yesIn front of your ears Star WarsVideo game designers began exploring intergalactic dogfights in 1962. spacewar!The first proper computer game, , was a rudimentary but influential attempt: two skinny triangles spiraling around a star's gravity well and firing torpedoes at each other. After establishing the medium's basic principles, hundreds of developers attempted to refine and perfect the genre, which has gone in and out of fashion but never completely disappeared. Cygnus It's probably the best production attempt to date. A small studio in Scotland Answering the Impossible Question: What if Steven Spielberg had directed it? Space Invaders?
As a lone warrior, you'll race across an alien planet, attacking UFOs and swirling swarms of purple space jellyfish that fly across the screen, in a style reminiscent of polarity-swapping arcade classics. Ikaruga, Cygnus is a master class in technology: a spaceship hurtles through a remote robot battlefield, rocked by the blasts of thousands of fireworks. The orchestra, frantic one moment, melancholic the next, complementarily backs up the action, which ebbs and flows, with moments of rest between the activity.
Enemies fly through the air or glide along the ground far below, forcing you to switch weapons to focus your attacks on either target. Every few minutes you'll be facing off against a much larger enemy, and you'll need to adjust your angle of attack while dodging their attacks and lunges. Enemies drop chunks of power-ups (you lose one every time you take damage), which can be swapped between a shield system or a weapon system, a slightly tedious complexity that adds an extra layer of strategy.
The game is a formidable challenge, and most players should start on the easiest difficulty level. Laser bullets fall like showers rather than hail, and lives are replenished at reasonable intervals between the seven long levels. It can get repetitive at times, Cygnus's innovative mechanics will no doubt be polarizing among the genre's most dedicated and old-school fans, but for those who approach it with an open mind and deft fingers, it remains a thrilling vision.
'I I remember visiting Ghostface Killah. [of the Wu-Tang Clan] “He was mad at us!” recalls Darryl Anselmo, a former EA employee and art director on 2004's groundbreaking hip-hop fusion fighting game Def Jam: Fight for NY. “Ghost Face was holding four pounds of solid gold. eagle bracelet And he claimed that his character's signature move would be for the bird to come to life and peck the other rappers out of their eyes. But the limitations of the PlayStation 2's technology and its violence restrictions meant that it couldn't happen. It wasn't possible.”
“When Ghost Face first asked about the eagle, Lauren… [Wirtzer Seawood, another one of the game’s producers] He told me to just nod and smile, and when I met him again at the studio for the sequel, I apologized. [for misleading him] He quickly moved on to recording extended insults for his character for the new game, one of which I remember: “Go home and cry to your mother. And tell her you're hungry!”
Whether or not Ghostface Killah transforms into a giant killer eagle, the resulting game, Def Jam: Fight for NY, celebrates its 20th anniversary this month and remains one of the fighting game genre's most vibrant spins. It's the rare '00s game that's still dominating social media conversation despite never being remade or re-released. The 67 characters include rap legends like Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Ice-T, Scarface, Ludacris, Flavor Flav, Slick Rick, Warren G, and Mobb Deep, and it's an improvement over the slower-paced gameplay of its predecessor, Def Jam: Vendetta, in every respect.
Vendetta was essentially publisher EA's best take on an engine made for a defunct WCW wrestling game that was mired in development hell and causing executives to lose their heads. At one stage, in their desperation, they even suggested that it could be salvaged and remade into an intergalactic wrestling game full of alien characters. But because Holmes and Anselmo had helmed the 2001 success NBA Street (which added a faster, cartoony, hip-hop aesthetic to basketball multiplayer and far outsold that year's bigger-budget (and much more boring) NBA Live 2002), they were deemed the perfect duo to turn what began as a vague boardroom idea (what if rappers wrestled each other?) into a fleshed-out, retail game.
“It was a controversial concept”…Def Jam battles in NYC. Photo: EA
This meant traveling back and forth to Japan to work with development company AKI Corporation, while also touring the US to meet with rappers signed or affiliated with legendary label Def Jam, and ultimately winning their trust. They shaped the character's mannerisms, from moves to taunts. “It's been a dream life, to be honest,” Holmes adds. “I grew up obsessed with hip-hop. As a teenager, I worked in a music store and sold a bass guitar to Flavor Flav when Public Enemy played in Vancouver. Flavor actually remembered me! It was an amazing time. Who would have thought I'd end up recording with my idols and going to Snoop Dogg's family home?”
But he acknowledges that the core concept behind Def Jam: Vendetta and its sequel, Def Jam: Fight for NY, wasn't easily embraced: “Execs had a hard time understanding the concept of a fighting game about rappers. It was a controversial concept,” says the producer, who went on to work on Halo 4 at Microsoft and 343 Industries.
“Once I explained to them that to be the best lyricist in hip-hop, it's all about arguing, dissing, and competing for the throne, they finally got it,” Anselmo reveals. “Hip-hop is full of vibrant, competitive personalities, so the character roster could have a Street Fighter II or Tekken 3 vibe.”
Def Jam: Fight for NY's concept of rappers punching each other was a huge success, and critics loved it, too, with a score of 83 on Metacritic. “We rushed to make Vendetta, but it still sold well,” says Holmes. “That success gave us the opportunity to expand on the gameplay with Fight for NY and take our time to get it right.” AKI Corporation took the ever-changing, momentum-based combat from the legendary WWF: No Mercy game, released on Nintendo 64 in 2000, and sped everything up with hyper-active Blazin' Moves (my personal favorite is Busta's backbreaker, which is more destructive than Batman's spine-crushing Bane).
The art design is somewhere between The Wire and a comic book, with an ambitious range of dynamic fighting styles (kickboxing, street fighting, martial arts, wrestling, submission). There's a storyline, with Snoop Dogg playing the cunning vampire villain The Crow, who'll hit you with a cane and cleverly taunt you with, “Do you have dental insurance?” You can wear Roc-A-Wear or Ecko tracksuits, getting increasingly better dressed as you rise through the ranks of your boss D-Mob's underground fighting syndicate, slowly earning you respect. It's as if Fight Club had been directed by glossy rap music vid…
Rappers Joe Budden vs. Sticky Fingaz compete in Def Jam's New York Battle. Photo: EA
The key mission was to choose either 128-bit's Lil' Kim or Carmen Electra as his new girlfriend, and the next day Method Man would call and ask if they'd slept together. The latter was one part of the game that Anselmo now regrets: “Lil' Kim could beat any of the male MCs, but… [reduced to that]”In 2004,” he admits, “all of the rap music videos were about objectifying women, which in retrospect is a real shame. The reality is that there was a push to make the game more sex appealing and more culturally relevant.”
As I recalled after recently replaying my dusty GameCube copy, Fight for NY is still exhilaratingly challenging. The boss fight featuring Fat Joe's crack Zangief-esque character had me hurling my WaveBird controller against the wall as a teenager. You can't beat your opponent unless you take the time to figure out how to counter their attacks, and while this process can be brutal at times, it makes it all that much more satisfying when you finally triumph.
“This game is designed in such a way that you have to sweat and really learn something new to win!” Anselmo says with a smile. “AKI's Hiro Abe (programmer) and Hiroya Tamura (artist) were geniuses. To get good at Def Jam: Fight for NY, you had to master the gameplay and get used to losing. In modern games, fighting games are just too easy. I think that's why so many people still play our game over and over.”
“Fighting games are too easy in today's gaming world”…Def Jam Fight for NY. Photo: EA
And there are still a lot of people playing Fight for NY. Not a week goes by without someone playing. Nostalgic post A gameplay video that went viral on TikTok has gone viral to the point where people can't believe it even exists. Even rappers (Including Ice TThe actor who played the character in the game(?) is still responding to tweets from fans begging for an updated version.
A$AP Rocky has labelled modern rap the “new wrestling” due to the commercialisation of petty infighting and mainstream MCs treating rap personas like WWE bad-mouthing tough guys. Holmes agrees with my theory that Def Jam: Fight for NY, with its constant depictions of MCs embroiled in diss tracks and gang politics, now feels like a documentary, especially considering how much more public conflict there has become in rap. “Rap is becoming more and more dramatic,” he agrees. “You see a lot of social media videos of rappers fighting each other, and it's interesting that the violence of the game doesn't seem so ridiculous today.”
Some will argue that a game that trivializes the conflict in hip-hop is wrong and deserves more criticism, especially with so many rappers losing their lives to violence every year. Anselmo counters: “I get that, and I don't think we could make the game right now because of drill, the environment is too tough. But Def Jam: Fight for NY was just meant to be a fantasy, escapist experience. It was like a gangsta rap version of The Warriors. It was just a little fun. We trusted that the audience would know that in real life, throwing someone through a window is not cool. We were really trying to res…tement is too tough. But Def Jam: Fight for NY was just meant to be a fantasy, escapist experience. It was like a gangsta rap version of The Warriors. It was just a little fun. We trusted that the audience would know that in real life, throwing someone through a window is not cool. We were really trying to respect the culture of hip-hop.”
The original Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube discs of Def Jam: Fight for NY are highly sought-after and command high prices on the second-hand market. But there hasn't been a Def Jam game released since 2007's disappointing Def Jam: Icon, and there hasn't been a remaster of Fight for NY. Why?
The sequel may be one of the most expensive games ever made…Def Jam Fight for NY. Photo: EA
Lauren Wurtzer Seawood, former vice president of marketing for the Def Jam label, played a pivotal role in the development of the first two games, serving as the liaison introducing the timid development team to the feisty MCs, and working hard to sort out complex licensing agreements ranging from image rights to music to in-game brand partnerships.
She says this complicated business mechanic is a big reason why it's highly unlikely the franchise will ever be revived. Def Jam: Fight for NY cost about $15 million to make, but with both hip-hop and video games now multi-billion dollar businesses worldwide, licensing fees would be astronomical. “If this game was re-released today, many
In late last year, Duan*, a Chinese university student, bypassed China’s Great Firewall using a virtual private network to access the social media platform Discord.
He discovered a community within Discord where members discussed political ideologies like democracy, anarchism, and communism. Popular blogger Yang Minghao highlighted the importance of these discussions in a YouTube video.
Duan was drawn to this community after watching Yang’s videos. However, he and several others from the group were later interrogated by police in a different city.
The interrogation focused on Duan’s connection with Yang, his use of a VPN, and his Discord comments. Duan was released after 24 hours, but concerns remain for Yang, who has been silent online since then.
This incident reflects China’s strict censorship policies, where online comments can lead to serious consequences.
At an online conference in China, people stand in front of a screen showing a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Alex Prabevski/EPA
The situation highlights the expanding web of online surveillance in China. Authorities are cracking down on dissenting voices, even those operating outside the country.
The web of online surveillance is widening
Li Ying, a prominent social media figure, warned his followers in China about police interrogations, urging them to unfollow him to avoid trouble.
The crackdown on online dissent indicates a growing trend of repression, with even overseas influencers facing pressure from Chinese authorities.
Online censorship campaigns have become routine in China, targeting those who express opinions contrary to the government’s narrative.
Despite the challenges, activists and dissenters continue to resist censorship and uphold their beliefs, fostering common values across borders.
The Discord crackdown has sparked discussions in online forums, underscoring the ongoing struggle for freedom of expression in China.
ohOn September 1, 1974, two men made the fastest trip ever between New York and London. Traveling three times the speed of sound and taking less than two hours, this incredible journey set a record that still stands 50 years later.
Even the mighty Concorde, which set the record for the fastest commercial transatlantic flight in 1996, was almost an hour late.
The US Air Force Lockheed Blackbird SR-71 jet, with a crew of two – pilot James Sullivan and reconnaissance systems operator Noel Widdifield – completed the flight between the two cities in one hour, 54 minutes and 56 seconds, before landing in triumph to a great welcome at the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire.
Widdifield, now 83, divides his time between Virginia and Florida in the US. “In some ways it was a normal flight for us,” he said, reflecting on that momentous day. “There was nothing unusual about the flight or the way we flew the plane, but in July 1974 we were told we were going to attempt the world record for flying from New York to London, which had previously been held by a Royal Navy pilot. There was a lot of media interest.”
It wasn’t just the Air Force’s prestige that was at stake. America was facing an international public relations crisis. Just three weeks earlier, disgraced President Richard Nixon had resigned after the Watergate scandal and Gerald Ford had taken over the White House. The country was still reeling from its disastrous involvement in the Vietnam War. The country needed something to cheer about.
There were other schemes as well. Widdifield observer“Although I didn’t know anything about it at the time, behind the scenes, negotiations were taking place between the US and the UK to deploy Blackbird SR-71s on British soil.
Widdifield flew B-52 bombers before joining the Blackbird SR-71 program. Photo: Noel Widdifield
“There were fears in the UK that this move might cause a lot of backlash, especially in the Middle East. But after we broke the record and flew into the Farnborough Air Show, that seemed to be the clincher and the UK allowed the SR-71 to be parked.”
Widdifield was 33 when he made this historic flight. He originally wanted to be a train driver, but after seeing U.S. Air Force jets flying low over his house at age 12, he decided to become a pilot.
After training and flying B-52 bombers, Widdifield served in the Blackbird SR-71 program at Beale Air Force Base in California from 1971 to 1975, after which he retired from flying to serve in the U.S. space program until 1982.
Piloting a Blackbird was akin to being an astronaut: The crew wore space suits and flew at an altitude of 80,000 feet (most commercial airliners top out at 42,000 feet). “It was pitch black up there,” Widdifield said. “You could see the stars and, depending on the time of day, the moon or the sun.”
Their plane took off from Beale and had to fly along the coast to New York to avoid creating a sonic boom over populated areas and causing significant damage to buildings. High above the city was an invisible “gate” where the journey would begin. Reaching a speed of Mach 3.2 (three times the speed of sound, about 2,455 miles per hour), the Blackbird crashed through the gate and the record attempt began.
The plane had to refuel twice: once upon takeoff, once when it docked with a tanker over California to top off, and once en route to near Greenland.
In one incident that looked terrifying from the outside but was handled with cool by the crew, the Blackbird suddenly began to “yaw,” or move quickly from side to side, after losing thrust.
Because the Blackbird took in air from the front to provide thrust for the engines, the air intake mechanisms would often become misaligned, causing a momentary, significant loss of power in one engine.
Widdifield and Sullivan stand in front of a Blackbird SR-71. Photo: Noel Widdifield
“The automatic restart system was activated, the misaligned cones were corrected and the engine was restarted,” Widdifield said. “We had no real concerns other than what this would do to our record speed run.”
The plane then flew through the London “gates” without incident, and the Blackbird landed at Farnborough, where a large crowd waited and a press conference was held, during which Widdifield and Sullivan were on the phone with the new president. “It got huge international coverage for the next year,” says Widdifield, who has six scrapbooks of the clippings. “But what Jim and I always tried to emphasize was that although it was just the two of us who got the glory, there was a huge team behind every flight.
“When you take into account the support staff, the administrative staff and all the people who work to get us flying, that’s 1,000 people. They deserve as much credit as Jim and I do.”
Widdifield, who has been married to his wife Ann for 63 years and has two children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, is mourning the loss of his co-pilot, Jim Sullivan, who died in 2021, and the Blackbird SR-71 itself, which was officially retired in 1998.
He said: “Jim and I kept in touch but then lived far apart so we only saw each other a few times at SR-71 reunions.
“Obviously I was sad when the SR-71 program ended. So am I surprised that no one has beaten our record in 50 years? No, because no aircraft has been built since then that could break that record.”
The Supreme Court of Brazil has ordered the suspension of social media platform X’s activities in the country as the company failed to appoint a legal representative within the specified deadline.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes, in a continuing legal battle with X’s owner Elon Musk, issued an order on Friday evening for the complete suspension of X’s operations until all court orders are fulfilled, fines are paid, and a new legal representative is appointed in the country.
The National Telecommunications Agency of Brazil has been given 24 hours to enforce the court’s decision, after which over 20,000 broadband providers in the country will be required to block access to X.
The agency’s director, Carlos Manuel Baigorri, confirmed that the order has been communicated to internet providers, with the expectation that all businesses will have implemented the blocks by the weekend.
Initially, Judge Moraes instructed Apple and Google to block X apps and VPN applications. However, these references were later removed pending further information from the involved parties.
Individuals or companies attempting to use X through VPNs will face fines of 50,000 reais per day.
Following X’s failure to appoint new legal representatives, Musk announced that the platform would not comply with the court’s orders.
Musk criticized Brazil’s actions, accusing the country of stifling the truth and intimidating those seeking it.
The conflict between Musk and the Brazilian authorities began in April, with accusations of spreading misinformation and censorship.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva emphasized the need for compliance with Brazilian laws and court decisions, warning against disrespect for the country’s sovereignty.
In response to Musk’s actions, local bank accounts linked to Starlink, Musk’s satellite and internet provider, were blocked to enforce fines imposed on X.
As legal experts criticized the decision affecting Starlink, the internet provider assured customers of continued service despite the financial implications.
Starlink has requested the Supreme Court to reconsider Moraes’ decision and lift the freeze on its accounts, or alternatively, limit the freeze to the fine amount imposed on X.
THus’ kingdom is a rural idyll, with happy villagers wandering around the market, the young shepherd Len tending his flock and his partner Tyra repairing the shed. It’s as if they all live in a cozy farming simulator made by a benevolent game developer. But is that really the case? Or is it just an illusion cast by an evil god that has trapped them in their horrible pixelated appearance?
That’s the fun “meta” setting of Quantum Witch, a pixel-art platform game by lone developer Nikki Jay. Heavily inspired by old LucasArts adventures and the legendary Dizzy series for the ZX Spectrum, it’s a comedy game with a serious autobiographical heart. Jay grew up in a right-wing religious sect with very closed-minded views, based in the northeast of England. “They were obsessed with the end of the world,” she says. “They believed it could happen at any time, and that all evil people would be destroyed. So I Had “Being good. It was very oppressive.”
“This is not a platform game. Plot Former“…Quantum Witch.” Photo: Nikki Jay
Jay came out as a lesbian as a teenager, but was quickly shunned by her group. After a period of homelessness, she taught herself to code and found work as a software engineer, but the desire to share her story haunted her. “My mind was constantly swirling with what had happened to me,” she says. “I thought, ‘I can’t just hold onto this trauma, I have to do something about it.’ I knew there were other people out there who had been through the same thing. I wanted to tell them a story they could relate to and let them know there was something better out there.”
She initially thought she would write a novel, but found the process terrifying. Instead, she turned to games. Growing up in the 1980s, her family had a ZX Spectrum, which was her escape. “I escaped into video games because they let me create the worlds I wanted,” she says. “I was obsessed with computer-generated worlds. When I first played Trashman on the Spectrum, I thought, ‘This is amazing. This is a completely self-contained, internally consistent world that I can interact with.’ I loved it. It freed me from the fears I was facing in my life.”
“Multi-layered metaphor”…Quantum Witch. Photo: Nikki Jay
In Quantum Witch, Ren discovers that something malevolent exists beyond the saccharine pixel-art world she’s lived in, and sets off on a journey to discover the truth. Along the way, she’ll complete fetch quests and pick flowers for her partner, but ultimately must attack a god and take his throne. While the open Metroidvania-style structure suggests a standard platform game, the game is actually a “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style narrative quest. You’ll make many choices over the course of four hours of play, meeting characters and taking on optional side quests that will affect the outcome. “This isn’t just a platform game, it’s a game about discovering the truth,” says Ren. Plot Former“Your choices shape the story. There are multiple endings and, where possible, each side quest also has multiple endings. It’s a total logistical nightmare,” says Jay.
Throughout the adventure, the story is filled with the wonderfully silly humor that is typical of the ZX Spectrum development scene. Available on Steamyou encounter dancing skeletons who can see into time, a lampshade-worshipping religious group (“We’re not a cult!”), and a marketplace where all the merchants resemble famous video game protagonists, including a wordy archaeologist selling dodgy artifacts and a strange circular character trying to sell you stimulants to fight the ghosts in your mind. Naturally, Jay was also a big fan of Digitizer, the cult teletext gaming magazine known for its surreal humor. She later became friends with the magazine’s writer Paul Rose, who served as a script consultant for the game. “I had lots of ideas for storyline and character development for Quantum Witch, but I’d never written anything this long or complex,” Jay explains.[Rose] It’s really helped me organize and make it all work together.
After being blown away by how fun Thank Goodness You’re Here is, it’s great to see other developers taking cues from quirky British humor from the ’70s and ’80s. But Quantum Witch isn’t just a pun-filled comedy quest. It’s a multi-layered metaphor about game development, identity and escapism, and it’s based on its creators’ own experiences. It’s about what games are supposed to be about: making the biggest decisions that sometimes save your life.
“I wanted to introduce a theme of choice and responsibility that is really central to the story,” Jay says. “A lot of religions involve giving up your autonomy to some mysterious force you’ve never seen, heard or met. In the game, Ren reclaims that agency… It’s a queer liberation story.”
isDuring this long, hot, dreary summer, I’ve come to believe in only one thing: seeing Twisters in 4DX. Set in Oklahoma, this Lee Isaac Chung-directed film gets a 7/10 in 2D. It’s a sort of blockbuster sequel to the 1996 disaster movie, with Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones playing tornado chasers and showing off some modest chemistry. But in the immersive theater format of 4DX, where audiences are pelted with literal wind and rain, Twisters gets a can’t-miss 10/10.
In 4DX, you feel every jolt, from the punch in your back to the tickle in your ankles, as the truck sways in the F5 winds. When the characters cling to their bolted-down theater seats during the climactic storm, I clung to the armrests to keep from being torn apart by the wind. There were loud cheers at my screening every time the movie’s tornado hit, as in the scene in which Powell wears a skin-tight white T-shirt in a light rain. I emerged from Twisters with matted hair and tear stains down my side. A friend lost a shoe. In 4DX, in the words of Tyler Owens, who plays Powell, you don’t just “ride out” the storm. teeth storm.
I’m not alone Glorious Recognition4DX has been around in the US for a decade, first introduced with Transformers: Age of Extinction in 2014, but Twisters marks 4DX’s culmination and breakout success this summer. Domestic box office records were broken 4DX grossed $2.3 million in its opening weekend across 62 theaters across the US. A TikTok user recorded himself leaving a screening of Twisters and heading home. Mascara streaks, Pushing and shoving in a four-person theater seat and Seeing God (With shocked parents) In the wind tunnel. A week later, Deadpool and Wolverine Exceeded Twisters’ record $2.8 million marked the second consecutive best weekend ever for 4DX, the second most popular of the so-called “premium large-format” viewing options after IMAX, which accounted for a significant chunk of this month’s box office takings. Alien: Romulus box office.
“Premium formats like 4DX and IMAX are making a full comeback,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “People complain about the price of movie tickets, but audiences don’t seem to mind paying a premium for a particular film experience.” For an average of $8 more than a standard ticket, audiences can feel the impact of a sandworm in Dune, simulate the terror of zero gravity in Alien, and scream inside a tornado. The hype for Twisters has been building for years. A Post-Pandemic Craze for Bold, Spectacular Theatrical Experiences “With Twisters, everything clicked,” says Duncan MacDonald, head of worldwide marketing and theatrical development for 4DX company CJ 4DPlex Americas. “We’ve been stuck at home for so long, and theaters have been closed for so long, so we wanted to see something different, and 4DX gave us that.”
4DX’s summer is largely thanks to a team of artists (whom the company calls “editors”) based in Seoul, South Korea, who adapt 35-40 Hollywood movies and about 70-80 non-Hollywood films a year. Since 2009, the studio has enhanced some 1,050 movies, from horror to the Fast and Furious to Pixar films, with 4DX effects such as smells (gardenias, roses from Beauty and the Beast, Wonka chocolate), weather, lighting, and chair programming adapted from a military flight simulator. What began as an experiment by South Korean cinema chain CJ CGV is now screening in 792 cinemas worldwide, including 63 in the U.S. and Canada, according to the company.
Editors take over once nearly all post-production is finished, usually about a month before the film’s release. The team then goes through the film scene by scene, and frame by frame for particularly intense action sequences, choreographing the chair movements and fine-tuning the effects to match the change in perspective. They have to decide which elements to emphasize at which moments and which to tone down. In the case of Twisters, do you focus on the experience of the battered truck, or the wind? In one storm scene, the 4DX experience “starts with the truck, and you feel every little impact,” says Paul Hyun Kim, senior vice president of content and production at CJ 4DPlex. When a tornado forms in the distance, the seats shake less to match the swaying of the truck, emphasizing the tornado’s intense gusts and smooth movement, drawing the audience into the larger storm. “You’re focused on the tornado, you become part of it,” Kim says.
“It’s a very creative process,” he added. It’s also collaborative: Each team has a lead editor who pitches internally to the studio’s editor-in-chief, Cindy Lee, who has edited 300 titles in 15 years. “With that experience, you really start to gain nuance and a feel and expertise for what to highlight and what to distance yourself from,” Kim said.
circleWhen Pavel Durov faced criticism from Russian regulators for promoting adult content on his social media platform VKontakte, he responded by changing his Twitter handle from “VK CEO” to “Porn King.”
Over a decade later, Durov’s anti-authoritarian views and moderation practices have led to even more significant issues.
A 39-year-old man was indicted by a Paris court for his involvement in distributing child sexual abuse images on the Telegram messaging app and other offenses.
Since its launch in 2013, Durov has positioned Telegram as a politically impartial space for free speech, resisting government influence. Despite mounting global regulation targeting tech companies and criticism for criminal and terrorist use of his platform, Durov seemed unperturbed.
However, recent events indicate that Durov may have overestimated his position of power and freedom. Following his bail payment of €5 million (£4.2 million) to avoid prison, he had to surrender three passports, limiting his ability to move freely.
Born in the Soviet Union in 1984, Durov exhibited a rebellious streak from a young age, challenging authority and displaying immense self-confidence. His journey from founding VKontakte to creating Telegram has been marked by bold decisions and a commitment to freedom of expression.
Durov’s eccentricities and tech innovations have drawn comparisons to Steve Jobs rather than Mark Zuckerberg. His unorthodox leadership style and strong beliefs have shaped his public persona as a visionary in the tech world.
Telegram’s success, boasting nearly a billion users, showcases Durov’s entrepreneurial skills and technological acumen. The app’s innovative features have attracted a diverse user base and have been instrumental in social movements across the globe.
Despite facing challenges and legal troubles, Durov continues to advocate for freedom of speech and positions himself as a champion of the cause. His journey from a rebellious teenager to a tech giant reflects a complex and intriguing narrative in the digital age.
circleWhen it comes to video games, they all have one thing in common: Releasing one game is hard. But releasing 50? All at once? That’s a whole other challenge. That’s the challenge for the team behind UFO 50. Seven years after it was announced, this long-awaited anthology of 8-bit, retro-style games is finally set to release this September. With 50 games included, it’ll be worth the wait.
UFO 50 is a giant variety pack of complete video games, each with its own title, genre, and story. “These aren’t mini-games,” asserts Derek Yu, creator and developer of the 2008 platform game Spelunky. Considered one of the greatest games of all time“All of the games could potentially exist as full releases on ’80s consoles or computers.”
The concept that holds this collection together is that these games were all developed by UFO Soft, a mysterious (fictional) 80s video game company that developed an entire catalog for an equally fictional gaming console. There’s a mix of single-player and multiplayer, and everything from puzzle games and platform games to tactical war games and RPGs. Some games don’t fit into typical categories at all, like Pingolf, a side-scrolling pinball-golf hybrid, or Waldorf’s Journey, where you try to crash your flying walrus into your friend’s flying walrus. Every game looks like it was released for the NES, but with a decidedly modern gaming feel. Think low-res, high-concept games.
While some genres in the mix didn’t exist in the ‘80s, like roguelike platformers and tower defense games, classic genres bring new mechanics to their retro roots. “Take Mini & Max, for example. It looks like a regular platform game, but you can make yourself small or big anywhere and explore the world. You might find an entire microscopic city on an unremarkable dirt tile,” hints Yu.
A simple arcade style experience…UFO 50 screenshots. Photo: Mossmouth
Some of the games are simple arcade-style, where the goal of the game is to get a high score, but others are on a grander scale. “Grimstone is one of the largest games in our collection. It’s an RPG, so I think it’s not crazy to say it takes 20 hours to play,” Yu reveals. “UFO Soft’s history stretches from 1982 to 1990, and games have become more technologically advanced over the years. If you go through the timeline, you’ll notice that there are games with sequels and recurring characters.”
One such character is the company’s mascot, the Pilot, who appears in many of its games, including in Pilot Quest, a dedicated top-down action game in which players explore dungeons and expand their base.
The not-so-fictional team behind UFO 50 is a six-strong supergroup of indie game developers known for cult hits like Spelunky, Catacomb Kids, Cadence of Hyrule, and Madhouse, as well as card games like Air and Land & Sea. For the group, the ‘80s gaming style is more than just an aesthetic: “Everyone on the team loves the mystery and charm of ‘80s games,” says Yu.
“You didn’t always know what experience you were going to have, which only added to the tension and excitement. I wasn’t afraid to get a little lost while playing. The design was more adventurous, despite the limitations of the hardware.” The original Legend of Zelda was a particular reference for Yu. “I remember playing the game while my dad drew maps, marking dungeons and secret locations. It really felt like we were on an adventure together. Working together as a team, we began to understand where everything was and how it worked. The graphics weren’t realistic, but the world felt incredibly real.”
There’s a lot to explore in UFO 50. It could take you months to play through all of these games, unlock their secrets, and find their connections, but whether you’re familiar with video games from this era or not, you’ll have a ton of fun making those discoveries.
aWith school starting back up, the pressure is on for parents to get their kids their first mobile phone, and when you decide the time has come, there are plenty of options: a smartphone, a basic phone, or upgrading to something new.
From the phone to the mobile services that come with it, key parental controls, to how well the phone fits with the devices you already use, here are some things you need to know before you buy, including which model is best for you.
Your best option might be the phone you already have, especially if you plan on replacing it in the near future. As long as it’s given a thorough cleaning, a new battery, a new case, and the software support is still there, a hand-me-down might be the best way to give your child a phone, while also being kind to the planet and your wallet.
A battery replacement will usually cost between £50 and £150 depending on the model and the shop. If you know how to use your mobile phone well, it will be easier to wipe the battery and set it up for your child.
The Nokia 3210 is one of HMD’s latest retro revival phones. Photo: Linda Nylind/The Guardian
Mobile operator EE recently advised parents not to give smartphones to primary school-aged children. So if your only purpose is to make and receive calls and texts, or to arrange a pick-up or make an emergency call, a basic “dumb” phone would be the solution. However, be aware that these phones only support SMS, not messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, etc.
The downside is that many lower spec phones still have limited access to the internet, and only a handful have basic parental controls that lock the camera, browser and picture messaging (MMS). The lack of restrictions on things like calls and text contacts may also be a turn off, so check the manufacturer’s help documentation to see what’s possible before you buy.
Nokia makes a range of feature phones for around £30 to £60, such as the 110 4G and 225. For more fun there are nostalgic models such as the remake of the Nokia 3210, or film tie-in models such as the recently released HMD Barbie phone. Whatever model you choose, make sure it’s 4G compatible with most 3G services in the UK. Shutdown by the end of 2024.
Nokia 110 4G, £39.99 Argos
Nokia 225, £59.99 Argos Home page
Nokia 3210, £59.99 Argos Home page
The Moto G34 comes with 5G, Android 14, and will support security updates until January 2027. Photo: Motorola
Affordable Android phones are a good starting point; there are a variety of models available in the £80 to £180 price range. They usually have large screens and good battery life, although the cameras aren’t the best and apps can be slow to open and use.
Avoid models with Android Go or without access to the Play Store or Google services. Check the remaining time for software support; phones at this level usually only get updates for 2-3 years from the initial release, not at the time of purchase. Kids drop their phones more than adults, so a sturdy case with some water resistance is a good idea.
HMD sells a range of Android devices, either under its own brand or the Nokia brand, and offers longer software support than many others: the HMD Pulse costs under £100, runs Android 14 with security updates until May 2027, and if anything breaks you can fix it at home.
Motorola offers some great value products. Moto G34 Equipped with 5G, large battery, large screen, Android 14, and security updates Until January 2027.
If you’re in the Samsung family, the Galaxy A15 might be a better choice: it costs around £170, runs Android 14 with security updates until January 2029, and has a range of first- and third-party case options to ensure protection.
I I’m dying. I found some life expectancy calculators online that put me at either extremes of 84 or 54, and I’m turning 55 in December, so I’m worried. I’m running out of time to do the things I dream of doing: seeing Machu Picchu, finding a good vegan sausage, beating the kids at Mario Kart again.
The cats were our family’s favorite pastime, but when they began to gleefully slaughter me, I was forced to exact a petty revenge: take what they loved and secretly donate it to a charity shop. They still miss them to this day.
When they got Mario Kart 8, I called it a day, saying I was done with that childish stuff. But with death looming in the months or decades to come, I spent a week training to get to the top again.
The game has thousands of characters now. In addition to various versions of the original characters, there’s Kamek, a mysterious stranger known only as the Villager, and some totally random people, though I’m not sure who Pauline is. Glen Powell is probably in there somewhere, too; he’s been in everything else lately.
This was my first time handling the Switch OLED, and it’s a fragile little thing the size of a 1970s sandwich, with a recessed on/off button that requires tweezers — this is not a machine made for big fingers.
But those bloated fingers still have the skill. I tell my oldest daughter that she is easily passing the 50cc and 100cc levels. She says to me, “That’s amazing, Dad. As long as you do your best, that’s all you can do.” She smiles, but her eyes are not smiling. “Remember, Dad… Rainbow Road.”
Destroyer of dreams…Rainbow Road from Mario Kart Tour. Photo: Nintendo
I broke out in a cold sweat. That song destroyed dreams. It drove me crazy. It mocked my sense of depth.
On day two, I dominated Rainbow Road in the 100cc Star Cup and racked up wins like a pro. With perfect drift boost timing, I won four Grand Prix in one day. The menu music felt like something straight out of a “comedy” cop movie where one of Kevins (Hart or James) chases someone through a cake factory and comes out covered in icing, but it got the joy flowing in my old plaque covered veins.
I was surprised that I never went off course. Steering assist on…oh my gosh. This is like when my wife found out I was playing Horizon Zero Dawn on “Story” difficulty.
Without steering assist it’s a whole different story. The 150cc Star Road is the exact same nightmare as before. I hate this track, it’s like something out of a Gaspar Noe movie. 4 hours of practice on Friday gave me a stress rash on my face. My wife asks me why I yelled “Forget you, Lady Rosaline!”
On Saturdays, I go out drinking under pressure.
The Sunday of the Diamond Family Grand Prix arrives. My wife is called in to work. It’s a shame because she loses easily. “Are you good at Mario Kart?” I ask my son’s girlfriend.
“Not really,” she replied.
“Perfect,” I announced. “You’re player number four.”
My son plays shirtless because he doesn’t want to get his work shirt dirty, but it’s clearly an act of power, so I take my shirt off too. I have more hair and tattoos than he does. Nice try, son.
The controllers are the bigger problem. I’ve practiced with two Joy-Cons welded together into a single device, but with four players, each person shrinking one Joy-Con to the size of an inflated Mars bar and the shoulder buttons deforming into staple-sized flakes, my hands are twisted into unnatural shapes, and within minutes I’m in pain like I’m not feeling arthritis in 20 years.
This game is Should Play Mario Kart 8 on Nintendo Switch. Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images (Courtesy of Nintendo of America)
There are other oddities too: My guy (Dry Bones, chosen to reflect one of my many ailments) keeps veering off to the right.
“What the hell is wrong with my controls?” I exclaim, in seventh place.
“The controller is drifting,” my son says.
“why?”
“Because it’s Nintendo.”
I’d completely forgotten about this. Just like the shoulder buttons on an Xbox controller start to wear out after a year, Nintendo controllers also drift. Good thing Nintendo can’t control the Mars Rover buggy, or it would just be spinning around in circles.
“You’ll get used to it, Dad.”
He does. I don’t.
I finished the Grand Prix in third place behind my son and the number one kid. The number one kid is a really good gamer. I asked her how she was so good. “Hmm. Autism, Dad!” she replied.
I demand a rematch, in which Number 1 Child must use a drift controller.
I get even worse. My son’s girlfriend is hitting on me. She is the sweetest, kindest, most respectful girl in the world, the kind of girl I would dream of giving to my son. But she Now he cries as if it were his own child. What a terrible child.
Miraculously (that is, thanks to me firing off an armada of blue shells), I overtook the number one kid in the final race and won. She still won the grand prize, but I proved I could still win. I did a loud, incredibly complicated victory dance and then booked myself in for a massage to fix my twisted, claw-like hands.
My elderly father still has some life left in him.
An important California bill, aimed at establishing safeguards for the nation’s largest artificial intelligence systems, passed a key vote on Wednesday. The proposal is designed to address potential risks associated with AI by requiring companies to test models and publicly disclose safety protocols to prevent misuse, such as taking down the state’s power grid or creating chemical weapons. Experts warn that the rapid advancements in the industry could lead to such scenarios in the future.
The bill narrowly passed the state Assembly and is now awaiting a final vote in the state Senate. If approved, it will be sent to the governor for signing, although his position on the bill remains unclear. Governor Gavin Newsom will have until the end of September to make a decision on whether to sign, veto, or let the bill become law without his signature. While the governor previously expressed concerns about overregulation of AI, the bill has garnered support from advocates who see it as a step towards establishing safety standards for large-scale AI models in the U.S.
Authored by Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, the bill targets AI systems that require over $100 million in data for training, a threshold that no current model meets. Despite facing opposition from venture capital firms and tech companies like Open AI, Google, and Meta, Wiener insists that his bill takes a “light touch” approach to regulation while promoting innovation and safety hand in hand.
As AI continues to impact daily life, California legislators have introduced numerous bills this year to establish trust, combat algorithmic discrimination, and regulate deep fakes related to elections and pornography. With the state home to some of the world’s leading AI companies, lawmakers are striving to strike a delicate balance between harnessing the technology’s potential and mitigating its risks without hindering local innovation.
Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of AI regulation, expressed cautious support for Wiener’s bill despite running AI tools with lesser safeguards than other models. While the proposal has garnered backing from AI startup Anthropik, critics, including some California congresswomen and tech trade groups, have raised concerns about the bill’s impact on the state’s economic sector.
The bill, with amendments from Wiener to address concerns and limitations, is seen as a crucial step in preventing the misuse of powerful AI systems. Antropic, an AI startup supported by major tech companies, emphasized the importance of the bill in averting potential catastrophic risks associated with AI models while challenging critics who downplay the dangers posed by such technologies.
CBeloved actor, film star, and refugee advocate Atheé Blanchett stands at the podium addressing the European Parliament: “The future is now,” she says authoritatively. So far, so normal, but then you’re asked, “But where are the sex robots?”
The footage is from an actual speech Blanchett gave in 2023, but the rest is fictional.
Her voice was generated by Australian artist Xanthe Dobie using text-to-speech platform PlayHT for Dobie’s 2024 video work, Future Sex/Love Sounds, which imagines a feminist utopia populated by sex robots and voiced by celebrity clones.
Much has been written about the world-changing potential of large-scale language models (LLMs), including Midjourney and Open AI’s GPT-4. These models are trained on massive amounts of data, generating everything from academic papers, fake news, and “revenge porn.” Music, images, software code.
While supporters praise the technology for speeding up scientific research and eliminating routine administrative tasks, it also presents a wide range of workers, from accountants, lawyers, and teachers to graphic designers, actors, writers, and musicians, with an existential crisis.
As the debate rages, artists like Dobie are beginning to use these very tools to explore the possibilities and precarity of technology itself.
“The technology itself is spreading at a faster rate than the law can keep up with, which creates ethical grey areas,” says Dobie, who uses celebrity internet culture to explore questions of technology and power.
“We see replicas of celebrities all the time, but data on us, the little people of the world, is collected at exactly the same rate… It’s not a question of technology capabilities. [that’s bad]That’s how flawed, stupid, evil people choose to use it.”
Choreographer Alisdair McIndoe is another artist working at the intersection of technology and art: His new work, Plagiary, premieres this week at Melbourne’s Now or Never festival before running in a season at the Sydney Opera House, and uses custom algorithms to generate new choreography for dancers to receive for the first time each night.
Although the AI-generated instructions are specific, each dancer is able to interpret them in their own way, making the resulting performance more like a human-machine collaboration.
In Alisdair McIndoe’s Plagiary at Now or Never festival, dancers respond to AI-generated instructions. Photo: Now or never
Not all artists are fans of technology. Nick Cave, January 2023 Posted a scathing review He called the song ChatGPT generated by imitating his work “nonsense” and a “grotesque mockery of humanity.”
“Songs come from suffering,” he says, “which means they’re based on complex, inner human conflicts of creation. And as far as I know, algorithms don’t have emotions.”
Painter Sam Leach doesn’t agree with Cave’s idea that “creative genius” is an exclusively human trait, but he encounters this kind of “total rejection of technology and everything related to it” frequently.
Fruit Preservation (2023), directed by Sam Leach. Photo: Albert Zimmermann/Sam Leach
He justifies his use of sources by emphasizing that he spends hours “editing” with a paintbrush to refine the software’s suggestions. He also uses an art critic chatbot to question his ideas.
For Leach, the biggest concern about AI isn’t the technology itself or how it’s being used, but who owns it: “There are very few giant companies that own the biggest models and have incredible power.”
One of the most common concerns about AI is copyright. This is an especially complicated issue for people working in the artistic sector, whose intellectual property is being used to train multi-million dollar models, often without their consent or compensation. For example, last year, it was revealed that 18,000 Australian books had been used in the Book3 dataset without permission or compensation. Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan described this as “the biggest act of copyright theft in history.”
And last week, Australian music rights organization APRA AMCOS Presenting the survey results They found that 82% of members are concerned that AI will reduce their ability to make a living from music.
I Located in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, the Lemonade Games team lived in a rented house sandwiched between two vintage shops. With former antiques professionals and years of game-making experience joining the team, the idea for the studio’s esoteric adventure game began to come together. “We spent a week conceptualizing, making art, taking photos, watching films, and prototyping,” says Creative Director Ally MacLean-Hennessy. “It was a very organic way of shaping the game, and the spirit of that week continues into the way we work together today.”
In “Mystique: Haunted Antiques,” Its creators Described as “a game about a struggling antiques store run by four of the worst women I’ve ever met,” players slip on the platform sneakers of Jem, a fashionista and business owner struggling to run her struggling antiques curation business. Using her recently acquired, professionally useful psychic abilities, Jem will pierce the veil between life and death to track down troves of high-quality goods. “Players will travel to jobs such as the homes and estates of the recently deceased to search for cursed items and use information gained from communicating with spirits to find the most valuable items to take home and sell,” says MacLean Hennessy. From string-bound gaming magazines and lava lamps to cursed vases, players will examine and inventory all kinds of mysterious antiques as they progress through the game.
Jem is joined by a cast of lovable, problematic prima donnas. “The women of Mystique are partly inspired by the wave of con artists, con artists, and divas of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including Anna Delvey, Caroline Calloway, and Elizabeth Holmes,” Allie points out. “I can’t help but be drawn to them, in part because there’s a morbid thrill in watching people behave badly, but also in a way that I feel a genuine affection for them. There’s something so liberating about mentally stepping out of the psychodrama of modern womanhood and existing as someone who can commit incredibly selfish, self-centered, extravagant acts and still consider herself the moral high ground. Maybe they’re on to something.”
Among the antiques is a cursed vase… Mystique: Haunted antiques. Photo: Lemonade Games
Mystiques: Haunted Antiques takes its paranormal cues from Tulpamancy, a phenomenon that originated in Tibetan Buddhism and has inspired other strange and eerie media, such as David Lynch’s cult TV series Twin Peaks. “Tulpamancy currently exists primarily as a subreddit for people interested in the boundary between ‘reality’ and ‘imagination,'” says MacLean Hennessy. “There are lots of people who believe they can manifest entities through faith and will. We’re interested in them in the same way we’re interested in the female con artists of our current cultural moment. These are people who can construct the reality they want to exist for themselves. Who are we to tell them what is real?”
MacLean Hennessy are clear that Mystique: Haunted Antiques, which took inspiration from Italian horror classics like Suspiria and self-consciously girlcore movies like Jennifer’s Body, is not a cozy game in the modern sense of the word. “We were exploring stories of spiritual affliction, and these filmmakers knew how to bring it to life in a glamorous, stylish, extravagant way, which is what we really love and are inspired by,” they say. This strange and fresh blend of influences also extends to the soundtrack (which follows the brief: what if a 1970s detective thriller had a hyper-pop soundtrack?) and the game’s fashion, which is influenced by playfully eccentric brands like Schiaparelli and Moschino.
Lemonade Games is passionate about infusing its fantasy worlds with plenty of vulnerability and authenticity, drawing from a wellspring of personal experience to create a game that McLean Hennessey sees as an expression of the studio’s soul: “If the people making this game can find elements of themselves, their friendships, their experiences of the world in it, and feel a sense of relief, laughter, or catharsis from playing it, that would mean a lot to us.”
Shares in the chip designer Nvidia have fallen after investors were spooked by signs of slowing growth and production issues, despite the artificial intelligence company posting a 122% rise in second-quarter revenues compared with the same period last year.
The Silicon Valley company’s revenues for the period more than doubled to $30bn (£23bn), beating average analyst estimates of $28.7bn. However, investors were concerned about signs of a slowdown in growth, in particular around its next-generation AI chips, code-named Blackwell.
The stock fell as much as 7% in pre-market trading, before paring back losses to a 3% fall. The chipmaker is the third most valuable company in the world, with a market value of $3.1tn.
Nvidia said the delivery of its Blackwell chips – which comprises 208bn transistors that carry out calculations to train its large language model – would be delayed by several months from January. Its chief executive, Jensen Huang, has previously said that Blackwell would generate “a lot of revenue” for the business this year.
Simon French, the chief economist and head of research at the investment bank Panmure Liberum told the BBC: “There were just some signs around the edges in numbers that that rate of growth was trying to slow.
“Their current AI chip ‘hopper’ is selling well, but the next one, the next generation Blackwell, has faced some production delays, and that perhaps is one of the reasons why Wall Street, after hours, sold off the stock.”
Speaking to investors and journalists overnight, Nvidia bosses did not detail the extent of the delay for Blackwell deliveries but said manufacturing issues had been addressed by TSMC, the Taiwanese semiconductor firm that builds the US company’s most advanced chips. They added that early samples were now shipping to a small group of customers
The drop in Nvidia’s share price dragged on US markets, in particular the S&P 500 index. Nvidia makes up about 6% of the total value of the index and has helped drive its gains this year, after rising more than 160% over the past 12 months.
Matt Britzman, an analyst at the investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said Nvidia was facing the major challenge of how to match the hype. “It’s less about just beating estimates now, markets expect them to be shattered and it’s the scale of the beat that looks to have disappointed a touch.”
While many investors have bought into the theoretical impact of artificial intelligence and claims that it could transform nearly every global industry, French noted that the practical use cases “haven’t yet been proven”.
“Such are the lofty expectations for this stock, not just as a single company, but its broader economic impact,” he said. “If you’re going to raise expectations that high, then you’ve got to keep growing at spectacular rates .”
However, Britzman cautioned against reading too much into the market reaction, given that investors tended to “overstate” the importance of one set of quarterly results, particularly in the “grand scheme of AI” prospects. Instead, he said companies such as Microsoft and Tesla, and the Facebook and Instagram owner, Meta, were working on a “multi-year, even multi-decade, time frame and investors would be wise to adopt a similar mentality”.
He added: “The question of return on investment, that many AI bears fall back on, simply isn’t the main consideration for Nvidia’s biggest customers at this stage. Like many before, this cycle won’t be a straight line, but while the ‘build it and they will come’ approach continues, it plays right into Nvidia’s hands.”
Widely available, with weekly episodes
Mo Gilligan is as loveable as ever in his new podcast series, inviting famous guests like George the Poet, Aisling Bea and Joel Dommett to talk about their careers and the legacy they want to leave behind. First up is Jonathan Ross, who’s in full chat mode, sharing great anecdotes like the origins of his legendary star-studded Halloween party and the time he showed Eminem his laundry room. Hannah Verdier
For her first-ever podcast, Maisie Williams has decided to tell the story of her idol Winona Ryder so far. Why now? Because Ryder is returning in the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel, and her life has certainly had its ups and downs, from being Tim Burton’s favorite to that infamous shoplifting arrest to her career resurgence thanks to Stranger Things. But that’s just the plot of a six-episode series. Holly Richardson
Mo Gilligan, host of “Beginning, Middle & End.” Photo: Paul Hansen/Observer
What more can be said about The Godfather, a film that has been celebrated worldwide for 50 years? Host Rebecca Keegan discovers much more with the help of Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Talia Shire, covering a huge range of ground from delicate family dynamics to Francis Ford Coppola’s approach to improvisation. HV
Do you like stories about book thieves, heavy metal con artists, arson, fraud and deception? Then James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, hosts of McMillion$ and The Big Conn, are your go-to host. This highly entertaining podcast uncovers twists, wild tactics and stories that are almost unbelievable. HV
Episodes will be released weekly starting September 4th and will be widely available
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to your mother?” Filmmaker and “reformed bigot” Alan Zweig asks his guests the nastiest questions in his intentionally somber podcast. Topics include hemorrhoids, terrible mistakes and major regrets, and Zweig doesn’t know who he’s interviewing in advance. HV
There is a podcast
Pacific Crest Trail. Photo: Danita Delimont/Alamy
this week, Ella Braidwood 5 best podcasts The Great Outdoorsfrom the wild adventures of adventurers to a practical hiking handbook
Byland Podcast
The Byland Podcast is full of practical advice for getting started in the outdoors, including tips on the best gear. Hosted by Emory Wanger (above), who started the podcast after hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, each episode features guest interviews, many of which are with industry experts who outline the best gear for camping, thru-hiking, mountaineering, and more. There are also interviews with outdoor enthusiasts, like David Daly, who hikes with his three kids, and Bailey Bremner, who takes her dogs on adventures.
pictureEven in the warm summer sunshine, the stagnant pools and rugged rock faces of Ribblehead Quarry in North Yorkshire feel like an unlikely frontier for the AI industrial revolution. Standing next to a waterfall gushing from broken rock, Bupe Mwambingu reaches his hand into the green mud behind the falls and emerges with a handful of algae.
Balancing precariously on the rock, the researcher passes the dripping glob to his colleague Emma Bolton, who uses a mobile app to record GPS coordinates as well as acidity, temperature, and light exposure.
“Be careful,” Bolton told Mwambing, who stumbled over the edge of the waterfall, and the two moved on to another part of the former limestone quarry in search of more dirt and debris.
The pair work for London-based startup Basecamp Research and are collecting genetic information.This is information from the organisms hiding in the nooks and crannies of rocks. In the past, scientists hoping to develop new products from rare lichens, microbes, or fungi had to travel to their habitats to collect samples. Now, most of the genetic code from these organisms is exchanged digitally through genetic signatures called digital sequence information (DSI).
Samples are collected carefully to avoid contamination. Photo: Rebecca Cole/The Guardian
The back-and-forth is at the heart of an international battle over who owns the world’s genetic data and who should benefit from the multi-billion-dollar discoveries that could result from it. In October, world leaders met to discuss the issue. Cali, Colombia attends COP16The World Biodiversity Summit was held to reach a first-of-its-kind global agreement on the issue.
Low-income countries, where much of the world’s remaining biodiversity remains, are hoping to pump billions of dollars into protecting the rainforests, lakes, and oceans where it resides.
Nvidia, the chipmaker, revealed its latest financial statements on Wednesday, with revenue reaching $30.04 billion in the last three months. This is a significant increase of 122% compared to the previous year, indicating sustained growth in their artificial intelligence investments.
Despite analysts’ projections of $28.7 billion in sales, the company’s shares dropped more than 3% in after-hours trading.
Nvidia’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, announced plans to ship a greater number of chips and hardware next year than in the company’s 31-year history during an earnings call.
Huang highlighted the importance of fast development due to the increasing complexity of their models. He stated that the company aims to lower costs while scaling AI models to unprecedented levels for the next industrial revolution.
Analysts, while optimistic about the results, acknowledged signs that Nvidia’s exceptional revenue growth might be slowing down. Major tech companies’ aggressive AI investments are driving demand for Nvidia chips, but these companies are also investing in their own silicon development.
The company informed customers about a delay in the launch of their next-generation AI chip, known as Blackwell. Early samples have already been sent to a limited number of customers. Despite this, the current graphics processing unit, Hopper, continues to sell well according to CEO Jensen Huang.
Nvidia reported record revenue with a 154% increase in data center revenue year over year, amounting to $26.3 billion, reflecting the demand for accelerated computing and generative AI in data centers globally.
Nvidia’s earnings results hold great significance on Wall Street, as the company accounts for 6% of the total value of the S&P 500 and is the third-largest company globally with a market capitalization of $3.1 trillion.
Recent reports from major tech customers such as Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Google, show increased capital spending as they utilize Nvidia chips to develop and train their AI models.
The company’s earnings per share were $0.68, and they announced a $50 billion share repurchase. Profit is expected to rise to $15.1 billion, up from approximately $6.2 billion in the same period last year.
Ives, a Wedbush analyst, emphasized the importance of Nvidia’s earnings report on the stock market, estimating that every dollar spent on Nvidia’s GPU chips contributes $8 to $10 to profits across the tech sector.
The market’s focus on Nvidia’s performance stems from the belief that AI advancements will boost global productivity for years to come.
Comparisons to the Internet bubble of the late 1990s have emerged, with concerns that the AI boom might peak if Nvidia’s results disappoint investors.
Regulators are closely monitoring Nvidia, following an antitrust investigation launched by the Department of Justice after allegations from rival chipmakers. The investigation claims Nvidia is using its market power to monopolize markets and compel customers to continue buying its products.
The unexpected arrest of Pavel Durov, the co-founder of Telegram and a native of Russia, upon arriving in Paris from a private jet last Saturday night, has brought the previously overlooked social network into the limelight like never before.
Durov’s arrest, following an investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office into organized crime, child sexual abuse imagery, fraud, and money laundering on the platform, also raises the stakes for the European Union, which has implemented some of the most ambitious internet regulations in the world, notably the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA, set to take effect in November 2022, aims to govern online platforms that, in the words of EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, are “too large to manage,” requiring them to remove illegal content, safeguard children, and combat misinformation and other online harms.
The European Commission has distanced itself from the French investigation of Durov. A spokesperson stated, “This is solely a national criminal investigation conducted by French authorities in accordance with French criminal law.” They added, “It is unrelated to the DSA.”
The allegations against the 39-year-old tech magnate have intensified pressure on the European Commission and Belgium, the member state responsible for regulating Telegram on behalf of the EU. Jan Penfrat of the European Digital Rights Group (EDRi) questioned, “If content moderation is such a significant problem that it leads to criminal cases, why hasn’t the DSA addressed it yet?”
Telegram, a hybrid messaging service and social network with around 200,000 users, has been a cause for concern among European officials for some time. Despite attracting nearly a billion users worldwide, the service now faces stricter regulations under European law, despite having only 41 million monthly active users in the EU.
Enforcement of the law may face challenges, as some EU member states, including Belgium, are facing legal action for not appointing the Digital Services Coordinator, the entity responsible for implementing the DSA. Belgium has tasked the enforcement of the DSA to an organization that lacks the authority to investigate Telegram.
EU officials doubt Telegram’s assertion that its 41 million monthly active EU users place it just below the threshold for the strictest regulations. European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova expressed concerns over Telegram’s impact in certain member states.
The European Commission is reviewing Telegram’s user data to determine if it meets the criteria to be recognized as a “very large online platform.” Discussions between the Commission and Telegram are ongoing, with the platform required to publish its latest monthly user data by the end of the month.
Activists emphasize the importance of transparency from Telegram. EDRi’s Penfrat stated, “An online platform with such a significant user base should operate with more transparency, even if it is not officially considered a VLOP (very large online platform).”
“The public and regulators need to be informed about the platform’s operations,” Penfrat emphasized.
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The world of Warcraft has a persistent identity problem: Once one of the biggest games in the world, it’s now approaching its 20th anniversary, and with each passing year, developer Blizzard faces the daunting task of proving that WoW still has a place in today’s gaming world.
This goes some way to explaining why Blizzard has tried to reinvent WoW multiple times. Six years after its initial release, the developers attempted to radically remake the game world with 2010’s Cataclysm expansion, in which ancient dragons ravaged and reshaped the realm of Azeroth (an experience you can relive in the recently re-released Cataclysm Classic). Since then, Blizzard has tried a variety of gimmicks to keep WoW fresh, including the now-rather infamous mechanic that saw players increase their power level for two years before losing that power at the end of each expansion cycle.
These gimmicks, combined with an antiquated approach to gameplay updates, created a sense of unease among WoW fans, as players felt unloved and taken for granted. Two years ago, the Dragonflight expansion felt like a make-or-break moment. But what was meant to be WoW’s final installment turned out to be a much-needed breath of fresh air. Dragonflight scraped away the chaff and pared WoW’s gameplay down to a tightness that harkened back to its glory days. After a gimmick-filled experiment, it seemed Blizzard had decided on the most radical of game design approaches: making a better game.
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical that this latest expansion, The War Within, could maintain its momentum. Delving into dank, dark depths in search of adventure, treasure, and intrigue is one of fantasy’s enduring tropes, and with good reason. But after soaring through the skies in Dragonflight, “Awesome… But Underground!” felt like a thematic nosedive.
But War Within tells us something great why We’re exploring the bowels of the Earth. Historically, the quality of WoW’s writing hasn’t been a strong point, but here, a fantastic cast of voice actors and surprisingly compelling in-game cinematics tell a more compelling story than ever before. The expansion also introduces a charismatic villain who, while still a bit hackneyed, is a refreshing contrast to the beefy baritone baddies WoW tends to default to.
But while a compelling story is important, an MMORPG is only as good as how you feel when you play it every day. So far, The War Within has excelled in this regard. Over the past two years, Blizzard has been steadily experimenting with a variety of new features to make players’ lives easier. These include long-awaited improvements to WoW’s antiquated menus and on-screen information, the ability to run with an AI companion as you learn new dungeons, and the new “Warbands” feature that lets you progress towards all of the in-game objectives with any character without mindlessly repeating hours of play every time you want to try out a druid instead of a rogue. All of this is smoothly integrated into the leveling experience, resulting in the most satisfying start to a WoW expansion pack I’ve experienced.
Gorgeous…World of Warcraft: The War Within. Photo: Blizzard
The flashy new “Hero Talents” tweak WoW’s complicated talent trees by adding a little stylistic flair and class fantasy. For example, my dueling giant sword-toting Fury Warrior can be transformed into a lightning-powered stomping machine under the Mountain Thane hero tree. But sadly, these options don’t have much consistency, and I’m often forced to choose what’s most powerful in combat, rather than the flashier, more exciting options. Depending on how your particular class, spec, and hero tree perform, the choice can be either an intense delight or an intense frustration. I ended up regretting demoting my Warrior from Mountain Thane to the much less exciting but higher-damage Slayer tree.
The War Within also introduces “Deeps” – shorter dungeons scattered throughout the landscape that can be tackled alone or with a group of up to five people. The game badly needed a flexible alternative to raids, which still require you to spend one evening each week with a group of 10-25 other players. Deeps are suited to players who only have an hour of freedom every once in a while, but want to feel like they’re making progress towards their character and gear goals. If the Deeps are properly maintained over the coming months and years, I can see myself spending a lot of time there.
Sure, The War Within is only just beginning its two-year lifecycle, but this is WoW’s best achievement in years, and while Blizzard will continue to grapple with Warcraft’s place in the modern gaming landscape, especially with WoW’s 20th anniversary approaching, the game still feels relevant in a way it hasn’t felt in a long time.
2024 is already shaping up to be a banner year for horror movies, with Long Legs making over $100 million at the box office and Late Night with the Devil earning an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the year’s breakout horror movie might be an $800 project that’s currently available to watch for free on YouTube.
Milk & Cereal is a 62-minute found-footage horror from YouTuber Cully Barker that’s brutally effective yet wonderfully authentic. It has garnered 348,000 views in the two weeks since its release, with rave reviews on Reddit and traditional media outlets like Bloody Disgusting calling it “one of the best-kept secrets of the year.” Barker even tweeted about it recently, Variety.
One reason for its success is the fascinating story behind Milk & Cereal: Barker is credited as the writer, director, producer, editor, cinematographer, composer, and star of the film. With a budget of just $800, most of which was spent on hiring actors and buying a camera, the film is on track to deliver a significant return on investment.
Milk & Cereal follows a pair of YouTube pranksters whose antics take a dark turn when one of them reveals a sinister capability. It’s a chilling and believable hour of horror that explores the disturbing world of online prank videos.
The film’s authenticity lies in its portrayal of the dark side of YouTube prank videos, showcasing the obsession with filming every moment and exploiting every opportunity for content. Milk & Cereal takes this obsession to a terrifying extreme, shedding light on the twisted motivations behind these videos.
As horror movies continue to experiment with new formats, Milk & Cereal stands out as a brilliant example of found-footage storytelling. With well-crafted characters and a compelling narrative, the film is a testament to Barker’s talent as a filmmaker.
Milk & Cereal not only showcases Barker’s filmmaking skills but also serves as a strategic move in his career. By offering the film for free on YouTube, Barker has attracted attention from industry professionals and is already collaborating on his next project. This bold approach could mark the beginning of a successful career in the film industry.
Ultimately, Milk & Cereal presents Barker with a choice: to follow the traditional path to Hollywood or to continue disrupting the industry with his independent spirit. Whichever path he chooses, one thing is certain – Milk & Cereal has cemented Barker’s status as a rising talent in the world of horror movies.
Controversy surrounds the popular new Chinese game, Black Myth: Wukong, as gaming influencers were instructed not to address news, politics, the coronavirus, or “feminist propaganda” when discussing the game publicly.
Released last week, the game is China’s first “triple-A” rated game, based on the renowned 16th-century Chinese novel “Journey to the West.”
Developers reported selling more than 10 million copies globally in three days.Game Science.
However, controversy arose over guidelines given to influencers and content creators, instructing them on specific topics to avoid while live streaming the game.
Don’t insult others or use offensive language. Avoid politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, and other negative content. Stay away from trigger words like “quarantine,” “isolation,” or “Covid-19.” Refrain from discussing China’s gaming industry policies and news.
The avoidance of “feminist propaganda” raised eyebrows, especially with reports of alleged sexist behavior by Game Science employees.
Game Science and co-publisher Hero Games, reported issuers of the guidelines, have been contacted for comment.
Online fans have engaged in heated discussions regarding the guidelines, linking them to prior reports of sexism within the gaming industry.
The directive, not extended to traditional publications or peer reviewers, is legally unenforceable and has sparked mockery and backlash in the gaming community.
The game’s global success has been notable, with over three million concurrent players in its first week, including two million on Steam.
Chinese authorities and media have praised the game for promoting Chinese culture and countering prejudice.
Recent reports refute Western media’s criticisms, accusing them of politicizing China’s gaming achievements to attack the country.
BBefore the era of thumb-typing emails and text messages, typing was a manual skill reserved for those who could type 40 words per minute in the ’80s. If you’re reluctant to attend an in-person class, you can opt for a software program like Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing for $50. This application was the Typing class at the Catholic high school I attended when the priests just introduced the use of computers.
Mavis Beacon, launched in 1987, gamified typing exercises and carefully tracked typing progress. The software featured an elegant black woman on the cover, but it would take years to realize the implications of using one’s image for corporate gain.
The documentary “Searching for Mavis Beacon” sheds light on this lesson and the filmmakers’ struggle with the irony of their pursuit. The filmmakers embarked on a quest to uncover the woman behind Mavis Beacon: Haitian-born model Renée L’Esperance.
The film delves into Beacon’s influence as a pioneer of “obedient female robot assistants” and the challenges faced in exposing her true identity. The narrative unfolds like a detective story, drawing parallels to contemporary online identity politics and queer culture.
The filmmakers uncover L’Esperance’s background working in a department store perfume department where she was paid to pose as Mavis Beacon. Despite legal battles with the software company, her impact remains profound.
The documentary explores themes of privacy, representation, and cultural appropriation while honoring L’Esperance’s legacy. It concludes with a hint at future projects to explore the lives of those who followed in Beacon’s footsteps.
Ultimately, the film serves as a heartfelt tribute to Mavis Beacon’s legacy and the complexities of her story. It aims to provoke thought and reflection on the intersection of race, gender, and technology in society.
SSo-called bone conduction headphones are a runner’s best friend, allowing you to stay fully aware of the outside world while listening to motivational music. But the technology doesn’t produce decent bass, a problem that open-ear headphone maker Shokz believes it has solved with its latest OpenRun Pro 2.
A successor to the popular OpenRun Pro and OpenSwim series, the OpenRun Pro 2 costs £169 (€199 / $175 / AU$299) and is similar to most of its competitors, with bone conduction pods secured in front of the ears by two loops and a band that wraps around the back of the head.
What makes these headphones unique is that the pods have open-air speakers built into them, allowing music to be streamed towards the outer ear. Bone conduction The speakers vibrate your cheekbones to send sound directly to your inner ear, while open-air speakers handle the bass and the rest of the sound is sent to the listener via bone conduction.
Open-air speakers emit sound from grilles in the pods that are located directly in front of the wearer’s ears. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
They don’t deliver the skull-shaking bass of larger over-ear headphones, but the OpenRun Pro 2 sounds fuller and rounder than its predecessor, and won’t send thumping noises through your cheeks even at louder volumes. Instruments, drums, and vocals have more depth, making them especially great for podcasts and dance tracks. The Shokz smartphone app offers an equalizer to fine-tune the sound of the headphones, as well as other updates and adjustments.
But the open-air speakers block out a lot more background noise than traditional bone-conduction headphones, significantly reducing awareness of cars, cyclists, and other runners. They’re still far better than earbuds or other headphones, but the difference was noticeable when listening at moderate volumes while running.
Only at 50% volume will nearby people be able to hear the music a little better than regular bone conduction earphones – they’re less noticeable than cheaper earphones and aren’t loud enough to be an issue when running.
specification
water resistance: IP55 (water-resistant)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC)
Battery life: 12 hr
size: 30.9 x 21.7 x 24.3mm
Weight: 30.3 g
driver: Air conduction and bone conduction
charging: USB-C
Bluetooth upgrade and comfortable fit
The USB-C charging port is hidden behind a rubber door to protect it from the elements. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Another big upgrade from previous Shokz is support for Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, meaning you can connect two devices at the same time. This is especially useful if you want to connect to a running watch and a phone at the same time. You can even take a call while listening to music and lap guidance from the watch without stopping.
The headphones fit very well, with a nice balance between the front and back of the ears, and the back band is just the right amount of flexible, putting enough pressure on the sides of your head without being too restrictive. A mini version is also available for those who want a tighter fit.
The volume buttons are on the headphone body behind the right ear, and the multifunction button that controls playback is on the outside of the pod in front of the left ear. The microphone for calls is on the right pod and works well enough, although callers said my voice sounded a bit distant and quiet.
The battery lasts for 12 hours on a single charge and fully charges in about an hour via the USB-C port. The headphones are splash-resistant, so they’re fine for a sweaty run, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe to immerse in water.
The headphones come with a lightweight shell case for safe storage when traveling. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Sustainability
Shokz claims that the batteries in the earbuds and case will retain at least 80% of their original capacity for 800 full charge cycles. Shokz does not offer trade-in, recycling or repair services, and the batteries cannot be replaced. The headphones do not contain any recycled materials, and the company has not released an environmental impact report.
price
The OpenRun Pro 2 costs £169 (€199 / $175 / AU$299).
By comparison, the Shokz OpenRun costs £130, the Suunto Wing costs £145, the Creative Outlier Free Pro+ costs £80 and the Bose Ultra Open earphones cost £250.
verdict
The OpenRun Pro 2 solves the bass-deficient issue of bone conduction headphones by adding open-air speakers that handle the bass.
They don’t deliver skull-shaking bass, but they deliver a rich sound that’s just as good as standard earphones, making them a marked improvement over previous earphones. The trade-off, however, is a slightly worse situational awareness at moderate volumes. This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but if you like to listen to music loud while running, it might negate the point of buying bone conduction headphones.
The addition of Bluetooth multipoint, which lets you connect to two devices simultaneously, is a nice touch, as is the 12-hour battery life and the fact that charging is done via a standard USB-C cable rather than a proprietary port.
The Shokz are not cheap and are not suitable for general use as headphones, but the biggest problem is that they cannot be repaired and the battery is not replaceable, so they end up being disposable and lose a star.
Strong Points: Much rounder sound than bone conduction, open air recognition, splash proof, solid battery life, standard USB-C charging, Bluetooth multipoint, great for running.
Cons: They offer slightly less recognition than bone conduction alone, are expensive, don’t support high-quality Bluetooth audio formats, and are not repairable or have replaceable batteries.
Actual click buttons make it easy to adjust volume and control playback while working out. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The originator of TikTok’s “demure” catchphrase has begun to pay more attention to U.S. trademark law.
Jules Lebron, a social media influencer with over 2 million followers on the platform, skyrocketed to fame by sharing guidance on embodying “modesty,” “kindness,” and “cuteness” in both work and personal life. This trend has picked up steam, leading to collaborations with major brands like Verizon and Netflix featuring Lebron in sponsored content, as well as big-name celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Rodrigo, and Gillian Anderson incorporating the phrase into their own videos.
Recently, Lebron, who is transgender, expressed that the news surrounding her video had a significant impact on her life. A video showing her emotional reaction to this development was shared and then deleted on TikTok, where she disclosed that she had failed to register the trademark in time. According to TMZ, a man named Jefferson Bates from Washington submitted a trademark registration application for a slogan very similar to Lebron’s catchphrase, obviously attempting to capitalize on her success.
In response to this, Raluca Pop, the founder of Hive Social, a social media platform similar to Elon Musk’s X, stepped forward, stating that she had filed an application in California for the phrase “Very Demure Very Cutesy” as a gesture of solidarity with Lebron.
Popp further divulged that she took action after witnessing another individual’s attempt to appropriate Lebron’s words. Not wanting to see Lebron’s catchphrase exploited, Popp decided to secure the trademark and plans to later transfer it to Lebron to ensure she benefits from it.
If Bates’ trademark application receives approval, Lebron may find herself unable to use her catchphrase on any official merchandise or sponsored material in Washington without obtaining a federal trademark. However, trademark lawyers are optimistic that Lebron will be able to defend her rights against Bates’ claim of being “very modest, very considerate…”
Arie Elmanzer, an attorney and the founder of Influencer Legal, a law firm that assists content creators in resolving trademark and contract issues, remarked, “If I were her, I wouldn’t be worried. She was clearly the first to use it, and she should capitalize on it to strengthen her claim as the original creator.”
Elmanzer mentioned that Bates has lodged a $1 billion trademark application, asserting his intention to utilize the trademark. Elmanzer stated, “He claims he’ll use the trademark, but he hasn’t done so yet. This breaches the Trademark Act. When Lebron objects, she can argue that he hasn’t used it, but she has, backed by substantial evidence, providing her with an advantage.”
Additionally, U.S. trademark law grants rights to whoever first uses a mark, not necessarily the first to apply for it. “I have full confidence Revlon could mount a successful defense against this. While pathways exist to secure a trademark, it requires both time and financial investment.”
Kyona McGehee, an attorney and the founder of Trademark My Stuff law firm, emphasized that were she Lebron’s legal counsel, she would promptly issue a cease and desist letter to Bates, demanding withdrawal of his application, asserting full rights to the phrase, and outlining Lebron’s strategy for monetizing the trademark.
McGehee added, “Lebron must file for a federal trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as that grants authority nationwide. Once Lebron secures federal registration, she won’t need anything further on the state level.”
Bates, residing in Washington, appears to have no connection either to Lebron, based in Chicago, or her catchphrase. Legal representatives for both parties speculate that if a restraining order fails to dissuade Bates, they may be embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute. In the meantime, Lebron should exploit her catchphrase however she sees fit.
“Just because she lacks a trademark presently doesn’t mean brands will think twice about incorporating her phrases to capitalize on the current momentum,” McGehee commented.
Lebron, originally from Puerto Rico, is making the most of her newfound stardom. She is engaging in sponsored content for “demure” with the hair care brand K18, teasing a potential collaboration with Netflix, and making an appearance after RuPaul guest-hosted the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
However, her copyright dilemma underscores a recurring issue for content creators whose original work becomes viral only to be leveraged by others for profit. In 2021, Black TikTok creators staged a strike in protest against the lack of credit for their work, highlighting disparities in recognition and treatment compared to white creators on the app.
“There’s a digital gap within minority communities,” McGehee noted. “It’s not a shortage of talent but rather a scarcity of information. Those with better resources and financial capabilities are better equipped to seize trend opportunities. At our firm, we advise clients: Act swiftly and file a trademark application when your work gains traction. In the legal realm, it’s more advantageous to take the offensive than play defense.”
B
Missing Myth: Wukong is a video game that focuses on spectacle, but true awe requires confidence. This confidence is often lacking in big-budget games where developers play it safe, concerned about mainstream appeal. Despite its cutting-edge graphics, Black Myth: Wukong stands out as a potential hit, but surprisingly, it’s developed by the Chinese indie studio Game Science. The game’s polished experience is so impressive that it’s hard to believe it’s the studio’s first “premium” game.
Based on the classic 16th-century novel, Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong allows players to step into the shoes of the novel’s main character, the stone monkey, Son Goku. Son Goku possesses incredible strength, speed, and the ability to transform into various creatures and objects, manipulate the weather, and even create clones of himself. The game introduces these abilities through an exhilarating tutorial where Wukong faces off against gods and armies, providing a constant adrenaline rush throughout its 40-hour playtime.
Black Myth: Wukong draws inspiration from modern action games, particularly the challenging “Soul-like” genre known for epic boss fights. The game’s combat mechanics feel heavy and swift, with attention to detail like the use of soaking gourds to enhance abilities, immersing players in an authentic world.
Unlike many action games, Wukong isn’t open-world, devoid of mini-maps and quest logs. The lack of handholding encourages exploration and trust in the game’s process, leading players through dangerous terrains and breath-taking landscapes without distractions.
Capturing the allure of exploration…Black Myth: Wukong.
Photo: GameScience
In addition to exploration, Wukong caters to curiosity with hidden areas that only become visible once players acquire specific items or interact with certain characters. These optional sections, called “Attachment,” play into Buddhist themes of attachment leading to suffering, adding depth to the game’s narrative and gameplay.
Black Myth: Wukong’s success is a testament to its captivating gameplay and storytelling. Despite initial surprise at its origin from a country known for mobile games, the game’s accessibility to Chinese audiences has contributed to its massive popularity. It’s a game that transcends market expectations and delivers an exceptional gaming experience.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has alleged that he came under pressure from the US government to censor coronavirus posts on Facebook and Instagram during the pandemic, and said he regrets giving in to it.
Zuckerberg said White House officials under Joe Biden\’s administration “repeatedly pressured” Facebook and Instagram\’s parent company, Meta, throughout the pandemic to “censor certain coronavirus-related content.”
“Over the course of 2021, Biden Administration officials, including from the White House, repeatedly pressured us for months to censor certain COVID-19-related content, including humor and satire, and expressed significant frustration to our team when we did not comply,” the letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said in a statement. “We believe the administration\’s pressure was misguided.”
During the pandemic, Facebook began showing misinformation warnings to users when they commented on or liked posts it deemed contained false information about the coronavirus.
The company also removed posts criticizing COVID-19 vaccines and suggesting the virus was developed in a Chinese lab.
During the 2020 US presidential election campaign, Biden accused social media platforms such as Facebook of “killing people” by allowing the posting of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
“With hindsight and new information, I think we would have made choices that we wouldn\’t have made now,” Zuckerberg said. “I regret not being more vocal about it.”
“As I told my team then, I feel strongly that our content standards should not be compromised due to pressure from the Administration, and we are ready to fight back if something like this happens again.”
Zuckerberg also said Facebook had “temporarily downgraded” a story about the contents of a laptop owned by the president\’s son, Hunter Biden, after the FBI warned that Russia was preparing a disinformation campaign against Biden.
Zuckerberg wrote that it was later revealed that the article was not false, and that “in retrospect, we should not have downgraded this article.”
The White House defended its actions during the pandemic, saying it encouraged “responsible behavior to protect public health and safety.”
“Our position has been clear and consistent,” the company said. “We believe that tech companies and other private actors should consider the impact of their actions on the American people and make their own choices about the information they provide.”
Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Márquez, who spent some of his happiest years documenting life in Caracas, once declared journalism “the best job in the world.”
But that’s not the case when it comes to covering Venezuela today, where journalists are feeling the pressure as the South American country slides toward full-on dictatorship under President Nicolas Maduro.
Four weeks into Venezuela’s disputed elections, local journalists have developed a uniquely 21st century tactic to avoid arrest for covering the election. Socialism in the 21st Century: Using artificial intelligence avatars to report all news that the Maduro regime deems unsuitable for print.
In their daily broadcasts, the AI-created news anchors have updated the world on the president’s post-election crackdown on opponents, activists and the media, without putting reporters at risk.
Directed by Carlos Eduardo Huertas ConnectorsThe Colombia-based Journalism Platform, which is coordinating the effort, said the use of AI is not just a gimmick but a response to “the increasing persecution and repression suffered by our colleagues in Venezuela, where uncertainty grows by the hour regarding the safety of carrying out their work.”
Opposition politicians Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia ride in a truck during mass protests against the Maduro government in Caracas. Photo: Matthias Delacroix/AP
Huertas said that with the increasingly authoritarian atmosphere under Maduro’s government, “it’s no longer wise to be in front of the camera.”The solution was to create virtual journalists to hide the identities of the real reporters reporting the news.
The initiative involves around 20 Venezuelan news and fact-checking media outlets and around 100 journalists who will share content and present it as a daily news show presented by avatars called La Chama and El Pana (roughly translating as “best friend” and “partner”).
in First broadcast This month, Besti, a female presenter, explained that she wants to spread awareness of “what is really going on in Venezuela.”
“But before we go any further, if you haven’t noticed, we’re not real,” the avatar added, before releasing the latest, all-too-real statistics on Maduro’s campaign to eliminate opposition: “In less than two weeks, more than 1,000 people have been detained during protests and at least 23 killed,” Besti said. The number of people detained now stands at more than 1,400.
The name of the AI journalism project, “Operación Retuit” (Operation Retweet), is in part a satirical reference to the name given by the Maduro regime to its harsh crackdown on dissent, “Operation Tun Tun” (Operation Knock Knock).
The prisoners include at least nine journalists, according to Venezuela’s journalists union, SNTP. One of them, 26-year-old sports reporter and photographer Paul Leon, was picked up by police while photographing a peaceful protest and later charged with terrorism offences that carry up to 30 years in prison.
On Sunday, Carmela Longo, a prominent entertainment journalist, was taken by police from her home in Caracas after being fired by the pro-government newspaper Altimas Noticias.
Caracas police detained journalist Carmela Longo after searching her home. Photo: Jesus Medina Ezzane/Reuters
The need for virtual reality news anchors is easy to understand, given the political chill that has prevailed in Venezuela since Maduro was first elected president in 2013 and has only worsened in recent days.
“Sources won’t talk. Journalists are forced to work anonymously, sometimes going into hiding and hiding their identities for fear of government retaliation. Social media accounts are silent… Essential parts of the news ecosystem like X Blocked“The Venezuela-focused website Caracas Chronicles reported last week.”
This month, Vladimir Villegas, former president of state broadcaster VTV, Claimed Around 100 employees of the company were fired after messages deemed hostile to the government were found in WhatsApp chats.
of Episode 2 The retweet campaign tackled an especially dangerous topic given the government’s stringent crackdown: It questioned the government’s attempts to blame many of the post-election deaths on the opposition, which Maduro has accused of plotting a fascist coup.
Contrary to government claims, a collective investigation of Operation Retweet suggested that state security forces were primarily responsible for the increased death toll.
Relatives of people detained during anti-government protests wait outside Tocuito prison for news of their loved ones. Photo: Juan Carlos Hernandez/Reuters
“All of the victims were killed by gunfire and witnesses said the suspects were police officers, soldiers or groups known in Venezuela as paramilitary groups. Colectivos” Buddy, the male avatar, told viewers.
The female presenter said most of the victims were under 30, with some as young as 15 killed. “They came from working-class backgrounds and had normal jobs – barbers, caregivers, students, construction workers, hawkers, motorbike taxi drivers and sports coaches,” the avatar added. “At least 15 children were left orphaned in just a few days.”
Colombian journalist Huertas likened his Venezuelan colleagues to firefighters risking their lives for democracy.
“If there’s a fire, you want to see firefighters on the scene. Well, there’s a fire right now. [in Venezuela] “Many firefighters are also present,” he said, praising Venezuela’s capable and dedicated press corps.
Despite the danger,[they] They are on the front lines doing work that society needs,” Huertas said.
vinegarWe've reached a point where the CEO of a major social network is being arrested and detained. This is a big change, and it happened in a way that nobody expected. From Jennifer Rankin in Brussels:
French judicial authorities on Sunday extended the detention of Telegram's Russian-born founder. Pavel DurovHe was arrested at Paris airport on suspicion of misconduct related to the messaging app.
Once this detention phase is over, the judge can decide whether to release the defendant or to charge him or her and detain him further.
French investigators had issued a warrant for Durov's arrest as part of an investigation into charges of fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, promoting terrorism and cyberbullying.
Durov, who holds French citizenship in addition to the United Arab Emirates, St. Kitts and Nevis and his native Russia, was arrested as he disembarked from a private jet after returning from the Azerbaijan capital, Baku, on Sunday evening. Telegram released a statement::
⚖️ Telegram complies with EU law, including the Digital Services Act, and its moderation is within industry standards and is constantly being improved.
✈️ Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently to Europe.
😵💫 It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owners are responsible for misuse of their platform.
French authorities said on Monday that Durov's arrest was part of a cybercrime investigation.
Paris prosecutor Laure Vecuot said the investigation concerns crimes related to illegal trading, child sexual abuse, fraud and refusal to provide information to authorities.
On the surface, the arrests seem decidedly different from previous years. Governments have had tough talk with messaging platform providers in the past, but arrests have been few and far between. Often, when platform operators are arrested, as in the cases of Silk Road's Ross Ulbricht and Megaupload's Kim Dotcom, authorities can argue that the platforms would not have existed without the crimes.
Telegram has long operated as a lightly moderated service, partly because of its roots as a chat app rather than a social network, partly because of Durov's own experience dealing with Russian censors, and partly (as many argue) because it is simply cheaper to have fewer moderators and less direct control over the platform.
But even if a company's moderation team's weaknesses can expose it to fines under laws such as the UK's Online Safety Act or the EU's Digital Services Act, they rarely lead to personal charges, and even less to executives being jailed.
Encryption
But Telegram has one feature that makes it slightly different from its peers, such as WhatsApp and Signal: the service is not end-to-end encrypted.
WhatsApp, Signal and Apple's iMessage are built from the ground up to ensure that content shared on the services cannot be read by anyone other than the intended recipient, including not only the companies that run the platforms but also law enforcement agencies that may be called upon to cooperate.
This has caused endless friction between the world's largest tech companies and the governments that regulate them, but for now, it seems the tech companies have won the main battle: No one is seriously calling for end-to-end encryption to be banned anymore, and regulators and critics are instead calling for messaging services to be monitored differently, with approaches such as “client-side scanning.”
Telegram is different. The service offers end-to-end encryption through a little-used opt-in feature called “Secret Chats,” but by default, conversations are encrypted only enough to be unreadable by anyone connected to your Wi-Fi network. To Telegram itself, messages sent outside of “Secret Chats” (including all group chats, and all messages and comments in one of the service's broadcast “channels”) are effectively unencrypted.
This product decision sets Telegram apart from the pack, yet oddly enough, the company's marketing suggests that the difference is almost the exact opposite. Cryptography expert Matthew Green:
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov continues to aggressively promote the app as a “secure messenger.” issued a scathing criticism He blocked Signal and WhatsApp in his personal Telegram channel, suggesting that these systems were rigged with US government backdoors and that only Telegram's independent encryption protocol could truly be trusted.
Watching Telegram urge people to forego using a messenger that's encrypted by default while refusing to implement a key feature that would broadly encrypt messages for its own users is no longer amusing. In fact, it's starting to feel a bit sinister.
I can't v won't
Paper planes are placed outside near the French Embassy in Moscow in support of Pavel Durov, who was arrested in France. Photo: Yulia Morozova/Reuters
The result of Telegram's mismatch between technology and marketing is a disappointing one: The company, and Durov personally, are selling the app to people who worry that even the gold standards of secure messengers — WhatsApp and Signal — aren't secure enough for their needs, especially from the U.S. government.
At the same time, if the government were to knock on Telegram's door and ask for information about actual or suspected criminals, Telegram would not have the same security as other services. End-to-end encrypted services could honestly tell law enforcement that they could not cooperate. In the long run, this could easily create a rather hostile atmosphere, but the conversation could also become a general conversation about privacy and policing principles.
Telegram, by contrast, is faced with a choice: cooperate with law enforcement, ignore it, or declare that it will not actively cooperate. This is no different from the choice facing the vast majority of online companies, from Amazon to Zoopla, except that Telegram's user base is the only one that demands security from law enforcement.
Every time Telegram says “yes” to police, it infuriates its user base; every time it says “no,” it plays a game of chicken with law enforcement.
The contours of the differences between France and Telegram will inevitably be swamped in conversations about “content moderation” and supporters will rally around it accordingly (Elon Musk has already weighed in, saying, “#FreePavel“) But the conversations are usually about publicly available material and what X or Facebook should or shouldn't do to moderate the discussion on their sites. Private messaging services and group messaging services are fundamentally different services, which is why mainstream end-to-end encrypted services exist. But by trying to straddle both markets, Telegram may have lost both defenses.
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THoused inside a glass box in the chapel on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, the “Quantum Chandelier” is the symbolic centerpiece of an ambitious effort to transform upstate New York into a tech hub — something like Silicon Valley for social media or Cambridge, Massachusetts, for biotechnology.
The silvery sci-fi object, named for the internal gold lattice that mounts, cools and isolates the processors, will be the heart of a “quantum computing system” that will herald a new era of computing. It’s the heart of Curtis Prime’s dream, co-founder of Nvidia, a $2.8 trillion artificial intelligence hardware and software company, to transform Rensselaer (RPI) into an advanced computing hub, remaking this part of upstate New York into a new Silicon Valley.
Priem has invested a significant amount of his wealth into building the Curtis Priem Quantum Constellation, a workshop where RPI students can envision the future of quantum computing. Just as his partners at Nvidia, where he served as the company’s first chief technology officer, allowed him to freely imagine the graphics chip architecture that will power the AI revolution, he hopes his investment will spark a new era of computational innovation in the region.
Prime believes the area along the Hudson Valley, from Yorktown Heights, home to IBM’s Quantum Research Institute, to Troy, home to the RPI/SUNY nanotech complex, to Syracuse, where Micron is building a massive $100 billion fab complex, will be the future home of U.S. computer technology.
To that end, he’s thinking beyond concerns about artificial intelligence and the success of Nvidia’s H100 graphics processing unit (GPU), which powers 90% of generative AI systems.
There are two RPI students on campus. Photo: Gregory Sherin
Wall Street has become skeptical of technology. AI has caused billions of dollars of losses, and Wall Street is disheartened by the idea that new technology is going to change the world. But the same thing happened with the internet overbuild of the 1990s, which went through booms and busts before eventually paying off.
In theory, quantum technology could solve in seconds problems that take today’s supercomputers decades to solve, unlocking secrets about the behavior of molecules, the genetic code, weather forecasting and, of more recent concern, cracking the encryption systems that underpin the internet.
noOstalgia is a strange thing, it can appear out of nowhere like a TIE fighter and hit you in the gut, leaving you confused and in pain. An hour into Star Wars Outlaws, I never expected to be emotionally overwhelmed by a simple quest to buy spare parts from a group of Jawas. But then I got in my speeder and rode out into the Dune Sea, and I saw their vehicles, black and huge, in the low sun. And I saw those little guys running around repairing droids. And I was transported back to when I was 12 years old, watching Star Wars on VHS in the living room, eating Monster Munchies my mom bought me, repeating lines with Luke. Ubisoft’s epic adventure is full of moments like this, and they saved my life many times.
All Pre-release talk You hear a lot about this not being a typical Ubisoft open world game, but Star Wars Outlaws is a lot like a typical Ubisoft open world game. You play as Kay Vess, a city thief who has been living quietly off her cunning until a lucrative heist goes wrong and she steals a spaceship and crashes it on the remote moon of Tshara. From here, she must survive while working for and at odds with the many criminal organizations in the galaxy, building a reputation as a skilled mercenary and thief. From here, it’s a familiar storyline. You’re soon given the main story quest, dozens of optional minor tasks, and the opportunity to take on various smuggler and rogue side jobs, usually traveling somewhere to get or blow things up. It’s like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, or Watch Dogs. It’s Star Wars: Busy Work Strikes Back.
Star Wars Outlaws cleverly weaves in Star Wars culture. Photo: Ubisoft
But there’s also an important difference: here, you’ll be aided by your beloved pet Nix, who you can dispatch to distract guards, fetch useful objects, or crawl through tight spaces to unlock doors. Nix is adorable, and adds emotional depth and danger to Cay’s lonely life. But more importantly, the game expertly weaves Star Wars lore into the mix, with the buildings you invade being beautifully recreated Imperial research facilities, destroyed Republic starships, and vile Hutt fortresses, all filled with intricate visual and narrative details drawn from the original film trilogy. Everywhere you go, fans will find a treat: familiar droids, bits of history, and beloved spaceships. The streets of Mos Eisley are patrolled by Stormtroopers in their monstrous vehicles. Dewback.
The planets you visit aren’t huge explorable territories. Most have big cities and a few square miles of open terrain. But that’s ok. There’s plenty to discover, from Hutt treasure vaults in the valleys of Tatooine to pirate camps in the swampy forests of Akiva. Sadly, the speeder bikes handle badly and are like trying to traverse an alien planet on a beat-up old Honda 125. Equally unwieldy are the space flight sections, which are reminiscent of No Man’s Sky. The planets’ orbits are densely populated with abandoned spaceships, TIEs and pirate fighters that you can loot. You can rescue ships in distress or perform cargo pickup missions, but the flight simulation never quite matches up to the classic LucasArts space combat titles.
So much to discover…Star Wars Outlaws. Photo: Ubisoft
Most of the aboveground quests involve a combination of parkour (climbing pipes and cliffs painted yellow, although you can turn off the paint) and stealth, sneaking through steel corridors, passing walls of flashing buttons and beeping computer displays, destroying alarm panels, and silently taking down enemies. It’s basic, and at times it comes closer to Spider-Man’s Mary Jane missions, which can be frustratingly slow compared to Dishonored’s systemic complexity. As you progress, however, you’ll encounter different experts who can unlock new skills that allow you to move more quietly or use cool stealth toys like smoke grenades, making infiltration much more fun. You also have a very configurable laser gun with different modes that can be unlocked. You can temporarily pick up other weapons, but I like that Kay sticks to a Han Solo-style pistol. You can’t beat a good blaster by your side.
At its core, it’s a cheesy story that’s grown from a myth of street kids making it big into something a bit more interesting. As Kay recruits a raiding party that includes the laser-scarred battle droid ND-5, he forges friendships that both elevate and contrast the heist plan. Clashes with the Rebels also call into question the ethics of their war and their methods. There are great moments where it’s clear the designers took inspiration not only from Star Wars itself, but also from directors George Lucas reveres, John Ford and Akira Kurosawa.
Some may be nostalgic for the legends of the Jedi or EA’s Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor titles. Outlaws is definitely for Solo fans, not Skywalker fans, but it does feature some really compelling new characters. It gives most fans of the movies what they want, and they’ll get to geek out with things like the EG-6 power droid and the X-34 landspeeder. Chadra Fan Sitting at the bar in the cantina 😅 I’ve been wandering around for hours looking for this item and have rarely been disappointed.
If this Was Compared to Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry titles, this one falls into the so-so category: reasonably fun, a little frustrating at times, and chock-full of overused tropes of the open-world genre, but the Star Wars license grabs the game by the Corellian trousers time and time again, dragging it into thrilling territory. For the better part of the 40 or so hours I played, I felt like a 12-year-old again, feeling a little confused and giddy, but also blissfully familiar, enjoying every moment.
IThe start of term is fast approaching. Parents are starting to worry about packed lunches, uniforms, and textbooks. School leavers heading to university are wondering what welcome week will be like for new students. And some professors, especially in the humanities, are anxiously wondering how to handle students who are already more adept at Large Language Models (LLMs) than they are.
They have good reason to be worried. Ian Bogost, a professor of film and media, said: and He studied Computer Science at Washington University in St. Louis. it is“If the first year of AI College ended with a sense of disappointment, the situation has now descended into absurdity. Teachers struggle to continue teaching while wondering whether they are grading students or computers. Meanwhile, the arms race in AI cheating and detection continues unabated.”
As expected, the arms race is already intensifying. The Wall Street Journal Recently reported “OpenAI has a way to reliably detect if someone is using ChatGPT to write an essay or research paper, but the company has not disclosed it, despite widespread concerns that students are using artificial intelligence to cheat.” This refusal has infuriated a sector of academia that imagining admirably that there must be a technological solution to this “cheating” problem. Apparently they have not read the Association for Computing Machinery's report on “cheating”. Statement of principles for developing generative AI content detection systemsstates that “reliably detecting the output of a generative AI system without an embedded watermark is beyond the current state of the art and is unlikely to change within any foreseeable timeframe.” Digital watermarks are useful, but they can also cause problems.
The LLM is a particularly pressing problem for the humanities because the essay is a critical pedagogical tool in teaching students how to research, think, and write. Perhaps more importantly, the essay also plays a central role in grading. Unfortunately, the LLM threatens to make this venerable pedagogy unviable. And there is no technological solution in sight.
The good news is that the problem is not insurmountable if educators in these fields are willing to rethink and adapt their teaching methods to fit new realities. Alternative pedagogies are available. But it will require two changes of thinking, if not a change of heart.
First, law graduates, like the well-known psychologist from Berkeley, Alison Gopnik says They are “cultural technologies”, just like writing, printing, libraries, internet searches, etc. In other words, they are tools used by humans. AugmentIt's not an exchange.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, the importance of writing needs to be reinstated in students' minds. processI think E.M. Forster once said that there are two kinds of writers: those who know their ideas and write them, and those who find their ideas by trying to write. The majority of humanity belongs to the latter. That's why the process of writing is so good for the intellect. Writing teaches you the skills to come up with a coherent line of argument, select relevant evidence, find useful sources and inspiration, and most importantly, express yourself in readable, clear prose. For many, that's not easy or natural. That's why students turn to ChatGPT even when they're asked to write 500 words to introduce themselves to their classmates.
Josh Blake, an American scholar, Writes intelligently about our relationship with AI Rather than trying to “integrate” writing into the classroom, I believe it is worth making the value of writing as an intellectual activity fully clear to students. you If you think about it, naturally they would be interested in outsourcing the labor to law students. And if writing (or any other job) is really just about the deliverables, why not? If the means to an end aren't important, why not outsource it?
Ultimately, the problems that LLMs pose to academia can be solved, but it will require new thinking and different approaches to teaching and learning in some areas. The bigger problem is the slow pace at which universities move. I know this from experience. In October 1995, the American scholar Eli Noam published a very insightful article: “The bleak future of electronics and universities” – in ScienceBetween 1998 and 2001, I asked every vice-chancellor and senior university leader I met in the UK what they thought about this.
Still, things have improved since then: at least now everyone knows about ChatGPT.
TRussian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov founded wildly popular social networks and cryptocurrencies, amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune, and found himself at odds with authorities in Russia and around the world.
The man, who is just a few months away from his 40th birthday and has been nicknamed “Russia’s Zuckerberg” after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, has now been arrested in France after being detained at a Paris airport this weekend.
The St. Petersburg native rose to fame in Russia in his 20s when he founded VKontakte (VK), a social network that catered to the needs of Russian-speaking users and surpassed Facebook across the former Soviet Union.
After disputes with Russian authorities and an ownership battle, he sold VKontakte and founded a new messaging service called Telegram, which quickly became popular but also became controversial after being criticized for its lack of control over extremist content.
As this drama raged, Durov remained a mercurial and at times enigmatic figure, rarely giving interviews and limiting himself to the occasional cryptic statement on Telegram.
A self-described libertarian, Durov has promoted internet secrecy and message encryption.
He has steadfastly refused to allow moderation of messages on Telegram, where users can post videos, photos, and comments to “channels” that anyone can follow.
Durov, 39, had an arrest warrant out for him in France for allegedly conducting a wide range of criminal activities on Telegram, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, and organized crime, including promoting terrorism and fraud.
The investigation has been entrusted to the French national police’s cyber unit and the national anti-fraud office. The suspect was still in police custody on Sunday, according to two sources familiar with the case. He has not been charged with any crime.
In 2006, Durov, a graduate of St. Petersburg University, founded VK, which captivated users despite its mysterious founder.
In an act that epitomized his unpredictable behavior, Durov in 2012 hurled large banknotes at passersby from VK’s headquarters on the roof of a historic bookstore on Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg.
While in a bathroom in Paris, Rob Minnick realized he needed help. He had flown 3,700 miles to explore the French capital, but kept disappearing every 10 to 15 minutes.
“People probably thought I had a severe stomach issue,” he recalled of his February 2022 trip. However, it wasn’t his stomach that was the problem – Minnick had developed a gambling addiction.
He found himself constantly searching for quick wins on his phone, dabbling in sports betting, slot-style games, blackjack, and roulette.
After returning home to New Jersey, attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings, and abstaining from gambling for eight months, Minnick relapsed in November 2022. This led to him spending 12 hours in a casino, resulting in six months of debt repayment.
At 23 years old, broke, and in desperate need of assistance, Minnick surrendered control of his bank accounts to his family and returned to GA meetings, a common path for gambling addicts. However, he ultimately discovered a different route to recovery.
Just four months after his last bet, while in a drive-thru at Dunkin’ Donuts, Minnick began sharing his insights on gambling odds through TikTok videos under the username rob_odaat.
By narrating his struggles with addiction and discussing the risks of gambling, Minnick hopes to provide a positive message on the issue and hold individuals accountable through both anonymous meetings and online posts.
Despite the surge in gambling popularity in the US, Minnick believes more people are becoming problem gamblers. He acknowledges that the prevalence of gambling addiction discussions falls into two categories, with many influencers promoting gambling predictions and advice.
Minnick posted questions on TikTok as a warning sign of gambling addiction. He feels outnumbered against production companies and influencers glorifying gambling victories and believes mainstream celebrities should speak out about their gambling struggles.
He draws parallels between the opioid epidemic and responsible gambling messaging, stating that the focus should be on the industry rather than individual gamblers. While he acknowledges the efforts of those promoting responsible gambling, he highlights the need for targeted support for at-risk gamblers.
Minnick believes that responsible gambling is important but should not solely benefit the industry and should focus on reaching and aiding individuals at risk of gambling problems.
Mushrooms have become a popular health trend, making their way into coffee, supplements, and even beer. Dyson recently unveiled their potential use for taming frizzy hair by utilizing chitosan, a fungus found in oyster mushrooms often used in skincare products.
This innovative ingredient, chitosan, is the key component of Dyson’s new styling cream and serum, both priced at £50 for 100ml and claimed to reduce frizz by up to 50%. It provides a delicate yet strong hold, enabling natural movement while keeping the hair in place.
Dyson’s engineers conducted thorough testing to determine the ideal chitosan percentage for long-lasting flexible hold. The products are packed with the power of up to eight oyster mushrooms, offering a unique approach compared to traditional polymer-based hair products.
James Dyson, the company’s chief engineer, explained that their complex polymers create flexible bonds that enhance the hold, movement, and shine of the hair, setting them apart from competitors. Dyson has a history of successful innovations, including bagless vacuums and bladeless fans, and is now venturing into the beauty market with products like the “supersonic” hair dryer.
While Dyson leads the way in harnessing the benefits of fungi, other companies are also exploring the use of fungal ingredients in various products. The growing popularity of mushrooms has prompted consumer advocacy groups to investigate the true impact and benefits of this trend in the beauty and health industries.
Though mushroom products have potential benefits, consumer advocates warn that there is not enough evidence to support their effectiveness or health benefits, cautioning consumers against assuming their advantages without thorough research.
A warning from Britain’s largest mobile phone operator advises parents against giving smartphones to primary school children. EE recommends supplying children under 11 with old-fashioned or “dumb” mobile phones that only have calling and texting capabilities.
EE suggests using non-smart devices for children under 11 to limit access to social media and inappropriate content, such as feature phones with basic features.
This advice from EE is believed to be the first of its kind from a UK mobile operator and comes as parents face pressure to buy mobile phones for their children as the new school year begins.
Statistics show that by the age of 11, nine out of ten children own a mobile phone, and 60% of 8 to 12-year-olds have social media profiles despite age restrictions on social media platforms. Ofcom reports.
Ofcom’s findings also reveal that three in five secondary school students have faced potentially upsetting online interactions.
Calls for a ban on smartphones for under-16s and restrictions on mobile phone use in schools have been made by education councillors due to the negative effects of excessive screen time on children’s health.
EE also recommends that smartphone users aged 11 to 13 enable parental controls, use family sharing apps, and restrict access to social media.
For children aged 13 to 16, EE’s guidelines state that smartphones are suitable but parental controls should be used to manage and limit access to inappropriate sites, content, and platforms.
Carolyn Bunting, the chief executive of child safety group Internet Matters, acknowledges that parents want to make decisions regarding their children’s technology use but also value guidance to assist them.
circleWhen Donald Trump posted a series of AI-generated images that falsely portrayed Taylor Swift and her fans as supporters of his presidential campaign, he inadvertently endorsed the efforts of an opaque non-profit organization aiming to fund prominent right-wing media figures and with a track record of disseminating misinformation.
Among the modified images shared by Trump on Truth Social were digitally altered pictures of young women sporting “Swifties for Trump” shirts, created by the John Milton Freedom Foundation. This Texas-based non-profit, established last year, claims to advocate for press freedom while also seeking to “empower independent journalists” and “fortify the pillars of our democracy.”
President Trump posts AI imitation of Taylor Swift and her fans Photo: Nick Robbins Early/Truth Social
Screenshot of @amuse’s “Swifties for Trump” tweet. Photo: Nick Robbins Early/Truth Social/X
The foundation’s operations seem to involve sharing clickbait content on X and collecting substantial donations, with plans for a “fellowship program” chaired by a high school student that intends to grant $100,000 to prominent Twitter figures like Glenn Greenwald, Andy Ngo, and Lara Logan. Despite inquiries into the foundation’s activities and fellowship program through tax records, investor documents, and social media posts, the John Milton Freedom Foundation did not offer any comment.
Having spent months endorsing conservative media figures and echoing Elon Musk’s allegations of free speech suppression from the political left, one of the foundation’s messages eventually reached President Trump and his massive following.
Experts caution about the potential dangers of generative AI in creating deceptive content that could impact election integrity. The proliferation of AI-generated content, including portrayals of Trump, Kamala Harris, and other politicians, has increased since Musk’s xAI introduced the unregulated Grok image generator. The John Milton Freedom Foundation is just one among many groups flooding social media with AI-generated content.
Niche nonprofit’s AI junk reaches President Trump
Amid the spread of AI images on X, the conservative @amuse account shared an AI-generated tweet from Swift fans with its over 300,000 followers. The post was tagged as “Satire,” marked with “Sponsored by the John Milton Freedom Foundation.” Trump then reposted screenshots of these tweets on Truth Social.
The @amuse account, managed by Alexander Muse, enjoys a broad reach with approximately 390,000 followers and frequent daily postings. Muse, indicated as a consultant in the Milton Foundation’s investor prospectus and a writer of right-wing commentary on Substack, has numerous ties to the @amuse account. The AI content includes depictions like Trump vs. Darth Vader and sexualized images of Harris, with the prominent watermark “Sponsored by: John Milton Freedom Foundation.”
aArtificial intelligence (AI) will soon be coming to iPhones in a move that Apple says will completely change how people use the devices. The iPhone maker’s AI tools, branded “Apple Intelligence”, will include an enhanced voice assistant, Siri, in partnership with ChatGPT owner OpenAI.
Apple isn’t the first smartphone maker to adopt AI: the technology is already available in phones like Google’s latest Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy series.
But the sheer volume of data required for AI raises concerns about data privacy. Apple has built its reputation on privacy. Its advertisements state: Privacy. That’s the iPhone. – so this is an area where the company claims to be different.
What is Apple Intelligence and when is it available?
Apple Intelligence is the iPhone maker’s collective name for its AI features, including the ChatGPT-4o integration that will arrive in the iOS 18 software upgrade.
The first version of iOS 18 will debut alongside Apple’s iPhone 16 models in September, while the AI features will arrive later in the iOS 18.1 update scheduled for mid-to-late October.
The first iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence features available in the beta include new writing tools, suggested replies in the Messages app, email summaries, transcription of phone calls, and more.
Other features coming later this year or in early 2025 include Image Playground, which lets you create your own animated images within the app, and custom emojis called Genmoji. Meanwhile, long-awaited AI enhancements to Apple’s chatbot, Siri, include ChatGPT integration, richer language understanding, and more. Deeper integration Within individual apps, Siri will be able to look at your calendar, photos and messages and improve responses to texts — for example, if you ask when your mom’s flight is going to land, Siri will make an inference based on recent messages and emails, Apple said.
Apple Intelligence is set to roll out globally, but regulatory concerns are expected to mean significant delays in the EU and China.
Because AI requires powerful hardware, the feature won’t be compatible with older devices: Apple says that to access all the features, you’ll need an iPhone 15 or later, or an Apple device with an M1 or M2 chip.
How will it change the way you use your iPhone?
The feature is being rolled out gradually, so you won’t see any dramatic changes right away. But with Apple Intelligence enabled, you’ll notice your interactions become more personalized and your tasks get done faster. For example, using the summary tool to write emails on the go can help. Call recording and transcription “After you’ve asked for permission, of course.”It can make everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable to perform, says Adam Biddlecombe, co-founder of AI newsletter Mindstream.
Similar to ChatGPT, Apple’s intelligent assistant will develop the ability to provide contextual responses, i.e. remember the threads of previous Siri conversations. On the privacy front, a new visual indicator around the Siri icon will let you know if Siri is listening.
But it’s worth noting that, like any shiny new technology, Apple’s AI may have some hiccups at launch. AI models need data to work, and while the technology is improving, even Apple’s CEO Tim Cook admits he’s “not 100% sure” Apple’s minds don’t hallucinate“I’m confident it’s going to be very high quality,” he said in a recent interview, “but to be honest with you, I’m nowhere near 100 percent. I would never say I’m 100 percent.”
So unless you have full confidence in the chatbot’s accuracy, we recommend double-checking the airline’s website to see when your mom’s flight will land.
How is ChatGPT on iPhone different from using the ChatGTP app?
Apple uses ChatGPT as a backup to perform functions it can’t control itself: Users ask Siri questions, but when Apple’s chatbot can’t answer more complex requests, it hands the baton over to ChatGPT.
The same thing Creating text and creating imagesWhile Apple Intelligence offers these features, and ChatGPT can write text and create images from scratch, Apple still isn’t that good at them.
Camden Woolven, head of the AI group at consulting firm GRC International Group, said the main difference between the app and ChatGPT on the iPhone is how it handles data: “When you use ChatGPT directly, your queries go directly to OpenAI’s servers. There’s no middleman.”
But when using Siri’s ChatGPT integration, Apple acts as a “privacy-focused intermediary,” he says.
“Siri will attempt to fulfill your request directly on your device, but if it can’t, it will send some data to Apple servers in an encrypted and anonymized form,” he explains.
If both your device and Apple’s servers can’t process the request, Siri will contact ChatGPT, “but even in that case, the request still goes to Apple first, where it’s anonymized and encrypted before being sent to OpenAI,” Woollven says. “This means that when you use Siri, your data gets an extra layer of privacy protection that you don’t get when using ChatGPT directly.”
Users can access the GPT-4o-powered Siri for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT subscribers can connect their account to access paid features, including larger message limits and access to enhanced features like a new voice mode that lets you communicate with ChatGPT over real-time video.
Are my conversations tracked or stored anywhere? If so, by whom?
Apple says that there are built-in privacy protections for users who access ChatGPT, and most of the processing is done on-device, so your data never leaves your iPhone.
IP addresses are hidden, OpenAI does not store your requests, and users who choose to connect their accounts are subject to ChatGPT’s data usage policy.
For more complex queries that require the cloud, Apple says it anonymizes and encrypts the data end-to-end before sending it to its servers or to ChatGPT. “This means that neither Apple nor even OpenAI can see the contents of your request, only the encrypted and anonymized version,” Woollven said.
But even anonymized data can still be linked to you if it’s specific enough, Woolven warns: “So while Apple isn’t directly storing your conversations in a way that can be linked to you, there is still a small risk that very specific queries could potentially be linked to you.”
More broadly, all Apple Intelligence requests that need to be processed off-device are sent to the company’s private cloud. Private Cloud Computing claims to protect your data from external sources.
Apple says it will be transparent about when it uses your data, providing a detailed on-device report called the Apple Intelligence Report that shows how your Siri requests were processed, so you can see for yourself what data was used and where it was sent.
But AI needs a lot of information to function, and to perform these functions, Apple will need access to more of your data: “Apple will be able to read your messages, monitor your calendar, track your maps and location, record your calls, view your photos, and understand other personal information,” Moore said.
I’m not sure about this, can I opt out?
Yes, you must turn on Apple Intelligence in Settings, so even if you’re concerned about data privacy or have doubts about the accuracy or usefulness of these features, you’re under no obligation to use them.
Two rows of rundown, dirt-smothered caravan parks line either side of the road near the motorway that winds into Bristol’s city center. Rats dart between water-filled concrete sluices and piles of rubbish-strewn vegetation. Drug users stumble out of a nearby underpass as trucks roar overhead.
It’s a dreary camp where around 30 Brazilian delivery drivers for big companies like Deliveroo and Uber Eats are forced to scrape by to make ends meet.
Celia Campos, 45, has been living in a caravan next to the lock for a year. “We left Brazil to look for a better place,” she says in rapid Portuguese. “But most of us don’t achieve our dreams. We come back in a worse state than when we left.”
Delivery drivers claim their income is not keeping up with rising prices, making it extremely difficult to make a living from delivering food.
The national minimum wage is £11.44 an hour, but food delivery companies like Deliveroo and Uber Eats do not formally employ their drivers – they are gig economy workers who are paid per delivery, meaning they can earn much less than the minimum wage.
Campos says she works long hours for both companies, working 333 hours in July and earning the equivalent of £6.27 an hour. Her pay records show she was paid around £1.20 for some Uber Eats deliveries. “We spend as much time as we can on the streets. I work from 8am until I’m tired, usually until midnight,” she says. “Delivery work is not good anymore. You have to be a slave to make enough money.”
She cannot afford Bristol’s soaring rents, which have risen faster than anywhere else in the country and have resulted in an increase in the number of people living in their cars in the West Country city.
Harsh living conditions, long hours and low wages have led to mental health issues in the camps. “I had depression for a year. It was awful,” Campos said. “I don’t want anyone to go through that. If you just work, work, work, work and you have no life… that’s what causes depression.”
Deliveroo, which recently survived a seven-year legal battle over greater rights for gig economy delivery workers, posted its first profit this month and reported a net profit of £1.3m for the first half of 2024.
Uber, which provides taxi and food delivery services, said it expects its pre-tax profits in the UK to rise to £32 million in 2022 from £5 million in 2021, with the delivery arm of its UK business generating revenue of £700 million.
The Labour government promised a new employment rights bill that would ban zero-hours contracts and provide sick pay from day one, but plans to introduce a single status for all employees – which would give gig economy workers the same rights as employed staff – have been replaced with a promise to consult on a simpler employment framework.
Some Labour MPs have raised concerns about Deliveroo’s relationship with the party after the company sponsored a series of Labour events, and its chief executive Will Thew was invited to a drinks party hosted by Keir Starmer last month. Shu appears in the video It was recorded at the event and shared on the PM’s official X account.
Another of the three women living in the caravan is preparing to work for Uber Eats. Lorena, 28, has been living in the caravan for a year and a half. She says she works 12-hour days and earns £600 a week, which works out to £7.14 an hour. “When I got here it wasn’t so bad but now I feel like a dehumanised person,” she says.
Riders say they get little support from the platforms they log into every day, so they look out for one another. They protect their mopeds, fix each other’s punctures, raise money for injured or sick workers. One person likens the road community to a labor union or “syndicate,” while another says Favela – A working-class slum in Brazil.
Some still feel vulnerable to street violence: Lorena fears that anti-immigrant protesters will burn down their house. “We feel threatened,” she says.
Her neighbour, Lucas, 25, is staying in a rundown caravan, its window seams covered with black duct tape and undersides covered with a tarpaulin, his double bed taking up most of the living space, just five metres by two metres.
The wall above the small camping stove is covered in black mold, making it dangerous to use in an enclosed space. “There is no comfort here. [in the caravan]”I just have a bed to sleep in and that’s it. Sometimes I lose motivation,” he says.
On the other side of the road, another rider prepares to head out on his moped. Freitas, 32, is a qualified pharmacist in Brazil but delivers takeaways in the UK, earning an average of £3.43 per delivery, according to figures from his Uber Eats app. “I studied for five years. I don’t want to tell my family what’s going on here,” he says.
He desperately wants to move because his caravan has no electricity, no heating and no place to cook. When it rains, the windows leak into his bed. “It’s hard to live like this. At night you have to wrap yourself up in a blanket,” he explains. “Many of the people who stay here develop mental problems because they live in a small box.”
Heather Mack, deputy leader of Bristol city council, said: “Most of us strive to treat others how we would like to be treated but shamefully this is not the case for companies like Deliveroo and Uber Eats in our city. People who work for a living should be able to live a life that provides the essentials we all need – safety, hygiene and food.”
Mack also called on the government to end “cruel and hostile environment” policies to give immigrants a path to legal work.
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which led an unsuccessful legal campaign to secure employment rights for delivery drivers, said the Bristol camp was “emblematic of the mass misery that the gig economy is producing”. Maritza Castillo Calle, vice-chairman of IWGB, accused delivery companies of slashing driver pay to boost profits. “We should not be mistaken in thinking that Deliveroo’s first-ever profit last week is a direct result of workers facing unprecedented hardship,” she said.
Deliveroo said it was “very concerned” that delivery drivers were living in unsuitable conditions and would contact Bristol City Council. A spokesman added: “Deliveroo offers protections to its delivery drivers, including the flexible working they want, attractive income opportunities, free insurance, sickness cover, financial support for delivery drivers who become new parents and a range of training opportunities.”
Uber said Uber Eats offers thousands of delivery workers flexible ways to earn money. “When delivery workers work with us, they have a range of protections, including insurance for their journey, and we regularly work with them to see how we can improve their experience.”
Back in Bristol, Campos gets on his scooter. He’s exhausted after a long night’s shift, but he says he has to go back to work. “If you’re only getting paid £1, £2 or £3 per delivery, you have to make a lot of deliveries. The owners of these companies don’t think about us, the couriers who make their money, they only think about themselves.”
IIf you’re considering trading up to an electric vehicle but think it’s too costly, think again. Used Tesla Model 3 or Kia e-Niros, capable of 250-300 miles on a single charge, can now be purchased for just £14,000.
Last year, prices for used electric vehicles dropped significantly, making previously unattainable models now accessible to many families.
In fact, Autotrader reported that EVs are now almost as affordable as petrol cars, with the average price of a three- to five-year-old EV in July being £18,964, compared to £18,076 for a petrol car of the same model year.
Ground-breaking ultra-efficient models from three to four years ago are now available on the second-hand market at much more affordable prices, despite initially costing between £40,000 and £50,000 new.
According to David Smith of Cleveleys Electric Vehicles, there are some incredible deals available, with cars offering nearly the same driving range as new models, proven reliability, and warranties still intact, all at a fraction of the price.
One EV specialist highly recommends the Kia e-Niro, especially with its 64kWh battery. Photo: Sue Thatcher/Alamy
Smith also recommended the Kia e-Niro with its 64kWh battery for families under £15,000, citing its efficiency, range, and reliability.
Another model to consider is the MG5, which has proven to be extremely reliable according to Cleveleys Electric Vehicles.
Smith mentioned that longer-range EVs are not as risky as perceived, with many cars maintaining their mileage even after extensive use.
Buying a used, fuel-efficient EV eliminates the issues that new electric vehicles may face, making them a practical choice for many buyers.
For those looking to purchase, there are several affordable options available, like the Kia e-Niro and Tesla Model 3, both offering long-distance capabilities at competitive prices.
Charging at home is much cheaper than using public charging points, making EVs even more cost-effective in the long run.
The Tesla Model 3 has proven to be capable of long distance driving. Photo: Taina Sohlman/Alamy
Consider the warranties, charging options, and overall cost before making a decision on purchasing a used EV.
Charging at home is much cheaper than using a public charging point. Photo: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
Consider the charging infrastructure, insurance costs, and warranty coverage when buying a used EV to ensure a wise investment.
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