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Harry Potter’s Heirs Would Hate This, LEGO Is Selling the Hogwarts Castle Set for Pennies on the Dollar

by admin October 4, 2025

Harry Potter is one of LEGO’s most beloved franchises, and the Hogwarts Castle and Grounds set has earned a stellar 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Amazon with over 1,800 reviews backing it up. LEGO’s official website shows zero discounts on this flagship model and maintains the strict pricing the company is known for. But Amazon isn’t playing by those rules.

Right now, this 2,660-piece castle has dropped from $169 to just $135, marking an all-time low for the best-selling Harry Potter LEGO set. This deal is accessible to everyone, including non-Prime members, which makes it even more appealing.

See at Amazon

A Complete Miniature Replica of the Wizarding School

It is the first LEGO brick model that includes the entire Hogwarts Castle and its grounds in a single build. Earlier sets focused on a solitary tower, classroom, or section, but this 2,660-piece model presents the entire campus to you in one continuous display. The construction includes the Main Tower with its signature pointed roof, the Astronomy Tower where the students study the stars, the Great Hall where banquets and ceremonies take place, as well as several courtyards and cross-bridges that lead to various sections of the castle.

The scale allows the LEGO designers to include recognisable details without overwhelming builders with tens of thousands of pieces. You will construct the Chamber of Secrets hidden beneath the school, the Winged Key room of Harry’s first-year nightmare, the Potions Classroom where Snape taught in the dungeons, and the large Chessboard Chamber from the Philosopher’s Stone challenges. The grounds surrounding consist of the Boathouse where students arrive by boat, the Black Lake in front, the greenhouses for Herbology class lessons and the Whomping Willow that attacks anything getting too close.

Other features recreate scenes from around the film series: The Durmstrang Ship comes out of the lake just as it did when Durmstrang participants arrived during the Triwizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire. The powder-blue Beauxbatons Carriage is present on the grounds, representing the arrival of the French school of magic. The crashed Ford Anglia is a part of the Forbidden Forest trees after the failed flight by Ron and Harry in Chamber of Secrets.

The finished model measures 13.5 inches wide, 10 inches in depth, and 8.5 inches in height, large enough to be seen on a shelf or desk but not big enough to require special furniture. The build is supported on a highly detailed baseplate that is sculpted as the grounds of the castle with textured areas representing grass, pathways, and water. There is a gold mini-figure statue representing the Hogwarts architect which you can put near the nameplate “Hogwarts Castle” or in the corner of the baseplate to give it an extra visual touch.

For $135 for 2,660 pieces, you are paying around 5 cents per brick which is excellent value in the price system of LEGO.

See at Amazon

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

7 Best MagSafe Phone Grips (2025), Tested and Reviewed

by admin October 4, 2025

MagSafe grips are hardly the only type of phone grips available. In fact, there are four main other types of grips you can buy.

Cases with attached grips. These are cases with a grip attached to the back. You get a strong and durable grip that will never fall off, but the trade-off is a thicker phone, and these cases typically are incompatible with wireless charging and may not work with other MagSafe accessories.

Clamp-style grips. Also called universal phone grips, these clamp to a phone so you can easily take them on and off, and they’re not limited to a particular kind of phone. The downside is they’re not the fastest to take on and off, and they can sometimes slide up and down the phone.

Adhesive grips. You can stick a phone grip to the back of your phone or case, and while this will typically give you a well-attached grip that likely won’t fall off your phone, the downsides are similar to cases with attached grips. It may block features like wireless charging and restrict you from using other accessories.

MagSafe grips. These grips are all about convenience. You can easily take them on and off, but they only work with devices or cases with built-in magnets. While you can dangle a phone from a MagSafe grip without issue, any additional force could cause the magnets to separate and fling your phone to the ground.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

State Regulators Warn Crypto Bill May Hinder Prosecution

by admin October 4, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Multiple state authorities shared concerns about the upcoming crypto market structure legislation and its impact on their ability to prosecute fraudsters in crimes related to digital assets.

State Regulators Sound The Alarm Over Crypto Bill

Regulators from Alabama to Montana sounded the alarms over the highly anticipated crypto market structure bill, warning that it may “diminish their ability to pursue wrongdoers,” Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Amanda Senn, director of the Alabama Securities Commission, told the news media outlet that the Senate’s draft of the legislation, the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, does not give state-level regulatory agencies implicit authority to supervise digital asset companies.

This oversight could mean that these authorities may not be able to prosecute offenders for fraud. Meanwhile, Federal enforcement against crypto companies has significantly decreased since the Trump administration took office in January.

Multiple federal regulatory agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), have shut down or reduced their digital asset-related enforcement units, dismissing most cases and investigations against crypto firms.

According to Cornerstone Research data cited by Bloomberg, the SEC had initiated nine crypto-related enforcement actions by the end of August, a significant drop from the 47and 33 actions taken in 2023 and 2024, respectively. At this pace, 2025 could see the lowest crypto-related enforcement actions since 2017.

“The dam is going to break,” Senn argued. “If you don’t have the states paying attention and prosecuting fraud, nobody is looking out.”

Montana State Auditor James Brown warned that the bill’s changes to the definition of an investment contract could “let criminals wiggle out of being prosecuted.” “What we are hearing from people, with all the national talk about the benefits of digital currencies and the theory that you are going to get rich quick, you’ve got two factors that lead to easy fraud,” Brown added.

State Anti-Fraud Protections In Danger?

State regulators have proposed changes to the market structure bill, which is expected to go into markup after late October. Some state officials explained that the Senate’s current draft language would not require crypto businesses to register with states or respond to their inquiries.

Additionally, the legislation would change the federal definition of an investment contract, adding new conditions and elements. In September, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) sent a letter to multiple Senators, warning them that Congress must preserve state anti-fraud enforcement authorities in the upcoming crypto bill.

The association argued that “it is critical that the resulting framework preserve state anti-fraud protections,” as they protect investors and are “essential in the ongoing fight against online scams.” To achieve this, NASAA offered two recommendations to the lawmakers.

First, they suggested that lawmakers reject provisions that redefine the investment contract test, explaining that “upending decades of securities law as contemplated in Section 105 will have devastating effects on anti-fraud efforts by adding so many elements and conditions to the investment contract analysis that form, not substance, will determine whether regulators can take action.”

Second, they recommended that Congress enact the Support Anti-Fraud Enforcement (SAFE) Act to ensure states have the anti-fraud authority necessary to respond to residents’ complaints involving digital assets.

Despite the concerns, some industry players disagree that the market structure bill will hinder state authorities’ ability to prosecute bad actors. Some suggest that regulators will be able to pursue criminals “in the name of consumer protection.”

“I do understand why a state would be worried about it, in particular if the federal system doesn’t engage in any enforcement,” Mauro Wolfe, leading partner of Duane Morris’s Digital Assets and Blockchain Group, told Bloomberg. “I do think this will be an area where defense lawyers will say the states can’t do it, and it will be litigated,” he concluded.

Bitcoin (BTC) trades at $120,863 in the one-week chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView

Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Brazil’s Mercado Bitcoin Bets on ‘Invisible Blockchain’ Approach to Build Financial Super App

by admin October 4, 2025

Twelve years after launching as a cryptocurrency exchange, Mercado Bitcoin aims to be something entirely different.

Less focused on price charts and trading pairs, the São Paulo-based company now talks more about Brazil’s central bank’s PIX payments, digital fixed income, and streamlined remittances.

Mercado Bitcoin’s head of corporate development, Daniel Cunha, told CoinDesk in an interview on the sidelines of the exchange’s DAC 2025 conference that the firm wants to become the app where Brazilians manage their financial lives. A kind of “super app” for spending, saving, and investing.

Yet, calling MB a “super app” may not quite capture the essence of the strategy. Its leadership prefers a different term: a financial hub that blends legacy finance with blockchain, letting users tap into both without needing to understand either.

“The revolution happens when the protocol disappears,” Cunha told CoinDesk. “The customer doesn’t want to hear about blockchains and tokens. They want to know the rate, the risk, and the maturity date,” he said, referring to the exchange’s tokenized fixed income offerings.

‘Invisible blockchain’

That thinking has reshaped how MB presents itself to users. Instead of relying on crypto-native vocabulary, the company now emphasizes features in its offering. One major change involved scrapping the term “tokenization” in user-facing materials altogether, Cunha said.

“We tried a ton of variations,” Cunha said. “When we stopped saying ‘token’ and started saying ‘digital fixed income,’ things took off.” The idea is to have a product whose backend is powered by blockchain technology, but the frontend remains more recognizable to the masses.

Essentially, MB’s bet is that “invisible blockchain” is the next frontier.

“We’re going to see a lot of people use blockchain without realizing they’re using blockchain,” MB said. “That’s when you know the revolution has happened.”

The firm’s flagship blockchain-based investment products focus on tokenized private credit, a segment it believes is underserved and ripe for disruption in Brazil.

Brazil ranks among the top five countries for retail crypto usage, according to Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index. MB is positioning itself as an answer to a pain point common in the country through a stablecoin-based remittance service.

A pivot from trading

Despite all the new initiatives, MB’s core business, crypto trading, still accounts for the majority of its revenue. But that balance is shifting.

At its peak, trading made up 95% of the firm’s income. Today, that number is closer to 60%, with the rest coming from payments, custody, tokenized investments, and services like asset management. Over time, the company expects trading to fall below 30%, Cunha revealed.

As part of that shift, the firm is also expanding geographically. It now has a client-facing operation in Portugal and is building institutional channels in the U.S., aiming to link capital and investment opportunities across markets.

Mercado Bitcoin, where a significant portion of assets under management are made up of small and medium enterprises’ treasuries, expects to surpass 3 billion reais ($563 million) in tokenized credit issuance by year-end. About 20% of assets under custody on the platform are now tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), up from virtually zero just a few years ago.

The pivot sits within a wider push to build “financial super apps.” Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has said Coinbase aims to be a crypto-powered “super app” that would provide “all types of financial services.”

Beyond crypto, fintechs such as Revolut and Paytm are bundling payments, lending and investing. The playbook borrows from WeChat and Alipay, apps that bundle social, financial, and other features.

Read more: Crypto Exchange Mercado Bitcoin to Tokenize $200M in Real-World Assets on XRP Ledger

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

How many roguelikes can you identify in two minutes? Our latest quiz is harder than a no-hit run

by admin October 4, 2025

The roguelike genre is one of my favourite ever. I love that it’s like a special sauce you can mix with countless other genres to create bold new flavours—from card games, to bullet hell, to survival, to RTS, and more.

That’s why I’ve put together a quiz testing my fellow fans on their knowledge of roguelikes. All you have to do is check out the screenshots, and type in the name of the game for each one—within a two minute time limit, naturally.

I had to make it difficult, of course—that’s only being faithful to the genre, right? Don’t worry, if you lose, you can always start again.

Before anyone rushes to the comments with a “Well, actually” in hand—we’re going by the broad, modern definition of roguelikes here. We don’t need to get into a debate about roguelikes vs roguelites, and we’re definitely taking it as read that the genre includes more than just decades-old turn-based dungeon crawlers. So be prepared for a wide variety of very different games below, testing your knowledge across the whole roguelike spectrum.

But do rush to the comments to let us know your scores! We want to know how you did—and which of the 20 games below is your favourite.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Speculative Retail Trading is Good for Financial Markets, Actually

by admin October 4, 2025

Traditional investment firms all have the same mantras: “time in the market beats timing,” “move slowly,” and “big money is in the waiting.” It’s an action plan that made sense 20 years ago, but today, it’s a sure strategy for getting steamrolled by forces most of these firms refuse to acknowledge.

The uncomfortable truth is that markets no longer run on just earnings reports and balance sheets; they run on stories, memes, and cultural ideas that gain momentum through social communities like X and Reddit and move faster than analysts can reliably keep track of. As much as we want to call GameStop a glitch, it’s only a preview of how markets now work. Crypto investors had an outsized role in driving this shift that spilled over into traditional markets.

And now, retail investors have evolved from spectators to active market movers and makers, armed with platforms that let them coordinate, analyze, and act upon market intelligence at scale and unprecedented speed. While not every retail investor can outpace professional analysts, the most plugged-in communities have shown they can collectively move faster than institutions still operating by outdated playbooks. Look at Reddit’s WallStreetBets users, who drove the 2021 GameStop rally that led to massive losses for short sellers, citing that retail traders were the real force behind the market upheaval. Investors who have learned to read the cultural signals and narratives alongside financial ones will stay ahead.

Markets Don’t Crash From Speculation

A Wall Street secret is that markets don’t crash because of meme stocks — they crash because of stubborn loyalty to yesterday’s winners. The historic Dot-com Bubble didn’t burst because traders shifted their attention, but because both institutional and retail investors were in denial about industry over-valuation. Instead of recognizing the underlying stories that showed early signs of tech stocks’ crumbling prices, they chose to put their trust in past performance.

Crashes happen when conviction in positions hardens into blind faith and unquestioning belief, and markets force a hard reset. Speculation keeps markets honest by forcing constant reevaluation. Retail investors do this daily by actively debating a stock or token’s prospects or deep diving into company fundamentals with fellow market participants. When they engage critically and stress-test every narrative in real time, they perform an invaluable and increasingly rare service as the active asset management industry shrinks in favor of passive investing strategies.

The smartest retail investors ride a stock or token’s momentum but pivot as soon as the story changes. Their willingness to be wrong and adapt quickly helps prevent the kind of slow-moving institutional groupthink that leads to massive corrections, while still acknowledging that even retail communities can fall into faster, more volatile herd behavior. This mix of flexibility and collective attention makes them a uniquely influential force in today’s markets.

Retail Runs the Show – and It’s About Time

Retail stock trading is up to 20-35% of volume in the U.S. and UK alone, while crypto trade volume has also surged this past month exceeding a total market cap of $4T, but the change they’re forcing isn’t numbers — it’s intelligence. They’re networked, fast, and often spot trends before your dad’s broker does. Communities on platforms like Reddit and Discord can collectively analyze news, filings, and earnings calls, surfacing insights that sometimes catch institutional investors off guard. During the AMC rally, coordinated attention from retail communities amplified price swings and forced institutional adjustments. Today, AI-driven tools and educational platforms are making retail investors more capable and informed than ever, allowing them to process data and sentiment in real time. They might not always be right, but they’re influential enough to matter.

Taking a page out of what crypto has been doing for years, some companies are starting to get it: CEOs now engage directly with retail communities, and IR departments track social sentiment. They understand the passion retail investors have for their stocks and are more willing to stick with them through poor performance than with an institution that’s judged on quarterly performance.

Fighting Speculation is Fighting Reality

It’s 2025 and talking heads are still warning about how the gambling mentality is ruining price discovery, pointing to meme stocks and crypto volatility as proof that retail has turned markets into a casino floor. They say that embracing speculation encourages poor decision-making, market instability, and over-exposure to risk. This way of thinking misses that prices have always been driven by collective beliefs about future values. Now that more people are able to participate, it’s just happening faster.

Crypto is the ultimate example. Early critics called it pure speculation, divorced from the fundamentals of market movements, but it was actually just genuine price discovery happening at warp speed. The crypto market tested more ideas in a few years than traditional VCs could explore in a decade. While some ideas were garbage, the winners were massive.

How Do You Win in the New Game?

Don’t throw the fundamentals out the window just yet — success involves a hybrid approach of solid analysis and narrative awareness. More often than not, a great company with a boring story will underperform a decent company with a compelling narrative. Success means knowing narratives can change quickly and taking positions that capitalize on that.

By diversifying based on assets and stories, risk management is more comprehensive. It allows investors to stay plugged into the communities and platforms where market-moving conversations are happening, while being willing to admit being too certain about any position means you may be setting yourself up for a painful lesson in market dynamics. However, it’s also about being able to distinguish between market volatility and noise, and recognizing the distinction between legitimate analysis and the misinformation that can spread rapidly in these communities.

Adapt or Get Left Behind

Retail is here to stay — the technology exists and the communities keep growing. By acknowledging this is the new normal and learning to navigate social intelligence and narrative-driven momentum, all investors like will thrive. The future belongs to those who are flexible and can expand their toolkits beyond earnings reports and balance sheets to a world where information flows instantly and communities coordinate buying and selling in real time.

Speculation lets investors read both the fundamentals and social sentiment to spot undervalued assets and emerging narratives before the crowds catch on. Read the signals and adapt, or watch from the sidelines.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Shining’s New Numbered Limited Edition Is Up For Grabs At Amazon

by admin October 4, 2025

Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King fans will want to check out the newly released limited editions of The Shining before Amazon sells out. The retailer just listed The Film Vault’s Steelbook Special Edition and Solus Steelbook Editions of the classic 1980 horror movie on 4K Blu-ray. The regular Steelbook Edition comes with an acetate slipcover and is currently priced at $48.86. The Steelbook Special Edition is $87.07 and includes the following extras: a themed cigar box, two posters, five character cards, and three behind-the-scenes cards. Each Special Edition has a holographic sticker numbered to 6,000, so don’t expect it to remain in stock for long.

The Shining’s Film Vault collectible editions were manufactured in the UK and come with region-free 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs. Even though you’re ordering from Amazon’s US storefront, both editions are sold by Amazon Global Store UK with free shipping to the US. It looks like it could take roughly two weeks for orders to be delivered, but you’re getting free international shipping, which is quite nice.

The Shining Steelbook Special Edition (The Film Vault)

Before these Amazon pages popped up, The Shining Film Vault editions were exclusive to Walmart in the US. Technically, they still are, as Amazon US isn’t “officially” selling either edition. Notably, the prices were higher at Walmart: $65 for the Steelbook and $100 for the Steelbook Special Edition. Walmart sold out at those prices in August. In early September, the retailer canceled a bunch of orders due to inventory shortages. The Special Edition never returned, but Walmart restocked the Steelbook Edition last week–and sold out again on launch day (October 3). Note: The prices are even higher now at Walmart due to resellers.

The Shining is one of two early ’80s horror films in The Film Vault Wave 3. The Shining launched alongside the 1982 supernatural horror film Poltergeist. Just like The Shining, Poltergeist is exclusive to Walmart in the US, but the retailer is sold out of both editions. Once again, though, Amazon has Poltergeist Special Edition Steelbook and Solus Steelbook in stock for $87.68 and $46.79, respectively. Both editions ship from Amazon UK and include 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs. Walmart was charging $100 for the Special Edition and $65 for the Solus Steelbook.

The Shining and Poltergeist Film Vault limited editions come with region-free 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray discs. All four releases were designed by Vice Press in partnership with Warner Bros. UK.

$87.07 (was $100) | Available Now

The Special Edition’s cigar box features a large silhouette of Jack Torrance with the fireman’s axe overlooking (sorry) the Overlook Hotel. On the back of the box is Jack’s typewriter with a half-finished page from the play he was working on–just kidding, it’s the same sentence over and over again: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

The envelope that holds the eight art cards is a replica of the “All Work and No Play” page from the film. The five character cards showcase memorable shots from the movie. The other three cards are behind-the-scenes production photos, including one that shows Kubrick on the set.

The steelbook artwork is also featured on the new movie poster created by Matt Ferguson and Florey of Vice Press. The second poster is a retouched version of Saul Bass’ iconic promotional poster for The Shining’s 1980 theatrical release.

With the Special Edition, the acetate slipcover goes over the cigar box. The title and logos are printed on the slipcover, so you can choose to display the artwork with or without text.

Steelbook with exclusive artwork
Cigar Box with new artwork and Acetate slipcover
- Remove slipcover for text-free display box
2 Posters
- New artwork by Matt Ferguson & Florey
- Retouched version of Saul Bass’ 1980 Theatrical Poster
Art Cards
- 5 Character Cards
- 3 Behind-the-Scenes Cards
“All Work and No Play” Envelope for Art Cards
Numbered Holographic Sticker
The Shining on 4K Blu-ray
The Shining & Special Features on Blu-ray

The Shining Solus Steelbook (The Film Vault)

$48.86 (was $65) | Available Now

Since the Solus Steelbook Edition doesn’t include an outer box, the acetate slipcover goes directly on the steelbook case. Once again, the movie title and logos are printed on the transparent slipcover, so the case can be displayed with or without text. To be clear: This is the same steelbook case found in the Special Edition.

The new artwork by Matt Ferguson & Florey from Vice Press recreates the scene where Jack Torrance trudges through the hedge maze. The back cover features the bathroom door Danny wrote “Redrum” on in red lipstick. The interior artwork shows the hedge maze from the movie on both sides.

Steelbook with exclusive artwork
Acetate sleeve
- Remove sleeve for text-free display case
The Shining on 4K Blu-ray
The Shining on Blu-ray

The Shining’s 4K Blu-ray originally released in 2019 and remains one of the best restorations of a film from its era today. Displayed in native 4K (2160p), The Shining supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. For audio, it has DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound.

The Shining Special Features

All 4K and Blu-ray editions of The Shining come with a handful of great special features. The 4K and 1080p discs include an optional commentary track with Kubrick’s biographer John Baxter and Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown. The other bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes documentary, are only found on the standard Blu-ray disc.

Audio Commentary: John Baxter & Garrett Brown
The Making of The Shining (35 minutes)
View from the Overlook: Crafting The Shining (26 minutes)
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (15 minutes)
Wendy Carlos, Composer (7 minutes)

If you’re unfamiliar with The Film Vault, it’s a series of collectible editions of classic movies from the Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures film catalogs. The Film Vault was created in 2022 by Vice Press, a UK company specializing in officially licensed movie collectibles and artwork. All of the 4K Blu-rays released by The Film Vault are region-free discs, but as a UK company, these limited-edition versions of all-time classics aren’t regularly found at US retailers.

The Shining & Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

The Shining and Doctor Sleep by Stephen King (Scribner)

Kubrick’s The Shining was adapted from Stephen King’s classic 1977 horror novel. King rather famously doesn’t like the adaptation. This eventually led to a new miniseries adaptation that aired on ABC in 1997. The miniseries is more faithful to the book, though it’s not as highly regarded. It’s definitely worth watching, though. Shout Factory released a The Shining miniseries on Blu-ray in 2024.

In 2013, Scribner published Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining that stars a grown-up Danny Torrance. Mike Flanagan directed the 2019 film adaptation of Doctor Sleep. The novel and the movie are great, but neither reaches the same heights as the originals (unsurprisingly).

Both novels are available for cheap in hardcover and paperback at Amazon. The Shining’s trade paperback edition is on sale for $11.30 (was $20), while the vintage hardcover is $19.80 (was $45). Doctor Sleep, meanwhile, is only $13.78 in hardcover and $10.49 in paperback.

Stanley Kubrick fans have another 4K Blu-ray to look forward to. Eyes Wide Shut, the director’s final film, is joining The Criterion Collection on November 25.

$125 | 2-Book Hardcover Box Set (1,396 Pages)

If you are interested in a $100 edition of The Shining, it’s a safe bet that you or someone you know is a huge fan. As a massive fan myself, I can say that if I had to choose between a fancy new edition of The Shining on 4K Blu-ray or the recently released compendium about the film, I would pick the compendium without thinking twice.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a two-volume, 1,396-page box set that offers a staggeringly comprehensive look at the making of the film. This beautiful slipcase collection was designed by M/M Paris and published by Taschen earlier this year.

Written by J.W. Rinzler and edited by Pixar director Lee Unkrich, this compendium is based on hundreds of hours of interviews and mountains of investigative research. The first book, which includes an introduction by Steven Spielberg, chronicles every step of the production. When I received my copy earlier this year, I was astounded by the level of detail provided throughout the roughly 900-page hardcover book. If there’s a more thorough making-of book about a single movie, I would be shocked. This book is nearly as long as all three volumes in Rinzler’s The Making of Star Wars series, which is also fantastic.

The box set also comes with a gorgeous scrapbook filled with a wide array of photographs, artwork, and documents related to the production of The Shining.

To put it simply: This compendium is the best collection of behind-the-scenes material–across any medium–I’ve ever read.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is in stock at Amazon for $125, but it’s unknown how many copies the publisher printed and whether it will receive additional print runs. Amazon sold out when preorders opened last summer, and the box set remained out of stock until a few months ago.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Ray-Ban Meta, GoPro Max 2 and more

by admin October 4, 2025

If you prefer some variety in your review roundups, we cover quite the gamut this time. The headliner is the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, but we’ve recently tested a powerful gaming laptop, two action cameras and a wireless mouse (yep, still need those). Catch up on all the reviews we’ve published over the last two weeks by scrolling down below.

Ray-Ban Meta

Engadget

Meta’s second-generation smart glasses are becoming a genuinely useful accessory.

Pros

Noticeably better battery life
YouTuber-friendly 3K video
Meta AI translations are a game-changer for travel

Cons

Framing POV photos and video is still a challenge
Pricey lens upgrades

$379 at Meta

While the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses may look similar to the original model, a lot has changed in terms of features. There are also two big upgrades over the last version: battery life and video quality. “The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a lot of features that didn’t exist when I first reviewed them two years ago, largely thanks to AI,” senior editor Karissa Bell said. “And with the release of its second-generation frames, there’s still a lot to look forward to, like new camera features and AI-powered audio.”

Alienware 16 Area-51

Alienware / Engadget

While it is a bit pricey at $2,000 to start, the Alienware 16 Area-51 sports top-notch components, a bright display, a clicky mechanical keyboard and a slick re-interpretation of the company’s signature intergalactic design.

Pros

Unique design
Strong performance
Clicky mechanical keyboard
Lots of ports

Cons

Pricey
Big and heavy
More display options would be nice

$2,000 at Dell

If you’re in the market for a powerful gaming laptop with a unique design, the Alienware 16 Area-51 might be for you. Of course, you’ll have to live with a machine that ‘s big and heavy — and also expensive. “Even though the Alienware 16 Area-51 might not be as portable as some of its rivals, it’s got a lot to offer,” senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford wrote. “There’s a striking design, a nice screen (though more options would be nice), tons of ports and class-leading performance with plenty of configurability so you can dial in its specs exactly how you like.”

GoPro Max 2

GoPro/Engadget

GoPro’s Max 2 is a worthy competitor to DJI and Insta360 with a focus on image quality and effective editing tools to make clips you might actually want to share.

Pros

“True” 8K 10-bit GP-Log video
Replaceable lenses
Simple in-app editing
Works with Bluetooth mics

Cons

Stitch lines are sometimes present
No onboard storage

$500 at Amazon

GoPro’s new product this fall wasn’t another Hero action camera. Instead, the company opted to take the 360 route, debuting the Max 2 for spherical videos. “With a mix of pro features like Timecode, GP-Log (with LUTs) alongside mobile-focused editing, GoPro clearly hopes the Max 2 will appeal to demanding and casual users alike,” contributor James Trew observed. “The company has also focused heavily on improving the user experience rather than going for pure technological advances and after a week or so of testing, that feels like a sensible move.”

DJI Osmo Nano

DJI/Engadget

The Osmo Nano is DJI’s first mini action cam designed to take on Insta360’s Go 3S and Go Ultra. Video quality is a bit better than those rivals, but it’s still missing a few features.

Pros

Tiny size
Log and 10-bit video
DJI Mic compatibility
Generous built-in memory

Cons

Video editing app falls short
Poor stabilization in low light
Vlog mode is less convenient than rivals

$299 at Amazon

In case you missed it, tiny action cameras with detachable displays are a thing now. DJI’s first attempt at one of these products takes direct aim at Insta360’s duo of Go models. And despite better video quality than the competition, there’s still work to be done for the Osmo Nano. “With the Nano, DJI leaned on its camera experience and mostly matches or beats its main rival in terms of video quality,” reporter Steve Dent said. “However, the company is still lagging behind in a few areas, particularly its editing app — something that’s important for many creators.”

Logitech MX Master 4

Three years after releasing the MX Master 3S, Logitech is back with another update to its productivity mouse. Shopping for the new version isn’t exactly a straightforward endeavor though. “The MX Master 4 may not be a essential upgrade if you’re happy with an older MX Master mouse, and if those didn’t work for you before, this one probably won’t work for you now,” senior buying advice reporter Jeff Dunn wrote. “But if you’re a power user in the market for a new productivity mouse, we’d expect this newest iteration to be as popular as its predecessors.”

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

In Case of Emergency, This 1500W Portable Power Station Is a Lifesaver and It’s Now Selling for Pennies

by admin October 4, 2025

Power outages during storms, camping trips without reliable electricity, tailgating events that need a blender for frozen drinks, remote work setups in RVs, or simply keeping your essential devices running during emergency situations… These scenarios share one common frustration: being disconnected from power when you need it most.

A portable power station solves this problem by providing reliable electricity anywhere and gives you the freedom to charge laptops, run small appliances, or keep medical devices operational during blackouts. If you’ve found yourself in any of these situations wishing you had backup power, the Jackery Explorer 1000 is currently at a record low of $429, down from $799. This 46% discount makes one of the most capable portable power stations accessible for people who need reliable energy independence.

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The Explorer 1000 holds 1,070 watt-hours of capacity in an incredibly light 23.8-pound package. This held energy translates to usable use like powering a mini-fridge for roughly 10 hours, charging a laptop over multiple work sessions, or keeping your phone charged dozens of times through. The unit can output 1,500 continuous watts via its three pure sine wave AC receptacles and can surge a maximum of 3,000 watts momentarily as appliances come online.

Charges Faster Than You’d Ever Imagine

Jackery designed this power station using ChargeShield 2.0 technology which enables full recharge in one hour when you activate emergency mode via the accompanying app. That’s due to intelligent charging algorithms that push maximum current safely into the lithium iron phosphate battery cells. The standard charge time stands at 1.7 hours which strikes a balance between fast charging and maintaining long-term battery health by minimizing heat gain during charging. For perspective, most other power stations you’ll find take four to six hours for a full charge.

LiFePO4 battery chemistry delivers outstanding longevity over conventional lithium-ion cells. This battery retains over 70% of its capacity after 4,000 full charge cycles, or over a decade of moderate use if you’re cycling the battery every week. Lithium iron phosphate cells also handle extreme temperatures more robustly and represent less fire hazard than traditional lithium-ion batteries.

The port choice caters to modern charging needs with two USB-C ports offering 100 watts of power delivery, a USB-A port, a 12-volt automotive port, and the usual three AC ports. A 100-watt USB-C port can charge new MacBook Pros, iPads and high-end Android phones at maximum speed without requiring separate power bricks.

At $429, this power station is practically half its regular price but provides the capacity and functionality that makes portable power stations really useful and not novelty items.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Ethereum price rallies on $1.3b ETF inflows, eyes $5k target

by admin October 4, 2025

Ethereum price is off to a strong start in October, fueled by the so-called ‘Uptober’ rally and surging inflows into exchange-traded funds, as it nears a crucial milestone.

Summary

Ethereum price has formed a bullish flag pattern on the daily chart.
The Murrey Math Line tool points to a jump to $5,625 soon.
Ethereum ETFs are nearing the $15 billion cumulative inflows.

Ethereum ETF inflows near a major milestone

Ethereum (ETH) briefly crossed the $4,500 milestone after jumping by almost 20% from its lowest level in September. This rally may continue in the coming days, as it has formed a rare bullish flag pattern.

Data compiled by SoSoValue shows that spot Ethereum ETFs made a strong rebound this week. These funds saw over $1.3 billion in inflows, a sharp recovery after shedding $795 million in assets the previous week.

The ETFs have now recorded cumulative inflows of $14.42 billion—a figure that may surpass the $15 billion milestone next week if the trend continues.

BlackRock’s ETHA ETF holds the largest market share in the industry. It recorded $206.7 million in inflows on Friday, bringing its total assets under management to $17.8 billion. Fidelity’s FETH has $3.35 billion in assets.

Ethereum ETFs have gained strong momentum this year, supported by the ongoing crypto market rally that pushed Bitcoin (BTC) to a record high.

Inflows surged this week as investors turned to cryptocurrencies as safe-haven assets amid the government shutdown. They also increased following a report by ADP, which showed the labor market weakened in September—losing over 36,000 jobs—and raised expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

Ethereum price technical analysis

ETH price chart | Source: crypto.news

The daily chart reveals that ETH has rebounded in recent days, rising from $3,800 in September to over $4,500. It broke through the key resistance level at $4,106, the highest point reached in December of last year.

The coin has now formed a bullish flag pattern, which resembles a hoisted flag. It includes a vertical rally followed by a descending channel that forms the flag portion.

The ETH price is now slightly below the upper boundary of the flag but remains above the strong pivot reversal indicated by the Murrey Math Lines tool.

Therefore, the coin will likely continue rising as bulls target the key resistance level at $5,000. A move above that level could signal further gains toward $5,625.

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October 4, 2025 0 comments