Blowing purple clouds

The Ta Xua natural park, located in northwestern part of Vietnam, has recently appealed to many tourists as an impressive and mesmerizing place to explore. Nestled in Son La Province, the area has been known as one of the best places to observe clouds, take impressive pictures and get a “taste" of Vietnam’s nature. Ta Xua was name a reserved area in 2002, covering over 42,000 hectares. The center of the area is 1,500-2,000 meters above sea level. Many youngsters choose to drive to Ta Xua by motorbike – one of the most popular forms of backpacking among Vietnamese youth. According to many, the most memorable part of the road from Hanoi to Ta Xua would be from Bac Yen Village to Ta Xua Mountain, which is also the last part of the route before reaching the beautiful natural park. A village in Ta Xua is covered with blossoming flowers in the spring of 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre This part of the road consists of many steep hills which challenge tourists’ driving skills … [Read more...] about Distinctively Vietnamese: Ta Xua Mountains surrounded by clouds

General Motors is launching a new in-car mapping service for nearly 1 million of its vehicles. The new service is called Maps Plus, and it will be powered by Mapbox , the open-source-based map provider that competes against Google and Here for enterprise deals for customized and in-app maps. In addition to in-car navigation, Maps Plus will also integrate with other popular apps, including music streaming services like Spotify or voice assistants like Alexa, which will appear as individual widgets superimposed over the map. While plotting a destination, Maps Plus will also notify the driver of the current speed limit or if they will need to refuel along the way. Maps Plus is designed for vehicle owners who didn’t purchase the option for in-car navigation when they bought their vehicle, said Tim Babbitt, senior manager for digital experiences at GM. While a “significant percentage” of people do opt for navigation, there are vehicle packages that generally don’t include it, he … [Read more...] about GM rolls out a new cloud-based mapping service for nearly 1 million vehicles

A simple but quietly captivating 3D collectathon with a gorgeous setting. I stumbled into Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight after 30 more-or-less consecutive hours of Outriders, a game of ceaseless killing and looting. Mopping the guts from my face and shaking flattened bullets from my coat, I peered woozily at the opening shot of an airship trundling down the seashore and all but burst into tears. If you're looking for an attractive 3D fantasy world that doesn't require a moment-to-moment tithe of blood, this is your game. The work of Tokyo-based indie nocras with a score from Youtube star Ujico*, it's essentially an idle afternoon or two in the daydreaming mind of a seasoned triple-A artist, whose credits include Zelda and Final Fantasy - a distillation of lessons learned while composing geography and architecture for grander, more combative experiences. It's explicitly designed to be low-key, with no threats, no player death and no major goals beyond collecting things - an … [Read more...] about Tasomachi review – Breath of the Wild’s sky-faring little sister

Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag In a major blow to national vaccination efforts, the FDA and CDC recommended suspending the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID vaccine because at least six people had developed severe blood clots after receiving it. The affected vaccine recipients were all between the ages of 18 and 48, with the clots showing up 6 to 13 days after immunization. One woman died, and one is in critical condition. The agencies will investigate whether the issue is more widespread, but for now at least, those who suffered a poor reaction represent a miniscule percentage of the near 7 million Americans who have received the shot. The government’s decision immediately set off a debate about the wisdom of halting a vaccine’s usage over what appears to be such a rare reaction. In a joint statement , the FDA and CDC said that  “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” but that “We are recommending a pause in the use … [Read more...] about U.S. to Pause J&J Vaccine Rollout After Rare Blood-Clot Reaction

Employers’ zero-tolerance drug policies trump Colorado’s medical marijuana laws, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday. In a 6-0 decision, the high court affirmed lower court rulings that businesses can fire employees for the use of medical marijuana — even if it’s off-duty. With the ruling, which was a blow to some medical marijuana patients and a sigh of relief to employers, Colorado became the first state to provide guidance on a gray area of the law. The decision came nine months after the state’s highest court heard oral arguments in Brandon Coats’ case against Dish Network. Coats became quadriplegic in a car accident and used marijuana to control leg spasms. He had a medical marijuana card and consumed pot off-duty. He was fired in 2010 after failing a random drug test. Coats, who was a customer service representative for Dish, challenged the Douglas County satellite TV company’s zero-tolerance drug policy, claiming that his use was legal under state law. His … [Read more...] about Colorado Supreme Court: Employers can fire for off-duty pot use