The Complier is the hardest boss to reach in the extraction shooter Marathon. To even have the chance to fight it, you need to have cleared six vaults—increasingly elaborate puzzle rooms—in the Cryo Archive, Marathon’s end game map. To even get the chance to enter each of those vaults, you need to obtain a key for each. To even get a chance to get one of those keys, you need to kill another set of bosses or find them in dangerous runs of another map. And if you do find a key, or you bring one into Cryo Archive to use, another team of players may simply kill you and take it from you. 

Or, you could pay a random guy on eBay to kill the Compiler for you. 

“Too busy with life? Want to hop on after a long day with a vault full of loot? Look no further!,” the description for a listing on eBay says. The listing itself is advertising a “Cryo Archive Compiler Kill.”

“Since the old Destiny loot cave days, I have loved helping players get the most out of their enjoyment with the game. Whether you want lots of loot, a higher rank, or a fun group of people to play with, my goal is simple: help you get results without wasting time,” it adds.

Paid boosting in video games is, obviously, not new. For years players without enough time to do it themselves have paid other people real money to grind Call of Duty experience for them, get to a certain rank in World of Warcraft, or obtain specific loot in Arc Raiders. But I found the Compiler kill offer especially jarring because it is something that requires so much time and skill from the person offering the boost. Killing, even getting to, the Compiler is not a mindless grind. You have to play a lot of Marathon to get there, and be good at the game. That, and personally it is a goal Emanuel, Matthew, and myself are slowly working towards, because that slow, painful progress is so satisfying to do yourself. 

One attraction of killing the Compiler is that you get a unique character skin after doing so, something that in the know players will definitely notice you flaunting. There is also a chance to get the Biotoxic Disinjector weapon as a reward. This is a ludicrous gun that shoots both slime and grenades, and Bungie already had to lower its power once. If you want one Biotoxic Disinjector, the booster is charging $200. If you want three, you need to cough up $400. If you’re happy with just the kill itself, it costs $125. According to the listing, 15 people have paid for this particular service.

The eBay listing says buyers can have the booster play on the customer’s account, or “You play with us (Me and one more good player) *More expensive.” They also let you pay and play with another person of your choosing, but keep it hidden from them you’re paying for a boost, if you want to add some friendship deception in there too. 

I noticed at least one listing advertising a similar Compiler kill service has been removed from eBay. Bungie, Marathon’s developer, did not respond to a request for comment, and I specifically asked Bungie if these boost services violate its rules.

Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi posed with a cardboard drone on Monday during a meeting with drone manufacturer AirKamuy. The AirKamuy 150 is a cheap pre-fab cardboard drone meant to die on the battlefield and it comes shipped in a flatpack like an IKEA shelf.

According to Koizumi, Japan’s military has already begun to use the cardboard drone. “The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is already utilizing them as targets,” he said in a post on X. “In aiming to become the Self-Defense Forces that makes the most extensive use of unmanned assets, including drones, in the world, strengthening collaboration with startups enthusiastic about the defense sector is indispensable.”

A one-of-a-kind piece is, by nature, special–it is singularly the only thing that exists like it. FREITAG prides itself on circular design in every respect of the process, reclaiming used (but not finished) truck tarps and billboard material, transforming a material that would otherwise go unused into something totally unique. Their new Easy Riders collection features cute catchalls, expertly designed to fit snugly on to the frame or handlebars of your bike. That’s not all–these bags can transform into messengers, conveniently coming with you with a simple clip-on strap. Build your ideal setup, stay prepared, and take it on the road, wherever that may be.

The F140 FRAN is a crossbody bag and a bike pouch in one, clipping on to the front of your handlebars with ease. An easily convertible bag from day to night, sling it crossbody to take your essentials from trail to town with ease.

The F141 BERYL is an asymmetrical cycling bag that sits snugly on the top tube, with a handy strap for the seat tube to keep things secure.

Small but mighty, the F142 HEINZ sits at the back of the seat post, strapped to the bottom of the saddle. For your most precious objects, even a little mud won’t stand a chance against the tarp material, waterproof and meant to withstand even the toughest elements. This mini bag can also be clipped to a bag, belt, or as a standalone crossbody bag. Each one unique, you’ll carry a piece of manufactur, as well as a sense

FREITAG is on a mission to keep bags in use, not in the closet or worse, landfill. Each piece is unique, upcycling a core tenet of the values of the brand. They walk the walk where many do not–offering Repair, Take-Back, and Rent services, you can truly keep your bag in use, as long as you’d like.

To learn more about the Easy Riders collection from FREITAG, visit freitag.ch.

Photography by Silvia Possamai.

Days before thousands of researchers, academics, and human rights experts were set to convene in Lusaka, Zambia, the government of Zambia announced it was postponing RightsCon, one the largest and most important digital human rights conferences in the world. The announcement, which came as some participants and speakers were already en route to the conference, has sown confusion and chaos in the academic community. 

Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati first announced the postponement on April 28, saying that Zambia needed more time to ensure the conference “fully [aligns] with national procedures, diplomatic protocols, and the broader objective of fostering a balanced and consensus-driven platform for dialogue.” 

“In particular, certain invited speakers and participants remain subject to pending administrative and security clearances, which have not yet been concluded," he added, according to the Lusaka Times.

It is unclear what is going to happen because Access Now, the organization that throws RightsCon, has not yet officially canceled the event. An “important update” from the RightsCon team on its website states. “We are aware of a media announcement indicating RightsCon has been postponed by the Government of Zambia and understand the panic it must be causing for our participants, especially those traveling to Lusaka. We have not yet received formal communication from the government and have requested an urgent meeting with the involved Ministries. We are on the ground coordinating with our partners and hope to have more information today (Wednesday, April 29).” There has not been an update from Access Now or RightsCon.

But on Wednesday afternoon the Zambian government reinforced Mutati’s statement but did not clarify it. “The postponement was necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure of critical information related to key thematic issues proposed for discussion during the Summit," Kawana said. “Such disclosure is essential to ensure full alignment with Zambia’s national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations,” Thabo Kawana, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information and Media reinforced Mutati’s statement but did not clarify it. 

RightsCon was set to take place in Lusaka May 5-8. The postponement comes amid a broader backlash to academic digital human rights research in the United States and around the world; researchers who study social media content moderation and related topics have, for example, had their visas revoked by the Trump administration.

It has been a difficult few years for RightsCon—last year, the conference took place in Taipei, Taiwan, but some participants had to pull out or participate virtually at the last minute because of the wholesale destruction of USAID and many U.S. government research grants under the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. In 2023, roughly 300 RightsCon participants, largely from the global south, were unable to attend the conference in Costa Rica due to visa-on-arrival issues.

Several RightsCon participants reached by 404 Media said they were unsure what they were going to do, and weren’t sure if they were going to get on their flights to Lusaka.

RightsCon did not respond to 404 Media’s request for a comment.