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Why are ‘human fridges’ being sold in Japan?
Japan is rolling out “human fridges”, enclosed cooling units intended to help people cool down during increasingly severe summer heat. The devices reflect concern over heatstroke as extreme temperatures create a growing public-health risk. More than 53,000 people in Japan have received heatstroke treatment in the past two months, with 79 deaths reported. The Do…
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Amazon Game Studios Divests MMOs ‘Lost Ark,’ ‘Throne and Liberty’ in Strategy Shift
Amazon Game Studios is handing Western publishing and live-operation responsibilities for the MMOs “Lost Ark” and “Throne and Liberty” back to their original developers, Smilegate and NC respectively. The move reflects Amazon’s shift away from further investment in MMOs towards planned AAA games, including “Tomb Raider”, and expansion of its Luna cloud-gaming service. Amazon says…
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Angela Rayner’s crackdown on zero-hours contracts could cost businesses £2.9 billion a year, Labour admits, sparking fears of ‘jobs horror show’
The article reports that Labour has acknowledged its planned restrictions on zero-hours contracts could cost businesses up to £2.9 billion annually. The measure is associated with Angela Rayner and forms part of wider employment-rights reforms, prompting concerns from critics that higher costs and reduced flexibility could harm hiring. The reported estimate focuses on the potential…
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Made by Google 2026 live blog: Let’s watch Trevor Noah talk about the Pixel 11
Google is holding its Made by Google 2026 keynote to showcase its newly announced Pixel hardware, with Trevor Noah hosting a celebrity-focused livestream. The event appears aimed more at mainstream viewers than dedicated technology followers, as extensive hands-on coverage of the products was already available before the broadcast. The keynote was due to begin at…
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Bob Chapek, Who Was Ousted as Disney’s CEO, Pens Memoir in Which He Wonders if He Became ‘the Scapegoat’
Former Disney chief executive Bob Chapek has written a memoir, “Behind the Castle Walls”, examining his rise, turbulent tenure and 2022 dismissal. Due for release on 29 September, the book matters because it promises his first detailed public account of leadership decisions at Disney during a period of pandemic disruption and corporate upheaval. Chapek succeeded…
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Rybakina comeback knocks Osaka out of Canadian Open
Elena Rybakina recovered from a set and a break down to beat Naomi Osaka 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in the Canadian Open quarter-finals in Toronto. The victory sends Rybakina into the semi-finals, while Osaka’s defeat is followed by her withdrawal from the Cincinnati Open through fatigue ahead of the US Open. Osaka led 4-2 in…
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The ‘Verity’ Trailer Is Here, and It Embraces Colleen Hoover’s Most Disturbing Elements
The official trailer for *Verity*, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2018 bestseller, presents the film as a dark psychological thriller that leans into the novel’s disturbing and horror-inflected material. Dakota Johnson plays struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, hired to complete paralysed author Verity Crawford’s work, before discovering a troubling manuscript at the Crawford home that makes her…
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Cats and dogs are missing meals after a popular smart feeder went down
A Petlibro service outage has stopped some connected pet devices from completing scheduled tasks, including dispensing food, raising concerns for owners who are away from home. The incident highlights the risk of relying on cloud-connected household devices for essential pet care when services fail. The outage began on Tuesday and affected smart feeders, water fountains…
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Nicky Jam Drops ‘La Foto’ With Cuban Newcomer El Shadow After Discovering Him on Instagram
Nicky Jam has released “La Foto”, a collaboration with Cuban newcomer El Shadow, alongside a music video premiered by Billboard. The song matters as it gives a relatively little-known independent artist from Cuba a high-profile partnership after Nicky Jam discovered his work through Instagram. Released through Plus Media and EMM, “La Foto” combines acoustic guitar…
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Brandon Sanderson Shares a Look Into Tolkien’s Life as a Professor Before He Authored The Lord of the Rings
Brandon Sanderson has highlighted an unusual piece of J.R.R. Tolkien memorabilia: a sketch of Helm’s Deep drawn on the reverse of a student’s examination paper. The anecdote, shared after Sanderson’s Tolkien lecture at Oxford, illustrates how Tolkien developed parts of Middle-earth alongside his academic work, rather than solely as a full-time author. Tolkien became a…