Timothe Chalamet portrays Bob Dylan in James Mangold's new film "A Complete Unknown."He spent five years preparing for the role, which included learning to sing and play guitar.Chalamet performs live throughout the film, instead of using prerecorded vocals or instruments.Timothe Chalamet went method to play Bob Dylan for James Mangold's new biopic "A Complete Unknown" an immersive, yearslong exercise that saw the actor hone his singing voice, learn to play guitar, and even master the harmonica."A Complete Unknown," which arrived in theaters on Christmas Day, follows a young Dylan in the early 1960s as he embeds himself in (and later extricates himself from) the Greenwich Village folk scene, alongside other real-life legends like Joan Baez and Pete Seeger.Chalamet is joined by Monica Barbaro as Baez, Edward Norton as Seeger, and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash. All of them performed live while shooting the film.Chalamet spent five years preparing to play Dylan Timothe Chalamet as Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." Searchlight Pictures Mangold and Chalamet agreed to make a Dylan biopic five years ago, before the pandemic, the actors' strike, and other projects (including "Dune," "Dune: Part Two," and Mangold's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny") delayed the process.However, the extra prep time actually worked in Chalamet's favor.Unlike his costar Elle Fanning, who plays a renamed version of Dylan's girlfriend Suze Rotolo, Chalamet wasn't a huge Dylan fan before he was cast in "A Complete Unknown." To learn as much as possible in that five-year window, he watched old videos, scavenged for bootlegs, and familiarized himself with Dylan's extensive catalog. He also worked with a team of coaches to embody the musician, from voice and guitar to dialect and movement.By the time he'd perfected his Dylan portrayal, Chalamet was ready to perform live on set, singing and strumming entire songs from "I Was Young When I Left Home" to "The Times They Are A-Changin.'""You can't re-create it in the studio," Chalamet told Rolling Stone. "If I was singing to a prerecorded guitar, then all of a sudden I could hear the lack of an arm movement in my voice."Mangold told Variety that he was prepared to dub Chalamet's performances with studio recordings, instead of using the live takes. He changed his mind when he heard Chalamet sing "Song to Woody" in the film's first musical scene."We shot that in the first five or six days," Mangold said. "And there was a whole backstage thing with Timmy saying, 'I want to try it live.'"Even though, as Mangold admitted, "some of the sound and music direction people were like, 'It's not a good idea,'" he let Chalamet try it out: "And he was phenomenal.""Not only that, he proved the brilliance of the method," Mangold continued. "There's this moment where he finishes that song and he holds a note and just keeps hitting the low string on the guitar over and over again, and he's just his eyes are kind of boring into Woody, and he's just holding this note, and it gave him chills That could not have happened if there was an earwig in his ear."During a separate interview with Variety, Chalamet praised Mangold for his risky yet rewarding decision to use the live recordings. (Chalamet's prerecords were released on the album's soundtrack, but never used in the film.)"Kudos to Jim, who really had his eye, the whole movie, on the fact that, to watch actors doing karaoke really isn't interesting," Chalamet said.While on set, Chalamet continued to speak with Dylan's affect and mannerisms, even when the cameras weren't rolling."Timmy's not the only person who's ever done that, that's true for most of the actors in my movies doing dialects, they don't just do it and fall out of it the second the scene ends," Mangold recently told Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio."You're trying to make it something you don't have to think about," Mangold explained. "So, if you're turning it on and off, you're kind of making yourself hyper-aware of it. If you're just deciding to live in it, that's a whole other deal."Barbaro also worked with a vocal coach to approximate Baez's famous soprano Monica Barbaro and Timothe Chalamet as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." Searchlight Pictures As depicted in "A Complete Unknown," Dylan met Baez at Gerde's Folk City in New York, where he was scheduled for his first high-profile gig.By that time, Baez was already an established folk singer, renowned for her wide vibrato and, in Dylan's own words, "heart-stopping soprano.""The sight of her made me high," Dylan wrote of Baez in his 2004 memoir. "All that and then there was her voice. A voice that drove out bad spirits. It was like she'd come down from another planet."Barbaro wasn't a trained singer before she was cast as Baez, but like Chalamet, she worked extensively with vocal coach Eric Vetro.Vetro previously trained Austin Butler for his portrayal of Elvis Presley and is famous among pop fans for his work with Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande. (Vetro is even name-dropped in Grande's song "Monopoly.")Barbaro sang live throughout filming duetting with Chalamet for their climactic performance of "It Ain't Me Babe," for example though due to the technical finesse that Baez is known for, Barbaro told Rolling Stone that she was more open to overdubs than Chalamet was.Still, by the time Barbaro met her costar on set at a music rehearsal, she could hold her own as a full-fledged musician."Getting to play next to him and hear the harmonies of our voices and the accompaniment, so complementary of each other that was a career highlight," Barbaro told BI's Palmer Haasch."I'm so glad we waited until that point to meet each other and to work with each other," Barbaro continued. "It was more true to a Bob and Joan version of the meeting that we'd have these musical proficiencies, that we could collaborate and play together.""A Complete Unknown" is now in theaters.

Many social-media users are looking to make friends and spend time together in person.A new wave of startups is capitalizing on this demand with tools to help people make plans.The "IRL Social" trend grew in 2024 and could carry into the new year.Making new friends, it turns out, is pretty hard.While the dominant social networks like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat have proclaimed that they connect us with our friends, many users feel less connected and more alone than ever.A new wave of apps is trying to fill that void by replacing content algorithms with features designed to help users get together in real life. This year, several of these apps hit new peaks in popular culture and adoption.One of the biggest stars in the space is Partiful, an events app that has replaced Facebook Events for many. Google named it the 2024 "app of the year," and it was even used for the viral Timothe Chalamet lookalike contest.Then there's Timeleft, a European startup that gets groups of people together over dinner every Wednesday night in over 60 counties. It was also recognized by Google this year as a "hidden gem." Timeleft, which launched in 2020, expanded to the US in March."This year, we found product-market fit," Lais De Oliveira, head of North America for Timeleft, told Business Insider. "We've had over 20,000 people dining with us this year in the US and we've been handling weekly about 6,000 people dining with us across the US."IRL social startups are not just getting users to download their apps. Some are also gettinginvestorson board.Posh, another events app that offers a feed of nearby happenings, closed a $22 million Series A round this year led by Goodwater Capital. Other firms, like FirstMark, Forerunner, and Best Nights VC, have also participated in IRL-focused tech.For Zehra Naqvi, an angel investor and VC focused on consumer startups, IRL has been a core concept in her investing thesis this year."There is this overwhelming desire for people to just connect with one another," Naqvi said.She sees IRL social apps right now falling into two camps. One is advanced event tech that makes things easier on hosts and attendees (like Partiful, Posh, or Luma), and the second is apps that foster a sense of "whimsical" in-person connection (like Timeleft and 222, another app that connects strangers over dinner or activities).Some IRL apps are tackling monetization, though others are not in that stage yet. Posh, for example, takes a percentage of ticket sales, and 222 has a subscription model for access to curated events.Read more of BI's coverage of emerging IRL social companies.These IRL social startups have raised millions of dollars:222, which coordinates plans with strangers in Los Angeles and New York, announced that it raised $2.5 million in February.Pie, founded by Bonobos' Andy Dunn, raised an $11.5 million Series A in September.Posh, an events feed inspired by TikTok, raised a $22 million Series A in July.Howbout, a calendar app geared toward helping friends make plans, raised an $8 million Series A in September.Meet the founders behind the apps trying to help people make friends:

With the TikTok ban poised to go into effect in January, President-elect Donald Trump once again waded into the debate over the apps future this past weekend. Trump, who has sounded a much more favorable note on TikTok in the last year, is now calling for the Supreme Court to delay the implementation of a potential ban, which is set to take effect on January 19. In April 2024, Congress passed a law banning foreign adversary controlled applications from platforms like the Apple and Google app stores, which would effectively force TikToks parent company ByteDance to either sell the app or see it barred in the United States. The law received extensive bipartisan support amid national security concerns about surveillance and meddling by the Chinese government, but has been challenged on First Amendment grounds. Prior to Trumps weekend request, the Supreme Court had already agreed to hear a case about the ban on an expedited schedule and will weigh oral arguments on January 10. RelatedNow, Trump is urging a pause on the policy so he can have time to find a negotiated resolution.Trumps recent statement is the latest indication that hes interested in protecting the app, despite previously backing a ban himself. That change of heart could be due to a slew of factors, including that TikTok offered him a way to reach young male voters during the election something he has suggested when asked about the ban and that one of his biggest donors, Jeff Yass, is a major investor in the apps parent company. Regardless of the rationale, hes now signaled multiple times that he intends to advocate for the apps survival. I have a little bit of a warm spot in my heart. Ill be honest, he said in mid-December. If the Supreme Court upholds the law, there are multiple ways Trump could try to save the app, former Justice Department attorney Alan Rozenshtein told Vox. He notes that the way the policy is written gives the president significant discretion in how its interpreted, meaning Trump could direct his attorney general not to enforce the law or even say that ByteDance has divested of the app when it hasnt. Vox sat down with Rozenshtein, who is also a University of Minnesota law professor specializing in national security and tech, to walk through these potential scenarios and how likely each of them is. Broadly, Rozenshtein notes, the president-elect has wide-ranging authority he could use to protect TikTok in some form. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.Li ZhouCan the Supreme Court actually pause or delay the law? Alan RozenshteinYes, because the Supreme Court can do anything, but they shouldnt based on existing law.Li ZhouCan you elaborate on that? Alan RozenshteinIn order to pause the law, to keep it from coming into force, the general standard is that the person seeking the pause has to show a reasonable likelihood of success on the merits. So its not enough just to say, Hey, this law is coming into effect, please pause it so I can challenge it. Its, Im probably going to win anyway. So please pause it while I convince you that, in fact, I will win.Li ZhouTrumps argument is not necessarily that hed win when it comes to repealing the law. Its just that he wants time to try to navigate the situation and figure out a different resolution.Alan RozenshteinYeah, its just not how it works. Li ZhouIf the Supreme Court decides to overturn the law or pause it can we expect it to do so prior to the January 19 deadline? Alan RozenshteinWhat the Supreme Court could do, and I suspect it will do, and thats why they timed it this way, is they will do oral argument, they will go back, they will vote. I suspect there will be at least five, if not more, votes to uphold the law. The Supreme Court will announce that immediately, or the next day or two weeks later. And then they will say an opinion is forthcoming.We will know the answer very quickly. We wont know the reason for some time. Li ZhouWill users still be able to access the app if a ban goes into effect on January 19? Alan RozenshteinThe law prohibits the app stores from distributing the app, but it does not require the app stores to go into your phone and delete the app. So if you have the app, you have the app. The bigger issue is actually around the cloud service provider Oracle. So TikTok runs on Oracle servers in the United States, like when you go to TikTok.com, right? Like the actual machine youre accessing is owned and operated by Oracle. And so, on January 20, presumably Oracle shuts those computers off because it has to. What happens then? Presumably, TikTok, if it thinks its about to go dark, will have a contingency plan in place to shift its services from US cloud service providers to global cloud service providers so theres all these technical questions.Li ZhouThe other issue is that if there are no updates to TikTok over time, it eventually becomes unusable and obsolete, right? Alan RozenshteinThats the theory.Li ZhouIf the Supreme Court decides to uphold the law, what are the ways you see Trump being able to step in and save the app? Alan RozenshteinSo number one, he can get Congress to repeal the law. That would obviously be the cleanest and most effective thing he could do, but I doubt that hell be able to do it. The law was passed with broad bipartisan consensus. It would require Congress to reverse a vote they had taken not even a year ago, and I just dont think he has the votes. I dont think he really wants to spend his political capital on this in his first 100 days. Hes already gonna have trouble getting anything done. The second thing he could do is he could direct his attorney general not to enforce the law. The law works by penalizing the app stores and cloud service providers who work with TikTok up to $5,000 per user, and he could just direct [prospective] Attorney General Pam Bondi to not enforce the law. That sort of thing is his constitutional prerogative. But the problem there is that the law would still be in effect, and these companies will still be violating it. So if youre a general counsel of Apple, and you say, Hey, I read on Truth Social that Trump is not going to enforce the law, Id say definitely dont bank on that for obvious reasons.The third thing he could do is declare that the law no longer applies. And the way he could do that is through the provision of the law that defines what a qualified divestiture is. [Editors note: As one part of the law reads, The term qualified divestiture means a divestiture or similar transaction that(A) the President determines, through an interagency process, would result in the relevant foreign adversary controlled application no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary.]If you focus on those first few words [of the statute], the President determines, that raises some possibilities in terms of how you read the statute. [One way] to read it is to say that the statute gives a lot of discretion to the president to determine what counts as a qualified divestiture. On that view, the president could especially if ByteDance shifts the papers around, moves some assets from Company A to Company B, basically gives Trump enough legal cover to declare, Well, I no longer think that ByteDance owns TikTok.Now, whether or not thats actually true is a separate question, but it might be difficult to challenge a determination that Trump makes under this provision, even if its not actually based on reality. Thats the thing you can do most easily that would be the most effective. The fourth thing is he could try to facilitate a sale. Now, the problem has never been on the demand side. Its not that there arent American buyers who wouldnt happily buy TikTok. Its on the supply side. [The question is]: will the Chinese government permit ByteDance to sell TikTok with or without the algorithm? So I think it would really be Trump as a diplomat going and trying to strike a deal with [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping. The thing is, I dont know if Trump can do it. I dont know if he wants to do it.Li ZhouFor option three that you laid out, Im curious: If there was a challenge to Trump making a claim that divestiture has happened but it hasnt really happened, what would that look like? Where would it come from, and what would the grounds be?Alan RozenshteinSo the challenge would say: The statute gives the president some role in determining the divestiture, but it doesnt allow the president to lie. Now, the harder part is bringing the case itself. So theres a principle in American law called standing, which is that if you want to sue in federal court, at least, you have to be the right kind of person to sue based on the thing you are alleging. So in particular, you have to be concretely and individually injured by something. Well, who can be injured, right? So its not gonna be just a random person. Its not Congress. There are two categories I could think of. One is competitors of TikTok, so Mark Zuckerberg could sue, saying, I own Instagram Reels. And competitors are allowed to sue when they think the government is illegally benefiting a competitor of theirs, but that would require Zuckerberg to go and sue Donald Trump, and everything we know about Silicon Valleys current posture is that they dont want to piss off the president.The other people that could sue are the affected parties themselves. So Apple and Oracle could sue, not to challenge the divestiture determination, but to clarify, to seek whats called a declaratory judgment, to clarify the legal obligations. But that still would involve them suing and making it possible that Trump would lose, and that might annoy Trump. So theres a small universe of people that could sue, and they have other reasons to not necessarily want to sue.Li ZhouTheoretically, if one of the parties you mentioned does decide to move forward with a lawsuit, how likely do you see that being a successful case that upholds the law?Alan RozenshteinI think a lot depends on if its obvious that Trump just announced a divestiture where nothing had happened. I think the courts would probably strike that down. If ByteDance does some things that plausibly make the case that something like a divestiture has occurred on the margins, I could imagine courts deferring to the president saying, Look, you know, this question of whether or not TikTok is controlled by a Chinese company is very fact-specific. It implicates national security and foreign policy determinations. Congress gave the president a role, and the president is exercising that role. Were not going to second-guess that.Li ZhouWhat do you see as the most likely scenario from here on out?Alan RozenshteinI think the Supreme Court will uphold the law. And then I think through some combination of a sale of something, maybe without the algorithm, plus Trump declaring some stuff, probably there will be something like TikTok that continues [in the US], but exactly in what shape is very unclear.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

A bitter public feud split the MAGA movement over the holidays, as supporters of high-skilled legal immigration like Elon Musk argued vociferously (and sometimes profanely) with the rights immigration critics over the topic of H-1B visas.Musk, like many tech executives, strongly supports that program, which lets companies bring skilled foreign workers to the US for specific jobs indeed, Musk said he once had such a visa himself. Critics on the right have long argued that it suppresses wages for American workers, while proponents say it attracts top talent and helps American businesses succeed.The reason Im in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B. Take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face, Musk posted on X. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.That particular missive was aimed at an X poster with a small following. And yet Musks real nemesis on the issue is someone with far more power, influence, and bureaucratic savvy: Stephen Miller.Miller is the hardline anti-immigration ideologue who effectively oversaw immigration policy for the first Trump administration as a senior White House aide. He spent Trumps first term mastering the workings of the federal bureaucracy and was one of only a few high-level appointees to remain in the bosss good graces. In Trumps second term, hell have another high-level role, as deputy White House chief of policy.As I wrote in a September profile, Miller is the architect of Trumps mass deportation agenda but hes also pushed hard to restrict legal immigration including H-1B visas specifically, despite his bosss sometimes contradictory impulses on the issue. In Trumps first term, Miller was tenacious enough that he eventually got his way: The administration cited the pandemic to temporarily suspend all H-1B visas while crafting rules designed to drastically limit the program.So while Musk might be encouraged by the broadly positive comments on H-1B visas Trump made to a reporter on Saturday the president-elect said hes been a believer in H-1B the real question is: Can Musk win a policy war with Miller?Why MAGA fans started attacking each other on X over H-1B visas during the holidaysThe GOP coalition has long been split on high-skilled immigration. The partys pro-business faction has supported it, arguing it brings in the best talent and helps American companies succeed and compete globally. But the nativist or populist right opposes it as a plot by cosmopolitan elites to avoid paying American workers. Trump has straddled this divide, often praising H-1B visas, while appointees like Miller worked to limit them. (Big Tech is replacing Americans, Miller tweeted last year.)The divide took on a new dynamic over the summer, when several wealthy tech figures such as Musk and David Sacks endorsed Trump. Appearing on All-In, a podcast hosted by Sacks and other venture capitalists, Trump was pressed to promise to expand high-skilled immigration. I do promise, Trump said. He also mused (without being asked) that international students graduating from US colleges should automatically get a green card to stay and work. (Afterward, his campaign walked this back, saying that only after aggressive vetting would the most skilled graduates who can make significant contributions be allowed to stay.)After the election, Trump named Musk and former biotech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will seemingly be some sort of outside advisory body issuing recommendations on how the administration should cut regulations and spending. Trump also named Sacks the A.I. & Crypto Czar. The current brouhaha was kicked off by far-right activist and provocateur Laura Loomer last week, after Trump announced that another venture capitalist, Sriram Krishnan, would join the White House to work on AI policy. Loomer called the appointment deeply disturbing. She pointed to a November X post in which Krishnan wrote that anything to remove country caps for green cards / unlock skilled immigration would be huge, saying this is not America First policy. From there, the conflict spiraled:Sacks defended Krishnan, but the attacks from Loomer and her supporters continued, with many taking on an ugly racial or ethnic dynamic (since about 70 percent of recent H-1B recipients have been from India). Loomer denounced third-world invaders from India, said our country was built by white Europeans, and asked why are people in India still shitting in the water they bathe and drink from? Musk got involved, insisting there is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent, calling this the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley. He also issued the aforementioned FUCK YOURSELF in the face post and promised to go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon called Musk a toddler who needs a wellness check from Child Protective Services and said there should be zero H-1B visas.Eventually, Ramaswamy joined the fray in a lengthy X post, arguing that the reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over native Americans is that American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long. He condemned the idea of valuing the jock over the valedictorian and criticized American cultural products like the TV shows Boy Meets World and Friends praising instead the 2014 film Whiplash, which portrayed an instructors psychological abuse of a jazz drummer aspiring to artistic greatness (directed by Ramaswamys Harvard University classmate).As for Miller, he has not weighed in explicitly. But later on the day of Ramaswamys post, Miller posted on X, without explanation, excerpts from a 2020 speech when Trump praised the culture and achievements of the American people, calling them the most adventurous and confident people ever to walk the face of the Earth. Some on the nativist right, like Bannon, interpreted Millers post as a rebuttal to Ramaswamy and a reminder of who will really hold power in the White House. Miller, who oversaw the White House speechwriting office, may have had a hand in crafting Trumps words there just as he will have a major role in crafting immigration policy in 2025 and likely beyond.Can Musk supplant Miller?Now, if you believe what Trump says currently, hes pro H-1B. Ive always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. Thats why we have them, Trump told the New York Post on Saturday. I have many H-1B visas on my properties. Ive been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. Its a great program, he continued. (However, the New York Times reported Trump appears to have only sparingly used the H-1B but that his companies had often used the very different H-2 visas for jobs like cooks, housekeepers, and waiters.)But Trump has previously spoken more negatively about the program. We should end it, he said in 2016, calling it very bad for workers. (The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: These are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay, he said in a campaign statement that March.)And the biggest problem for Musk and his tech allies is that, if they want H-1B expansion, theyd have to go through Miller, a formidable opponent.Trump has sent mixed signals on legal immigration, but Miller has made his agenda clear: He wants much less of it. In 2020, when Trump announced temporary suspensions on legal immigration during the pandemic, Miller privately told allies this was just the first step in a broader strategy: The most important thing is to turn off the faucet of new immigrant labor.And in contrast to ideological allies like Bannon and Millers one-time boss Jeff Sessions, who flamed out of government and lost Trumps favor, Miller has lasted, becoming a seemingly permanent fixture in Trumpworld being dubbed the president of immigration. He exerted such vast policy influence in Trumps first term in part due to his focus on bureaucratic minutia, in part because he could get other appointees fired, in part because he helped craft Trumps words in prepared speeches, and in part because he was unshakably loyal to the boss and savvy at making alliances with other top officials. But mostly it was because other staffers believed, with good reason, that he and Trump had a mind meld on immigration that he was speaking for the boss. So the venture capitalists and tech executives who have more recently joined Trumps coalition and hope to be rewarded with their preferred H-1B policy changes will face a challenge getting past Miller. Trump may say things, but its Miller who turns those things into policy, and who knows how to slow-walk or squelch proposals he dislikes. So long as Miller holds Trumps favor, and so long as he remains effectively in charge of immigration policy, betting on restrictionism is the only reasonable bet.Finally, theres yet another twist to this messy saga shortly before this dispute began last week, Trump announced hed chosen a new appointee to join Musk and Ramaswamy at DOGE.Her name? Katie Miller Stephens wife. Congratulations to Stephen and Katie! Trump posted.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

One Halo fan has spent thousands to build his own version of Master Chief's iconic armour, and may end up wearing the most realistic version of the iconic suit ever createdTech21:14, 30 Dec 2024I'd be lying if I said I'm not tempted myself(Image: SWNS)A video games fanatic has spent 7K ($9K) on a custom-made replica of the body armour worn by Master Chief in Halo.The superfan, who wishes to be known as T, has been playing Halo an Xbox -exclusive first-person shooter series since he was a child. T spent an entire year working with armour costume company Full Body Armors to create the motorised armour, which is tailored to his body.The custom-made suit has an electronically motorised helmet which independently clamps shut and back lights just like in the video game.In total, T spent 5,530 ($7K) on the armour suit and an additional 1,490 ($1,9K) for shipping, an armour stand and personalised details.It's hard to argue the armour looks fantastic(Image: SWNS)T, whos from McAllen in Texas, USA, said: I am thrilled with the armour suit. It really feels like my childhood come to life.T started playing video games when he was six years old and would go over to his uncles house to play Halo 2 on his Xbox.T said: Those are some of my most treasured memories. So when I found Full Body Armors online, I knew I had to send them a message.T spent months emailing back and forth with the manufacturer to create the most accurate armour suit.He said: In my opinion, its the most advanced and detailed Master Chief suit on the market. Every segment has been designed for this suit specifically so none of it is 3D-printed from an existing design. Its all original. Theres not a thing I dont like about it; its a total masterpiece.T now plans to use the suit to its full capacity, determined to not let it sit on its stand for years.Each piece of the suit is custom-built(Image: SWNS)He said: I plan to start a YouTube series where I play the Halo games whilst in the armour.I think Ill also be filming some TikToks of me just going out and walking around in it," he says, even joking he was considering wearing it to Christmas.Article continues belowLast week, a huge leak of Halo-related files meant that the series' original demo, from when it was intended as a Mac-only title, was made playable.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.RECOMMENDED

With every new year comes new works that are set to go into the public domain. For 2025, the most notable include Disney titles such as Silly Symphony short The Skeleton Dance and Mickey Mouse shorts such as Karnival Kid, the first to feature his voice. Either of those already sound like a horror filmbut please, no more tacky horror cash grabs.At least give us an arthouse indie Skeleton Dance. Also being freed into the public domain are Popeye and Tintins early cartoons. Which hopefully means that since they can be adapted and shared maybe well see Genndy Tartakovsky make his move on Popeye through this potential loophole. (There are, of course, already multiple Popeye slashers on the way.) Interestingly in the realm of horror related music, Tiptoe Through the Tulips will also be public domain, which could be useful as an Insidious spin-off idea. Check out the full list below of the works which are now open to be performed, screened, and used in various ways without permission as shared by Duke Law. Books and plays William Faulkner,The Sound and the Fury Ernest Hemingway,A Farewell to Arms Virginia Woolf,A Room of Ones Own Dashiell Hammett,Red HarvestandThe Maltese Falcon(as serialized inBlack Maskmagazine)[4] John Steinbeck,Cup of Gold(Steinbecks first novel) Richard Hughes,A High Wind in Jamaica Oliver La Farge,Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story Patrick Hamilton,Rope Arthur Wesley Wheen, the first English translation ofAll Quiet on the Western Frontby Erich Maria Remarque Agatha Christie,Seven Dials Mystery Robert Graves,Good-bye to All That E. B. White and James Thurber,Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do Rainer Maria Rilke,Letters to a Young Poet(only the original German version,Briefe an einen jungen Dichter) Walter Lippmann,A Preface to Morals Ellery Queen (Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee),The Roman Hat Mystery Characters Image: Fair Use E. C. Segar,Popeye(in Gobs of Work from the Thimble Theatre comic strip) Herg (Georges Remi),Tintin(in Les Aventures de Tintin from the magazineLe Petit Vingtime) Movies A dozen more Mickey Mouseanimations (including Mickeys first talking appearance inThe Karnival Kid) The Cocoanuts, directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley (the first Marx Brothers feature film) The Broadway Melody, directed by Harry Beaumont (winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture) The Hollywood Revue of 1929, directed by Charles Reisner (featuring the song Singin in the Rain) The Skeleton Dance, directed by Walt Disney and animated by Ub Iwerks (the firstSilly Symphonyshort from Disney) Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Hitchcocks first sound film) Hallelujah, directed by King Vidor (one of the first film from a major studio with an all African-American cast) The Wild Party, directed by Dorothy Arzner (Clara Bows first talkie) Welcome Danger, directed by Clyde Bruckman and Malcolm St. Clair (the first full-sound comedy starring Harold Lloyd) On With the Show, directed by Alan Crosland (the first all-talking, all-color, feature-length film) Pandoras Box(Die Bchse der Pandora), directed by G.W. Pabst Show Boat, directed by Harry A. Pollard (adaptation of the novel and musical) The Black Watch, directed by John Ford (Fords first sound film) Spite Marriage, directed by Edward Sedgwick and Buster Keaton (Keatons final silent feature) Say It with Songs, directed by Lloyd Bacon (follow-up toThe Jazz SingerandThe Singing Fool) Dynamite, directed by Cecil B. DeMille (DeMilles first sound film) Gold Diggers of Broadway, directed Roy Del Ruth Musical Compositions Singin in the Rain, lyrics by Arthur Freed, music by Nacio Herb Brown Aint Misbehavin, lyrics by Andy Paul Razaf, music by Thomas W. (Fats) Waller & Harry Brooks (from the musicalHot Chocolates) An American in Paris, George Gershwin Bolro, Maurice Ravel (What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue, lyrics by Andy Paul Razaf, music by Thomas W. Fats Waller & Harry Brooks (a song about racial injustice from the musicalHot Chocolates) Tiptoe Through the Tulips, lyrics by Alfred Dubin, music by Joseph Burke Happy Days Are Here Again, lyrics by Jack Yellen, music by Milton Ager (the theme song for Franklin D. Roosevelts 1932 presidential campaign) What Is This Thing Called Love?, by Cole Porter (from Porters musicalWake Up and Dream) Am I Blue?, lyrics by Grant Clarke, music by Harry Akst You Were Meant for Me, lyrics by Arthur Freed, music by Nacio Herb Brown Honey, lyrics and music by Seymour Simons, Haven Gillespie, and Richard A. Whiting Waiting for a Train, lyrics and music by Jimmie Rodgers Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By Isaac Schultz Published December 30, 2024 | Comments (1) | The aurora as seen from the International Space Station. Credit: Matthew Dominick/NASA Seems like the Sun is in a festive mood: A strong geomagnetic storm watch is in place for the next day, increasing the likelihood of aurorasa Northern Lights showon New Years Eve. The National Weather Services Space Weather Prediction Center issued a geomagnetic storm watch for December 31, based on a coronal mass ejectionan eruption on the Suns surfacethat occurred on December 29. The New Years Eve storm watch is rated a G3, for a strong storm. According to the SWPC, strong storms can disorient spacecraft and cause problems with GPS and low-frequency radio navigation systems. Auroras are predicted over many of the northern states and some of the lower Midwest to Oregon, according to the alert. But dont let that dishearten you if youre farther south; space weather experts say that new phone camera technology is capable of picking up the lights even if your eyes cannot see them. So even if the aurora isnt expected in your area, it doesnt hurt to try to photograph it. Auroras occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earths magnetic field, causing gases in our planets atmosphere to glow. When solar activity is more extremethat is, when our host star is flinging material out into space in solar flaresit causes brilliant auroras, sometimes surprisingly close to the equator. The Sun goes through an 11-year solar cycle, at the maximum of which space weather tends to be more intense. There are approximately 200 G3 geomagnetic storms per solar cycle, and the Sun is somewhere around its maximum now, which is why several significant geomagnetic storms occurred this year. In May, Earth felt the strongest geomagnetic storm to hit the planet in 20 years, which sent auroras across skies as far south as Florida and Texas.The SWPC also announced two strong radio blackout events on Monday due to a pair of flares on the Sun. The effects of the flares could include signal loss in high-frequency communication bands on the dayside of Earth, the alert noted, though the associated coronal mass ejection was determined to not have an Earth-directed component. Alongside the G3 storm watch is a G1 (or minor) storm watch in place for New Years Day, with the possibility of that alert upgrading to a G2 storm watch. Space weather researchers cannot rate the exact levels of geomagnetic disruption until the Suns charged particles are within 1 million miles (1.61 million kilometers) from Earth, or about 30-60 minutes from arrival at Earth. Neither CME is expected to be a direct hit, according to the storm watch notice, which also makes forecast of intensity more difficult.Auroras are best viewed with clear skies away from prominent light sources. In other words, if youre trying to catch the Earths natural light show, its best to do so away from the New Years Eve artificial light shows. Catch you all in 2025 for another dynamic year under the auspices of our explosive star.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Passant Rabie Published December 12, 2024 By Passant Rabie Published December 11, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published December 8, 2024 By Passant Rabie Published October 17, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published October 10, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published October 3, 2024

By Thomas Maxwell Published December 30, 2024 | Comments (0) | OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji's death in a San Francisco apartment was ruled a suicide, but his parents want a deeper investigation. Sean Gallup/Getty Images The mother of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji, who was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, is calling for an FBI investigation into his death. Poornima Ramarao took to X on Sunday to announce that Balajis family hired a private investigator, whose initial findings allegedly call into question a determination by the citys chief medical examiner that Balaji died by suicide. Balaji, who was just 26 years old, worked at OpenAI for four years, where he had a key part in collecting the data that would be used to train ChatGPT. He became disillusioned as OpenAI morphed from a non-profit research lab into a commercial business, however, and he resigned in August before going public in an interview with the New York Times alleging mass copyright infringement. The news outlet is currently in a heated legal battle with OpenAI alleging ChatGPT has been trained on its articles without permission.Suchirs apartment was ransacked, the post by Ramarao (who goes by the shorter Rao surname on X) reads. Sign of struggle in the bathroom and looks like some one hit him in bathroom based on blood spots. The identity of the X account has not been verified, but it did share pictures of Balaji that do not appear to be posted elsewhere online. It also linked to a GoFundMe account intended to raise funds for further investigation, which has raised more than $47,000. Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI and is currently embroiled in his own lawsuit against the AI giant, replied to Ramaraos post saying simply, This doesnt seem like a suicide.Gizmodo contacted Ramarao for comment but we have not heard back. OpenAI referred to a previous statement expressing condolences to the family. Update on @suchirbalaji We hired private investigator and did second autopsy to throw light on cause of death. Private autopsy doesnt confirm cause of death stated by police. Suchirs apartment was ransacked , sign of struggle in the bathroom and looks like some one hit him Poornima Rao (@RaoPoornima) December 29, 2024 Balaji began working at OpenAI as an intern back in 2018 and joined the company full-time in 2021. Business Insider interviewed Ramarao following her sons death, and wrote that Balaji was gifted from a young age and made significant contributions to ChatGPTs training methods and infrastructure during his time there. In 2022 he had been tasked with scraping data from across the internet to use in training GPT-4, the model that would power ChatGPTs launch at the end of that year. Considering OpenAI jumpstarted Silicon Valleys generative AI race, Balaji served as a high-profile whistleblower in the fight over whether AI companies have the right to openly use content from across the web in their products. It is a highly divisive topic, with media companies claiming outright theft while tech industry insiders chalk it up to fair use. At stake are potentially tens of billions of dollars and the future of what some believe is the next major platform shift in technology. Large language models powering models like ChatGPT require immense amounts of training data, primarily written texts, in order to write like a human and produce answers to any question thrown at them.It is no surprise then that Balaji likely faced immense criticism and bullying online after going public with his concerns. Anyone who has worked in Silicon Valley has seen how the pressure to succeed can cause major stress and other mental health issues. That is not even including other risk factors like legal issues from making a whistleblower complaint; losing a job and harming future career prospects; or social isolation from peers in the industry. Is it possible that Balaji was targeted over his actions? Possibly, but conspiracies are hard to keep secret, and the dull answer is often the correct one. It is not that difficult to see how everything Balaji was going through could lead to hopelessness. His would not be the first case of a whistleblower in tech ending their own life over their moral beliefs eitherthe lead scientist of Theranos, Ian Gibbons, reportedly took his own life following facing immense pressure from founder and now-convicted felon Elizabeth Holmes for raising concerns about the validity of the companys blood tests.It is not surprising that Balajis parents would go to the lengths they have either, hoping to find answers and in disbelief that they lost their son. Maybe they will find that something more nefarious occurred. But there is no strong reason to believe that is the case at this point. Hopefully, they are able to find the closure they are looking for.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Todd Feathers Published December 30, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 30, 2024 Michael Timothy Bennett and Elija Perrier Published December 29, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 28, 2024 By Harri Weber Published December 28, 2024 By Thomas Maxwell Published December 27, 2024

Yvyrupa Cabins for a Hotel in Cerrito / SD+ASave this picture! Leonardo MndezCabins & LodgesBenjamn Aceval, ParaguayArchitects: SD+AAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:838 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Leonardo Mndez Lead Architect: Sebastin Domaniczky More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Yvyrupa. Home of the earth. Cabins for a hotel in Cerrito. The architecture of Yvyrupa seeks to reconnect humanity with its primal surroundings. Inspired by the constructions of the Mbya Guaran, they represent a conscious response to nature, not as a space to be dominated, but as a companion deserving of respect.Save this picture!Save this picture!Taking advantage of the natural clearings in the forest and using indigenous materials such as earth and wood, the cabins blend with the landscape, minimizing their impact and returning nature to its leading role. The intervention takes place in a clearing in the forest, respecting and adapting to its natural configuration.Save this picture!Save this picture!The architecture does not impose itself but flows with the environment, revealing a harmony between the built and the natural. This silent dialogue among the elements embodies a philosophy that understands inhabiting as a humble and poetic act, where each space is conceived as an extension of the earth itself.Save this picture!The cabins, by integrating with their surroundings, create a refuge that invites introspection and peace, promoting a unique sensory experience. In this project, nature is not a backdrop but an essential component of the creative process, where construction and landscape are inseparable.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Benjamn Aceval, ParaguayLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeSD+AOfficePublished on December 30, 2024Cite: "Yvyrupa Cabins for a Hotel in Cerrito / SD+A" [Yvyrupa cabaas para hotel en Cerrito / SD+A] 30 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025046/yvyrupa-cabins-for-a-hotel-in-cerrito-sd-plus-a&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Nature, Published online: 20 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04070-1Faculty members say academic freedom is under fire, and many are seeking work outside the region.