrones can get.

The petition for Driftmark

"Lord of the Tides," episode 8 of House of the Dragon, revolves around various characters' petitions to become Lord of Driftmark should Corlys pass away. Contenders include Rhaenyra's son and the named heir Lucerys, whose claim has been questioned due to his parentage; Rhaenys, Corlys's wife; and Vaemond Velaryon, Corlys's younger brother in the show (and nephew in Fire & Blood). While the question of succession is addressed in the book, the petitions are new additions for the show: another example of House of the Dragon expanding on briefly mentioned crises in Martin's work.

Also new is Vaemond's death, which deserves a special shout-out here. Vaemond does die in the book after accusing Lucerys of being a bastard. Rhaenyra sends Daemon to kill him and then feeds his corpse to her dragon, Syrax. However in the show, Daemon straight-up chops through his head in the middle of the Red Keep's throne room. It's a major power move and a classic out-of-nowhere Game of Thrones-style death. Sliced and diced.

RIP Viserys

A very thin, emaciated king sits by the ocean with a knight at his side.

Good night, sweet prince. Er, king. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

King Viserys finally shuffles off the mortal coil in this episode. We all saw it coming; he's been marked for blood since day one. However, we never anticipated just how that death would play out in House of the Dragon. In Fire & Blood, Viserys grows old and dies in his sleep. In House of the Dragon, the man goes full Crypt Keeper. He's rotting off his own bones, he's losing body parts left and right... He's just going through it. Finally, at the end of "Lord of the Tides," he passes away. And just after a relatively happy family dinner, no less!

But this being House of the Dragon, we won't know peace yet. That's because right before he dies, Viserys mentions the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy to Alicent, believing her to be Rhaenyra. After hearing a few mumbled words about Aegon (the Conqueror, not Alicent's son, although she has no way of knowing it) and uniting the kingdom, Alicent believes Viserys wants his son to take the throne instead of Rhaenyra. No, Viserys, why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut? The future was looking somewhat bright, at least by Westerosi standards, but your last words may have divided the Seven Kingdoms forever. Bring on the Dance of the Dragons.

We're crowning Aegon! We just have to find him first.

Episode 9 of House of the Dragon, titled "The Green Council," picks up right where episode 8 left off: with Viserys dying and Alicent interpreting his last words as him choosing Aegon as his successor. As soon as Otto gets word of this, he springs into action, gathering the Small Council to organize Aegon's coronation. The only problem? Aegon is nowhere to be found. So sets in motion a hunt for the king-to-be, a hunt that surprisingly pits Alicent against Otto. The Hand wants to kill Rhaenyra and her family as soon as possible, but Alicent has doubts about that, especially following their slight reconciliation last episode.

Much of the search for Aegon is new to the show, as is the tension between Otto and Alicent. In the book, they are a united front as they work to rouse and crown Aegon. Here, Otto is the heartless monster who sets things in motion, while Alicent comes off as much more sympathetic thanks to her worry for Rhaenyra.

House of the Dragon also greatly speeds up the time between Viserys's dying and Aegon's coronation. In the book, it takes about 10 days to finalize the choice to crown Aegon, during which the smell of Viserys's corpse stinks up the Red Keep. Here, Otto and Alicent move fast, plus the show adds a bunch of new material, like Aemond and Criston's discussions, Larys and Alicent's "arrangement," and Mysaria's involvement. (The street urchin fighting rings are very much in Fire & Blood.) The entire expanded search for Aegon emphasizes just how much of a pawn he is in the schemes of older characters. Plus, in seeing all his common haunts (again, the child fights!) we realize just how unfit he is to be king. Pair that with the fact that neither of his parents truly love him and the extreme ego boost he gets from the crowd's cheering at his coronation, and you're looking at a recipe for a megalomaniac disaster.

Rhaenys crashes a coronation

A woman with silver-white hair in a black dress.

Rhaenys takes matters into her own hands — and it's amazing. Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

The absolute coolest moment of "The Green Council" is nowhere to be seen in Fire & Blood. The Hightowers lock Rhaenys in the Red Keep and try to win her (and her dragon Meleys) over to their side. However, Ser Erryk Cargyll, a knight of the Kingsguard who decides to back Rhaenyra's claim over Aegon's, helps her escape. She winds up in the dragon pit for the coronation and sneaks away to grab her dragon and get the heck out of dodge.

What follows is a moment of absolute and total badassery. Rhaenys and Meleys crash through the floor of the dragon pit, interrupting a coronation that had otherwise been going pretty well. Meleys turns on Alicent and Aegon, but Rhaenys does not issue the kill order. Perhaps she is trying to limit bloodshed, or she finds Alicent's protection of Aegon moving enough to spare her. Whatever the reason, Rhaenys certainly makes a big splash at the coronation before taking her Valyrian exit (which is what I call flying out of large gatherings on dragonback).

The showdown at Storm's End

The centerpiece of the Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon is undoubtedly the standoff between Lucerys Velaryon and Aemond Targaryen at Storm's End, the seat of House Baratheon. Both have come to secure Lord Borros Baratheon's support: Lucerys for his mother Rhaenyra, and Aemond for his brother Aegon. Borros sides with Aemond, and to make everything worse, Aemond demands that Lucerys take out an eye in exchange for taking his years ago. After Lucerys refuses, the two take to the skies on their dragons for a tense chase, which culminates in Aemond losing control of Vhagar, and Vhagar eating Lucerys.

The broad strokes of the Storm's End sequence play out pretty faithfully to Fire & Blood, but there are still some differences. In the book, Aemond is about to let Lucerys go before one of Borros's daughters goads him into going after him. Here, House of the Dragon streamlines the process: Aemond hasn't quite finished having fun with his nephew yet, so he follows him on his dragon Vhagar. It reads more like a schoolyard tyrant kicking a victim when he's down than someone hellbent on killing.

That difference in intent — scaring as opposed to outright killing — marks the finale's biggest change from Fire & Blood. Here, Lucerys' death is a result of Aemond's failure to keep Vhagar in line, not a direct command from Aemond himself. The fight between Vhagar and Lucerys's dragon Arrax isn't too detailed in the book, so it's possible a similar accident occurred but was not recorded in history. However, the aftermath of the fight, including Aemond returning to King's Landing expecting a hero's welcome, suggests that his kinslaying actions were all too intentional. In House of the Dragon, the kinslaying is a preventable tragedy, as well as a reminder of just how powerful dragons are. Sometimes, age-old creatures of immense power will rebel against their riders — who could have guessed?

What's next for House of the Dragon?

A man with silver blonde hair kneels in front of a woman with silver blonde hair. She wears a black cloak and a gold crown.

So you're queen — now what? Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

One word: war! With Aegon's ascension and Lucerys' death, the Dance of the Dragons is officially in full swing. And based on the look in Rhaenyra's eyes at the very end of the finale, the Blacks are going to retaliate against the Greens in a big way.

Season 2 will likely open with Jacaerys's arrival in Winterfell to gain the support of the North, but plenty of chaos will still be raging in the South as the struggle for power continues. We'll see one of Westerosi history's most brutal moments yet (no spoilers, but look up Blood and Cheese if you're curious). Daemon's interaction with the dragon Vermithor in the finale also suggests that he's going to attempt to find new dragonriders to help boost Rhaenyra's number, so get excited for more dragon battles.

Finally, since House of the Dragon has focused so much energy on fleshing out the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent, the evolution of their dynamic in the war to come will surely play a large role as well. Although after everything that's happened, I doubt we'll be seeing them reconcile any time soon.

Final verdict

House of the Dragon takes on the daunting task of adapting a "historical account" full of ambiguity, and creates a haunting portrait of a family torn apart by power. The expansion and centering of the friendship between Rhaenyra and Alicent works wonders and provides both characters — but especially Alicent — a much-needed humanity that we don't always get from Fire & Blood's historical retelling. House of the Dragon is also able to expand on some key Fire & Blood moments in new and exciting ways, giving us new scenes like Rhaenyra and Daemon's face-off on Dragonstone in episode 2 and the entirety of Rhaenyra and Laenor's very chaotic wedding.

Not every change works. The focus on Aegon the Conqueror's prophecy reeks of an attempt to connect to the plot of Game of Thrones, and the time jumps can get a little confusing. Plus, all the hopping around in time leads us to miss some moments that would have been great to see on screen. Who wouldn't have wanted to watch Laena tame Vhagar, or see the beginnings of Rhaenyra and Harwin Strong's courtship?

Overall, though, House of the Dragon knocks it out of the park as an adaptation, taking the weighty history of Martin's work and making sure to flesh out all the small character moments over ten episodes. House of the Dragon has already been renewed for a Season 2, so we can hopefully expect more excellent adaptation choices — and dragons — in the near future.

Season 1 of House of the Dragon is now streaming HBO Max.

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Sunday 30 October 2022

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Friday 28 October 2022

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Thursday 27 October 2022

Metaverse catching strays

Call of Duty on Switch?!

Mobile ambitions

No Keystone, for now

Get your Xbox now while it’s (not really) cheap

Wednesday 26 October 2022

1. "Anti-Hero"

2. "Karma"

3. "Midnight Rain"

4. "Vigilante Shit"

5. "You're On Your Own, Kid"

6. "Bejeweled"

7. "Lavender Haze"

8. "Mastermind"

Tuesday 25 October 2022

Monday 24 October 2022

Sunday 23 October 2022

A history book vs. a TV show

A tournament and a birth

Childhood friends: Rhaenyra and Alicent

A song of ice and what now?

The showdown at Dragonstone

Alicent and Viserys

House of the Dragon goes hunting

Fighting the Crabfeeder

Let's talk about sex, baby

Farewell to Otto

Another bloody wedding

Alicent takes center stage

Larys started the fire

Death by "Dracarys!"

Fighting at a funeral

Laenor lives!

The petition for Driftmark

RIP Viserys

We're crowning Aegon! We just have to find him first.

Rhaenys crashes a coronation

The showdown at Storm's End

What's next for House of the Dragon?

Final verdict

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