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Nickname: TheWild. Video author: Toyota Land Cruiser 105 | Rescuing a Land Rover Defender | SnowRunner | Thrustmaster T300RS gameplay Name of the game: Forza Horizon 5 Link video:

La Inteligencia artificial ha llegado para quedarse y, conforme pasen los años, esta estará disponible en más dispositivos, siendo los ordenadores personales lo que ya han comenzado a implementarla para así reducir la dependencia de servidores externos y que las respuestas sean más rápidas que en la actualidad. Tanto Intel como AMD ya ofrecen procesadores con unidades de procesamiento neuronal, más conocidas como NPU, pero el número de opciones todavía es muy reducido en comparación con las cifras de los próximos años. Según afirman desde Fast Technology, en el último informe que ha publicado en base a los datos de Canalys, para 2028, el 70% de los equipos que lleguen al mercado tendrás NPU dedicadas a la Inteligencia Artificial. La IA se impone en los PCs Windows lleva varios meses trabajando en implementar nuevas funciones basadas en IA para mejorar el rendimiento de escalado de los juegos, una función que requiere de una NPU local para poder llevar a cabo su trabajo, sin embargo, no es el único fabricante que está apostando por implementar nuevas funciones basadas en IA local. Las funciones de IA que actualmente ofrece Adobe con Photoshop y Premiere requieren de una conexión a Internet, sin embargo, esto podría cambiar en un futuro conforme los procesadores con NPU lleguen al mercado de forma masiva, reduciendo el tiempo necesario para ofrecer resultados y redundando en una mayor productividad para el usuario final. Viendo como está evolucionando tanto el mercado de los procesadores como el de los programas, está claro que, dentro de unos años, si nuestro equipo no tiene un procesador dedicado a la IA, poco o más bien nada vamos a poder hacer con él. En este caso, sí que podríamos hablar obsolescencia programada, aunque de forma diferente, ya que es la tecnología la que se está adaptando las necesidades actuales, no por el hecho de carecer de prestaciones. Para este mismo año, los PCs que llegarán al mercado con NPU representará el 18% del número total con un total de 48 millones. Para 2025, esa cifra superará los 100 millones, una cifra que se irá incrementado considerablemente año tras año hasta llegar al 70% de total de equipos en 2028, tal y como hemos comentado más arriba. La importancia de las NPU En la actualidad, excepto contadas excepciones, si queremos generar un texto o una imagen, debemos recurrir a servidores web entrenados para esa tarea en concreto, y que tienen un elevadísimo coste para las plataformas que las ofrecen, de ahí que, excepto la solución de IA de Microsoft y Google basadas en los LLMs más modernos, todas sean de pago (ChatGPT Plus, Midjourney, DALL-E y demás). Gracias a las NPU, los usuarios reducirán la dependencia de Internet para utilizar la IA, ya que se podrán realizar los procesos de forma local, siempre y cuando tengamos el software disponible para aumentar la productividad. Pero, la IA no solo estará enfocada a incrementar la productividad de los usuarios, sino que, además, también veremos interesantes implementaciones de cara a los usuarios que utilizan el PC principalmente para jugar, siendo la función de reescalado de Windows 11 una de las primeras en llegar. https://hardzone.es/noticias/procesadores/pc-procesador-inteligencia-artificial-incluido/

La competencia existente hoy día entre las diferentes plataformas de streaming de vídeo a las que nos podemos suscribir, cada vez es mayor. Llega un momento en el que el número de usuarios no puede seguir creciendo, pero la oferta de propuestas diferentes sí que lo hace, por lo que sus máximos responsables deben tomar medidas para atraer clientes. Este tipo de servicios online que nos ofrecen todo tipo de contenidos en forma de vídeos como películas, series o documentales, poco a poco están sustituyendo a la televisión convencional. De hecho la visualización de la TDT está bajando año tras año, ya que muchos prefieren echar mano de plataformas de vídeo a la carta. El gigante del comercio electrónico Amazon, nos propone su propio servicio de estas características, Prime Video. Por supuesto, los poseedores de un Amazon Fire TV podían ver el fútbol en este dispositivo. Al ser un dispositivo basado en Android, lo que habría que hacer es instalar las aplicaciones oficiales de Movistar+ Plus, o de DAZN, y reproducirlo de esa forma desde sus apps. Pero, además, Amazon guarda un as en la manga para poder ver los deportes en streaming sin tener que pagar por separado estos servicios. Condición para ver fútbol en Amazon Prime Video Recientemente, ha añadido publicidad a su plataforma streaming con el fin de monetizar aún más su servicio de vídeos a la carta. Pero no solo eso, sino que Amazon también está apostando por los directos, como por ejemplo sucede con el po[CENSORED]r concurso musical de Operación Triunfo. Además, el gigante del comercio electrónico quiere apostar por el deporte, de ahí que en estos instantes tengamos la posibilidad de ver el fútbol perteneciente a la Liga EA Sports y la Liga Hypermotion en riguroso directo a través de Prime Video, es decir, la primera y la segunda división española. Sin embargo también debemos tener en consideración que ver estas transmisiones deportivas no es gratis. Y es que, igual que ocurre con Netflix, Disney+, o los diferentes «canales premium» que podemos encontrar dentro de Prime Video, tendremos que pagar un plus al margen de la suscripción a Amazon Prime Video. En concreto, tendremos que pagar por acceder a las transmisiones de DAZN como si de una suscripción a su plataforma se tratase. Básicamente esto se traduce en que para disfrutar de cinco partidos por jornada de la Liga EA Sports, tendremos que pagar 39,99 euros a mayores De igual modo, también tenemos la posibilidad de ver la segunda división o Liga Hypermotion por un precio adicional de 9,99 euros. Junto con esta suscripción, también dispondremos de algunos contenidos exclusivos relacionados con el fútbol. Y es que, al margen de la retransmisión de partidos como tal, se incluirá el acceso a programas con los momentos más importantes de cada jornada. Y también tendremos resúmenes de los partidos, entrevistas con los protagonistas, y más. Diferencia con usar la app de DAZN Básicamente, esto se traduce en que si tenemos una suscripción a Amazon Prime Vídeo, y queremos acceder a estos encuentros de fútbol sin utilizar ninguna otra aplicación ni plataforma, esta es una buena oportunidad. El mayor problema aquí, como os podéis imaginar, es el coste adicional que nos supone poder tenerlo todo centralizado en un único lugar. Eso sí, esta suscripción a los encuentros de fútbol mencionados no tienen permanencia alguna, podremos anularla en cualquier momento. Además del fútbol, Amazon Prime también nos permite ver, a través de esta suscripción adicional, otro tipo de eventos deportivos. Si eres aficionado a la Fórmula 1, a Moto GP, o a otros eventos deportivos. Todos ellos, por supuesto, en directo y con el menor retraso posible, de manera que podamos disfrutar al máximo de todo este contenido. De lo que no cabe duda es de que los principales responsables de estas plataformas streaming están buscando todo tipo de soluciones para atraer nuevos clientes que dejen sus suscripciones de la competencia. Esta no es una tarea fácil, por lo que se las tendrán que ingeniar para llamar nuestra atención, ya sea a base de ofertas, o con nuevos contenidos. Prime Video, ahora con anuncios Prime Video, recordamos, está disponible para todos los usuarios de Amazon Prime sin coste adicional. Sin embargo, lo que sí debemos tener en cuenta es que, desde el mes pasado, la plataforma de streaming se ha limitado imitando los planes de Netflix. Por ejemplo, salvo que paguemos 3 euros más al mes, solo podremos ver contenido con anuncios, y también en una calidad inferior a la que la veíamos antes. Si pagamos dicha suscripción a mayores, podremos disfrutar de Prime Video tal y como lo hacíamos antes: en máxima calidad y sin anuncios. https://www.softzone.es/noticias/streaming/ver-futbol-amazon-prime-streaming/

Google I/O 2024 began with multiple major artificial intelligence (AI) announcements. On Tuesday, the tech giant held the day 1 keynote session where it introduced new AI models, integrated AI with Google products, and teased new capabilities for Pixel smartphones and Android 15. During the event, the company also announced several new features for Google Search. The Search Generative Experience (SGE), available to only some users, is now being launched in the US as AI Overviews. New multimodal capabilities for the Search engine were also unveiled. AI Overviews Last year, Google unveiled SGE as a generative AI-led search where users could get a snapshot of the information curated by AI on the top of the results page. This was an experimental feature only available to some users. The Search giant is now rolling out the feature, rebranded as AI Overviews, to everyone in the US. The feature is also confirmed to expand to more countries soon and reach one billion users by the end of this year. Integrated with Gemini's capabilities, AI Overviews shows answers to ‘how-to' queries in a simple text format where the information is curated from across the web. It also finds the most relevant answers and shows them at the top of the page. It also helps users find the right products when shopping online. The AI shows both links to the sources of the information and gives an overview of the topic. The company will soon introduce two additional format options for AI Overviews — Simpler and Break it down. The Simpler format will simplify the language to help children and those without technical knowledge understand topics. On the other hand, the Break it down format will divide the topic into smaller concepts to help users delve into the complexity in a step-by-step manner. This will be first added as an experimental feature in Search Labs and will be available for English queries in the US. New Google Search features Apart from AI Overviews, Google introduced three new AI-powered features to Search. First, Google Search is getting multi-step reasoning capabilities that will let it understand complex questions asked by users. The search engine will show results with all the requirements of the question. For instance, if a user wants to know about the best gym that has introductory offers and is within a walkable distance, Search will be able to understand each requirement and show the closest gyms with the highest rating and introductory offers. The tech giant says it will use high-quality sources to find this information.Google Search is also getting a new planning feature. Gemini AI integration will allow Search to show results for questions such as meal plans or planning a trip. It will be able to take each of the users' criteria into consideration and only show relevant results. “Search for something like “create a 3 day meal plan for a group that's easy to prepare,” and you'll get a starting point with a wide range of recipes from across the web,” the company said. Further, users will be able to make adjustments to such queries after results have shown to make granular changes. For example, users can opt for vegetarian recipes or microwavable recipes.Finally, Google is bringing Gemini's multimodal capabilities to Search. Users will soon be able to ask questions with videos. To expand the scope of Google Search, the company will let users upload a video about something they have a query about. Asking a text question with the video will allow the AI to process the video and answer the query. This will be a useful tool to ask about things that are difficult to describe. While multi-step reasoning and planning are available via Search Labs, video searches will be added soon. Both are currently limited to English queries in the US. https://www.gadgets360.com/ai/news/google-search-ai-overviews-new-features-planning-multi-step-reasoning-search-with-videos-io-2024-5667478#pfrom=topstory

Un pilar de la escena independiente se encuentra en el género Metroidvania, construido por 2 franquicias infravaloradas pero cuyo impacto persiste hasta nuestros días e influyó en varias generaciones de creativos. Actualmente, que una nueva entrega de este tipo se anuncie y debute parece un exceso, pero si cumple con las bases y el diseño, y las mecánicas son sólidas y hay elementos originales que resalten, obtendremos, cuando menos, una experiencia entretenida. Tal es el caso de Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. Hace unos días debutó Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, la nueva obra surgida dentro del sello EA Originals desarrollada por Surgent Studios. Se trata de un proyecto dirigido por Abubakar Salim, la voz de Bayek en Assassin's Creed Origins, quien lo tomó como una oportunidad para mostrar parte de la mitología africana y la cosmogonía nacida en la complejidad de la lengua Bantú, una de las raíces sociales y culturales del continente, un gran ejemplo de la idea del lenguaje como patria de Emil Cioran. Al mismo tiempo, este Metroidvania es una obra catártica, pues Abukabar Salim también la concibió para lidiar con la muerte de su padre; tanto así, que es el concepto que da origen al juego. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU presenta una situación de pérdida: el joven Zuberi perdió a su papá y sigue sin aceptar su partida. En la búsqueda de respuestas, su madre le entrega un libro que su padre escribió para él, una historia fantástica que le ayudará a comprender que morir es inevitable y es parte de la vida. Acto seguido, la lectura de Zuberi nos pone en el mundo que da título al juego, Kenzera, en control de un joven llamado Zau en fase de negación de la muerte de su padre, su Baba. Lidiar con el fallecimiento de los seres queridos nunca es fácil y realmente no existe la superación del evento funesto, simplemente aprendes a vivir sin los que ya no están y su recuerdo queda como cicatriz emocional.Zau sigue sin aceptar la muerte de su padre y es en ese momento —cuando chocan la fuerza y la debilidad— en que cualquier idea, por ilógica que parezca, cobra sentido. Las leyendas, los rituales, la cosmogonía, la mitología, todas ellas construcciones sociales, interpretan la vida con sus propias reglas y se integran a la dinámica que nos permite sobrevivir. Personalmente, no soy creyente, pero el concepto de Día de Muertos y la simple idea de que hay algo más allá de la vida y que en algún momento me encontraré con esas personas y mascotas me da tranquilidad y mitiga mi duelo. Pues bien, en el caso de Zau, la mitología de su pueblo indica que es posible satisfacer al dios de la muerte y pedirle lo que sea, incluso que alguien vuelva a la vida. Esta introducción nos lleva al encuentro entre Zau y Kalunga, dios de la muerte, quien reconoce las habilidades de Shaman que corren por las venas del joven, pero le advierte que su deseo sólo se cumplirá si entrega los espíritus de 3 monstruos. Por supuesto, la misión es complicada, pero desde la perspectiva de Zau, vale la pena porque le permitirá devolverle la vida a su Baba. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU inicia en este contexto y el camino marcado por Kalunga en el reino de Kenzera. Visto desde una perspectiva general, debes saber que se trata de una propuesta compacta y accesible; no esperes la magnificencia de Hollow Knight, simplemente Surgent Studios tomó los elementos esenciales de los Metroidvania y buscó ejecutarlos de la mejor forma, así que más que un juego por demás exigente, estamos ante uno que podría servir de introducción al género para los nuevos jugadores o para quien no busca romperse la cabeza y pasar un buen rato con un reto aceptable. A diferencia de otros juegos donde inicias con habilidades básicas, Zau tiene poderes y habilidades desde el principio, gracias a que tiene 2 máscaras: una de luna y otra de sol. La primera está pensada para ataques y habilidades a distancia, además de daño elemental con agua y hielo; la segunda simboliza el poder del fuego y el combate cuerpo a cuerpo. Es aquí donde Tales of Kenzera: ZAU acierta para brindar una experiencia de juego divertida, pues el dominio de los poderes de cada máscara, cada una con su respectivo árbol de habilidades que crece gracias a un sistema básico de progresión, resulta atractivo al combatir, resolver algunos acertijos e interactuar con los escenarios. Durante la aventura el ciclo es el mismo: secciones de plataformas, algunos duelos contra enemigos, algo de backtracking, una previa a un enfrentamiento importante marcada por batallas con oleadas de criaturas en espacios cerrados y la pelea contra un jefe. Lamentablemente, el contenido no enriquece la experiencia. Lo que sucede es que hay pocos tipos de enemigos y sólo 4 jefes; sus batallas son retadoras y entretenidas, pero la dinámica se torna un tanto monótona, en especial porque pese a ser un Metroidvania y tener un mapa diseñado bajo ese principio, la experiencia es lineal con alguno que otro secreto, siempre sabrás hacia dónde ir. Esto convierte porciones de su mundo y plataformas en un sinsentido, porque sólo están ahí porque... pues porque sí, y son de relleno, pues. https://www.levelup.com/PlayStation-5/juegos/783641/Tales-of-Kenzera-Zau/review

Mohamed Amra - the prisoner who escaped from a prison van during an ambush by armed men who killed two prison officers and wounded others - is said to have ties to a gang in the southern city of Marseille, which has been plagued by drug-related gang violence. Known as "The Fly", Amra was being taken from court to a prison in the city of Rouen near Paris on Tuesday when a car rammed the prison van at a toll booth and armed men opened fire. Prosecutors say the 30-year-old had been convicted of burglary on 10 May and had also been indicted by prosecutors in Marseille for a kidnapping that led to a death. He was being held at the Val de Reuil prison, near Rouen, and had reportedly appeared at a nearby court in relation to those new charges prior to the ambush. Amra was not a "closely watched inmate", prosecutor Laura Beccuau said, using a term for highly dangerous prisoners. "A short meeting, about an hour long was planned for this morning and my assistant saw Mr Amra and he was perfectly normal," he said. "He knew about [Tuesday's] transfer so it is possible that he'd have told other people." His accomplices appeared to be fully informed because they were waiting at the motorway tollbooth. "He doesn't talk to me. He's my son, he doesn't talk to me about anything at all." She said she went to visit him in several of the prisons he's been held in, but "he never gave anything away. I don't understand". She described breaking down in tears after hearing about the ambush. "I broke down, I cried - I was so unwell - how can lives be taken away in this way?" she told RTL. She also described her son's life in the prison system, saying he was "lugged around left right and centre, they put him in isolation instead of sentencing him once and for all". He had been held in separate prisons in Marseille, Paris and Rouen during the legal process against him for theft, which resulted in an 18-month jail sentence. He had 13 previous convictions for largely minor offences, including driving without a licence, theft and refusing to stop for police, according to BFMTV. However his implication in the death of a man from Dreux near Rouen who was kidnapped in Marseille in acts linked to drug trafficking suggests involvement with more serious criminals. Drug-linked violence 'exploding' in France, report says The heavily armed attack that freed him came on the same day as the French Senate published a report warning France was being "submerged" by drugs crime. The report notes an "explosion of both supply and demand" in the illegal drugs trade, warning: "No part of the national territory and no social class is beyond the reach of drugs crime… drugs traffic is infiltrating everywhere, with a concomitant exacerbation of violence". "The spread of drugs crime is not just the result of foreign mafias. It is also the work of structured and dangerous French organisations who act without any limit be it financial, territorial or in the exercise of violence," the report said. Yesterday Nicolas Bessone, the prosecutor for the Marseille region, told broadcaster France 2 that drug gangs had become so rich and powerful they were successfully infiltrating the court system in Marseille, corrupting civil servants. Around 50 people were killed in drug-related shootings in Marseille last year https://www.bbc.com/news/world-69012563

Manchester City saw an unlikely hero emerge from their galaxy of superstars to make a potentially defining contribution in their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title. Pep Guardiola rightly acted with caution when he removed keeper Ederson, with City leading 1-0, after he suffered a nasty blow to the head in a heavy collision at the foot of his post with Tottenham defender Cristian Romero. Ederson, who had a problem with his eye, did not look happy with the decision - taken upon advice from the club doctor - but his manager was perfectly justified, not just acting in the best interests of the Brazilian keeper but also because he has complete trust in his replacement Stefan Ortega. And in a 21-minute cameo of the highest quality, Ortega - who has performed with distinction every time he has deputised for Ederson this season - may well have rubber-stamped City’s sixth title in seven seasons. When the final whistle sounded and the club stood one win away from being champions again, Guardiola headed straight for Ortega and greeted the German with a kiss on the cheek for his crucial contribution. It was richly deserved. Guardiola did not hold back with the praise as he said: "Ortega is a world-class goalkeeper. An exceptional, exceptional goalkeeper. Ederson did not have concussion, he had a problem with his eye. He could not see properly so the doctor said I should change." Spurs made a complete mockery of the cynics who suggested they may ease off because any sort of positive result could potentially give rivals Arsenal their first Premier League title in 20 years. Ange Postecoglou’s fifth-placed side were fully committed in chasing a goal of their own as they went after a place in the Champions League and it was not for any lack of effort as they came so close to upsetting City’s traditional title charge. They were left disappointed in the end as defeat confirmed Aston Villa's fourth-placed finish and they will now join European football's top table. Ortega's impact was instant, denying Spurs substitute Dejan Kulusevski with a good save and then the same player shortly afterwards as City almost paid the price for a performance that was not one of their best. The biggest moment came in the closing minutes, with City clinging on to a one-goal lead, when Son Heung-min collected the ball and raced clear with only Ortega to beat. It was the sort of opportunity the South Korean has taken with aplomb so many times in his Spurs career. Yet Ortega stayed strong, stayed on his feet, waited for Son to make his move before stretching out his right leg to make the save that may well seal another Premier League triumph. Guardiola, who clearly feared the worst, threw himself on his back dramatically in his technical area in an animated display of agony and then sheer relief, while Manchester City captain Kyle Walker likened Ortega, and the save, to the keeper's fellow countryman, Bayern Munich icon Manuel Neuer. Praise indeed. It was Spurs’ last stand as Erling Haaland added his second of the night from the penalty spot in added time for his 38th goal of the season. If City beat West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, the formalities will be complete. Haaland may grab some headlines as his remarkable goalscoring feats continue, despite this season not being quite as prolific as his first, but Ortega was top of the bill. The keeper's involvement was short and sweet but spectacular and probably decisive. He was needed because this was not City at their peak but they are so well schooled in being in this position that a muscle memory kicks in to ensure they get the job done at the season’s pressure points. Since City lost at Aston Villa in December, they are unbeaten in 22 Premier League games, winning 18 and drawing four in the sort of unstoppable surge that threatens to break Arsenal’s hearts in the same way they have also broken Liverpool’s on the final day of the season in previous years. Experience means their players appear impervious to the natural pressures and when you possess players of the quality of Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne, allied to their telepathic relationship, there always remains the capacity to make the difference. And so it proved in the 51st minute for the vital opener, De Bruyne providing the 112th assist of his City career to lay a goal on a plate for Haaland. It still needed the outstanding intervention of Ortega, who will long be remembered by his grateful manager and colleagues as they raced to him to show their appreciation before the celebrations started in front of the joyous travelling fans. City are now in the position they have occupied so often and one from which they rarely slip. It would be a shock to see them stumble now – and so much of the credit for that must go to Ortega. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/crgyygm8z65o

While her underlings attempted to escape from their see-through Alcatraz, there was little to interest her outside the tank. That may have saved her from death by cat In the “boring pet” stakes there are few creatures more maligned than stick insects, and it’s not hard to see why. They could never be considered cute or funny or particularly characterful. For the most part they resemble, well, sticks. But stick insects are a lot more interesting than their reputation suggests. For a start, there are more than 3,000 species of them. Most people will conjure up the image of a skinny beige twig with tiny antennae, but they come in all shapes, sizes and textures: some are bright green and shrublike; some resemble dried leaves; some are dark and spiny like a bramble stem. Our tank contained a host of stick insects: short ones, long ones, and flying stick insects with delicate pink wings. The big kahuna was a Macleay’s Spectre (more commonly known as a giant prickly stick insect), a thick-bodied creature, native to Australia, that looked like a particularly jagged autumn leaf. When threatened, the Macleay’s Spectre curls up its abdomen in a manner resembling a scorpion – though, with her chunky, rounded legs and golden colour, I always thought ours more resembled a tiny, spiny lion. There was definitely something regal about her, munching away on privet, secure in the knowledge that she was bigger and stronger than the scrawny twigs that skittered around her. Females can grow up to 20cm (8in) long. To my memory, the Macleay’s Spectre rarely made a dash for freedom; she was likely too slow and cumbersome. That made her an outlier – the rest of the tank seemed to be constantly eyeing up an escape from their foot-tall, see-through Alcatraz. Their most famous jailbreak was during a car journey home from a trip to see our grandmother: the lid of their prison must have come loose, and they spread themselves across the car – cue my mum whizzing into a layby, and frantically attempting to corral them back into the tank as dusk fell. Then there was the morning we came down for breakfast to find that a clutch of tiny stick insects had hatched from their eggs and, being small enough to leave their lair, were perched on the kitchen window, practically covering the whole thing. I can’t quite remember how my family’s stick insect era ended. I had been convinced that our dog knocked over the tank and butchered most of them, including the Macleay’s Spectre – but my family have no recollection of that incident (although Mum says the cats definitely saw off a few of the slower flying insects). More likely, the queen of the tank and her underlings just quietly died one day – most stick insects have a life expectancy of a year, and female Macleay’s Spectres live to about 18 months. But I can still picture her, scorpion tail primed, reigning over all. Growing up, our house was full of animals. We seemed to collect them like Panini stickers or vinyl: welsh springer spaniels, rabbits, guinea pigs, too many cats to mention, terrapins, stick insects, giant African land snails and a siamese fighting fish. Some of this menagerie were allowed to roam free around the house (including, perhaps inadvisably, the rabbits and guinea pigs – the furniture was covered in chew marks); others were housed in cages or tanks. But even the confined pets didn’t stay confined for long. The terrapins would frequently make a run for it, using the stone intended for them to bask on as a platform to freedom. We’d find them under the sofa or, in one notorious incident, at the bottom of the fridge, chomping lettuce (no, I have no idea how they got the door open). Still, for sheer Houdini-like escapology even the terrapins had nothing on the stick insects. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/may/13/the-pet-ill-never-forget-my-giant-stick-insect-who-ruled-her-empire-like-a-spiny-queen

Picture this: An audience attends a packed, intellectual session on filmmaking. They are not necessarily eager to learn, but they are sincere. They clap, they laugh, they also get bored but they form a crowd, which leads to good visuals. When it gets over, more than half of them exit, and head to the next event. There, they quickly slip on a new T-shirt of a massy actioner and start dancing to dhol as the star arrives to see — you guessed it — yet another packed auditorium. This is the post-pandemic Bollywood event routine, where makers have resorted to a bizarre practice of paying crowds to show hype on social media. It is 2024, where stars are not born — but manufactured. Also Read | Indianexpress.com spoke to multiple industry sources, from film publicity teams, marketing agency professionals, actors to paparazzi, to piece together how some artistes are rigging the game, as the industry recovers from heavy losses with back-to-back failures. This is, the faking and making of a star.“The culture of manufactured crowd mobilisation has started post pandemic,” reveals a veteran industry source, who explained that there was a race among young actors wanting to be termed superstars when things were resuming slowly after lockdown. This was also the time South films started peaking and with them, there was a sudden conversation about their stars and their mythical fandom. With Hindi film releases far and few, the actors here–together with their agencies–crafted various ego-pleasing labels for themselves, such as ‘People’s superstar’, ‘Fan made superstar’. So, the crowd became the new PR tool to distort audience perception. The Hindi film industry will always look back at 2020 as the most unsettling year in recent times. Following the tragic death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Bollywood was caught in a political storm, where people working in it were called names, beloved stars were turned into hateful hashtags and South films were seen as the ‘purer’ alternative while rampant boycott calls for Hindi films echoed strongly. In 2023, when the industry finally recorded the best box office year in its history, all social media critics were silenced. But in these three years, while the Mumbai-based industry tried to get back on its feet after the Covid-induced shutdown, stars and marketing agencies cracked a novel, although damaging formula of distorting perceptions and projecting a heightened reality: planting fake crowds. “Post pandemic, people were barely out on the streets, so celebrities resorted to having crowds manufactured. This works meticulously where the crowd supplying agency ties up with the marketing teams of film for promotions. They charge anywhere between Rs 30,000 to 1 lac depending on the crowd one needs,” the source revealed. Also Read | Credibility crisis in Bollywood as trade slams industry’s ‘harmful’ practices; from buy one get one offer to breeding ‘paid influencers’ The crowd supplying agencies term this a “fan engagement” activity, where in reality, most of the people who eventually end up inside an auditorium aren’t even fans of the actors. The process is simple. The said agencies have a network of colleges, where they speak to the student co-ordinator or the student head of college festivals. The deal is usually a barter, where the agency asks for constant student crowd in return of a celebrity for their college fest. https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/fake-fans-paid-crowd-as-bollywood-combats-flops-how-stardom-is-manufactured-on-instagram-film-events-9327268/

Mazda plans to launch a hybrid CX-50 later this year, and the next-gen CX-5 will have a hybrid too, according to details in the company's latest financial results. Mazda previously confirmed that the CX-50 would add a Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain; the next CX-5 will use a Mazda-developed hybrid setup. While its first EV—the California-only, range-limited MX-30—was a commercial flop, Mazda will launch another electric car in 2027 using a dedicated platform. At the moment, the only electrified Mazda sold in the United States is the mid-size CX-90, which is offered with a plug-in-hybrid powertrain. However, it looks like the lineup will soon add another one, with the Mazda CX-50 destined to get the hybrid treatment. That's according to information released as part of the company's latest first-quarter financial results, which include plans to introduce a hybrid CX-50 in the second half of this year. Hybrid CX-5 and CX-50 Despite the recent news, this isn't the first time we've heard about it. A couple of years ago, Mazda vehicle dynamics engineer Dave Coleman confirmed that the CX-50 would adopt a gas-electric powertrain that was developed by Toyota. But that was the last we had heard about it until last month when we reached out to a Mazda spokesperson who confirmed to Car and Driver that the "CX-50 hybrid is coming soon" and that more details will be shared in June. Earlier this year, Mazda launched the CX-50 HEV in the Chinese market; it uses the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid's powertrain, which pairs a gas-fed 2.5-liter four-cylinder with up to two electric motors. It could preview the version that we'll get in the U.S. Also mentioned in Mazda's financial report are plans for a next-generation CX-5. That's kind of odd considering we thought the company would phase that model out after its current life cycle, considering it competes with the newer CX-50. It seems like that's not the case, though, as Mazda is also developing its own hybrid powertrain and plans to offer it on the next-gen CX-5. In the coming years, the automaker will be working on growing its EV business, with plans to launch what it's calling "e-Mazda. According to its financial report, this will include introducing a new EV model in 2027 that will be based on Mazda's first dedicated electric platform. The company recently revealed the Mazda EZ-6—a rear-wheel-drive sedan for the Chinese market with an estimated 370 miles of range. While it's not destined to come to North America, the EZ-6 provides a glimpse at the type of new EVs that Mazda can make. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60779043/mazda-cx-50-next-gen-cx-5-hybrid-confirmed/

The White House has told Congress it wants to send more than $1bn (£800m) in weapons to Israel, despite pressure over Israel's Rafah offensive. The package would include tank rounds, mortars and armoured tactical vehicles, according to Reuters news agency. The plan - confirmed by a congressional aide to CBS, the BBC's US partner - must still be approved by lawmakers. Last week President Biden said he would halt weapons shipments if Israel launched a major invasion of Rafah. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks advanced deeper into residential areas the south-east of the Gazan city, Palestinians told Reuters. Mr Biden said last week that he had delayed the shipment of 2,000lb (900kg) bombs to Israel because of how they might be used in such a ground operation. Asked by CNN about the delay, Mr Biden said: "Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs." The package being sent to Congress is the first since Mr Biden's administration paused arms transfers to Israel last week. It would include $700m in tank ammunition, $500m in tactical vehicles and $60m in mortar rounds, according to the Associated Press news agency. On Friday, a US state department report found that some American-made weapons provided to Israel may have been used in breach of international law. While the report was a clear rebuke of some Israeli operations in Gaza, it stopped short of definitively saying that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) campaign had breached international law. It added that assurances it had received from Israel about adhering to the legal use of US weapons were "credible and reliable". Last month, Congress passed a bill providing $95bn in aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Weapons transfers to Israel have become a political liability for Mr Biden ahead of this November's 2024 White House election. News of the latest arms package emerged soon after voting ended in a presidential primary election in Maryland, where activists had urged voters to register a protest ballot against what they see as Mr Biden's favouritism towards Israel over the Gaza war. Republican lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation intended to prevent any further pauses in weapons shipments to the US ally. The House of Representatives this week will vote on a measure that requires the state department and defence department to ensure the "prompt delivery" of military equipment. The White House has vowed to veto the bill, if it manages to pass the Senate, which is unlikely. Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage. More than 35,170 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 82 in the past 24 hours, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-69013279

Music title: Agnez Mo On Her Wax Figure, Working With Ciara, Indonesian Culture & More | Gold Gala 2024 Signer: N\A Release date: 115‏/05‏/2024 Official YouTube link:

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