Every day we wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for work. Following are a handful of stories from around the tech world condensed to fit into one single cup of coffee. These are the things you need to know before you step foot out of your door (or in front of a webcam) and into the real world this morning.
So sit back, grab a cup, and start your morning off right with a few “Quick Bytes” from Innovation & Tech Today.
Elden Ring Reaches 12 Million Copies Sold in 18 Days
FromSoftware’s Elden Ring has sold over 12 million copies in only 18 days. The new fantasy game eclipsed sales of other soulborne genre games by a hefty margin with the release, reaching an elite level of popularity only a select few titles have earned.
In comparison, Dark Souls 3, another popular title developed by FromSoftware and released by Bandai Namco, sold 3 million copies within a month after it came out.
George R.R. Martin, author of the Song of Ice and Fire series helmed the story and lore of Elden Ring, ensuring a rich, in-depth mythos for players to delve into. The game also retains many of the mechanics of fan-favorite titles from the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne.
Elon Musk Changes Name on Twitter Following Fist Fight Challenge to Putin
Elon Musk has changed his name to “Elona Musk” on Twitter after being mocked by Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyriv called the Tesla CEO out after he challenged Vladimir Putin to a one-on-one fight in a tweet.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin’s middle name) will look unsportsmanlike when he beats the hell out of you, a much weaker opponent,” Kadyriv said in a statement on the messaging app Telegram.
“Therefore you’ll need to pump up those muscles in order to change from the gentle (effeminate) Elona into the brutal Elon you need to be. I propose training at one of several centres in the Chechen Republic,” he added.
Musk replied by stating the training would provide him an unfair advantage against the Russian president and suggested he could beat Putin with one hand.
He then ran with Kadyrov’s joke, changing his name to the “effeminate” Elona on Twitter.
Hacker Working with Russia Detained in Ukraine
A Ukraine-based hacker who assisted Russia has been detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU). The hacker facilitated over 1,000 calls between the Russian military inside Ukraine and Russian government officials in a single day, some of whom were part of the top leadership, according to The Hill.
“With the help of this collaborator, the enemy: anonymously made phone calls from Russia to the mobile phones of the invaders in Ukraine; sent SMS messages to Ukrainian security officers and civil servants with proposals to surrender and side with the occupiers; passed commands and instructions to advanced groups of Russian invaders,” the SSU said in a statement on Telegram.
Asteroid Discovered Hours Before Hitting Earth’s Atmosphere
NASA’s early detection system for asteroids was put to work Friday when a small asteroid was discovered hours before it entered the earth’s atmosphere. At 2 meters wide, asteroid 2022 EB5 caused no threat to our planet, and it burned up in our atmosphere before ever reaching land or sea.
However, it was the perfect opportunity for scientists around the world to test out a detection system in real-time.
The discovery marks the fifth time an asteroid has been observed before impacting into the atmosphere, and further testing will be integral to creating a robust early detection system that alerts the people of earth to celestial objects well before they become threats to our fragile planet.
