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Phone 3 No Review: A Unique and Sleek Android Alternative | Smartphone Insights

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Phone 3 isn’t your typical London device; it’s unique and playful, encouraging users to rethink their allegiance to Samsung or Apple.


As the brand’s inaugural high-end Android in several years, it encompasses everything a flagship phone should offer. It particularly distinguishes itself with its back design, featuring a smooth, dot-matrix-inspired interface along with a distinctive LED screen.

Starting at £799 (799 Euros/$799/$1,509), it’s priced double that of Phone 3 and will directly compete with the Samsung Galaxy S25, Google Pixel 9, and iPhone 16.




The back screen showcases notifications including icons, battery or volume indicators, and WhatsApp messages. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Previously, a semi-transparent design was introduced with Phone 1 in 2022. However, for Phone 3, these glyflights have evolved into a compact round matrix of LEDs in the top right corner of the back to exhibit icons, animations, and patterns.

This feature serves for basic notifications and can now showcase “toys” for unique experiences like the Magic Eight Ball, a stopwatch, or the Spin the Bottle game, activated with a touch-sensitive button on the back. More practically, it can show time, volume, charging status, or persistent icons for selected notifications or apps.




From the front, Phone 3 resembles an ordinary smartphone. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The rest of the rear design provokes mixed reactions with its unconventional arrangement of shapes and elements, likely displeasing symmetry enthusiasts.

The display, however, is a standard 6.7-inch OLED screen with a slim bezel and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Although it can be reflective on sunny days, it remains crisp, vibrant, and bright.

Specifications

  • Screen: 6.7in 120Hz QHD+ OLED (460ppi)

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 4

  • RAM: 12 or 16GB

  • Storage: 256 or 512GB

  • Operating System: Nothing OS3.5 (Android 15)

  • Camera: 50MP Main, 50MP 3X Telephoto, 50MP Ultra Wide, 50MP Selfie

  • Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, WiFi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 6, GNSS

  • Water Resistance: IP68

  • Size: 160.6 x 75.6 x 9mm

  • Weight: 218g

Snappy but Warm




Using the Glyph Matrix screen as a viewfinder requires significant effort to align your shots accurately. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 chip, this version is a notch below the latest Snapdragon 8 elite processors found in most top-tier Android phones. While daily use reveals no performance lags, it may heat uncomfortably during intensive graphic tasks.

The battery life isn’t class-leading, offering around 40 hours under heavy 5G use. Most users will find it necessary to charge every couple of days with moderate usage, a reflection of Phone 2’s capabilities from two years ago.

With a compatible USB-C power adapter of 65W or more (not included), it can reach full charge in approximately 55 minutes, hitting 50% in just 19 minutes. Additionally, 15W wireless charging is available.

Nothing OS3.5




The OS is characterized by a stylized appearance with dot-matrix elements and is quite customizable. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

There’s little information regarding last year’s Android 15, but this version features a distinctive dot-matrix style that is user-friendly. Users wanting traditional colors for app identification may find the default Android styles more appealing.

Overall, the software operates smoothly with standard Google services included, alongside apps like The Weather and Voice Recorder. The Essential Space app, which first debuted on Phone 3A Pro, now incorporates audio recordings with glyph screen animations and cloud-based transcription services. Essential Search offers an AI-enhanced search for content across the device, providing assistance with basic queries as well.




Essential Space compiles screens, notes, and recordings, leveraging AI for understanding and summarizing content with mixed success. Composite: Samuel Gibbs/Guardian

It may not be the most exciting upgrade to Android 16 anticipated in late 2025, but it will provide five years of version updates and seven years of security updates, aligning with the top-tier offerings from Google and Samsung. Notably, applications like Netflix currently do not support HDR playback on Phone 3 due to certification constraints that limit them to SDR content.

Camera




The Nothing Camera app is relatively straightforward but includes most of the essential features for photography. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Nothing’s camera setup boasts three 50MP cameras on the back and a matching 50MP front-facing camera. The primary camera excels at producing detailed images, while the 3x optical zoom manages to preserve great detail and sharpness in well-lit scenes. It supports a zoom of up to 6x with the sensor and a digital zoom of 10x. The Ultra Wide Camera, however, is the weakest link – while it provides a great field of view, it lacks detail when zoomed in and distorts the edges of the frame.

It produces stunning photos in bright outdoor conditions, but transitioning between the three cameras can result in inconsistent color balance and tones, which is less than ideal. Indoor shooting can lead to odd gray tones under varying lighting.

The selfie camera offers commendable results, capturing details well, while the telephoto camera features a macro mode for close shots from around 10cm away, adding an element of fun.

While the Phone 3’s camera can produce good images, its inconsistencies prevent it from reaching the heights of its competitors in this price range.

Sustainability




The optical fingerprint scanner located at the bottom of the screen is quick and precise, though it sits low on the display. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The battery retains at least 80% of its original capacity over the span of 1,400 full charge cycles. The devices are generally repairable throughout the UK.

Crafted from recycled materials including aluminum, copper, plastic, steel, and other elements, it comprises 17.6% recycled content by weight. The associated carbon footprint equates to 53.2kg of CO2. The company has released a sustainability report.

Price

The Nothing Phone 3 starts at £799 (799 Euros/$799/$1,509) with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

In comparison, the Phone 3A Pro is priced at £394, the Google Pixel 9 Pro at £999, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ at £999, the Samsung S25 Edge at £1,099, and the OnePlus 13 at £899.

Verdict

Phone 3 is a remarkable offering from Nothing, though it falls short of being an exceptional Android device. It’s undoubtedly more intriguing than its competitors, but one must genuinely desire something different to justify its appeal, considering there are better-performing options at this price point.

The software experience is strong, being fluid, customizable, and well-optimized. While it may not utilize the latest Android version, it offers 7 years of security updates and 5 years of version upgrades. The glyph screen is a fresh take, and the translucent back design is captivating, although it may divide opinions. The performance and battery life are solid, though perhaps not striking.

The camera’s inconsistencies signal that there’s room for improvement, but the potential of its AI tools offers some exciting prospects, despite still being rather basic.

For those who are looking for something a bit quirky, Phone 3 is an intriguing choice.

Pros: Great software, unique dot matrix screen, reliable performance, 3x telephoto camera, vibrant display, effective fingerprint scanner, quick charging, and long-term updates.

Cons: The camera exhibits inconsistency and lacks competitive edge, while battery life could be better. The AI features are not cutting-edge, and the asymmetrical design may not appeal to everyone.




The Glyph Matrix screen is a clever concept, packed with fun and customizable elements for various applications, contacts, and notifications. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Source: www.theguardian.com

Immunotherapy Drugs: A Hopeful Alternative to Invasive Surgeries and Strenuous Treatments for Cancer Patients

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When individuals develop solid tumors in the stomach, esophagus, or rectum, oncologists have established treatment strategies. Yet, these treatments can significantly affect quality of life, leading to outcomes such as stomach and bladder removal, permanent colostomy bags, radiation exposure, infertility from chemotherapy, and lasting bodily harm.

In response, a research team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center utilized drugs from GSK to explore a novel approach.

They initiated the study with 103 participants, who represent a small fraction (2-3%) of cancer patients with tumors ideally suited for immunotherapy—drugs designed to bypass obstacles that prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells.

Notably, clinical trials do not generally expect immunotherapy to replace standard treatments. Researchers, led by Dr. Lewis A. Diaz Jr. and Andrea Cerseck, opted to administer dostarlimab, an immunotherapeutic agent.

The outcomes were unexpected and offered hope for a select group of patients faced with these cancers.

In 49 patients with rectal cancer, tumors vanished and did not return after five years. Among 54 patients with other cancers—including esophageal, liver, endometrial, urinary tract, and prostate cancers—35 experienced total tumor disappearance.

Out of the 103 patients, only five experienced a recurrence of cancer. Three were given three doses of immunotherapy, while one was discontinued after the tumor reappeared in the lymph nodes. Currently, the four patients show no signs of disease, while the fifth received further immunotherapy to reduce the tumor size.

On Sunday, investigators presented their findings at the American Cancer Research Association’s Annual Meeting, with a paper featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Bert Vogelstein, an oncologist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, termed the results “groundbreaking.”

The drug development’s early stages were conducted in his lab, where he expressed surprise at the advancements.

“The concept of treating large tumors from various organs without surgery seemed like science fiction 20 or 30 years ago,” he noted. However, he emphasized that these discoveries stemmed from decades of foundational research.

The reason immunotherapy succeeded for these significant tumors lies in their gene incompatible repair mutations, which obstruct the correction of DNA damage. This leads to tumors accumulating abnormal proteins that signal the immune system for destruction. Nevertheless, the tumors deploy a shield to fend off immune attacks, which immunotherapy can stimulate, enabling the immune system to target the tumors effectively.

For patients like those in this study, Dr. Michael Oberman, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, suggests the results point towards immunotherapy as an option free of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery.

However, obstacles remain. The drug is priced around $11,000 per dose, requiring patients to undergo nine infusions over six months. To qualify for insurance coverage, it needs inclusion in clinical guidelines established by professional organizations.

The drug is approved for treating uterine cancer with mismatch repair mutations and is also listed in clinical guidelines for rectal cancer, based on previous small-scale studies. Yet, Dr. Diaz indicated that other cancer patients may face challenges in taking the medication. Nonetheless, Memorial Sloan Kettering continues to recruit participants for clinical trials, meaning those with eligible tumors can access the drug at no cost.

For some individuals, immunotherapy is life-transforming. Side effects can occur, with the study noting fatigue, rashes, and itching as the most common. Rare side effects included pulmonary infections and encephalitis.

Maureen Sidris, a 71-year-old from Amenia, New York, discovered she had cancer after struggling to eat a burger.

“It wouldn’t go down,” she recounted, realizing there was some blockage. Ultimately, it was identified as a tumor at the junction of her stomach and esophagus.

In 2019, she visited Sloan Kettering, where her surgeon advised that surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation were mandatory and that surgery would be complex.

However, due to her tumor’s mismatch repair mutation, she was able to join a clinical trial. Her first injection occurred on October 14 of that year, and by January, her tumor had disappeared. While Sidris experienced one side effect from the treatment requiring medication to support her kidney function, she considers it worthwhile to avoid the challenging treatments initially suggested.

“It was indeed a journey,” she remarked. However, she reasoned that she had everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying immunotherapy.

“If it didn’t succeed, I still had surgery as a backup,” she concluded.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Alternative Title: What Would Happen if Mark Zuckerberg Hadn’t Acquired Instagram and WhatsApp?

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In 2012, when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg cut a billion-dollar check to buy the photo sharing app Instagram, most people thought he had lost his marble.

“Billion dollars?” I was kidding John Stewart and then The Daily Show host. “For something that would ruin your photos?”

Stewart called the decision “really unfree.” His audience, and much of the world, agreed that Zuckerberg overpaid for an app that highlighted a lot of photo filters.

Two years later, Zuckerberg opened his wallet again. Facebook has agreed to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion. Many Americans had never heard of messaging apps that were popular internationally but less well-known in the US.

No one knew what would happen with these transactions. However, hindsight seems to be 20/20.

The government on Monday in a landmark antitrust trial that both acquisitions are now considered the greatest in Silicon Valley history – is the action of a lawn-protected monopoly. Zuckerberg was set up to argue that his company, renamed Meta, is merely an afterthought in the social media situation, not for these transactions.

However, this incident could lead to the division of one of the most powerful companies in technology, dealing primarily with hypotheses. Neither the government nor Zuckerberg could predict how technology would advance from Instagram’s $1 billion checks or what would happen if regulators didn’t approve the purchase. This makes Meta’s antitrust case one of the slipperyest things in the tech industry, which has long been defined by unpredictability.

“It was a very different time in Silicon Valley,” said Margaret O’Mara, a technical historian at the University of Washington, about the Facebook acquisition. “There was a vibe like, ‘Oh, wow, Facebook is a bunch of kids who really spend their luxury!” “

I happened to have a front row seat for Facebook deals, especially on Instagram. As a reporter for Wired Magazine, my office in San Francisco was next to my Instagram headquarters. We frequently visited the Kimchi Burrito location (a green slice of city) across the street near South Park Commons and ate it on a bench outside our Instagram office.

Kevin Systrom, the 6-foot-5-foot co-founder of Instagram, was 28 years old. He often roamed around the wood and iron swings of South Park Commons, calling employees and speaking about product ideas. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, who identified as an arts child rather than a technician, played in the same South Park playground and meditated to a friend about the idea that eventually became his social media app.

This was a time when social apps were dismissed as play, in order to post art for lattes and to tell people what they had for breakfast. WhatsApp, which was growing rapidly internationally, was a text messaging app with no business model. And clones of these apps were abundant, including photo sharing colors, Flickr, VSCO, Message Kik, Skype, Viber, and more.

Even Facebook faced questions about whether it was a viable business. Two months after the Silicon Valley Company announced it was buying Instagram, it held one of the most Disastrous early technology revealed Since the late 1990s, it has been on the .com era.

By the time Systrom testified three months later to the California Corporation Bureau of Corporations, a condition that would close its Facebook deal, Facebook’s shares had fallen almost half the price.

However, in Silicon Valley, fortunes rise quickly. Companies move from frivolous fantasies to juggernauts in just a few years. And what might seem like a wise business move by one moment of executives can be ridiculed immediately as a mistake in the next moment. (Half of the aforementioned apps are dead, dying or have been sold as parts for a long time. Also, my favorite Kimchi Burrito locations. It’s not around anymore. )

At the time, Systrom made a positive spin on Instagram trading as the future looked increasingly tough for Facebook.

“I have been taught throughout my life that all open markets have opposites and shortcomings,” he attended the August 2012 Department of California hearing on the sixth floor of the downtown San Francisco division. “I still firmly believe in the long-term value of Facebook.”

He turns out to be right. Today, Instagram and WhatsApp are two of the most important parts of the meta business. Postings, videos and communications on the platform regularly drive global conversations for sports, news, politics and culture. The app has billions of users.

In some respects, antitrust testing is about competitive versions that may have had a history of technology. For example, what would have happened if Zuckerberg lost his Instagram bid? I’m also about to buy a photo sharing app for Twitter? What happens if WhatsApp is sold to Google? I’ll defend a little How to add a messaging app to your own portfolio?

What if other competitors create a great photo sharing app that could thrive if Facebook didn’t use Instagram to crush them? What happens if Facebook has ruined both deals or can’t keep up with competing apps and still fall behind after purchasing Instagram and WhatsApp?

These are unknown and can only be answered by those who have a time machine. Each side claims a version of what would have happened if Meta’s acquisition was not approved.

In the same Daily Show segment in 2012, senior youth correspondent Jessica Williams said that Facebook’s Instagram purchases made perfect sense.

“If you wanted a photo before Instagram that looks like it was taken in the ’60s, you’d have to invent a time machine and go back to 50 years ago,” she said. “Do you know how much it costs to build a time machine?”

“Easy billion dollars.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

RFK Jr. criticizes FDA for banning alternative remedies and condemns drug industry’s influence

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In a speech aired on the Food and Drug Administration’s Maryland campus Friday morning, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. introduced himself as the country’s health secretary in a mean speech that touched on everything from the raptors of Lake Erie to the CIA.

Kennedy told agency staff in an effort to boldly avoid the impulse to protect the companies they regulate amid the pain of losing 20% ​​of the workforce under an overhaul of the health and human services sector.

Layoffs, voluntary departures and cuts in funding have already stopped the sectors controlling tobacco surveillance, drug approval processes, testing bird milk and bird flu cheeses, and food safety, which monitors and protects consumers from foodborne diseases.

In his remarks Friday, Kennedy suggested that the agency did not approve “alternative drugs” because of its subordination to wealthy businesses. Agent veterans argue that alternative products often fail to pass safety and efficacy standards.

He previously accused the FDA of suppressing raw milk, ivermectin and stem cell therapy.

He urged staff to resist the temptation to serve small groups of wealthy businesses at the expense of public health.

“We want to break away from it so that we can make our children healthy,” he said, according to a transcript of the speech shared with the New York Times. At another point, he said, “The deep nation is the real thing.” This is a light-journal reference to the vast federal bureaucracy that President Trump accused of as an obstacle to achieving his goals in his first term.

Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Kennedy’s remarks.

Kennedy also calls the FDA “sock dolls.” He used it in the past. Dynamics rewards “a very powerful incumbent in the industry,” he said at another time.

Drugmakers have benefited from a series of efforts by the FDA to speed up specific drug approvals and encourage businesses to develop drugs for serious illnesses that lack treatment. An FDA official said the program is intended to help patients.

The FDA has faced criticism over the past few years for several well-known drug approvals. For example, when granting approval for Alzheimer’s and Duchenne muscular dystrophy products, the top officials rejected the agency’s scientist or advisor.

Kennedy urged FDA employees to speak up if their boss greenlights products with insufficient evidence. “If your boss is making a mistake, if they approve something that shouldn’t be approved, we want to hear,” he said.

New FDA committee member Dr. Marty McCurry introduced Kennedy at a meeting Friday, supporting the goal of shaping healthier food supplies. He admitted that for some staff, cutting at the agency is “struggling with the ground.” He said the change was “to be integrated, more efficient and create more teamwork.”

Kennedy and Dr. McCurry were broadcast on video that aired on the agency White Oak campus outside Maryland.

Kennedy visited her father, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, at Washington’s Department of Justice, and recalls her child watching the Peregrine Falcons nest in the cupola of an old post office building. He also discussed his experiences at the Special Olympics, where he played the role of “Hugger” and coaching, playing the battles he played as an environmental lawyer.

Kennedy also complained about the rules governing the agency’s food department, which allow businesses to recognize that they can generally be recognized as being safe. This scale initially covered ingredients such as salt and vinegar to be acceptable in food without review. However, since then, thousands of ingredients have been added to the food supply without notice or testing by agents.

Food companies must provide a review of the materials to the FDA inspector on the premises, but such inspections can be performed once every five years. Kennedy is calling for an end to allow food companies to self-certify that the ingredients are safe.

“We literally don’t test chemicals before they’re added to food,” he said, according to the transcript. “Everything is engraved by the industry, as is generally perceived as safe.”

He went on to attribute the country’s diabetes rate to a loophole, adding that sugar also plays a role.

The speech was reminiscent of a social media message Kennedy posted in October, accusing the FDA of “a war with public health.” He said he is engaged in a “active suppression” of a series of unproven or unsafe products, including raw milk, chelate compounds, ivermectin, and “others that advance human health and cannot be patented by pharma.”

Here’s the post: “If you’re working for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, you have two messages.

The agency is still shaking from thousands of job openings and voluntary deviations in the weeks since Kennedy was appointed health secretary. FDA employees who left in recent weeks include staff looking for drugs for byproducts that could cause cancer, and others working with international food safety staff to stop contaminated products from entering the United States.

The cuts in some regions are so deep that former FDA officials have suggested that the pharmaceutical industry could endanger billions of dollars to pay agents to ensure that the drug approval process is properly staffed.

Drugmakers are worried about what Kennedy’s leadership means for their benefit. They are worried that agency cuts will slow down drug reviews, including starting clinical trials, and will add a delay to final approval.

Public letter Dozens of biotech investors and executives have signed the signing, and industry leaders say they are “deeply concerned about the current state of the agency and its future.”

“Some of us have already encountered regulatory challenges that the FDA considers to be the result of the loss of experienced staff,” the letter states.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Rice and egg whites transform wood into a translucent window alternative

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A nest box with windows made of transparent wood arranged with heat lamps to test the thermal properties of the material

Bharat Baruah et al. (2025)

The windows and smartphone screens can one day be built from clear wood mixed with egg whites and may be safely composted at the end of life.

Researchers are interested in using wood to make biodegradable alternatives to glass with better insulating properties or replacing plastics with electronic devices. Wood was previously transformed into a transparent material by altering or removing organic polymer lignin from it and injecting epoxy as a replacement, which produces a non-biodegradable product.

now Bharat Baruah Kennesaw State University in Georgia and his colleagues have developed a process of replacing synthetic epoxy with natural egg whites and rice extracts.

“[Previous examples of transparent wood are] It’s very difficult to integrate, it’s difficult to make, and you spend a lot of time, energy and money making them, so we thought of making something that can be easily made naturally,” says Barua.

He was urged to use egg whites in his home building in Assam, India, which dates back to the 1500s, using a cement-like mixture containing sand, sticky rice and egg whites. “It was cement from the time and those buildings are still there,” Barua says. “They are still there, over the fourth century and beyond, and after the fifth century, but that has always been fascinating to me.”

The team ingested a sheet of balsa wood, soaked sodium sulfate, sodium hydroxide, and diluted bleach in a vacuum chamber, removing lignin and hemicellulose, leaving only a paper-like cellulose structure. The voids of the ingredients were then filled with a mixture of rice extract and egg whites and then dried in an oven at 60°C (140°F) to create a translucent plate with a slight brown tint. “It’s not 100% transparent, but it’s translucent,” says Barua. “And it’s biodegradable.”

Barua and his colleagues built a small birdhouse equipped with clear wooden windows as a basic mockup, and found to remain cool at 5-6°C (9-11°F) when exposed to heat lamps than the same birdhouse equipped with glass windows. The study will be presented today at the American Chemical Society’s Spring Conference in San Diego, California.

Barua said further research will investigate technologies to improve the strength and thermal properties of the material, as well as transparency.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Alternative Space Station Options Welcomed by NASA Astronauts

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SpaceX Crew Capsules finally reached the International Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. more than a day after the explosion. They are there to provide an alternative to NASA’s two occupied astronauts.

The four new arrivals from the US, Japan, and Russia will spend the next few days learning about the space station from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They will then secure themselves in their own SpaceX capsule later this week. One of the astronauts has been aboard the station since last year, concluding an unexpected extended mission that began last June.

Originally, Wilmore and Williams expected their space trip on Boeing’s first astronaut flight to only last a week. However, they have now spent nine months in space, waiting for the Starliner capsule while encountering numerous issues.

Upon arrival at the space station, Wilmore opened the hatch and rang the ship’s bells as the new astronauts floated in one by one, greeted with hugs and handshakes.

“It’s been a great day. It’s nice to see our friends arrive,” Williams reported to Mission Control.

Wilmore and Williams arrived in late September with a reduced crew of two, leaving two empty seats reserved on the crew. However, delays occurred when the new capsules needed extensive battery repairs, forcing the old capsules to be replaced and pushing the return home to mid-March.

Assuming the weather permits, the SpaceX capsules carrying Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts will detach from the space station before Wednesday and will land off the coast of Florida.

Currently, there are 11 astronauts stationed in the orbital labs, representing the US, Russia, and Japan.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Skip the Baftas and Check Out the Ultimate Game of the Year Alternative | Games

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You have seen
game award name.
you have seen
British Academy Awards longlist.
We’re still a little ways off from announcing our own Guardian Games of the Year list, but while you wait with bated breath, we’re sure to give you an appetizer. It is an alternative prize to Pushing Buttons. Right away…

Make the most of your bed as a gameplay device

Need to restore your mind while adventuring through the eerie rifts tearing Hyrule apart? All you have to do is conjure a bed out of thin air, stay out of reach of your enemies, and take a quick nap. Need to overcome a bridgeable gap? Now it’s time to conjure some bed. Need stairs? Barricades? Something decorative? Bed, bed, bed. in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom the bed is the real hero.

The perfect game to survive a long-haul flight




Hours of fun…Balatoro.
Photo: LocalThunk/Playstack

On my way to this year’s Summer Game Fest in LA, I pre-downloaded Steam Deck and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to board the plane and prepare for my first uninterrupted 10-hour gaming session in my 30s. Ta. But when I loaded it, I had to authorize the purchase. And the Wi-Fi on the plane didn’t work. So, after getting really grumpy, I said, “I don’t know. baratolo (Photo above) And the 5 hour flight felt like a blink of an eye. Thank you, Mr. Baratolo, for not only taking up most of my free time in February, but for getting me through that awful flight.

impudence award

It led to a ton of plagiarism accusations and eventually a lawsuit from Nintendo, but it still has to be turned over to the game’s developer. pal world (Top photo) For his true face, he simply imitates a Pokemon and makes him hold a gun. (Palworld’s lead developer claims that the game does not infringe any copyright.)

Problematic Favorites Award

For years, I’ve been disgusted by the glorification of military forces in first-person shooters, as first-person shooters have become more realistic-looking. The connections between these games and real-world weapons manufacturers are also disturbing. These are frequently used as a recruiting tool in the military. And at the same time, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 The single-player campaign of “90s Special Operations Thriller…

Best First Date Award




The perfect date…Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
Photo: Square Enix

One of the first scenes of Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Above) During a student dive, we see 20-something Max Caulfield trying to flirt with a cute girl behind the bar…

…

Source: www.theguardian.com

Persecuted Venezuelan Journalists Embrace AI as Camera Alternative

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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.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Did former Twitter users find what they were seeking on alternative platforms after quitting the app? | Social Media

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“Bcontinue
@thread
“This week has felt like sitting on a half-empty train early in the morning as gradually more people board with horror stories of how awful the service is on the other line,” actor David Harewood wrote on Meta’s Twitter/X rival, which, judging by the number of “Hey, how does this work?” questions from newcomers, seems to be seeing echoes, at least in the UK, following last week’s far-right riots.

Newcomers to the thread might be wondering why it took so long. To say Elon Musk’s tenure as owner of the social network formerly known as Twitter and now renamed X has been outrageous would be a criminal understatement. Recent highlights include the unbanning of numerous far-right and extremist accounts, as well as his own misinformation campaign regarding far-right anti-immigrant riots in the UK.

Before Musk bought the company in 2022, few alternatives to Twitter existed, but several have emerged in the past few years. Today, there are the generally left- and liberal-leaning Blue Sky and Mastodon, the right-leaning Gab, and Donald Trump’s Truth Social Network.

But perhaps the biggest threat to X is Threads, in part because it was launched by Meta, the giant behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. But a simple question remains: is Threads any good?

For Satnam Sanghera, an author and journalist, the reason for the move is simple: “This place is corroding the very fabric of British society so I am trying to avoid it as much as possible and hoping it will be regulated,” he explained in a direct message on X. “Systemic abuse has been an issue for me, and for many people of colour, for years.”

But the force behind the switch is not so much the allure of Threads, a popular new social network, but the power to drive people away from X. “Threads has some great things, especially the fact that it links with Instagram, which is probably the most convenient social media platform,” Sanghera says. “But a lot of my loved ones aren’t on it. I’m hoping that will change, or maybe it’s just that it’s time to quit social media altogether.”

The integration with Instagram allows Insta users to open a Threads account with just a few clicks, which seems to have really accelerated Threads’ growth. Threads hit the milestone of 200 million active users earlier this month, just one year after its initial release. In comparison, Bluesky has just 6 million registered accounts and 1.1 million active users, while Mastodon has 15 million registered users, but no public data on active users.




Social media outlet Bluesky is one of X’s current alternatives. Photo: Jaap Arrians/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

“Threads has one big advantage,” says Emily Bell, director of the Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University in New York. “It has a built-in user base of celebrities and athletes. If you really want to kick everyone off Twitter, you can have Taylor Swift, Chapel Rowan, [Italian sports journalist] “Fabrizio Romano”

Bell believes that because all of these users are already on Instagram, it may be easier to attract them to Threads than to convince them to start from scratch with an entirely new social network.

But she says this is a shame, and thinks Threads is a terrible product. “To me, Threads is a platform designed to compete with Twitter, and it feels like it was designed by a company that hates everything about Twitter,” she says. “Threads is boring as hell – presentation, participation, everything.”

From my personal experience trying out Threads for this article, it seems like Meta doesn’t see Threads as a huge, exciting new product that they want new users to use. Having around 88,000 followers on X has always made me hesitant to join other social networks, which is why I’ve never had an Instagram account.

To join Threads, I had to join Instagram first, which took about 24-36 hours because I got some weird error messages while signing up. I finally managed to create a Threads account, but after following five accounts I was limited. A few hours later the limit was lifted, I was able to follow three more accounts, and then I was limited again. I quickly gave up.

Those who found it easy to join the site say that once they were on it, it was more comfortable than X, but that’s mainly for the simple reason that it still has moderation staff and doesn’t actively try to attract the far right.

“Threads have a different vibe because they’re almost always participated in by small, self-organized groups,” says misinformation researcher Nina Jankowitz. “They’re usually want Something different than Twitter/X. It definitely helps that they are actively moderating it and that the site’s leadership is not actively promoting conspiracy theories.”

Both potential rivals to X are keen to differentiate themselves from the original. Meta has said it doesn’t want Threads to focus on news and current events like X. Mastodon is perhaps the most consciously “woke” of the alternatives, with very different norms around content warnings and sharing. As such, Bluesky offers the closest experience to the “rebellious” and playful “old Twitter” that many still miss.

Even some of the early successes on Threads are a bit sceptical about its actual value: Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, has more than 20,000 followers on Threads (166,300 on X), but she confesses that she never actually posts there.

“I just cross-post it to Instagram,” she says, sounding a little guilty. “So I [following] Nothing happens and there is no involvement whatsoever.”

That’s not to say Chrissy has shunned social media: she still posts on X, and is now in a local WhatsApp group with up to 700 members, where her supporters can interact with her directly. While she says she “doesn’t understand” TikTok (“I don’t feel like dancing in public”), she created an account there because “local Asian moms told me that’s where it’s at.”

Chrissie noted that this fragmentation of social media has made her job as a member of Congress more difficult during the recent turmoil: Trying to connect with an audience and provide accurate information is harder on six platforms than it is on one.

Threads’ success may be due to the ease of joining by default: If you use Instagram, it’s the easiest thing to join, and once you’re there, it’s… fine. But if other users seem to be operating on autopilot, they probably are.

“It’s a little bit overloaded here, you’re just in the media and you don’t know what to do,” Creasy says, “and ironically, that’s why I don’t do threads. I know that’s where I get my momentum and that’s where I’m not doing anything.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Apple advises against using rice to dry wet iPhones; here’s the recommended alternative.

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N
No matter how wet your phone gets, whether it’s caught in a pouring rain, dropped in the bath or in the pool, perhaps the most well-known folk remedies are:
Place the device inside the rice bag. The theory is that the dry, absorbent rice should absorb moisture and help save the device. Experts have been saying it’s a bad idea for years, but now Apple is officially warning users not to do it.

“Don’t put your iPhone inside a rice bag.” Doing so may cause small rice grains to damage your iPhone. ”
the company says
In a recent support note
discovered by macworld. There is a risk of damage and
test suggested
Raw rice is not particularly effective at drying your device.


The origins of this modification may lie in the history of photography.
The Verge traces the method back to 1946
As a way to maintain your camera. During this time, panicked cell phone users have suggested dangerous methods such as attacking the phone with a hair dryer or soaking it in alcohol. So what should you actually do?

Apple is providing guidance for users who see a “liquid detected” warning when trying to charge their phone. First, unplug both ends of the charging cable. Then, “gently tap the phone in your hand with the connector facing down to remove any excess liquid.” Let it dry for at least 30 minutes, and if your phone and cable are “all dry,” try charging your device again. If this attempt fails, try again in one day.

Apple’s new support document includes two other warnings in case your phone becomes intoxicated.

  • “Do not use an external heat source or compressed air to dry your iPhone.”

  • “Do not insert foreign objects such as cotton swabs or paper towels into the connector.”

If your phone does not work at all, turn it off immediately and do not press any buttons. The next steps will vary depending on your specific situation, but as a general rule of thumb, dry it with a towel and place it in an airtight container filled with a silica packet if you have one. Do not charge until you are sure it is dry. There are a few other things you should keep in mind if you drop your iPhone in water. Even though many of today’s phones are water resistant, liquid disaster can still creep up on them.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is there a viable alternative to Twitter now that Bluesky is open to the public? | Technology

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If you have received this newsletter for the second time, we apologize. Due to a technical error, it was originally sent with last week's subject line.

Last week, Bluesky opened its doors. After a year in her closed, invite-only beta, anyone who wants to can now sign up for an account with just their email address.

Even if the value of the invitation has dropped somewhat in recent months (I have 5 unused seats, not that I want to try), it's clear there was latent demand. In just two days, the service received more than 1 million new registrations. By the way, since Bluesky released his iOS app last February, it took him over three months to reach his 70,000 user count.

This slow growth has also been a blessing for Blue Sky. On the other hand, the beta did its job, allowing the company to iterate on the service based on feedback from a smaller but more engaged user base than it might otherwise have.

Last year, the company built a suite of moderation tools that enable a “decentralized” approach to social networking, where users can voluntarily opt in or out of content such as nudity, violence, and hate speech. Launching on Android and the web. And by adopting a butterfly as our own version of Twitter's bird, we created a consistent visual identity. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's site destroyed its own visual shorthand in response, replacing some, but not all, Twitter branding with a double-strike 𝕏.

But the slow burn also meant that Bluesky never really got his moment in the sun. For a year now, I've been listening to the words I often hear from new users. It was about getting excited to be granted access to the service, then being disappointed when you realized there was less content than there was in Twitter's heyday.

In some cases, it's a memory trick. A Bluesky feed that follows 50 people will be less crowded than a Twitter feed that follows 500 people, and for many power users of the latter service, everyone they follow will be his 2 Gone are the days when you could ride a decker bus. Many longtime Twitter users probably don't remember what it was like to have a quiet feed or have to find new people to follow. And those things could cause people to push back from new social networks like Bluesky, just as they have bothered many people. I stumble when registering on Twitter itself.

(That's why Facebook's People You May Know feature is so incisive.) The biggest hurdle for social networks isn't getting people to sign up, it's getting people to keep using them. I always know that the trick is to get as many other users to follow as possible…)

Even if you went through the trouble of building a Bluesky account and building a fairly extensive address book, there's no way the service could match the rosy memories of Twitter's heyday. Sure, it's a similar enough experience to curb your craving for the real thing, but it's not compelling enough to make you want more. You post. No one responds. Log off and touch the grass.

Of course, all of this is talking about Bluesky as an early social network. But the company doesn't think that way. Chief Executive Officer Jay Graeber gave several interviews to commemorate the grand opening.she came talk to wired:

We weren't using invites to try to be exclusive. We were using them to manage our growth while building rails, the essential foundation of this new kind of decentralized network.

We needed to build an app protocol, an AT protocol, under Bluesky that allows different developers, companies, and people to come in and change the experience. Some of them will be rolled out soon.

When it's finished, Bluesky's vision is for it to sit somewhere between a full Twitter replacement and a fully decentralized service like Mastodon, the second of the big three social networks after Twitter. . Like Mastodon, the technology behind Bluesky should eventually make that possible. But unlike Mastodon, Bluesky has been less keen to highlight its technical differences with Twitter, as the majority of its users will continue to use its official apps and services for the time being.

And then there's the thread. Meta's Twitter clone is arguably the largest of the three in terms of user numbers alone, but it has made little ripple in broader culture. The site's policy of suppressing political content (according to Threads' platform safety policy, there is no algorithmic promotion) does not solve the problem. There are parallels here with early online culture. Twitter dominates the discussion despite being a fraction of Facebook's size, and so does TikTok despite YouTube having a much larger user base.

Elizabeth Lopat explained the disconnect with The Verge. very accurate classification method I can't do anything but quote her at length.

The silent majority of successful text-based social media sites are lurkers. They are sane, normal people living sane, normal lives… Influencers are building businesses. They are creating #content … The commenter is trying to have a conversation with another human being. They want to be able to have meaningful interactions online, even if they are misplaced. Replyers can be considered the most important subclass of commenters. They are specific. They usually interact with or act on behalf of their favorite Internet users. Finally, prepare your poster (also known as a poster). Posters are necessary for all social networks to function.

The problem that all Twitter alternatives face is that there is an imbalance. Threads is huge, but its user base is hidden and influential. Like Marvel movie audiences, they may consume professionally produced content, but they never form lasting memories. For the past year, Bluesky has been a pure poster child, locked in rooms with each other and unable to get much of the dopamine needed to maintain his frenetic energy. Mastodon is a community of commenters and responders, and while it's possible to have fun chatting, it's decentralized to the point that it's hard to discern conversations that originate from within.

So opening up Bluesky could be the first step toward restoring some of that balance. Posters cannot survive on posters alone. They, and we, need lurkers. Would you like to join us, we have to touch the grass.

Wider Techscape





Waymo self-driving car catches fire in San Francisco.

Photo: Michael Vandy/Reuters

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lingrove secures $10 million funding to expand its carbon-negative wood alternative

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These days, even niche industries are concerned about people seeking greener material and process options, from washing machine waste to synthetic wool. ring glove uses laminates (thin layers of wood or other materials) with carbon-negative options that they claim will improve performance while still looking the same.

Laminate or veneer is common in every home and car. These are thin decorative pieces of wood that are placed over the molded or printed bodies of dashboards, appliances, and even home trim. It’s everywhere, but unfortunately, it’s not always sustainably sourced or manufactured.

Lingrove has developed an alternative to wood veneer from flax fibers and plant-based resins. This will be a material that is carbon negative yet has “very high stiffness, durability, and durability,” meaning it will be better for feel, temperature, and other materials (such as coffee). ). They call it “ekoa” (yes, in lowercase) and hope to expand into cars and other interior surfaces with a new $10 million funding round.

The Series B round was led by Lewis & Clark Agrifood and Diamond Edge Ventures, with participation from Bunge Ventures and SOSV.

The company claims that its materials are not only environmentally friendly and comparable or better in terms of strength etc., but can also have a positive impact on indoor air quality. Recycled plastics and other repurposed materials are often used for things like cabinetry and trim, but such surfaces often lack the desired appearance, hardness, and other qualities, and in some cases, There can be quite a bit of fumes (that’s the “new car smell”). ).

Image credits: ring glove

“We have healthy air, low carbon, high performance and beautiful products,” said CEO Joe Luttwak. “The use of industrial raw materials can be environmentally beneficial in some cases. However, many of their byproducts still emit VOCs. [volatile organic compounds] These negatively impact indoor air quality and cannot produce high-performance materials. ”

ekoa material has excellent performance, does not allow strange gases to seep into your kitchen or car cabin, and looks almost the same as regular wood. It can be fine-tuned to have different shades and opacity, has all the benefits of engineered laminates while generally being carbon negative, and can be crushed and reused when disposed of.

Image credits: ring glove

You may be wondering, like I did, why not just use real wood, i.e. things like sawdust and wood chips that already come out of the industrial wood treatment process. According to Luttwak, these are perfectly good structural materials, the ones in the center of the board, but they are not decorative. There’s a reason things like MDF boards tend to have at least one side covered in veneer. The interior wood glue mixture is unappealing and not particularly resistant to solvents, oils, etc.

Veneers aren’t the hottest or most exciting business to work on, but innovation is happening in a corner of the industry where smart alternatives can scale up to millions of products and at least reduce waste a little. It’s always reassuring to see that.

The new investment should help the startup go from small-scale in-house manufacturing to fulfilling all pre-orders and expanding into the automotive world.

Source: techcrunch.com