Patch Tuesday is just around the corner; Microsoft pushes out security updates and other updates for all of its products on the second Tuesday of the month. While that is a good thing usually, Windows 10 users who have not upgraded systems to the new Windows 10 version 1803 "The April 2018 Update" may want to configure their devices to skip that update. Microsoft plans to push the new feature update for Windows 10 to eligible PCs and devices this Tuesday. While you can start the update to Windows 10 version 1803 already if you really want to as it was released on April 30, 2018, Tuesday marks the beginning of the general rollout phase. Right now, you will have to become active to get the update, but from Tuesday on the update is offered automatically through Windows Update. In other words: if you don't block the upgrade to the feature update, your devices may be upgraded to it starting this Tuesday. May, because the update is pushed out in chunks starting with the most modern PCs that are most likely to update without larger issues and then to older machines. If you have not followed the release of the update, you may wonder why you should block the upgrade at this point in time. It is simple: the update is riddled with bugs. I upgraded one PC to Windows 10 version 1803 and ran into a good dozen major issues; Edge or Windows Defender won't load, I can't right-click on taskbar items, no microcode update for Windows 10 version 1803 to patch the Spectre security issue is available, and shutdown is broken unless you disable Fast Restart. Those are just the issues that I ran into. Other users reported Chrome, Cortana and other software program freezes, out of disk space warnings because the recovery partition got a drive letter suddenly, lots of Alienware PCs that lock up, and a lot more. You can go back to the previous version if a device is updated automatically to the new version of Windows. It is likely that Microsoft will release fixes for some of the issues but since those are provided on Tuesday the earliest, there is no time to test them before systems might get upgraded to the April 2018 Update. So, with all the problems and issues associated with the Windows 10 version 1803 update, you may want to think hard about upgrading to the new version right now. Instructions for delaying Windows 10 feature upgrades can be found here. In short: If the device is powered by Windows 10 Pro, Education or Enterprise: Open Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options and select to defer the feature update for 30, 60 or even 90 days. If the device is powered by Windows 10 Home: set your network connections to metered under Settings > Network & Internet. Alternatively, use third-party tools like Block Windows 10 Updates or Windows 10 Update Switch instead. In either case, it is recommended that you create a backup of the system partition so that you can go back on your own terms and don't have to rely on built-in functionality for that. You can roll back in the first ten days by visiting Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.

NVIDIA late Friday announced that it is ending the controversial GeForce Partner Program (GPP). The "program" was a revision in the terms of sale of NVIDIA graphics processors to AIC (add in card) partners (such as EVGA, ASUS, GIGABYTE, etc.), which in regulator-baiting language, called for AIC partners to keep their gaming-centric brands (such as ASUS ROG, GIGABYTE Aorus, MSI Gaming, etc.) exclusive to NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, thereby de-listing AMD Radeon GPUs. Companies like ASUS went as far as stripping its AMD Radeon products of even the "ASUS" brand, relegating them to a new "AREZ" brand. Apparently the blow-back was harder than expected, and NVIDIA buckled. The main forces behind NVIDIA withdrawing GPP may not be fear of government regulators, but OEMs, such as Dell and HP, refusing to sign up. AMD is known in the OEM circles for great pricing, which is what scores it design wins with giants such as Apple. That's something big OEMs would never want to let go of. Had Dell, for example, signed up for GPP, it would have meant the end of AMD Radeon GPUs in Alienware desktops. Far from sounding apologetic, NVIDIA's announcement of "pulling the plug" on GPP reads of the company begrudgingly ending the program, defending its "benefits to gamers" to the very end. NVIDIA didn't even give the announcement the dignity of a formal press-release, but a blog post, pasted verbatim: A lot has been said recently about our GeForce Partner Program. The rumors, conjecture and mistruths go far beyond its intent. Rather than battling misinformation, we have decided to cancel the program. GPP had a simple goal - ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice. NVIDIA creates cutting-edge technologies for gamers. We have dedicated our lives to it. We do our work at a crazy intense level - investing billions to invent the future and ensure that amazing NVIDIA tech keeps coming. We do this work because we know gamers love it and appreciate it. Gamers want the best GPU tech. GPP was about making sure gamers who want NVIDIA tech get NVIDIA tech. With GPP, we asked our partners to brand their products in a way that would be crystal clear. The choice of GPU greatly defines a gaming platform. So, the GPU brand should be clearly transparent - no substitute GPUs hidden behind a pile of techno-jargon. Most partners agreed. They own their brands and GPP didn't change that. They decide how they want to convey their product promise to gamers. Still, today we are pulling the plug on GPP to avoid any distraction from the super exciting work we're doing to bring amazing advances to PC gaming. This is a great time to be a GeForce partner and be part of the fastest growing gaming platform in the world. The GeForce gaming platform is rich with the most advanced technology. And with GeForce Experience, it is "the way it's meant to be played." No, NVIDIA, this isn't the way it's meant to be played.

Welcome to Invitehawk

Welcome to Invitehawk

Samsung's foldable phone will feature multiple 3.5-inch OLED screens and will be unveiled at MWC? With the Samsung Galaxy S10 now rumored to hit the light of day at CES 2019, there is now talk that Samsung's eagerly awaited foldable phone will be unveiled the following month in Barcelona at MWC 2019. Yes, it is hard to look ahead at events planned for next winter, just as the weather is turning warm in the U.S. The foldable phone has been dubbed the Samsung Galaxy X, and carries the codename of "Winner." Previously, the device had a development codename of "Valley." This change is an indication that the device has gone from a long term development project, to having a slot in the manufacturer's 2019 lineup. Samsung reportedly brought the Galaxy X to CES this year. The device seen in Vegas is believed to have featured a fold-in design with three 3.5-inch OLED panels; one screen is on the outside of the phone with two on the inside. When the two inside screens are open, it creates a larger 6-inch to 7-inch screen. The display outside the phone is used to interact with the handset when the device is closed. Considering the use of 3.5-inch OLED displays, as a point of reference the Apple iPhone featured a 3.5-inch screen until the 4-inch iPhone 5 was unveiled in 2013. Keep in mind that the model Samsung allegedly showed to its partners in Vegas may have nothing to do with the final version of the phone. Earlier this week, Samsung received a patent for a foldable phone that folded-in and contained two screens inside. A special hinge uses a sensor to contort the device into pre-set configurations.

T-Mobile is the last US carrier which hasn't yet provided LG V30 owners with an Android 8.0 Oreo update. It's been more than a month since the other three major carriers in the country released Oreo updates for the V30, but for some reason, T-Mobile was forced to delay it. Usually, these updates are deployed OTA (over the air), so you don't really have to do anything aside from waiting to be notified when you can download it. For those impatient, there's another method that sometimes allows them to get a major update slightly earlier by simply heading to the Settings menu and force pull it on the phone. Unfortunately, none of these methods apply in this case. While T-Mobile has made the Android 8.0 Oreo update available to LG V30 owner, the only way to download it is via LG Bridge software. The OTA update may come later on, but for the moment the only way to update your LG V30 bought from T-Mobile is using LG Bridge. On the bright side, you get all the new features and improvements the other carrier-branded V30 units already got, including the April security patch.

Apple has acknowledged an issue plaguing some iPhone 7/7 Plus units that has resulted in microphones being disabled. The acknowledgement came in the form of an internal document sent out to Apple Authorized Service Providers informing them about the problem. It's a serious issue - reported by users with devices running iOS 11.3 or later - as disabled microphone renders the calling feature useless. The document, spotted by MacRumors, asks service providers to first make sure the affected unit isn't connected to any Bluetooth or audio accessories. If the speaker button remains grayed out during a call, and running audio diagnostics results in a "device could not detect dock" or "accessory not supported" message, then the center can initiate the repair process. Even units that are out of warranty will be repaired considering this case as an exception. There's currently no information on how a software update caused a hardware issue, which it seemingly is, as affected devices require repair. Apple is yet to officially come up with a statement or word on the matter.

The new LG G7, which features a notched design, came around six months after Apple's iPhone X, but the South Korean company nods in negative if you say it's a copied design. "LG planned the notch design before Apple" That's what the company's mobile chief Hwang Jeong-hwan said during a G7 ThinkQ showcase event in South Korea recently. He added the device's display might be similar to other smartphones, but comes with a completely different feature set. Hwang, in fact, said they don't even prefer it calling a notch (as it indicates something is missing). Instead, the company calls it a second display, suggesting there's more to show. On the G7 featuring an LCD display, the executive said: "It’s actually incorrect to say LG has returned to LCD because this is a part of our two-track strategy. The G lineup will stick to LCD while the V models will deploy OLED." Hwang also said missing features like Animoji support can be added later through updates, and will be available for the G7 and other models that follow.

A TENAA listing for the OnePlus 6 was just published and as is the tradition with the Chinese authority it confirmed most of the specs of the yet-to-be-announced smartphone. The phone itself is coming on May 16, but now we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. TENAA confirms the latest Snapdragon 845 with 4x 2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold and 4x 1.7 GHz Kryo Silver cores is behind the wheel paired with Adreon 630 GPU and at least 6GB of RAM for the standard version and 8GB for the upgraded variant. You get either 64 or 128GB of internal storage. As expected, the display will be 6.28" in size with 1080x2280 pixel resolution, which means 19:9 aspect ratio and just like its predecessor, it will sport an AMOLED panel, or as OnePlus likes to call it - Optic AMOLED. We get a solid confirmation of the camera specs as well - 20MP + 16MP dual setup at the back and a 16MP front-facing shooter. All of the hardware will be housed by a 155.7x75.35x7.75 mm body tipping the scale at 177 g.

In a major realignment from fighting terrorism to great power rivalry with Russia, the US Navy is re-establishing its Second Fleet. The command had been responsible for the North Atlantic Ocean before it was deactivated in 2011. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral John Richardson made the announcement on Friday, during a change of command ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia. “Our National Defense Strategy makes clear that we're back in an era of great power competition as the security environment continues to grow more challenging and complex,” Richardson said. “That's why today, we're standing up Second Fleet to address these changes, particularly in the north Atlantic.” Richardson was referring to the strategy drafted by Defense Secretary James Mattis and published in January. It envisions a leaner, meaner Pentagon, more oriented towards state adversaries such as Russia and China. Once a major naval command, covering both the northern and the southern Atlantic, the Second Fleet was stood down in 2011, and its remaining personnel, assets and responsibilities merged into US Fleet Forces (USFF) in Norfolk. Reactivation of the Second Fleet was one of the recommendations in the recent report on problems plaguing the US Seventh Fleet in the Pacific. The revived command will be stood up on July 1, and will initially have eleven officers and four enlisted personnel. That staff will eventually expand to 85 officers, 164 enlisted and seven civilians, according to the US Naval Institute. The revamped Second Fleet will focus solely on the North Atlantic, as the south was assigned to the Fourth Fleet in 2008. And in that vast blue expanse, there is only one potential foe: Russia. “Russian submarines are prowling the Atlantic, testing our defenses, confronting our command of the seas, and preparing the complex underwater battlespace to give them an edge in any future conflict,” Vice Admiral James Foggo III, commander of the US 6th Fleet, wrote in 2016. Foggo is now the commander of US naval forces in Europe and Africa. Though smaller than in the days of the Soviet Union, the modernized Russian Navy has demonstrated previously unknown capabilities over the past several years. It confirmed some of Foggo’s fears in March, when it was made public that several of its nuclear submarines had approached the east coast of the US and departed undetected, as part of a regular exercise. Russian navy ships and submarines have also taken part in the fighting against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Syria since October 2015, firing cruise missiles and delivering supplies through the Syrian ports of Tartus and Latakia. The most notable naval deployment was in November 2016, featuring the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the heavy missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great), the largest ship of her class in the world. In June 2017, Moscow announced it would keep a 15-ship task force in the Eastern Mediterranean, operating out of Syria.

A massive military exercise called Siil 2018 is underway in Estonia, with 15,000 troops from over a dozen nations participating. Estonia rallied one percent of its population for the drill, the largest draft in its modern history. The majority of the troops taking part in the exercise, which started on Wednesday and will last till Sunday next week, were provided by the host country. In addition to the regular and reserve military service members, Estonia’s paramilitary Defense League, the Women’s Home Defense Organization, and police and rescue workers are all taking part in Siil 2018, totaling over 13,000 people. Estonia’s entire population is estimated at just over 1.3 million. The exercise scenario involves defending against an attack on Estonia by the fictitious nation of Murinius and its allies. According to maps of the drill, the attack comes from Russia and Belarus, who have sent observers to the event. The 2,000 visiting troops at the exercise were provided by the US, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Poland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Georgia, Ukraine and Ireland. NATO heavyweights also brought in some hardware for Siil 2018, including American UH-60 Black Hawk attack helicopters, British Lynx Wildcat AH1 attack helicopters, French Mirage 2000 fighter jets and Poland’s veteran Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bomber planes. The host nation provides Robinson R-44 utility helicopters and Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainers for the drill. Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas described the training as an event involving the entire nation. The exercise “confirms that the people of Estonia are prepared to defend their nation. Just as the slogan of the drill says, every spine counts,” Ratas said, referring to the name of the exercise, which is translated as “hedgehog”. “There are few nations in the world capable of rallying over one percent of its total population for an exercise. This is the proof that people living in Estonia have a drive for defense, for what we call ‘broad-based defense’ here.” Siil 2018’s combat training will take place on May 8-12. NATO has been holding record-breaking exercises in various Eastern European countries and training to rapidly deploy tanks and troops at Russia’s border since 2014. Members of the military bloc claim it is necessary to reassure countries like Poland and the Baltic states, including Estonia, that the more militarily capable allies would protect them from a Russian aggression. The presence of Americans, it is claimed, would serve as an additional deterrence to Moscow. Russia denies having any aggressive plans towards NATO and perceives such actions as a threat. It responds by increasing the number of troops deployed in western Russia and holding military exercises on its own. Moscow’s moves are inevitably cited by the allies as proof of Russia’s hostility. For instance, last year’s joint Russian-Belarus Zapad drill was portrayed by many politicians and officials in NATO as a possible preparation for an all-out invasion of the Baltics. No such act of aggression materialized, however, which is probably explained by the non-victims as yet another proof of Moscow’s duplicity.

The NSA has tripled its surveillance of Americans’ phone chatter, collecting over 534mn phone call records and text messages last year, despite pressure for more restrictions and transparency, a new official report has revealed. Over the course of 2017, the National Security Agency (NSA) collected some 534,396,285 call detail records (CDRs), representing a dramatic increase over the previous year when, the agency gathered details of 151,230,968 calls, according to the report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). A call detail record contains various attributes of the call, such as the source number, destination number, and the call duration, but does not include the “content of any communication, the name, address, or financial information of a subscriber or customer, or cell site location or global positioning system information,” the report states. The data is collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The report also noted that the NSA collected records from some 129,080 'non-US persons' which is a rather minor increase from 106,469 records collected the year before, under FISA Section 702. The highly controversial Section 702 does not require that an individual surveilled be a suspected terrorist, spy or foreign agent, nor does it demand judicial approval to target someone. Information gleaned by such data collection can be kept for years and may be used for purposes that do not have to be related to national security. The NSA’s bulk collection of domestic telephony metadata was first revealed in 2013, through the leaked documents supplied by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. Among the leaks, Snowden revealed details of the PRISM program, which exploited Section 702 as a legal basis for collecting both content and metadata stored by several major internet companies that pertain to specific selectors, such as an email address. Another program, called Upstream, was also used by the NSA to intercept telephone and internet traffic that is pulled from internet data routes that travel through the US, the leaked Snowden documents revealed. The revelations ignited public outrage over the NSA's global and domestic reach, prompting US lawmakers, tech companies and millions of Americans to demand transparency and reform of FISA. While some limits on the bulk collection of telecommunication data on US citizens by American intelligence agencies were imposed by the 2015 USA Freedom Act following Snowden's revelations, in January US lawmakers renewed the 2008 FISA Amendments Act, reauthorizing Section 702 for another six years. Despite the massive increase in surveillance, the ODNI defended its use of such activity under its mandate. “The government has not altered the manner in which it uses its authority to obtain Call Detail Records pursuant to FISA. Rather, the NSA has found that a number of factors may influence the number of Call Detail Records that NSA receives,” Tim Barrett, a spokesman at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told the Hill. “These factors include the number of Court-approved selection terms — like a phone number — that are used by the target; the way targets use those selection terms; the amount of historical data that providers retain; and the dynamics of the ever-changing telecommunications sector.”

North Korea has adjusted its time zone to match Seoul, in a move that Pyongyang's official news agency calls an early step towards “becoming one” with the South. The Saturday change saw North Korea set its clocks 30 minutes ahead, doing away with “Pyongyang Time,” which was created in 2015. The move was fulfilled through a decree of the country's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. The North's official KCNA agency called the move the “first practical step” to “speed up the process for the North and the South to become one and turn their different and separated things into the same and single ones.” KCNA previously reported that Kim wanted to change Pyongyang's time zone to match Seoul because it was “a painful wrench to see two clocks indicating Pyongyang and Seoul times hanging on a wall of the summit venue,” referring to the historic April 27 meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. At the time of its creation, the North said that Pyongyang Time was aimed at pushing back against Japanese colonial rule, which took place from 1910 to 1945 and saw the clocks in Korea changed to match Tokyo time. The gesture comes after Kim and Moon held a historic meeting, making progress towards achieving peace on the peninsula. The North Korean leader now awaits a meeting with US President Donald Trump, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

China’s Sinopec will cut its June imports of crude from Saudi Arabia by 40 percent for the second month in a row because of unjustified high prices, an official from the top Asian refiner, Unipec, told Reuters. Saudi Arabia raised the price for its Arab Light to a four-year high, and according to the Unipec official, the grade is now considerably overvalued compared to other Middle Eastern crudes. Last month, a Unipec official told Reuters, “Our refineries think these are unreasonable prices as they do not follow the pricing methodology.” Besides Sinopec, a source from another two refineries in northern Asia said they will be cutting their imports from Saudi Arabia by ten percent as oil buyers have a hard time grasping how the Kingdom is calculating the price for its most popular grade. The price increase came as a surprise to the biggest market for crude in the world. However, it is likely that Sinopec will be penalized for the reduction as the usual sales contracts with Saudi Arabia are on a take-or-pay basis, with leeway of up to ten percent only. Sinopec imported an average of 730,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Saudi crude during the first quarter, down from 845,000 bpd a year earlier, but imports by other state-owned refiners increased by 120,000 bpd, or 73 percent on an annual basis as they expanded their refining capacity. This month, Sinopec will carry out regular maintenance across its refineries, so the lower import volumes will not urgently need a cheaper replacement, but the refineries will be back into normal operation by July, and will need more crude. Saudi Arabia said last year it would reduce the amount of crude it exports to below seven million bpd, and last month the energy ministry reiterated that it is sticking to this target, which could explain the higher prices.

Idaho State University is facing a $8,500 fine from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for losing a gram of radioactive, weapons-grade plutonium. While the amount is too small to make a nuclear bomb, it could be used to make a radioactive dirty bomb, according to federal officials who recommended the fine on Friday. “The NRC has very rigorous controls for the use and storage of radioactive materials as evidenced by this enforcement action,” said agency spokesman Victor Dricks, according to AP. It turns out the university has been unable to account for the plutonium since they were asked to dispose of the chemical element in 2014. The inexplicable loss was down to poor paperwork, said vice-president for research at the university, Dr Cornelis Van der Schyf. “Unfortunately, because there was a lack of sufficient historical records to demonstrate the disposal pathway employed in 2003, the source in question had to be listed as missing,” he said. “The radioactive source in question poses no direct health issue or risk to public safety.” The plutonium is about the size of a US quarter coin and was one of 14 one-gram pieces loaned to the university by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The sample was scheduled to be sent back to the INL in 2003, when it was discovered during a routine leak test that the plutonium had experienced a loss-of-integrity and was removed from active use. The INL didn’t want to accept the sample back into their inventory and subsequently asked the university to dispose of the sealed source instead. The university then deleted its record of the plutonium from their database without recording where it went. In October 2017, a university worker noticed that the radioactive material was missing, and reported the lost plutonium to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a week later. “We suspect that it ended up in a landfill for radioactive materials,” Dricks told Live Science. The university has 30 days to pay or dispute the fine, and has been asked to turn over their remaining 13 plutonium sources for a review of their protocols.

Paris police to deploy 2,000 officers to ensure security at Saturday’s anti-govt protest About 2,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security in the French capital during an anti-government protest on Saturday, according to the head of Paris police. Prefect Michel Delpuech told reporters on Friday that a “powerful and consistent” effort will be made, four days after May Day protests turned violent in the city. Delpuech said “there is every reason to think” violent individuals will try to disturb Saturday’s protest. The march, supported by far-left party France Insoumise (“Rebel France”), aims to denounce French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic reforms, AP said.

If you happen to be in New Jersey this month, get yourself a TRS-80 and a boxed copy of Zork for it. Bill Loguidice, who has written for PC Gamer about PC gaming history and his massive gaming collection in the past, is selling his hoard of vintage computers and games later this month. The auction is being run by Bodnar's Auction, and will happen on May 31 at the The New Jersey Convention & Expo Center. Other items will be on sale, but I'd expect the gaming auction to take up a good part of the venue. It's that big. Check out a small sampling of what Loguidice has on offer, some of which there are multiples of: Atari 400 Atari 1040Ste Atari Falcon 030 Computer System Atari 5200 SuperSystem Atari 7800 ProSystem Atari XE Game System (XEGS) Atari 2600 Video Computer System BBC Master 128 Amstrad CPC6128 plus APF Imagination Machine Mattel Aquarius Panasonic: JR-200U Personal Computer Compaq Deskpro Magnavox Odyssey 300/ Odyssey2 Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2/ ZX Spectrum +3/ ZX80/ ZX81/ ZX81 (custom) TRS-80 Model 4/ TRS-80 Model 4P/ TRS-80 Model I/ TRS-80 Model III (parts only) Sord Creative Computer M5 Packard Bell Platinum Spectravideo CompuMate Memorex Spongebob Media Player (get your paddle ready for this one) That isn't even close to half of what's up for auction, which includes many more systems, as well as a bunch of boxed games, such as Ultima III: Exodus for DOS and Zork for the TRS-80 (neither will go cheap, if they're in good condition). You can see the listing at the auction website, along with tons more photos. And there's even more to come beyond what's listed there, Loguidice told Kotaku, as well as a selection of items which will be auctioned online (though you've got to be in NJ for most of it).

It turns out that Steam users in Asian cyber-cafes were being over-counted. A surprising resurgence in the popularity of Windows 7, and a marked drop in Windows 10, was reflected in the November 2017 Steam Hardware and Software Survey. At first glance it looked like gamers were ditching the (relatively) new version of Windows for the tried-and-true stability of good ol' Win7, but Paul suggested a different theory: That the explosive popularity of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds in China had thrown the balance out of whack. He was mostly right. It wasn't just an influx of Chinese users that caused the sudden surge, however, but an "over-counting" of people accessing Steam via "cyber cafes" in Asia. "Historically, the survey used a client-side method to ensure that systems were counted only once per year, in order to provide an accurate picture of the entire Steam user population. It turns out, however, that many cyber cafes manage their hardware in a way that was causing their customers to be over counted," Valve explained in a message posted above the most recent survey results. "Around August 2017, we started seeing larger-than-usual movement in certain stats, notably an increase in Windows 7 usage, an increase in quad-core CPU usage, as well as changes in CPU and GPU market share. This period also saw a large increase in the use of Simplified Chinese. All of these coincided with an increase in Steam usage in cyber cafes in Asia, whose customers were being over counted in the survey." A fix has since been deployed, and users counting should now be accurate. And it appears to be working: The March 2018 survey (via the Wayback Machine) indicated that 57 percent of Steam users were using Windows 7 64-bit, followed by 36 percent on Windows 10 64-bit. The current survey basically flips those numbers: Windows 10 64-bit is back on top at 53 percent, while Windows 7 is back in second place at 36 percent.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame gets some rather important new additions, with particular interest shown in Final Fantasy VII and the original Tomb Raider. Over the years, the Hall of Fame has had some impressive inductees, as it tries to keep a record of the most influential and important video games in the history of the medium. As such, it’s no surprise to see both Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII added to its collection. Tomb Raider was one of the games that helped revolutionize 3D movement and platforming, alongside introducing the memorable character of Lara Croft. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy VII is one of the most important RPGs of all time, and stands as one of the best games of the 1990s in part thanks to its wonderful storytelling and memorable villain Sephiroth. Now, the pair have had their success officially recognised by The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York. The home of the Video Game Hall of Fame has introduced both games into its collection alongside a pair of other hugely important games in John Madden Football and Spacewar! The games join such other classic titles as Tetris, DOOM, and Super Mario Bros in an extensive collection. The Strong Museum @museumofplay Which of the inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame are your favorites? #videogamehall http://museumofplay.org/press/releas...ctees-revealed … 1:30 PM - May 3, 2018 Spacewar! may not be a game that sticks out to modern gamers, but its place in the history of video games is unquestionable. First developed back in the early 1960s, the game is a part of video game folklore, playing a major role in early video game programming circles and going on to help influence the likes of Asteroids. Meanwhile, John Madden Football‘s place as the foundation of a huge franchise and a serious step up in the quality and validity of sports-based video games. What sets Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII out, however, is that both franchises as a whole have the ability to change and adapt over time. Tomb Raider‘s reboot has brought a new lease of life to the series, and this year will see the release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which is certainly looking interesting based on those early gameplay impressions. Indeed, the game is also going to have a crossover with Final Fantasy XV. Final Fantasy VII, too, is going to have a new lease of life in the form of a highly-anticipated remake, meaning that these two games will continue having an impact long beyond their initial release. However, that doesn’t take away from the importance of the original games, as shown by their induction into the Hall of Fame.

Enjoying Battletech takes time and patience. Born from the decades-old tabletop game of the same name (which also gave birth to the Mechwarrior series of games), the Harebrained Schemes version of Battletech places the universe into the genre most suitable to its origin: turn-based tactical strategy. It's a successful endeavor in that playing Battletech very much feels like playing a complex board game, both for better and worse. There are deep systems to be found in its meaningful mech customization, detailed combat scenarios, and enjoyable fantasy of running an interplanetary mercenary outfit. But reaching the point of thoroughly enjoying Battletech requires the willingness to weather its steep learning curve and laborious pace, which can sometimes veer into excruciating territory. Individual missions in Battletech are protracted, plodding conflicts, averaging around 45 minutes in length. You command a group of four battlemechs, each piloted by unique and specialized pilots, with the goal of either blowing something up or keeping something safe against outnumbering forces composed of hostile mechs and vehicles of warfare. The enormous mechs of this universe are the lumbering, industrial behemoth kind, bulky tanks with legs characterized by ugly chassis and weapons overtly fused to their limbs. They are graceless, unwieldy machines, and Battletech doesn't hesitate in belaboring their nature as they slowly trudge through the game's vast, sprawling maps like pieces on a military sand table. Observing a unit's actions play out can be a quite a process. You'll watch them steadily stomp to a point on the topological grid-based terrain, leisurely rotate their torsos to their designated angle, wait for their weapons to spin up, watch the weapons fire, and wait again for a few moments as the damage report comes in to assess the aftermath. Mech animation speed aside, there are often pauses during this string of actions that feel unnecessarily egregious, and given the number of turns that need to be played out, long missions have the capacity to feel never-ending. There are more exasperating examples, too--during escort missions you'll find yourself watching up to four autonomous convoy vehicles taking turns to crawl through the map, slowly and one at a time, and the display is nothing short of agonizing. At the time of writing, there is a debug mode you can use to help artificially alter speed, but these are not officially endorsed options. By default, Battletech debilitating pace, combined with the game's lacking tutorials, firm difficulty, complicated UI, and persistent technical stammers mean the experience of Battletech's early hours can be tough to brave. But it's worth it. Growing acclimated to Battletech's attrition-focused warfare and making enough of your own critical mistakes to get a handle on its systems feels liberating, when it eventually happens. Being able to parse initially obtuse information allows you to internalize and appreciate the suite of mechanical nuances and helps you recognize the game's detailed and hard-nosed approach to strategy. Like any great tactical game, each decision requires multi-faceted risk analysis for the best possible outcome. But the joy of good choices in Battletech doesn't come from bombastic maneuvers where your team precisely eliminates a whole enemy squad without a scratch, as it might in XCOM or Into the Breach--that's an impossible scenario here. Being truly successful in Battletech relies on being prepared to get into scrappy, aggressive fighting, and coming to terms with what an acceptable loss might be to you at the time, whether that's an objective, a limb, or the lives of multiple pilots. With only four mechs to eliminate a larger number of adversaries in a turn-based ruleset, with no allowances for mid-combat repair, learning how to maneuver your mechs in order to endure a reasonable amount of damage becomes one of the most gripping aspects of decision making--how far do you push yourself to take on enormous odds? On the battlefield, this might mean something as simple as studying the impressively varied terrain in each map and finding the most advantageous spot to hunker down, or using buildings, forests, and mountains as cover during an advance. But on a more advanced and necessarily specific level, it might mean rotating your mech to present a fully-armored side to an attacking foe and obscure a side already damaged. Taking additional damage to a body part stripped of armor can result in structural damage or loss of limb, requiring replacement and repairs at significant cost, on top of running an increased risk of having your mech pilot permanently killed. Similar considerations are always on your mind when you're on the offensive. You might decide to temporarily switch off some of your weapons when attacking to avoid overheating your mech, which can cause immediate, all-over internal damage. One of your mechs might be out of ammo but has the option of using its jets to leap off a mountain and crash onto an enemy below to knock it down--but can you afford the risk of breaking both your legs and being floored yourself? With a complete understanding of how each unit can affect another at different locations, with various skills, weapons, and modifiers at play, your perception of unfolding battles becomes one of utter fascination at the minor details and outcomes of each strike. Seeing the battlefield in a different way in order to devise your own alternative approaches and formulating creative backup plans are things that begin to occupy your thoughts, instead of the tempo. Conflicts are still lengthy, and some drawn-out maneuvers still feel unnecessary, but with the time devoted to each turn, you start to use it to observe and internalize what exactly is happening and why. Pivotal turning points in a battle can be narrowed down to the exact action, which can become tactical learnings for future use. There are still a few random elements that can occur, attributed to the probabilities that drive attack calculations--lucky headshots that instantly injure your pilot regardless of armor durability are the prime unfair example--but regardless, the increased focus and time spent on each distinct action means that the anxious feelings that come with even the most trivial of anticipated hits and misses are amplified tenfold. Battletech also gives you an interesting ability used to preserve your squad--when a mission becomes overwhelming and dead pilots are almost certain, you can choose to immediately withdraw from a mission, at the cost of sullying your reputation with the factions that hired you and surrendering your paycheck. The latter is an especially vital consideration, because money quickly becomes a huge concern in Battletech's campaign and begins to affect all your decisions, both on and off the battlefield. The dynamic between the tactical battles and logistical management means almost every decision you make feels like it has rippling, tangible consequences elsewhere. The campaign sees your custom character rise to the leadership of a mercenary company which has accrued an enormous debt, with monthly repayments to meet every month. Naturally, everything costs money, from post-mission repairs, mech upkeep, pilot salaries, ship upgrades and even travel costs--this is a game about business management as much as it is about commanding a squad. Accepting missions allows you to negotiate a contract to determine what your fee should be in relation to your post-battle salvage rights (valuable for maintaining and upgrading your mech configurations as well as unlocking new models) and faction reputation, which opens up more lucrative opportunities. Request too little money on a mission you take carelessly, and the cost of mission-ready repairs afterward might send you into bankruptcy. Without enough salvage and spare cash to play around with, you're impeded in your ability to play with one of the most vital and enjoyable parts of Battletech: building and customizing individual mechs to improve the combat capabilities of your squad. There are close to 40 different models of stock mechs, varying in tonnage and intended purposes. But the joy of spending time in the mech bay is experimenting with different configurations using the parts you have on hand. Every alteration you make on a mech is at the sacrifice of something else--you can carry more weapons and ammo at the expense of dropping things like heatsinks and additional armor plating, for example. Taking the time to fine-tune that balance and seeing your decisions translate into a more efficient unit on the battlefield feels exceptionally worthwhile. The lore and epic narratives of the Battletech universe are as important as the mechs themselves, and this game puts a heavy emphasis on them. The main plot begins with the coup of the head of a parliamentary monarchy--your custom character's childhood friend--and continues as you regroup years later to rally forces and take back the throne. The recorded details of the fictional history and politics between factions are unsurprisingly scrupulous--glossary tooltips for universe-specific concepts litter the game's text. But there are enough broad strokes and familiar feudal parallels to enjoy it at face value, and the comprehensive presentation--well-written and diverse characters, beautiful 2D cutscenes, inspired soundtrack, crunchy sound design and convincing radio chatter--do more than enough to completely sell this brand of mecha fantasy. Battletech is a game that selfishly takes its time to be meticulous in every respect, and pushing through the density and idiosyncrasies of its many, slow-moving parts can be tough. But if you have the will to decipher it, albeit, at a deliberate and punishingly plodding pace, you can find yourself completely engrossed in its kinetic clashes. Battletech's intricate components ultimately foster a fascinating wealth of nuanced systems that build a uniquely strenuous, detailed, and thoroughly rewarding tactical strategy game.

This is a major version bump purely because there was a ton of code commits from the last one. There a new v2 WebAPI now, but v1 is still supported too. The Windows 32-bit installer now uses Qt 5.6.3 instead of 5.7.1. The 5.6.3 version is an LTS release and newer than the 5.7.1 version. The 5.7.x series don't offer something useful for our usage. FEATURE: Add "Coalesce reads & writes" checkbox in advanced options (Chocobo1) FEATURE: Smart Filter for RSS (Stephen Dawkins) FEATURE: Possibility to configure at which speed a torrent is considered slow (thalieht) FEATURE: When creating a torrent you can choose to preserve the file order (toster, Chocobo1) FEATURE: A new, redesigned and refactored WebAPI (glassez) BUGFIX: Redefine CacheStatus.readRatio field. (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Clarify some terms in stats dialog (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Fix possible crash when using both share limits (thalieht) BUGFIX: Disable options when Disable connections not supported by proxies is enabled (Thomas Piccirello) BUGFIX: Add link to an explanation of Disable connections not supported by proxies (Thomas Piccirello) BUGFIX: Fix typo in a log message (Andrei Stepanov) BUGFIX: Fix loading very large torrents. Closes #8449. (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Fix reverting backslashes to slashes in run external program. Closes #7800 (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Use https for documentation links (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Use original scheme when downloading favicons (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Parse URL query string at application level (glassez) BUGFIX: Properly reply to announce request (embedded tracker) (glassez) BUGFIX: Add Tags parameter to "Run External Program" (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Fix various typos (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Refactor filesystem watcher. Delay before processing new files. (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Don't strip empty arguments passed to external program. Closes #8454. (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Stop creating Download folder on start (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Avoid data corruption when rechecking paused torrents (sledgehammer999) BUGFIX: Fix crashes due to invalid iterator use (Luís Pereira) BUGFIX: Fix renaming completed files (Chocobo1) BUGFIX: Fix path separator in log messages (Chocobo1) WEBUI: Switch built-in Web UI html to HTML5 (glassez) WEBUI: WebUI Save user's resized window sizes (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Make download + upload windows resizable (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Add option to show/hide webui status bar (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Add "Use proxy only for torrents" option to webui (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Various fixes in the html code (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Don't unselect selected torrents after a few seconds (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Enable Http/1.1 persistence connection (Chocobo1) WEBUI: Format Read cache hits as percentage (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Re-order and rename stats (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Right align stat values (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Enable Statistics window to be scrolled and resized (Tom Piccirello) WEBUI: Save WebUI Statistics window size (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Make WebUI iframe windows scrollable on iOS (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Remove unused CSS from WebUI login page (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Consolidate CSS into style.css (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Resolve JavaScript errors (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Fix spacing in login form(Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Update WebUI to be more compliant with HTML5 standard (Chocobo1) WEBUI: Update clipboard.js to v2.0.0 (Chocobo1) WEBUI: Remove unused JavaScript library (Chocobo1) WEBUI: Fix setting preferences via WebAPI (glassez) WEBUI: Rename property to match its definition (Thomas Piccirello) WEBUI: Add Limit Share Ratio context menu option (Thomas Piccirello) RSS: Disable Auto TMM when RSS rule has save path (glassez) RSS: Process loaded RSS articles in case of error (glassez) RSS: Resolve (X)HTML entities in RSS content (glassez) SEARCH: Improve Search handling (glassez) SEARCH: Calculate supported categories based on selected plugin (Thomas Piccirello) SEARCH: Fix memory leak (Chocobo1) COSMETIC: Use spinbox suffix to display rate/time units (thalieht) COSMETIC: Avoid showing an empty row in AdvancedSettings (Chocobo1) OTHER: Various code optimizations and fixes (Luís Pereira, Chocobo1) OTHER: Fix build when using Clang under CMake (Luís Pereira) OTHER: Allow to disable Stacktrace support (Nick Korotysh) OTHER: Use RNG provided by OS (Chocobo1) You can download it here : https://www.qbittorrent.org/download.php

In the UK, Internet providers offer site-blocking tools to their subscribers, so they can filter harmful content from the web. While these tools can be helpful to some, there are some rather peculiar blocks which show that they're far from perfect, to say the least. Over the past several years we have regularly written about court-ordered blockades of pirate sites in the UK. Today, we take a closer look at another type of blocking, the Internet safety filters UK ISPs offer. These filters, which are sometimes enabled by default, help subscribers to block harmful content, especially for their children. With help from the Open Rights Group’s Blocked initiative, which documents the scope of various ISP filters, we took a look at how these perform. The first results are as expected. Many porn sites are blocked and so are sites that are clearly oriented at a mature audience. That’s more or less what these filters are meant for, so no issues there. We also noticed that many proxies and VPNs are not accessible. While this may seem broad, as they’re not offensive, these tools could allow clever sorts to bypass parental controls, so there’s an argument to be made for their inclusion. Oddly enough, the Tor browser, which can do the same, is freely accessible. But let’s not digress. What really stood out to us is that some sites which are targeted at kids, or at least useful to them, are blocked too. One prime example is the official UK Disney website, located at disney.co.uk, which is blocked by BT’s Strict filters. That seems a bit cruel. The same is true for disneymoviesanywhere.com, which is not very useful, but certainly doesn’t seem harmful to us either. Apparently, BT doesn’t want children to visit these Disney sites. No Disney https://torrentfreak.com/images/disneyblock.png The parental control filters are supposed to make the web a safer place for kids. While this is a laudable aim, the execution is not always perfect. For example, several ISPs including BT, Plusnet and Virgin Media, are blocking the internetsafetyday.org website. Admittedly, the site is targeted at parents, but since these will often be behind the same filters, they’re missing out on some good tips and tricks on how to educate their children. No safety https://torrentfreak.com/images/safetyblock.png Talking about education. It’s always good when kids start to experiment with coding at a young age. This is also one of the core messages of the non-profit organization Kidsandcode.org. “Everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to code,” the site reads. This makes sense, you’d think, but for kids who are trapped behind the BT Strict or BT Light filters, this is not an option. What can kids do nowadays then? Play a few simple games? Ideally educational games such as the ones playkidsgames.com offers. As you may have guessed by now, that’s not an option either, at least not behind BT’s Strict filter. Maybe kids should stick to more boring stuff. Perhaps finish that school project on Vikings, that should be doable, right? Well, it is, as long as you don’t look up vikingsword.com, a historical and educational side dedicated to Viking swords. Both Three and Sky have blocked the site, with Sky explaining that it’s placed in the “Weapons, Violence, Gore and Hate” category. Ancient Weapons https://torrentfreak.com/images/weapons.png Perhaps we’re too insensitive, but I think that most children can handle grainy drawings of swords. After all, the average cartoon is more violent nowadays. And yes, it’s true that decades-old Viking swords are weapons, but Three and Sky are not very consistent as the website of today’s largest weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin appears to pass through all parental filters just fine. Luckily, the Open Rights Group allows us to check for these odd results, and report sites which are inaccurately blocked. Interested in checking if your favorite website is blocked? You can do so here. Feel free to report any unusual findings in the comments. — Open Rights Group is currently looking for donations and other means of support to keep its Blocked project up and running. More information is available here.

BEAUTIFULLY-BRED mare Anatola gave replacement rider Robbie Fradd the perfect farewell gift in staging a brilliant frontrunning performance to win Saturday’s Silk Stocking. Fradd announced on Saturday he has taken up a contract to ride in Mauritius, effective immediately. He leaves on Monday night and expects to ride on Saturday for his contracted trainer Gilbert Rousset. Offers for Fradd to return to Mauritius started after he had success at the international meeting last December. Initially the offers didn’t meet Fradd’s requirements, but they upped the ante in a bid to secure the South African. “Before the international meeting, it was 24 years ago that I was there,” he said. “That’s a bit scary isn’t it?” Fradd won a premiership during his previous stint in Mauritius. The contract will see him in Mauritius almost to the end of this year. Fradd was offered the Anatola ride after Josh Parr was injured at a midweek meeting in Sydney. Earlier, he was out of luck on Hollindale favourite Comin’ Through, but he still rated the Doncaster runner-up disappointing. HARRISON MAKES A DREAMS RETURN POPULAR jockey Tegan Harrison announced her comeback in style with an all-the-way win on Dreams Aplenty in the newly named Gold Coast Cup. Previously known as the Prime Minister’s Cup, the $100,000 feature was Harrison’s first stakes success since taking the Silk Stocking on Eloping on the same card two years ago. She broke her collarbone last December and spent longer on the sidelines than initially was planned, only returning to riding on April 11. “I broke my collarbone in four or five different places and had to have surgery on it to put it all back together,” she said. “The surgeon told me I would be out for three months and up to that point everyone else had said six weeks, so I just made the most of it. “The good thing is I gave it the time it needed. Since I came back it has not given me one issue. A common mistake is that we come back too early but I kept stressing to my surgeon I’m not in a rush to get back. I wanted to have no pain when I came back. “The first three weeks I couldn’t take any more than five rides. I had to ease back into it and I found that a bit difficult to get my fitness back. “I needed to have a few hit-outs in a row and I felt it was only this week I started to regain the fitness. I had a heap of trials on Tuesday and pulled up good after them.” Dreams Aplenty has won seven of his 20 starts and almost $400,000 in prizemoney for owner Evan Hartley. Trainer John Zielke is keen to get Dreams Aplenty back up over a mile and that’s why he hasn’t targeted any of the big winter sprints. BATTLE FOR THE BIKE KRIS Lees might have trouble extricating his prize for winning the Bat Out Of Hell from caretaker trainer Mel Eggleston. Lees’ Guard Of Honour proved too classy in the 900m scamper to beat Snoopy and Tiyatrolani, earning the trainer a new $30,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. On Friday Lees joked he might leave the bike with Eggleston should he win it and the Gold Coast trainer thought that was a good idea, even though Less had issued different instructions prior to Saturday’s race. “Kris said to just put the bike in the spare spot on the float next to the horse and send it home,” Eggleston said. “I’ve got an old Honda 90 at home with a puncture and a flat battery. So I might put that on the float and tell him that’s all they gave me and keep this one!” Perhaps Damian Browne could put his hand up for the bike. It was a masterly ride. He eased out of the speed battle from the gates, pinched ground on the inside, secured the run when he needed it and bided his time before pushing the ‘go’ button. INQUIRY DATE SET THE fate of trainer Mark Currie and two stablehands from the stable of his son Ben will be determined at a QRIC stewards’ inquiry on Friday. The three have been called to appear at the inquiry following an investigation that began on Weetwood day, April 7. Mark Currie has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges issued by stewards alleging race day treatment of horses on April 7 and also March 24. Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said analysis of CCTV footage seized from the Toowoomba stables is “now complete.” However, the inquiry into Ben Currie is ongoing. “As previously stated I expected this investigation to be a protracted one and almost a month out it is still ongoing. I anticipate it will continue on for several more weeks,” Barnett said. “The investigation is examining the involvement of any and all persons involved in race day treatment at those stables contrary to the rules of racing. “Trainer Ben Currie has appeared before an inquiry which has been adjourned and will resume once the results of ongoing investigations are known.” Meanwhile, Currie was hit with a $3000 fine by stewards last week for working horses at Clifford Park on Good Friday, when the track was closed. Currie pleaded not guilty before being found guilty. HOUTZEN SIZZLES LAST year’s Magic Millions winner Houtzen attracted glowing praise from Jeff Lloyd after a blistering exhibition gallop in between races at the Gold Coast. Official times from the gallop included a 31.65 last 600m and home her last 400m in 20.63 seconds ahead of the filly’s tilt on Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben 10,000. “It was the best she’s ever worked,” Lloyd said. “The blinkers were always a risk, but she switched off in them and concentrated. She was always going to run fast time with the wind behind her and only running a half mile (800m), so it’s just a matter of her doing it over 1200m. But she’s come back from Sydney in great order.” Lloyd is booked for the ride on Care To Think in the Doomben 10,000, with XXXX to ride Houtzen. WIGGINS ON A ROLL RYAN Wiggins had quite the 24 hours to kick-off the long weekend, maintaining a faultless record at three different venues. He landed a double at the Sunshine Coast on Friday from his two rides before making his way to the Gold Coast to team with Denbern in the opening event. He then hit the road again, this time to Ipswich, where he guided Wanna Blue home a winner for Peter and Will Hulbert. CHEAP THRILLS BOOMSARA gave her new ‘owners for a day’ a big thrill with his second in the Ken Russell Classic. Trainer Chris Munce has teamed with radio station Nova and UBET to bring the raceday experience to a new group of people. Nova has run a competition for people to get all the privileges of an owner — and the prizemoney sponsored by UBET — over the horse’s winter campaign, which will continue next in the BRC Sires and then the Group 1 JJ Atkins. “I was happy to be involved because it’s a great way to bring new people into the game and show them just exciting racing a horse can be,” Munce said. ON THE MONEY MARKET movers proved lethal early in the day at the Gold Coast, with Denbern and Tyzone monster market movers through Saturday morning and right up to their respective races. In the case of Tyzone, the move for him coincided with the alarming drift of Mr Marbellouz. The Kevin Kemp-trained runner was as short as $1.40 in some places on Saturday morning, but official prices opened him at $1.85 and the drift kept going all the way out to $2.35. Kemp told stewards Mr Marbellouz would now be spelled.

LIKE Jordan Childs, Lachlan King understands what it is to exist in the shadows of a high achiever. Childs, son of Greg, already has a Group 1 scalp. King, whose Melbourne Cup-winning father Steven was also a highly accomplished rider, is yet to scale those giddy heights. But his journey has started, accelerating significantly on Saturday with his first Flemington winner aboard Sherlock Holmes. The ownership connection is irresistible. Lloyd Williams raced Zone, who provided Steven King with his first winner at Sandown in 1988. The leviathan owner also has an interest in Sherlock Holmes, whose victory in the $120,000 Living Legend Efficient Handicap — a race named after Williams’ 2007 Melbourne Cup winner — was more than a milestone. “Mr Williams actually said to me prior to the race that Dad got his first winner in these colours,” King, 19, said. “I’ve only been riding in town a short period, so to get a chance like this and obviously be able to repay the faith in these colours is an excellent way to kick it off. “I really appreciate the ride. The whole Williams family, Liam (Howley, trainer) and the whole team up at Macedon Lodge and Dad’s really helped. We talked through the form pretty intensely last night.” King cajoled Sherlock Holmes to an overdue victory, the import having tasted defeat at his previous two starts as favourite. The 2800m race was disrupted early when Sin To Win unseated rider Cory Parish — who was hospitalised with lower back pain — and raced on towards the head of the field. Undaunted, King maintained impressive composure to pilot Sherlock Holmes ($4.80) home ahead of Charlevoix ($9) and Sly Romance ($31). “I was very confident coming to the bend,” King said. “Liam actually rang me during the week and said, ‘Just make sure that last furlong is your best’ and he was just travelling too well.” Part-owner, Williams’ son Nick Williams, praised King’s handling. “He couldn’t have ridden it any better,” he said. “It was a very messy race with the loose horse there. It was great to see a King riding a winner at Flemington.” Chief steward Terry Bailey said officials were ready to direct the remaining runners around Parish if he could not be moved from the track, near the 300m mark. “I had my finger on the button ready to call it off,” Bailey said. * SYNDICATOR Darren Dance is becoming something of a fixture at the Werribee quarantine centre while running the rule over various imports. Having chanced desperately close to Melbourne Cup glory with ill-fated Heartbreak City, Dance notched a significant milestone when Crack The Code claimed the $100,000 Graham Salisbury Plate (1100m). Crack The Code is the first horse to sport Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock’s vivid yellow colours for Mick Price. SUNDAY FIX IN A NUTSHELL THE Darren Weir juggernaut rolled on at Flemington with the premier trainer taking honours with Lipstick Lover, Land Of Plenty and Iconoclasm. The treble followed another dominant Warrnambool carnival and, most poignantly, Group 1 success with Harry Coffey and Sopressa in the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville. Weir undoubtedly will be a factor again in Adelaide next Saturday for the SA Derby. James Cummings also chimed in at Flemington with a double through Barbeque and Tarquin. ■ THE Living Legends race day might not have had Headquarters heaving at the seams, but it was a reminder of what makes racing irresistible. Rising talent, enduring professionals and emotional owners helped pay homage to a raft of racing’s great contributors. The Victoria Racing Club’s admirable initiative recognised the champion equine athletes and also a cluster of revered industry participants. Chief among them was ailing Graham Salisbury, whose community service with Subzero has helped project the sport out of its traditional heartland. Others to be acknowledged were John ‘Patto’ Patterson, Mick Mallyon, Midge Didham, Tommy Hughes and Akke van Den Dolder. DID YOU SEE/HEAR? VICTORIAN Civil and Administrative Tribunal president Greg Garde has ordered Racing Victoria and trainers Danny O’Brien and Mark Kavanagh to bear their own costs in the latest chapter of the long-running cobalt saga. Justice Garde ruled “there was nothing done by RVL in the conduct of the proceedings that would merit an award of costs against it”. He also noted: “Nothing I say is intended to affect any civil claims that the applicants (O’Brien and Kavanagh) may have against (vet) Dr (Tom) Brennan or the Flemington Equine Clinic.” O’Brien on Saturday won the Living Legend John ”Patto“ Patterson Handicap with promising mare Another Bullseye. ■ WARRNAMBOOL’S hugely successful carnival is regularly associated with tales of betting coups. This year was no different, with claims a notorious racing figure, now based in Queensland, capitalised on the “strong mail” provided by an associate. BACK ME ARISTIA: Charged from the tail of the field to finish fourth behind Crack The Code, clocking 22.51sec over the last 400m. Will be even better over more ground. GALAXY RAIDER: Headed Another Bullseye and shaped to win before losing by the narrowest margin. Clocked the quickest sectionals in seven different categories from the 1400m. SOVEREIGN NATION: Steamed late. Not far off another win. BOOM TIME: Lumped 60kg, sat three wide and was only just nailed by a brilliant Dan Stackhouse ride on Tarquin. SACK ME ALOFT: Fred Kersley reported the import was travelling beautifully and then threw in the towel, prompting owner Nick Williams to declare: “He has a mind of his own.”

DAVE Reynolds’ giant-killing start to the season is not enough to make him a crown-contending Supercars heavyweight, V8 immortal Jamie Whincup believes. Whincup said competition leader Scott McLaughlin was still his biggest rival despite trailing Reynolds by 82 points in the drivers’ championship. Holden’s man of the moment and fan favourite is in great form after bagging a Phillip Island double podium and looking to build on his shock season start heading into Saturday’s Perth SuperSprint. “It is very difficult to be a contender,’’ Whincup said. “I don’t think (Reynolds) is there yet. “It is a real tough one, too, because he is a real good guy so I hope he is there at the end. “But I can’t see anything at the moment to guarantee he will be.’’ Reynolds has emerged as this year’s dark horse, with the driver best known for throwing flowerpots and drinking out of his shoe scoring three podium finishes to trail only DJT Team Penske driver McLaughlin on the championship ladder. Self described as an “odd ball’’, Reynolds has been known to fall asleep on the grid while waiting for race starts. And Whincup refused to say whether his opinion had anything to do with Reynolds’ perceived lack of mental strength. “I am not sure (if he has the mental strength to win the championship),’’ Whincup said. “I can’t answer that one. That is up to Dave. “But certainly they have shown good consistent pace to this point.’’ Whincup is vying to win an unprecedented eighth title after he continued his record championship streak by beating McLaughlin to the crown last year in an epic finale in Newcastle. The Red Bull Holden Racing driver lost the championship lead last round when he went from first to fifth in a Phillip Island disappointment. “We have had two poor rounds and two good rounds,’’ Whincup said. “And we are currently fifth in the championship. “It hasn’t been the greatest start but then again neither was last year. The big positive is that we have had some pace in the car and that is what it is all about.’’ Whincup said McLaughlin was winning this year’s war after his Ford dominated the field to record a Phillip Island clean sweep. “The championship is about consistency and being there,’’ Whincup said. “And car No. 17 has been the most consistent. Scott can claim the win so far and I can’t make any statements being back in fifth. “We are confident we will be there at the end of the year. We just have to keep on improving the car.’’ Fighting with the all-new ZB Commodore, Whincup is confident of resuming a top-of-the-table war with Ford. “It is such a long year and that can change,’’ Whincup said. “There is so much water to run under the bridge. It is about being in contention when it counts. “We are still in contention and we will just go through the rollercoaster of what is the championship.’’