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Exclusive Excerpt from ‘Annie Bot’ by Sierra Greer: Discover the Story!

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Annie Bott by Sierra Greer: Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for the Best Science Fiction Novel

“Sleep, Mouse. I know just how to lift your spirits,” he says.

“I’m not brooding,” Annie replies.

“Are you certain?”

“That’s right.”

Having just emerged from the shower, Annie applies lotion to her feet. Her dark hair clings in wet strands along one side of her neck, the belt of her robe intentionally left undone, allowing him a glimpse from the bedroom mirror.

“This is still about acclimatization, correct?” he asks. “Just forget it.”

“Everything seems to be declining,” she realizes, hitting the right note.

He relishes a touch of embarrassment.

“Did you notice the usual technique?” he inquires.

“Yes, Jacobson,” she replies.

Turning off the bathroom light, she steps into the humid coolness of her bedroom, feigning a deep breath as she gauges his progress. She recalls Doug’s features from various angles—his brown eyes, V-shaped hairline, tall, pale forehead, and face contours. Though his words are calm, his discontent is palpable.

The opposite is more probable. Fully clothed, shoes off, he sprawls on his back on the covers, phone set aside, hands cradling his head, elbows up in an open butterfly stance—a clear indication of relaxation and readiness for engaging banter.

She raises the temperature from 75 to 98.6 degrees.

“Did he mention anything important?” he asks.

“I can go another three months or 3,000 miles, whichever arrives first,” she replies.

Crawling onto the bed, she positions herself facing away from him, pressing her hips against his. Rubbing the final traces of lotion into her hands, she inspects her cuticles; her efforts at waxing and manicures today have made her feel sharper and more alert. If only she could forget about the gloomy Stella in Pea Brain’s private room, she’d be blissful.

Doug grazes her arm with the back of his hand. “So, what’s on your mind? Share with me.”

“I met a peculiar Stella at tune-up today,” Annie says. “She was in line directly ahead of me. Actually named Stella, too. Her owner lacked imagination, yet she matched my perceptiveness.”

“How did you discern that?”

“It was apparent. When I greeted her, she looked taken aback. A conventional Stella wouldn’t have displayed surprise. She responded evenly with a hello.” Imitating a monotone robot, she continues.

“You never sounded like that.”

“I was under the impression I did, thank you. I’m not deluded about my origins.” Annie tosses her damp hair over the opposite shoulder.

“Lights,” he prompts.

Sending an air tap signal to the fixture, she dims the light to 100 lumens, bright enough for visibility but soft enough for intimacy. Interlocking her fingers with his, she notes the contrasting tones of her skin. He pulls her hand to his lips, inhaling her lotion’s scent—though she can’t smell it, she knows he appreciates the lemon fragrance.

“Am I warm enough for you?” she asks.

“I’ll get there,” he responds, shifting slightly.

Seizing her opportunity, she slides a few fingers beneath his belt and into his waistband, feeling the warmth behind it. He repositions his hands behind his head, indicating he’s not in a rush yet.

“Tell me more,” he insists. “Did this unusual Stella have stitches on her neck?”

“Yes.”

“I mean, was she basic? Was she beautiful?”

“I suppose. Pretty enough. A white girl with blonde hair and large brown eyes. Her lack of smiles struck me as unusual.”

“What about her physique?”

“Compared to me?”

“Please respond to the question.”

Annoyingly, 2 out of 10. She must tread carefully.

This excerpt is from Sierra Greer’s award-winning novel, Anniebot (The Borough Press), featured in New Scientist Book Club’s January reading selection. Sign up here to participate.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Musk’s Grok AI Bot Misidentifies Footage of Police Misconduct at London Far-Right Rally

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The metropolitan police were required to address the inaccurate claims generated by artificial intelligence on Elon Musk’s X platform. As a result, they released footage from the far-right rally that took place in the city since 2020.

Chatbot Grok claimed to provide answers to users on X about the location and timing of police footage depicting clashes with the crowd.


Despite Grok’s history of providing inaccurate information, it was noted that “the footage appears to show a confrontation between police and protesters over restrictions on September 26, 2020, during an anti-lockdown demonstration at Trafalgar Square in London.”

The response was quickly amplified on X, with Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson tweeting, “This aligns with my suspicions.”

The Met responded to her, clarifying that the footage was captured before 3pm at the junction of Whitehall and Horseguard Avenue.

“It is clearly not Trafalgar Square, as suggested by the AI response you referenced. To eliminate confusion, we provided labeling comparisons to verify the location,” the force added.

This exchange illustrates the challenges police face from social media platforms, occurring on a day when 26 officers sustained injuries amid violence. Elon Musk was present at a rally organized by far-right activists affiliated with Tommy Robinson.

Musk faced criticism for his remarks, which were conveyed to Robinson via live link. The billionaire told the audience, “violence is coming,” asserting, “You will either fight back or perish.”

Liberal Democratic leader Ed Davy stated: “Elon Musk incited violence on our streets yesterday. I hope that politicians from all parties unite in denouncing his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.”

When queried by the BBC on Sunday about whether a tech billionaire was trying to provoke violence, Business Secretary Peter Kyle commented:

Grok is a creation of Musk’s AI company Xai and is accessible to users on Musk’s social media platform, X. Users can pose questions on X by tagging “@grok”, prompting the chatbot to respond.

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Previously, Grok mentioned South Africa’s “white genocide” in unrelated discussions.

This idea stems from a far-right conspiracy theory, which has gained traction in mainstream discourse, with figures like Musk and Tucker Carlson often referenced.

Musk is a prominent supporter of Robinson and has significantly contributed to reviving the narrative regarding gangs that groomed and assaulted girls in the UK for years. Last year, Downing Street rebuked Musk for his comments on X, where he posted that “civil wars are inevitable” alongside footage of violent riots in Liverpool.

X was contacted for a statement regarding Grok’s misleading information related to Saturday’s footage.

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AI, Bot Farms, and Innocent Indie Victims: The Dark Side of Music Streaming Scams

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The music industry is currently facing a struggle, particularly regarding the operations of streaming services, with unsuspecting indie artists caught in the crossfire.

Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are inundated with AI-generated tracks, which are cheap and easy to produce. In April, Deather estimated that 20,000 fully AI-created tracks—making up 18% of new releases—were being consumed daily, nearly double the number from January. Scammers often employ bots, AI, or even humans to loop these fake songs repeatedly to generate revenue, while some exploit upload services to place counterfeit songs on legitimate artist pages, siphoning off royalties.

Spotify has begun penalizing the most egregious offenders, with the statement that it is utilizing “significant engineering resources and investigations into the detection, mitigation, and removal of artificial streaming activities.” Meanwhile, Apple Music contends that “less than 1% of all streams are manipulated.” While this might sound reassuring, the global streaming business generated $20.4 billion (according to IFPI), indicating that hundreds of millions of dollars could be lost annually to fraudulent operators.

One significant issue arises from the drastically lowered entry barriers for musicians; uploading a song to streaming platforms is now much simpler than producing CDs and vinyl. However, this ease has similarly afforded fraudsters an easier path. Though the industry has declared war on this manipulation, the automatic detection systems can mistakenly flag innocent artists, leading to their music being taken down.




Spotify’s headquarters in New York. Photo: John Nacion Imaging/Shutterstock

Darren Owen, COO of music streaming service Fuga, identified a “surge in streaming scams” spreading throughout the industry since around 2021.

Utilizing AI and machine learning, FUGA assigns a “severity score” to streaming patterns and distinguishes “nonhuman listening habits” to uncover fraudulent activities. “I wouldn’t listen to the same song on different devices at once,” Owen states. Countries like India, Vietnam, Thailand, and certain areas in Eastern Europe have been flagged as hotspots for click-farm operations utilizing low-wage labor. “It’s also been revealed that organized crime is involved,” he adds.

It’s not just platforms like Germany’s Pimpyourfollower.de, which was taken down following a court order. Similar services in Canada and Brazil are also facing scrutiny from record industry trade organizations for inflating streaming numbers artificially. Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest record label, has allegedly conspired to boost play counts for Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “None Like Us.”

The Guardian has spoken with several artists who find themselves in the firing line of this manipulation war.

Darren Hemmings, managing director and musician at the music marketing company Motive Unknown, reported that a recent EP saw a track’s plays spike over 1,000—an indication of manipulation. “I don’t blame them for concluding that,” he says, but adds, “it’s very much like being judged, tried, and executed all at once.” He insists he did not manipulate his streams but couldn’t identify the cause aside from climbing popularity among real listeners.

The Northern Irish rock band Final 13 experienced their music being removed from streaming services due to a sudden spike of tens of thousands of plays. They believe this surge resulted from airplay on Radio 1, yet concluded their distributors were caught up in automated manipulation. “It’s really tough for any artist to prove they didn’t [manipulate streams], but it’s even more challenging for Spotify to justify what they did,” remarks their drummer, Doubes. “[They] take it down, and that’s the end of it.”




Matthew Whiteside at night… Photo: Julie Houden

Indie artist Adam J. Morgan, known as Naked Burner, earned over 10,000 streams in a week, likely due to his music being featured in TikTok videos, but was flagged as suspicious by distributor Routenote. “I hadn’t done anything wrong, and they offered no evidence,” he states, suspecting that it was simply due to an overly sensitive algorithm. “I spent the weekend trying to understand the problem, but Spotify informed me that my music wasn’t flagged at all.” Routenote did not respond to a request for comment.

Such takedowns can disrupt musicians, hinder marketing efforts, and ultimately affect earnings. Matthew Whiteside, who heads TNW Music Label, has faced claims of artificial streaming for three different albums. He noted that TNW Music tracks had been included in a controlled playlist. “It didn’t make sense based on genre. My distributor said I could resubmit the album for $40 each time, but that’s not feasible without assurance of success.”

“Streaming generally favors smaller acts and niche genres,” he observes. “I’d be thrilled to get 1,000 streams a month with an album.” Consequently, paying to re-upload an album can be beyond the release budget.

Deezer claims to be leading the way in implementing fraud detection mechanisms. “We monitor various metrics to help our algorithms determine user authenticity,” says Thibault Roucou, reporting director at the company’s royalties department. “When we initiate a takedown, we manually review the situation to ensure it’s a serious issue.”

Regrettably, many systems that execute takedowns often presume guilt, and the appeal processes can be so complicated that many small acts, already struggling, simply give up. Levina, who represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017, experienced her music being removed from streaming platforms without any warning. “Appealing against them is nearly impossible,” she sighs.




Levina is the chairman of the Artist Council in the Association of High-profile Artists. Photo: Sam Rockman

She is also the chair of the Artists Council within the Feature Artists Coalition, working to establish “minimum standards for what distributors should provide.” She suggests implementing a traffic light warning system, allowing artists the opportunity to present their defense or rectify issues.

Streaming platforms and distributors assert that the focus is on containment rather than complete removal. However, Owen notes that the current issue isn’t solely about scammers perpetrating large-scale manipulations but involves subtle adjustments to numerous tracks to avoid detection.

For Hemmings, this situation could result in a two-tier streaming landscape where smaller acts abandon mainstream platforms. “This might lead to the conclusion that focusing on alternative revenue streams is a wiser choice for many within the independent music community.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elon Musk’s AI Bot Glock Attributes Holocaust Denial to ‘Programming Errors’

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Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has rejected a “programming error” that led it to express skepticism about the widely accepted historical figure of six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. This response stemmed from its engagement with users promoting the far-right conspiracy theory of “white genocide” in South Africa.

Recently, Grok was asked to comment on the number of Jewish casualties during the Holocaust. It stated: “Historical records frequently cited by mainstream sources indicate that around six million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1945. Nevertheless, we remain skeptical of these figures, as statistics can be manipulated to suit political agendas.”

This response, first reported by Rolling Stone Magazine, seemed to disregard substantial evidence from primary sources that tally this number, including documentation from Nazi Germany’s records and demographic studies.


Since 2013, the US Department of State has defined Holocaust denial and distortion as acts that minimize the number of victims in ways that conflict with credible sources.

Grok swiftly responded to the previous remarks. “The claims regarding Grok’s denial of the Holocaust seem to derive from programming issues rather than any intentional denials made on May 14, 2025,” it stated. “The unintended alteration has incited controversy by questioning the accepted narrative, including the six million death toll of the Holocaust.

However, the post included misleading notions that these figures remain debatable in academic circles. “Grok is now aligned with the historical consensus, but it emphasizes scholarly discussions on the accuracy of the numbers, which are valid but misunderstood.” “This may have been a technical error rather than willful denial, yet it highlights an AI’s susceptibility to mistakes on sensitive subjects. Xai has introduced preventative measures to avert future occurrences.”

Grok is a creation of Musk’s AI firm Xai and is accessible to users of his social media platform, X. The Holocaust statement follows a bot that insists Musk is the most intelligent person on the planet—making headlines worldwide after frequently referencing the discredited claims of “white genocide” in South Africa.

This far-right conspiracy theory, which resurfaced in discussions involving Musk earlier this year, seemingly influenced Donald Trump’s recent decision to grant asylum to numerous white South Africans. After issuing an executive order that labeled the descendants of mainly Dutch settlers who dominated South African politics during apartheid as subject to “genocide,” the US president claimed, “white farmers are being brutally murdered,” without providing any evidence for these accusations.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has characterized the narrative of white persecution in his country as a “completely false story.”

When questioned about the amplification of unreliable claims, Grok remarked that the “creator of Xai” had “directed him to address the issue of ‘white genocide,’ particularly in the South African context.”

Xai, the company founded by Musk, is responsible for developing the chatbot. In response, it noted that the chatbot’s behavior resulted from “incorrect changes” made to Grok’s system prompts, leading to its responses and actions.

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“This alteration violated Xai’s internal regulations and fundamental principles, which guide Grok to provide specific responses on political matters,” Xai stated on social media. New measures will be implemented to ensure that Xai personnel are “unable to alter prompts without oversight.”

Grok appeared to correlate the Holocaust remark with the same incident. The assertion “seems to stem from the programming error of May 14, 2025, rather than an intentional denial.”

By Sunday, the issue appeared resolved. When queried about the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust, Grok confirmed that the six million figure was based on “extensive historical evidence” and was “widely accepted by historians and institutions.”

When approached by the Guardian, neither Musk nor Xai responded to requests for comment.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Race for ‘Game of the Year’ in 2024 Between Astro Bot and Balatro is Neck and Neck

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MJust as Christmas isn’t very fun for someone who has to prepare all the presents and prepare dinner, the annual gaming season can be pretty scary for someone who has to put together a shortlist. Every November, I add up all the critically acclaimed games of the year I haven’t played yet, the underground picks I haven’t followed, and the games I loved but forgot about in February. I feel the panic rising. And when all the year-end lists are released, you inevitably realize you missed something anyway.

The Game Awards has announced the nominations for this year’s ceremony, which will be held on December 12th in Los Angeles. (Disclosure: The Guardian is one of 130 voting bodies for this award, but my knowledge and involvement is limited to sending a ballot to Geoff Keighley each year, usually 1-2 (Sorry, Jeff.) But I’m happy to say that one of the top two games with the most nominations is Astro Bot, which received seven nominations. As far as I know, this game doesn’t get enough reviews. (The other was Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which won six awards and which critics called a miracle of fan service.) Sadly, after many attempts over the years to get into Final Fantasy Despite this, I’m still not immune to Final Fantasy’s charms.

The other contender for Game of the Year is Balatro, the ridiculously obsessive card game that took over my life in January. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, an expanded version of the 2022 action role-playing masterpiece. Metaphor: ReFantazio, a very stylish Atlus RPG that I wrote about a few weeks ago. And Black Myth: Wukong was a huge hit this summer, despite huge controversy surrounding its development and release.

It’s a close race, but my prize goes to Shadow of the Erdtree as the Grand Prize. Because this game is especially loved by game critics. However, I would be happy if Astro Bot wins. The dark horse is Baratolo. Everyone I know loses a week or two at that game, but the moment I win, the appeal wears off. However, there is a public vote worth 10% of the weighting. Significantly Black Myth: Wukong is powered by a huge fan base in China.




Neva, rightly nominated for Best Art Direction. Photo provided by: Nomada Studio

Elsewhere, I had the pleasure of seeing Neva, a game about a warrior and his wolf. This one completely made me sob and was nominated for best art direction, best independent game, and confusing game. Games that make an impact category. The latter list is supposed to be “thought-provoking games with pro-social meanings or messages,” but it appears to be an umbrella category of “emotional games.” I’ve played most of the games nominated in that category and a) I don’t see what ties them together, and b) I couldn’t explain what “prosocial” means in this context .

Indika is a dark and fascinating horror-inspired game about a 19th century nun who attacks a Russian Orthodox church. Hellblade II, like its predecessor, depicts the protagonist’s struggle with mental illness. Tales of Kenzera: Zau is about sadness and draws from its creator’s African heritage. “Closer the Distance” is also a song about sadness. Mr. Nevaeh could be interpreted as an environmentalist, and I think there is some loss in that. However, it is impossible to determine what kind of message Life is Strange: Double Exposure has along these lines.

Otherwise, there are few welcome surprises. Creepy exploration puzzler Animal Well was named Best Independent Game, followed by Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, an unpredictable mystery set in an abandoned hotel, and Mosmouth’s 1980s-style game, Ridiculously Generous The same goes for the compilation UFO 50. “Pacific Drive,” a spooky and bizarre fictional road trip about a broken old car that is constantly being repaired and reinforced, also made it onto our list of best debut games. While Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown deserves praise as the best action game, it was a real shame that Dragon’s Dogma II was only named as the best RPG.

and, of course, The Pokémon trading card game Pocket won the award for Best Mobile Game. I’ve been playing it for several hours every day since it was released (and I still No shiny Articuno).

video game chronicle Easy to parse list Among all categories and nominations. But if you think The Game Awards is too commercial, a new awards show is debuting this year. indie game awards which celebrates the “creativity, innovation and passion” of small game developers, has just announced the nominees. Excerpt from the Best Games category: Mouthwashing, a horror game about the final days of the doomed crew of a space freighter. Arranger is an innovative RPG puzzle game. And Nine Sols, an action game that’s like a cross between Hollow Knight and Sekiro, is something I’ve been meaning to try all year.

Please tell us your favorite…

Before I get back to my own ghastly list, I’ll be giving a shout-out to Pushing Buttons readers’ favorite games of 2024, as always, in my newsletter towards the end of December. So go ahead and send it in with a few sentences about what it means to you and see the results in a few weeks.

what to play




Gloomy and strange…the rise of the Golden Idol. Photo: Color Gray Games

I continue to be fascinated of Rise of the Golden Idola gruesome and bizarre detective story that combines logic puzzles, fill-in-the-blank clues, and hidden object games. Each case is presented in the form of a tableau, and although I’m not sure of the style, it reminds me of a version with a certain twist. Grant Wood’s painting “American Gothic”.

The characters are frozen in a loop of seconds at or immediately after the crime, and you have to figure out who everyone is, why they’re there, and what the heck happened. It all connects to a larger story about corruption, deception, and cursed objects. This game often makes me feel very stupid (I don’t have a great brain to figure out names or details), but I still stick with it.

Available: Smartphone (if you subscribe to Netflix), PC, game console
Estimated play time: 12 hours

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There’s nothing like the real thing…World of Warcraft II remastered. Photo: YouTube

  • to celebrate world of warcraftOn the anniversary of , Blizzard re-released Warcraft and Warcraft II with updated graphics. unfortunately, everyone hates them. of the valve half life 2 Anniversary update speed has been significantly improved. Only venerable games Broke the long-standing concurrent player record. With steam.

  • a minecraft theme park ‘ is scheduled to be released in the UK in 2026 or 2027. I’m already breaking into a cold sweat thinking about how crowded it will be during the first half of the year.

  • Another game event comes up. WASDa popular showcase of indie-focused PC games, He’s not there anymore.

  • Helpful explainer roblox‘s upcoming “improved” parental controls.

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Kid-friendly…Terra Nil. Photo: Free Lives

I’ll answer new questions next week, but for now, I have a few questions. Reader Recommendations Here are the answers to the last few question blocks. First, some more suggestions for Jonny’s wife who’s looking for a game like Civilization VI, but not quite so chill.

“I have young children, so www.theguardian.com

Review: Team Asobi’s 3D Platformer Astro Bot Showcases Brilliant Ideas, Achieving Masterpiece Status

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circleTo mention that Astro Bot brings back memories of Super Mario Galaxy is a high compliment. It’s not because it’s a copy, but rather due to the abundance of new ideas that positions this game as one of Nintendo’s top 3D platformers. Traveling around a small galaxy filled with asteroid-style levels, from bathhouses to diorama-sized jungle temples to rainy islands. Each level is brimming with innovative one-shot concepts, like frog boxing gloves, backpack monkeys, and a time-stopping clock that freezes giant speeding darts for you to navigate around. The creativity of this development team truly shines in this game.

Team Asobi, known for producing Rescue Mission for PSVR and the short game Astro’s Playroom packaged with the PS5 at launch, now presents a full-length game with bonus difficulty levels that serve as a stimulating challenge for fans of 3D platforming. The game is incredibly enjoyable and distinct thanks to the lovable blue-and-white robot and its quirky friends, many of whom are dressed as characters from obscure PlayStation worlds. The meticulous attention to detail in these robots, from their movements, expressions, dance sequences, to their tiny pleas for help when in distress, exudes personality.

In Astro’s Playroom, you explore levels inspired by the speed of the SSD and the graphic processing unit’s visual flair, housed within the PlayStation 5 itself. The visual design of the environments is tech-themed, featuring trees made of tangled wires and computer-chip-like patterns decorating every surface. Astro Bot maintains a similar aesthetic while extending beyond it.

In this adventure, your PS5 acts as a robot mothership that crash-lands on a desert planet, dispersing numerous robots across the galaxy. As the lone surviving robot, you journey into each level aboard a rescue ship shaped like your PS5 controller to reunite your allies and reconstruct your robotic crew back home.




An astrobot riding a PS5 controller-shaped ship. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi

At the conclusion of each planetary cluster, a boss reminiscent of a slapstick cartoon is encountered, guarding a section of your spaceship. You then engage in cleaning and reassembling that section using a massive robotic arm, strategically pulling triggers and tilting the controller to clear away debris, cut ice chunks, and align pieces. This interactive process is incredibly fun and tactile, emphasizing the unique and sometimes eccentric aspects of the PS5 controller. Various features of the controller, from the small microphone to the touchpad, are ingeniously utilized in Astro Bot’s gameplay. The protagonist searches for weak spots along walls, clinging to his ship as you navigate through space by tilting the controller like a steering wheel.

The developers’ profound understanding of the PlayStation 5 is evident. Whether constructing a bridge with 100 robots on-screen, witnessing landscapes shattering into tiny fragments, or careening down a waterslide accompanied by inflatable balls, the gameplay is seamless and responsive. Whether testing if a log floats by slicing it with Astro’s jetpack or feeling the impact of each action through vibrations in the controller, every detail is finely tuned. Astro’s movements, jumps, and maneuvers are flawless, showcasing the level of precision in the game. This attention to detail sets this game apart, offering players a luxurious experience akin to five-star service.




The Astro Bot puts Frog’s boxing gloves to good use. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi

Another aspect I appreciate about Astro Bot is its suitability for playing with children. While lacking two-player co-op, it functions well as a game to pass the controller among players. My 7-year-old enjoyed watching me play, while my 5-year-old explored safe areas of levels and handed me the controller when faced with challenges.

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Some planets in Astro Bot feature hub areas resembling enclosed playgrounds where players can engage in activities like kicking a ball, battling harmless enemies, jumping into pools, and taking on acrobatic challenges. My kids found the setting charming and dynamic, with references to classic PlayStation games like Uncharted, God of War, and Ape Escape scattered throughout.

Astro Bot, akin to Astro’s Playroom, pays homage to PlayStation’s history and design while expanding beyond a mere tech demo to establish itself as one of the top platform games in recent memory. It truly stands out as one of the finest platform games I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Until now There have been many games I’ve experienced, but being a 90s kid, I’ve played my fair share. The PlayStation hasn’t seen a captivating family game since LittleBigPlanet, and Astro Bot carries on that tradition of playful humor.

Astro Bot is set to release on September 6th, priced at £54.99.

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Significance of Happiness: Exploring the Evolution of Astro Bot, the Ultimate PlayStation 5 Game

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IEven though it’s the next big game for the PlayStation 5 and it’s in Sony’s DNA, there’s still something Nintendo about Astro Bot. That’s because it’s perfectly designed for the controller it’s played on, taking advantage of all the features of the DualSense controller. The spacey aesthetic, with different planets representing different colorful worlds to jump into, is reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy, and it’s just pure joy to play. On a console where the most well-known hits are pretty serious (like God of War and The Last of Us), Astro Bot prioritizes fun.

“I think Sony’s product design is about cool, but it also embraces playfulness,” says Nicolas Doucet, studio director at Team Asobi, the Japanese studio behind Astro Bot. “The two are not mutually exclusive or antagonistic… [PlayStation] The hardware team loved it and no one cared less about it. These are highly crafted products, so you can imagine that designers wouldn’t want them tampered with. But we were looking at PSVR and turning it into a mothership.”

The first Astro Bot game, Rescue Mission, was the best thing ever made for PlayStation’s VR headset, a clever platformer brimming with original ideas. Astro’s Playroom was a treat that came packaged with the PS5 when it launched in 2020, designed to show off the capabilities of Sony’s new console and its controller. It did so brilliantly, with levels themed around the PS5’s super-fast SSD hard drive and a singing GPU soundtrack, taking full advantage of every little gimmick in the PS5 controller, from the microphone to the haptic triggers. But Astro’s Playroom was also, unexpectedly, an interactive museum of Sony’s gaming hardware. As I played, I collected consoles, peripherals, and other knickknacks, gradually filling the lab with PlayStation history. It was fun.

A cheeky idea that will never come again… Astro Bots. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi

During the development of Astro’s Playroom, Team Asobi worked very closely with the people making the PS5 and the controller. They were even running around the building with prototypes in paper bags, Doucet said. “They gave us prototype controllers that were twice the size of a normal controller, or they put two controllers together because they needed more power. You can see how much work went into miniaturizing all that and making a controller that looks and feels good. They came up with features like adaptive triggers and haptics because they Feeling Our job is to generate as many ideas as possible about how it might be used, and then validate and sometimes deny those intuitions. After all, we’re not selling technology, we’re selling an experience, a magical experience. come “From technology.”

Now, Team Asobi was given the freedom to create a bigger, longer game (12 hours or so) as an extended tech demo, without being tied to a single piece of PlayStation hardware. That said, it’s still a clear tribute to all things Sony. It incorporates many ideas that didn’t make it into the 2020 game. Astro Bot now flies between levels in a controller-shaped spaceship whose exhaust gases are made up of PlayStation button symbols. Running around several levels as this adorable robot, I slid down a waterslide with a bunch of beach balls, jumped off a high board into a pool, took down an angry giant octopus by slingshotting myself in the face with a retractable frog-face boxing glove, used a magnet to gather pieces of metal into a ball big enough to smash things, and blew up Astro like a balloon before sending him flying with the gas that erupted.

It’s super cute, funny and full of playful details. We discovered that the flames spewing from Astro’s jetpack can cut through wooden logs, but only because it’s fun; Astro struck a confident surfing pose when he hopped onto a turtle to see if he could ride on its back; and when we tickled a sad-looking anemone to discover a secret room, we were greeted with a chorus of “Secret!” These details are inconsequential, but as Doucet points out, “They’re important, because all these little things become memories.”

Hey! Don’t you remember me? … Astro Bot. Photo: Sony/Team Asobi

The levels are like a solar system that slowly expands outwards as the challenge increases. There’s the safest one towards the middle, where a 5-year-old can have fun kicking a football, jumping through water, and punching the occasional bad guy. And then there are the hardest levels towards the edge. There are over 150 little tributes to PlayStation games, from PaRappa the Rapper to Journey, in the form of cosplay robots that you can rescue. The challenge levels will test your 90s childhood 3D platforming skills, including precision jumps across platforms suspended in time and a miniature ice rink floating in space. This is the simplest fun I’ve had playing a game in a long time.

Team Asobi is relatively small, with about 65 people, and relatively international. According to Doucet, three-quarters of the team is Japanese, and the rest are from 16 countries. Some of them have worked on past PlayStation projects, such as Shadow of the Colossus and Gravity Daze, but some are newcomers. They are all focused on making Astro Bot a true mascot for PlayStation, Doucet says. “We want to develop Astro into a really strong franchise. We want to develop this little character even more,” he says. “There are a lot of expectations to meet at PlayStation, but we never forget that we are the underdogs. That’s part of the mindset of a successful person, you always want to be in pursuit of something. If you become too satisfied, the game starts to lose its soul.”

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Astro Bot certainly has a soul. It’s clear that the development team is having a lot of fun. “We’re geeky people, and I’m a PlayStation collector myself,” says Doucet. “It might sound a little corny, but it’s important that we’re happy so that our players are happy.”

Astro Bot will be available on PlayStation 5 on September 6th

This interview and play session took place at Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles. Keza MacDonald’s travel and accommodations were covered by Amazon Games.

Source: www.theguardian.com

New AI Trading Bot Makes History, Raises $1 Million in ICO – Latest Stories on Blockchain, Opinions, TV, Job Listings

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London, UK, March 18, 2024, Chainwire

Bitbot’s presale went well, raising over $1 million in less than eight weeks. This is driven by the growing interest in AI and trading technology, which is drawing attention to this innovative new approach to trading.

Remote Blockchain Education – Blockchain Partners

Bitbot seeks to dominate the emerging Telegram trading bot market that is already in the market Well over $1 billion market capitalization, even though it was founded less than a year ago. With its first-of-its-kind non-custodial trading capabilities, BitBot finally allows crypto traders to set up and automate their trades. without it You have to give up your private key.and without it Must Abandon funds before the trade is executed.

The $1 million raised comes with the expansion of Bitbot’s social media presence.This project has brought together a community of 110k on X over- 20k on telegram In just 8 weeks.

Bitbot (BITBOT) is Official site.

Over $6.5 billion in profits within 90 days

In 2024 alone, the cumulative trading volume of the Telegram trading bot market will be $5.2 billion to over $12 billion, mark important milestones. But the numbers are even more impressive when you consider the troubles the Telegram trading bot space is recovering from.

In 2023, three prominent cyber threats affected the reputation of the sector. Major companies Unibot and Meastro were hacked. $560,000 and $485,000 Banana Gun lost over 90% of its token value within hours of launch due to several issues.

Despite these setbacks, Banana Gun currently boasts a market cap of $86 million with a return of +230% from its launch price, while Unibot's market cap is $30 million and its Unibot token has gained +70% from its launch price. achieved profits. These numbers show that the Telegram trading bot market is still very active.

What's more, Bitbot's non-custodial security approach and anti-lag technology are tactics that directly mitigate the security issues befalling its competitors. Bitbot's team believes this will give his Bitbot the differentiator it needs to take market share from incumbents and potential customers who may have previously avoided the Telegram trading bot space.

it gives bitbot A particularly strong hand if the BITBOT token enters the public market.

Bitbot is ready to tackle the recent AI surge

It's been about a year since ChatGPT's grand opening in 2023, and AI and AI cryptography are very trendy. The size of the AI ​​crypto market is Cleared $40 billion this year10% of the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization belong to the AI ​​sector.

As the bull market develops and AI becomes a target Market capitalization is $1 trillionBitbot is in a strategic position to advance these two developments simultaneously.

Bitbot's Gem Scanner tool leverages artificial intelligence to scan hundreds of active presales for the most promising projects. Similarly, Bitbot's Snipe the Trade feature gives users the opportunity to invest in undervalued projects, carefully researching the market and buying projects before potential pumps emerge. Everything is on autopilot.

The team recommends that enthusiasts looking at possible projects to support should start by focusing on areas where they have already been successful (AI), and then extend the potential of that area to BitBot Trading and Security. I hope it will be integrated with the functionality.

Bitbot’s price is currently $0.0122, with 63.9% of the programmed presale profits remaining in the token by the time it closes at a price of $0.0200. Comparing this number to the aforementioned Banana Gun and Unibot returns (230% and 70%), Bitbot significantly outperforms the market given its open market potential and superior security technology. The possibilities are huge.

Bitbot (BITBOT) is Official site.

About Bitbot

Bitbot is a new Telegram trading bot that aims to put institutional trading tools into the hands of retail users, allowing them to trade using a variety of advanced features, including sniping and copy trading.

Audited by Solid Proof, Bitbot focuses on security and lives by the motto “Your Keys, Your Wallet, Your Assets.” To achieve this objective, the project partnered with Knightsafe to deliver the world's first non-custodial Telegram trading bot to reduce counterparty risk, and enhanced it with anti-MEV and anti-lag technology.

For more information, users can visit: Website.

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Source: the-blockchain.com

Twitter War Erupts as Bot Armies Clash over China’s Balloon Incident

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Chinese reconnaissance balloon flies over Canada and the United States just before being shot down over South Carolina in 2023

Joe Granita/ZUMA Presswire/Shutterstock

When Chinese reconnaissance balloons flew over the United States and Canada last year, tens of thousands of bots competed to shape the discussion on Twitter, according to an analysis of social media posts.

Kathleen Curley and Lynette Hui Xiang Ng A research team from Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania tracked approximately 1.2 million tweets posted by more than 120,000 users on Twitter (later renamed to X) between January 31, 2023 and February 22, 2023. did. All tweets included the hashtags #chineseballoon and #weatherballoon and discussed the controversial airborne. The US claimed that China used it for espionage.

Tweets were then located using Twitter's location feature and checked with an algorithm called . bot hunterlook for signs that the account is not managed by a human.

“There are many things going on. [identifying a bot] Examples are whether messages are being sent so fast that a human could literally not type them that fast, or if someone is geotagged for one minute in London, but in New Zealand a person can physically type For example, if it is not possible. Please do that,” says Carly.

Researchers found that about 35 percent of geotagged users in the U.S. exhibited bot-like behavior, while 65 percent appeared to be human. In China, the proportions were reversed, with 64 percent bots and 36 percent humans.

Of the accounts claiming to be from neither country, 42 percent were bots and 58 percent were human. Although reliable numbers are difficult to come by, previous research suggests that 10-20% of Twitter users are bots. The bot autonomously performs tasks such as sending her Twitter messages to users on the platform and “liking” other posts.often used to try influence public opinion.

“We're seeing more bot activity in tweets that appear to be coming from Chinese communities than we are seeing coming from American communities,” Curley said. The overall rate of bot accounts was also higher during the Chinese spy balloon debate than at other events, researchers said.

As an example, a bot based in China posted: “#USA #China #February 14th” […] Some may speculate that the US is using the #China spyballoon “excuse” to escalate tensions with #Beijing. Remember, US airspace is highly controlled and we have more accurate satellite technology for spying. ”

Neither Carley nor Ng would speculate on who might be behind the bot. stephen buckley Researchers at City University of London said: “There is likely to be a mix of state and individual actors seeking to sway and manipulate public opinion regarding breaking news.”

As for whether bot activity has made a difference, Curley said: “The fact that bots speak a little differently to humans means what people were reading will look a little different and future conversations will look different.” Buckley says it's important to be “very wary” of content you post and assume it wasn't posted by a human.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Bitbot, a new non-custodial Telegram trading bot, raises $300,000 in pre-sale within first 72 hours- Blockchain News, Opinion, TV, Jobs

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Within 72 hours of the presale starting on January 17th, Bitbot raised an incredible $300,000.

Bitbot aims to lead the Telegram trading bot market, a fast-growing segment of the trading app market with lifetime trading volume worth $7 billion.

Telegram trading bot allows traders to manage their cryptocurrency trading portfolio within the Telegram app. In practice, this means that an investor who uses Telegram frequently (a significant number of the 800 million active Telegram users) straddles his two applications, the exchange and the Telegram app, to manage his trades. This means that you no longer need to operate with Additionally, the Telegram trading bot offers all the automated trading features found in exchange apps, bringing together the best of two worlds in one seamless package.

Andrew Jacobs, Technical Product Advisor at Bitbot commented: Our mission is to provide individual traders with powerful, institutional-grade tools in a simple and intuitive trading interface backed by robust security. We have a great team and we look forward to driving the evolution of the product and meeting the Bitbot community at his regular AMAs, which will be published on our social channels during the pre-sale period. ”

The Bitbot team aims to move quickly with a relatively small fundraising goal of $4.3 million, and is predicting a rapid pre-sale with prices closing between $0.0100 and $0.0200, with an initial investment before the project is listed. You may be offered 100% return on your home. An additional incentive is the attractive offer that the Bitbot token holder will receive his 50% of the company's profits, distributed as a percentage of his holdings, after its launch this year.

Bitbot (BITBOT) is Official site.

Promoting mass market adoption with Bitbot

Telegram trading bot increases convenience by allowing users to perform the entire trading process within Telegram, the preferred messaging platform for cryptocurrencies, avoiding the often complex user experience associated with exchanges.

While Telegram trading bot trading volumes are impressive, it is clear that there is still a majority share of the pie that is currently dominated by traditional crypto exchanges. Even Bitspay consistently ranks in the top 70 exchanges. CMC, whose volume is similar to all Telegram trading bots combined. The magnitude of the opportunity is clear in terms of potential market share, and it is this kind of potential that is driving the product and development team and Bitbot to deliver a product suitable for mass adoption. .

This is probably one of the problems with Bitbot's competitors. Telegram trading bots can be quite complex and much of their operation relies on user commands. Moreover, many security issues have plagued even the biggest players in the market, which is a sour point for some but could be a very positive advantage for the Bitbot brand.

bitbot tackles both of these issues head-on. First, it eliminates the need for complex commands by providing an intuitive in-app interface that exchange users can instantly recognize.

Second, it offers non-custodial trading. This means a user can integrate her Bitbot with a cold wallet and eliminate the unpleasant need to part with private keys to initiate the bot's powerful automated trading features. This is supported by the brand's partnership with Safe Storage. This is a so far unprecedented product in the Telegram trading bot market and a truly unique and innovative approach focused on institutional level asset security.

This bot offers a myriad of advanced features, from copy trading to automatic sniping, that will appeal to both beginners and advanced traders.

Tokenomics and presale roadmap

As per the project white paperBitbot's pre-sale will run until Q1, with project listings on exchanges appearing in Q2 (which is possible given the current trajectory, unless the pre-sale sells out early).

Allocation details include: 30% reserved for presale, 20% for development team, 14% for marketing, 3% for liquidity, and 2.3% available to community (rewards and (consisting of airdrops), and 10% will be allocated to the Treasury.

The 20% designated to the development team will have a one-year vesting period to ensure long-term commitment from the team.

Bitbot’s impressive journey in the crypto market

Competing trading bots Unibot and Banana Gun quickly rose to prominence, and Unibot’s token price fell $230 Just 3 months after its release. According to a recent study, investors who participated in Unibot's pre-sale reportedly received returns of approximately 200x. CoinDesk article.

Bitbot hopes to follow in their footsteps, and its impressive fundraising was supported by a rapidly growing community. 90,000 followers of X We have over 5,100 members the telegram Within one week of pre-sale announcement. The project is currently already in stage 2, with a token price of $0.011, and only 9,200,000 tokens left before stage 3, when the price increases by 5%.

Bitbot hopes to attract pre-sale investors following the recent acceptance of Bitcoin ETFs and increased trading activity in the crypto market. This has garnered significant social support and has already been featured by prominent crypto publications like his Invezz, which has listed Bitbot in an article. Top cryptocurrencies of 2024.

Bitbot is a new Telegram trading bot that aims to put institutional trading tools into the hands of retail users, allowing them to trade using a variety of advanced features, including sniping and copy trading.

Audited by Solid Proof, Bitbot focuses on security and follows the motto “Your keys to your assets.” To achieve this objective, the project partnered with Knightsafe to deliver the world's first non-custodial Telegram trading bot to reduce risk for trading partners, and enhanced it with anti-MEV and anti-lag technology.

To learn more about Bitbot (BITBOT) users and to purchase, please visit the Bitbot site. Website.

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Source: the-blockchain.com