Technology
LinkedIn games are really cool
I actually have a weakness that I’m ashamed of, and it isn’t that I’ve watched all of Glee (yes, even the terrible later seasons) or that I’ve read an incredible amount of Harry Potter fan fiction in my life.
My little weakness is playing LinkedIn games.
To answer the plain query: Wait, LinkedIn has games? Yes. In May, LinkedIn launched three puzzle games via LinkedIn News, like New York Times game knockoffs. There’s the logic puzzle Queens (my favorite), the word game Crossclimb (pretty good), and the association game Pinpoint (not great, but oh well).
LinkedIn is taking the classic tech strategy of seeing what works for one more company after which trying to copy that success, even when it could appear odd to play games on knowledgeable networking platform. But it’s no wonder NYT Games inspired that inspiration. In a way The New York Times is a gaming company now – from December 2023 users I spent more time within the NYT Games app than within the news app.
LinkedIn isn’t alone. Everyone has games now. Apple News. Netflix. YouTube. There are so many games we are able to take pleasure in. And yet, once I finish my various New York Times puzzles, I still want more. It’s not that I feel like playing Crossclimb LinkedIn before Connections, however the games are adequate to provide me that sweet dopamine rush.
I often play LinkedIn games in the course of the workday (sorry to my boss). Sometimes it’s because I’m on LinkedIn to envision facts or look up a source, but then I remember I can spare a number of minutes for slightly game. Other times, my mind is foggy from gazing the identical draft of an article for too long, and taking a break to resolve a colourful Queens puzzle makes it easier to return and revisit that Google doc.
But it turns on the market’s a scientific explanation for why we love these quick, once-a-day puzzles a lot.
I recently spoke with DeepWell DTx cofounder Ryan Douglas, whose company relies on the concept playing video games (moderately) can have a positive impact on mental health. In some cases, the transient distraction of a game can pull us out of a negative thought spiral or help us approach an issue from a brand new perspective.
“If you’re playing Tetris, for example, you can’t have a long conversation in your head about how terrible you are, how much you suck, what’s going to happen next week, and so on,” Douglas told TechCrunch.
On a neurobiological level, Douglas explained that after we play, we activate the limbic system within the brain, which is answerable for coping with stress. But even when these stressors are simulated, they accustom the brain to coping with that stress in some ways.
“You start learning on a subconscious level, creating new neural pathways at an accelerated rate and preferentially selecting them on a subconscious level to deal with those problems in the future,” he said. “If you deal with (the stressor) in that particular environment, you gain agency. You have control.”
That’s to not say we must always play Pokémon all day—the video game development tools DeepWell creates are approved for therapeutic use in 15-minute doses. Maybe that’s why we’re so infatuated with games like Wordle, and other games The New York Times (and LinkedIn) has written which have a finite ending. You solve one puzzle a day, and then you definately move on to the following.
Wordle creator Josh Wardle spoke to TechCrunch about his viral success even before The New York Times picked up his game.
“I’m a little suspicious of apps and games that want your endless attention — I worked in Silicon Valley, for example. I know why they do that,” Wardle said. “I think people have an appetite for things that clearly don’t want anything from you.”
But Wardle is correct—after all my beloved LinkedIn games want something from me: my attention. And to be honest, I’ve spent rather a lot more time on LinkedIn in recent months than I ever have.
According to LinkedIn’s data, my behavior isn’t an anomaly. The company found that latest player engagement has increased by about 20% week over week because the starting of July. LinkedIn has also seen strong traction in users starting conversations after playing games. After you finish a game, you may see which of your connections also played, which I imagine some people see as a chance to #network. I don’t do this, but on the other hand, most of my LinkedIn conversations are just me messaging my friends “hi” because for some reason I find that funny.
So go on LinkedIn and have a good time as much as you may… after which, about 4 minutes later, return to the relentless grind of worldwide capitalism.
Technology
US medical device giant Artivion says hackers stole files during a cybersecurity incident
Artivion, a medical device company that produces implantable tissue for heart and vascular transplants, says its services have been “disrupted” resulting from a cybersecurity incident.
In 8-K filing In an interview with the SEC on Monday, Georgia-based Artivion, formerly CryoLife, said it became aware of a “cybersecurity incident” that involved the “compromise and encryption” of information on November 21. This suggests that the corporate was attacked by ransomware, but Artivion has not yet confirmed the character of the incident and didn’t immediately reply to TechCrunch’s questions. No major ransomware group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Artivion said it took some systems offline in response to the cyberattack, which the corporate said caused “disruptions to certain ordering and shipping processes.”
Artivion, which reported third-quarter revenue of $95.8 million, said it didn’t expect the incident to have a material impact on the corporate’s funds.
Technology
It’s a Raspberry Pi 5 in a keyboard and it’s called Raspberry Pi 500
Manufacturer of single-board computers Raspberry Pi is updating its cute little computer keyboard device with higher specs. Named Raspberry Pi500This successor to the Raspberry Pi 400 is just as powerful as the present Raspberry Pi flagship, the Raspberry Pi 5. It is on the market for purchase now from Raspberry Pi resellers.
The Raspberry Pi 500 is the simplest method to start with the Raspberry Pi because it’s not as intimidating because the Raspberry Pi 5. When you take a look at the Raspberry Pi 500, you do not see any chipsets or PCBs (printed circuit boards). The Raspberry Pi is totally hidden in the familiar housing, the keyboard.
The idea with the Raspberry Pi 500 is you could connect a mouse and a display and you are able to go. If, for instance, you’ve got a relative who uses a very outdated computer with an outdated version of Windows, the Raspberry Pi 500 can easily replace the old PC tower for many computing tasks.
More importantly, this device brings us back to the roots of the Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi computers were originally intended for educational applications. Over time, technology enthusiasts and industrial customers began using single-board computers all over the place. (For example, when you’ve ever been to London Heathrow Airport, all of the departures and arrivals boards are there powered by Raspberry Pi.)
Raspberry Pi 500 draws inspiration from the roots of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a non-profit organization. It’s the right first computer for college. In some ways, it’s a lot better than a Chromebook or iPad because it’s low cost and highly customizable, which inspires creative pondering.
The Raspberry Pi 500 comes with a 32GB SD card that comes pre-installed with Raspberry Pi OS, a Debian-based Linux distribution. It costs $90, which is a slight ($20) price increase over the Raspberry Pi 400.
Only UK and US keyboard variants will probably be available at launch. But versions with French, German, Italian, Japanese, Nordic and Spanish keyboard layouts will probably be available soon. And when you’re in search of a bundle that features all the things you would like, Raspberry Pi also offers a $120 desktop kit that features the Raspberry Pi 500, a mouse, a 27W USB-C power adapter, and a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.
In other news, Raspberry Pi has announced one other recent thing: the Raspberry Pi monitor. It is a 15.6-inch 1080p monitor that’s priced at $100. Since there are quite a few 1080p portable monitors available on the market, this launch is not as noteworthy because the Pi 500. However, for die-hard Pi fans, there’s now also a Raspberry Pi-branded monitor option available.
Technology
Apple Vision Pro may add support for PlayStation VR controllers
According to Apple, Apple desires to make its Vision Pro mixed reality device more attractive for gamers and game developers latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
The Vision Pro was presented more as a productivity and media consumption device than a tool geared toward gamers, due partly to its reliance on visual and hand controls moderately than a separate controller.
However, Apple may need gamers if it desires to expand the Vision Pro’s audience, especially since Gurman reports that lower than half one million units have been sold to this point. As such, the corporate has reportedly been in talks with Sony about adding support for PlayStation VR2 handheld controllers, and has also talked to developers about whether they may support the controllers of their games.
Offering more precise control, Apple may also make other forms of software available in Vision Pro, reminiscent of Final Cut Pro or Adobe Photoshop.
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