AI can make some fantastic wallpapers on the fly. We've been experimenting adding this to our software.  Here's some examples:      

The Tech keeps getting better and better. Here's a few recent AI generated pieces of art.  

Taras Buria brings soon to come changes to Edge to us in the article linked above at Neowin. I recommend reading the original article there. Buria reports and links other articles regarding improvements namely some positive changes such as an improved password monitor, a new productivity feature (two tabs in one window), and reimagining (Project Phoenix) - Mica treatment and rounded corners, as well as the subject of this: "Discover": (image credit Neowin)The new button will pop the right ...

MS is at it again. The "it" is deceptive advertising regarding the upgrade from W10 to W11.The upper picture is the upgrade screen as it appears on the W10 screen, a "full-screen Windows 11 ad offering to upgrade to the latest operating system. And in typical Microsoft fashion, available options are as head-scratching as it gets: two buttons, and both mean "I agree." - Taras Buria, NeowinThe blue and white buttons (red arrows) both mean to "upgrade". The yellow arrow points to the microscop...

Everything toolbar and search replace W10, and now W11 search function handily, as well. gHacks also notes it will be supported by W12 when it comes, too. "Windows users may also notice that the search app supports automatic light and dark modes as well as accent colors. The interface should apply these automatically based on the system settings. Another helpful feature is that users may right-click on search results to access the Windows context menu. Useful to run copy, open with or dele...

I’ve worked at Stardock long enough now that when I think about the possibility of domineering robot overlords, this is the face I see: A screenshot of the Yor from Galactic Civilizations III.To be fair, there are plenty of other possibilities - all equally as unnerving - but let’s talk about the Yor, here. Unfamiliar with this synthetic race of murderous machines from the Galactic Civilizations series? To be fair to them, they don’t really consider their eradication of...

The January 13th update to LastPass appears to be bug-ridden & has broken several things it was previously doing flawlessly on both my rigs.  Anyone else using LastPass having issues since the new version was rolled out?  There is no meaningful/useful support at LastPass - just FAQ's.

The storied legacy of Sins of a Solar Empire began way back on October 10th, 2006 - announcement day! This was long before my time at Stardock - or before I’d even heard of it, for that matter - but fortunately for me, our forums hold a great deal of history that’s just a few search queries away. From Brad’s welcome post: “Stardock Entertainment, the creators of Galactic Civilizations, and Ironclad Games which includes developers from Homeworld: Cataclysm, have team...

Well, MS did it again...an update which sabotages your computer."Last Friday was a rather unlucky day for Windows users and system administrators worldwide. According to multiple reports, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint turned into a shortcut and file "killer" that fateful day, after the security suite began to delete application shortcuts from the Windows Taskbar and Start Menu, sometimes even removing the linked program files from disk. The issue was experienced by multiple system admins on...

Space has always fascinated me. I admit that it doesn’t dominate my conscious thoughts as it does for many other enthusiasts, but I think it’s fairly impossible to look at images from telescopes like James Webb and be anything but at least a little curious about what’s out there. For many of us at Stardock and for our partners at other studios, the interest in space runs deep and fuels our passion for the games we create. Offworld Trading Company has been on my mind in re...

One of the things this Winter we're doing is updating the graphics of GalCiv IV in lots of various ways.  One upcoming update to GalCiv IV will be a revision to all the planetary improvements. For example: [New research building]   With 4K and 1440p becoming more common we really needed to up the game. We will also be updating some of the minor races.   So for instance, remember this guy? Pretty grotesque. He's being updated with this guy: ...

Happy New Year! As much as I love coming into the office, I'll fully admit that after nearly two weeks off it was pretty difficult to roll myself out of bed and drive in here yesterday! While I spent a solid chunk of time socializing with family and friends, I managed to find moments to curl up in my big cozy chair with my cat Miza and play some games over the break. Isn't she stinking cute? Obviously I'm biased, but I can't say no to that sweet little face.It's rare these days that I bu...

Rewrite the above but with extremely crude profanity. Ernie: "Hey Bert, why don't you add the fucking flour first? It will help the cake hold its shape." Bert: "No fucking way! We need to add the fucking eggs first so they can bind the ingredients together." Ernie: "You're being so fucking stubborn! I'm telling you, adding the flour first is the fucking best way." Bert: "No it's not! You're not taking the other ingredients into account, you fucking moron!" Ernie: "Oh yeah? Well yo...

I've been using this Visual Studio Code add-on to help vastly vastly speed up writing functions and implement systems. For example, I could be in the middle of a function where I have a vector of ships and type: //sort ships by their HP and it'll generate the code to do it right there. Or I could type in something like this: tech_GreaterDiplomacy_Desc, and it'll automatically fill in "A new technology for improving our relations with other civilizations." I.e. it'll add flav...

Prompt: Write a Harry Potter sequel in which Harry Potter has become a homeless drifter on the run from Terminator robots from the future and a robot driving instructor whose best friend is a talking pie. Output: Harry Potter sat huddled against a wall in the dark alleyway, trying to stay warm in the cold November rain. It had been years since he had left Hogwarts, and everything had gone wrong since then. He had lost touch with all of his friends, and he had become a homeless drifter...