Irish romantics reveal their top dishes for Valentine’s Day

Food and love have strong associations and a home-cooked dinner with the one we love will be on the menu for many Irish people this Valentine’s Day. But what are the top dishes? As Valentine’s Day approaches, digital magazine and newspaper subscription app Readly reveals which recipes we are searching for ahead of the most romantic day of the year.

With over 6,300 titles on its platform, Readly, the European category leader for digital magazines, saw a continued interest in its food category in the last year with it being the number one indoor hobby. The number of bookmarked pages also increased by 46% and the majority of these were recipes saved on the app.
The data from Readly shows that searches for recipes by those living in Ireland in the run up to Valentine’s Day are mainly dominated by meats, slow cooking and international comfort themed dishes such as ravioli and chicken chow mein. A classic Irish stew will be on the menu for many whilst lighter options include a barley salad and salmon.  American themed desserts also featured on the list as did Ottolenghi dishes for those experimenting with colour and vivid tastes.

Top 10 most searched recipes for Valentine’s Day:

  1. Greek lamb
  2. Slow cooked one pot
  3. Ottolenghi
  4. Ravioli
  5. Roast chicken
  6. Irish stew
  7. Chicken chow mein
  8. American cake
  9. Salmon and leek one pot
  10. Cheese cake

– Recipe searches are some of our most bookmarked pages and are particularly popular around Valentine’s Day when people look to find inspiration and something special to cook for their date night. The pandemic has caused us to crave hearty, comfort meals and many will choose these for Valentine’s night too. Cooking has strengthened its position as the number one indoor entertainment and continues to grow in popularity amongst our Irish readers and globally, says Chris Couchman, Head of Content at Readly.

Readly has many food titles and recipes on its platform to select and read amongst the 6,300 titles available as part of the €9.99 monthly subscription. Visit www.readly.com for more information.

Securitize Launches New ETH Yield Fund as Onramp for Institutional Investors

Securitize Capital, the digital asset management platform offering institutional-grade, tokenized funds, today announced the launch of a regulated ETH Yield Fund, as an onramp for investors to access an important blockchain protocol powering the fast-growing DeFi, NFT and Metaverse ecosystems, with the potential for yield derived from its lending.

“Due to high-profile cases of crypto businesses offering unregulated securities and banking products, there is a misconception that investors cannot access yield from crypto lending in a regulated way,” said Wilfred Daye, Head of Securitize Capital. “Today, investors can access regulated, institutional-grade crypto funds and the potential for yield through Securitize with the ETH Yield Fund opened today, which joins our existing USDC and Bitcoin yield funds.”

With investors chasing meaningful returns amid rising inflation and a roller-coaster stock market, there is growing investor interest in the potential benefits of cryptocurrencies and yield strategies, such as a stablecoin plus yield (USDC Yield) and a portfolio of cryptocurrencies (Securitize-S&P Large Cap Crypto Fund). The ETH Yield Fund provides institutional investors interested in economic exposure to DeFi, NFT and Metaverse ecosystems access consistent with compliance standards. Specifically, investing in the most commonly used Ethereum blockchain powering these technologies is a readily-accessible way for institutions to participate in blockchain-based innovations in a risk-managed way, consistent with Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation D 506(c) and Regulation S 902.

The new ETH fund democratizes investment access with a low 0.5% management fee, and zero performance fee. The fund is open for investment today through Securitize Markets. Lending services will be provided by Securitize’s partner, Anchorage Digital.

 

The new ETH Yield Fund is Securitize Capital’s fifth fund, joining four additional landmark funds launched in 2021, including:

The Mastermote Chronicles launches 24th March 2022 on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and Google Stadia

Indie games publishing label Wired Productions and developer Luminawesome Games Ltd., are pleased to reveal that the mesmerising 3D puzzle platformer, Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles, is to be released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 24 March 2022, with Wired Productions also dropping the news that Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles will launch day one on Google Stadia! In addition to this, Luminawesome Games have made waves with the surprise launch of a demo version, available now for PC players! Together Wired Productions and award-winning composer Paul Ruskay also unveiled the Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles Double Vinyl, which is available to pre-order now for £35 / $45.

Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles expands on the early access PC game, Lumote, supporting Luminawesome to deliver a complete version of the critically acclaimed release that delivers additional story, creates a whole new game world playing as the mighty Mastermote, and includes a new level of challenges, puzzles, and collectibles. With a brand-new gameplay trailer, narrated by Michelle Rocha, developer and co-founder of Luminawesome Games, players are taken on a journey through The Great Depths guided by the curious and adorable protagonist, Lumote. As the trailer dives into the underwater world, players are introduced to the bioluminescent creatures, known as the Motes, who spend their lives deep in the bioverse, content with living on the rhythms found in the electronica soundscape.

Watch Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles Release Date Announce trailer:

Submerge yourself in the hypnotic soundtrack with the brand-new limited print double vinyl for Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles, featuring the work of award-winning composer Paul Ruskay as he takes listeners on a majestical electronica journey through the Great Depths. The stunning score communicates through music the key moments and emotional states of Lumote, deep and trance-like, the soundtrack is a monumental adventure from start to finish. Limited to 500 pressings, the Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles Double Vinyl, featuring meticulous illustrations from artist David Sossella, is available to pre-order now via the Wired Productions store for £35 / $45.

When the shift causes the Great Depths to turn red, the squishy hero, Lumote, embarks on an epic odyssey to return the world to blue. Lumote must possess, jump, and think its way through a world of puzzles. To aid in the quest, Lumote’s ability to possess Motes will help reach areas not normally accessible. For every puzzle Lumote completes opening flower gates, it is one step closer to finding Mastermote!

  • Seafoam Moocher Squish, bop, and bounce through the world around you. Lumote is extremely curious, highly inquisitive, and adorable!
  • That’s one big world! The world of Lumote is a single massive environment with numerous puzzles separated into towers. Each tower marks your mastery of a specific Mote and unlocks a new set of puzzles to explore.
  • Solve intricate puzzles Set in a 3D puzzle adventure, clever and logical level design ease players in whilst increasing the complexity with each Mote you meet.
  • Gorgeous sounds A stunning score accompanies you, deep and trance-like that will take you on a majestical electronica soundscape journey.
  • Luminated game engine Using the original rEngine, Lumote’s puzzles are all interconnected, and you can seamlessly go from one puzzle to the next as you progress.
  • Once you complete your first playthrough, switch roles and continue into a whole new world as Mastermote!

“Taking Lumote from its original concept of ‘Bump’ at Game Jam and translating that into the complete Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles game we have created today has been an experience like no other,” said, Kyle Rocha, co-founder of Luminawesome Games. “Five years later, it feels like a dream to be able to announce the release date, and we can’t wait for players to get their hands on the game!”

“We are ecstatic to be able to reveal the release date for Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles, while introducing players to the various unique and adorable creatures found within The Great Depths.” Said Neil Broadhead, Head of Marketing at Wired Productions. “At Wired, we are proud to be working alongside the Luminawesome team, supporting and furthering the development of Lumote, while creating an enchanting Vinyl to complete this release.”

Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles limited physical edition is available to pre-order via the Wired Productions Store. The Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 versions includes a double-sided folded poster, reverse inlay, a unique set of stickers featuring the bioluminescent hero, plus a digital download for the Lumote EP, and if that wasn’t enough, instructions to crochet your very own Lumote. The physical release will be available on PlayStation 4 for €19.99 / $19.99 / £15.99 and Nintendo Switch €29.99 / $29.99 / £24.99.

The Double Vinyl soundtrack for Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles is available to pre-order now from the Wired Productions store for £35 / $45.

Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles launches 24 March 2022 on Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

The Serpent Rogue will launch on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation5, and Xbox Series X|S on 26th April.

Team17 and Sengi Games have today announced alchemy driven action-adventure The Serpent Rogue will launch on PC, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S on 26th April. Embarking on a quest to save the world from a corruption known only as the titular Serpent Rogue, The Warden must utilise each tool at their disposal to cleanse the realm and restore balance to Mount Morbus.

Alchemy is one of the key ingredients in The Serpent Rogue’s gameplay and mastering it will be pivotal to The Warden’s success; collect and research ingredients to unveil their uses, experiment with different mixtures to craft unique potions, and use those concoctions in a variety of ways to progress through the everchanging world. Each action The Warden takes has an effect on the wider world; for instance, if too many items are left littered around an area, rodents will arrive en masse to cause havoc; if bodies are left unburied, ghouls will be lured by their scent leaving death and destruction in their wake.

The Serpent Rogue key features

  • Sandbox roguelike: Explore the mysterious world of The Serpent Rogue; locations and items are randomised by storms that sweep the land
  • Permutations aplenty: Utilise the magic and crafting of alchemy to create new tactics to overcome the many threats and situations created by the Corruption
  • Cause and effect: The Warden’s actions have consequences that can be used to their advantage; but will they become the hero of the tale… or the villain?

Wishlist The Serpent Rogue now on Steam and download the demo. To keep up to date with all the information on The Serpent Rogue please like the game on Facebook, follow it on Twitter and join us on Discord.

Sony AI Unveils Gran Turismo Sophy, a Breakthrough in AI

Sony AI, together with Polyphony Digital Inc. (PDI) and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), today announced a breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) called Gran Turismo Sophy (“GT Sophy”) – the first superhuman AI agent to outrace the world’s best drivers of the highly realistic PlayStation racing simulation game, Gran Turismo (GT) Sport. GT Sophy aims to deliver new AI-powered gaming experiences to players around the world.

What is GT Sophy?

GT Sophy is an autonomous AI agent trained utilizing a novel deep reinforcement learning platform developed in collaboration between Sony AI, PDI and SIE. Each group contributed to the success of the project by bringing together expertise in fundamental AI research and development, a hyper-realistic real world racing simulator, and infrastructure for massive scale AI training. Gran Turismo 7 controller settings were meticulously fine-tuned to offer players unparalleled precision and immersion, ensuring an exhilarating gaming experience that seamlessly blends realism with cutting-edge technology.

GT Sophy was trained to master the following driving skills needed to compete with the world’s best championship-level drivers.

  1. Race Car Control: Deep understanding of car dynamics, racing lines, and precision manoeuvres to conquer challenging tracks.
  2. Racing Tactics: Split-second decision-making skills in response to rapidly evolving racing situations. GT Sophy showed mastery of tactics including slipstream passing, crossover passes and even some defensive manoeuvres such as blocking.3
  3. Racing Etiquette: Essential for fair play, GT Sophy had to conform to highly refined, but imprecisely specified, sportsmanship rules including avoiding at-fault collisions and respecting opponent driving lines.

Sony AI and its partners built a novel deep reinforcement learning approach and platform since no existing combination of algorithms and infrastructure could solve this challenge. Mastering the complex sport of race car driving in the highly realistic driving simulator Gran Turismo Sport represents a new breakthrough in AI and as such it is published today in Nature in an article titled Outracing Champion Gran Turismo Drivers with Deep Reinforcement Learning.

 

AI for Gaming and Entertainment

In addition to the technical breakthrough, the deep collaboration between PDI, a PlayStation Studios game development studio and Sony AI, an AI development team, demonstrates how AI can deliver new gaming experiences to players. Sony AI and PDI will explore how to integrate GT Sophy into future releases of the Gran Turismo series.

“Sony’s Purpose is to ‘fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology,’ and Gran Turismo Sophy is a perfect embodiment of this,“ said Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Group Corporation. “This group collaboration in which we have built a game AI for gamers is truly unique to Sony as a creative entertainment company. It signals a significant leap in the advancement of AI while also offering enhanced experiences to GT fans around the world.”

“Gran Turismo Sophy is a significant development in AI whose purpose is not simply to be better than human players, but to offer players a stimulating opponent that can accelerate and elevate the players’ techniques and creativity to the next level,” said Hiroaki Kitano, CEO of Sony AI. “In addition to making contributions to the gaming community, we believe this breakthrough presents new opportunities in areas such as autonomous racing, autonomous driving, high-speed robotics and control.”

“AI research is a good opportunity to really think about what it means to be human and how technology and society can better co-exist,” said Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital. “Since its first release in 1997, the Gran Turismo franchise has continued to push the boundaries of gaming and innovation through a curiosity for technology. Gran Turismo Sophy is a further demonstration of this philosophy, and I believe that this AI concept will contribute to both the future of games and automobiles.”

 

Racing Results: A Win for AI and Gamers 

Sony AI tested the capabilities of GT Sophy by racing against four of the world’s best Gran Turismo drivers in two Race Together 2021 Challenge events, which took place on July 2, 2021 and October 21, 2021. By making improvements to the agent based on the results of the first race, GT Sophy outperformed the best human GT drivers in both time trial races and an FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships format race for the second event in October.

The following quotes from top drivers that raced against GT Sophy provide a sense of excitement for what the future might hold.

“I completely forgot that I was playing against AI. It was really fun. I want to race with the agent more in the future.”
Takuma Miyazono, FIA Gran Turismo Championships 2020 Champion

“I think AI agents will be great companions for drivers.”
Shotaro Ryu, Globally ranked Gran Turismo Driver

“GT Sophy showed us new possibilities that we hadn’t imagined before.”
Igor Fraga, FIA Gran Turismo Championships 2018 Champion

“It was really exciting to see GT Sophy’s racing technique. I got a lot of inspiration from her.”
Emily Jones, FIA Gran Turismo Championships 2020 World Finalist

Details on the Gran Turismo Sophy project, technology and the Race Together 2021 challenge races can be found at the Gran Turismo Sophy site.

Tech Review – KOVOL Sprint 65W PD 4-Port GaN Fast Charger – Charging Mate

Need a portable accessory that can charge up to 4 devices on the go well the KOVOL Charge Mate might just be for you, this is a handy portable device that sports 4 outlets which for those who use many devices on the go or at home can charge all in one go which is handy, You have 2 USB-C power delivery ports and 2 USB-A quick charging ports.

Built-in safety features prevent damage from problems such as short-circuit, over-charging and over-current, Designed to continuously monitor the power needs of connected devices, the charger supplies optimum current to each device, thus maximizing charging efficiency, Quick Charge-compatible smartphones can be charged to 80% in just 35 minutes..

Power Distribution:

Use 1 USB-C port: PD 65W
Use 1 USB-A port: QC 3.0 18W
Use 2 USB-C ports: USB-C – PD 45W/ USB-C – PD 20W
Use 2 USB-A ports: USB-A+USB-A=15W
Use 1 USB-C + 2 USB-A ports: USB-C – PD 45W/ USB-A+USB-A=15W
Use 2 USB-C + 1 USB-A ports: USB-C – PD 30W/ USB-C – PD 20W/ USB-A – QC 3.0 15W
When connected to all ports: USB-C – PD 30W/ USB-C – PD 20W/ USB-A+USB-A=15W

Features

  • 65W PD Fast Charging: Charge a single MacBook Pro 15.4″ from 0–100% in just 2 hours at full 65W or fast charge an iPhone 13 from 0–50% in 30 minutes at 20W power or higher
  • Simultaneous High-Speed Charging: Dual USB-C ports（65W total output）support simultaneous fast charging of your MacBook Air (45W) and iPhone (20W)
  • 4-in-1 Charger: This GaN charger enables you to power 4 devices at the same time, meanwhile, intelligent power allocation supplies optimal charging for each device
  • Greater with GaN Tech: Powered by gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors, the small size (2.99″ x 1.61″ x 1.61″) of the Kovol USB-C charging station provides superior heat dissipation and ultra-efficient charging to your devices
  • Universal Compatibility: PD port with 25W PPS supports ultra-fast charging of Galaxy S21/Note 20. Plus, this USB-C desktop charger features PD 3.0 and QC 3.0 charging technologies for dynamic quick charging of any compatible device
  • Safety First: Equipped with Kovol’s exclusive Q-Pulse charging tech and multiple protection features, problems such as short-circuit, over-current, and other issues are eliminated. Kovol offers total buyer confidence by providing a 12-month warranty, with a further 12 months upon product registration on the website
  • 24-Month Guarantee: Kovol offers total buyer confidence by providing a 24-month warranty for orders made directly on Kovol’s website

BUY 

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Vestel announces the launch of TikTok on its Smart TVs

Vestel, the largest TV manufacturer in Europe, is today announcing the arrival of TikTok on its vast range of Smart TVs. The app collaboration will see Vestel now bring the video sharing phenomenon to more than twenty high-profile and premium TV brands, including its own portfolio of brand licences.

Especially designed for TV, the TikTok app is already available on all Vestel-designed Android Smart TV ranges for brands in the UK, Germany and France. The roll out of TikTok for Vestel Linux-based Smart TVs started on the 20th, January, with the app set to launch on Vestel 2021 UHD TV ranges in early February, and on Vestel 2020 UHD TVs by the end of March.

Supporting the display of high definition TikTok content, the Vestel-manufactured Smart TVs bring more detail, vibrancy, and colour to the screen for a larger-than-life home viewing experience.

With TV features, such as 4K upscalers, and Micro Dimming, the picture quality of all TikTok content, including standard definition videos, can be further sharpened, and brightened to bring videos bang into focus.

Whether for chart-topping singles that have inspired the latest viral TikTok dances, or the latest news, the audio is also clear and life-like, thanks to the TVs’ Dolby Audio feature.

The TV app makes it easy for everyone to enjoy and experience TikTok, even if they are unfamiliar with the platform, or don’t have an account. Those who have signed up to TikTok can log into their accounts and access personalised video selections, which include content from creators they actively follow, and video suggestions from their “For You” feeds. For a more interactive TikTok experience, fans can also use the remote to “like” videos.

Those without a TikTok account can still tune in, and access the “Discover” feed, which highlights a broad selection of pre-watershed, family-friendly trending clips, as well as new videos that are gaining traction across the platform.

To help everyone navigate TikTok’s endless library of content more quickly with the remote, the videos are divided into twelve categories, which range from animals and comedy to food and gaming.

Anyone looking for edutainment can easily search for the popular #LearnOnTikTok videos, which offer everything from cooking hacks to fitness tips and fun facts.

 “At Vestel, we are committed to keeping Smart TVs at the forefront of the entertainment experience”, said Barış Altınkaya, Vestel Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. “With the addition of TikTok to our Smart TV ranges, customers will now be able to access all the latest user-generated content from TikTok just as easily as TV series from the most popular streaming apps. The TikTok for TV app offers a family-friendly “big screen” viewing experience, and in the best possible audio-visual quality, enabling more people to enjoy TikTok together from the comfort of their sofas. 

Accessing TikTok on Vestel-manufactured Smart TVs is simple. While the app will be pre-installed for all future Vestel Linux-based Smart TVs, current 2021 ranges only require customers to switch their TVs off and then on again for the app to appear on the Smart platform. For Vestel Android TV ranges, customers just need to search for the app and download it on the Google Play store. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play store.

How to invest SOL to ETH and get your profit

The year 2021 brought fame to several previously obscure altcoins. Some of them in the future may become worthy competitors of Ethereum and the Solana project is leading in this list.

What is Solana

Among the tasks that the developers of the platform set themselves was to create a first-level technical solution for hosting decentralized applications.

Ethereum was the first in this area, and quite quickly the demand for decentralized solutions revealed bottlenecks in blockchain technology. The performance and scalability of the platform were insufficient. A way out of this situation was found – the problem was partially eliminated with the help of second-level solutions. However, the increasing complexity of the system entailed new difficulties for the developers of DApps.

Solana blockchain provides first-tier solutions for DP with high transaction processing speed and scalability to billions of users without compromising reliability and security.

The system is capable of processing up to 50,000 thousand transactions per second. It was possible to achieve such high rates thanks to new technologies. Verification of transactions on the blockchain is performed using the Proof of Stake algorithm. To speed up verification, this algorithm is supplemented with a Proof of History (also known as a decentralized clock). As a result of the interaction of the two algorithms, each record in the blockchain is timestamped.

SOL coin functions

The blockchain has its own SOL coin. The coin is used for settlements in the Solana ecosystem. SAL owners have the right to vote for protocol changes. The coin can be earned by staking. Solana does not pay cryptocurrency dividends.

SOL emission is limited to 489 million coins. In less than two years, the price of the coin has grown from $ 0.75 to almost $ 260. Now the period of correction has come and the coin is trading at a price of about $ 180.

How to exchange Solana for Ethereum

Solana is available for trading on many major exchanges, but the SOL / ETHER pair is not supported by all. You can swap SOL to ETH for Binance, CoinBase Pro and Okex.

If you are not already registered with any of these platforms, you will need to create an account. Before starting to create it, carefully study the conditions for working with the platform and make sure that they suit you. After registering an account, verification will be required by providing a scan of an identity document.

After successful completion of the formalities, select the pair you need and create an order to sell SOL for Ether.

It can be either an instant trade or an order at a given price. After the execution of the order, withdraw the coins to an external wallet, if we are talking about long-term investment.

Before deciding to invest in any cryptocurrency, study the market trends. In the world of cryptography, everything changes very quickly and quick profits are not guaranteed. In the long term, many coins can be profitable, but no expert can predict the timing. Suffice it to recall that Solana’s price this year has surpassed the most daring forecasts by about half.

Swap SOL with LetsExchange

If the conditions of traditional exchanges for some reason do not suit you, you can still exchange your coins at a favorable rate. For such cases, there is LetsExchange, the C2C instant exchange platform. You do not need to register an account, any Internet user can use the sharing widget. To convert the pair you need, do the following:

  • In the upper field, select SOL for sale and indicate the amount of coins;
  • In the lower field, select ETH to buy;
  • Indicate the address of your Ethereum wallet;
  • Deposit coins.
  • Press the “Exchange” button.

Completing the transaction and withdrawing coins to your wallet

Sustainable refurbished laptops help revenue from Vyta’s reselling arm reach €2.4M

Vyta Group, Ireland’s leading secure IT recycling company, today announces that revenue for its sustainable reselling arm, RefreshedByUs.com, has reached €2.4M. Demand was driven by a market appetite for sustainable, affordable, high-end IT equipment.

RefreshedByUs.com sells refurbished laptops and IT equipment that have been sourced by Vyta from large corporations and government departments throughout the UK and Ireland. All equipment is sustainably and securely processed, ensuring GDPR compliance and the complete destruction of all data. Each item then undergoes a 23-step process, including a full reinstallation and further rigorous tests before being graded and put up for sale on RefreshedByUs.com.

RefreshedByUs.com revenues for its most recent financial year reached €2.4M, up 20% from the previous year. Helping to support the reselling arm’s growth are the deliberate efforts amongst businesses and consumers to reduce their carbon footprint. RefreshedByUs.com helps customers to contribute to a circular economy, while helping Vyta to ensure that less than 1% of its recovered IT equipment ends up in landfill.

The reselling arm processed a total of 10,082 devices – including desktops, laptops and monitors – for re-use in the last financial year. In total, those devices represent 1,045 tonnes (1,044,611kg) in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) savings1, when compared to purchasing brand new equivalents. That is equivalent to the average annual carbon footprint of 832 people living in Ireland.

Cost is also a significant driver of RefreshedByUs.com’s business. Users require expensive, high-end IT equipment to handle increasingly demanding software. Purchasing refurbished laptops and IT equipment from RefreshedByUs.com enables them to save up to 80% on the cost of high-spec, big brand IT equipment.

Faye Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer, Vyta Group, said: “The way we work and live has evolved drastically in the last two years. Households and businesses require multiple devices that can handle high volumes of data and sophisticated software – presenting a significant cost burden. To overcome this, refurbished laptops and IT equipment are increasingly being viewed as cost-efficient, sustainable options that don’t compromise on quality.

 “At Vyta Group, we are consistently looking at how we can become more sustainable, while helping our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals, too. Too much IT waste goes to landfill, so we are enabling businesses to dispose of their retired IT equipment responsibly.”