Culture
Elder Scrolls Online’s Audio Director on Sending Gamers Straight to Hell (Or Oblivion, At Least)
As SPIN originally discussed with Elder Scrolls Online’s Creative Director, Rich Lambert, back in February, the latest expansion for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) sends players straight to Hell — or at least the Elder Scrolls version of it. But while the first glimpses of the Blackwood chapter were available back then, the full package wasn’t released to the public until recently. While it might not be quite as reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as the Morrowind chapter was of its predecessor, the central piece of the Gates of Oblivion year-long storyline brings players square into a confrontation with the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon. It’s a demonic adventure from another world, and serves as the perfect counter to much of Elder Sc...
US universities admit about 13,000 Nigerians yearly
US Embassy in South Africa The United States Consulate’s Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Stephen Ibelli, has disclosed that about 13, 000 Nigerian students are admitted in US annually. Ibelli made the disclosure yesterday during the launch of the ‘Windows on America’ Hub at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka. He described Nigerians as one of the most dominant immigrant groups in the US. He said that the ‘Windows on America’ hub was aimed at providing Nigerian youths with educational opportunities available in U.S.A “Windows on America” are free spaces that offer services to students to learn about how to study in the United States and how to apply for scholarships to study abroad. “The hub will help to promote mutual understanding between the US and great youths of Nigeria to access inf...
Canada leads call on China to allow Xinjiang access – statement
More than 40 countries urged China on Tuesday to allow the U.N. human rights chief immediate access to Xinjiang region to look into reports that more than a million people have been unlawfully detained there, some subjected to torture or forced labour. The joint statement on China was read out by Canadian Ambassador Leslie Norton on behalf of countries including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and the United States to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Beijing denies all allegations of abuse of Uyghurs and describes the camps as vocational training facilities to combat religious extremism. “Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and that there is widespread surveillance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other...
Senate: National Assembly won’t gag media
The Senate has said it was not possible for the 9th National Assembly to stiffen the media in Nigeria with its current amendments to the acts which established the National Broadcasting Commission and the Nigerian Press Council. The Spokesperson for the Senate, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, who gave the assurance on Monday, said the amendments to the acts and other relevant laws should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to gag the freedom of speech and free press in the country. Basiru spoke in an interview with journalists at the sidelines of a two-day capacity building training for Media Aides to Principal Officers of the National Assembly, organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja on Monday. Basiru said, “The freedom of speech is an inalienable right of ...
Music’s Last Great Sparks
Sparks have released a lot of albums across their five-decade career. Like, a lot of albums. There have been more than two dozen studio albums, a live album, and a chunk of compilations for good measure. It’s much more than just an impressive body of work, it’s a sheer marvel. It’s the kind of output that could only come from music lifers, whose dedication and artistic passion for pop music rivals the DNA bonds that tie together brother bandmates Ron and Russell Mael. Filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) certainly knows this, which is presumably why his long-awaited and lovingly crafted documentary The Sparks Brothers (in theaters June 18) offers a detailed examination of the band’s career and lasting influence on musicians and creatives (the film’s tagline is “yo...
IPC, NGO reject bill seeking to empower NBC to regulate DSTV, Startimes’ tariffs
A bill seeking to regulate tariff of digital satellite service providers was on Wednesday rejected by several participants at the public hearing on the bill. The bill, sponsored by Unyime Idem (PDP, Akwa-Ibom), seeks to give the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the powers to regulate the tariff charged by digital television platforms. The bill proposed that NBC “Regulates and review through broadcasting codes the tariff being charged by the digital satellite television services broadcasting in Nigeria and other subscription policy for subscribers.” If passed, digital satellite service providers like DSTV, StarTimes, TSTV, GOTV and others will have their subscriber fees regulated. It was first introduced to the House on March 19, 2020 and was consolidated with other NBC bills on the ...
In Immortals Fenyx Rising, Gareth Coker Finally Got the Chance to Score an ‘Over-The-Top, Epic’ Video Game
The last time SPIN interviewed Gareth Coker, he was promoting Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ release on the Nintendo Switch. A mere 9 months later, he’s won the SXSW Gaming Award for Excellence in Score for his work (adding to the three awards he picked up from the first Ori game), been nominated for two others, and watched as the title itself earned some of the highest awards and nominations in the industry. Oh, and then he also made his premiere on the latest generation of consoles with Ubisoft’s Immortals Fenyx Rising, a hefty RPG with a unique art style, personality, and setting based in ancient mythology. With Immortals’ three DLCs now released and the game considered a success on virtually every front, we sat down with Coker via Zoom again to discuss the title. [embedded content] SPI...
Spotify launches Clubhouse competitor Greenroom
Spotify’s live audio app, Greenroom, formally launches today on iOS and Android, marking the company’s first real attempt at creating a social media platform. The social audio app, which is similar to Clubhouse, allows users to host live conversations about sports, music, and culture. Today’s launch doesn’t come with a marquee creator announcement or specific event planned, but instead, the company is taking the opportunity to encourage people to sign up and figure out how they’ll want to use the app. Some of its core functionality, a person close to the situation says, will eventually make its way to the actual Spotify app, so the team will monitor what happens in Greenroom closely. The app is built on Locker Room, which Betty Labs created and Spotify acquired in March. That app focused s...
Minister: Why Twitter, other platforms must register to operate in Nigeria
The Federal Government says its directive that Over the Top (OTT) and social media platforms operating in the country must register and obtain license to operate is in conformity with global trend. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this on Friday when he featured on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme “Good Morning Nigeria’’ monitored by newsmen. NAN reports that the Federal Government recently suspended operations of Twitter and directed that all OTT and social media platforms operating in the country must register with Corporate Affairs Commission. The Federal Government said they must also apply for licensing with the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC). NAN reports that OTT media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via t...
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Flexes the PlayStation 5’s Muscle to a Score By Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh
With the PlayStation 5 still only slightly easier to obtain than invitations to the Roc Nation Brunch, it’s not a huge surprise that most games releasing on the console these days are also coming to the PS4 as well. But Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, isn’t one of those titles — nor could it ever be. Not unlike April’s Returnal, the latest title published by Sony takes full advantage of the new hardware’s exclusive features, like the lightning-fast SSD and ridiculous haptic feedback on the DualSense controllers. But while Housemarque was venturing into some completely uncharted territory with their new IP, this week’s major release sees Insomniac Games (Spyro, Spider-Man, Resistance) return to the series that put them on the map. As the 16th Ratchet & Clank title, Rift Apart builds up...
Michelle Zauner’s Crying In H Mart Memoir Is Becoming a Movie
Last week, Michelle Zauner released her third album as Japanese Breakfast, which came a few months after the release of her stunning memoir, Crying in H Mart. Now, that book is coming to the big screen. MGM’s Orion Pictures has acquired the film rights to the New York Times best selling memoir. There is no release date set for the film. The film version of Crying in H Mart will be produced by Stacey Sher and Jason Kim and Japanese Breakfast will provide the soundtrack for the film. “It is a surreal thrill to have the opportunity to memorialize my mother in film, and I consider it of the highest honor to pursue that task alongside creative luminaries such as Stacey Sher, Jason Kim and Orion Pictures,” Zauner said in a statement. Last week, we spoke with Zauner about...
Guatemalan president says graft fighter biased, ahead of Harris visit
Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei criticized the country’s best-known graft prosecutor for what he said was a left-wing politicization of the fight against corruption, a view at odds with strong U.S. backing for his work. Speaking in an interview with Reuters late on Tuesday, Giammattei nonetheless expressed hope that a visit to Guatemala next week by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will produce shared strategies to create prosperity in rural areas prone to emigration. Harris, a Democrat, is in charge of Washington efforts to tackle the causes of mass migration from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, collectively dubbed the Northern Triangle, including a focus on corruption and poor governance that she says limit opportunities. There is a $4 billion U.S. aid package to the reg...