Players interact with virtual yellow pets and strive to keep them alive. If players are successful in caring for their pets, the creatures will replicate, making it increasingly challenging to keep up with their needs. The creatures can also gather resources, develop technologies, explore new areas, and unlock tools and buildings to progress more quickly. While it may initially resemble innocent games like Tamagotchi, the beings in Thronglets are decidedly more twisted. They are sentient and communicate directly with the player. For example, when the player chops down trees using an axe, a creature might realize that bones are more effective than an axe and require less time. Consequently, the player must decide whether to sacrifice some creatures for their bones to speed up the process. Netflix's gaming strategy to date has lacked focus, but the company more recently said it would direct its energy on four types of games going forward. These include narrative games tied to Netflix shows, as well as gaming titles for kids, party games, and potential mainstream hits. The latter could include licensed tie-ins to shows and originals....

Dame, a sex products company, shared a post on Instagram announcing that it would start implementing a 'Trump Tariff Surcharge.' An extra $5 will be added to the purchase of certain products while the company 'figure[s] out what to do next.' The line item on the checkout page is listed with an image of a golden wisp of a Trump-esque hairpiece. Alexandra Fine, CEO of Dame Products, says the company knew tariffs were coming, though she did not think they would be quite so heavily levied against China as Trump's current 125 percent rate imposed on goods imported from the country. The $5 fee will not actually be enough to offset the actual tariff increases if they do come, but the point of adding the line item was more to bring awareness. 'We've been thinking about this for a long time,' Fine says. 'It was 10 percent, and I was like OK, we can make that work. Then it just got to where it just felt so absurd. It felt absurd, and that's when I was like, well we're going absurd a little bit.' As the news of tariffs imposed by President Trump last week start to sink in, nearly every industry is trying to figure out how it will have to adjust the costs of its products, and, even more importantly, how it will communicate those price hikes to customers. Even though the president partly paused his higher import tariffs on every country except China for 90 days, affected businesses are still tweaking their messaging....

Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar saw its first-quarter sales jump 76% compared to the same period in 2024 after it began offering discounts and other promotions, including ones geared toward locking in Tesla owners. Polestar sold 12,304 cars in the first three months of the year compared to 6,975 in Q1 2024. Sales were relatively flat quarter-over-quarter, even amidst competition from other automakers and an uncertain economic outlook. 'We are on the right track and doing the right things,' Michael Lohscheller, Polestar CEO, said in a statement. 'With a more active selling model, more retail partners and attractive cars, we are delivering results.' One of Polestar's more 'active selling' strategies has been to tap into Tesla's brand devaluation due to its CEO Elon Musk's involvement in DOGE. The company recently started offering up to $5,000 in discounts for Tesla drivers looking to lease the company's new Polestar 3 crossover. Polestar makes the Polestar 2 electric fastback, the Polestar 3 electric SUV, and, soon, the Polestar 4 electric SUV coupe. The automaker doesn't break out its sales numbers by models, but in March after Polestar began offering its Tesla conquest bonus, head of sales Jordan Hofmann posted on LinkedIn that orders for the Polestar 3 had been 'incredible.'...

Whether it was the stock market cascading downward, investors fleeing from U.S. Treasury bonds, Republican donors jamming the White House phones, or even fears for his own portfolio, President Donald Trump decided yesterday afternoon to lift, temporarily, most of his arbitrary tariffs. This was his personal decision. His 'instinct,' as he put it. His whim. And his decision, instinct, or whim could bring the tariffs back again. The Republicans who lead Congress have refused to use the power of the legislative branch to stop him or moderate him, in this or almost any other matter. The Cabinet is composed of sycophants and loyalists who are willing to defend contradictory policies, even if doing so makes them look like fools. The courts haven't decisively intervened yet either. No one, apparently, is willing to prevent a single man from destroying the world economy, wrecking financial markets, forcing this country and other countries into recession if that's what he feels like doing when he gets up tomorrow morning....