Sword of Dungeons and Dragons by artist Chris RahnImage: Wizards of the Coast | Chris Rahn
Wizards of the Coast, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, announced today that they will no longer be pursuing deauthorization of the Open Gaming License 1.0a, abandoning plans previously stated in the drafted OGL 1.2. This statement comes after relentless fan backlash against the decision to deauthorize that was revealed after io9 reported on a leaked OGL 1.1. After three weeks of near constant pressure, it appears as if Wizards of the Coast is fully paying attention to the fanbase.
The deauthorization of the OGL 1.0a was a huge sticking point for fans and third party publishers who made a living using the license that was granted nearly two decades ago. Opinions varied on whether or not Wizards of the Coast could even legally deauthorize, with many people, including Ryan Dancey, vocally arguing that it was never intended to be deauthorized and the very act of doing so was not built into the legal wording of the license.
Brink said in the statement that “these live survey results are clear. You want OGL 1.0a. You want irrevocability. You like Creative Commons.” This sentiment was expressed so overwhelmingly in the playtest OGL 1.2 that Wizards of the Coast had to pay attention. Originally they were going to keep the playtest open for two weeks, however Brink writes, “the feedback is in such high volume and its direction is so plain that we’re acting now.”
The concessions D&D makes in this announcement are huge: they will not attempt to deauthorize the OGL 1.0a, they are putting the entirety of the Systems Reference Document for D&D 5.1 into the Creative Commons, and they are abandoning its previously-stated intentions for Virtual Tabletops.
One thing to note is that Brink states that putting the entire 400-page SRD into the Creative Commons means that fans don’t need to “take [Dungeons & Dragons’] word for it.” That Brink would explicitly acknowledge the lack of trust between fans and publishers and Wizards of the Coast is incredible.
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Finally, the company finished the statment with an olive branch, publishing the SRD immediately, and stating, “Here’s a PDF of SRD 5.1 with the Creative Commons license. By simply publishing it, we place it under an irrevocable Creative Commons license. We’ll get it hosted in a more convenient place next week. It was important that we take this step now, so there’s no question.”
[Editor’s Note: This article is part of the developing story. The information cited on this page may change as the breaking story unfolds.]
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
New research casts doubt on certain claimed benefits of intermittent fasting, finding no link between a person’s timing of meals and their chances of long-term weight loss. The frequency and size of people’s meals, however, was linked to modest changes in weight.
Scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recruited adult patients from one of three major health care systems to use an app (“Daily 24”) where they would report their sleeping and eating habits for up to six months. These reports were then used as a barometer for people’s routine eating and sleeping behavior. The researchers also kept track of the volunteers’ health outcomes, including weight, before and after the study began through their electronic medical records. About 550 people used the app during the study period, and the researchers were able to track these people’s weight over an average length of six years.
The team found no significant association between the timing of meals and annual changes in weight in their study sample. People who reported skipping breakfast or taking long breaks between meals, for instance, didn’t noticeably lose or gain any more weight on average than those who didn’t do that. The findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
This type of study is known as observational research, which can only be used to find correlations between two variables, not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship. And this study in particular wasn’t measuring what might happen to people who newly decide to start intermittent fasting, but rather the possible effects of someone’s regular eating habits on their weight over time. That said, several small trials, including one published last April, have tracked people as they started dieting and have found that intermittent fasting may not provide any added weight loss over a typical eating schedule.
“Based on other studies that have come out, including ours, we are starting to think that timing of meals through the day most likely doesn’t immediately result in weight loss,” lead author Wendy Bennett, an associate professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins, told CNN.
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Bennett and other researchers studying the topic have cautioned that their results don’t necessarily rule out that intermittent fasting can have some unique positives. It’s possible that some populations, such as those with type 2 diabetes, could experience greater weight loss than they would otherwise while fasting. And for some people, intermittent fasting might simply be easier or preferable as a way to keep track of their eating.
Still, for those who are trying to diet, these findings suggest that there are other patterns they should be more mindful about than timing. The study found that people who ate more frequent medium or large meals during the day gained modest amounts of weight over time (up to two pounds a year linked to every extra meal a day on average). Conversely, eating many small meals throughout the day was linked to a small amount of annual weight loss.
It’s the new year and everybody’s on a diet—I mean, a wellness journey. Whether you want to lose weight or not is none of my business, but I do beg you to please, please let all the following silly weight loss “hacks” die. Many of them verge on disordered eating behaviors, while others are just ways to make yourself miserable for no reason.
(By the way, if you feel like your relationship with food is out of control, the National Eating Disorders Association has a screening tool, helpline, and more resources here.)
Smaller plates don’t make us eat less
This one is a classic: Serving yourself on a smaller plate is supposed to make a small amount of food look bigger. Therefore, you’ll eat less food overall, and eventually lose weight.
But our brains and bodies are too smart to actually be tricked by that. The idea that smaller plates promote smaller portions came from a lab that was later found to be engaging in sketchy research practices. Other labs ran their own plate size experiments and found that people usually don’t eat less when given smaller plates. What’s more, we get better at estimating portion sizes when we’re hungry. The small plate hack wasn’t fooling us after all.
Drinking a glass of water isn’t going to satisfy your hunger
There’s a common healthy eating tip that says if you’re hungry, you should have a big glass of water, because sometimes our bodies can’t tell hunger and thirst cues apart.
But there’s no evidence that this is true, or that drinking a glass of water will help. One of the oft-cited papers on hunger, thirst, eating, and drinking found that we actually get a little hungrier after drinking—so even if it were true that our bodies mix up the signals, the proposed solution isn’t likely to help.
Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with drinking a glass of water if you think you might like one, whether you’re hungry or not. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that hunger pangs are your body telling you that you’re thirsty. Your body knows the difference between food and water, okay? That’s why you haven’t starved or dehydrated to death yet.
It’s not necessarily a good idea to eat like a bodybuilder
There’s a stereotype about bodybuilders eating nothing but chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli out of little plastic containers. They eat with discipline and end up shredded, so this must be a healthy meal choice, right?
While it can be a fine meal if you enjoy it, this combination is not the best or only way to meal prep—especially if you aren’t a fan of the individual components. Chicken breast and rice are both notoriously unforgiving when it comes to meal prep, anyway. They tend to dry out, especially if you prepare them without marinades or sauces.
So ditch your idea of what healthy food looks like, and make a plan that involves foods you actually enjoy. Upgrade to chicken thighs, learn to use a good marinade, throw that dry rice in a waffle maker, or just make an entirely different recipe. It’s okay for food to taste good.
Oh, and while we’re discussing bodybuilder habits: no, eating many small meals does not “boost” your metabolism.
It’s a diet, not a lifestyle change
This last one isn’t so much a hack as an oft-repeated platitude: “It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change.” If you’re trying to lose weight, please do not make this a lifelong process. Dieting is the act of deliberately undernourishing yourself. If you want or need to do it for a short time, then own that choice, and do it in the healthiest manner you’re able. But once you’ve lost some weight, get back to fully nourishing your body again.
After all, it would not be healthy or smart to lose weight forever. Since the way we lose weight is by eating fewer calories than we burn, the exact meals and habits that help us lose weight are not going to be the ones that help us maintain our ideal weight once we get there. At the very least, you’ll have to increase your portions.
So if you feel like your current diet or habits need to change, make sure to separate out what should change in general (example: cook at home more often) and what should change temporarily (example: smaller portions). Healthy eating and undereating are not at all the same thing.
With so much of our culture hyper-focused on what a person eats (and what a person weighs), it can be hard to define what “overeating” actually is—and when that overeating becomes a bigger problem. Do you simply have a big appetite, or are you actually struggling with an eating disorder? Here’s how to decipher the differences between regular overeating and the more serious binge eating disorder.
What is binge eating disorder?
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, binge eating disorder is severe and can be life-threatening but is also treatable. It’s characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food. This is typically done very quickly and to the point of feeling uncomfortable. Other characteristics of BED include a feeling of loss of control during the binge and shame or guilt after it. Notably, bulimia involves unhealthy compensatory measures like purging after a binge, while BED does not.
BED is recognized in the DSM-5, but its addition to the diagnostic manual as its own disorder is relatively recent. Prior to 2013, it was considered a subtype of OSFED, or “other specified feeding and eating disorder.” Now, it’s the most common eating disorder in America.
Diagnostic criteria include the following:
Eating within a discrete time period an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in that time period under similar circumstances
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
Eating more rapidly than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large amounts when not hungry, eating alone because of embarrassment over how much is being consumed, and feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty afterward (note that three of these must be present for a diagnosis)
Marked distress regarding bingeing
The binge occurs, on average, at least once a week for three months
The binge eating is not associated with inappropriate compensatory behaviors like purging and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa
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How is binge eating disorder different from overeating?
According to Healthline, BED is a medical condition, and overeating is not. BED is also associated with other psychological symptoms like depression and anxiety.
Another primary difference between the two is the feeling of distress or shame that comes with BED and its related behaviors. If you occasionally overeat, but you don’t feel distressed or guilty about it afterward, it’s unlikely you have BED. Next time you overeat, take note of what is going on. If you are doing it alone to hide your behavior, feeling out of control when it’s happening, and feeling ashamed afterward, you could have BED and should consider talking to a mental health professional.
(Here is how to find a good therapist even if you don’t have insurance, and here are warning signs your child may have BED.)
What can be done about BED?
If you end up with a diagnosis, here’s what you need to know: First, getting the diagnosis is a good thing, as BED can cause health complications like asthma, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure in addition to mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
Second, there are treatments available. Typically, people with BED will be treated with some kind of psychotherapy or counseling and there will be a medical or nutritional component, too. To figure out what kind of treatment you need, your mental health professional will consider emotional factors and the severity of your BED. Therapy can help address the underlying causes of the disorder, and medicine can help regulate your eating habits.
The Day Before is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam, but it’s attracting attention for a very different reason. The studio currently uses “volunteers” who are paid with “participation certificates” and free codes, which are, you know, great for paying rent.
“Fntastic’s culture is based on the idea of volunteering,” says the studio’s official website. “This means that every Fntastic member is a volunteer.” However, some developers are more volunteer than others. Full time volunteers are paid a salary, while part-time volunteers who work on translation and community moderating are paid in participation certificates and game codes. However, the studio also encouraged these unpaid workers to “offer unique skills to improve our projects or create new special features.”
The studio explained to Well Played that the unpaid aspect “does not relate to code writing or development itself… just things like localization and moderation.” Apparently, those jobs aren’t considered to be a part of game development at Fntastic, even though they very much are at AAA studios. It’s also a little worrying that they’re willing to use unpaid part-timers to contribute features for an open world MMO, a type of game that is famously simple and easy to make. No, not really.
So what’s the rationale behind not paying people to work on one of the most highly anticipated PC games out there? According to its YouTube video, “Being a volunteer means that you willingly take part in working for a common cause…Volunteering means that in every action you take, you bring a certain pleasantness.” Kotaku reached out to ask if Fntastic had negative experiences with traditional employees, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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The Day Before is a zombie survival MMO that utilizes realistic environments during combat and co-op features. On May 5, IGN reported that The Day Before would be delayed to March 1, 2023 to accommodate for its shift to Unreal Engine 5.
The pandemic has not been kind to anyone’s mental health and, unfortunately, children’s mental health crises have been on the rise, including eating disorders. While anorexia, or a fear of gaining weight that usually presents as a restriction of food, is the eating disorder most talked about, binge eating disorder can also negatively impact your child’s life, causing life-long health problems. Here’s what to look for—and what to do—if you suspect your child may have binge eating disorder.
What are the signs of binge eating disorder?
The National Eating Disorder Association, which has a helpline and provides resources for those who need support for all types of eating disorders, defines binge eating disorder (BED), as “recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterwards; and not regularly using unhealthy compensatory measures (e.g., purging) to counter the binge eating.” They say it’s the most common eating disorder in the U.S. and it is recognized in the DSM, which is used to categorize mental illness (and get your insurance to pay for treatment).
Body checking (looking at the mirror or in windows at themselves frequently)
Fear of or seeming uncomfortable eating around others
Missing food around the house or large amounts of wrappers/containers
Hoarding or hiding large quantities of preferred food
Attempts to conceal excessive food consumption
Dieting or new food habits or fads (i.e., veganism, cutting out carbs, etc)
Signals that the child is unable to stop the excessive food consumption
Food rituals (eating only at certain times or certain foods)
Disruption of normal eating habits (eating throughout the day instead of at mealtimes, eating alone)
Withdrawal from friends or activities
Please keep in mind that your child, especially a teenager, might gain a significant amount of weight around puberty and it is not necessarily a sign that they are binging, sometimes children grow taller before they grow wider or vice versa. Be careful not to impose your own possible disordered eating behaviors on your child and check in with your own body image bias.
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What to do if you think your child has BED
Dr. Bill Hudenko, Global Head of Mental Health at K Health, says if you are concerned about your child having disordered eating behavior, “It is important to reach out to a pediatrician, nutritionist, or a mental health provider to determine if your child might meet criteria for binge eating disorder. In addition to the negative impacts that this disorder may have on your child’s body, early intervention will likely result in better treatment before the behaviors become too entrenched.”
The long-term effects of eating disorders include mental health implications, such as anxiety and depression, and life-long physical consequences such as metabolic health issues and cardiovascular health problems. Early treatment is vital.
After diagnosis
If your child is diagnosed with BED, Hudenko says, “It is difficult to treat eating disorders because we all need food to survive. This of course means that you can’t eliminate eating all together, but rather you must work to alter the child’s eating habits to result in a healthier pattern.”
While you may have to try a few different treatments to find the one that works best for your child and family, Hudenko says, the “ideal treatment for binge eating disorder would involve consultation with a well-trained mental health provider who can help the family to evaluate their food culture. Interventions would likely include restricting access to some foods that are typically used to binge, development of alternate coping mechanisms if food is used to manage stress, and learning to slow the pace of eating while reading body signals of satiety.”
Many parents nowadays came from the age of low-fat and fad diets. We hope to spare our children the pain and heartache of our years of hating our bodies and wishing to be something else. By checking in on our kids and making sure to stay on top of potential eating disorders, we are giving them the gift of body acceptance and love that they can carry with them into adulthood.
In a recent tournament match, a Call of Duty: Vanguard player was accused of cheating. In an attempt to clear his name, the player shared off-screen footage of his gameplay, in which you could clearly see…that he was cheating.
Kenji, a streamer and casual semi-pro who has been competing in the Checkmate Gaming competition, was playing in a 2v2 match when his opponents claimed he was using wallhacks, a cheat that lets players see opponents and objects through walls.
As Dexerto report, Kenji tried to prove his innocence by setting up an off-monitor cam to record his gameplay. Which…clearly recorded his use of wallhacks, which you can see in the top-left corner of the screen (a yellow rectangle) a few seconds into the video below:
Kenji was banned from Checkmate Gaming not long after the video surfaced, and has since nuked his entire Twitch and Twitter accounts. As PC Gamerreport, he has also subsequently been banned from another competition he was taking part in, the College CoD League, who have not just punished Kenji but have also disqualified his teammates “until the beginning of the 2023 Season”. The College CoD League’s full statement is below:
After an investigation into Kenji of Grand Canyon University, CCL has determined that 3rd party software to alter the game is currently installed in violation of the CCL Handbook section 4.2.4, and the following action is being taken.
Kenji
Kenji is permanently banned from the CCL.
Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University is disqualified from the rest of the 2022 season and post-season. All GCU players listed below that competed alongside Kenji are banned until the beginning of the 2023 Season and may return to competition in the 2023 Season. All Main league matches will be overturned to be forfeit wins for the opposing teams.
Kloh
JamzSZN
Selviz
Tnka
Grand Canyon University Academy
The GCU Academy team will be permitted to continue competing in the Academy league and their record will not be affected, though Tnka will not be permitted to continue competing with them.
Activision made a huge deal last year about its implementation of Ricochet anti-cheating tech across the series, which can’t be working that well if the only way this guy was caught was by playing himself.
We’ve reached out to Checkmate Gaming for comment.
When I first joined TikTok in 2020, I couldn’t go a day without seeing videos about abusive narcissists, whether in the form of “toxic” exes, or emotionally absent parents. While narcissists obviously do exist, the content was so prevalent that you’d be forgiven for thinking narcissists were as common as people named Bob. Narcissism had become the new “OCD”—that is, another clinical term people often misuse to mean “I keep my office really organized, and I like to match my paper clips to my push pins.”
Two years later, it’s nearly impossible to go on social media without seeing one of the following: ADHD, gaslight, trauma, anxiety, neuro-divergent, or trigger (a descendant of trigger warning).
Mental health awareness matters, but with more digital creators making therapy-adjacent mental health content, clinical psychological terms are being thrown around so casually as to obfuscate their actual meanings. And while speaking openly about mental health issues can be a clear positive, as Australian publisher Zee Feed writes, “the overuse of clinical terms on social media risks pathologizing behavior and turning lived experience into content trends.”
On the Sci Show, science communicator Hank Green agreed, “Mental health professionals point out that using diagnostic terms as misplaced metaphors for odd behavior, personality traits, or even changes in the stock market ultimately minimizes serious conditions and the people who have them.”
Here’s a look at some of the most commonly—and wrongly—used psychological terms, and what they do—and more importantly do not—mean.
ADHD: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is “an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.” It is not simply being absentminded, forgetting to call people back, or having a perpetually messy car.
Gaslighting: Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse that causes the victim to question their own sanity. In gaslighting, the abuser convinces the victim their version of events never happened, and manipulates them into believing they’re overly sensitive or mentally unstable. Gaslighting is not when someone doesn’t agree with your opinion and tries to convince you of theirs, thinks you’re upset when you’re really not, or a girlboss.
Narcissistic abuser: According to Insider, narcissistic personality disorder is a diagnosable condition that affects 0.5 to 1% of the population. It’s characterized by controlling, invading privacy, socially isolating, verbally abusing, and instilling fear in the victim. A narcissist is not someone who hurt your feelings or ghosted you on Tinder.
OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is “a disorder in which people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions)…that can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities.” It is not vacuuming a lot, moving your bedroom furniture around, or re-organizing your fridge on a whim because you can’t stand the sight of it.
Trigger: A trigger is something that reminds a person of a traumatic experience, whether it be abuse, an eating disorder, substance use, an accident, or some other form of trauma. Saying “I’m triggered” is often used tongue-in-cheek; as in “this picture of a woman’s perfect boyfriend bringing her breakfast in bed is triggering me.” But triggers are reminders of traumatic experiences, not something that just makes you feel uncomfortable, anxious, angry, or inadequate.
Anxiety: Per the Mayo Clinic, anxiety disorder is characterized by “intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations.” Often they involve sudden feeling of fear or terror (panic attacks). Do we all experience anxiety sometimes? Yes. But there’s no need to chalk up how you’re feeling before a presentation, party, or waiting in line to “anxiety.” What you’re experiencing is nerves and impatience.
Trauma: Perhaps there is no word more overused online than “trauma.” As psychology professor Nick Haslam wrote for the Chicago Tribune, people are “traumatized” by high-profile jury verdicts, “Trump 2016 slogans,” even their curly, frizzy hair. (I once posted a TikTok video about pouring water over my child’s head during a bath and received numerous comments from people who were “traumatized” by water on their face as a child.)
Trauma is, according to the American Psychological Association, “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster” characterized by shock, denial, “unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.” Trauma is not being made to eat vegetables when you were little, or getting water in your eyes while being bathed.
This week, the kids are spreading a tic-disorder through social media, pretending to get arrested, and using furry-porn to fight COVID disinformation. Everything is extremely normal.
This week in mystery ailments: Gen Z girls are developing tics and no one knows why
Gen Z is developing “Tourette’s-like tics” at an alarming rate, and no one is sure why. These rapid-onset tic-like behaviors are so widespread, researchers are calling it “a parallel pandemic.”
Unlike traditional Tourette’s, which is largely suffered by males and generally presents at around age six, the subjects of this new disorder are almost exclusively girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25. They also present more complex tics than most people with Tourette’s, including, “hitting/punching self or family members, clicking, whistling, repeating a wide range of random and/or bizarre words or phrases, and blurting out obscenities.”
Many think the phenomena is a kind of mass sociogenic illness (it would have been called “mass hysteria” in the past). The theory is that denizens of TikTok and YouTube make videos of themselves ticcing, then viewers develop those same tics. Many TicTokers’ tics include blurting out the word “beans,” a behavior first seen on influencer Evie Field’s TikTok, an influencer who’s internet-famous for detailing her Tourette’s symptoms and seizure disorders. According to experts, 18 months of staying inside, plus the stress of COVID, may be contributing factors too.
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If you want to dive down the rabbit hole of what might be a mass sociogenic illness spread via social media or might be kids acting goofy for clicks (the opinion of my teenage niece), check out some of these“TicTok” hashtags—unless you’re afraid (beans) of developing tics of your own.
TikTok trend of the week: White dudes pretending to be arrested
While the young ladies of TikTok are spreading tics to one another, the young gentlemen are pretending to get arrested. It started with “thirst-trap” TikToker Gage Bills. (Thirst traps are a whole thing where good-looking guys make vids for women to drool over, like a post-modern version of 1950’s TV show The Continental.)In the video, Billsreenacts a scene from Netflix’s Outer Banks. Dressed in a tank top, Gage is slammed against a wall while lights flash, he then stares hunkily at the camera and mouths “I love you.”
Whether this is erotic or cringe-inducing depends on your point of view, but either way, over 21 million people watched it. This led to imitations, parodies, and a ton of “OMG, you dorks are so corny” comments.
Along with revealing the tastelessness and class/race-privilege obliviousness of white dudes, the POV arrest trend also reveals the huge gulf in talent between working actors and online-influencers. I’m glad they have a hobby, but these TikTok dudes couldn’t land a gig on a Canadian soap opera.
This week on Reddit: Anti-vax sub banned, furry porn destroys Ivermectin, ghouls celebrate COVID
There is so much COVID-related drama on Reddit. Last week, users and moderators called for the ban of vaccine disinformation subreddit r/nonewnormal. Reddit responded by saying it would not ban the board to preserve important “dissent and debate.” This week, Reddit pulled a 180, banned NNN, and clarified its policy on COVID denialism. Really sticking by your ideals, Reddit.
In other Reddit-COVID news: r/ivermectin, a board dedicated to the idea that people should fight COVID by taking a de-worming medicine usually given to livestock, was overrun with users posting porn images of sexy horses, horsemen, and horsewomen. The influx of furry porn drowned out all the healthy dissent and debate, earned the sub a “not safe for work” designation, and eventually a site-wide quarantine. This is a win for the nation’s angry “Just get vaccinated already, you dumb-dumbs” majority as well as furries everywhere.
Meanwhile, COVID subreddit “Herman Cain Award” is blowing up on Reddit. The board is a celebration of “I-told-ya-so” with users gleefully submitting the anti-mask and vaccine Facebook posts of COVID deniers, followed by their coronavirus death notices. It’s dark, morbid, and sad, but I gotta admit it’s funny that 90 percent of dead COVID-deniers are overweight white guys with bloatees and Oakley’s.
More COVID news: Joe Rogan tests poz
In related instant karma, after publicly downplaying the necessity of the vaccine in the past, lunkheaded podcast host Joe Rogan announced he has COVID.
“Just to be cautious, I separated from my family, slept in a different part of the house, and throughout the night I got fevers and sweats. And I knew what was going on,” Rogan said in a video posted on Instagram. “So I got up in the morning, got tested—and turns out I got covid.”
Surprising no one, Rogan revealed he’s treating the disease with horse-deworming medicine along with other drugs, a practice to which the medical community has emphatically said “neigh.”
Viral video of the week: Milk crate challenge meets gender reveal
A video posted by @SamSanders on Twitter this week mashes two recent viral genres—gender reveals and the milk crate challenge—with hilariously disastrous results. As is expected with the genre, the crate-daredevil climbs his personal Everest only to fall, spilling the blue powder everywhere and revealing that it is going to be a boy. Smelling a bamboozle, I forwarded the clip to my wife, who knows everything.
“As a professional costumer and a mom, I’m sure the woman’s pregnancy belly isn’t real,” she said. “The whole thing is obviously fake. But, as a comedian, that video is hilarious.”
This week in personal opinions: DaBaby still exists
I don’t have a place for this in my column, but I wanted to point you to this video of DaBaby’s “Essence” video. If I didn’t scour the earth for things kids like, I probably would have missed DaBaby altogether—I’m outside of the target market for sure. I don’t want that to happen to you though.
Ubisoft’s Skull & Bones, a Singapore-led project which began development in 2013Image: Ubisoft
The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), Singapore’s national workplace watchdog, has launched an investigation into Ubisoft’s local studio following allegations of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination.
AsThe Straits Times report, TAFEP began receiving its own anonymous reports late last month following the revelation that the studio’s office culture was so bad that:
“Ubisoft Singapore has always been kind of known [internally] to be one of the worst Ubisoft studios in terms of culture,” said one former developer at the publisher of Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. “People would visit [from other studios] and be like, ‘What the fuck is wrong here?’”
TAFEP is now urging “anyone with knowledge of any criminal conduct such as sexual harassment and assault to immediately report such incidents to the police”. As a national watchdog, the organisation has the power to force Ubisoft Singapore to change its workplace policies, and “employers may be tasked to carry out an investigation through interviews with affected parties and witnesses, and to review documented evidence.”
The Straits Times report also says the results of the investigation can be dealt with in one of two ways. In cases where “sexual misconduct involves criminal offences such as molestation”, the police will be involved, while on issues of workplace discrimination Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower can take punitive measures such as blocking Ubisoft’s ability to apply for (or renew) its work permits for foreign staff for a period of 12-24 months (which would impact 60% of the studio’s “expert and senior expert roles”).
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The investigation comes following reports that the company culture at Ubisoft Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Montpelier, and the headParis office have also been found to be rife with harassment.
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Image: Ubisoft
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