Month: May 2023

What’s premiering on Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ or HBO Max? The best premieres in May

Discover all the premieres of the month of May 2023 by the main international streaming platforms.

We leave behind April, the month of the year in which we have received the most premieres -and some very succulent ones, such as Citadel or Barry– and we enter fully into a new spring month. May brings with it some very interesting releases for the main platforms, where Disney Plus and Netflix shine again.

Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and HBO Max are not far behind either, and we must pay attention to SkyShowtime, which is slowly trying to catch up with its competitors. And watch out because this month very interesting productions arrive that we have been wanting to see for a long time, as is the case of The Whale on Disney Plus.

Undoubtedly, there are some very interesting things coming in the next few weeks, so let’s take a look at what the month of May will bring.

Netflix releases in May

Netflix is once again, for another month, the platform that concentrates the most premieres. However, it does not have too many very exciting new releases. For action fans comes FUBAR, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Blood and Gold will be a delight for fans of war dramas.

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FUBAR

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a CIA agent on the verge of retirement. When he discovers a family secret, he is forced to return to the field for one last job. An action story with a dose of adventure.

Release date: May 25

Queen Cleopatra

In this docudrama that includes recreations with actors to make it much more realistic, Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt, fights to protect her throne, family and legacy. A very interesting story for fans of Ancient Egypt.

Release date: May 10

Blood and Gold

This great war drama from Netflix promises to be one of the most interesting new releases on the platform this year. At the end of World War II, a German deserter and a young girl become embroiled in a brutal battle against a group of Nazi soldiers searching for hidden gold.

Release date: May 26

All Netflix releases in May
  • The Tailor (05/02)
  • Love Village (05/02)
  • Jewish Matchmaking (05/03)
  • Sanctuary (05/04)
  • Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (05/04)
  • Dance Brothers (05/10)
  • Queen Cleopatra (05/10)
  • Ultraman S3 (05/11)
  • Royalteen: Princess Margrethe (05/11)
  • Black Knight (05/12)
  • Mulligan (05/12)
  • The Mother (05/12)
  • Queer Eye S7 (05/12)
  • Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (05/16)
  • Doctor Cha (05/17)
  • Always Faithful (05/17)
  • Rhythm + Flow: France S2 (05/17)
  • XO, Kitty (05/18)
  • Yakitori, Soldiers of Misfortune (05/18)
  • Muted (05/19)
  • Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery (05/19)
  • Selling Sunset S6 (05/19)
  • Young, Famous & African S2 (05/19)
  • Victim/Suspect (05/23)
  • The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties S3 (05/24)
  • The Ultimatum: Queer Love (05/24)
  • FUBAR (05/25)
  • Blood and Gold (05/26)

Disney Plus releases in May

Disney Plus continues to be one of the most powerful alternatives to Netflix, and this time it brings products for all audiences: from Star Wars fans to music fans and, of course, The Kardashians.

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Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2

Star Wars: Visions was one of the biggest surprises in the Star Wars universe when it premiered. This anthology series features standalone short films about the galaxy, and this time around it will bring pleasant surprises for fans.

Release date: May 4

Crater

In this sci-fi adventure film, five boys in a mining colony steal a vehicle to explore a mysterious crater. It is undoubtedly one of Disney+’s big bets for this month.

Release date: May 12

All Disney Plus releases in May
  • A Small Light (05/02)
  • Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All (05/03)
  • Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2 (05/04)
  • Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (05/04)
  • Not Dead Yet (05/10)
  • The Muppets Mayhem (05/10)
  • Crater (05/12)
  • White Men Can’t Jump (05/19)
  • American Born Chinese (05/24)
  • The Clearing (05/24)
  • The Kardashians s3 (05/25)
  • Single Drunk Female S2 (05/31)

AppleTV+ releases in May

Apple TV+ is not giving up and continues in the fierce battle for the streaming war. After premiering Ghosted and having some of the most interesting series on the market, in May it will launch some very interesting products such as a documentary on the life of Michael J. Fox and a new volume of Prehistoric Planet.

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Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

The Back to the Future star reflects on his life and the Parkinson’s disease that has accompanied him since he was young in this documentary that incorporates filmed, archival and scripted elements. A story about a short boy from a Canadian army base who reached the highest heights of success in Hollywood in the 1980s.

Release date: May 12

City on Fire

In this Apple TV+ series, a New York University student is shot in Central Park on July 4, 2003. Samantha is alone, there are no witnesses and little physical evidence. Her friends’ band is playing at her favorite club downtown, but she leaves because she’s meeting someone and promises to return. She doesn’t. When Samantha’s crime is investigated, it is revealed that she is the key link between a series of mysterious fires in the area, the city’s music scene, and a wealthy north side real estate family suffering the strains of multiple hidden secrets.

Release date: May 12

All Apple TV+ releases in May
  • Silo (05/05)
  • Harriet the spy (05/05)
  • Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (12/05)
  • City on Fire (05/12)
  • High Desert (05/17)
  • Stillwater (05/19)
  • Prehistoric Planet – Part Two (05/22)
  • Platonic (05/24)

Amazon Prime Video releases in May

Amazon Prime Video continues with its premieres with a weaker month than April but still interesting. This time, the two most interesting audiovisual products seem to be Halloween Kills and Paranoia Agent, but they also have products for more specific audiences, such as Lewandoski: The Unknown or Fenomeno Twin Melody.

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Halloween Kills

This horror movie was a surprise in 2021, and now it’s back to reach everyone thanks to Prime Video. The film tells the story of the next thrilling chapter in the Halloween series, starring Michael Mayers and Laurie Strode.

Release date: May 4

Paranoia Agent

It is one of the most acclaimed Japanese animated series in history. Directed by the late Satoshi Kon, it is a cult work full of “paranoia” and great plot twists. A satire about Japan in the 21st century.

Release date: May 26

Crítica de Paranoia agent, una obra maestra de Satoshi Kon - Carlos J. Eguren

All Amazon Prime Video releases in May
  • Halloween Kills (05/04)
  • ¡Hasta la madre del Día de las Madres! (05/05)
  • Irati (05/05)
  • Lewandoski: The Unknown (05/15)
  • The Ferragnez S2 (05/18)
  • The Gryphon (05/26)
  • Paranoia Agent (05/26)
  • Fenómeno Twin Melody (05/26)

HBO Max releases in May

HBO Max has had great months behind it with The Last of Us and Succession as its main assets. Now, it arrives in May with worse luck than before, but some interesting audiovisual products, such as Spy/Master.

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Spy/Master

The Spy/Master series is set in the midst of the Cold War, and chronicles a week in the life of fictional character Victor Godeanu, played by Alec Secăreanu the right-hand man and closest advisor to Romanian dictator Nicolas Ceaușescu. However, Godeanu is also a secret KGB agent, and will have to escape Romania and Ceaușescu before his cover is blown.

Release date: May 19

All HBO Max releases in May
  • White House Plumbers ( 05/02)
  • Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (05/05)
  • Two Sides of the Abyss (05/08)
  • Angel City (05/17)
  • Spy/Master (05/19)
  • Love to Love you, Donna Summer (05/21)
  • German Genius (05/23)
  • No me gusta conducir (05/26)

SkyShowtime releases in May

The SkyShowtime platform continues at a discreet but interesting pace. And now it plans to give it all with a documentary about the king of Spain himself that can make the walls of our democracy crumble. Very interesting what is coming on this VOD service.

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Juan Carlos: Downfall of the King

Entitled Juan Carlos: Downfall of the King, the four-part series takes an exhaustive look at the emeritus’ fall from grace and promises to provide new details about his life. In this new documentary, already known personalities have participated: Corinna Larsen, ex-commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, journalist Jaime Peñafiel, Mario Conde and even Corinna Larsen’s ex-husband, Philip Adkins, among others. Ana Pardo de Vera, Público’s director of institutional relations, also participates in the docuseries.

Release date: May 22

  • A town called Malicia (05/12)
  • Villenueve Pironi: The untold tragedy of motorsport (05/19)
  • Fatal attraction (05/22)
  • Juan Carlos: Downfall of the king (05/22)
  • For H or B S2 (05/26)

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Laya's Horizon is here, we've tried it and we love it

Laya’s Horizon immerses us in the world of Laya, an intrepid girl who descends and explores an island full of mysteries and details, using her shiny cape to glide down its slopes.

After the resounding success of Alto’s Odyssey, its developers bring us Laya’s Horizon, a game that aims to offer us a new perspective on the world of mobile video games and that has quickly positioned itself as one of the most anticipated games of the year. The title is released today, May 2, but at Softonic we have had the opportunity to test it before its release and, without a doubt, we can say that we have loved it.

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Game design and experience: multiple games within one world

Laya’s Horizon immerses us in the world of Laya, an intrepid girl who descends and explores an island full of mysteries and details, using her shiny cape to glide down its slopes.

In addition to being able to fly freely exploring the environment and its well-hidden secrets, we can also complete missions, pass levels to obtain rewards in the form of talismans and new capes that give us more abilities, and accompany other characters on their adventures through this curious new world.

During the interview given to Softonic by the people in charge of the team behind the project, they told us that one of the most important aspects of Laya’s Horizon is its control system, which is based on movements that are as intuitive as possible and kinesthetic. It is something that is already appreciated from minute one that you spend in the game, but that clearly has its reason for being. What child hasn’t run across the garden with a towel or cloak on his back and swings his hands to spin as if he were gliding? The control dynamics is, in this sense, very similar. With a double control, one for each hand, we can move Laya’s arms to take her where we want. We can tilt one or both arms, pick them up to accelerate or open them to use our cape as a kind of parachute.

I have to admit, maybe at first the idea of using two hands on the controls to do, let me put it like this, same thing, it’s a little weird. You have to imagine as an axis of symmetry in front of which to act. Then you realize that you are actually moving your arms and it all makes sense.

Laia’s island.

And it makes sense from the tutorial. Something to which, according to what Ryan Cash himself, CEO of Snowman, told us, they spent a lot of time. Explaining the controls in person is as easy as raising your hands, but doing it on a screen is another story. Here the game places us in a safe environment, in the middle of the sky, so that, individually, we learn the dynamics of it. First the horizontal movement, then the vertical and then the tricks that combine both. Being ready, we descend from the clouds and land in the new environment of the game.

Laya flying over the snowy cliffs.

In Snowman they are known for pampering every last detail of all their games and for doing it on all fronts. One that draws attention is the music. It adapts to each of the biomes in which we fly, it adapts to the speed at which we move and it also adapts to our proximity to the ground. As if that were not enough, the voices of the characters have been provided by the same team that created the game.

Challenges and challenges: a dream come true

One of the most attractive features of Laya’s Horizon is its intricate island, which offers multiple exploration options while also providing a quick start to the game. Not too many menus, not too many options. Even the graphic design and its loading is designed with the power of the devices on which we are going to run the game in mind.

Map view, with the challenges and objectives.

Unlike Alto’s Odyssey, Laya’s Horizon introduces a more elaborate narrative and a whole new world. The developers wanted to create a game where players could retreat and explore. The initial idea came from the team’s love for the world of aviation, and also because of the amazing sport of base jumping, in which, with only a suit and a parachute that doesn’t open until the last moment, you descend a mountain of a single jump.

With a development of more than five years, the team started with just a few people to reach more than 30 participants. They overcame having to work remotely in 2020 and went on to deliver a truly exceptional game.

Alto’s older sister, so to speak

When Snowman considered working on the project, they were clear that Alto was already an entity in itself. Rather than evolve a title that already has its own journey, they wanted to face a new challenge. But not without the seeds of the experience learned snowboarding on the mountain chasing llamas and among cities lost in the desert.

Finishing a race in the Valley of the Rams.

The same wingsuit as Alto, is a tribute to the love of flight that manifests itself in Laya’s Horizon. The idea of biomes. adaptive music. For those of us who have followed the trajectory of the studio and its games, it is easy to see the origins, but also to appreciate how development has been completely turned around, as if in a spiral, to reach a higher level.

In my experience, Laya’s Horizon has managed to captivate me from the first moment I tried it. Its design, intuitive controls and immersive narrative make it a game that we enjoy to the fullest. We can dedicate several hours to it, passing levels or wondering where to find the 10 stalactites near which I have to fly to complete the challenge —a real case—, or play a game of just three minutes. we will enjoy it equally.

You soon find out which parts of the island are your favorite and whether to visit the snowy cliffs or the high mountains to overcome a certain challenge and complete the challenges of the NPCs in the game. Having completed the challenges, so to speak, there is still a lot to do. The dynamics of the game leads you to explore, to discover and to do everything by planning. Always with the right layer, of course.

Cloak and charm selection screen.

The game has a certain part of strategy, planning. It is seen in the abilities that the different objects of the same offer us and how these are keys to complete certain tasks or overcome certain levels. It is also seen in the simple possibility of landing in certain places within the environment to take out the map and continue planning the descent. Like a good pilot or an experienced climber, you have to know what lies ahead and how to deal with it.

Laya's Horizon Download

Laya’s Horizon is a game that has already captivated those of us who have had the opportunity to try it before its launch. Its world full of details, its innovative game mechanics and its simple, but complete narrative, make it a unique and highly recommended experience. Now available on the App Store and Google Play for free, all we have to do to play it is log in with our Netflix account. While you are downloading it, I still have to find two of the four caves that happen to be hidden on the island to complete level 35. What do you enjoy planning!

Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.

Programas cancelados, series retrasadas… ¿qué está pasando con la huelga de guionistas de Hollywood?

Descubre los motivos detrás de la huelga de guionistas de Hollywood y cómo nos puede acabar afectando a los usuarios.

Hollywood pasa por un momento crítico que podría suponer a la industria la pérdida de miles de millones de euros. ¿El motivo? La huelga de guionistas convocada el 1 de mayo y que ya está provocando las primeras repercusiones. Por ejemplo, no habrá late nights hasta que la situación se aclare: ni Jimmy Fallon, ni Jimmy Kimmel, ni Stephen Colbert, ni Seth Meyers ni The Daily Show.

Todos estos programas han sido cancelados en apoyo al sindicato de guionistas de Estados Unidos (WGA), y no serán los únicos. Es algo que afectará de seguro a series y películas, y aunque al tratarse de producciones que no son diarias no veremos su repercusión hasta dentro de un tiempo, es algo que sufrirán plataformas como Netflix o Disney Plus.

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De hecho, la última huelga de guionistas de estas dimensiones comenzó en noviembre de 2007, duró cuatro meses e hizo perder a la economía de California la friolera de 2.000 millones de dólares. Teniendo en cuenta que ahora se produce aún más que antes, una huelga de estas dimensiones podría tener repercusiones catastróficas para la industria.

En 2017, otra huelga estuvo a punto de llevarse a cabo. Los miembros del sindicato la votaron por inmensa mayoría, y estuvo a punto de hacer mucho daño al sector. Sin embargo, un acuerdo del sindicato con la Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, la asociación de productores que organizan estos acuerdos, evitó que la cosa fuera a más.

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Streaming Online | Peacock

Los motivos tras la huelga de guionistas

Pero ¿cuáles son las razones por las cuales se está llevando a cabo esta huelga de guionistas en Hollywood? Los motivos son muchos y variados, pero en general se trata de un problema que tiene que ver con el gran avance que ha hecho la industria en los últimos años.

El último convenio con el que contaban los guionistas, expirado el 1 de mayo —por ello se ha comenzado en ese momento la huelga— no contemplaba muchas de las realidades que hoy día viven los guionistas. Y es por ello que los escritores de las historias buscan que se les reconozca más su trabajo.

El primer punto por el que están luchando es por los salarios. El presupuesto de las series de televisión de Estados Unidos ha aumentado un 50% en los últimos diez años, pero el salario promedio de los guionistas ha descendido un 4%. Esto deja a la profesión como la peor pagada de la industria en el momento, a pesar de ser sobre la que se basa todo.

La huelga en Hollywood está cada vez más cerca: los guionistas dicen sí al parón - Vandal Random

Después está el tema de las jornadas laborales. Al necesitar producir más para ganar lo mismo, los guionistas deben trabajar más horas y en más producciones distintas, de forma que no les queda otra que exigir jornadas laborales más cortas y por un mejor precio.

Pero la principal queja del sector está en las compensaciones que reciben según el éxito de las películas o series en las que trabajan. Y aquí el problema está en las plataformas de streaming. Cuando un programa, película o serie se emite en abierto, el guionista sabe al momento las compensaciones que va a recibir en cuanto a los derechos de autor, teniendo en cuenta las cifras de audiencia y los espectadores.

Sin embargo, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus o HBO Max siguen manteniendo el secretismo en cuanto a sus datos, en una estrategia de mercado que solo los ayuda a ellos. Esta opacidad provoca que los guionistas nunca sepan los beneficios que les pertocarían, y de este modo pueden ahorrárselo.

Por otra parte, algunas plataformas han llegado incluso a eliminar del catálogo algunas de sus series originales para ahorrarse estas retribuciones. De este modo, los guionistas se sienten indefensos y creen que la situación irá a peor en el futuro.

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El gran engaño de la era del streaming: ¿hay más guionistas?

Otra causa que señalan desde el sindicato es la falsa percepción que se tiene sobre la situación. Sí, cada vez se producen más series televisivas, lo cual es una gran ventaja para la industria audiovisual, ya que desde los actores hasta el equipo técnico tienen más trabajo. Pero ¿esto es así para los guionistas?

En realidad, no. A pesar de que hay más series, cada vez tienen menos capítulos y temporadas —pensad que venimos de series de más de veinte episodios a las nuevas que tienen unos diez como máximo—. Además, el público quiere cada vez más series de autor o miniseries, de forma que los guionistas que trabajan en ellas son muchos menos en comparación.

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La WGA cree que este momento es “trascendental” y que debe llegarse a un acuerdo cuanto antes para que los guionistas puedan seguir viviendo dignamente en la industria del cine y la televisión. Las consecuencias pueden ser desastrosas, como apuntábamos. En la huelga de 2007, series como Perdidos (Lost) o The Office tuvieron que recortar capítulos de sus temporadas, y en esta ocasión parece que todo repercutirá en retrasos y cancelaciones. Como si Netflix necesitara más excusas para cancelar sus series.

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Algunos de los enlaces añadidos en el artículo forman parte de campañas de afiliación y pueden representar beneficios para Softonic.

Gone Too Soon: UFC Mourns the Loss of Popular Fighter Felipe Colares

Last Monday, May 1, the world of MMA was shaken by the tragic death of Felipe Colares, a prominent UFC fighter from Brazil.

This past Monday, May 1, the MMA world was rocked by the tragic passing of Felipe Colares, a prominent UFC fighter from Brazil. Just 29 years old, Colares suffered a fatal accident in Rio de Janeiro while on his way home from training at the gym.

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It was Rodrigo Balbi, Colares’ trainer, who shared the terrible news with the world. According to him, a bus ran over the athlete and as a result, firefighters had to intervene at the scene of the accident to rescue Colares. Despite the immense effort invested, the wrestler died in the ambulance itself due to the serious injuries he suffered after the bus hit him.

Just a few months ago, Colares made Brazilian headlines by foiling a robbery in the middle of the street. The images recorded that day showed the wrestler pinning the offender to the ground while waiting for the security forces. Colares himself explained that when he saw that the man was “unarmed, they immobilized him with jiu-jitsu techniques.

In addition to Colares’ sporting success, the fighter also managed to stand out thanks to his social commitment. He actively participated in a government program called “Empoderadas” (Empowered), which he coordinated with the aim of combating gender violence and teaching self-defense techniques to women in vulnerable situations.

Throughout his career, Felipe Colares harvested a total of 11 wins and 4 losses. From February 2019 to May 2021, he participated in 6 UFC events, where he earned two wins against Domingo Pilarte (2019) and Luke Sanders (2021). Unfortunately, after two consecutive losses to Chris Gutierres and Chase Hooper in 2021 and 2022, Colares disassociated himself from the UFC and joined Ares FC. In his last professional fight, we saw the fighter defeat Alioune Nahaye last February 17 in Paris during the Ares FC 12 event.

Who Will Take the Throne? A Look at Succession’s Near End Finale

The most popular HBO Max series at the moment is called Succession and it has millions of viewers on edge. Who will get to seize power?

Since Logan Roy’s death, the largest telecommunications company in the United States has been without leadership. Although it may seem that the brothers are working together to achieve the same goal and start new businesses, the reality is quite different.

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As you may recall, Matsson managed to buy Waystar Royco with a sky-high offer, provided the board of directors added the ATN news channel to the deal.

The brothers forced the machine and got – unwittingly – a deal much more advantageous than I thought, not even Logan Roy would have been able to reach such a figure: $192 per share. The target was $143.

The duel for Logan Roy finally arrives

Normally, when a family member passes away, their children take time to grieve. In Succession, Shiv Roy schedules her mourning, setting aside an empty meeting room somewhere in the bowels of one of Waystar RoyCo’s Los Angeles properties to mourn for a few minutes.

Roman Roy dismisses anyone who wakes the dragon (sorry, this is another successor to a very different throne) and listens to an edited video of his dead father’s voice insulting him over and over and over again, only to hear his voice, his name on his father’s lips.

And Kendall, well, gets his father up on stage with him at the Investor Day presentation and has a macabre, gimmicky conversation with Logan for all the world to see. He keeps trying to bust the Lukas Mattson deal and, while no one trusts his harebrained schemes, he actually succeeds.

Living+, Kendall’s craze

The idea is Living+ and Mattson hates it. Kendall cynically describes it as a plan to “warehouse old people and keep them drunk on content while we suck them dry.” By the end of the episode, it’s a visionary app that could turn the company around.

Living+ is the gated community of the future, a high-tech real estate project that promises security, entertainment and, most importantly, eternal life. Sort of. “If not forever,” Kendall says at one point, “live…more forever.”

For the time being, Living+ promises a future with all the comforts that technology has to offer and medical care that only billionaires can currently receive.

Succession what happens after the death of Logan Roy

It’s a pipe dream, but not that far-fetched. And why not? Why not also invent fake figures to drive Waystar RoyCo’s price up over bad weather? On screen, Logan Roy’s ghost promises to “double” profits, but it’s all fake.

It’s all a lie, a not-so-subtle edit of what the Roy patriarch actually said, edited by a beleaguered worker who Greg forces into the task.

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Nobody should take this deal for granted because the series still has a few chapters left and I’m sure Matsson has come up with something to punish the Roy’s. He doesn’t seem like the type to sit idly by after losing. He doesn’t seem like the type to sit idly by after losing.

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Gordon Lightfoot, folk music legend, dies at 84

Gordon Lightfoot, one of the singers who shaped Canada, died of natural causes at the age of 84, leaving the world of music an orphan.

“In the early morning rain with a dollar in my hand…”. So began one of the best songs in history, ‘Early Morning Rain’, one of the many fabulous hits composed by Gordon Lightfoot, one of the singers who shaped Canada. Yesterday, at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, he passed away of natural causes at the age of 84, leaving the music world an orphan.

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If I could read your mind, love

Gordon Lightfoot was born on November 17, 1938 and defined the fusion of folk with other styles in the mid-1960s. His songs spoke of roads, boats, rivers, loneliness, love and heartbreak, they smelled of early morning taverns and kisses you no longer feel, they sounded like hugs and farewells on a platform. It was so popular that his songs were covered by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash or Harry Belafonte, among many others.

Lightfoot learned to play the piano, drums, was interested in orchestration and jazz movements: music pulsed through his veins. So much so, that his first performance was at school, during a day when fathers and mothers were present. He leaves behind 21 studio albums and three live albums in which he gives a good account of his history as a musician: the last one, on March 20, 2020, was, moreover, the first solo recording. Genius and figure.

Lightfoot had cancelled his tour a few weeks earlier due to his health, but nothing foreshadowed this end for an artist who was always in good shape. The world has lost a voice full of nuances that brought back memories of things you never lived. Rest in peace, Gordon.

Tech Giants Unite: Apple and Google Team Up to Tackle Unwanted Tracking

The final implementation will take place at the end of the year and will arrive, through a software update, both on iOS and Android.

Apple and Google have just jointly submitted a proposed specification to address the misuse of Bluetooth location tracking devices. A specification that will enable tracking devices to support unauthorized tracking detection and present relevant alerts on iOS and Android. Companies such as Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security and Pebblebee already support the proposal.

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Equal parts comfort and safety

Ron Huang, vice president of Sensing and Connectivity at Apple, noted that AirTag and the Find network were built with proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking and that the new specification builds on these protections. For his part, Dave Burke, vice president of Android Engineering at Google, mentioned that Android will continue to develop robust safeguards and collaborate with industry to combat the misuse of Bluetooth tracking devices.

“Apple launched AirTag to give users peace of mind in knowing where to find their most important items,” says Ron Huang. “We created AirTag and the Find My network with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking – an industry first – and we continue to make enhancements to help ensure the technology is used as intended.”

“This new industry specification builds on AirTag protections, and through collaboration with Google results in a critical step forward to help combat unwanted tracking across iOS and Android.”

Various security and defense groups were involved in the development of the specification. Always seeking to cover all the flanks in terms of the abuse of this technology and, even so, offering the convenience and versatility of being able to detect lost objects easily.

The proposed specification was submitted as a draft through the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a leading standards development organization. The draft will remain in the testing and commenting phase for three months and then both Apple and Google will act on the feedback received. Finally, the final implementation will occur at the end of the year and will arrive, through a software update, to both iOS and Android.

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Does a 15-inch MacBook Air make sense at WWDC 2023?

We are not talking about power, about the best chips, we are talking about a large and, as far as possible, affordable laptop: a winning combination.

Gurman says we will see it, but does it really make sense? The ability to choose a larger screen size without having to go to computers with the last name Pro gives us more options when it comes to choice, clearly. But does it conflict with the very concept of the ultraportable?

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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to announce the long-awaited 15-inch MacBook Air at the Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC 2023. This new laptop would share the stage with iOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10 and its new widgets, tvOS 17 and Apple’s long-awaited augmented and virtual reality headset.

A large and affordable laptop: a winning combination

The idea of a 15-inch MacBook Air is not new; rumors began in early 2021, with the most recent ones leaking that the production of display panels for this laptop has accelerated in recent months. The main source of this information is the well-known journalist Mark Gurman, which already gives us a great credibility to this rumor, even if for now it is just that.

As far as we know, the 15-inch MacBook Air would use the same M2 chip as the 13-inch model. Within that, as analyst Ming-Chi Kuo commented a few days ago, it would offer multiple CPU and GPU configurations. This means that, in terms of performance, there wouldn’t be a huge difference between the two screen sizes.

So why a 15-inch MacBook Air? The answer seems to be in the options. By offering a larger screen without having to opt for the Pro models, or even the M3 or the M2 Pro or M2 Ultra, Apple is giving us more choice in choosing the laptop that best suits our needs. It is relatively common to prefer a larger screen to work with more space for content without needing more power.

The same office tasks, which are very common, benefit greatly from a larger screen. True, one could argue that the very concept of the ultra-light MacBook Air clashes directly with a laptop with a 15-inch screen, but when it comes to taste, nothing is set in stone.

We have already seen a similar move in the iPhone, where the iPhone mini has been replaced by the Plus, which, without offering the features or costing the price of a Pro, gives us a considerable screen to enjoy the content.

We assume at all times that, by keeping in line with the MacBook Air, the price of the 15-inch model is expected to be considerably more affordable compared to a 16-inch MacBook Pro. True, we’re not talking about a mini-LED screen, like the one in the professional range, but we don’t find one of those in the entry-level MacBook Air models either.

In terms of design, no major changes have been leaked for the 15-inch MacBook Air, beyond its larger screen size. The new model is expected to feature the same notch for a 1080p camera, a MagSafe 3 charging port, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Magic Keyboard with scissor mechanism and Touch ID button, and a Force Touch trackpad. About the colors we would talk about the classic Silver, Star White, Space Gray and Midnight.

Seen what we have seen, it seems that a 15-inch MacBook Air at WWDC 2023 makes perfect sense, as it gives us more options to choose the laptop that best suits our needs and budget. A laptop that can easily be used for development, at least to get started on it, and has a good stage and context at the developer conference. We are not talking about power, the best chips, we are talking about a large and, as far as possible, affordable laptop: a winning combination.

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The incredible hoax about Cristiano Ronaldo and kebabs believed by the Spanish media

Cristiano Ronaldo, hoaxes, journalism and kebabs. This story is more than news: it is a symptom.

At this point in the 21st century, we all know what fake news is. There are even media such as The Onion or El Mundo Today focused on them, and nothing happens. What nobody expected is that, nowadays, someone would be so gullible as to take a piece of news from one of these two portals and believe it to the point of publishing it in national newspapers. Cristiano Ronaldo, hoaxes, journalism and kebabs. This story is more than news: it is a symptom.

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CR7 and the hoaxes

“Fan account, parody account, does not impersonate, does not affiliate with anyone”: this is the biography of the Twitter account that has given rise to a whole soccer conflict and that already gives clues that it may not have reliable information. The CR7 Timeline, as it is called, posted on April 24 a tweet about Mousalli Al-Muammar, the president of Al-Nassr, the team where the Portuguese player now plays and which featured some of his not very positive statements towards the player.

“I have only been ripped off twice in my life. The first was when I ordered 3 kebabs and there were only 2. The second was when I signed Cristiano Ronaldo”. And about the source of the news, an account that writes in Arabic with over 19 million followers, @SaudiNews50. Maybe the kebab thing could give a clue, since it is not the typical food of Saudi Arabia and responds more to a racist stereotype, but nevertheless some journalists did not end up connecting the dots.

On April 27, Cuatro gave the news as real, although it later deleted the tweet. They were not the only ones: La Vanguardia, Mundo Deportivo, El Español, Sport, Semana and many other online newspapers gave it as true, always looking for fodder in the world of soccer. Even Al-Nassr’s press officer had to make a statement to the EFE news agency: “The statements are false, they are true neither in form nor in content”.

It is surprising that in 2023 this has to be said, but we should not rely too much on everything that is said on the Internet if we do not want to be the one who is offended by Andrés Trasado or takes El Mundo Today for granted. Nowadays, no one would want to become that person on the rebound.

Screenwriters vs. Artificial Intelligence: Hollywood strike has ChatGPT as an enemy

The writers union strike has an unexpected rival: artificial intelligence. Discover the fears of writers to this tool.

The screenwriters’ strike is already a reality in Hollywood. The Screenwriters Guild of America (WGA) has begun, as of May 1, a strike calling for a stoppage of all screenwriting and scriptwriting activities for audiovisual products. In this way, the writers seek to fight for better conditions in the industry.

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The main reason for this strike is the salary of screenwriters. Despite the fact that, in the last decade, series budgets have increased by up to 50%, writers’ salaries have fallen by an average of 4%. If we add to this the fact that they work more hours than ever and that the new era of series means that fewer and fewer scriptwriters have work -there are fewer chapters and fewer seasons-, the situation gets worse.

Another big request from screenwriters is that they should be correctly paid royalties, since the opacity of platforms such as Netflix or HBO Max means that they do not know how many people watch a series, movie or program, and that ends up having repercussions in that they do not earn the royalties due to them.

But one of the most conflictive points of the screenwriters in this struggle has to do not even with their conditions, but with a danger that can arrive at any time: Artificial Intelligence. The WGA has asked the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the producers’ association that organizes these deals, to prohibit the use of AI in any part of the writing process. And, so far, the alliance has refused.

Is ChatGPT a threat to writers?

We have been warning for some months now about the danger that Artificial Intelligence can bring to many jobs. While it is a unique opportunity to grow as a society, it is also generating many conflicts, especially in artistic disciplines.

Images generated by AIs such as Midjourney, Dall-E or Stable Diffusion have already provoked complaints from illustrators and cartoonists around the globe. The main problem they accuse these tools of is plagiarism, and it is also harming the work of many artists who have lost the opportunity to create posters or even comics because of their own stroke.

In the case of writing, it’s three quarters of the same. ChatGPT is a tool that more and more people are integrating, and while most people use it for mundane tasks like making a grocery list or writing an email, there are already many who are taking advantage of it in the workplace.

From AI-written storytelling to creating election programs, everything can be done through ChatGPT and similar chatbots. Of course, scripts can also be made, and although their quality is not yet up to Hollywood standards, producers are what they are… and it wouldn’t be surprising if they want to use this free labor rather than spend money on expert scriptwriters.

Can ChatGPT write a good script?

But is ChatGPT ready to carry out a script for a series or movie? It’s something that has even been tested in an episode of South Park, and it certainly may be a trend for the future. But we did the test three months ago… and we have our own conclusions.

  1. ChatGPT, obviously, pulls from clichés. After running our analysis through three AI-generated synopses, we realized that ChatGPT is nothing more than an umbrella of clichés and clichés that are repeated over and over again in stories. This causes its movie ideas to be rather childish and generally Manichean.
  2. ChatGPT is not able to go deep. Although OpenAI’s tool is able to create a script structure and elaborate a premise, it fails to delve into details and characters. Perhaps, lacking the necessary human awareness behind a story, it struggles the most.
  3. ChatGPT doesn’t know what subtext is. Dialogues are one of the weakest points of the AI. It may be clear what the characters should say, but they don’t have the foggiest idea how they should say it. The hidden intentions, the hidden emotions, the metaphors… everything that really generates a good script is what the AI doesn’t have.
The Life of a Writer (In Gifs) | Whitman's Barbaric Yawp...

Beyond that, we could analyze many more beginner – or robot – AI mistakes, but what is clear is that it is not yet ready to make even an Elite script. And, from what we know about the future of chatbots, it doesn’t look like much is going to change anytime soon.

However, knowing the studios, always under the umbrella of big companies, it is clear that the WGA is right to protect itself. Art is the only thing we have to differentiate ourselves from machines… no matter how hard they try.

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