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Welcome back to Mutantversity, a class offered at the Krakoan Akademos Habitat. This isnt a place to find big reviews of X-books, (thats what our Review section is for!) but its a great way to keep up with one of the most complicated superhero series around. Were going to dive into the deep end as we try to parse all the secrets of this new era of X-Men comics. As your designated X-Pert, I will do my best to help you work through everything Marvels Merry Mutants have to offer!

This month in X-Men

Ra Ra Rasputin

With Inferno was on the horizon, the end of Krakoa was prophesied. I didnt believe it for a second though. I said that one thing needed to happen before Krakoa shattered, and that was the arrival of Rasputin IV. And um, the seal has been opened. Shes here! Does that mean doom?

Rasputin first showed up in HOXPOX, in Powers of X #1. She met her end in that story when she was sucked through a black hole, unleashed by Xorn. But everyone knows that black holes in sci-fi just zip you through time and space, so I figured it was a matter of time before she landed in our present.

We learned a lot more about this Rasputin. Shes a chimera, created by Mr. Sinister using multiple mutant powers- she has the steel skin of Colossus, the psychic powers of Quentin Quire, the force fields of Unus the Untouchable, the intangibility of Shadowcat, and the healing factor of Wolverine. Oh, and shes got a Soul Sword. She was the mightiest mutant Sinister ever created and as his hellish universe collapsed, he restored her free will. And while she saved the multiverse from an unstoppable Sinister plague, she also arrested her creator and brought him to Krakoa in the present.

So does that mean the end? Its not a great sign for Krakoa to continue as a paradise. But Id like to be an optimist. Maybe Rasputin is just who the X-Men need to save them from their fate.

Sinister Fate

Then again, maybe its too late. While Sinister conquered the universe, he also warred with himself. Last month we talked about the four suits of Sinister. This month, our very own Nathaniel Essex came the closest he ever will be to triumph. You see, each of the Sinisters was meant to study a unique discipline, with the goal of eventually ascending to Dominionhood.

If you need a refresher, a Dominion is a sort of machine-god. When one being becomes smart and intelligent enough, it needs to take on more mass for storage capacity. When that mass reaches the singularity point, it collapses into a black hole and boom, youre a Dominion. Thats what Sinister wants to be. But when he dove through the weave of reality to meet his destiny to smash up against something red.

They also talk in red caption boxes. They only offer one hint as their identity, and its sort of an anti-hint. Who am I? the being asks Sinister. Not you. Are we to believe that Mother Righteous, the magical Sinister, succeeded? Or someone else. The mystery beings font looks a lot like Carnage- wouldnt that be a hoot? But its more likely to be someone powerful and surprising, like Apocalypse. Whats your most crackpot Sinister-dominion theory?

As for our Sinister, he is banished to the depths of the Pit. And after Sabretooths prison break, hes going to have plenty of room to sit with his thoughts. Im sure that wont drive him any crazier. He will be sharing cell space with Professor Xavier, Emma Frost, Hope Summers, and Exodus. That sounds like a real quick way to break Mister Sinister.

Behold, Excalibur!

I was disappointed that Faiza Hussain didnt get more page time this month (even though Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain owns bones). Last month, I promised Id touch on Faiza, and I still plan to.

Faiza first showed up in Captain Britain and MI-13 #1 and for what its worth, thats definitely the definitive Captain Britain comics of the modern era. She got blasted with some Skrull whammy, which gifted her with total control over biomatter. This is like a more precise version of Elixirs powers, and that dudes omega level and on the Five! Because Faiza is also an accomplished medical doctor, this psychic ability allows her to heal, to harm, and to grant crazy mutations (though she is not known to be a mutant herself).

If that wasnt enough power, she is also the literal wielder of actual Excalibur. King Arthurs magic sword, its a blade so mighty that Britain never got over it. In the Marvel universe it can wound anyone, mortal or god. It also (along with its magic scabbard) gives the wielder total invincibility. Though theres not a specific rule regarding the sword and shattering enchantments, it has often been used in that capacity as well.

As Faiza points out in this issue, the UK is not the most supportive and tolerant place right now. They have a lot of trouble with a lady Captain Britain. A Muslim lady with their special sword? Better to pretend that sword doesnt exist. I disagree though! I remember Excalibur and I remember that badass lady who wields it.

When the Pride Goeth

Everywhere you turn no matter the universe, the Fall of X is coming. A lot of people are taking this literally. Sure, the cracks in the foundation of Krakoa were obvious since the very beginning, but that doesnt mean Krakoa has to be the one to fall. But maybe its even more literal. Maybe the eponymous X is also the titular X. What I mean is, what if this is about the fall of Professor Charles Xavier?

Magneto warned Storm of this in his dying moments back in X-Men Red. He said that Xavier would be lost without him. And Xavier is a shady guy, even if we all love him because of Patrick Stewart. We saw how much damage an off-the-chain Xavier can do in Sins of Sinister. And there are foes on every side.

Feilong seems to be everywhere, even on Earth-63, where a displaced Lucas Bishop encountered him as a member of the Human Liberation Front. And now that Moira is leading ORCHIS, shes made an appearance in every evil scheme that threatens Krakoa, if only for the love of the game. Plus, the Fenris Twins have been plotting something against Krakoa for years! Beast has finally gone fully insane and filled a meat mecha full of clones of himself! Clan Akkaba is forming a deadly alliance with Brexiters! Truly things have never looked more dangerous for Krakoa, even when a resurrected god was going to wipe it from existence.

X-Books Read:

Immoral X-Men #3 Kieron Gillen loves Warhammer 40K, and here he gets to write some X-Men 40K fan fic. Hes having fun. Im having fun.Storm and the Brotherhood of Mutants #3 It is so nice to have a book that centers on Storm being the coolest, because Storm is the coolest.Nightcrawlers #3 This issue is trying to have a lot of fun, but its hard to remember anythingafter youve put it down.Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 Woah. This kind of story is hard to predict an ending for, and even knowing that going in, I was totally shocked.Sabretooth and the Exiles #5 At some point, this became the best 90s throwback series.Wolverine #32 The Dark Beast story gave this series some juice!X-Men #29 A familiar Brood conflict is a great chance to let the members of this superhero team go through some serious superpowered drama.Bishops War College #3 A straightforward alternate universe story on the surface is actually teeming with interesting details and good character work.Continued belowBetsy Braddock: Captain Britain #3 Part of what makes this series work so well is the large cast of villains, each with their own agenda. Things have never looked worse for Betsy.Rogue & Gambit #2 This is sort of light and forgettable. I feel like Rogue and Gambit have been in this same story dozens of times.New Mutants Lethal Legion #2 This remains a fun story, squaring off young mutants against classic villain Count Nefaria.

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X-Men Mutantversity: Where Does the Pride Goeth? - Multiversity Comics

I was ready to tackle it, Parker said, And the environment that was created made it seem very natural to tackle that. I feel like both Keenan and Jay have done a good job of creating an environment where dealing with the intense subjects can be done in a realistic way that doesnt leave you uncomfortable.

Oliphant, who worked as an assistant director for Hadestown on Broadway, said The Singularity Play has only grown more relevant with time.

Weve fallen into this moment where the potential of this play happening outside of the play in a real-world setting is so high right now, Oliphant said.

The play takes its name from a technology term referring toa hypothetical moment when AI becomes so advanced that it permanently alters humanity.In the material world, its not a reality that Stull particularly wants to see. He smiled ruefully when recalling anApril Fools Dayjokeposted by American Theater Magazinethis month, suggesting that a Silicon Valley company had commissioned an AI to write five plays.

Playwrights are so threatened anyway. There are so many playwrights and so few opportunities, Stull said. Its such a difficult thing to think that AI would be actually, legitimately taking these very few opportunities in an industry thats difficult to find remuneration in.

Oliphant emphasized that The Singularity Play is not an attempt to capitalize on the current moment of pitting technology against humanity, but rather to pose some questions about the relationship between the two.

My hope is that people walk out considering what humanitys relationship to creation is, Oliphant said. I hope the question lingers with the audience as we continue to grapple with the ever-changing social, political, natural world that we are in right now.

The Singularity Play runs from Thursday through Sunday at Farkas Hall in Cambridge.

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What happens when AI takes on one of 'most human' art forms? - Harvard Gazette

Member Article

London based early stage fintech, 1fs Wealth, has secured the backing of US venture capital firm Singularity Capital, as interest continues to build in its innovative digital wealth platform.

Singularity Capital, based in Arizona, US, was founded by seasoned entrepreneur G.S. Jaggi. Singularity Capital is the venture capital arm of the Jaggi Family Office, and along with its affiliates, has invested over $3bn across the venture capital and real estate industries.

1fs Wealths digital platform supports wealth owners to consolidate all their assets, control risk, create and manage complex corporate structures, facilitate succession planning, assess sustainability and analyse the performance of complex global portfolios. The platforms ability to provide complete visibility and support succession planning, as well as ESG, sustainability and impact, are amongst the key features most valued by the companys global customer base.

Commenting on the investment, Singularity Capital founder, G.S. Jaggi said: As a venture platform, at Singularity Capital we partner with companies who are leveraging unique competitive solutions importantly, singling out the most driven and innovative teams, who are doing things better, faster, and more strategically than the competition. We have been really impressed by the 1fs platform and the strength of the team behind it and look forward to being part of the companys growth journey.

Bobby Console-Verma, CEO, 1fs Wealth, said: We are delighted to have Singularity Capital on board, as both a client and a valued investor. Interest in our wealth platform continues to grow and we are looking to build on our success to date, to capitalise on all opportunities to support family offices, HNWIs and wealth managers, in markets across the world.

He continued: The 1fs platform itself is constantly evolving to meet the demands of our rapidly expanding customer base, providing a detailed view of their portfolio from the palm of their hand. We are augmenting this with our AI-based engine which allows a wealth owner to glean yet more detailed insights about their assets.

The investment follows an earlier announcement in December 2022 that 1fs Wealth had secured the backing of finance and technology heavyweight, Dominique Cerutti.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Creative Leopard .

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Fintech start-up 1fs Wealth secures backing of Singularity Capital - Bdaily News

Evan Valentine

04/27/2023 05:09 pm EDT

The final battle for the fate of Hero Society is underwayin the pages of My Hero Academia's manga. While the raging fight for the future of their world has seen many encounters take place that readers have been waiting for, there has been one element that has been absent from the proceedings. The Quirk Singularity Theory had been a major element introduced to the shonen franchise in recent years, hinting at superpowers continuing to evolve and grow more powerful in the universe, but has been absent in this war to end them all.

Throughout the series, we've had the opportunity to see some of the heroes, and villains, evolvewith their Quirks gaining some new abilities in the process. For example, the "My Villain Academia" arc of season five saw Shigaraki and his young allies ramping up their abilities thanks to dealing with their own origins and/or facing life-threatening conflicts. The Quirk Singularity Theory has mostly taken a back seat to All For One's continued rampage to bring the world under his thumb, though it certainly seems as though there are plenty of stories to be told in the future when it comes to this potential doomsday scenario.

We have certainly seen Quirks at their strongest in this last battle of the series, as the likes of Dabi, Shoto Todoroki, Toga, Deku, and countless others have demonstrated how far they've come in the shonen's story. There might not be a better example of how the Quirk Singularity Theory is put into practice than All For One, who has been using his Quirk of the same name to both heal from life-ending wounds and also grant him possible immortality. In the latest chapter of the My Hero Academia, All Might is looking to step back into the ring, but without the full power of One For All, can he stand a chance against his bitter rival?

The Quirk Singularity Theory remains an interesting concept. The idea that these powers could create beings so powerful that they might destroy the world regardless of their affiliation is a concept that could use more study. While Horikoshi has stated in the past that this final fight will be the end of the shonen series, perhaps the universe will return in some shape down the line.

Do you think we might see The Quirk Singularity Theory play a surprising role in the final act of My Hero Academia? Do you see All Might surviving his fight against All For One? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of UA Academy.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.

Be sure to check out CBS Sports for everything you need to know about Super Bowl LVII including predictions, analysis, betting lines, and more!

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My Hero Academia: Where Are the Final Act's Quirk Evolutions? - ComicBook.com

Electrification is a key part of the transition to renewable energy, and phasing out combustion engine vehicles will be a significant piece of that transition. Despite subsidies and tax breaks around electric vehicles in the US, the cars havent taken over a large percentage of market share yet, perhaps because their sticker price is still higher than that of gas-powered cars.

Zooming out to the rest of the world, though, it seems EV adoption is going pretty well. The International Energy Agency released its annual Global Electric Vehicle Outlook this weekand it says demand for electric cars is booming.

According to IEA data, more than 10 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2022. Thats 10 million out of a total 75 million, or a little over 13 percent. This year, EV sales are expected to grow by another 35 percent to 14 million, putting their market share at around 18 percent.

This is a significant jump from just three years ago in 2020, when EVs had only four percent of market share. However, 2020 marked the start of the pandemic, and with countries around the world implementing lockdowns throughout the year, no one was doing much of anything nor going anywhere. Accordingly, gas prices fell to some of their lowest levels in years, so there wasnt much incentive to go electric.

Since then, thoughas you may well know if youre one of millions who hasnt yet switched to an EVgas prices havent stayed down, and they dont look likely to drop anytime soon. This is one of the main incentives pushing people to plug in. Government subsidies are helping too, as well as improvements in battery technology and range.

China leads the global charge in EV sales (pun intended, sort of). In 2022, 60 percent of global EV sales happened in China, and now more than half the EVs in the world are there. Chinese carmakers seem to have found a niche in small, cheap models like the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV.

The tiny carcomparable to the size of Mercedes Smart Fortwowas selling for 28,800 yuan in 2020 (that was about $4,200 at the time). Though the car doesnt have the sleek look of a Tesla and tops out at 62 miles per hour, it meets peoples practical needs for getting around big cities and being able to park easily.

Europe is the second-largest EV market in the world, and the US comes in third. The former saw a 15 percent growth in sales last year, and the latter a whopping 55 percent jump. The report notes that although the Chinese, European, and American markets dominate electric car sales and manufacturing smaller markets have seen some growth as well: EV sales more than tripled in India and Indonesia last year and more than doubled in Thailand.

Though moving away from combustion engine cars will be an important part of the energy transition, we must keep in mind that electric vehicles arent a panacea, and they come with their own set of challenges and drawbacks. Mining of critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and manganese has major environmental and geopolitical implications (and the US isnt in much of a competitive position at the moment, though the current administration has made moves to change that).

Also, getting millions more electric cars on the road means were going to need a lot more electricity. At a time when grids across the US are already looking fragile, it doesnt seem wise to impose dramatic new electricity demand without first shoring up supply. And if that supply is coming from coal or natural gas, you cant really say youre helping save the environment by driving an electric car; the vehicles are only as green as their power source.

Theres also still progress to be made on battery range, charging speed, and availability of charging stations before more drivers will feel comfortable making the switchnot to mention that up-front sticker price.

However, the IEA is counting the rise in EV sales as a win, and we can too. The internal combustion engine has gone unrivaled for over a century, but electric vehicles are changing the status quo, said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. By 2030, they will avoid the need for at least five million barrels a day of oil. Cars are just the first wave: electric buses and trucks will follow soon.

Image Credit: LeeRosario / 716 images

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New Report Predicts Nearly 1 in 5 Cars Sold This Year Will Be Electric - Singularity Hub