Fortnite Downtime Countdown Today

Fortnite, the immensely popular battle royale game, is gearing up for its highly anticipated v29.00 update, which marks the beginning of Chapter 5 Season 2: Myths & Mortals. As with every major update, players can expect a period of downtime while the game servers undergo scheduled maintenance. In this article, we will discuss the details of the downtime and when players can expect to jump back into the action.

 

According to the official announcement, the downtime for the v29.00 update is scheduled to begin on March 8, 2024, at 3:00 AM ET. It's important to note that matchmaking will be disabled a few minutes before the start of the downtime. This means that players will not be able to join new matches once the countdown reaches zero.

 

How Long Will the Fortnite Downtime Last?

The duration of the downtime for the v29.00 update is expected to be approximately 5 hours (Epic Games later tweeted that the maintenance will take 8 more hours) The official maintenance window is set from 08:00 UTC to 21:00 UTC on March 8, 2024. However, it's worth mentioning that these times are subject to change, and the actual duration may vary depending on the complexity of the update and any unforeseen issues that may arise during the process.

 

When Will Fortnite Be Playable Again?Epic Games

Based on the scheduled maintenance window, players can expect Fortnite to be back online and playable once the downtime concludes. If everything goes according to plan, the game servers should be accessible around 21:00 UTC on March 8, 2024.

 

The v29.00 update and the start of Chapter 5 Season 2: Myths & Mortals mark an exciting time for Fortnite players. While the downtime may be frustrating for eager fans, it is a necessary step to ensure a stable and enjoyable gaming experience.

Intel Computex 2024 showcase its next-generation product. Arrow Lake incoming?

According to the press release For the client segment, Intel is expected to deliver updates to its Arrow Lake architecture, which is set to launch as a mobile and desktop platform at some point.

 Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, is confirmed to deliver a keynote speech at the event, focusing on "bringing AI Everywhere" through Intel's next-generation products.

While the official launch isn't expected before Q4 2024, Computex provides a platform for Intel to generate interest in its upcoming products.

The event's theme, "Connecting AI," aligns with Intel's recent focus on AI technology, making it a suitable platform to showcase their advancements in this area.

Computex is also a good opportunity for motherboard makers to showcase their next-gen motherboards, which are now shifting to LGA-1851socket for desktops.

 

Just a day earlier, on June 3rd, Dr. Lisa Su will deliver the first Computex keynote where updates on Zen5 client products are expected. Clearly, both companies have a lot to discuss and launch in the second half of this year, and Computex seems to be just about the perfect time and place to reveal the first details.

 

Of course, just because something will be showcased, it doesn’t mean that the launch is imminent. It is not unusual for AMD and Intel to discuss next-gen CPU architectures week or even months before launch. However, the Arrow Lake series has been long rumored to launch within 2H 2024 period.

 

The PR further explains that Intel will detail how the company is using their products from Xeon, Gaudi and Core Ultra series to accelerate AI. Similarly to Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake is also said to include a NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for such workloads.

 Huawei Cpu Zen 3 Huawei Chip Performance

Huawei's new server CPU based on the HiSilicon Taishan V120 core. The Geekbench 6 benchmark showed single-threaded performance matching AMD's Gen 3 architecture. 

Taishan V120 can be manufactured on SMIC's 7 nm process tip. The Geekbench 6 result posted on social media doesn't identify the exact Huawei server CPU model, but speculations point to the upcoming Kunpeng 930 chip. 

In the benchmark, the Taishan V120 CPU running at 2.9 GHz scored 1527 in the single-core test. It's almost on par with AMD's EPYC 7413 server CPU based on the Gen 3 architecture, which boosts up to 3.6 GHz and scores 1538. 

This matches the single-threaded performance of Intel's Coffee Lake-based Xeon E-2136 from 2018, scoring 1553 points even though the Intel chip reaches a boost speed of 4.5 GHz.

Taishan V120 Performance

Taishan V120 Performance in Geekbench 6
Processor	Single-Core Score
Taishan V120 CPU	1,527
Epyc 7413	1,538
Xeon E-2136	1,553
Epyc 9554	1,957
Xeon w9-3495X	2,087

 

The Taishan V120 core first appeared in Huawei's Kirin 9000 smartphone SoC in 2020. Using the core in server CPUs will allow Huawei to achieve single-threaded performance that rivals AMD's last-generation EPYC Milan and Intel's older server Skylake. 

Multi-threaded benchmarks will be required to fully gauge the overall performance of the Kunpeng 930 when it launches. Huawei has continued to innovate its ARM-based server CPU designs despite facing restrictions on manufacturing and selling chips internationally due to its US listing in 2019. 

Develops domestic data center technology through its HiSilicon division. More details about the Kunpeng 930 server chip will be released later this year, along with server configurations from Chinese OEMs.

Why Is Facebook and Instagram Down Today

The Facebook and Instagram outages, which left millions unable to access their accounts, were caused by an unspecified "technical issue," Meta said.

Users find they are mysteriously logged out and are unable to log back in or open the app.

The outage was global, with tens of thousands of users reporting that they were unable to access their accounts.

Meta spokesman Andy Stone said Tuesday that the issue had been resolved and offered an apology on behalf of the tech company without divulging more in terms of details.

“Earlier today, due to a technical glitch, people had difficulty accessing some of our services. We have resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone affected and apologize for any inconvenience," Mr Stone said.

Helldivers 2 Release Date Xbox The Exo-45 Patriot

 Players of the first Helldiverse game will be familiar with the concept of exosuits, the EXO-44 Walker was armed with an MG-11 minigun and eight anti-personnel missiles, the EXO-48 Obsidian had twin 20mm autocannons, and the EXO-51 Lumberer was equipped with a flamethrower to finish off anything left after being hit. with its 90mm cannon.

The new EXO-45 Patriot looks like a reliable fighter in medium and long range engagements as it has a missile-pod on the left side and a minigun on the right. If these new exosuits are anything like the original models, expect to need plenty of clearance space when summoning one as they had a big impact on the original game.

Utilizing these powerful abilities, some other strategies have been sneaking into Helldiverse 2 lately. Helldivers 2 has a Game Master. Recruits may be using these skills to test other players before imparting them.

Elkato's Stream Deck, meanwhile, has become a tool for quickly calling up strategies, as mapping commands for a bunker buster to a single button helps take some of the stress out of the fight for freedom.

Unfortunately, Helldivers 2 is not currently available and has not been announced for Xbox Series X.

Here's why:

Published by Sony: While developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, Helldivers 2 is published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, making it essentially a PlayStation exclusive. This often means the game is unlikely to appear on other platforms like Xbox.

Exclusivity history: The original Helldivers also remains a PlayStation and PC exclusive, further implying Sony's intention to keep the franchise within their ecosystem.

No official statements: There haven't been any official announcements by Sony or Arrowhead regarding a potential Xbox release.

While there's always a chance for things to change, based on the information available as of today (March 6, 2024), getting Helldivers 2 on Xbox Series X seems highly unlikely.

NASA Open Astronaut Applications, opens call for next class of explorers

NASA welcomed its new generation of Artemis astronauts in a ceremony Tuesday at the Johnson Space Center. 10 astronaut graduates are now qualified for flight missions.

Now the agency has also announced the opening for the next round of applications for NASA astronauts. Future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond will require more adventurers to join the teams to explore the universe." That's exciting news! On March 5, 2024, NASA celebrated the graduation of 12 new astronauts, 10 from the US and 2 from the United Arab Emirates

Astronaut graduates selected for training in 2021 are selected from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants and have successfully completed more than two years of required basic training that includes spacewalking, robotics, space station systems and more.

Graduates may be assigned to missions aboard the International Space Station, future commercial space stations, and the Artemis mission missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars.

OPM is pleased to continue to support NASA professionals in designing and implementing their hiring practices. And I look forward to growing our ranks as we help expand humanity's access to the solar system."

The graduating NASA astronauts are Nicole Ayers of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Marcos Berríos of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico; Chris Birch of Gilbert, Arizona; Denise Banham of Wasilla, Alaska; Luke Delaney of Depary, Florida; Andre Douglas of Chesapeake, Virginia; Jack Hathaway of South Windsor, Connecticut; Anil Menon of Minneapolis; Chris Williams of Potomac, Maryland and Jessica Whitner of Clovis, California.

Two UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronauts, Nora Almadrushi and Mohammed Almullah of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, trained alongside their NASA counterparts for the past two years and participated in the graduation ceremony.

This is part of NASA's partnership with the United Arab Emirates, including other activities that support groundbreaking science and research on Earth and in space, thanks to the collaboration with the International Space Station.

Why Bitcoin Increase Today?

Bitcoin is on a vertical tear, continuing its rapid resurgence and getting close to breaking its all-time high.

 

The digital token on Monday climbed 8% to $67,310, well above its $44,000 valuation at the start of the year and less than $2,000 away from surpassing its November 2021 record high of around $69,000.

 

What's fueling the rally? Cryptocurrency watchers say bitcoin is soaring in part because demand is rising on so-called spot bitcoin exchange traded funds. The ETFs, which allow investors to dabble in crypto in a less riskier way than ever before, has attracted an huge influx of cash this year, experts said.

 

"Investors are getting turned on to the fact that bitcoin can be treated as an uncorrelated asset, which makes it extremely attractive for portfolio diversification," Joel Kruger, a market strategist at digital currencies exchange LMAX Group, told CBS MoneyWatch.

 

A spot bitcoin ETF allows investors to gain direct exposure to bitcoin without holding it. Unlike regular bitcoin ETFs, in which bitcoin futures contracts are the underlying asset, bitcoins are the underlying asset of a spot bitcoin ETF.  Each spot bitcoin ETF is managed by a firm that issues shares of its own bitcoin holdings purchased through other holders or through an authorized cryptocurrency exchange. The shares are listed on a traditional stock exchange.

 

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the sale of spot bitcoin ETFs in January. Since then, investors have deposited some $7.35 billion into the 11 different funds available, reported Bloomberg on Monday. Some of the world's largest institutional investors, including BlackRock and Fidelity Investments, now offer spot bitcoin ETFs.

 

Bitcoin's price rally began months before in 2023: Its price soared to a 19-month high in December to about $41,000. Analysts at the time credited the surge to three main factors, including anticipation of the SEC's approval of the spot ETFs, anticipation of Fed rate cuts and its upcoming halving event, in which the reward for mining bitcoin is cut in half.

 

To be sure, bitcoin's ongoing price surge doesn't make the cryptocurrency any less volatile, as Laila Maidan, investing correspondent at Insider, told CBS News in December, when the cryptocurrency broke $41,000, which was its highest value in 19 months at the time.

 

"It doesn't mean the crypto is going to skyrocket and stay high," Maidan said. "It's still volatile and there's a lot of people who will always trade it."

 

Still, bitcoin's resurgence comes as welcome news to crypto investors, many of whom saw their assets plummet in value in 2022 after the collapse of FTX and other crypto exchanges. As the world's largest cryptocurrency, both in terms of trading volume and most mined, bitcoin is often looked to by financial analyst as a gauge of the overall health of the crypto industry.