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‘Squid Game’ VR experience coming to Sandbox VR

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

“Squid Game” was a phenomenon during the pandemic as viewers were entranced by the survival drama about 456 contestants, who enter brutal life-or-death games in order to win life-changing money. It became a sensation for Netflix and received numerous awards.Now, those who want to enter that world can experience it through virtual reality. Netflix and Sandbox VR announced that the creation of a “Squid Game Virtuals” game that you can play with up to six friends. The experience features games from the series such as “Red Light, Green Light” and “Cross the Glass Bridge.”It also has a few twists that expand on the world. Like other Sandbox VR experiences, players will get personalized video highlights of their playthrough that recap how their very own Squid Game unfolded.“At Netflix, we have always been committed to pushing the boundaries of entertainment and we are excited to partner with Sandbox VR for the launch of our Squid Game...

Marin County hospital’s new training tool: A robotic baby

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Doctors and nurses at Novato Community Hospital are using artificial intelligence to bolster training for emergency care of infants.The hospital, part of the Sutter Health system, has acquired a robotic replica of a newborn girl. It can simulate a number of medical conditions and scenarios in real time that emergency room staff might rarely experience — and therefore only be able to practice infrequently.“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t get more emotionally revved up when it’s a pediatric patient. It naturally happens,” said Zachary Schoenberger, an emergency room nurse at the hospital. “Everything feels more intense, everyone’s more ramped up. The reality of working with a smaller patient is, everything is more delicate and smaller so doing the procedures is more difficult.”“So having this doll to refine our skills on just makes it so much easier and more successful for us when we have to do this with true patients,” he said.The robot, which the hospital dubbed “Luna,” not only mov...

Man’s body found near Santa Cruz County river

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — Police are investigating the death of a man found Tuesday afternoon near the San Lorenzo River.Santa Cruz police officers were called shortly after 1:30 p.m. to the area of the east river levee riverwalk, near Blaine Street, for a report of a dead body in the water. Despite initial police concerns about the apparent severe trauma visible on the body’s face and forehead, Santa Cruz Deputy Chief Jon Bush said foul play appeared unlikely. The damage to the body may have been related to decomposition, rather than trauma, he said.Bush said his office was awaiting final confirmation from the coroner’s office in the coming days but that the death appeared not to be criminal in nature. Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | East Bay woman gets 22 months for embezzling $1.7 million from Men’s Wearhouse Crime and Public Safety | Oakland sex offender allegedly killed man within 50 minutes of being transferred to new jail cell Crime and Public Saf...

How California lawmakers greenlit ‘any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

With the end of the legislative session last week, California is on the verge of laying down a welcome mat for most major affordable housing projects across the state.That’s not because of a single bill, but a patchwork of current and former legislation that, taken together, “basically covers any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want to build,” said Linda Mandolini, president of Eden Housing, an affordable housing development nonprofit.Homes designated for low-income occupants, like all housing projects, face a gauntlet of potential challenges and hold-ups that add to the already exorbitant cost of affordable housing in California. Those hurdles include lawsuits filed under the wide-ranging California Environmental Quality Act, extensive public hearings and other forms of opposition from local government.Now, affordable housing projects — in most places and most of the time — may soon be exempt from all that, fitted out in a suit of procedural armor made up of some ha...

Disney teases Frozen, Black Panther and Coco experiences for Disneyland

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Disneyland may — or may not — be getting new themed lands, rides or experiences based on Frozen, Black Panther, Coco and Avatar as the Disney leadership continues to tease Blue Sky concepts as tantalizing possibilities for the Anaheim theme park.Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro floated the possibility of new lands or attractions based on Frozen’s Arendelle, Black Panther’s Wakanda and Coco’s Santa Cecilia during an investor summit on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at Walt Disney World in Florida.“We have a wealth of untapped stories to bring to life across our business,” D’Amaro said during the investor summit. “Frozen, one of the most successful and popular animated franchises of all time, could have a presence at the Disneyland Resort. Wakanda has yet to be brought to life. The world of Coco is just waiting to be explored. There’s a lot of storytelling opportunity.”SEE ALSO: Disney doubles theme park investment to $60 billion over next decadeD’Amaro and Disney CEO Bob Iger have been teasing ...

Opinion: Women’s reproductive freedom is moving backward. Almost weekly

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

“We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they’ve come.”That quote from Barbie creator Ruth Handler — or at least the one written for the actress playing her — in the new “Barbie” movie had me reflecting on just how far we’ve come from my grandmothers’ generations. Sadly, when it comes to reproductive freedom, we’re moving in the wrong direction.One of my grandmothers was pregnant for a quarter of her life. The other, raised as a devout Catholic, knew only not to have sex until after marriage. In total, they had 20 births. My grandmothers lacked comprehensive sex education, effective contraception and access to abortion. Their families could not provide enough food, clothing, space or medical care for their children. They felt like they were subjected to childbearing and rearing with no other options.Every person has the right to reproductive freedom. Unless you live in Texas. Or Missouri. Or Alabama. Unfortunately, this list continues to grow weekly.In T...

Parking dispute likely sparked fatal shooting at California apartment complex, documents show

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

A Long Beach man facing a murder charge for the shooting death of a 35-year-old man at an apartment complex in June likely had argued with the man and his friends over blocked parking spaces, court documents show.Roland Dewayne Barber, 40, already was in custody on a separate injury shooting when police accused him in the slaying of David Nevarez at the Pacifica Cove Condominiums in the 5500 block of Ackerfield Avenue on June 16.Police believe Nevarez was at the apartment complex for a gathering at one of the condos and that a man, described by a 911 caller as possibly using a cane and with his face covered, shot Nevarez following an argument just before 10 p.m., according to a search warrant filed in Long Beach Superior Court last month.Police later learned from a resident that a man who lives in one of the condos and walks around the complex with his face covered had “recently become very upset about people blocking his parking spaces,” court documents show. Detectives learned Bar...

Man dies after climbing gate at California elementary school with sledgehammer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

A man is dead after climbing a fence to get into the McKinley Elementary School campus in Long Beach while holding a sledgehammer and was confronted by a group of adults Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.#BREAKINGNEWS: A death investigation is underway after a body was found at an elementary school campus in Long Beach. https://t.co/1QOHf8ANfy— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) September 20, 2023The Long Beach Police Department said it responded to the 6700 block of Orizaba Avenue at around 2:30 p.m. for a home invasion robbery call.Officers arrived and were told to go to nearby McKinley Elementary School, 6822 Paramount Blvd., where they learned that a man had climbed a fence into the school’s parking lot while holding a small sledgehammer.The man then tried to climb a second fence bordering the campus, but he was pulled down by a group of men who held him until police arrived.Firefighters arrived and pronounced the man deceased.An investigation into the man’s death is underway....

Opinion: As 2024 approaches, where has all the left-wing money gone?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

As we stumble toward another existential election, panic is setting in among some progressive groups because the donors who buoyed them throughout the Trump years are disengaging. “Donations to progressive organizations are way down in 2023 across the board,” said a recent memo from Billy Wimsatt, executive director of the Movement Voter Project, an organization founded in 2016 that channels funds to community organizers, mostly in swing states, who engage and galvanize voters. He added, “Groups need money to make sure we have a good outcome next November. But. People. Are. Not. Donating.”As both big and small donors pull back, there have been layoffs across the progressive ecosystem, from behemoths such as the Sierra Club to insurgent outfits such as Justice Democrats, a group that first recruited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley in 2018. According to a July analysis by Middle Seat, a Democratic strategy and consulting firm, in the first half o...

Cyprus FA says it has averted an indefinite strike by referees over safety fears

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ top soccer body said Wednesday it had averted an indefinite strike by top-tier referees over concerns about their personal safety following the alleged firebombing of a car belonging to a referee’s mother.The Cyprus FA said two days of talks and much “serious contemplation” resulted in referees’ agreeing to get back to work right away, ahead of a full slate of first division matches this weekend.The wildcat strike called Monday resulted in the postponement of a first division match the same day.According to a statement posted on the FA’s website, the association along with referees will seek to sit down with both the justice minister and the chief of police to outline “specific suggestions” to ensure referee safety.FA president George Koumas also dispatched letters to each of the presidents of the first division’s 14 teams asking for their contribution in “easing tensions” by taking specific measures.The FA said these specific measures won’t “nec...