17 h. ago From Pong to Wii Sports: the surprising legacy of tennis in gaming history

From the lab-born Tennis for Two to the console classics of Nintendo and Sega, the sport has been a constant, foundational force in gaming’s riseWith Wimbledon under way, I am going to grasp the opportunity to make a perhaps contentious claim: tennis is the most important sport in the history of video games.Sure, nowadays the big sellers are EA Sports FC, Madden and NBA 2K, but tennis has been foundational to the industry. It was a simple bat-and-ball game, created in 1958 by scientist William Higinbotham at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, that is widely the considered the first ever video game created purely for entertainment. Tennis for Two ran on an oscilloscope and was designed as a minor diversion for visitors attending the lab’s annual open day, but when people started playing, a queue developed that eventually extended out of the front door and around the side of the building. It was the first indication that computer games might turn out to be popular....

Politics

19 h. ago Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation, says report

Water shortages hitting crops, energy and health as crisis gathers pace amid climate breakdownDrought is pushing tens of millions of people to the edge of starvation around the world, in a foretaste of a global crisis that is rapidly deepening with climate breakdown.More than 90 million people in eastern and southern Africa are facing extreme hunger after record-breaking drought across many areas, ensuing widespread crop failures and the death of livestock. In Somalia, a quarter of the population is now edging towards starvation, and at least a million people have been displaced. Continue reading...

Economics

19 h. ago Eminem, AI and me: why artists need new laws in the digital age | Alexander Hurst

I can’t can’t quote a single line from a song in my book. So how can big tech legally feast on all the lyrics ever written?In the 74,833 words of a book I am writing, there are six words that, when strung together in a specific 12-word sequence, I cannot say. It’s a single line from the song Bloodbuzz Ohio by the National, which goes: “I still owe money to the money to the money I owe.”My book is a memoir about the psychological toll that what I term “desperation capitalism” took on millennials in particular, and how it pushed tens of millions of people to try to find a way out of financial precarity by engaging in high-risk financial activity. It’s told through the lens of my own experience of falling deeper and deeper under the spell as I spent 11 months trading a few thousand dollars into more than $1.2m, and then 18 months chasing my losses all the way down to zero. Well, more than zero, in fact, since by the end I owed the US government nearly $100,000 in taxes on phantom gains...

Politics

28 h. ago Teen bullies in Tennessee may be banned from driving under new law

The new law is part of Tennessee lawmakers’ push to address bullying

Events

4 d. ago Novak Djokovic confident Wimbledon is his ‘best chance’ of extending slam record

24-time winner reached semis in Melbourne and ParisSinner plays down split from trainer and physioNovak Djokovic believes that this year’s Wimbledon likely represents his best chance of winning a record-extending 25th grand slam title as he tries to disrupt the dominance established by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the biggest tournaments in the world.“I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play at Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform the best tennis at the highest level,” said Djokovic. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How Sonay Kartal’s rise is pushing British women’s tennis to new heights

Sonay Kartal fell to a 6-1, 6-3 defeat at the hands of world No. 15 Amanda Anisimova, but has plenty of positives to take from an historic week in women’s tennis

Politics

4 w. ago ‘Not enough’ landlords to cater to students and immigrants, Paragon boss warns

High demand among tenants versus a lack of available homes is pushing up rental prices, Nigel Terrington said.

Events