Intel is planning substantial job cuts, likely numbering in the thousands, according to a report from Bloomberg News. The reduction in headcount is a response to declining demand for the company’s consumer chips — part of a wider downturn in the PC market.

The layoffs will hit Intel’s sales and marketing teams particularly hard, says Bloomberg, affecting around 20 percent of team members. The cuts will reportedly be announced “as early as this month,” around the same time as Intel’s third-quarter earnings report on October 27th. The company currently has 113,700 employees.

After two years of booming sales during the pandemic, the PC market is now struggling. Recent analysis from Gartner found that worldwide shipments totaled 68 million units in the third quarter of 2022 — a 19.5 percent decrease compared to 2021. Gartner says this is the steepest market decline its recorded since it began tracking the market in the mid-1990s.

“This quarter’s results could mark a historic slowdown for the PC market,” said Gartner director analyst Mikako Kitagawa in a press statement. “Back to school sales ended with disappointing results despite massive promotions and price drops, due to a lack of need as many consumers had purchased new PCs in the last two years. On the business side, geopolitical and economic uncertainties led to more selective IT spending, and PCs were not at the top of the priority list.”

Intel raised these difficulties

Heard about the newly discovered, potentially dangerous asteroid heading our way? Few months go by without ominous asteroids in the tabloid headlines. Spoiler alert: There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.

In the past week, news outlets around the world have been reviving a clickbait trope yet again about an asteroid the size of a skyscraper “hurtling towards Earth.” Most of these refer to newfound asteroid 2022 RM4, which is a big space rock coming closer to our planet than other asteroids its size. But it will never come anywhere near our planet in any practical sense.

It’s been the same story plenty of other times, including coverage of a different asteroid in January 2020, when headlines screamed of a “gigantic” asteroid the size of the Empire State Building speeding “towards Earth.”

At least that’s how it was reported at the time by Sputnik, the news site funded by the Russian government. The reality, as the article said after the scary headline, was that asteroid 2019 UO would pass us safely at a distance of 2,808,194 miles (4,519,351 kilometers). That’s almost 12 times farther away than the moon. I scarcely think of the moon, let alone

House of the Dragon’s first season is done and dusted. Anticipation was high for HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, and with around 30 million people watching each episode, it’s proven to be a hit, even if no one really knew what to expect from the show. We got some answers early in the season when it was renewed for a second seasonrevealing it’d take more than 10 episodes to tell the tale of the Targaryen civil war.

On Sunday’s finale, we saw the precursor to the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Word of King Viserys’ death finally reaches Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen, yet the queen is reluctant to go to war for the throne. Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy rings in her head as she declares the need to preside over a united realm, not smoke and rubble.

Yet the closing moments of the show test her resolve, such that we know war is assured. Last warning: House of the Dragon spoilers below.

Did anyone die in the ‘HotD’ finale?

The top-line news from House of the Dragon’s finale is the death of Lucerys Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s youngest child, whose true father is Harwin Strong. Lucerys, you may remember, was named heir to Dragonstone in episode 8 — a decision that a disgruntled Vaemond Velaryon died contesting.

In the course of House of the Dragon’s finale, Rhaenyra and Daemon decide they need to shore up support from the Eyrie, Winterfell and the Stormlands if they’re

Rotating dial controls were a brilliant idea

Nintendo and Ubisoft have released a new cinematic trailer for the upcoming Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope game ahead of its launch next week.

A sequel to 2017’s unlikely hit crossover, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Sparks of Hope sees Nintendo’s plumber once again teaming up with the manic Rabbids crew, this time to save the galaxy from a dark threat known as Cursa.

As before, players will need to strategically maneuver Mario and company around the battlefield, making use of cover and each character’s special abilities to defeat Cursa’s evil forces.

In addition to returning heroes like Mario and Rabbid Peach, Sparks of Hope introduces several new playable characters, including Rabbid Rosalina and Mario’s longtime nemesis, Bowser, who begrudgingly teams up with the good guys to defeat Cursa and rescue his own minions.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope launches for Nintendo Switch on Oct. 20. The game will be available in standard and gold editions. The latter includes a season pass that grants players access to all upcoming DLC ​​packs as they arrive, as well as the Galactic Prestige Pack, which comes with three exclusive weapon skins.

The Sparks of Hope trailer arrives on the heels of the first trailer for the Super Mario Bros. movie, which stars Chris Pratt as Mario and Jack Black as Bowser. The film is scheduled to hit theaters April 7.