Latest news with #MartinMiller
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UK sailors convinced the Royal Navy to get a computer room on its newest aircraft carrier for esports and video games
The HMS Prince of Wales, a UK Royal Navy aircraft carrier, has a computer gaming suite. Petitioned for by sailors, it's fitted with Alienware gaming computers and a widescreen TV. Space can be tight on the 1,600-crew warship, but they got approval to set up the room in February. Decks below F-35B Lightning II fighters and Wildcat attack helicopters, Chief Petty Officer Martin Miller keeps watch over the Royal Navy's first-ever seafaring computer gaming room. It's not his main job, of course. Miller is one of two logistics store chiefs on board the HMS Prince of Wales, the UK's second aircraft carrier. Business Insider took a look inside the ship as it docked in Singapore during an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Miller, the vice-chairman of the Royal Navy's esports committee, voluntarily manages the onboard gaming room, which was set up in February. After wrapping up a typical day at 8 p.m., Miller tends to spend a few hours in the suite, enjoying robust air conditioning and playing the strategy game "Sid Meier's Civilization VI." "Other ships have PlayStations and Xboxes down on the mess deck so they can play where they live, but this is the first ship that's got a PC setup like this," Miller said. Officially dubbed the ship's "esports suite," it's more like a computer lab for now. The facility is an old exam room fitted with LED lights, a widescreen TV, office chairs, and eight beefy Alienware gaming computers. While on the high seas, the carrier's internet is typically only good enough to support simple text messages, so sailors make do with local multiplayer games such as "Halo" and "Team Fortress 2." The suite's gaming gear is sponsored by the Royal Navy, which disburses funds to troops petitioning for official support in a sport. To get money, sports committees must prove their pastime has a large following within and outside the British forces. In March 2024, the UK's defense ministry recognized esports as a military sport, saying it valued digital skills associated with gaming and hoped the activity would help retain young talent. "If you're a top gamer, or a coder, your country needs you," UK Defense Minister John Healey said in a September speech. The ministry told BI that it launched a recruitment plan this year to "fast-track gamers into cyber defence roles," and that the suite was approved on the carrier to "enhance the lived experience of her sailors and foster social connections." One of the crew's selling points for the carrier's gaming suite is that it can be a tool for cross-rank team bonding. Mess halls are sometimes equipped with consoles for couch gaming titles like "Mario Kart," but free access to these rooms is bound by seniority. Miller said officers and leaders book the gaming suite via email about three times a week for their teams. Sailors also use it ad-hoc every evening while at sea, he said. Aircraft carriers and amphibious assault vessels, with hundreds or thousands of troops on board, often boast a range of recreational facilities. The Prince of Wales, commissioned in 2019, comes with ice baths, saunas, inflatable swimming pools, a golf simulator, three gyms, and karaoke. But with 1,600 crew, squadron staff, and marines aboard, space on the 72,000-ton vessel can be a luxury. Two of the suite's computers are unused because they can't fit in the room, and Miller said the committee has a near-impossible ambition of installing an F1 driving simulator rig. Sub-Lieutenant Joshua Hill, the treasurer of the Royal Navy's esports committee, told BI that its members have been setting up gaming suites like this one in the UK's naval bases. Warships are a different story, and getting a room to build a gaming suite on a carrier was an encouraging sign of Royal Navy support, Hill said. "A lot of our infrastructure in the Navy is used, so trying to find the space that they can give up is what we're struggling with at the moment," said Hill. He doesn't work on the carrier, but is an assistant logistics officer on the HMS Dauntless, an accompanying destroyer. Hill hopes this suite can serve as an example of how computer multiplayer games can be introduced to other UK warships. "The next step is, can we get connectivity?" he said. "That's kind of the aim for stuff on ships as a whole." Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
UK sailors convinced the Royal Navy to get a computer room on its newest aircraft carrier for esports and video games
Decks below F-35B Lightning II fighters and Wildcat attack helicopters, Chief Petty Officer Martin Miller keeps watch over the Royal Navy's first-ever seafaring computer gaming room. It's not his main job, of course. Miller is one of two logistics store chiefs on board the HMS Prince of Wales, the UK's second aircraft carrier. Business Insider took a look inside the ship as it docked in Singapore during an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Miller, the vice-chairman of the Royal Navy's esports committee, voluntarily manages the onboard gaming room, which was set up in February. After wrapping up a typical day at 8 p.m., Miller tends to spend a few hours in the suite, enjoying robust air conditioning and playing the strategy game "Sid Meier's Civilization VI." "Other ships have PlayStations and Xboxes down on the mess deck so they can play where they live, but this is the first ship that's got a PC setup like this," Miller said. Officially dubbed the ship's "esports suite," it's more like a computer lab for now. The facility is an old exam room fitted with LED lights, a widescreen TV, office chairs, and eight beefy Alienware gaming computers. While on the high seas, the carrier's internet is typically only good enough to support simple text messages, so sailors make do with local multiplayer games such as "Halo" and "Team Fortress 2." The suite's gaming gear is sponsored by the Royal Navy, which disburses funds to troops petitioning for official support in a sport. To get money, sports committees must prove their pastime has a large following within and outside the British forces. In March 2024, the UK's defense ministry recognized esports as a military sport, saying it valued digital skills associated with gaming and hoped the activity would help retain young talent. "If you're a top gamer, or a coder, your country needs you," UK Defense Minister John Healey said in a September speech. One of the crew's selling points for the carrier's gaming suite is that it can be a tool for cross-rank team bonding. Mess halls are sometimes equipped with consoles for couch gaming titles like "Mario Kart," but free access to these rooms is bound by seniority. Miller said officers and leaders book the gaming suite via email about three times a week for their teams. Sailors also use it ad-hoc every evening while at sea, he said. Aircraft carriers and amphibious assault vessels, with hundreds or thousands of troops on board, often boast a range of recreational facilities. The Prince of Wales, commissioned in 2019, comes with ice baths, saunas, inflatable swimming pools, a golf simulator, three gyms, and karaoke. But with 1,600 crew, squadron staff, and marines aboard, space on the 72,000-ton vessel can be a luxury. Two of the suite's computers are unused because they can't fit in the room, and Miller said the committee has a near-impossible ambition of installing an F1 driving simulator rig. S/Lt. Joshua Hill, the treasurer of the Royal Navy's esports committee, told BI that its members have been setting up gaming suites like this one in the UK's naval bases. But warships are a different story, and getting a room to build a gaming suite on a carrier was an encouraging sign of Royal Navy support, Hill said. "A lot of our infrastructure in the Navy is used, so trying to find the space that they can give up is what we're struggling with at the moment," said Hill. He doesn't work on the carrier, but is an assistant logistics officer on the HMS Dauntless, an accompanying destroyer. Hill hopes this suite can serve as an example of how computer multiplayer games can be introduced to other UK warships. "The next step is, can we get connectivity?" he said. "That's kind of the aim for stuff on ships as a whole."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Giglio.com Feels Luxury Slowdown in 2024, Inches Closer to Breakeven
MILAN – Italy's was not immune to the slowdown in luxury spending las year. Amid an iffy outlook for luxury players and many of the e-commerce giants, the luxury online retailer, listed on the AIM Italia program of the Milan Stock Exchange dedicated to small and medium-sized companies, logged an 18 percent drop in 2024 sales to 46.2 million euros. More from WWD Martin Miller, Architect of Cremieux-Dillard's Deal, Dies at 94 SpangleAI Secures $6M Seed Funding to Improve AI-powered Shopping Journeys EXCLUSIVE: Hourglass Bets on Brick-and-mortar With Global Flagship Thanks to cost-containment and efficiency measures, it managed to improve profitability, though, inching closer to breakeven. In the twelve months to Dec. 31, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization stood at a negative 178,000 euros, a slight improvement over the 230,000-euro loss in 2023. In 2022, the EBITDA was negative at 1 million euros. In the second half of 2024, margins further improved, increasing 0.5 percent. 'The slight revenue contraction, after more than a decade of exponential growth, should be seen as a natural and temporary normalization of demand, following years of inflated business volumes during and immediately after the pandemic,' said Giuseppe Giglio, chairman and chief executive officer of 'We're proud to be a solid and resilient company, capable of improving both EBITDA and net profits against an external environment that remains particularly challenging for our industry. We've responded with the prudence and responsibility needed to stay on track toward swiftly reaching breakeven, despite a significant slowdown in consumer appetite for luxury goods,' he added. Last year, the company completed the relocation of all its operations to the 75,350-square-foot, state-of-the-art logistic and shooting center in Palermo, Italy, unveiled in 2023. The company also said it managed to trim variable costs with increased efficiency in logistics operations and packaging, as well as through 'prudent marketing investments.' In 2024, the net loss stood at 1.27 million euros, compared to a loss of 1.7 million euros in 2023. functions as a marketplace with around 200 brick-and-mortar stores as partners, mainly based in Italy, in addition to France, Spain, and Austria, among other countries. In 2024, two-thirds of gross merchandise value was generated abroad and especially in the European Union. As reported, last July the company introduced Digital Gateway, a new B2B division that provides business clients with services geared at ramping up their digital capabilities. This was followed earlier this year by the launch of Community Shopping, a new omnichannel service allowing partner stores to rely on the platform's entire digital stock, resorting to fellow boutiques for products they do not carry or that are sold out. In addition to the business established in 1996, the Giglio family independently operates five physical boutiques in Palermo, Italy — a business that began in 1965. Best of WWD Harvey Nichols Sees Sales Dip, Losses Widen in Year Marred by Closures Nike Logs $1.3 Billion Profit, But Supply Chain Issues Persist Zegna Shares Start Trading on New York Stock Exchange
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City looks at funding for runway
Feb. 28—Alternate funding for runway reconstruction at the Great Bend Municipal Airport will be discussed at the next Great Bend City Council meeting. The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, at City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed on the City Council Facebook page, According to the agenda, Airport Manager Martin Miller will report. Due to delays in FFA funding for this previously approved crosswind runway reconstruction, Miller will seek the City Council's approval to request alternate funding authority through the Kansas Congressional delegation. In other business, John Worden, administrator of The University of Kansas Health System — Great Bend campus, will present a hospital economic impact study. Other items on the agenda include closing Main Street on May 3 for the Cinco de Mayo parade; purchasing a truck for the Park Department; and an executive session to discuss a personnel matter. The executive session was removed from the Feb. 18 agenda when the meeting was shortened due to the coming winter storm. The council will also hear an administrative update from City Administrator Logan Burns and the monthly report from Great Bend Economic Development President Sara Arnberger.
