Comment on Mortgage Rates Surge For Third Straight Week. Today's Mortgage Rates, Oct. 22, 2024

Surgery schedules around the country may be washed out for several more weeks while a crucial IV and sterile fluids factory remains shut down for hurricane-related damage. People often plan non-emergency surgeries in the fall and early-winter months when their insurance coverage will pick up more of the bill, but they may have to wait while health systems preserve supplies for emergencies. “It’s not great for patients, but it’s kind of doing the most good with what you have,” said Erin Fox, associate chief pharmacy officer at University of Utah Health. The federal government and medical suppliers have taken several steps to help ease the supply crunch created by Hurricane Helene, which forced Baxter International to close its North Carolina plant late last month. But experts say supplies are still choppy, and improvements will take time.

Grand opening day for Epic Universe theme park will be May 22, Universal Orlando announced Thursday morning. And the first phase of its ticket sales will begin next week, the company confirmed. Epic’s first day of operation will be the Thursday that leads into Memorial Day weekend of 2025. “This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe next year,” Karen Irwin, president and chief operating officer of Universal Orlando Resort, said in a news release Thursday. Step one of Epic ticket sales begin Tuesday and be limited to specific multiday tickets and vacation packages with three, four or five days admission to Universal parks — but with a limit of one day at Epic Universe. Conceptual aerial map of Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park in Florida.

AI start up Perplexity has been accused of a “massive copyright violation” by two News Corp publishers this week. The New York Post and Dow Jones & Co, which publishes the Wall Street Journal, claim that the company is breaking the Copyright Act with its answer engine feature. What is Perplexity AI? Founded in 2022, Perplexity is an AI search engine.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, while looking to reinvent some of the formula, is also revisiting some of the classic features fans of the franchise know and love. One of these is the Prestige system, something that has had a few switch ups in recent years, and Treyarch is taking it back to the glory days. Here is what we know about the Black Ops 6 Prestige system and all the fancy new Prestige icons that really entice you into making the jump to the next level. How the Black Ops 6 Prestige system works Treyarch has opted to return to the Classic Prestige system of old for Black Ops 6, with ten prestiges to make it through. This means you’ll have to reach level 55, choose to prestige if you want to, and then do it all over again to progress. While you might be familiar with this system, there are a couple of tweaks that make it feel fresh and interesting. The main one of these is Prestige Master which can be accessed after completing all ten prestiges. When you reach level 55 at tenth prestige, the grind doesn’t stop as you’ll be able to keep going all the way up to level 1000, gaining exclusive rewards as you progress. This means if you want to get all rewards that are available to you, you’ll have to put some serious hours in. What happens when you prestige in Black Ops 6? Since the Classic Prestige system is back, when you choose to prestige, you’ll need to be aware as to what you’ll lose. Here is what happens when you prestige in Black Ops 6: Your Player Level resets to Level 1. All Level Unlocks (weapons, equipment, Scorestreaks) are relocked, and you’ll need to unlock them again as you level up. Your Loadouts will reset. Your stats, like your Elimination/Death Ratio, will reset, but your Lifetime Career stats remain accessible. However, even though you lose access to all of the weapons you’ve unlocked, there is one saving grace – the Permanent Unlock Token. Each time you Prestige, you receive a Permanent Unlock, which allows you to unlock any item that is normally locked behind a level requirement. For instance, if you want to unlock the Kompakt 92 SMG, which normally requires reaching Level 49, you can use your Permanent Unlock to access it immediately. You’ll receive ten Permanent Unlocks in total, one for each Prestige level, so it’s important to think carefully about how you use them.

The National Health Service (NHS) in England has received the green light to use AI scans to check over X-rays. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published draft guidance today (Oct. 22) recommending the use of four different AI tools. TechCare Alert (for all ages), Rayvolve (for adults only), BoneView, and RBfracture (for anyone older than two) could be used in urgent care to ensure doctors don’t miss fractures.

As reported here on Readwrite Gaming just the other day, Moza Racing is to release a co-branded Essenza SCV12 Sim-Racing Steering Wheel hand-in-hand with Lamborghini. While the model the wheel is based on may not be a massive shock after internet sleuths doctored the original teaser image to make it out better, the photos Moza has just released with the news show just how high-end this is going to be, as it becomes Moza’s highest-end wheel to date after a steady stream of fantastic sim racing products over the past year. The Essenza SCV12 has a 4.3-inch touchscreen display at its heart and features 72 programmable inputs on its gorgeous array of dials and knobs but what looks like it will really set it apart is the finish. A Moza spokesperson told us, “Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the Essenza SCV12 Sim Racing Steering Wheel features a stunning curved twill carbon fiber cover, enhancing both aesthetics and durability.