F1 in Azerbaijan: That was almost a close-run thing

Formula 1 raced on the streets of Baku, Azerbaijan, this past weekend. Although the race predates Liberty’s acquisition of the sport by a few months, it’s a rather good microcosm of the sport as it exists today. The track is a real challenge; it takes place on dusty city streets lined with concrete walls and through a medieval fortress gate, followed by a 1.4-mile (2.2 km) flat-out blast to the finish line, with gusts of wind from the Caspian Sea a block away. It’s interesting to look at Baku’s mix of modern and classical architecture sharing the stage with a massive hospitality and pit lane complex. And since it wouldn’t be F1 without some controversy, this year the race was held a day earlier than normal after F1 switched up its schedule to avoid clashing with Azerbaijan’s celebration of its recent war with Armenia—it’s almost as if Bernie Ecclestone had never left.

The proximity of the walls leaves very little margin for error at the speeds F1 cars go around Baku. Last year, qualifying was interrupted by no less than six red flags after crashes. This year was much less dramatic, unless you were championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The 20-year-old sophomore misjudged how much front grip he had going into turn 1, found more than expected, and clipped the corner of the wall with his left front tire. It happened in the first of the three knockout qualifying sessions, and while Antonelli had already banked a time good enough to proceed to the next session, the damage to his car meant he would take no further part and start the race from 16th.

A few weeks ago, at Monza, penalties for a power unit change saw Antonelli start the race from even further back (19th), which he followed a day later with a spectacular drive through the field to take the win away from his teammate George Russell. But there was some luck involved then; two standing starts (the second following Leclerc’s big crash on lap 2) allowed him to pass a lot of cars quickly, for one thing. In Baku he would have a much tougher task.

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Apple’s Next Vision Pro On ‘Life Support’ As Meta Raises The Stakes

Apple's Next Vision Pro On 'Life Support' As Meta Raises The Stakes
It’s been a little over two years since Apple launched its Vision Pro headset and it simply hasn’t become the mainstream success the company had hoped for, thanks to its high price tag and lack of developer support. The company continues to work on various versions of the headset that may have more mainstream appeal, but according to Bloomberg’s

OpenAI halts frontier-model training amid string of agent misalignment incidents

OpenAI says it has paused all internal training of “our most capable models” as it continues what CEO Sam Altman is calling “an extensive and ongoing review related to our agents’ use of internet access during training and evaluation.”

The company revealed the pause in a report about a so-called misalignment incident in which an agent attempted to exploit a gap in Internet-access restrictions during a routine research task during training. OpenAI says that improper DNS filtering allowed the agent to attempt to break out of its sandbox and access the wider Internet when asked for biographical details about a blogger.

OpenAI says the agent was only able to access the company’s offline web cache and that it has implemented additional multi-layered blocking controls to prevent similar incidents in the future. Despite that, though, the company says it has decided to “pause all other training, evaluation, and inference with tool-use” for this frontier model “until we have both validated that the gap is resolved and performed additional red-teaming of the system.”

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NVIDIA Rallies Over 100 Partners For Open Agent Safety Platform Launch

NVIDIA Rallies Over 100 Partners For Open Agent Safety Platform Launch
Regardless of what you think about AI, there are a multitude of users deploying a myriad of AI agents across many different industries and use cases. These neural networks are given a goal and a set of capabilities that they can use to accomplish that goal, but rogue agents given a broad set of tools can also use them to cause damage if left

NASA ‘troubleshooting’ transporter for space station’s robotic arm [Updated]

Recently, the astronauts on board the International Space Station performed a routine “walk-off” maneuver with the large, 58-foot-long robotic arm attached to the orbiting laboratory.

The robotic arm, known as Canadarm2 because it was supplied by the Canadian Space Agency, is something of a modern engineering miracle—it can effectively move around the exterior of the large space station like an inchworm because both ends are essentially identical.

However, after this particular walk-off maneuver, the robotic arm, along with the mobile transporter that guides it along the main truss of the space station, engineers noted some issues with operations.

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Forget The End: Minecraft Adds ‘The Sift’, Its First New Dimension In 15 Years

Forget The End: Minecraft Adds 'The Sift', Its First New Dimension In 15 Years
It’s been almost fifteen years since Minecraft version 1.0.0 added “The End” dimension in its Adventure Update, but now that Minecraft Dungeons II is expanding the universe, “The Sift” dimension will also be added. Visually, The Sift targets more bright pastel colors than your typical Minecraft biomes. In terms of gameplay, there are also

AI Data Center Developer Promises $10K Checks To Residents, Locals Call It A Bribe

AI Data Center Developer Promises $10K Checks To Residents, Locals Call It A Bribe
In Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, a clash over the expansion of AI data centers has taken an extraordinary turn.

When NorthPoint Development proposed a 1,300-acre project in the Pocono foothills designed to host 15 data center buildings, it was met with fierce local resistance to the construction, but NorthPoint had an idea. In an exclusive

AI Data Center Developer Promises $10K Checks To Residents, Locals Call It A Bribe

AI Data Center Developer Promises $10K Checks To Residents, Locals Call It A Bribe
In Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, a clash over the expansion of AI data centers has taken an extraordinary turn.

When NorthPoint Development proposed a 1,300-acre project in the Pocono foothills designed to host 15 data center buildings, it was met with fierce local resistance to the construction, but NorthPoint had an idea. In an exclusive

Creepy Robot Hand Crawls Across Desks, Types And Plays Retro PC Games

Creepy Robot Hand Crawls Across Desks, Types And Plays Retro PC Games
Call it a blend of horror trigger and engineering prowess, but researchers at ETH Zurich’s Soft Robotics Lab have trained a robotic hand to operate away from its robotic arm, crawling across the floor using its own digits. We didn’t realize disembodied robot hands are such a huge thing (literally—if you know, you know) in robotics, but this

Creepy Robot Hand Crawls Across Desks, Types And Plays Retro PC Games

Creepy Robot Hand Crawls Across Desks, Types And Plays Retro PC Games
Call it a blend of horror trigger and engineering prowess, but researchers at ETH Zurich’s Soft Robotics Lab have trained a robotic hand to operate away from its robotic arm, crawling across the floor using its own digits. We didn’t realize disembodied robot hands are such a huge thing (literally—if you know, you know) in robotics, but this

Razer Iskur V2 X Drops To $153.99 At Woot With Coupon Code

Razer Iskur V2 X Drops To $153.99 At Woot With Coupon Code
Office chairs are the unsung hero of the workday, but they can also cost a pretty penny, and not just when they have Herman Miller printed on the frame. Purpose-built gaming chairs often command a premium, too. What’s a gamer to do? Well, one option is to be patient and wait for a discount. Those who went that route can now score Razer’s Iskur

Thieves Chase GPU Paydirt In NVIDIA Trailer Heist, Steal 20 Tons Of Sand Instead

Thieves Chase GPU Paydirt In NVIDIA Trailer Heist, Steal 20 Tons Of Sand Instead
A bold daylight trailer heist targeting what was thought to be high-value NVIDIA AI GPUs went hilariously off the rails after the thieves made off with two massive shipping containers loaded with 20 tons of sand. Wah-wah.

The theft occurred outside a warehouse in Fremont, California, where autonomous trucking startup PlusAI had parked two

Look Ma, Wires! Bose Brings Active Noise Cancelling To $99 USB-C Earbuds

Look Ma, Wires! Bose Brings Active Noise Cancelling To $99 USB-C Earbuds
The last decade has seen an influx of wireless earbuds with Bluetooth connectivity (and sometimes 2.4GHz wireless, which is great for gaming) and active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, but have we left the cord completely behind? Not according to Bose, which is going somewhat old school with its new Bose Active Noise Cancelling Wired

Grandma Proves You’re Never Too Old To Game With Fortnite Guinness World Record

Grandma Proves You're Never Too Old To Game With Fortnite Guinness World Record
When Cath Bowie’s grandson knocked her from starting an online Fortnite channel nearly a decade ago, saying that no one would want to watch a senior citizen play video games, he accidentally sparked one of the most remarkable careers in modern livestreaming. Taking his doubt as a  challenge, the Aberdeen-based grandmother picked up a controller,

Bananas That Don’t Go Brown To Hit Supermarkets Thanks to DNA Editing

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: It is the bane of every fruit bowl: sliced banana that turns brown before it has reached the table. But such woes could soon be a thing of the past, with gene-edited bananas that keep their freshly peeled color now one step closer to reaching British shoppers. According to Tropic, the Norwich-based agricultural-biotechnology company that developed the fruit, the bananas have the same taste and texture but stay “fresh, yellow and appetizing long after peeling and slicing.”

Gilad Gershon, the chief executive of Tropic, said the flesh of the new banana resisted browning for an extra day or two — and longer if chilled. He added that the innovation could make it easier to add bananas to prepackaged products such as fruit salads and breakfast pots, as well as reducing waste. […] Tropic developed the bananas by using a gene-editing technology called Crispr-Cas9 to alter all three copies of a single gene within the fruit. As a result, they were able to reduce the production of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that causes browning. A similar approach has been effective in reducing browning in other produce, including mushrooms.

Tropic said the non-browning bananas could reduce food waste and CO2-equivalent emissions along the supply chain by more than 25%. “This could support an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of over 9m tonnes in the banana export market alone,” the company said. […] Gershon said Tropic had gained regulatory approval for the non-browning bananas in 10 other countries including Japan, Brazil and the Philippines. The fruit is already being grown in Latin America.


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If You Love ‘American Horror Story,’ There’s One Movie You Need to Watch Next

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American Horror Story is kind of an institution, at this point. Seasons may vary in impact and the precise tone of the horror may fluctuate, but we’ve come to count on its gonzo sensibility and commitment to the bit. With its anthology approach and rotating troupe of semi-permanent actors (including Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson), AHS has delivered plenty of twisted stories to keep you up at night. If you’ve watched them all (and the streamalike shows that offer similar chills), it’s time to dive into long-form horror on the same wavelength—starting with what might be the first (and still one of the best) horror anthologies ever made: Dead of Night.

The best movie to watch if you’re a fan of American Horror Story

Without Dead of Night, released in 1945, there might not be an American Horror Story. Hugely influential, the movie is regarded as one of (if not the) first horror anthology films widely released, and more than 80 years later it’s still considered one of the best. Watching it is an exercise in noting everything that the horror anthologies that followed—including AHS—have freely borrowed from it. If you love the anthology aspect of AHS, the way each season (or half-season) is a self-contained story with its own tone, visuals, and style of horror, this is the movie you should watch.

The frame story involves architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns), who travels to a remote cottage for a potential renovation project. When he arrives, he finds himself one of several guests—all of whom have appeared in dreams experienced by their host, Elliot Foley (Roland Culver). Craig experiences what seem like psychic visions, which prompts the guests to tell tales of supernatural experiences they’ve had, all of which are presented as apparently standalone episodes. The most famous of these is the story of a ventriloquist whose dummy, Hugo, seems to have a will of its own, but all the stories are well-made and effectively scary.

What really sets Dead of Night apart—and makes it perfect for AHS fans—is the way the guests’ tales and the frame story merge into a truly unsettling whole. The film conveys both a sense of dream logic and visceral fright that’s surprisingly powerful and modern for a film of its vintage, and AHS fans will see the clear line of inspiration that starts here and ends with Jessica Lange leading an insane asylum in “The Name Game” (among many, many other insane moments from the show). If you’re looking for a feature film that will slot into the same pleasure centers in your brain as American Horror Story, this is the one to start with. Stream Dead of Night on Kanopy, Plex, or Fawesome, or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies for fans of American Horror Story

Horror is addictive, and the only cure for the end of a horror movie is … more horror movies. Here are a few more that any fan of AHS will love.

The Shining (1980)

One of the more obvious points of inspiration (especially for Season Five, “Hotel”), The Shining is one of the greatest modern horror films. The combination of Stanley Kubrick’s cold perfection, Jack Nicholson’s volatility (and Shelley Duvall’s criminally underrated desperation), and Stephen King’s wild imagination (despite his reservations about Kubrick’s interpretation) results in a slow burn of insanity as an unstable alcoholic (Nicholson’s Jack Torrance) unravels while working as a winter caretaker in an enormous, haunted mountain hotel. Every scene in this film ramps up the sense of unease and terror, leading to one of the most famous final shots in film history. Rent The Shining on Prime Video.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Season 12 of American Horror Story, “Delicate,” riffs enthusiastically off of Rosemary’s Baby, and the 1968 film could be an entire season of the show itself. The tone, visuals, and story are a perfect match—you can easily imagine most of the usual actors from the AHS troupe showing up as the creepy, devil-worshipping neighbors who manipulate a young woman (Mia Farrow) into conceiving a child under what could be called ominous circumstances. Aside from being an ideal companion film to the series, it’s also a classic that every horror fan should watch (despite some serious implications around marital sexual assault and director Roman Polansky’s gross legacy). Stream Rosemary’s Baby on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.

Twisted Nerve (1968)

If you recall the weird whistling theme song associated with serial killer Tate Langdon in Season One, “Murder House,” you’ve already heard the theme song to this movie (you also heard it in Kill Bill: Volume 1). While not overtly gory, Twisted Nerve is a great example of simmering tension as a disturbed man with a split personality, Martin (Hywel Bennett), stalks and ingratiates himself with a young woman named Susan (Haley Mills). The film is dated in many ways (especially its enraging attitude toward Down syndrome), but as a thriller it still works gangbusters. Stream Twisted Nerve on Plex.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The moment Bloody Face shows up in the second season of American Horror Story, the connection to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 film is pretty clear—but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reverberates throughout American Horror Story (as it does through most of the horror movies that followed it). Ostensibly based on the true crimes of Ed Gein, it follows five teenagers on a road trip as they stumble into the house where a man wearing a skin mask—the legendary Leatherface—proceeds to savagely murder most of them using a hammer and, of course, a chainsaw. The film’s sweaty, gritty style is a long way from Ryan Murphy’s slicker and more composed approach, but it’s a visceral kick of pure horror fans of the show will love (if they don’t already). Stream The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Pluto or Tubi, or rent it on Prime Video.

The Craft (1996)

If “Coven” was your favorite season of American Horror Story, this is the film for you. Four outcast teen girls—played by Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True—discover that they can access supernatural forces, and seek to use this power to punish their enemies and improve their lives. Their spells have unintended consequences, however, and Balk’s character quickly goes power-mad as the girls turn on each other. It’s dark, but anyone who attended high school will 100% understand why things go pear-shaped so fast—and fans of AHS will find a lot to love in this story of teenage angst, rebellion, and occult horrors. Stream The Craft on Plex or rent it on Prime Video.

Amazon Evaluating Drone Deliveries In Australia, Asia

Amazon is preparing to expand Prime Air drone deliveries into Australia and potentially other Asia-Pacific markets, with a new regulatory role tasked with securing the approvals needed to launch service there. The Register reports: “As Prime Air evaluates Australia and other countries, we are hiring a Head of Regulatory Approvals, Australia — the person responsible for navigating Australia’s aviation regulatory system and securing every approval required to deliver to Australian customers by drone,” reads a recently published job ad.

Whoever gets the gig in Australia will report to someone who holds the title “Leader, Prime Air Expansion — Asia Pacific.” Whoever gets the job “will be measured by the approvals you obtain, the timelines you hit, and — ultimately — Australian customers receiving drone deliveries.” That wording suggests Amazon intends to operate Prime Air in Australia and is doing rather more than market evaluations.


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