IShowSpeed took a moment to explore the information circulating about his net worth on Google

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The Fortnite x LEGO collaboration is finally coming on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at 9 a.m. ET as its own game mode with exclusive LEGO-themed rewards.

Disney has launched a new, cheaper subscription of its streaming service, with ads. The company will let subscribers pay £4.99 for the service if they are willing to have advertising injected at the start of films and inside TV shows. The advertising will be limited and users will see how long those ads are going to last, the company. Disney is just the latest in a range of subscription services, such as Netflix, to launch a cheaper version of the streaming service that is supported by advertising. The changes come amid a cost of living crisis and increasing competition for TV streaming subscriptions. As well as seeing ads, users on the new cheaper tier will be limited to watching two streams at once on one subscription, and will not be able to download offline. Netflix launched its ad-supported tier with similar limits, though it has restricted them somewhat in the time since. On Disney+, the more expensive ad-free tiers include the standard package at £7.99, or £79.90 annually, which has the same video and audio quality as the lower level but allows for downloads on up to 10 devices, while the premium model at £10.99, or £109.90, has improved video and audio quality and allows four devices to watch concurrently. The streaming giant has a host of series including The Bear, Elemental, and Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story. It also launched the new series following the Kardashian-Jenner family last year, titled The Kardashians, which follows on from its predecessor, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, in documenting the personal lives and business ventures of the siblings. General manager of Disney+ Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Luke Bradley Jones, said: “Today’s launch represents a significant milestone for Disney+ in the UK, offering customers the flexibility to select a plan that suits their needs and budget. “All of our customers can enjoy a wide range collection of award-winning original TV series and blockbuster movies, including FX’s The Bear, Elemental, and Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, along with fan favourites like Season 2 of Marvel Studios’ Loki and the latest series of The Simpsons and Grey’s Anatomy.” Deborah Armstrong, country manager of the UK and Ireland for GM Media Networks and advertising EMEA, said: “Disney+ offers advertisers a prime opportunity to join our premium streaming platform, featuring our beloved brands and an exceptional line-up of movies and TV series. “The response from our clients and agencies has been overwhelmingly positive, firmly showcasing the quality of our content and the strong bond our brands share with audiences worldwide. “We’re partnering with a fantastic range of brands in all markets right from day one.” Additional reporting by agencies

A controversial cryptocurrency started by the founder of ChatGPT has surged in price in the days following its launch, with market commentators referring to it as both “outlandish” and “revolutionary”. Worldcoin, launched last week by OpenAI boss Sam Altman, offers people a free share of the crypto token WLD in exchange for their biometric data. More than 2 million people have signed up through an iris-scanning orb, which is currently operating in 35 cities across 20 countries. The biometric data collected by Worldcoin is used to verify an individual’s “unique personhood” to ensure noone signs up more than once. It also offers a way to differentiate humans from AI bots, which Worldcoin claims is a core offering of its technology. Regulatory and legal challenges mean people are unable to sign up in certain markets, however Mr Altman claimed shortly after its launch that one person every eight seconds was signing up for the crypto project. A spokesperson for Worldcoin told The Independent that 1,500 orbs were being distributed around the world to meet demand, including to London, New York and Paris. Crypto market commentators have said that a 50 per cent price surge in the day following its launch showed the level of interest and demand in the WLD token despite concerns surrounding its rollout. “OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman’s Worldcoin project might just be one of the most ambitious cryptocurrency projects in recent years,” Louis Schoeman, a managing director at Forex Suggest, told The Independent. “The main aim of this global digital identification is to connect your World ID to websites and apps rather than traditional logins, proving you’re a real person without having to share personal data like names and emails. This sort of digital ID will be necessary in the development of AI, in order to tell the difference between humans and AI bots online. “A global digital ID enabling private identity verifications is undeniably revolutionary, however, it’s certain to stir up controversy, with many already calling the exchange of biometric data for crypto tokens an outlandish bribe.” The Worldcoin cryptocurrency spiked from $1.90 to $3.15 on the day of its launch, before dropping back below $2. It has since surged again and was trading above $2.30 on Tuesday, bucking broader market trends. Read More ChatGPT creator launches bitcoin rival that scans people’s eyeballs Meta is secretly building an AI chatbot with the personality of Abraham Lincoln Google Assistant to be ‘supercharged’ with AI like ChatGPT and Bard ChatGPT will now know who you are and what you want

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EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: The Biden Administration released details about the $42.5 billion cornerstone of its Internet for All initiative on Monday. The money, which state governments will eventually award broadband providers, has the chance to be transformative in communities with inadequate service or exorbitant costs. Funding amounts from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program depended primarily on the number of unserved locations in each jurisdiction. Unserved locations are those that lack access to internet download speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download and upload speeds of 3 Mbps. Download speeds involve retrieving information from the internet, including streaming movies and TV. Upload speeds determine how fast information travels from a computer to the internet, like sending emails or publishing photos online. The federal government used the FCC’s National Broadband Map to identify the number of unserved locations in each jurisdiction. Before states can draw down on those funds, they must engage in a multi-step approval process with the federal government to ensure the money is deployed to the communities that need it the most. ___ AP’S LATEST COVERAGE Biden’s broadband plan aims to connect every home and business in U.S. by 2030. What’s next? High-speed internet is a necessity, President Biden says, pledging all US will have access by 2030 ___ VIEW YOUR STATE'S BEAD FUNDING ALLOTMENT AND PERCENT OF AREAS UNSERVED — The AP produced a dataset showing each state’s allotment in dollars and the percent of Broadband Serviceable Locations—homes and businesses where high-speed internet could be installed—that are estimated to be unserved, according to the latest version of the FCC National Broadband Map. ___ VIEW DETAILED BROADBAND MAPS AND FUNDING MAPS — The FCC National Broadband Map is an updating dataset that shows advertised internet speeds at the address level. Version 2 is the latest public iteration and was used to determine states’ BEAD allotments. The default view of the map shows residential service provided by all types of technology with download speeds of at least 25 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 3 Mbps. The federal government defines reliable service as that which is provided through wired or fixed wireless technologies. To view coverage provided by reliable technologies only, click the gear icon on the righthand side of the page. Under technologies, select “All Wired and Licensed Fixed Wireless.” In this menu, you can also choose to view coverage of businesses instead of residences and set different speed minimums. — Check out the FCC Broadband Funding map. This offers details on funding from some other federal broadband expansion programs. To view a breakdown of projects and funding in a given area, click the Funding Summary button (to drill down, make sure you're zoomed in to at least level 10, then click on individual hexagons for details). To view the percentage of areas unserved or unfunded, click the Location Summary button. To view maps by funding type, click on the different links below the Broadband Funding Summaries heading in the pop-up box. ___ VIEW OTHER RESOURCES — The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is administering the BEAD program. It is keeping track of which states have released initial proposals, which must be approved before states can begin the grant making process. Initial proposals are due by the end of the year and can be submitted in two volumes. On this page are also links to 5-year-plans, which lay out how states hope to achieve universal connectivity, and digital equity plans, covering how states aim to equip individuals with the skills and devices necessary to leverage internet access. You can sign up to receive email updates when new proposals and plans are released. States with initial proposals released: Louisiana (volume 1) Virginia (volume 1) States with 5-year plans released: Hawaii Maine Montana Ohio Utah Draft Digital Equity Plans: Louisiana Maine Montana Utah — Nonprofits, internet service providers and local and Tribal governments will eventually have the opportunity to assess their state’s determinations of which locations are eligible for funding and challenge those decisions. The NTIA has published draft guidance for how those challenge processes will run, and final guidance is expected soon. ___ QUESTIONS/REPORTING THREADS — What is your state’s allotment from BEAD? How have state and local officials reacted to this amount? Do they believe it will be enough to connect people who are still without access to reliable internet? — Which counties in your state are the most digitally distressed? Are there any demographic or socioeconomic similarities between these areas? Are they geographically consolidated or spread throughout the state? Do any counties with poor connectivity border counties that have good internet access? — Are there any topographic or climatic challenges, such as mountains and year-round cold weather, to laying down fiber in your state? How do state officials plan to overcome these challenges? Are there any remote counties or towns? — What is the landscape of existing broadband aid in your state? Broadband expansion projects from other federal programs, including the USDA’s ReConnect program and the American Rescue Plan, are ongoing. Additionally, states run their own grant programs aimed at closing the digital divide. How are these projects going? How have completed projects affected the lives of people in that area? How do these existing projects work with your state's plans to use BEAD funding? ___ READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE $930 million in grants announced in Biden’s effort to expand internet access to every home in the US States contend with short timeline to correct broadband map ___ Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide UN urges Israel and Palestinians to halt West Bank violence in statement backed by US and Russia EPA retreats on Louisiana investigations that alleged Blacks lived amid higher cancer risk US push to lower wildfire risk across the West stumbles in places

Iceland is turning to taxes to reduce the impact exponential growth in tourism has on its pristine wilderness,

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