Latest news with #Titanium
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Science
- Deccan Herald
In a first, titanium to be used in Ram Temple for structural strength
Titanium is widely used in aerospace, medical implants and chemical processing owing to its unique qualities.
Time Magazine
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
M3GAN 2.0 Is a Horror Sequel With No Horror
Warning: This post contains spoilers for M3GAN 2.0. M3GAN became a surprise hit in early 2023, earning nearly $182 million worldwide against a budget of just $12 million, due in part to the balance the movie managed to strike between creepy horror and campy comedy. Here was an AI-powered doll who came pre-loaded with meme-worthy dance moves and the ability to spontaneously burst into an a cappella rendition of Sia's "Titanium," but who was also capable of chasing school children into oncoming traffic and fatally wielding a machete. Over two years later, M3GAN 2.0 brings its sassy titular android back for a sequel that delivers on the comedy front, but strips M3GAN of her horror appeal in favor of a more action-centric plot. When a horror sequel featuring the same big bad as the first movie gets the green light, there's generally one of two routes it can go: a new and improved (or, more often, not so impressive) take on the original story or a Terminator 2-style installment in which the villain comes up against an even greater threat. M3GAN 2.0, written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, opts for the latter, a decision that sends the franchise in a new direction by giving M3GAN (played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) a redemption arc following her previous murderous rampage. "For me, it was just so obvious, because the reaction to the first film happened on this global scale," Johnstone told Variety of the reason for the tonal shift. "The technology that M3GAN has is being fought over by various nations. At the moment, everyone's in this race to be the first to get AGI. It felt like a story that needed to play out on a much bigger canvas." In the two years that have passed since the events of the first film, roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) has become a staunch advocate for government regulation of AI, while her now-preteen niece Cady (Violet McGraw) has thrown herself into computer science and the martial arts practice of aikido to work through her trauma. But when a team of FBI agents breaks into their home one night, Gemma learns that not only did M3GAN's digital consciousness survive the destruction of her body, but her underlying tech was also stolen to create a military-grade AI super-soldier named AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno). Oh, and AMELIA has gone rogue and wants to destroy humanity. Naturally, this development forces Gemma to team up with M3GAN and build her a new and improved body in order to try to save the world alongside her colleagues Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps), and fellow tech activist Christian (Aristotle Athari)—a potential love interest who, surprise, actually turns out to be the person behind AMELIA's creation. While we won't get into the somewhat convoluted details of how exactly AMELIA intends to bring her goals to fruition, just know the movie reads as a satirical cautionary tale about the evolution of AI. Johnstone, however, has said he views the sequel as more of a parenting allegory. "We're not saying, 'Don't build AI.' We're asking, 'What happens when you don't train it right?'" he told Creative Screenwriting. "You don't train kids like dogs. You raise them. That's the same with AI." In the end, an action-packed showdown at a Palo Alto tech campus culminates in M3gan proving she has developed true empathy by sacrificing herself in order to save Cady and Gemma, and eliminate the threat of AMELIA and the mysterious all-powerful Motherboard AI she's after. But worry not, M3GAN 2.0's final moments reveal M3GAN's source code is still alive and well, leaving the door open for future sequels that could fall under a variety of genres. According to Johnstone, the sky is apparently the limit. "I would not be surprised if there's another five of these movies," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "So, who knows, maybe I'll come back for the fifth one."
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How 'M3GAN 2.0' wooed Kate Bush for that demented needle drop
Spoiler alert! We're discussing minor details about the new action comedy 'M3GAN 2.0' (in theaters now). It wouldn't be a 'M3GAN' movie without a killer needle drop. In the 2023 viral sensation, acerbic android M3GAN serenades the orphaned Cady (Violet McGraw) with a wispy rendition of 'Titanium' by David Guetta and Sia. The trailers for its big-screen follow-up, 'M3GAN 2.0,' have similarly deployed Chappell Roan and Britney Spears earworms. But none can compare to the demented brilliance of a pivotal new sequel scene, in which M3GAN launches into 'This Woman's Work' by Kate Bush. The jarringly hilarious performance comes after a rare earnest conversation between M3GAN and Cady's roboticist aunt, Gemma (Allison Williams), who worries about her shortcomings as a parent to her young niece. M3GAN uses the tranquil pop ballad to ostensibly console her, in her own disconcerting way. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox 'Being on the receiving end of 'This Woman's Work' was the most incredible experience,' Williams says with a laugh. The actress and producer helped choose the song with writer/director Gerard Johnstone. 'M3GAN being all-seeing is Gemma's biggest insecurity," Williams says. But instead of judging her, "M3GAN is like, 'No, I do see you as a parent, and I'm moved by how burdened you are by your dual identities as a mother and person who's leading this charge in tech.' Gerard's favorite thing is to set up an emotionally truthful moment that feels cathartic, and then exploding it in a way that you're not expecting.' Gemma initially feels a newfound connection with M3GAN, but quickly grasps that the demonic doll is merely trying to manipulate her emotions through song. 'It causes Gemma to realize, 'Oh, I've done it. I've gotten sucked into the wonder of my own invention,' ' Johnstone says. 'It was a scene that was not only funny and surprising, but also hit on a lot of different levels story-wise.' Bush wrote the tune for the 1988 movie 'She's Having a Baby,' which was used to convey a character's painful experience with childbirth. Here, the track reflects Gemma's own experiences with sacrifice and being thrust into motherhood when her sister died. To get the rights to use it in 'M3GAN 2.0,' Johnstone personally wrote a letter to the English recording icon. 'I just wanted her to know that it came from a place of me just being a huge fan,' Johnstone recalls. 'I was also fighting back suggestions that we should go with a different song that was more commercially known. I was like, 'No, this is the perfect song.' And she was so gracious. We actually filmed that scene without yet having permission and we were all just hoping we were going to get it by the time the film came out. Luckily, she came through.' The sci-fi thriller is part of a pop-culture resurgence for the 'Wuthering Heights' chanteuse, who last released an album, '50 Words for Snow,' in 2011. Since then, her music has been featured in TV's 'Stranger Things' ('Running Up That Hill') and 'The Handmaid's Tale' ('Cloudbusting'). Bush watched the 'M3GAN 2.0' scene for herself, although 'I don't know what she thought of it,' Johnstone says. 'The (production) company gave her as much as they could to buy the song and she just gave it to charity. She's an incredible artist and it made me even more of a fan.'
GSM Arena
25-06-2025
- GSM Arena
vivo X Fold5 has the biggest battery (6,000mAh) and best protection (IP69+) of any foldable
The vivo X Fold5 has arrived – it's thinner, more powerful and more durable than its predecessor. It was unveiled in China earlier today and hopefully it will follow in the footsteps of the X Fold3 Pro and get a wider release soon. vivo X Fold5 The new model keeps both displays the same size – 6.53' cover display and 8.03' inner display. The inside one is now a Zeiss Master Color Screen and has second generation of Armor Glass. The vivo X Fold5 is slimmer – it measures 9.2mm folded and 4.3mm unfolded for the Titanium version, which is a bit lighter at 217g too. The White and Green Pine versions are a bit thicker and heavier at 9.7mm folded/4.55mm unfolded and 226g. For comparison, the vivo X Fold3 (which was thinner and lighter than the X Fold3 Pro) measured 10.2mm/4.7mm and weighed 219g. The hinge is made of high-strength steel and carbon fiber to be as durable and as light as possible. The X Fold5 becomes the first foldable to earn the highest water resistance ratings – IPX8 (submersion) and IPX9+ (water jets). It's rated IP5X for dust ingress and can operate in very cold environments, down to -20°C. The vivo X Fold5 is rated IP68/IP69+ and can work down to -20°C The impressive feats of engineering don't stop here. This is also the foldable with the biggest battery yet – 6,000mAh (split into two Si/C cells with capacities of 3,275mAh and 2,725mAh). The vivo X Fold5 has the biggest battery in a foldable yet at 6,000mAh Okay, it's not the thinnest horizontal foldable, but the practical considerations may win over in the end. For example, vivo engineers managed to find room for 40W fast wireless charging, in addition to 80W wired charging, which can come in handy. Going back to the displays, the inner panel is an LTPO OLED with 120Hz refresh rate, 2,480 x 2,200px resolution (10.1:9 aspect ratio) and 10-bit colors. Peak local brightness is 4,500 nits. The cameras boast a 50MP main with a 1/1.56' Sony IMX921 sensor and a Zeiss T* coated f/1.57 lens with OIS. The 'Zeiss Super Telephoto' module is a 3x periscope lens (f/2.55) with OIS and a 50MP 1/1.95' Sony IMX882 sensor. The ultra-wide is a third 50MP sensor (1/2.75') and has a 15mm f/2.05 lens, also with Zeiss T* coating. Triple 50MP Zeiss cameras on the back of the vivo X Fold5 The X Fold5 has 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 7 (be), Bluetooth 5.4 (aptX HD and Lossless, LDAC, LHDC), NFC and off-grid text and voice over Bluetooth at up to 1km distance. The USB-C port supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) and DisplayPort for video output. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – yes, a chip that is about to be two generations old in a few months. It is paired with 12GB/16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB/512GB/1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. The old chipset is a bit of a disappointment and the display and camera upgrades are not earth-shattering. But the battery upgrades and top-level IP rating, plus the more slender build certainly look great. vivo X Fold5 in colorways And here's the best part – the vivo X Fold5 is not that expensive... for a foldable. The 12GB/256GB variant starts at CNY 7,000. For comparison, an Oppo Find N5 (12GB/256GB) is CNY 9,000. The pricing for all storage options is in the table below, plus conversions to dollars. vivo X Fold5 Price USD (converted) 12GB/256GB CNY 7,000 $975 12GB/512GB CNY 8,000 $1,115 16GB/512GB CNY 8,500 $1,255 16GB/1TB CNY 9,500 $1,325 The vivo X Fold5 is currently on pre-order at the official online store in China and sales start next week on July 2.
AsiaOne
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'I finally get to be a psycho': Elvin Ng's unconventional role in new fantasy drama shows his different side, Entertainment News
Local actor Elvin Ng got to tap into a crazy and more rebellious side of himself for his latest character, a flirtatious and witchcraft-using psycho monk. After being cast mostly as a "boy-next-door" for the past 20 years, he told AsiaOne in a recent interview: "I felt like I've been in prison." Elvin acknowledged he's in a transitional phase where he's no longer cast in the youthful roles he once played, but not yet stepping into older characters either. While he described it as an "awkward situation", he also saw it as a welcomed shift that brings more balance to his career after years of intense, non-stop work. So when he got his first-ever villain role Ah Lin Ta in the new drama The Spirit Hunter, he felt his "other side came out". "There's actually a very dark side to me that I wanted to bring up, a bit crazy, a bit more rebellious," he said. "I love the anti-hero more than the hero." The 44-year-old shared that he auditioned for other roles in the drama but was looking forward to Ah Lin Ta the most. "I felt like it was more fun, more complicated and just more fluid," he said. In The Spirit Hunter, Hong Ling plays protagonist Tian Nana, a 20-year-old girl burdened to carry a toy sword infused with the spirit of Jian Ling (Richie Koh), which curses her to see supernatural entities that she must defeat. Ah Lin Ta is an all-powerful monk who stays young by transforming during solar eclipses. He's also an escaped magician who creates illusions in battle, making many people — including Nana — question reality. "I finally get to be a psycho," Elvin said. "I was super excited." He revealed the scriptwriter and producer summed up his character in two words: "Flirtatious" and a "killer". Elvin imagined his character being entertained through the chaos he creates, explaining: "Because if not, what entertainment is there for him, if he's already so powerful?" He added: "The more confused people are, the more fun he has." Inspiration Elvin shared he was inspired to play his character in a "crazy" and "I don't care anymore" manner thanks to the Joker from The Dark Knight, adding he loved the chaos and anarchy that the latter brings. Eventually, he told the producer he wanted his character to be bigger, louder and crazier, more than just the "crazy monster" that the character was initially described as. "To only label him as a crazy monster is very one-dimensional, and too loyal to one definition," he explained. Elvin added that it was tougher for him to prepare for Ah Lin Ta. In his previous roles, he just needed to "continue with the flow" according to the character's emotion at that point. However, because Ah Lin Ta's personality shifts so drastically and unpredictably, Elvin initially didn't know how to approach the role. His late theatre teacher Jonathan Lim helped in the process. "When I worked with Jonathan, we started with how he walks. He's a bit serpent-like." He also chose a song for the character — in this case, Titanium by David Guetta — and listened to it for around three months. "I chose that song because it feels like it takes me out there somewhere very far away," Elvin said. "When I started, it wasn't acting anymore. It was just me, being him, playing him, and having fun. So I think it changed me." When asked whether he would consider playing another similar role, Elvin said: "I'm in that period, that era, where I just want to be fluid and fun and I can't care too much anymore. For a while, I've been caring a bit too much." The Spirit Hunter, which also stars Ferlyn Wong and Tyler Ten, will be available on demand for free on Mewatch from June 30. It will also premiere on Channel 8 on July 3, airing weekdays at 9pm. [[nid:719279]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
