When it seemed like there were no more music artists left to portray in a biopic, Hollywood surprises us with another one. After Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, and Bob Dylan, now it’s Bruce Springsteen’s turn to have his own movie. Written and directed by Scott Cooper, as reported by Variety, the movie doesn’t have a studio yet, but A24 is a strong contender.
And the actor who is strongly rumored to play the king of rock and roll is Jeremy Allen White. The Emmy-winning actor for The Bear —and current partner of our beloved Rosalía— is the top candidate to star in this biopic.
An adaptation of Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s
The film is marketed as a direct adaptation of the best-selling book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, written by Warren Zanes. The manuscript tells the story of the singer’s process of creating his sixth studio album, which perfectly encapsulated the singer’s style.
This technology is going to come whether we like it or not,” Mayor Eric Adams said, “so we’re going to make sure we do it right.” Robotaxis are a reality.
The city of New York announced a new permit system for companies interested in testing autonomous vehicles on its roads, which includes the requirement that a human safety driver sits behind the wheel at all times. Curious approval.
While cities like San Francisco continue to grapple with the issues posed by driverless rental vehicles, New York City is trying to get ahead of the problem by outlining what it calls “a rigorous permitting program” that, it claims, will ensure that applicants are “prepared to safely and competently test their technology in the country’s most challenging urban environment.”
“This technology is going to arrive whether we like it or not,” said Mayor Eric Adams in statements to The Verge, “so we are going to make sure to do it right.”
Unexplained stops. Incensed firefighters. Cars named Oregano. The robotaxis are officially here. Riding with Cruise and Waymo during their debut in San Francisco. https://t.co/Fl5Aqaoscs
The requirements would exclude companies without previous experience in autonomous vehicle testing in other cities. Applicants would have to provide information on previous tests, including details on any accidents that have occurred and the frequency with which safety drivers have to take control of the vehicle.
And in what will surely be the most controversial provision: driverless vehicles will not be allowed to conduct tests on public roads in the city; only vehicles with safety drivers will be permitted.
A small handful of companies, including Waymo and Cruise, have deployed driverless vehicles, also known as level 4 automation, but issues related to traffic congestion and safety have hindered their deployment.
Last October, a driverless Cruise vehicle dragged a pedestrian over six meters to the sidewalk on a street in San Francisco, leading regulators to suspend the company’s operating permit.
Several months later, a driverless Waymo vehicle hit a cyclist, causing minor injuries. San Francisco city officials have criticized both companies for blocking roads and obstructing buses and emergency vehicles.
The city of New York hopes to avoid similar issues by requiring companies to have security drivers in vehicles at all times.
Car manufacturers and technology companies testing electric vehicles tend to flock to states with more favorable regulations (such as Arizona and Texas) or to locations closer to their headquarters (such as California).
New York is neither one nor the other, but it represents one of the largest taxi markets in the world and, therefore, is a suitable target for robotaxi companies.
The new guidelines from the Office of Management and Budget require an annual inventory of all AI systems used by federal agencies.
From now on, all US federal agencies must have a senior official overseeing all AI systems they use, as the government wants to ensure that the use of AI in public service remains safe. Another move by Biden regarding AI regulation.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced the new guidelines from the OMB in a briefing with journalists and said that agencies must also establish AI governance councils to coordinate how AI is used within the agency.
Agencies will also have to submit an annual report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) listing all the AI systems they use, the associated risks, and how they plan to mitigate them.
What is it and what is Biden looking for with federal AI regulators
“We have instructed all federal agencies to designate an AI responsible with the expertise, knowledge, and authority to oversee all AI technologies used by that agency, and this is to ensure that AI is used responsibly, understanding that we must have high-level leaders in our government who are specifically tasked with overseeing the adoption and use of AI,” Harris told journalists.
The Director of Artificial Intelligence does not have to be a political position, although it depends on the structure of the federal agency. The governing bodies must be created before the summer.
This directive expands on the policies previously announced in the Biden Administration’s executive order on AI, which required federal offices to create safety standards and increase the number of AI talents working in the government.
President Biden ordered every federal agency to hire a chief AI officer (CAIO) by the start of 2024.@POTUSpic.twitter.com/J0D2864ReX
Some organizations have started hiring AI chiefs even before today’s announcement. The Department of Justice announced in February the appointment of Jonathan Mayer as its first CAIO. He will lead a team of cybersecurity experts to figure out how to use AI in law enforcement.
The US Government plans to hire 100 AI professionals by the summer, according to OMB President Shalanda Young.
Part of the responsibility of AI managers and governance committees is to regularly monitor their AI systems. According to Young, organizations must provide an inventory of the AI products they use.
Agencies also have to independently assess the security risk of each AI platform they use.
According to the new guidelines, all government-owned AI models, codes, and data must be made public unless they pose a risk to government operations.
The United States still does not have laws regulating AI. The executive order on AI provides guidelines to government agencies dependent on the executive power on how to address the technology. Although several bills regulating some aspects of AI have been introduced, there has not been much movement to legislate AI technologies.
After approximately one week on the lunar surface, the astronauts will bring back the samples of the seedlings to analyze them.
Almost a decade ago, the astronauts of the International Space Station enjoyed a meal of historical significance, as it was the first one that included food -although only lettuce- grown and harvested in space.
This was a milestone for NASA, which is looking for ways to feed astronauts on future deep space missions, where large amounts of food cannot be transported.
?? #Update: @NASA's #Artemis 3 astronauts will carry plants to the moon in 2026, setting up a lunar mini-greenhouse!
LEAF (Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora) is one of the three #NASA science experiments that will study how space crops fare in the lunar environment. pic.twitter.com/taJkD8RU8i
LEAF, created by Space Lab Technologies, based in Colorado, will investigate the effects of the lunar surface environment on space crops and will be the first experiment to observe photosynthesis, growth, and systemic plant stress responses under conditions of space radiation and partial gravity, NASA said.
The payload of the LEAF Beta, which includes a plant growth chamber with isolated atmosphere, will protect the plants from excessive lunar sunlight, radiation, and vacuum of space, while observing their photosynthesis, growth, and stress responses, according to the Space Laboratory.
After approximately one week on the lunar surface, the astronauts will bring back the samples of the seedlings to analyze them in detail under laboratory conditions. It will not be the first time that plants are grown on the lunar surface, as China grew a cotton plant there in a short-duration experiment in 2019.
The NASA also selected two other scientific experiments for the Artemis III mission. The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) is a set of compact and autonomous seismometers for long-term monitoring of the lunar seismic environment.
While the Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) will measure the lunar soil’s ability to propagate an electric field, which could help in the search for resources, especially ice.
The technology it incorporates is quite basic: it has a tiny 1/2.33-inch sensor, the same size as most smartphones.
After the Yashica Night Vision 4K binoculars in February 2024, we now have the smallest mirrorless camera in the world, the Micro Mirrorless Yashica – I’m Back. We can’t deny that the name is quite curious.
The Micro Mirrorless is a palm-sized interchangeable lens camera compatible with three new lenses. Additionally, it can be adapted to work with lenses from other brands, including Sony’s E-mount… although if this option is chosen, all the advantages of its compact size will be counteracted.
A very complete and 100% functional camera
With dimensions of only 50 x 77 mm, the Micro Mirrorless has a tilting screen that can be rotated for selfies, and the complete kit ($399) includes a tripod and a selfie stick, as well as a remote control, a battery grip, and three lenses: normal, wide-angle, and telephoto.
The technology it incorporates is quite basic: it has a tiny 1/2.33-inch sensor the same size as most low-cost smartphones, and that’s how the camera and lenses can be so small.
However, its creators believe that it will surpass your smartphone in quality, especially with its selection of three lenses. However, most modern camera phones have intelligent computational image processing and come with multiple lenses, so it is almost certain that your iPhone 15 Pro or your Pixel 8 take better photos.
Aww, so cute! The Yashica and I'm Back Micro Mirrorless is the world's smallest interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. https://t.co/bZmpV9WIyI
It may be the smallest, but it is unlikely that the Micro Mirrorless will be one of the best mirrorless cameras on the market.
No, the true appeal of a camera system like this lies in completely eliminating the need for a smartphone, rather than surpassing it in terms of quality, and the Micro Mirrorless seems to have enough charm to tempt the “point and shoot” generation to do just that to capture memories and travel.
It is important to distinguish between what Yashica was and what it is now. The 75-year-old Japanese brand of analog TLR and SLR cameras ceased production in 2005 and since then, its brand has been acquired and consequently used for projects like this one, which appeared on Kickstarter in March 2024.
Sony reveals to us which are the next games that will arrive for free within the PS Plus service, PlayStation’s subscription…
The best thing about the end of the month… is that Sony reveals to us which are the next games that will arrive for free within the PS Plus service, the PlayStation subscription that allows us to play online and save our game progress in the cloud. Here you have the prices of all their updated rates.
As we mentioned, PlayStation has announced the next batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The April 2024 PS Plus Essential subscription includes the following three games: Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends, and Skul: The Hero Slayer.
This game, a grand and overwhelming story of elite battle mages coming together to save the world, allows you to harness arcane powers within its first-person magical shooting design.
It also features a old-school single player design, a great cast to interact with, and a fascinating world to explore as you perfect your gameplay style through three magical forces and slowly transform into the powerful Triarch Magnus.
Minecraft Legends, perfect for spending the afternoons
Minecraft Legends is a cool spin-off of the main game, which changes its open-world design for an action and strategy approach. With Piglins on the loose, it’s up to you to form alliances with new friends, lead your forces into battle, and defend the Overworld from a sinister threat.
For an extra challenge, you can face your friends in combat or team up with them to defeat cunning opponents in their fortified settlements.
Skul: The Hero Slayer
The third game available this month for PS Plus subscribers is Skul: The Hero Slayer. Playing as the humble skeleton Skul, you will have to face a band of heroic adventurers after they attacked the Demon King and imprisoned all your friends.
This is a unique 2D action and platform game with lush pixel-art graphics and fluid combat, as well as a constantly changing map. There is a unique arsenal of weapons and abilities to unlock in the game, allowing you to mix things up and use impressive skeletal skills to aid you in your quest.
?♂️ Desata la magia en Immortals of Aveum de #PS5 ? Conviértete en leyenda en Minecraft Legends de #PS4 y #PS5 ? Sobrevive al roguelike de Skul: The hero slayer de #PS4
Finally, PS Plus subscribers can get an Overwatch 2 bundle. This bundle includes a legendary Beekeeper Sigma skin, a legendary Art Deco Symmetra skin, seven epic skins, and five battle pass level boosts.
There are only a few days left to get the PS Plus games for March 2024. Right now, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Sifu, Hello Neighbor 2, and F1 23 can still be added to your collection.
While Marvel Studios enters a crisis that can only be saved by projects like X-Men ’97 and DC creates its own universe for the umpteenth time —but, hey, this time with James Gunn—, Legendary Pictures goes about its business with the most difficult universe to assemble but that is yielding the best results: the one with gigantic monsters fighting each other.
Little by little and with directors committed to the cause, as Adam Wingard has shown to be, Legendary has been shaping the so-called Monsterverse, a film universe starring none other than Godzilla and King Kong. The mythical monsters have become charismatic characters that the audience both loves and fears, and every time a new movie from this universe comes out, the audience rushes to the theaters as they did back in the day with Transformers – perhaps its true reference in this sense.
With the Monsterverse, Legendary is doing what Japan started back in the day but few have dared to do later: putting gigantic creatures to fight each other. And, well, despite it may seem like a simplistic narrative at first glance, it is clear that it is working perfectly, both in terms of box office success and the quality of its scenes and effects.
Now, with Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire, Wingard faces a new challenge. After doing almost the impossible with Godzilla vs. Kong, he has decided to bring together the two most popular monsters in film history to face a new threat together. Undoubtedly, the premise already seems crazy, but the film promises to be a festival of spectacle that doesn’t give any respite.
The ultimate film of the Monsterverse
The premise of Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire already makes it clear that it is a movie like very few in its kind. After working on the construction of a unique universe, they have created a story that can only be conceived under very specific conditions:
“This latest installment continues the explosive confrontation of Godzilla vs. Kong with a completely new cinematic adventure, which pits the Almighty Kong and the Dreadful Godzilla against a colossal threat yet to be discovered and hidden in our world, endangering their own existence… and ours. The new and epic film will delve into the history of these Titans, their origins, and the mysteries of Skull Island and other places, while uncovering the mythical battle that helped shape these extraordinary beings and forever connected them to humanity.”
To get more clues about Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire, the best thing is to approach Monarch: The Legacy of the Monsters, the exclusive series from Apple TV+ that expands the Monsterverse in a very interesting way. Although it was something that was already warned in the previous films, everything behind this universe is much bigger, and it is clear that it can continue to expand almost indefinitely.
But what is the critics saying about Godzilla vs. Kong: The new empire? The ratings on Rotten Tomatoes have not been released yet, which will surely clarify if it has been a great success or not, but there are already viewers who have been able to take a look at the premiere, and their comments make it quite clear that it lives up to what has been seen so far.
GODZILLA X KONG is an absurdly fun ride. A teaming of titans with tremendous scale and a fast-paced adventure. This movie knows to deliver pure fun on a huge scale. My advice, just strap in and enjoy the ride. pic.twitter.com/w8WCk2c0C1
“GODZILLA X KONG is an absurdly fun journey. A team of titans with tremendous scale and a thrilling adventure. This movie knows how to offer pure fun on a grand scale. My advice: buckle up and enjoy the ride”.
#GodzillaXKong is a really great King Kong movie. The human stuff is notably clunky (poor Rebecca Hall saddled with so much dry exposition) but Kong has so many scenes centered on him and I just loved the big guy. And the final fight sequences are pure monster mayhem delight. pic.twitter.com/un2iVtHz8f
“Godzilla vs Kong is a great King Kong movie. The human material is notably clumsy (poor Rebecca Hall carries so much dry exposition), but Kong has many scenes focused on him and I loved the big guy. And the final fight sequences are pure delight of monster chaos”.
YO!#GodzillaXKong was a BLAST!! A giant action packed monster mashing exciting experience! The VFX get wonky at times and the human story is again chock-full of exposition dumps, but the cast makes it a good time! What’s even better is MORE monsters this time! See it in IMAX! pic.twitter.com/936D1yloyq
“Godzilla vs Kong has been an EXPLOSION!! A giant monster filled with action that crushes an exciting experience! The visual effects become unstable at times and the human story is once again filled with exposition dumps, but the cast makes it a good time! What’s even better is MORE monsters this time! Watch it in IMAX!”
There is no doubt that the excitement is through the roof with this new Monsterverse movie. We will see if it meets the expectations of the general public, although for now it couldn’t look any better.
A Pokémon GO player has come across a big surprise upon returning after a long break. Specifically, it was an extremely rare Pokémon that, as of today, can no longer be obtained in the Niantic game.
Pokémon GO has evolved a lot since its release in 2016, both in terms of the large number of Pokémon we now have available and the number of activities we can do. If you are one of those users who abandoned the game shortly after its release, it is likely that today you may find something “special“, just like this player did.
The user named Minimum-Order posted on Reddit explaining their situation. After several years without playing, they decided to try Pokémon GO again. According to the user, they picked up an egg from a PokéStop in 2016, which they kept in the incubator since then. When the egg hatched, a Staryu came out, a first-generation Pokémon. However, what made this Staryu special was one of its attacks, called Quick Attack, which currently does not exist in Pokémon GO.
This belongs to the legacy moves. These moves are the ones that a Pokémon could learn in the past, but that no longer exist in Pokémon GO. Many Reddit users urged the owner of this peculiar Staryu to keep it, as it had just become one of the rarest Pokémon in the game.
We hope to see if the Redditor will share the evolution of Staryu, to become Starmie!
Marvel has the elements to make a great game in the style of Overwatch, and they are going to demonstrate it with their new game, named Marvel Rivals.
Overwatch was one of the most popular and unexpectedly popular games in video game history. The reasons are evident: charismatic characters, mechanics that are easy to understand and difficult to master, and an emphasis on fun over competitiveness. As they moved away from that over time, the audience also moved away from the game. And when Overwatch 2 definitively broke away from all of that, it fell from grace in a way that once seemed impossible.
For that reason, many people miss the original Overwatch experience. Including us. Something that seems like NetEase has decided to embrace in their new game, a cooperative 5v5 team PVP with unique powers. With a twist. Its name is Marvel Rivals.
As the name suggests, the game uses characters from the famous comic company to give us a very similar experience to the original Overwatch. While we still don’t know the details, the premise seems to be that Galacta, the often forgotten daughter of Galactus who made her first appearance in Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #2, has kidnapped a group of superheroes and supervillains to fight each other. A premise similar to the Secret Wars arc, written by Jim Shooter and drawn by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton between 1984 and 1985, where Beyonder did exactly the same thing.
What has been hinted so far, in terms of gameplay, seems exactly the same as Overwatch. Although with some interesting additions. On one hand, we have the destructibility of scenarios, similar to The Finals, which adds a new strategic layer to the whole. On the other hand, we have team-ups, which seem to be special attacks that require two characters joining forces to perform them. Although we still don’t know the details, these can be significant changes that make their premise even more interesting.
Regarding the characters, we already know nineteen of them, although we don’t know if all of them will be playable. Although we don’t know if Galacta will be among the playable characters, we have been able to see in the trailer Rocket Racoon, Star Lord, Black Panther, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, Namor, Magneto, Magik, Storm, Peni Parker, Luna Snow, Loki, Hulk, Spider-Man, Groot, Mantis, Punisher, and Magneto. An impressive roster, coming from all corners of the Marvel universe, that has a little something for everyone, and a lot for X-Men fans.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t notable absences within this official selection. The fact that Captain America, Thor, or Black Widow don’t appear is quite surprising, given their success within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although we have no doubt that this is only the initial roster and that more characters will be included over time, if even more initial characters don’t appear.
Although they haven’t said anything about the monetization of the game, being a NetEase game it is assumed that it will be a free-to-play game with all kinds of microtransactions. In the past, they have had questionable practices in this regard, with Diablo Immortal being particularly notorious for its extremely aggressive monetization. In any case, we emphasize that we do not know what their system will be like and whether the monetization will include only skins, characters, or something else.
If you are interested in this Marvel Rivals, you should know that you won’t have to wait long to try it. Its closed alpha will start next May, and it will be exclusively available for PC. So if you like Overwatch and Marvel characters, you’re in luck: this game is specifically made for you.
According to Phil Spencer, CEO of Xbox, the reason for having to lay off 1,900 people is that the market is not in the situation he would like.
Seeing an executive take the blame for something is like black holes: we know it happens somewhere because of the effects it has, but it is invisible to the human eye. No matter the decisions they make, they always have reasons to do so. Even if the rest of humanity sees clearly that more than reasons, they are excuses. Something in which it seems that Xbox CEO, Phil Spencer, is not the exception.
In an interview with Chris Plante from Polygon, Phil Spencer has talked about the state of the video game industry. Explaining that there are now many more risks when it comes to producing a AAA release, he emphasized that the development costs and audience expectations make the playing field very different from years ago. With publishers becoming increasingly reluctant to take risks, as where it used to be necessary to sell hundreds of thousands of copies to recoup costs or achieve profits, now it is necessary to sell millions.
In Spencer’s words, the motivation for these layoffs is because “we are a business. I’ve said it over and over again. I don’t have the luxury of not having to run a business that grows in profits within Microsoft”. Stating that the problem is that the video game industry is “an industry that is not growing”, he believes that “it can grow and will grow again”, emphasizing that “we should all reflect on it and think about it”. A comment devoid of any sensitivity, considering that the human impact has been two thousand layoffs under his leadership after the industry’s biggest acquisition. Especially considering that it is not true that there is no growth in the industry.
Furthermore, he is optimistic about the Xbox brand, at least in terms of the entity. Stating that this industry situation is what has led them to seek to launch their games on other platforms, he also states that “the console market has not grown in the last year”, which is not true, in addition to the change in consumption habits of Generation Z, who do not see the Xbox as a device to connect to the television, which is also not true, leads them to find it more interesting to bring their games to all kinds of platforms.
The result of the interview is Phil Spencer trying to justify firing 1,900 people and an unpopular change in business strategy by claiming that the industry has not grown according to their own expectations. Something very different from not growing at all. This demonstrates how, at the end of the day, the problem with the video game industry is not its lack of growth, but the need of some people to justify their mistakes.
