HBO’s The Last of Us has been described as a show that breaks the video game adaptation curse, and it’s certainly unique in the way it has almost singlehandedly shifted the dialogue. If a third-person zombie game can be prestige television, can an Oscar for Mario and Luigi be far away?

But that ignores the fact that there have been worthwhile video game adaptations in the past—even if TLoU is arguably the most successful yet. Some thrive by leaning hard into the lore and settings of the game, but the sweet spot seems to be taking cues from the source material while also recognizing that different medias call for different narrative choices (fetch quests, for one, are far less fun when you are only watching someone doing the fetching).

Here are 13 other game-to-film adaptations that work. And, before anyone asks, I will die on the hill that The Witcher is based on the books and not the video games, which is why I left it out.

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We all know walking is good for us. While the old “10,000 steps” goal was never really based on science, studies have shown that generally speaking, the more you walk, the healthier you are. But the United States is a country custom-built for the car. While more than half of our trips outside the home are typically less than three miles roundtrip (and a quarter of all trips are less than a mile), a lot of us will choose to drive or take public transportation than walk. This has resulted in entire communities that are hard to walk around and inspired the very useful metric known as the Walk Score.

The Walk Score gives you a snapshot of how easy it is to live someplace without a car. A score of 100 means you can literally do everything on foot, a score of zero means you need a car to do just about everything. It’s a useful piece of data when you’re choosing where to live, but it actually impacts more than your own personal health. Here’s what you need to know about your community’s Walk Score.

A higher Walk Score means cleaner air

Gas-powered cars—even modern, efficient models—pump a lot of carbon dioxide (about 4.6 metric tons per car annually) and other pollutants into our air. Folks driving all over your town to do quick errands means they’re pumping that stuff into the air you breathe. A higher Walk Score translates into less driving, and that translates into cleaner air. And cleaner air means fewer respiratory diseases, higher quality of life, and a lower carbon footprint.

Property values increase with a higher Walk Score

There was once a time when suburban communities that required a car just to function were all the rage, but that’s been changing for decades—and the global pandemic may have been the final nail in its coffin. These days, higher Walk Scores equal higher property values because it’s seen as a “luxury” amenity—an increase of a single point in your home’s Walk Score can mean thousands of dollars in increased value.

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This is meaningful if you’re buying a new property, of course, because your prospective neighborhood’s Walk Score might affect any future sale price if you decide to move. But it also means that working to increase your community’s Walk Score for your existing home can lift your property values, giving you more equity while living a healthier lifestyle.

Car expenses go down

Owning a car, as you may have noticed, is expensive—and getting more expensive all the time. The average new car price set a record in 2022 at $48,681, while used cars aren’t even that much cheaper at an average price of $27,564. And even if you already own a car, you’re probably spending close to $10,000 a year to fuel and maintain it—and that doesn’t count unexpected repairs.

A high Walk Score means you don’t have to drive as much. This reduces your fuel expenses and the wear and tear on the vehicle that leads to more repair bills. And if your Walk Score is high enough, you could even get rid of your car entirely (or downsize a two-car household into a one-car household), turning that depreciating asset into cash in your pocket without missing a beat.

Quality of life goes up

It’s simple: Walkable communities are happier. You get to meet your neighbors in an organic, relaxed way; you interact with local businesses and community leaders regularly; and you feel less isolated. Also, apparently your children will be better off financially, which could work out well for you, too. This benefits you directly, but also indirectly—your neighbors will be more likely to volunteer or to be engaged in local issues. It’s also a lot easier to throw a party when everyone can simply walk down to your house instead of having to fire up Google Maps and worry about finding a parking spot.

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Europol supported the German, Dutch and US authorities in taking down the infrastructure of the prolific HIVE ransomware. This international operation involved authorities from 13 countries in total. Law enforcement identified the decryption keys and shared them with many victims, helping them regain access to their data without paying the cybercriminals.

In the last year, HIVE ransomware has been identified as a major threat as it has been used to compromise and encrypt the data and computer systems of large IT and oil multinationals in the EU and the USA. Since June 2021, over 1 500 companies from over 80 countries worldwide have fallen victim to HIVE associates and lost almost EUR 100 million in ransom payments.

Affiliates executed the cyberattacks, but the HIVE ransomware was created, maintained and updated by developers. Affiliates used the double extortion model of ‘ransomware-as-a-service’; first, they copied data and then encrypted the files. Then, they asked for a ransom to both decrypt the files and to not publish the stolen data on the Hive Leak Site. When the victims paid, the ransom was then split between affiliates (who received 80 %) and developers (who received 20 %).

Other dangerous ransomware groups have also used this so-called ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model to perpetrate high-level attacks in the last few years. This has included asking for millions of euros in ransoms to decrypt affected systems, often in companies maintaining critical infrastructures. Since June 2021, criminals have used HIVE ransomware to target many businesses and critical infrastructure sectors, including government facilities, telecommunication companies, manufacturing, information technology, and healthcare and public health.

In one major attack, HIVE affiliates targeted a hospital, which led to severe repercussions about how the hospital could deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the attack, this hospital had to resort to analogue methods to treat existing patients, and was unable to accept new ones.

The affiliates attacked companies in different ways. Some HIVE actors gained access to victim’s networks by using single factor logins via Remote Desktop Protocol, virtual private networks, and other remote network connection protocols.

In other cases, HIVE actors bypassed multifactor authentication and gained access by exploiting vulnerabilities. This enabled malicious cybercriminals to log in without a prompt for the user’s second authentication factor by changing the case of the username. Some HIVE actors also gained initial access to victim’s networks by distributing phishing emails with malicious attachments and by exploiting the vulnerabilities of the operating systems of the attacked devices.

EUR 120 million saved thanks to mitigation efforts

Europol streamlined victim mitigation efforts with other EU countries, which prevented private companies from falling victim to HIVE ransomware. Law enforcement provided the decryption key to companies which had been compromised in order to help them decrypt their data without paying the ransom. This effort has prevented the payment of more than USD 130 million or the equivalent of about EUR 120 million of ransom payments.

Europol facilitated the information exchange, supported the coordination of the operation and funded operational meetings in Portugal and the Netherlands. Europol also provided analytical support linking available data to various criminal cases within and outside the EU, and supported the investigation through cryptocurrency, malware, decryption and forensic analysis.

On the action days, Europol deployed four experts to help coordinate the activities on the ground. Europol supported the law enforcement authorities involved by coordinating the cryptocurrency and malware analysis, cross-checking operational information against Europol’s databases, and further operational analysis and forensic support. Analysis of this data and other related cases is expected to trigger further investigative activities.

The Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT) at Europol also supported the operation. This standing operational team consists of cybercrime liaison officers from different countries who work on high-profile cybercrime investigations.

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Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Pull-apart breads are alluring for their soft edges and communal approach, for the satisfaction of watching shards of bread tear away from one another as you remove your chosen morsel from the group. Pigs in blankets are a perfect match with this structure, but even if you don’t want a pull-apart presentation, I’ve got a related wrapping method that will significantly cut down your prep time: use the crescent roll dough as more of a blanket than ever before.

Here’s how it works: Unfurl your dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and divide it into two strips lengthwise, along the perforation. Pinch up the diagonal perforations to seal them. If you bought the kind sold as a single sheet, first, brava, because I rarely find them in stores, and second, use a knife to cut it in half lengthwise, leaving you with two long rectangles.

Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Line up your piggies along the bottom edge. You can see nine dogs in the picture above, but later I squeezed in a few more per strip; 10 or 11 dogs will fit across the final dough with about a half-inch of space between them. Now it’s time to make a decision: You can wrap the dogs completely in pastry, in which case, you should place them so they are inside the line of the dough. You can also leave the end of the mini weenie out of the blanket. Both preparations have their merits: The fully wrapped dogs bake up tender and soft, and hold in the juices of the sausage, while the peek-a-boo variety are a little drier, and have a pleasant chew, because they’ve been exposed to the oven’s direct heat.

Top: Chopstick pressing between the dough, bottom: pressed, sliced, and beginning to shape.

Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

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Starting in the middle, pull the far side of the dough up and over the dogs. (Covering them completely? You’ll have to give it a stretch.) If your dough rips over the perforations, pinch and press it back together—it’s forgiving stuff. Next, use a chopstick, your tiny pinky finger, or the butt of a paring or butter knife to firmly press the dough between each weenie to seal the two layers together. Cut through this sealed spot but leave the folded end of the dough intact. (If the pastry was a book cover, it’s the side you’d call the spine.) Press and seal any edges that might have opened up.

Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

You can stretch the pigs in blankets slightly apart to create a long chain of pull-apart dogs to fit on your rectangular charcuterie board. You can spiral the dogs like a snail, or you can zig-zag them. I did a classic wreath shape so I could serve with a small bowl of dip in the middle. Whatever you choose, make sure the dogs are about a ¼-inch from one another, with room to puff as they bake, while creating the weak connection that is ideal for pull-apart breads. Leave them plain, or sprinkle the dogs with everything bagel seasoning, garlic powder, or za’atar. Bake according to the pastry’s package directions.

Even if you don’t want your dogs to be pull-apart, this method is remarkably faster than individually wrapping each dog. By streamlining the procedure into three moves (lining up the dogs, pressing the dough, and cutting the dough) you’ll be finished in a fraction of the time. It’s a method especially worth trying if you’re doing a big batch of a few dozen piggies. You’ll spend less time wrapping, and more time snacking.

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Ubuntu Pro, Canonical’s comprehensive subscription for secure open source and compliance, is now generally available. Ubuntu Pro helps teams get timely CVE patches, harden their systems at scale and remain compliant with regimes such as FedRAMP, HIPAA and PCI-DSS.

The subscription expands Canonical’s ten-year security coverage and optional technical support to an additional 23,000 packages beyond the main operating system. It is ideal for organisations who are looking to improve their security posture, not just for the Main repository of Ubuntu, but for thousands of open-source packages and toolchains.

Timely patching

Canonical has an 18-year track record of timely security updates for the main Ubuntu OS, with critical CVEs patched in less than 24 hours on average. Ubuntu Pro’s coverage spans critical, high and selected medium CVEs for thousands of applications and toolchains, including Ansible, Apache Tomcat, Apache Zookeeper, Docker, Nagios, Node.js, phpMyAdmin, Puppet, PowerDNS, Python, Redis, Rust, WordPress, and more.

Ubuntu Pro is available for every Ubuntu LTS from 16.04 LTS . It is already in production for large-scale customers offering global services. The beta release was welcomed by the likes of NVIDIA, Google, Acquia, VMWare and LaunchDarkly. Since the beta announcement in October 2022, tens of thousands of Ubuntu users have signed up for the service.

“I manage my own compute cluster leveraging MAAS and other Canonical tools to support my research. The Open source security patches delivered through Ubuntu Pro gives my team peace of mind, and ensures my servers are secure. Canonical is continuously delivering timely CVE patches covering a broad portfolio of open source applications for the entire ten-year lifetime of an Ubuntu LTS. This brings much needed stability and compliance”, said David A Gutman, MD PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine.

A single subscription for security and compliance

Besides providing timely security patches, Ubuntu Pro includes tools for compliance management in regulated and audited environments. Ubuntu Security Guide (USG) enables best-in-class hardening and compliance standards such as CIS benchmark and DISA-STIG profiles.

Ubuntu Pro users can access FIPS-certified cryptographic packages necessary for all Federal Government agencies and organizations operating under compliance regimes like FedRAMP, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.

System management and automated patching at scale is facilitated through Landscape. Ubuntu Pro also includes Livepatch, which patches critical and high-severity kernel vulnerabilities at runtime to minimize the need for an unplanned reboot of your Ubuntu estate.

Subscription types and pricing

The standard Ubuntu Pro subscription covers the full set of security updates for all packages in Ubuntu Main and Universe repositories – this is the most suitable choice. Ubuntu Pro costs $25 per year for a workstation or $500 per year for a server and is available directly with a 30-day free trial.

Ubuntu Pro is available through public cloud marketplaces – AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. It is offered per hour, billed directly by the cloud, and priced at approximately 3.5% of the average underlying compute cost.

An Ubuntu Pro subscription covers the base OS and the private cloud components needed for large-scale bare-metal deployments, but excludes the new broader application coverage. It is useful for organizations building private clouds that use other guest operating systems for applications.

A free tier is available for personal and small-scale commercial use in up to 5 machines. Official Ubuntu community members can benefit from Ubuntu Pro in up to 50 machines. In order to get the token, login with your existing Ubuntu One account or create a free account.

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You’re probably familiar with these unassuming gems from soup takeout, or watching The Bear, and maybe you’ve already discovered their many uses. The quart container is simple and effective for everything from holding long utensils upright to serving as an impromptu water glass. Quart containers rise above the other reusable containers, literally, because of their shape. Instead of getting wider to hold more material, they are tall and thin. You can stack leftover ribs in there, gravies, frostings, and tofu in water without concerning yourself with spillage, and maximizing the vertical space in your fridge. They’re especially useful for storing homemade stock, sauce, or broth in the freezer.

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The Start Menu is an iconic Windows element (let’s pretend Windows 8 never happened). It’s the launch pad of Windows, providing access to files, apps, controls, and more. But lately, the Start menu hasn’t been working as expected, and neither have Windows search or certain apps.

There’s a reason for that, and, while there’s no official fix yet, there are workarounds to get things going again.

What’s up with the Window’s Start menu bug?

If you notice your Start menu not responding, you’re not alone. As reported by BleepingComputer, Windows is currently experiencing issues with the Start menu, Windows search, and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps. Microsoft confirmed as much in this post about known issues with Windows 11 version 22H2. However, the bug affects other client versions of Windows as well, including Windows 10, version 22H2; Windows 11, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 20H2.

According to Microsoft, the problem stems from third-party processes, like the screen recording tool ClickShare, using Office APIs on a PC running Office through ClickToRun. ClickToRun is a feature that allows you to run Office programs without having those programs fully downloaded on the PC.

How to fix the Windows Start menu bug

Microsoft is working on a patch, but it’s not out yet. In the meantime, the company has a few steps it recommends you take to remedy the issues.

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First, the official workarounds: Microsoft says you can uninstall any problematic apps that integrate with Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Calendar to prevent the issue from occurring. Of course, if you rely on these apps, that’s not a suitable workaround. Instead, try removing these items from startup, which you can manage from Settings > Apps > Startup. Be on the lookup for updates or guidance from the developers of these apps, too.

You can also try the following scripts to fix the issues as they pop-up, although Microsoft says they won’t prevent the issues from occurring in the future. The next time Start, search, or UWP apps give you trouble, open a Powershell prompt, then run: .\FixUserShellFolderPermissions.ps1. If the script can’t access the registry key, open an elevated Powershell prompt and run: FixUserShellFolderPermissions.ps1 -allprofiles. If a particular app doesn’t run, run this script: FixUserShellFolderPermissions.ps1 -register.

If none of those work for the Start menu, Microsoft has a laundry list of general troubleshooting steps, including checking that Start is installed, making sure Start is running, and installing the latest updates.

But remember: Microsoft is working on a patch. Be sure to install the latest update whenever it hits your PC.

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