Street photography is all about storytelling. Unlike traditional portrait or landscape photography, it thrives on spontaneity, raw emotion, and fleeting moments. The challenge? Capturing a visually striking image while navigating the unpredictable rhythm of the city. Heres how you can refine your approach and elevate your street photography.Understanding the flow of the cityEvery city has a unique energy. Whether its the bustling streets of New York, the quiet charm of a European alleyway, or the neon-lit vibrance of Tokyo, great street photography comes from understanding and adapting to your surroundings. Observe before you shootInstead of immediately snapping photos, take time to observe. Look for patterns in movementpedestrians crossing at intervals, the way light falls on a particular street corner, or how shadows shift between buildings. Position yourself where these elements align.Blend in and anticipate momentsThe best street photographers know how to be both present and invisible. If people notice you taking photos, they may alter their behavior. Move with the crowd, avoid sudden movements, and wear neutral clothing to blend in. More importantly, anticipate the momentspot an interaction before it happens, and have your camera ready. Mastering light and shadows in street photographyUrban environments provide natural contrasts between light and shadow, allowing for powerful compositions.Golden hour vs. nighttime shootingMorning and late afternoon light create long shadows that add depth and mystery to images. Position yourself so that subjects walk through these shadows for striking silhouettes.At night, streetlights, car headlights, and neon signs become creative light sources. Use them to frame subjects or create dramatic highlights in low-light street scenes.Shooting in harsh midday lightInstead of avoiding midday light, use it to your advantage. High contrast between sunlit areas and deep shadows can create a graphic, high-impact look. Experiment with underexposing slightly to maintain detail in the highlights while letting shadows deepen naturally.Compositional techniques for stronger street shotsA well-composed street photo guides the viewers eye and tells a story without words.The power of layeringGreat street photos often have foreground, midground, and background elements that add depth. Instead of just focusing on a single subject, look for additional elements that add contextshop signs, reflections in windows, or people reacting to one another. Juxtaposition for contrastCities are full of contradictionsold vs. new, solitude vs. chaos, elegance vs. grit. Use these contrasts to create compelling compositions. A sharply dressed businessperson walking past a graffiti-covered wall, or a moment of stillness amid a crowded street, adds visual tension that keeps the viewer engaged.Framing with the environmentUse doorways, archways, or gaps between buildings to naturally frame your subject. These elements not only guide the eye, but also add a sense of place, immersing the viewer in the scene.Capturing emotion and characterStreet photography isnt just about capturing peopleits about capturing emotion, personality, and atmosphere.Expressions and gesturesA small smirk, an intense gaze, or a fleeting glance can make or break an image. Look for expressive moments, whether its a street musician deep in concentration or two strangers exchanging a silent laugh.Candid vs. engaged shotsCandid street photography focuses on capturing people as they are, unaware of the camera. But dont be afraid to interactsometimes, asking for a portrait creates a more intimate, powerful image. The key is to remain respectful and aware of cultural norms regarding photography. Post-processing for street photographyStreet photos often benefit from subtle but impactful adjustments.Convert to black and white to emphasize contrast, shape, and emotion, especially when color distracts from the core message.Adjust contrast and clarity to make subjects stand out from their surroundings.Use cropping carefullysometimes, minor adjustments can improve balance and remove distracting elements without losing the spontaneity of the shot. Street photography is about embracing unpredictability. By learning to anticipate moments, using light creatively, and composing with intention, youll develop an eye for the extraordinary in everyday life. Keep your camera ready, stay patient, and let the streets guide you to your next great shot.Not on 500px yet? Click here to learn about Licensing with 500px.The post Capturing the pulse of the city in street photography appeared first on 500px.

With not a lot of a competition in the Life Simulation genre, there is space for a new game to arrive and immerse us in the splendors of digital living. Enter inZOI, a vibrant life simulation which is finally approaching release. This feature describes 15 aspects which should help you decide whether to buy or not, but its worth noting that this game is so broad that 15 entries simply isnt enough.What is it?Coming from South Korean developer InZOI Studio is balmy slice of life sim inZOI, a challenger to the best games in the genre with far-reaching scope to alter any aspect of its world to create unique stories and experiences. As the games strapline goes: life itself is the true gift, and every journey has its own meaning. With a variety of creative tools, inZOI players will be able to visualise then craft their dream life.Developed in Unreal Engine 5Distinguishing itself visually from other games which have stylised, cartoonish aesthetic, inZOI is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, presenting detailed character models and lush, realistic environments; the games efforts towards realism intended to according to inZOI studio let player imaginations run free. Theres a degree of uncanniness to the games inhabitants dubbed Zois but whether this fosters more imagination than other games in the genre is debatable. The aforesaid creative toolbox surely provides the means to realise player imagination; realistic graphics, in a way, are a canvas.Coming to early accessinZOI is releasing to early access on PC via Steam March 28th. The game has suffered a couple of delays during production owing to further polish. The in-house developer inZOI Studio, clearly feel the time is now to get the game into players hands, although, as with all early access releases, certain features will be unavailable until later. The breadth of features beyond the once-available-now-offline Character Studio hasnt been shared, but wed expect there to be plenty to see and do during the expected 6-month early access period.PlatformsFor now, PC is the only platform youll be able to play inZOI. As per the games official Discord channel, consoles are coming after the early access period ends namely PS5 and Xbox Series X. Switch hasnt been mentioned thus far but given Nintendos impending change of the guard to Switch 2 the eight-year-old Switch is too outdated. Switch 2 if it does come to Nintendos console is most likely.Character creatorBoasting a more intricate character creator than other games in the genre, inZOIs now offline Creation Studio demo showcased just how detailed your Zoi can be. Therere over 250 options for setting age, body profile, personality traits, life goals, outfits, and more. The dazzling array of choice to finetune your creations face, hair, skin, eyes, and makeup, down a granular level via hex colour codes is overwhelming. To combat choice paralysis inZoi will provide presets to get you started.Build and customise homesMuch like Creation Studio, inZOIs Build Mode harbours daunting opportunities for customisation. Walls, half-walls, rooves, rooms, doors, windows, each component of your house must be chosen from a staggering number of templates before being dropped and dragged onto a plot of land. Granularity is here too. Taking windows as an example, therere options for frame type, buildings materials such as wood and plastic, and hex colour codes and textures for each. AI powered texture generators, or the option to upload your own textures, will provide detail unique to your own build.CitiesCities will harbour up to 300 Zois, each capable of operating with free will, forming their own relationships, influencing communities, starting rumours, setting fashion trends, and even according to InZOI studio spreading illnesses. Cities confirmed include Seoul-modelled Dowon, laid back Santa Monica-esque Bliss Bay, and Cahaya. There are numerous other cities playable in inZOI, but weve not seen what they look like or which part of the world theyre modelled after yet, but for reference these places are called Brusimo, Goldenfield, Winiber, Haegang, and Recalleta.Customising citiesMuch like your homestead, cities will be customisable in many ways, from deciding on climate, cleanliness of the streets, road signage, and animal density. In a move not dissimilar to city builders, inZOI players will be able to choose from numerous horticultural options to decorate their city trees, grass, and bush types can be selected although their placement as far as we can gather isnt customisable. Furthermore, each citys culture, topography, and service buildings will influence the type of careers and side activities your Zoi can undertake.CareersAnd on that note, expectantly inZOI will feature numerous careers which you can opt to follow for your Zoi. Unlike other games in the genre which placed the need to actually leave home and go to work behind DLC, inZOI includes job activity in its base game, and wide-ranging are these jobs too. Typical office jobs, convenience store workers, or earning money as a server in a caf are present, but you could also chase a career in the fire service, work in a theme park, and even spend your daytime hours as a vocal coach for a pop idol contestant.In-game messaging systemNumerous are the ways your Zoi can interact with others. When speaking face to face, therere pragmatic options or more mood-specific dialogue options, all broken down into familial, business, and friendship categories. One of the most interested means of interacting with your fellow citizens though is via inZOIs in-game messaging system. On your phone, youll be notified when a mate wants to hang-out, and when friends or family members move into your neighbourhood.Seasons included in base gameAnother way in which inZOI is attempting to one-up other games in the genre is by including seasons, and by extension temperature effects on your Zoi, in the base game rather than locking behind DLC. Explained by inZOIs creative director Hyungjun Kjun Kim a city like Dowon will reflect each of the four seasons whilst sun-baked Californian inspired Bliss Bay will be at least inclement all year round. Worthy of note is your Zoi will have to dress accordingly as, according to Kjun, should they fail to wrap up in freezing temperatures they risk dying from hypothermia.Karma systemThis one wont be available when early access begins but as part of inZOIs roadmap a karma system is set to be implemented which will provide your Zoi with good or bad perception in the eyes of other Zois depending on their actions and the choices you make. Good karma actions include putting rubbish in the bin instead of dropping litter, being nice to your fellow Zois over text instead of, say, sending offensive messages, and posting supporting comments on other Zois social media posts.Modding supportAnother aspect which wont be available when early access launches, but InZOI studio have confirmed that modding support in partnership with mod storehouse CurseForge will come. Furthermore, creative director Kjun Kim pledges the modding process will minimise any obstacles preventing modders from expressing themselves creatively and artistically. By partnering with CurseForge Kjun says creators will have access to a dedicated platform of tools and resources to craft whatever mod their imagination cooks up.In-game 3D printerThis is a cool feature. inZOI includes a 3D printer that is capable of recreating virtually any real life object in game, providing the source photograph is clear enough. This sounds too good to be true, but early play testers report this feature functions fairly well. How it works, for instance, is you can snap and upload photos of cushions to plonk on your upholstery, or chair legs to snap onto your office dcor. Textures are another aspect that can be uploaded a feature we alluded when we outlined the extensiveness in which you can customise your homes building materials.Single player onlyAt present, inZOI will be single player only with no online community or multi-player support whatsoever. This, of course, could change as it seems like itll be a missed opportunity at present to foster an environment whereby inZOI players get to live together in a shared city.

Rise of the Ronin director Fumihiko Yasuda and producer Yosuke Hayashi have revealed that the reason for the games PlayStation exclusivity largely came down to the fact that Sony helped with its development.In an interview with RPG Site, the duo acknowledged that while PlayStation supported Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja with publishing and localisation for the Nioh games, PlayStation Studios was, in some way, involved throughout the development of Rise of the Ronin.We received support in publishing and localization for the Nioh series, but for Rise of the Ronin, in addition to that, PlayStation Studios was involved in almost the entire PS5 version development process, said Yasuda when asked about working with Sony.They shared valuable insights on various aspects, including accessibility and improving onboarding accuracy, which not only enhanced the value of the title but also provided a significant experience for Team Ninja.Hayashi goes on to say that, without the support of PlayStation, Rise of the Ronin wouldnt even have been started as a project. He goes on to thank the teams at PlayStation Studios for their support in releasing the game.This project would not have started without the support of PlayStation Studios, said Hayashi. We are extremely grateful to the PlayStation Studios team for lending their strength to this new challenge.In the same interview, Yasuda also spoke about the popularity of the Nintendo Switch in Japan, noting that he is paying close attention to how things are going to change when the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally released. In the meantime, the PC has also gained quite a bit of traction in Japan as a gaming platform.In terms of consoles, there has been a long-standing situation in Japan where there is a significant number of Switch players, and I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2, said Yasuda.For games like the ones we create, there are many PS5 players, but I also feel that the number of PC players has significantly increased in Japan over the past few years..This is far from the first time that Yasuda has referenced PlayStation Studios when it comes to the development of Rise of the Ronin. While Sucker Punch wasnt directly involved with the game, Yasuda does note that its open world title, Ghost of Tsushima, served as one of the major points of reference during the development of Rise of the Ronin.This largely came down to the fact that Rise of the Ronin was going to be Team Ninjas first open world game; its previous series, Nioh, is more level-based, with players picking the next stage to tackle through menus.Rise of the Ronin was recently released on PC. Check out our review of the port here. Back when the PS5 release happened last year (review here), Koei Tecmo had also revealed that it had become the best-selling game in the companys history so far. Leading up to that announcement, Rise of the Ronin was surpassing the Nioh franchise shortly after its PS5 release.

Roblox CEO and co-founder Dave Baszucki has told parents to keep their children off the popular game platform if they have safety concerns.Speaking to BBC News about the platform's widely-reported issues with safeguarding and protecting younger players, Baszucki said the company is vigilant when it comes to addressing instances of bad behaviour but that parents should keep their children away from Roblox if they have major fears."My first message would be, if you're not comfortable, don't let your kids be on Roblox," he told the BBC. "That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions."Roblox boasted 68.4 million daily active users in 2023. The company explained 21 percent of those users were aged 9 or under. 21 percent were between 9 and 12 years old, while 16 percent were aged between 13 and 16.That means 58 percent of Roblox's annual player base in 2023 was aged 16 or under.Roblox has repeatedly come under fire over a perceived lack of protections for those younger players. In October 2024, the company rejected a report published by research firm Hindenburg that accused it of lying about player metrics and downplaying child safety issues.Months earlier, Bloomberg reported on Roblox's "pedophile problem" after speaking with 20 current and former employees who claimed the company was struggling to effectively curb predatory behaviour.Related:Shortly after those reports were published, Roblox rolled out new child safety protocolsincluding more robust parental controlsto limit access to certain age-gated experiences and prevent users under the age of 13 from communicating via platform chat.In its latest fiscal report, Roblox said "trust and safety" remains a priority and noted it rolled out 40 safety products and policies in 2024 to provide caregivers and parents with "control and clarity." It intends to implement additional safety features in 2025.The BBC, however, claims it was able to bypass some safety controls to exchange messages between two fake accounts (aged 15 and 27, respectively) and suggest moving the conversation to another platform and playing more adult games.The publication explained Roblox's filters initially flagged some of those exchanges, but that it found ways to reword those requests to escape detection.Baszucki felt the above incident highlighted how Roblox's safety measures actually work to protect childrenlargely because the BBC had to suggest engaging in prohibited behavior off-platform.Related:You can hear more from Baszucki by checking out the full report on the BBC website.

In a TikTok video from CNN that has been viewed more than 3 million times since late February, the voice of a voter in Roswell, Georgia, pierces through a town hall event held by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA). Tyranny is rising in the White House, and a man has declared himself our king, the woman says. So I would like to know, rather, the people would like to know, what you, congressman, and your fellow congressmen are going to do to rein in the megalomaniac in the White House. Her voice is unwavering, each syllable enunciated perfectly. She speaks slowly and deliberately, and her Southern accent brings a different kind of intensity. The sound bite is perfect for the age of shortform video. Hundreds of people have uploaded clips of themselves lip-syncing to the womans question. Who is this diva? is a common response, along with many iterations of Vote [McCormick] out.Across the country, town halls like the event in Roswell have become the setting for constituents and their elected representatives to come face-to-face often contentiously. Republican representatives have been booed out of their own events and drowned out after giving unsatisfactory responses. In Idaho, a woman was dragged out of an event by workers of a private security firm for heckling legislators. In a different timeline, these confrontations might have circulated in local news reports but not much further; now, they go viral, agitating even those at the highest levels of government. The tough questions come from people who identify themselves as Republicans as well as from Democrats, and many are attending town hall events for the first time, activated by the gutting of the federal government and services.Lindsay DeFranco arrived at the Roswell town hall on February 20th well ahead of the start time to ensure shed get a seat. (The event had overflow rooms to contain all the attendees.) DeFranco, who had never attended a town hall before, says she decided to pull out her phone and record the event so she could share clips, unedited and without commentary. On TikTok, DeFranco shared a video of an exchange about school lunches for low-income kids (100,000 views); legislation that would disenfranchise women from voting (6 million views); and the now-viral Tyranny is rising in the White House moment (630,000 views).She saw McCormick questioned about everything from Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to support for Ukraine, to school lunch programs for kids. DeFranco, who grew up in the area and recently moved back, said McCormick came off as dismissive and snide.I dont think he was listening very well, and if he was, he wasnt truly wanting to engage with us, DeFranco says. At one point, he said, I dont think you guys came here in good faith, and that really set us off, too. Because were like, Are you here in good faith?I really wanted people to see this is exactly what was asked, this is exactly what was said, and this is how people reacted, DeFranco says. They had told us that it wasnt going to be live streamed. So I thought, I have to film this right away. I have to document this.Across the country, in Yucca Valley, California, Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) faced a similarly tough crowd at his February 22nd community meeting in a congressional district that he won handily in November. Footage shows Obernolte being ushered out of the event to loud boos and shouts from the audience, who questioned the legislator about DOGE, cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other issues.E., an attendee at the event, was especially concerned about how DOGE and the Trump administrations actions would affect the nearby Joshua Tree National Park. The New York Times counted at least 1,000 National Park employees who were terminated by the Trump administration in February, including some at Joshua Tree. (E. asked The Verge that they be identified by first initial only, fearing harassment.)Thats a big part of our economy. With the reduced staffing, we could obviously lose tourism, E. says about the cuts to Joshua Tree. It could impact local businesses and jobs, not to mention the environmental degradation, the risk for wildfires. Without Rangers, we have less resources to protect our park.E. says they previously did not have strong feelings about how well Obernolte had been representing the community but believed that listening to constituents was a key part of his job. The event was packed with constituents, and E. says it appeared to be an equal mix of Democrats and Republicans. There were young people and older community members, veterans, and some people that had signs related to cuts at the National Parks. At the beginning, the atmosphere was calm nobody was aggressive or name calling. But it quickly turned, E. says, when the audience felt like Obernolte wasnt addressing local issues people cared about. One man, in particular, caught E.s attention: he was calm and collected, clapping when veterans issues were mentioned. But he seemed to be losing patience he began shaking his head back and forth in frustration.Thats kind of when [I wanted] to do a video, because I want to document that this isnt just coming from one side or the other, E. says. This feels a lot like the town itself is unhappy, and thats what resonated with me.I was there. Im a real human. Just saying were a paid actor is like when is our check coming?Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump himself have pushed the false claim that paid protestors are behind the angry town halls. The pushback has rattled Republicans earlier this month, House GOP leadership advised representatives to stop holding in-person town hall meetings. E. and others interviewed for this story refute the false claims that paid operatives are the people showing up to events.I was there. Im a real human, E. says. Just saying were a paid actor is like when is our check coming? Because I would love to donate that to our national park, if it is, E. jokes.Some Republicans have instead opted to do virtual events, like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who held a telephone town hall on February 27th. Autumn Marshall, a constituent, says she wanted to attend the event because she has been contacting Johnsons office and has never gotten a response. Marshall says she is particularly concerned about the Department of Education and wanted to hear what Johnsons plans were to fund schools in the state as well as Musks role in government and the future of Medicaid. By the time the call started, 400 questions had already poured in.During the call, Marshall says Johnson appeared to enjoy the questions from callers who complimented or praised him but went so far as to cut off callers who asked him difficult questions. It wasnt clear to Marshall how questions were selected in the telephone format.I personally feel thats kind of a cop out, Marshall says. It was really easy for him to just hang up on somebody, versus us being in front of him where people could maybe still keep talking.After the event, Marshall made a series of TikToks summarizing the event, describing what voters had asked and how Johnson had responded. I think that [elected officials] like to kind of fly under the radar, and they do need more light shone on them to see what theyre doing, what theyre saying, Marshall says.Trump and members of his administration are posters first, politicians secondKiersten Pels, a spokesperson for Johnson, told The Verge that the senator has held 113 telephone town halls in his 15 years in the Senate. Pels did not respond to questions about whether Johnson would hold in-person events but noted that his office uploads recordings of phone town halls to X. McCormicks and Obernoltes offices did not respond to requests for comment.Part of what catapulted Trump to the White House both times he has been elected is that he has figured out how to dominate in the attention economy: he and members of his administration are posters first, politicians second. The Kamala Harris campaign gave Trump a run for his money, but Democrats have largely been unable to wrest control of media narratives from the troll accounts, conspiracy theory podcasters, and a right-wing media ecosystem that props up Trump.The viral town halls have bubbled up organically and some Democrats have recognized the power vacuum opening up. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said last week that he will hold town halls in Republican districts, as has Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Harris running mate. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) similarly said in an interview that if a deep red district wanted to host her, she would be willing to do that. Getting constituents across the political spectrum angrily confronting Republican lawmakers and then going a step further and sharing that frustration online has the potential to shake up the balance of power, at least on the internet.DeFranco, who attended the town hall in Roswell, Georgia, says the current political moment is lighting a fire under her. She has attended other events with groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Women Voters. In turn, DeFranco says she wants Democratic leaders to be more outspoken and take a stronger stance against the Trump agenda.At the State of the Union when they just wore pink in solidarity, or held up the little auction paddles to say things I dont think thats enough, DeFranco says. I think it looks weak, and I think were going to continue getting taken advantage of until we vocally stand up for ourselves.See More:

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will group replies to specific messages into a thread, making it easier to keep track of conversations. Instead of scrolling through chats to see scattered individual replies, the feature will create a dedicated view showing every quoted message connecting back to the original message that started the thread, helping users to find specific responses and easily navigate long and messy conversations.The threads feature, spotted in WhatsApps Android beta 2.25.7.7 update by WABetaInfo, is under development and wont be available for testing until a future update. Message threads are expected to be available for individual conversations, group chats, communities, and channels, though as noted by WABetaInfo, the ability to reply to messages in channels is also still under development.A screenshot of the preview that WABetaInfo managed to run gives us some idea of what the threaded messages will look like once the feature rolls out, showing a full-screen pop-up displaying replies that have been sent by several users in a group discussion. Users can tap on any quoted message to view all the responses within that chain, though it seems the original message thats being responded to wont appear within the threaded view.Theres no indication of when message threads will be generally available for all WhatsApp users. Weve asked WhatsApp for more information and will update this story if we hear back.This is a pretty major change, and a welcome one for anyone who uses WhatsApp to organize and make plans with large groups of people, or frequently uses the search function to resurface older message replies.

Australian writer-director Zak Hilditch knows exactly what to say when people ask what his next film, We Bury the Dead, is about. Oh, its a Daisy Ridley zombie movie, he laughs while in an exclusive conversation at our SXSW studio. But Hilditch also knows theres a lot more to his new film than that.There are many ways you could sell this movie, he observes. Its about grief and it happens to have zombies in it; its a movie about isolation; its a movie about guilt and redemption. It just happens to be set against this canvas of a larger than life situation. We Bury the Dead is, in summation, about an ordinary person caught in an extraordinary situation.For Hilditch, that premise has been his inspiration and a lifes obsession for the better part of the last decade. Those are the kind of movies that Ive loved, like 28 Days Later, and that Ive been making, he says, referring to previous films such as his 2017 adaptation of a Stephen King story, 1922, and Rattlesnake from 2019. The ordinary person in an extraordinary situation movies are my bread and butter, and this is like that on steroids.In the case of We Bury the Dead, the ordinary person in question is Ava, a woman whose marriage already seemed to be a hairs breadth away from disaster before the world then literally endedwith her husband vanishing on the Australian island of Tasmania when hundreds of thousands of people dropped dead.For Ridley, the concept was so compelling that she agreed to the part just 48 hours after receiving the script. Im a quick reader, apparently, she quips. Im always like if I dont read quickly someone else is going to read it and take it! But getting more candid, Ridley notes, This film is about grief and watching someone who is so desperately trying to find an answer, even though she doesnt know what that answer is going to be. That is so human and understandable, Ridley says.To find that answer, and her husband, like most of the characters in the film, Ridleys heroine joins the Body Retrieval Unit, an organization of volunteers (mostly with loved ones missing on Tasmania) who go door-to-door, and town to town, looking for answers.A lot of people are seeking their own goodbyes too, Ridley says. So its very personal in a very big way, because everyone in the Body Retrieval Unit has lost someone.That isnt to say the zombies dont matter, because Ridley sees thematic importance to the living dead. The zombies are representative of Ava. Shes in this moment in between. Shes neither here nor there. Emotionally, shes trying to get to the next place Shes so pushed by shame. There is so much that she is sorry for and shes seeking absolution in a number of different ways. So she is trying to say goodbye to whats left of her marriage.That sense of grief, and the daily indignities of suffering through a catastrophe, is what grounds the films apocalyptic imagery into something human and downbeat. This includes other significant characters Ava meets along the way. Characters like Riley (Mark Coles Smith), a military man who discovers Ava on the side of the road but is not necessarily a friend or ally to a civilian.Yet for the actors portraying them, it was important these characters not appear as something as reductive as friends or enemies, heroes or villains.Ava views Riley as representative of the very human understanding that someones grief can become desperation, notes Ridley,which in and of itself can become terrifying when someone is desperately seeking something.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Unsurprisingly, Smith has a bit more understanding for his character, which he relates to Rileys experience in the armed forces.Given Rileys military background, this is a man whos used to control, Smith explains. Hes trained his life to be in control of situations and to be able to engage. And he just has no control anymore. Its interesting watching this person have to go through that huge polarization, He pauses to cryptically smile, and then adds, It makes for some fun on screen.As the emphasis on human interactions suggests, We Bury the Dead didnt start out as a zombie film, nor as a response to the COVID pandemic. But it nonetheless ended up that way.I actually started writing it in Starbucks at the Grove in Los Angeles 2019, just before the world ended, Hilditch says. And it was a bit of a different script back then. The zombies sort of found their ways into the life of the film. After subsequent drafts, [the undead] were calling to me and saying, Put us in and see what happens. Once I did, the theme and everything else started to click in a profound way. And then were off to the races.Once the zombies shambled their way into the script, they presented Hilditch with a unique set of challenges.How do you cut through all the zombie lore that exists out there with your zombie film? Whats going to be so special and different about this? For me, it was always about the themes. How we treat the zombies in the film reflects Avas journey When youre making a zombie movie, you cant reinvent the wheel completely, but you want to put your stamp on it just enough to make an everlasting impression in the genre canon.Hilditch and his performers got something of an unwelcome hand in making their zombie movie distinct when real-life events started to reflect aspects of the film.The sense of fire and burning things that we have in the movie looks like what happened recently in California, Hilditch says. We had to create ours through VFX and be meticulous with our drone shots, thinking about how we were going to convey that destruction. Then all of a sudden youre just looking at things that are 10 times more intense on your phone.My job as the writer is to just always think about what would really happen. My upbringing and life experiences led me to this version of the Australian militarys response to something of this magnitude happening in Tasmania. Banality is important because you want that sense of realism and let the zombies be larger than life on the other part of the canvas.For Ridley this banality helped her uncover new depths for her character.There is an awful sort of drudgery to Avas life, Ridley points out. She is in deep, deep grief, not knowing what it is that has happened to her husband. But the reality is she has joined the Body Retrieval Unit and they have to account for bodies. So even what theyre doing, which is so awful and hideous and emotional, has to become drudgery or otherwise you just couldnt cope.The daily indignities of wading through the dead might sound harrowing, but its what makes We Bury the Dead stand apart from the average zombie film.So much of this film is about humanity. The zombies are almost human, says Ridley. They look like our friends and family do, ts just that there is something missingor something gained.We Bury the Dead premiered at the SXSW Film and TV festival on March 9.

A new WhatsApp message threads feature appears to be on the way, after it was discovered in an app beta.It follows a flurry of new features launched last month, comprising colorful chat themes, linked social media accounts, and ChatGPT support extending to images and voice messages WABetaInfo spotted the upcoming feature.We discovered that WhatsApp is working on a feature to organize message replies into threaded conversations []Once a user replies to a quoted message, the thread will remain connected to the original message, ensuring that all responses stay organized.Through this feature, instead of scrolling through a long list of individual replies, users will be able to follow and view all the related responses in a dedicated thread, keeping the conversation structured and easy to follow. In group chats, where discussions can quickly become overwhelming, this organization will save users from the effort of scrolling through the entire chat history to find one specific response, as they can easily navigate through threads and focus on relevant conversations without losing context.As the site notes, this will make it very much easier in busy group chats to reply to a specific topic. Although you can currently tap on any quoted message to jump back up the thread to the original post, it can be hard to get an overview of what has been said on a topic. Being able to view a complete thread in isolation will certainly be a major improvement.Theres no telling as yet when the feature will launch. The company typically tests things first in the Android app where this was spotted before rolling it out to the iOS app.Screengrabs: WABetaInfoAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

The UK competition watchdog has effectively told Apple that it must allow free and open competition between iPhone web browsers, but at the same time Safari cannot be better than its competitors.Update: The final report is now out, with no change to the CMAs stance.Apple has responded by stating that making new features available within WebKit would lead to free-riding by developers creating competing browsers A quick recapThings kicked off in the EU, when an investigation concluded that Apple was breaking competition law by forcing developers of competing web browsers to use WebKit, meaning their code couldnt be more efficient, and they couldnt offer features that arent supported by Safari. Essentially, competing browsers were just a different wrapper around the same code.Apple responded by allowing third-party browsers to use their own web engines, and also by offering users a choice of default web browser when setting up their phones.The UKs Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened its own investigation and provisionally reached the same conclusion late last year.However, it also said that when Apple developed new features for its own browser engine, WebKit, it must make those available to other developers.Apple responds to UK competition watchdogApple responded by stating that it couldnt afford to give away new web browsing features to other developers, as that would hamper its ability to innovate. Reuters reports on the iPhone makers submission to the CMA.Apple said it would not be appropriate to mandate that access to future WebKit or that iOS features in use by Safari be provided free of charge, adding that developing features is a time and resource-intensive process.Apple cannot recoup a reasonable amount of those expenses to do so would have a chilling impact on Apples incentives to innovate and would lead to free-riding and underinvestment on the part of third parties.9to5Macs TakeApples claim that it cant afford to innovate under these conditions is, of course, silly. But the company does otherwise have a good point. Apple originally forced developers to use WebKit, the company arguing this was to keep the platform safe while competition regulators suggested it was so that competing browsers couldnt out-perform Safari.Having now allowed developers to create their own browsing engines, opening up full competition for the first time, Apple is now being told that it must share its own browser improvements with its competitors.The UKs CMA seemingly wants to have it both ways genuine competition between browsers, but with Apple not allowed to win.Photo byJoan GamellonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Mar 13, 2025The Hacker NewsIT Resilience / Disaster RecoveryAs IT environments grow more complex, IT professionals are facing unprecedented pressure to secure business-critical data. With hybrid work the new standard and cloud adoption on the rise, data is increasingly distributed across different environments, providers and locations, expanding the attack surface for emerging cyberthreats. While the need for a strong data protection strategy has become more critical than ever, organizations find themselves caught in a difficult balancing act. They are struggling to manage the rising costs and complexities of business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) while ensuring that their business-critical data remains secure and recoverable.To help IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs) understand how their peers are navigating these challenges, the State of Backup and Recovery Report 2025 has gathered insights from more than 3,000 IT professionals, security experts and administrators worldwide. The report reveals how businesses are tackling today's biggest data protection challenges, the strategies they're adopting and the critical gaps that could leave them vulnerable to data loss and downtime.So, where do organizations stand? The survey indicates that the confidence in backup systems is declining, cloud adoption is outpacing data protection strategies and recovery expectations often don't match reality. In this article, we'll explore the key findings from the report to help IT teams and MSPs stay prepared for what comes next. Meanwhile, for full insights and actionable strategies, you can download the complete report now and see how your organization compares.The backup paradox: Essential yet increasingly unreliableData backup and recovery should be a safety net for businesses, but for many, it has become a source of frustration, complexity and risk. The numbers tell a clear story backup inefficiencies are rising, IT teams are overburdened and security vulnerabilities remain widespread. Let's dive into the key findings.Trend #1: Data loss is no longer a question of "if" but "when."9 in 10 organizations experienced operational downtime in the past 12 months.Trend #2: Confidence in backup systems is declining.Trust in backup solutions is slipping, leaving many businesses questioning whether they can reliably recover from data loss.Only 40% of IT teams feel confident in their backup systems.About 30% worry their backup strategy is inadequate, raising concerns about data security and recoverability.More than half of organizations plan to switch backup providers, citing cost, inefficiency and limited disaster recovery capabilities as major pain points.Trend #3: Backup management is a time-consuming burden.Managing backups isn't just complex it's draining IT resources. As data volumes grow, IT teams are spending more time than ever maintaining backup systems, testing recovery processes and troubleshooting failures.IT teams now spend 10+ hours per week managing backups, adding to operational strain.The number of businesses spending more than three hours weekly on backups jumped from 5% in 2022 to 23% in 2024, denoting a significant rise in time and effort.Around 35% of organizations wouldn't even know if backups were skipped or missed, highlighting critical gaps in monitoring and testing.Trend #4: Security gaps are leaving backups exposed.Backup systems are supposed to be the last line of defense against cyberthreats. However, many contain serious security flaws that put data at risk.About 25% of workloads lack policies that limit unauthorized access to backups, leaving them vulnerable to malicious attacks.There are varying levels of protection for credentials across businesses. Only 33% of businesses use dedicated password managers. Others rely on less secure methods like document storage platforms or browser-based password tools, introducing potential vulnerabilities.The recovery gap: Why businesses can't bounce back fast enoughHaving the backup of data is one thing; recovering it quickly and reliably is another. IT teams face significant hurdles in ensuring fast, seamless recovery when disaster strikes.Trend #1: Quick and reliable data recovery remains a major challenge in data protection.The top concerns cited by IT teams with respect to data protection are costs, compliance requirements and the actual process of recovering data. Since IT teams spend hours managing and troubleshooting backup issues, it leaves little time for testing and validating recovery processes, increasing the risk of failure when it matters most.Trend #2: Backup and DR testing gaps leave businesses vulnerable.A backup solution is only as good as its ability to restore data, yet testing remains inconsistent across organizations.Only 15% of businesses conduct daily backup tests, meaning most operate with a level of risk that could jeopardize recovery in a crisis.Disaster recovery (DR) testing goes beyond just verifying backups it involves assessing recovery locations, timelines and effectiveness. While around 20% of businesses conduct DR tests weekly and another 23% test monthly, the rest either test irregularly or not at all, leaving them unprepared for real-world recovery scenarios.Trend #3: Most businesses overestimate their recovery readiness.The lack of frequent testing is evident when looking at actual recovery times.While close to 60% of businesses believe they can recover in a day, only 35% actually do.Alarmingly, more than 10% of businesses don't even know how long it would take to recover their business-critical SaaS data, if they could recover it at all.Among businesses using public cloud services like Azure, almost 90% rely on native data protection tools, yet more than 60% of them lack true DR capabilities.The cloud dilemma: Embracing growth without sacrificing protectionThe cloud is now the backbone of modern IT, powering everything from infrastructure to collaboration. Businesses are rapidly adopting cloud and SaaS solutions to enhance flexibility and scalability, but many are overlooking a critical factor: data protection. Trend #1: Cloud adoption continues to surge.The shift to cloud-hosted workloads is only growing stronger, driven by the need for agility and resilience.More than 50% of workloads are now hosted in the cloud, with that number expected to reach 61% within two years.Most organizations now leverage hybrid and multicloud strategies to increase flexibility and avoid reliance on a single provider. However, gaps in cloud and SaaS data protection remain, putting critical business information at risk. Notably, SaaS platforms now serve as the backbone of daily business operations, but without the right backup strategies, this data remains vulnerable.Trend #2: Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) prefer Google Workspace, while enterprises favor Microsoft 365.Microsoft 365 dominates the market, with over 50% of organizations relying on it for collaboration and productivity.Google Workspace (35%) remains a top choice as well, particularly among SMBs.Microsoft 365 Entra ID (31%) and Dynamics (30%) show that businesses are also increasingly adopting specialized Microsoft products.Salesforce (25%) rounds out the top five.Trend #3: Cost, workload compatibility, vendor lock-in and security concerns are the biggest barriers to cloud migration.While cloud adoption continues to accelerate, businesses still face major hurdles in ensuring a seamless transition and securing their data.The lessons learned: What IT leaders must prioritize nowThe State of Backup and Recovery Report 2025 reveals that critical security gaps remain while securing on-premises, cloud, endpoint and SaaS data. There is a growing disconnect between backup investments and actual recovery confidence, with IT teams unsure whether they can restore data when it matters most. Without a more resilient approach to data protection, businesses risk prolonged downtime, drastic financial losses and irreversible data breaches.Have you considered how much an outage could cost your organization per minute? According to the IT Outages: 2024 Costs and Containment Report, the average cost of unplanned downtime is $14,056 per minute per organization.Let's take a closer look at the breakdown of downtime costs across different business sizes.Business continuity depends on faster, more resilient recovery. However, many organizations aren't as prepared as they think. To minimize downtime and financial losses, IT leaders must rethink their approach to BCDR. A modern BCDR strategy goes beyond basic backup, incorporating multilayered security, automation and hybrid cloud solutions to strengthen resilience and ensure business continuity against today's sophisticated cyberthreats.Protection alone isn't enough, though. Without regular testing, organizations are left guessing whether their recovery plans will hold up in a real crisis. More frequent backup and disaster recovery testing ensures that recovery objectives are met when it matters most. Automation plays a key role there. By automating testing, IT teams can continuously verify their ability to restore data within required timeframes all without disrupting the production environment. This removes the manual burden and provides real insights into recovery readiness.At the same time, stronger security controls are also essential to protecting backup environments from unauthorized access. Almost 94% of ransomware victims have their backups targeted by attackers, which leaves them with no other choice but to pay the ransom to get back their access. On that front, improving credential management and enforcing stricter access controls can help prevent malicious actors from accessing backup infrastructure.Final thoughts: The future of BCDR starts nowThe IT landscape is changing, and with it, the risks are escalating. As businesses push further into the cloud and rely more on SaaS applications, their backup and disaster recovery strategies must evolve just as quickly. Cyberthreats are more advanced, downtime is more expensive and organizations can no longer afford to treat backup as an afterthought. To keep pace with this new reality, businesses must reassess their approach and strengthen their defenses against the growing threats that could bring operations to a halt.For IT teams and MSPs, the insights from the State of Backup and Recovery Report 2025 provide a clear roadmap to assess vulnerabilities and improve resilience before disaster strikes. Download the full report now to benchmark your strategy, uncover critical gaps, and build a stronger, more reliable BCDR plan for the future.Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE