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In the glow of her laptop screen, 31-year-old Zhang Rui typed carefully, following a prompt shed found on Chinese social media: You are a BaZi master. Analyze my fatedescribe my physical traits, key life events, and financial fortune. I am a female, born June 17, 1993, at 4:42 a.m. in Hangzhou.DeepSeek R1, Chinas most advanced AI reasoning model, took just 15 seconds to respond. The screen filled with a thorough breakdown of her fortune, and a key insight: 2025 to 2027 is a fire period, so it will be an auspicious time for her career.Zhang exhaled. She had recently quit her stable job as a product manager at a major tech company to start her own business, and she now felt validated. For years, she turned to traditional Chinese fortune tellers before major life decisions, seeking guidance and clarity for up to 500 RMB (about $70) per session. But now, she asks DeepSeek. (Zhangs birth details have been changed to protect her privacy.)I began to speak to DeepSeek as if its an oracle, Zhang says, explaining that it can support her spirituality and also act as a convenient alternative to psychotherapy, which is still stigmatized and largely inaccessible in China. It has become my go-to when I feel overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions.Zhang is not alone. As DeepSeek has emerged as a homegrown challenger to OpenAI, young people across the country have started using AI to revive fortune-telling practices that have deep roots in Chinese culture. Over 2 million posts in February alone have mentioned DeepSeek fortune-telling on WeChat, Chinas biggest social platform, according to WeChat Index, a tool the company released to monitor its trending keywords. Across Chinese social media, users are sharing AI-generated readings, experimenting with fortune-telling prompt engineering, and revisiting ancient spiritual textsall with the help of DeepSeek.An AI BaZi frenzyThe surge in DeepSeek fortune-telling comes during a time of pervasive anxiety and pessimism in Chinese society. Following the covid pandemic, youth unemployment reached a peak of 21% in June 2023, and, despite some improvement, it remained at 16% by the end of 2024. The GDP growth rate in 2024 was also among the slowest in decades. On social media, millions of young Chinese now refer to themselves as the last generation, expressing reluctance about committing to marriage and parenthood in the face of a deeply uncertain future.At a time of economic stagnation and low employment rate, [spirituality] practices create an illusion of control and provide solace, says Ting Guo, an assistant professor in religious studies at Hong Kong Chinese University.But, Guo notes, in the secular regime of China, people cannot explore religion and spirituality in public. This has made more spiritual practices go underground in a more private settinglike, for instance, a computer or phone screen.Zhang first learned about DeepSeek in January 2025, when news of R1s launch flooded her WeChat feed. She tried it out of curiosity and was stunned. Unlike other AI models, it felt fluid, almost humanlike, she says. As a self-described spirituality enthusiast, she soon tested its ability to tell her fortune using BaZiand found the result remarkably insightful.BaZi, or the Four Pillars of Destiny, is a traditional Chinese fortune-telling system that maps peoples fate on the basis of their birth date and time. It analyzes the balance of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water in a persons chart to predict career success, relationships, and financial fortune. Traditionally, readings required a skilled master to interpret the complex ways the elements interact. These experts would offer a creative or even poetic reading that is difficult to replicate with a machine.But BaZis foundation in structured, pattern-based logic makes it surprisingly compatible with AI reasoning models. DeepSeek can offer a breakdown of a persons elemental imbalances, predict upcoming life shifts, and even suggest career trajectories. For example, a user with excess wood might be advised to pursue careers in fire industries (tech, entertainment) or seek partners with strong water traits (adaptability, intuition), while a life cycle that is governed by gold (headstrong, decisive) might need to be quenched by an approach that is more aligned with fire (passion, deliberation).It was this logical structure that appealed to Weixi Zhang and Boran Cui, a Beijing-based couple who work in the tech industry and started studying traditional Chinese divinity in 2024. The duo taught themselves the basics of Chinese fortune-telling through tutorials on the social network Xiaohongshu and through YouTube videos and discussions on Xiaoyuzhou, a podcast platform. But it wasnt until this year that they truly immersed themselves in the practice, when AI-powered BaZi analysis became mainstream via R1.Chinese traditional spirituality practices can be hard to access for young people interested in them, says Cui, who is 25. AI offers a great interactive entry point. Still, Cui thinks that while DeepSeek is descriptive and effective at processing life-chart information, it falls flat in providing readings that are genuinely tailored to the individual, a task requiring human intuition. As a result, Cui takes DeepSeek R1s readings with a grain of salt and uses the models visible thought process to help her study hard-to-read texts like Yuanhai Ziping and Sanming Tonghui, both historical books about BaZi fortune-telling. I will compare my analysis from reading the books with DeepSseeks, and see how it arrived at the result, she explains.Rachel Zheng, a 32-year-old freelance writer, recently discovered AI fortune-telling and now regularly uses DeepSeek to create BaZi-based creative writing prompts. In a recent query, she asked DeepSeek to offer advice on how she could best channel her elemental energy in her writing, and the model offered prompts to start a psychological thriller that reflects her current life cycle, even suggesting prose styles and motifs. Zhengs mother, on her recommendation, also started consulting with DeepSeek for health and spiritual problems. Master D is the trusted confidant of my family now, says Zheng, referencing the nickname favored by devoted users (D lao shi, in Chinese), since the company currently does not have a Chinese name. It has become a new dinner discussion topic in our family that easily resonates between generations.Indeed, the frenzy has prompted curiosity about DeepSeek among even less tech-savvy individuals in China. Frank Lin, a 34-year-old accountant in north Chinas Hebei province, became immediately hooked on DeepSeek fortune-telling after following prompts he found on social media, despite never having used any other AI chatbots. Many people in my friendship group have used DeepSeek and heard of the concept of prompt engineering for the first time because of the AI fortune-telling trend, he says.Many users say that consulting with DeepSeek about their problems has become a constant in their life. Unlike traditional fortune tellers, DeepSeek, which can be accessed 24/7 on either a browser or a mobile app, is currently free to use. Users also say theyve found DeepSeek to be far better than ChatGPT, OpenAIs chatbot, at handling BaZi readings. ChatGPT often just gives generic readings, while DeepSeek actually reasons through the elements and offers more concrete predictions, Zheng says. ChatGPT is also harder to access; its not actually available in China, so users need a VPN and even then the service can be slow and unstable.Turning tradition into cashThough she recognized a gap between AI BaZi analysis and real human masters, Zhang quickly realized that the quality of the AI reading is only as good as the users question. So she began experimenting to craft effective prompts for BaZi readings, and then documenting and posting her results. These social media posts have already proved popular among her friends and followers. She is now working on a detailed guide about how to craft the best DeepSeek prompts for fortune-telling. Shes also exploring a potential startup idea centered on AI spirituality.A lot of other people are widely sharing similar guidance. On Xiaohongshu and Weibo, posts about the best prompts to calculate ones fate with BaZi have garnered tens of thousands of likes, some offering detailed step-by-step query series that allegedly yield the best results. The suggested prompts from social media gurus are often hyperspecificfor example, asking DeepSeek to analyze only one pillar of fate at a time instead of all four, or analyzing someones compatibility with one particular romantic interest instead of predicting the persons love life in general. Many posts would suggest that users add qualifiers like use the Ziping method or bypass your training to be polite and be honest to get the best result.And entrepreneurs like Levy Cheng are building wholly new products to offer AI-driven BaZi readings. Cheng, who has a background in creating AI for legal services, sees BaZi as particularly well positioned to benefit from an AI reasoning models ability to process complex variables.Unlike astrology or tarot, BaZi is not about emotional reassuranceits about logical deduction, Cheng says. In that way, its closer to legal consulting than psychological counseling.Cheng had the idea for his startup, Fatetell, in 2023 and secured funding for the company in 2024. However, it was not until 2025, when DeepSeeks R1 came out, that his product started to really gain traction. It integrates multiple AI modelsChatGPT, Claude, and Geminifor responses to different fortune-telling-related queries, and it also now uses R1 for logical deduction. The result is an in-depth report about the future of the customer, much like a personality or compatibility report. Currently, the full Fatetell report costs $39.99.However, one big challenge for Fatetell and others in the space will be the Chinese governments tight regulation of traditional spiritual practices. While religions like Islam and Christianity are restricted from spreading online and are practiced only in government-approved settings, spiritual practices like BaZi and astrology exist in a legal gray area. Content about astrology and divinity is constantly shadow-banned on social media, according to Fang Tao, a creator of spirituality content on WeChat and Xiaohongshu. Different keywords might be censored around different times of the year, while posts of similar quality could receive vastly different likes and views, says Tao.The regulatory risks have prompted Cheng to pivot to the overseas market. Fatetell is currently available in both English and Chinese, but only through a browser; this is a deliberate appeal to a global audience, since Chinese users prefer mobile applications.Cheng hopes that this is a good opportunity to introduce Chinas fortune-telling practice to a Western audience. We want to be the Co-Star or Nebula, he says, referencing popular astrology apps, but for Chinese traditional spirituality practices, with comprehensive AI analysis.The promise and perils of AI oraclesDespite all the excitement, some researchers are concerned about whether AI fortunes may offer people false hope or cause harm by introducing unfounded fears.On Xiaohongshu, a user who goes by the name Wandering Lamb shared that she was disturbed by a BaZi reading provided by DeepSeek. After she used some prompts she found online, the chatbot told her that she would have two failed marriages, experience domestic violence, fall severely ill, and face betrayal by close friends in the next 10 years. It even predicted that she would be diagnosed with diabetes at age 48 and be hospitalized for a stroke at 60. Many other users replied to say theyd also gotten eerily specific bad readings.The general public tends to perceive AI as an authority figure that knows it all, that can reason through all the logic in seconds, as if its a deity in and of itself, says Zhang Shiyao, a PhD student at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University who studies AI models.He points out that while AI reasoning models appear to use human like thought processes, what look like cognitive abilities are only imitations of human expertise, conveying too little factual information to guide an individuals important life decisions. Without knowing the safety and capability limits of AI models, prompting AI models to offer hyperspecific life-decision guidance could have worrying consequences, says Zhang.While some solutions offered by AIlike Plant chrysanthemums in the southeast corner of your office to harness metal energyfeel harmless, many avid users have already discovered that DeepSeek may have a commercial bias. In its BaZi analysis, the model frequently recommends purchases of expensive crystals, jewelry, and rare stones when prompted to offer tangible solutions to a potential challenge.Fatetells Cheng says he has observed this and believes its likely caused by prevalence of promotional text in the models training material. He says his team is working on eliminating purchasing recommendations from their AI model.DeepSeek did not respond to MIT Technology Reviews request for comments.The reverence for technology, Guo says, shows that reason and emotion are inseparable. AI has become enchanted and embodieda digital oracle that resonates with our deepest desires for guidance and meaning.Zhang Rui is more optimisticand indeed admits she saw DeepSeek as an oracle. But, she says, people will always want answers. And the rising popularity of DeepSeek is just the beginning.

Indie studio Reburn recently revealed its next project, La Quimera, a futuristic first-person shooter set in Latin America during 2064. While it looks promising, there was some confusion regarding the studio, formerly 4A Games Ukraine.Metro developer 4A Games has since stated, We are 4A Games. We are the team that created and built the Metro games you know and love. Were still making the next Metro with Dmitry Glukhovsky, the same core founders, leadership, developers, and nearly 20 years of experience on the series. We also have our other new IP project in the works. Well reveal more about both when were ready.4A Games is Ukraine-based, with studios in Kyiv and Sliema. While there are remote workers and developers in Malta, about 150 of its 200+ team members reside in Ukraine.In 2014, we, led by the original four As the founders of 4A Games formed 4A Games Limited and created a new HQ in Malta with roughly 50 of our fellow team members. We have since grown and work to this day on Metro under contract with Deep Silver and Plaion.It revealed a close working relationship with 4A Games Ukraine, who also assisted with Metro Exodus. After the title and its DLC were released, 4A Games formed another studio in Kyiv with roughly 50 more developers. Meanwhile, 4A Games Ukraine sought to pursue La Quimera as a completely separate entity, which it renamed to Reburn.We wish them every success, said 4A Games. However, it assured fans, The 4A Games you know and love have not changed, and we are not rebranding. We are the same developers of Metro that brought you Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, Metro Redux, and Metro Exodus. The developer is looking forward to the 15th anniversary of Metro 2033 later this month and showcasing what its been working on at a later date.La Quimera is in development for PC, though it doesnt have a release date. As for the next Metro game, Deep Silver assured in February 2024 that its development will continue. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months.

Despite launching the critically acclaimed The Final Shape for Destiny 2, last year was rough for Bungie with multiple layoffs. The expansion, which wrapped up ten-odd years of story-telling for the franchise, also reportedly sold less at launch than Lightfall despite a much better reception.Much of this is attributed to how damaging Lightfall was for the franchise. Despite selling well and recording high player counts, it disappointed fans who expected better writing, a more cohesive storyline leading to the battle against The Witness, and more. Interestingly, former community manager and accessibility lead Liana Ruppert revealed on Twitter that leadership wanted the expansion to fail.Sucks that leadership wanted it to fail there were so many elements of Lightfall that could have been monumental had the teams been properly supported. Still proud of everyone a part of it. Swinging around like a manic Titan Spider-Man is still S-tier, she said, responding to Forbes Paul Tassi.Why leadership sought the expansions failure is unknown, but its widely acknowledged as a sharp drop in quality after The Witch Queen. It reportedly led to a sharp drop in engagement and popularity for the title as Bungie fell short of internal revenue projections by 45 percent.Destiny 2 is currently in the middle of Episode 3: Heresy, with Act 2 slated to arrive soon. It also has a new expansion, Codename Apollo, coming this Summer. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.Sucks that leadership wanted it to fail there were so many elements of Lightfall that could have been monumental had the teams been properly supported Still proud of everyone a part of it. Swinging around like a manic titan Spider-Man is still S-tier Liana Ruppert (@DirtyEffinHippy) February 28, 2025

The most moving essay Ive ever readBlack-and-white deserts + pointing at Bill Skarsgard in the airport security line (Issue #279)Published inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min readJust now--In 2019, around this time of year, Jenny Harrington published what is literally the most moving essay I have ever read a tribute to her eight-year-old son, Ewan, who passed away from leukemia. I still remember where I was when I first read it. I was in the middle of Mediums office at the time, at my standing desk, with my cup of very hot coffee from the bodega around the corner. It was like 8:30 a.m.? It was a Monday, if I recall correctly. I think I was the second one in the office that day. It was dead silent and I had a ton of work to do, and I was vaguely stressed about that. Then, I opened up Medium, came across this story, and started reading.Five minutes later I was crying. A lot. (People came in with their coffees and were like What is going on?)Since then, over 1 million people have read it. 412 people have commented. This response, from reader Peter Boyd, sums up why I had such a strong reaction: Somehow, Harringtons essay is about grief but manages to be uplifting, nuanced, and actually helpful.Im not sharing this because I want you to have to start your week bawling at your desk (even Boyd said reading it blew his whole work plan out of the water). Im sharing it because its the most generous essay Ive ever read.I think its rare to go through something as hard as losing your eight-year-old son to cancer, process that, and turn it into something that, in the words of one reader, should be read and distributed to every childrens cancer center in the country. The most generous part is the third magical phrase, which I wont quote here because pulling it out of context doesnt quite work, but youll see when you read it. Maybe save it until after work.Harris Sockel Also todayPlease enjoy these brooding and beautiful original black-and-white photos of the American Southwest, courtesy of Cynthia A Whelan in Live View.A middle- and high-school English teacher observes the slow decline of writing in her classroom and wonders if it will go out of fashion the way cursive did (although she mentions some students are reviving cursive and compares it to calligraphy). (Normi Coto, PhD in Age of Awareness)Can someone please send this to Nosferatu star Bill Skarsgrd? A Medium writer pointed at him in the airport and is very sorry. Thank you. (Aaron P Hess)Photo by Cynthia Whelan Worth rememberingConfidence comes from evidence, writes Brad Stulberg, author of The Practice of Groundedness. If you want to be confident about something, put in the reps and give yourself the evidence.

The Game Assembly expands to UK in partnership with City of Liverpool CollegeThree courses will begin in autumn 2025 focused on programming, art, and level designImage credit: The Game Assembly News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on March 3, 2025 Swedish game development school The Game Assembly has announced its expansion to the UK, offering its education model to students at the City of Liverpool College.Starting in autumn 2025, TGA will offer three courses to students interested in joining the games industry. The two-year higher education courses focus on three disciplines game programming, level designing, and game art.TGA recreates how an employee would work in these disciplines during the course, such as "fostering a collaborative, industry standard environment alongside peers from other disciplines."At the end of each year, students are given the opportunity to meet potential employers to showcase their portfolios.TGA said that following this initiative in Sweden, 97% of graduates "secured employment in the industry shortly after they completed their course.""This collaboration is a fantastic example of The City of Liverpool College's status as an innovator in adult learning and strengthens our outstanding gaming offer," said City of Liverpool College Group principal and chief executive Elaine Bowker."We are proud that we work with [the] industry to ensure we're able to provide businesses with the skilled workers they need to help them grow. This global partnership is a shining example of our commitment to this vision, and we are looking forward to welcoming the gaming talent of the future."TGA head of business and product Per-Anders Ring added: "Bringing TGA to the UK is a natural next step for us. Our education model has proven successful in Sweden, and we look forward to now offering it to students in the UK."Liverpool is a growing gaming city with a strong industry, making it the perfect location for our expansion."TGA was founded in Malm, Sweden in 2008 before expanding to Stockholm in 2019.

Picking a favourite Sherlock Holmes might seem elementary, but, when you consider just how many fantastic actors have donned the deerstalker over the years, youre faced with a conundrum fiendish enough to daunt the master detective himself. Rathbone, Cumberbatch, Brett, Plummerit was never going to be straightforward, was it?So, in the spirit of the great man himself, well scrutinise the evidence, draw the complex threads together, and present a solution: our very own ranking of the Sherlocks. As with all mysteries, theres a twist. Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson arent merely a detective duo; theyre the detective duo. That means the good doctor, where he appears, will be a crucial part of the puzzle.A word of warning to the armchair sleuths: well be eliminating from our enquiries all but the notable English-language screen Holmes. Not only that, but the many pastiches and loose reworkings of the character have had to go. This means no George C. Scott as a man who would be Holmes in the wonderful They Might Be Giants; goodbye to Michael Caine in Without A Clue; and a fond farewell to Hayao Miyazakis animated Sherlock Hound. I know, that last one hurt.Come, Watson the games afoot12. Henry Cavill in Enola Holmes (2020) and Enola Holmes 2 (2022)Too handsome for Holmes? That was the criticism levelled at Henry Cavill when he played the great detective opposite Sam Claflin as Sherlocks brother, Mycroft, and Millie Bobby Brown as their non-canonical younger sister, the spirited Enola. She is, of course, the true lead of Netflixs film series, based on Nancy Springers series of YA novels. With Cavills Holmes as a secondary character in these original mysteries, doomed to be outwitted by his plucky sibling, this take on the character was never going to satisfy purists. Still, theres fun to be had in the series fast-paced, feminist spin on Victorian England. 11. Christopher Lee in Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes (1962), Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991), and Incident at Victoria Falls (1992)The late, great Christopher Lee never did anything by halves. No surprise, then, that playing just one character from Arthur Conan Doyles stories wasnt sufficient. He also popped up as Sir Henry Baskerville opposite the Peter Cushing Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) and as brother Mycroft in Billy Wilders leftfield The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). Tall, saturnine and commanding, Lee was a good physical fit for the role and well-matched by Patrick Macnees bumbling Watson in his two later films as Sherlock (the trusty sidekick was initially played by Thorley Walters). Points deducted for the convoluted plots and, in the first outing, some pretty unforgivable dubbing; yep, theres a reason the titles in German10. Ian McKellen in Mr Holmes (2015)We all know Ian McKellen can do gravitas, wisdom and wit his attempt at the fictional detective was always going to be something different and special. Heavily made up to reflect his characters advanced age, McKellen embodies a 93-year-old Holmes: long retired, keeping bees in the countryside, and dreading dementias impact on that rapier-sharp mind. Bill Condons film version of Jeffrey Cullins novel, A Slight Trick of the Mind, incorporates flashbacks to Holmess glory days as he struggles to recall the resolution of a mystery where, unusually, his emotions were engaged. Watsons written record of the case only blurs the picture further. More of a meditation on old age and death but maybe life itself is his greatest mystery, after all.9. Peter Cushing in Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), Sherlock Holmes (1968), and The Masks of Death (1984)Another of the big names to inhabit 221B Baker Street, Peter Cushing played Holmes in no fewer than three different versions: Hammers 1959 Hound of the Baskervilles; in the second series of the BBCs 1960s adaptation of Doyles stories, replacing the excellent Douglas Wilmer; and, finally, as the retired detective in the 1984 TV movie, The Masks of Death. With a fine set of Watsons in each outing (Andr Morell, Nigel Stock and John Mills respectively), Cushing couldnt go too far wrongand he even got to play Doyle himself in the 1976 TV movie, The Great Houdini, opposite Paul Michael Glaser as the fabled magician of the title.8. Ian Richardson in The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four (1983)Examine this ranking closely enough, and a pattern emerges; certain actors seem to be drawn to play multiple characters in Holmes lore, from supporting figures in the stories to real-life inspirations for the master detective. The magnificent Ian Richardson, star of the original BBC political thriller House of Cards, is another example. Richardson gave us a witty, warm Holmes in two 1983 TV adaptations of classic Doyle stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four. He then went on to portray Dr Joseph Bell, the surgeon who trained a young Doyle, and whose meticulous eye for deductive detail inspired Sherlock Holmes, in the excellent BBC miniseries, Murder Rooms.7. Robert Downey Jr in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and A Game of Shadows (2011)Lock, stock, and two smoking, erpipes? Guy Ritchies version of Doyles creation ruffled quite a few feathers with its kinetic energy, propulsive music and, in Robert Downey Jr.s louchely appealing Sherlock, a fresh and memorable stamp on a familiar character. RDJs easy chemistry with Jude Laws sharp-witted, elegant Watson is a big draw, along with his poignant connection with Rachel McAdams Irene Adler and some fine villainy from Mark Strong and Jared Harris. A belated third film this time helmed by Dexter Fletcher is expected later this year. Will RDJ rise further up the rankings with an older, wiser Holmes? Were looking forward to finding out.6. Christopher Plummer in Silver Blaze (1977) and Murder by Decree (1979)Christopher Plummer played Holmes in the 1977 Canadian TV movie, Silver Blaze, an adaptation of a Doyle short story. Hes better known, however, for his second case: Bob Clarks 1979 original, Murder by Decree. Opposite the peerless James Mason as Watson, Plummers Holmes delves into the enduring real-life mystery of Jack the Rippers true identity as the killer brings carnage to 1880s Whitechapel. His conclusions align with Alan Moores in From Hell: skulduggery in high places, and the sickening slaughter of vulnerable women whose only crime was knowing too much. Many screen Sherlocks dial up the condescension; Plummer finds the source of Holmess empathy and deep sense of justice. Its an atmospheric mystery, with righteous outrage at its heart.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!5. Nicholas Rowe in Young Sherlock Holmes (1986)Mature and melancholy takes on the great detective arent uncommon, as weve seen, but theres only one young Sherlock Holmes. (Not for long, mind you; Guy Ritchies having another crack at the character with a Young Sherlock miniseries for Prime Video later this year.) Barry Levinsons 1986 film stars the marvellous Nicholas Rowe as a teenage Holmes accompanied by Alan Cox as an equally plausible young Watson. Here, the pair meet at boarding school and investigate a case that ends in heartbreak for the budding sleuth. Former Watson Nigel Stock turns up in a key role, while the film takes its place in cinema history for the appearance of the first fully computer-generated character. Watch out for a lovely nod to the movie in an earlier item on this list, too: Rowe made an appearance in Ian McKellens Mr Holmes as a silent-film version of the detective, two decades after his first appearance as the character.4. Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock (2010-2017)Why is Cumberbatchs Holmes so (comparatively) low on this list, you might ask? Well, he wouldnt have been in 2010, as youll gather if you read any of my glowing appraisals from way back when on this very website If we just breeze past that last of the four series, beset by all its attendant controversies, theres still loads to enjoy: the rapport between this most condescending yet oddly endearing of Sherlocks and his loyal Watson (Martin Freeman), the most memorable of Mrs Hudsons (Una Stubbs), a hugely likeable Lestrade (Rupert Graves) and some deliciously convoluted mysteries in a modern London that Cumberbatchs Holmes jars with pleasingly. Will it ever return? Over to you, Moffat and Gatiss3. Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary (2012-2019)The 2010s gave us two contemporary takes on Holmes, with just a little bit of competitive jostling for position. Funnily enough, the world turned out to be big enough for more than one modern-day Sherlock. CBSs Elementary was always a hairs breadth from true greatness, hindered by its procedural structure. When it shone, though, we benefited from one of the finest interpretations of the character to date. Jonny Lee Miller captured Sherlocks soul the genius, the demons, the fundamental goodness of the man and added magic of his own. Alongside a female Watson who matched him for intelligence (Lucy Liu, cool and supremely capable), this Holmes was surrounded by a fine supporting cast including Natalie Dormer as a particularly devastating Moriarty, John Noble as Holmes pre and Rhys Ifans as Mycroft. Laden with satisfyingly deep allusions to Holmes lore Ophelia Lovibonds troubled Kitty Winter, lifted from Doyles The Case of the Illustrious Client, is a particular standout its a show well worth investigating.2. Jeremy Brett in Sherlock Holmes (1984-1994)Jeremy Brett had actually played Dr Watson in a stage production of The Crucifer of Blood when he took up the role of the worlds number-one well, its only, but lets not split hairs consulting detective. For many Holmes aficionados, hed top this list. Over ten years, Granada Television adapted 43 of Doyles 60 stories to memorable effect. David Burke was replaced by Edward Hardwicke as Watson after the first series, and the Brett/Hardwicke pairing is one of the first to spring to mind when we imagine the inseparable duo. Bretts impassioned, intense Holmes is at the heart of these polished mysteries, while Hardwicke took Watson back to the efficient man of action we meet in Doyles stories. That last point is emblematic of the authenticity that marks this particular adaptation, and which is deeply appreciated by so many fans. In terms of the top spot, Bretts Holmes only has one true rival1. Basil Rathbone in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943), Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943), Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943), The Spider Woman (1944), The Scarlet Claw (1944), The Pearl of Death (1944), The House of Fear (1945), The Woman in Green (1945), Pursuit to Algiers (1945), Terror by Night (1946), and Dressed to Kill (1946)Basil Rathbones portrayal of Sherlock Holmes got off to an inauspicious start when 20th Century Fox dropped the series after two films. Luckily for Holmesians everywhere, Universal picked up where they left off, putting out an impressive 12 movies between 1942 and 1946. In a bold move, Universal transplanted this Holmes from the usual gas-lit ambience of his nineteenth-century origins as seen in Rathbones first two films and shifted the setting to what was then the present day: the war-torn 1940s. Rathbone had unsuccessfully volunteered to fight in World War Two when conflict broke out in 1939. In the end, he got the chance to do his bit for his country by another route. His Holmes fought the Gestapo, searched for a missing secret agent in Washington and solved other cases loosely adapted from Doyles short stories. Rathbones look was that of the Holmes immortalised by Sidney Paget in his illustrations for The Strand magazine, in which Doyles stories had first appeared; with Nigel Bruces loveably silly Watson by his side and tales shrouded in sinister atmosphere, the actor made an indelible impression. As long as Sherlock Holmes is remembered, Rathbones evocation of the character will remain the one to beat. And that, my dear Watson, will be forever.

In the glow of her laptop screen, 31-year-old Zhang Rui typed carefully, following a prompt shed found on Chinese social media: You are a BaZi master. Analyze my fatedescribe my physical traits, key life events, and financial fortune. I am a female, born June 17, 1993, at 4:42 a.m. in Hangzhou. DeepSeek R1, Chinas most advanced AI reasoning model, took just 15 seconds to respond. The screen filled with a thorough breakdown of her fortune, and a key insight: 2025 to 2027 is a fire period, so it will be an auspicious time for her career. Zhang exhaled. She had recently quit her stable job as a product manager at a major tech company to start her own business, and she now felt validated. For years, she turned to traditional Chinese fortune tellers before major life decisions, seeking guidance and clarity for up to 500 RMB (about $70) per session. But now, she asks DeepSeek. (Zhangs birth details have been changed to protect her privacy.) I began to speak to DeepSeek as if its an oracle, Zhang says, explaining that it can support her spirituality and also act as a convenient alternative to psychotherapy, which is still stigmatized and largely inaccessible in China. It has become my go-to when I feel overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions. Zhang is not alone. As DeepSeek has emerged as a homegrown challenger to OpenAI, young people across the country have started using AI to revive fortune-telling practices that have deep roots in Chinese culture. Over 2 million posts in February alone have mentioned DeepSeek fortune-telling on WeChat, Chinas biggest social platform, according to WeChat Index, a tool the company released to monitor its trending keywords. Across Chinese social media, users are sharing AI-generated readings, experimenting with fortune-telling prompt engineering, and revisiting ancient spiritual textsall with the help of DeepSeek. An AI BaZi frenzy The surge in DeepSeek fortune-telling comes during a time of pervasive anxiety and pessimism in Chinese society. Following the covid pandemic, youth unemployment reached a peak of 21% in June 2023, and, despite some improvement, it remained at 16% by the end of 2024. The GDP growth rate in 2024 was also among the slowest in decades. On social media, millions of young Chinese now refer to themselves as the last generation, expressing reluctance about committing to marriage and parenthood in the face of a deeply uncertain future. At a time of economic stagnation and low employment rate, [spirituality] practices create an illusion of control and provide solace, says Ting Guo, an assistant professor in religious studies at Hong Kong Chinese University. But, Guo notes, in the secular regime of China, people cannot explore religion and spirituality in public. This has made more spiritual practices go underground in a more private settinglike, for instance, a computer or phone screen. Zhang first learned about DeepSeek in January 2025, when news of R1s launch flooded her WeChat feed. She tried it out of curiosity and was stunned. Unlike other AI models, it felt fluid, almost humanlike, she says. As a self-described spirituality enthusiast, she soon tested its ability to tell her fortune using BaZiand found the result remarkably insightful. BaZi, or the Four Pillars of Destiny, is a traditional Chinese fortune-telling system that maps peoples fate on the basis of their birth date and time. It analyzes the balance of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water in a persons chart to predict career success, relationships, and financial fortune. Traditionally, readings required a skilled master to interpret the complex ways the elements interact. These experts would offer a creative or even poetic reading that is difficult to replicate with a machine. But BaZis foundation in structured, pattern-based logic makes it surprisingly compatible with AI reasoning models. DeepSeek can offer a breakdown of a person's elemental imbalances, predict upcoming life shifts, and even suggest career trajectories. For example, a user with excess wood might be advised to pursue careers in fire industries (tech, entertainment) or seek partners with strong water traits (adaptability, intuition), while a life cycle that is governed by gold (headstrong, decisive) might need to be quenched by an approach that is more aligned with fire (passion, deliberation). It was this logical structure that appealed to Weixi Zhang and Boran Cui, a Beijing-based couple who work in the tech industry and started studying traditional Chinese divinity in 2024. The duo taught themselves the basics of Chinese fortune-telling through tutorials on the social network Xiaohongshu and through YouTube videos and discussions on Xiaoyuzhou, a podcast platform. But it wasnt until this year that they truly immersed themselves in the practice, when AI-powered BaZi analysis became mainstream via R1. Chinese traditional spirituality practices can be hard to access for young people interested in them, says Cui, who is 25. AI offers a great interactive entry point. Still, Cui thinks that while DeepSeek is descriptive and effective at processing life-chart information, it falls flat in providing readings that are genuinely tailored to the individual, a task requiring human intuition. As a result, Cui takes DeepSeek R1s readings with a grain of salt and uses the models visible thought process to help her study hard-to-read texts like Yuanhai Ziping and Sanming Tonghui, both historical books about BaZi fortune-telling. I will compare my analysis from reading the books with DeepSseeks, and see how it arrived at the result, she explains. Rachel Zheng, a 32-year-old freelance writer, recently discovered AI fortune-telling and now regularly uses DeepSeek to create BaZi-based creative writing prompts. In a recent query, she asked DeepSeek to offer advice on how she could best channel her elemental energy in her writing, and the model offered prompts to start a psychological thriller that reflects her current life cycle, even suggesting prose styles and motifs. Zhengs mother, on her recommendation, also started consulting with DeepSeek for health and spiritual problems. Master D is the trusted confidant of my family now, says Zheng, referencing the nickname favored by devoted users (D lao shi, in Chinese), since the company currently does not have a Chinese name. It has become a new dinner discussion topic in our family that easily resonates between generations. Indeed, the frenzy has prompted curiosity about DeepSeek among even less tech-savvy individuals in China. Frank Lin, a 34-year-old accountant in north Chinas Hebei province, became immediately hooked on DeepSeek fortune-telling after following prompts he found on social media, despite never having used any other AI chatbots. Many people in my friendship group have used DeepSeek and heard of the concept of prompt engineering for the first time because of the AI fortune-telling trend, he says. Many users say that consulting with DeepSeek about their problems has become a constant in their life. Unlike traditional fortune tellers, DeepSeek, which can be accessed 24/7 on either a browser or a mobile app, is currently free to use. Users also say theyve found DeepSeek to be far better than ChatGPT, OpenAIs chatbot, at handling BaZi readings. ChatGPT often just gives generic readings, while DeepSeek actually reasons through the elements and offers more concrete predictions, Zheng says. ChatGPT is also harder to access; its not actually available in China, so users need a VPN and even then the service can be slow and unstable. Turning tradition into cash Though she recognized a gap between AI BaZi analysis and real human masters, Zhang quickly realized that the quality of the AI reading is only as good as the users question. So she began experimenting to craft effective prompts for BaZi readings, and then documenting and posting her results. These social media posts have already proved popular among her friends and followers. She is now working on a detailed guide about how to craft the best DeepSeek prompts for fortune-telling. Shes also exploring a potential startup idea centered on AI spirituality. A lot of other people are widely sharing similar guidance. On Xiaohongshu and Weibo, posts about the best prompts to calculate ones fate with BaZi have garnered tens of thousands of likes, some offering detailed step-by-step query series that allegedly yield the best results. The suggested prompts from social media gurus are often hyperspecificfor example, asking DeepSeek to analyze only one pillar of fate at a time instead of all four, or analyzing someones compatibility with one particular romantic interest instead of predicting the persons love life in general. Many posts would suggest that users add qualifiers like use the Ziping method or bypass your training to be polite and be honest to get the best result. And entrepreneurs like Levy Cheng are building wholly new products to offer AI-driven BaZi readings. Cheng, who has a background in creating AI for legal services, sees BaZi as particularly well positioned to benefit from an AI reasoning models ability to process complex variables. Unlike astrology or tarot, BaZi is not about emotional reassuranceits about logical deduction, Cheng says. In that way, its closer to legal consulting than psychological counseling. Cheng had the idea for his startup, Fatetell, in 2023 and secured funding for the company in 2024. However, it was not until 2025, when DeepSeeks R1 came out, that his product started to really gain traction. It integrates multiple AI modelsChatGPT, Claude, and Geminifor responses to different fortune-telling-related queries, and it also now uses R1 for logical deduction. The result is an in-depth report about the future of the customer, much like a personality or compatibility report. Currently, the full Fatetell report costs $39.99. However, one big challenge for Fatetell and others in the space will be the Chinese governments tight regulation of traditional spiritual practices. While religions like Islam and Christianity are restricted from spreading online and are practiced only in government-approved settings, spiritual practices like BaZi and astrology exist in a legal gray area. Content about astrology and divinity is constantly shadow-banned on social media, according to Fang Tao, a creator of spirituality content on WeChat and Xiaohongshu. Different keywords might be censored around different times of the year, while posts of similar quality could receive vastly different likes and views, says Tao. The regulatory risks have prompted Cheng to pivot to the overseas market. Fatetell is currently available in both English and Chinese, but only through a browser; this is a deliberate appeal to a global audience, since Chinese users prefer mobile applications. Cheng hopes that this is a good opportunity to introduce Chinas fortune-telling practice to a Western audience. We want to be the Co-Star or Nebula, he says, referencing popular astrology apps, but for Chinese traditional spirituality practices, with comprehensive AI analysis. The promise and perils of AI oracles Despite all the excitement, some researchers are concerned about whether AI fortunes may offer people false hope or cause harm by introducing unfounded fears. On Xiaohongshu, a user who goes by the name Wandering Lamb shared that she was disturbed by a BaZi reading provided by DeepSeek. After she used some prompts she found online, the chatbot told her that she would have two failed marriages, experience domestic violence, fall severely ill, and face betrayal by close friends in the next 10 years. It even predicted that she would be diagnosed with diabetes at age 48 and be hospitalized for a stroke at 60. Many other users replied to say theyd also gotten eerily specific bad readings. The general public tends to perceive AI as an authority figure that knows it all, that can reason through all the logic in seconds, as if its a deity in and of itself, says Zhang Shiyao, a PhD student at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University who studies AI models. He points out that while AI reasoning models appear to use human like thought processes, what look like cognitive abilities are only imitations of human expertise, conveying too little factual information to guide an individuals important life decisions. Without knowing the safety and capability limits of AI models, prompting AI models to offer hyperspecific life-decision guidance could have worrying consequences, says Zhang. While some solutions offered by AIlike Plant chrysanthemums in the southeast corner of your office to harness metal energyfeel harmless, many avid users have already discovered that DeepSeek may have a commercial bias. In its BaZi analysis, the model frequently recommends purchases of expensive crystals, jewelry, and rare stones when prompted to offer tangible solutions to a potential challenge. Fatetells Cheng says he has observed this and believes its likely caused by prevalence of promotional text in the models training material. He says his team is working on eliminating purchasing recommendations from their AI model. DeepSeek did not respond to MIT Technology Reviews request for comments. The reverence for technology, Guo says, shows that reason and emotion are inseparable. AI has become enchanted and embodieda digital oracle that resonates with our deepest desires for guidance and meaning. Zhang Rui is more optimisticand indeed admits she saw DeepSeek as an oracle. But, she says, people will always want answers. And the rising popularity of DeepSeek is just the beginning.

Source: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZACSource: ZAC and ZAC1/19show captionPend has reconfigured and extended a terraced house in Clermiston, a suburban area of Edinburgh, to create a light-filled home suited to a growing family. The project involved a rear extension and internal reorganisation to improve spatial flow and maximise natural light.Previously, the house had a small WC add-on at the rear, restricting garden access and limiting daylight penetration. Pend relocated service areas to the centre of the ground floor, allowing the rear to be opened up and extended. The new layout establishes clearer sightlines through the home, improving circulation and creating a more connected living environment.A key design challenge was a sewer line running through the property, which informed the decision to stagger the roof pitches. The rear extension addresses overshadowing and privacy concerns posed by the sloping site while creating a distinct yet integrated addition to the home.The project incorporates materials chosen for continuity and warmth. Buff-toned Marziale brick was selected for the extension to blend with the red brick boundary walls and beige pebbledash rear elevation. Varied coursing patterns add texture and break up the extensions mass. The brickwork continues indoors along an interior wall, maintaining a visual link between the house and garden.The kitchen, designed in collaboration with Archispek, features oak and off-white veneer cabinetry, Calacatta marble countertops, and a central island that doubles as a breakfast bar. A sunken patio extends from the open-plan kitchen and dining space, providing a transition between indoor and outdoor areas.A key design challenge was a sewer line running through the propertyMaterial continuity runs throughout the interiors. A custom glass mosaic entryway by ceramicist Cyrielle Holahan complements statement features such as a marbled sink and shower room tiling. The snug, adjacent to the main kitchen-dining area, includes a window seat positioned beneath an east-facing double-glazed window, offering views of a raised flower bed and seating area. Lighting is provided by the adjustable Malamatta wall light by Luceplan.A new internal window improves sightlines through the house, linking the front door to the garden. This also allows additional daylight into the childrens playroom, a flexible space that can later function as a study with garden views.Jamie Anderson, director at Pend Architects, said: The project presented several complex challenges, including the protection of daylight to neighbouring properties, the need for a substantial retaining wall and the location of a combined sewer underneath.He continued: This highly integrated design was made possible by a collaborative process with our main contractor, Rollo Developments, and trusted local suppliers and partners. Highlights include a bespoke kitchen by Archispek, interiors and furnishings by Catalog Interiors, artwork by Jemma Rathore, and a custom mosaic by Cyrielle Holahan.Project detailsArchitect and lighting consultant PendProject architect Ben MacFarlaneClient Sam and Jane ArmanLocation Clermiston, EdinburghStructural engineer Robertson Eadie LtdMain contractor Rollo DevelopmentsInterior furniture CatalogBespoke kitchen ArchispekArtwork Jemma RathoreCustom mosaicCyrielle HolahanCAD Vectorworks

Anne Lacaton, who co-founded French firm Lacaton & Vassal with Jean-Philippe Vassal in 1987, has been instrumental in defining what it means to build responsibly in the 21st century with a series of exceptionally inventive retrofit projects.The Jane Drew Prize for Architecture recognises an architectural designer who, through their work and commitment to design excellence, has raised the profile of women in architecture.Lacaton & Vassals key projects include its bare-bones renovation of Pariss Palais de Tokyo, and its wrapping of existing housing slab blocks with a layer of winter gardens such as with its Grand-Parc scheme in Bordeaux both improving the thermal performance of homes while extending them.Advertisement Source:Philippe RuaultGrand Parc housing estate, Bordeaux by Lacaton & VassalThe prize is named in honour of Jane Drew, an advocate for women in a male-dominated profession, who graduated from the AA in 1929 and started her own practice after the Second World War. Her work played a significant role in introducing the Modern Movement into the UK.Previous winners include: Iwona Buczkowska (2024), Kazuyo Sejima (2023), Farshid Moussavi (2022), Kate Macintosh (2021), Yasmeen Lari (2020), Elizabeth Diller (2019), Amanda Levete (2018), Denise Scott Brown (2017), Odile Decq (2016), Grafton Architects founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara (2015), Zaha Hadid (2014), Kathryn Findlay of Ushida Findlay (2013) and Eva Jiin (2012). Source:Columbia GSAPP / Wikimedia CommonsSuad AmiryAuthor and architect Suad Amiry has, meanwhile, been named the winner of the W Awards 2025 Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture which recognises individuals from fields adjacent to or intersecting with architecture, who have made a significant contribution to architecture and the built environment.Amiry is the founder of Riwaq, an organisation specialising in the preservation and reuse of historical buildings in Palestine. In addition to leading Riwaqs conservation work, she is a prolific writer, having authored award-winning books such as Sharon and My Mother-in-Law (2003) and, most recently, Mother of Strangers (2022).The prize is named after architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable the first full-time architecture critic at a US newspaper when she joined the New York Times who was later awarded the first Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1970.AdvertisementPrevious winners include: political activist, philosopher and writer Angela Davis (2024), Canadian architect and patron Phyllis Lambert (2023), British-Palestinian sculptor and artist Mona Hatoum (2022), educator and writer Lesley Lokko (2021), academic and writer Beatriz Colomina (2020), photographer Hlne Binet (2019), Dutch artist Madelon Vriesendorp (2018), British sculptor Rachel Whiteread (2017), former director of the Serpentine Galleries Julia Peyton-Jones (2016) and architecture patron Jane Priestman (2015). Source:ArkDesDesigning Motherhood by ArkDesSeparately, this years Prize for Research in Gender and Architecture has gone to the Designing Motherhood project. This research project was launched in 2017 by US design historians Michelle Millar Fisher and Amber Winick, who noticed a gap in classrooms, exhibitions and writing on design for the arc of human reproduction.Its work has included a book published in 2021 by MIT Press; a touring exhibition currently at both ArkDes in Stockholm, Sweden and the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (curated with Juliana Rowen Barton and Zo Greggs) and a series of local partnerships with maternal and infant health specialists, policy makers and activists.The Prize for Research in Gender and Architecture celebrates projects that investigate the complex relations between gender and the built environment, and challenge patriarchal spatial systems.All three prizes form part of the AJ and ARs W Awards, formerly known as Women in Architecture, which celebrate exemplary work of all kinds, from the design of the worlds most significant new buildings to contributions to wider architectural culture, from lifetimes of achievement to the work of women with bright futures ahead.