Florida judge wears VR helmet to visit «crime scene» and see events through the eyes of the accused
It seems like for the first time in history, VR technology was used as evidence in court.
«Shake it and talk»: the Ministry of Digital Transformation will have a voice assistant to receive complaints against officials
The head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, has announced a new service for citizens to interact with the government—a voice assistant that will allow users to complain about poorly provided government services.
The star of the series «The Squid Game» was disappointed with the finale of Season 2 and expected «curses from the audience»
The long-awaited second season of “Squid Game” has become the biggest launch in Netflix history, breaking the record of its predecessor, but it has faced some criticism from viewers.
«Private conversations and sex sounds»: Apple to pay $95 million for «unintentional» Siri spying on users
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing Siri of recording users’ confidential conversations.
Development of GTA 6 cost «to $2 billion», but the game will pay off in the first year with $3.2 billion in revenue, — Financial Times
GTA 6 to rake in more in its first year than the highest-grossing film of all time.
Warner Bros. is working on «Dune 4» without Denis Villeneuve — and a new series in the same universe (insider)
Even though “Dune 3” (“Dune: Messiah”) hasn’t even started shooting, Warner Bros. and Legendary are already working on a fourth film—according to an industry insider report by Daniel Richtman.
Caltech scientists calculate the speed of human thought — millions of times slower than Wi-Fi
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology say that the speed of human thought reaches just 10 bits per second — and that’s incredibly slow. Meanwhile, the sensory systems of the human body perform significantly better, collecting data about our environment at a rate of a billion bits per second.
Editor’s choice: ITC.ua names the movie of the year 2024
If we were asked to characterize the year 2024 for the film industry, it could probably be summed up in just two words — “sequel triumph.” In March, the much-anticipated “Dune 2” launched with a decent box office, and later its success was matched and even surpassed by the third “Deadpool” and the sequel to…
44% of Ukrainians donated from every salary in 2024, and learned about the collections from friends, — Rakuten Viber survey
According to a recent Rakuten Viber survey involving around 30,000 users, 63% of Ukrainians are actively donating in 2024, while 27% are helping “in other ways.”
A new Chinese AI model calls itself ChatGPT. Here’s why it’s happening
Last week, a Chinese AI lab released a new “open” AI model called DeepSeek, which outperforms many competitors in popular tests (including programming and essay writing), but it has one interesting feature—it thinks it’s ChatGPT.
«Squid Game 2» broke the record of the first season and topped the Netflix charts in all countries
The long-awaited second season of “Squid Game,” although it disappointed some fans, set a new record in Netflix history.
Apple iPhone SE 4 price appeared in the latest leak — less than expected
It was thought that the new “budget” iPhone from Apple, set to drop in March 2025, would be priced at $500-600, but according to info from Japanese carriers (via Phonearena), it might even be less (think $499).
Netflix requires that writers «voice over the actions of characters» — for viewers watching content in the background
Netflix screenwriters told N+1 Magazine (via World of Reel) that the streaming execs have a specific demand when it comes to content creation, which makes life easier for those viewers who watch movies and series “with one eye” — meaning in the background while doing other stuff.
«Nosferatu» earned $40 million in 5 days of release «at home» — record for Robert Eggers’ films
“Nosferatu” scored Robert Eggers’ best debut among his films, raking in $40 million in just 5 days in North America — which, by the way, is about 50% of the total box office of “The Northman,” another popular flick by the director.
Glovo’s biggest fan spent UAH 274,000 on food, and the record-breaking courier drove 23,000 km, — service results for 2024
Following Uklon and Bolt, the courier service Glovo has also summed up its year.
Apple has stopped selling the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE in Europe — due to the lack of a USB-C port
Starting today, Apple is pulling the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE 3 from its online store in most EU countries due to a new law requiring devices to have a USB-C port, reports Macrumors.
Sony boss: «Madame Web» and «Craven Hunter» — these are «good» movies that were destroyed by critics, provoking bad reviews
Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra, in an interview with Los Angeles Times (via Variety), stated that “Madame Web” was a good movie, but it tanked at the box office because it got review-bombed by the media.
«Spider-Man 4» in trouble: Marvel is disappointed with the script and wants it rewritten (insider Daniel Richtman)
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman (via World of Reel), who cites sources close to the production of “Spider-Man 4”, Marvel boss Kevin Feige wasn’t thrilled with the initial script and is demanding a rewrite, or even possibly a complete cancellation.
«It’s a Disaster»: viewers rated the series «Squid Game 2» a modest 58% on Rotten Tomatoes
Yesterday, season two of “Squid Game” started streaming on Netflix, but it looks like not everyone’s a fan.
HBO’s «Dragon’s Den» became the most «pirated series» in 2024, — TorrentFreak
TorrentFreak released its annual list of the most pirated TV shows of 2024.
Samsung to show Galaxy Ring 2 smart ring in January — with new «square» design, AI features and additional sizes
January 22 marks the kickoff for the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, where alongside the Galaxy S25 series with all its enhanced AI features, we might also see the new version of the Galaxy Ring smart ring and an AR headset, known under the codename “Project Moohan”.
Nova Poshta handled a record 2.24 million parcels on Christmas Eve. What did Ukrainians send most often?
December 23, right before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Nova Poshta set a historic record for its service by processing 2,245,336 shipments.
TOP-5 Ukrainian IT companies that hired juniors most often in 2024 (DOU survey)
In 2024, over 30 Ukrainian IT companies, surveyed by the DOU site, hired 2,970 juniors in the field — for comparison, back in 2022 the figure was a thousand higher, but about 40 enterprises participated in the survey then.
Disney releases a new excerpt from «Snow White», and the trailer is heading for a million dislikes on YouTube
While previous trailers for “Snow White” rack up record dislike counts on YouTube, Disney keeps on dropping new clips.
Netflix releases the second season of «The Squid Game»
The first season of “Squid Game” became the most popular show in Netflix history, and now the streaming service has released the much-awaited sequel. Starting today, 7 episodes of the second season are available for viewing (two fewer than in the first) — in Ukrainian dubbing.
Disney became the first (and only) studio to earn $5 billion in 2024 — half of it came from «Inside Out 2» and «Deadpool and Wolverine»
This year, Disney released two highly anticipated sequels, “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool,” which became box office hits and, along with other products, brought the studio record earnings in 2024 amounting to $5 billion ($2 billion domestic and $3 billion international), reports Deadline.
A third of adults do not know how to delete data from a device, and 23% of young people simply do not care, — survey
The latest survey from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office has revealed a worrying trend — a significant number of adults don’t know how to delete personal data from an old device, while some of the younger generation simply don’t think such measures are important.
«Passports confiscated and wages withheld»: A hundred Chinese workers were found working in slavery conditions at a BYD plant in Brazil
The Brazilian government has halted construction work at the new BYD factory in the northeastern state of Bahia, after discovering 163 Chinese workers living and working “in conditions of slavery,” reports Bloomberg.
Microsoft is secretly looking for third-party AI providers to reduce dependence on OpenAI and save money, — Reuters
Microsoft plans to add third-party AI models to products with Microsoft 365 Copilot—not just to diversify the lineup, but also to reduce dependence on ChatGPT and OpenAI, reports Reuters citing sources within the company.
12% of IT professionals in Ukraine work two jobs, — DOU survey
About 12% of Ukrainian IT pros (out of 13,000 surveyed by DOU website) have a side gig — and that number has significantly increased compared to last year.
DC has renewed the series Creature Commandos for Season 2
The animated series Creature Commandos, helmed by DC co-chair James Gunn, snagged a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes after its debut on December 5 and, as expected, has been renewed for a second season.
Disney has spent «$645 million on Andor» $645 million — it is the most expensive project in the «Star Wars universe»
The cost of producing two seasons of the series “Andor” reached $645 million — $290 million went into filming the second season alone last year, but the final sum could be substantially higher.
Twitter/X has increased the cost of Premium Plus subscription by almost 40%
Starting December 21st, Twitter rolled out new pricing for its premium subscription for users—apparently to “boost payouts to content creators.”
In Lviv, taxis are most often called with iPhones, Kyiv residents are generous with «tips», and Kherson residents like to take early trips, — Uklon
This year, Ukrainians have traveled over 842 million kilometers and spent nearly 14 million hours on the road using the taxi service Uklon.
«It’s chaos». Warner Bros. is nervous about «Superman» after private screenings, and DC plans reshoots
Insider Jeff Snyder (via World of Reel) reports that the version of “Superman” shown at James Gunn’s private screening was “a kind of mess” and got Warner Bros. “nervous” about the upcoming movie.
Apple is working on a smart doorbell with Face ID, — Mark Gurman
According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple is working on a smart doorbell that would connect to a similarly smart lock and unlock it using a camera and face scanning system, famously known to iPhone users as Face ID.
OpenAI has canceled limits on the use of Sora video generator for ChatGPT Plus owners (but temporarily)
ChatGPT Plus owners received a holiday gift from OpenAI — unlimited access to the Sora video generator.
Researchers name a type of game that promotes mental health and reduces stress
For many years, video games have been the subject of numerous studies which alternately labeled them as either bad or good for mental health. However, the latest analysis focused specifically on the types of games that require different gameplay styles and accordingly can vary in impact.
The trailer for the new «Superman» garnered 250 million views in a day — a record in the history of DC and Warner Bros.
The long-awaited “Superman” trailer has become the most popular in DC and Warner Bros. history, racking up 250 million views in just 24 hours.
The first trailer for «Superman» — with «beaten» superhero David Corensworth has been released
The first teaser trailer for the new «Superman» has been released, with David Corensworth taking on the role of the Man of Steel for the first time, replacing Henry Cavill.
Ana de Armas is in talks with Marvel for a role in «Avengers: Doomsday», — insider Daniel Richtman
Right now, “Avengers: Doomsday” has a single, officially confirmed Marvel character — Doctor Doom played by Robert Downey Jr.. However, rumors about the rest of the cast are still swirling.
OpenAI launches «a hotline» with ChatGPT (with a real number) — first 15 minutes free of charge
On the 10th day of announcements, OpenAI ChatGPT got its own number — 1-800-242-8478.However, only users in the USA can call the chatbot for now, but others are encouraged to add the number to WhatsApp and chat with ChatGPT through the app. Currently, there’s a limit for the calls — 15 free minutes per phone number per month.
The main villain of «Spider-Man 4» will be Mephisto, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, — Jeff Snyder
Rumors about the «Borat» star joining the Marvel universe have been circulating for several years, but he will probably finally make his debut in the «Spider-Man 4» movie.
Trailer for the movie «Black Bag» — with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a spy couple who are opposed to each other
The trailer for the upcoming film by director Steven Soderbergh, “Black Bag”, has dropped, featuring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a married couple of spies tangled in a joint affair.
73% of iPhone owners are dissatisfied with Apple Intelligence, but half of them say AI is «a decisive factor» for buying a smartphone
A survey by tech trading site SellCell (via 9to5mac) showed that most smartphone owners consider artificial intelligence features when buying devices, but are not satisfied with what companies currently offer.
The trailer «28 years later» garnered 60 million views in a day — a 2024 record and the second best result for horror films
The trailer for “28 Years Later,” released last week, racked up a whopping 60 million views in just 24 hours — setting the record for 2024 and claiming the second spot for all-time horror movie trailers.
A first look at the «M3GAN 2.0» — sequel to the killer doll horror movie from Blumhouse
Entertainment Weekly has dropped the first two pics from the upcoming sci-fi flick “M3GAN 2.0”.
Europe launches Starlink competitor — IRIS2 constellation of 290 communications satellites
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract to build the IRIS2 satellite communication network, aiming to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Vodafone to increase prices for Ukrainians by UAH 70-120 starting December 24 — initially in four tariffs
Hot on the heels of Kyivstar, Vodafone announced a hike in tariff prices too.
The series Silo has been officially renewed for seasons 3 and 4, which will fully complete the story
Apple TV+ has officially renewed the series “Silo” for two more seasons, which, according to the service, will be enough to complete the story.
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