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Spain Dives Into AI-Generated Movies While Hollywood Battles Over Its Soul

by admin May 20, 2025

In brief

Spain is embracing AI in filmmaking, debuting its first fully AI-generated feature, The Great Reset, at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival.
New legislation aligns with the EU AI Act, mandating clear labelling of AI-generated content and imposing fines for misuse.
Spanish-developed tools like Magnific are already in use in Hollywood, signaling broader adoption of the country’s AI tech.

Spain is beginning to integrate artificial intelligence into its film and television industries, attempting to position itself as a pioneer in both the creation and regulation of AI content.

The shift includes notable projects like “The Great Reset,” an AI-generated feature film presented at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2025.

The sci-fi thriller, directed by Daniel H. Torrado, uses AI for image synthesis, animation, and post-production, eliminating the need for on-screen actors or physical locations.

Produced by Virtual World Pictures, Canary Film Factory, and EPC Media, the film follows an AI from a renegade hacker’s mind that’s planning to destroy humanity, with the protagonist racing to prevent global collapse.

Despite its technological innovations, human involvement remains crucial, with the script, artistic direction, and narrative supervised by a creative team led by Torrado. Real actors served as references for interpretation and dubbing in key scenes.

“AI allowed us to simulate complex decisions early on and experiment without the budgetary risk that often paralyzes many independent creators,” Torrado told the Hollywood Reporter. “Human oversight was constant. Every artistic, narrative, and emotional decision went through my hands. AI was a powerful tool, not a substitute for the creator.”

Spain’s push into AI-generated content comes amid heated global debates about AI’s role in filmmaking—and all art in general.

The controversy centers on concerns about authenticity, transparency, and ethical use, with audiences and creators worried about AI-generated content being mistaken for human work.

Recent examples illustrate those tensions.

The film “The Brutalist” faced significant backlash after its editor revealed that AI was used to enhance the Hungarian accents of lead actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

Director Brady Corbet defended the use, stating it was a meticulous, manual process, but the controversy highlighted sensitivity around AI’s role in performances.

Even huge studios from Lucasfilm to Marvel Studios have been in the bullseye, from small things like using AI to create posters to more influential decisions like incorporating AI into the final creation.

Spain’s boost for an AI-friendly industry

In March 2025, Spain approved a draft law to regulate AI, aligning with the European Union’s AI Act.

This law focuses on ethical, inclusive, and beneficial use, including strict labeling requirements for AI-generated content and significant fines for non-compliance.

Mislabeling AI content could result in penalties up to €35 million (US$39.3 million), aiming to ensure transparency and prevent misuse like deepfakes.

But Hollywood has already begun incorporating Spanish AI technologies into mainstream productions.

A case in point is the film “Here,” directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, which utilized AI tools to enhance visual effects.

VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie recently revealed that the team used an AI-powered upscaler called Magnific for numerous scenes in the film.

“Magnific was used to enhance 20+ scenes in here,” Baillie said in an interview shared by Javier Lopez, Magnific’s co-founder.

⚡ Magnific on the big screen!

I CAN FINALLY TALK ABOUT THIS!

The VFX team of Here (directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Robin Wright & Tom Hanks) used Magnific for their FX 🤯

To break it all down (+more), I interviewed VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie! 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/EVhZCP0jlh

— Javi Lopez ⛩️ (@javilopen) February 18, 2025

Baillie explained how the tool transformed their workflow: “Instead of spending 20% of the time focusing on the creative aspects of a shot and 80% on the details, Magnific helped us spend 20% on the details and 80% on the creativity! It’s putting what artists do best at the forefront, which I absolutely love.”

The film also employed face-swapping technology for de-aging, with 53 minutes of complete face replacement to bring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and other actors back to their younger years.

The team used real-time face swap models during filming, allowing actors and crew to see the de-aged versions immediately on set.

Besides generative upscaling and filtering, there are already a lot of interesting ideas being developed in the Spanish industry.

Speaking with Decrypt, Freepik CEO Joaquin Cuenca explained that beyond simple (and uncontrolled) AI generations, they are working on true workflows and AI-powered video editing suites.

“We are working on video editors,” he told Decrypt. “Today, you can generate small clips, but we are working on something that allows users to compile them on-site, add audio, and do all the composition to end up with a fully functional long clip.”

Spain’s television sector shows signs of exploration, though less documented than film.

From using generative AI in text and charts to leveraging AI tools to enhance the cataloging of its historical archive, TV stations are no strangers to adapting their workflows to incorporate AI.

And there have been some performative experiments with purely generative video among enthusiasts—at least on a short scale, non professional level.

One example is the experimental news show “Telediario” set in the year 2088, created by the Human XR Lab at the Universidad del Atlántico Medio.

The short video is part of a virtual reality experience at the Museo Élder in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

While not intended as commercial content, it reflects Spain’s growing appetite for innovation in pursuit of a more creative future.

“Artificial intelligence doesn’t replace artistic vision or human creativity,” Torrado said earlier this year. “[It] allows filmmakers to focus on what truly matters: telling stories that move and connect with the audience.”

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair and Andrew Hayward

Generally Intelligent Newsletter

A weekly AI journey narrated by Gen, a generative AI model.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Senate Dems Gear Up Resistance as Stablecoin Bill Meets Test Most Think Will Succeed

by admin May 20, 2025

A key crypto bill has opened a rift among Senate Democrats as another big test approaches for the viability of legislation to regulate stablecoin issuers. Most expect the bill to clear a significant procedural vote on Monday night, but Democrats are split.

The Senate’s most prominent crypto critic, Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, is leading a faction trying to dig in their heels on the bill, raising objections that include national security threats, consumer hazards and the corruption of a White House that’s conflicted because of President Donald Trump’s own digital assets business interests.

The other group, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, one of the bill’s primary backers, has argued that presidential conflicts are already illegal under the U.S. Constitution, and the bill doesn’t need to have specific constraints added to clarify that point. That side also praises a number of changes to the legislation to improve consumer protections and to partially address worries that large corporations will issue stablecoins — the steady, typically dollar-based tokens that underpin so much of the crypto markets’ transaction activity.

The bill is set for what’s known as a cloture vote on Monday night, which will decide whether it advances into a formal and time-limited period of debate before final consideration. Cloture tends to be the most difficult test for Senate legislation, because it requires 60 votes — much more than a simple majority. A previous version of the bill failed such a vote once before, when Democrats demanded more time to make changes.

The stablecoin bill is one of two highly significant U.S. legislative efforts that will finally establish a set of rules and system of oversight for crypto in the U.S., and many in the industry believe it’ll usher in a flood of interest from investors who’ve waited on the sidelines until the sector is completely regulated. The supporters of the stablecoin legislation have set it up for this vote, suggesting they were able to wrangle enough backers to triumph.

The current Senate bill — known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act — is worse than doing nothing, according to the arguments from the camp led by Warren, who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. “A strong bill would ensure that consumers enjoy the same consumer protections when using stablecoins as they do when using other payment systems, close loopholes that enable the illicit use of stablecoins by cartels, terrorists, and criminals, and reduce the risk that stablecoins take down our financial system,” according to a sheet issued on Monday by the committee’s Democratic staff. “The GENIUS Act does not meet those minimum standards.”

Gillibrand, however, said the bill has been written in a “truly bipartisan effort.”

“Stablecoins are already playing an important role in the global economy, and it is essential that the U.S. enact legislation that protects consumers, while also enabling responsible innovations,” the New York Democrat said in a statement last week.

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, also explained his view in choosing to support the bill. “It sets high standards for issuers, limits big tech overreach and creates a safer, more transparent framework for digital assets,” he said in a statement. “It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than the status quo.”

Read More: U.S. Stablecoin Bill Could Clear Senate Next Week, Proponents Say

In the hours before the planned Monday vote, a coalition of 46 consumer, labor and advocacy groups continued objecting to the legislation, which has been overhauled repeatedly.

“A vote for this legislation would enable and condone cryptobusiness activities by the Trump administration, organization, and family that raise unprecedented concerns about presidential conflicts of interest, corruption, and the abuse of public office for private gain,” they wrote in a letter to the Senate leadership.

The crypto industry itself has come together to support the legislation, with various lobbyist groups publishing statements arguing lawmakers should advance the legislation. Stand With Crypto, a Coinbase-backed group focused on getting voters to support crypto issues, warned lawmakers in a statement Monday that their votes would go into its sometimes arbitrary assignment of grades for politicians’ crypto sentiment.

While the stablecoin bill has drawn some political heat, it’s widely expected to be the easier of the two crypto efforts on Capitol Hill. The legislation to establish U.S. market rules for crypto is much more complex. For both bills, the House of Representatives is also working on parallel efforts.

If the bill clears cloture, it could speed toward Senate passage in a matter of days. Jaret Seiberg, a policy analyst with TD Cowen, expects it to clear the Senate this week

“That means it could become law by summer as we see the House moving quickly on the bill,” he wrote in a note to clients.

Warren wrote her own letter on Monday to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice, pressing for answers about what’s being done about North Korean hackers who stole more than a billion dollars in assets from exchange Bybit earlier this year.

“These stolen assets have helped keep the regime afloat and supported continued investments in its nuclear and conventional weapons programs,” Warren and Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, wrote to the Treasury secretary and attorney general. “Reports suggest there are potentially thousands of North Korean-affiliated crypto hackers around the globe.”

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Bond or Batman? Why the Galaxy S25 Edge is a phone for cool characters

by admin May 20, 2025

“I call it the James Bond phone,” Samsung’s Annika Bizon, vice president of mobile product and marketing in the U.K. and Ireland, told Digital Trends during a conversation about the new Galaxy S25 Edge shortly after its announcement.

“I call it the Bruce Wayne phone.” Samsung’s smartphone specialist product manager Kadesh Beckford said later in the same call.

Why did these names come up, and how do they relate to the new, slimline smartphone? It turns out, understanding why the comparisons were drawn is key to understanding the Galaxy S25 Edge itself, and Samsung’s daring plan with it.

A statement maker

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I really wanted to understand who Samsung has made the Galaxy S25 Edge — a 5.8mm, 163 gram flagship smartphone — for, and spoke at length about it with Bizon and Beckford during an online conversation soon after the phone’s announcement.

“Samsung has seen people want lightness, slimness, and to know they have the very best technology in their device,” Bizon explained. “The S25 Edge is for people who want to make a statement, and it blows my mind how we’ve managed to fit so much into such a small space. I call it the James Bond of phones. He would only have the coolest of phones.”

While the comparison with a cool character makes sense, what she said next showed while Bond would be a great fit for the S25 Edge, the phone has been positioned and pitched quite differently to other Samsung mobile devices.

“We’ve looked at the younger market,” Bizon said, “but we don’t know who else it will be for yet, and that’s exciting. We’ve done the research to find there’s demand, so we’ve got the foundations, but we’ve got to learn who’s buying it, what they’re using it for, and how they’re enjoying it.”

A phone with presence

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The more we talked about the Galaxy S25 Edge, the more delightfully experimental it sounded. Not in terms of its technology, but how it fits into Samsung’s range of devices, and the people the company expects it to appeal to. It’s how Batman entered the conversation.

“I call it the Bruce Wayne phone,” Beckford laughed, “In Jet Black it’d match up with the Batmobile really well.”

Beckford continued to say what the phone means to him, and his own reference to a well-known character related more to the S25 Edge’s presence than its coolness. “It allows me to make a statement. You put an S25 Edge down on the table, and it means something.”

Beckford gave some deep insight into how the Galaxy S25 Edge enters new territory for Samsung:

“Our Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6 phones are called ‘Life Maximizers,” he said, “while the base Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and FE phones are ‘Social Expressers. What’s happening is we’re seeing people who want a bit of both. They want to express themselves, but they also want the power and performance from a Life Maximizer phone brings. The S25 Edge is a device that fits into both these areas.”

Internal innovation

Samsung

It was becoming clear the S25 Edge is more than just a new entry into the S25 series, and understanding some of the engineering that went into making it sees it shift closer to the Z Fold series for innovation. Beckford talked about some of the challenges faced by the team making the phone:

“The camera module was a challenge,” he said. “The 200-megapixel main sensor is quite thick, but we reduced it in size by 18% to fit. It means the phone is well balanced. In a confined space you usually lose performance from the processor if there’s no heat dissipation. We’ve used special cooling and a vapor chamber to ensure the phone runs at its highest performance without overheating. These are challenges that come from making a phone this slim, but we solved them.”

Why doesn’t the S25 Edge have a telephoto camera? After all, the Galaxy S25 Plus has one. It goes back to the phone appealing to two usually separate groups of buyers. The main and wide-angle cameras are key on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and the S25 Edge is as much a part of that family as it is the S Series. Beckford pointed out that although there are only two cameras, you still get a macro mode and a 2x optical quality zoom alongside them.

A new direction for Samsung

The Galaxy S25 Edge has elements of the technical innovation we love from Samsung’s ongoing range of folding devices, blended with the mainstream appeal of its S series phones. What differentiates it is the incredible slim, lightweight body and design. Bizon ended our conversation by telling me how this has shaped her personal opinion of the S25 Edge.

“I think it’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s a statement about you, I like that it’s a conversation starter, and I see it stepping more into fashion and style.” She added, “You have to be playful and quirky and do things differently to attract people.” I felt this likely best described what Samsung is hoping to achieve with the Galaxy S25 Edge.

Playful, quirky, interesting, cool, fashionable, and stylish. When was the last time all of these words could be used together to describe a single mobile device? It’s certainly not recently, and the fact we’re using them to talk about a new Samsung — a brand few would consider daring when it comes to design — smartphone is a particular surprise.

There was an air of excitement during my conversation with Bizon and Beckford. Like it was the start of something new and exciting, but also ever-so-slightly mysterious and experimental too. After playing it safe with the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has let itself go wild with the Galaxy S25 Edge and in the best way possible it’s not entirely sure where it’s going to lead, which makes us like this incredibly slim phone even more.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Fortnite sued over Darth Vader AI for unfair labor practice

by admin May 20, 2025

Fortnite’s latest Star Wars update brought an AI-powered Darth Vader and a legal complaint from actors’ union SAG-AFTRA.

On May 16, 2025, Fortnite introduced a new Darth Vader as part of Chapter 6: Galactic Battle. This version wasn’t just a boss fight – he actually talked back. Players could use voice chat to interact with him in real time. The voice, modeled after prolific actor James Earl Jones, came from AI tools developed by Google and ElevenLabs.

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Epic Games secured permission from Jones’s estate, who supported the project. They stated the goal was to preserve Vader’s voice for future generations. Epic emphasized that player data wasn’t stored or used to train the AI.

But within hours of launch, some players pushed the AI to spout harmful or offensive speech. Viral clips quickly spread across social media. Epic deployed a fix within 30 minutes and locked the feature behind parental controls. Still, the incident raised concerns about using generative AI for iconic characters, especially in games with younger audiences.

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Darth Vader’s voice sparks union lawsuit over AI use in Fortnite

Now, SAG-AFTRA has filed a formal labor complaint against the game. The union alleges that Epic and Llama Productions, a signatory company for Fortnite, replaced union-covered voice work without proper notice or negotiation.

Epic Games

Their claim centers on labor practices, not permissions. While they support the rights of estates like Jones’s, SAG-AFTRA argues that using AI to replace human performers without union involvement violates labor rules.

The union sees this as part of a larger trend in the entertainment industry. AI is increasingly used to replicate performances, often without clear agreements in place.

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The concern isn’t just about one game, it’s about protecting working conditions for voice actors across the industry.

The outcome of this case could set new standards for how AI is introduced into games. If the NLRB finds in SAG-AFTRA’s favor, companies may be required to negotiate AI usage more transparently moving forward.

Meanwhile, Fortnite is still navigating legal fallout from another front. Despite winning its case against Apple, the game remains unavailable on the iOS App Store. The courtroom victory hasn’t yet restored access for mobile players, which is just another unresolved chapter in Fortnite’s evolving future.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Ethereum (ETH) Lost $3,000, XRP to Lose $2? Shiba Inu (SHIB) Breakthrough Failed?

by admin May 20, 2025

XRP at pivotal state
Shiba Inu gets cut

Ethereum is now further declining into a short-term downtrend that could end its recent bullish recovery after losing its footing above $3,000. The price action has quickly turned sour after ETH’s strong breakout earlier this month that forced it through its 200 EMA for the first time in months.

A falling wedge pattern breakdown is the most obvious warning sign. Bullish continuation patterns are typically thought of as falling wedges. However, the breakdown in the case of ETH demonstrates that the pattern served more as a reversal trap than a consolidation. This invalidation implies that the market is weakening rather than undergoing a healthy correction.

ETH/USDT Chart by TradingView

Ethereum now has no support at the 200 EMA, which is at $2,438. This adds to the bearish pressure. Because of the recent daily close below this crucial technical level, which has moved from support to resistance, the outlook for the coming days is bleak. If the next strong support level does not hold, a retest of $2,000 is very likely. It is located between $2,200 and $2,170. Additionally, volume trends are not favorable.

There has not been a surge in bullish buying volume to counteract the selling despite several red candles over the past few sessions. That proves one thing: people are becoming less confident. Ethereum’s macrotrend is still in place for the time being, but the wider market may follow if this local decline is not swiftly stopped.

How ETH’s rally was so brittle and how unprepared the bulls were for actual resistance is demonstrated by the failure to sustain bullish structure so quickly after breaking out above the 200 EMA.

XRP at pivotal state

The price of XRP is beginning to flirt dangerously with the 26 EMA, a crucial dynamic support level signaling the start of a critical juncture. With downside targets in the $2.18 and $2.04 range not far off, a more severe decline may be imminent if the asset’s current trading level of $2.31 is broken by this pivotal moving average.

The bullish momentum that propelled XRP toward the $2.80 mark after a brief rally has obviously stalled. Even more alarming is the volume’s steady decline, which suggests that buyer interest is waning. Without large inflows or a resurgence in sentiment, XRP might not be able to hold its current value, much less rise in the near future.

Shiba Inu gets cut

After what appeared to be a successful breakout attempt above the 100 EMA, Shiba Inu is once again under downward pressure. The asset raised expectations for a long-term rally in early May when it was able to break through this important moving average. The bullish momentum, however, soon waned, and SHIB has since made a significant retracement, falling back below the support zone it momentarily claimed.

SHIB’s lack of conviction is a larger problem, as evidenced by the failed breakout above the 100 EMA, which is currently trading close to $0.000015. Even though volume increased during the attempted upward move, there was no follow-through buying. The token has now returned to the $0.000014 level due to a surge of selling pressure, with bearish momentum increasing.

Minecraft Ender Dragon Boss Guide – Where To Find And How To Beat

by admin May 20, 2025

Beating the Ender Dragon in Minecraft technically marks the end of the game, as the credits will roll when you leave the area post-fight. However, there are several useful techniques and important mechanics that you need to know before you head into the fight with one of the strongest Minecraft mobs. Here’s how to find the Ender Dragon, how to beat it, and the rewards you’ll get for slaying it.

Items to bring to the fight

Before we get into the mechanics of the Ender Dragon fight, there are several items you should seek out and bring with you on the journey. You’ll want to read our dedicated Minecraft The End guide for information on how to find The End and how to get there, but in terms of items that will be useful, we’ve got you covered.

You’ll need three full stacks of scaffolding in order to reach the tops of the towers. You can bring normal blocks, but scaffolding allows you to go up and down at will, instead of relying on water buckets to break your fall from the top of the tower. If you’re anything like me, you’ve failed at the water bucket trick too many times to count, so scaffolding is the safer option. Having said that, do bring a water bucket to protect yourself from the many Endermen that spawn in the fight arena.

Suggested items to bring to the Ender Dragon fight.

Bring a full stack of golden carrots to restore health if you do get hit quickly. Also, bring three stacks of empty glass bottles with you to collect the Dragon’s Breath that pools on the floor. This is an important ingredient for several Minecraft potions, so it’s well worth collecting while the fight progresses. To collect it, right-click with a glass bottle equipped when it pools on the floor, taking care not to step directly in it.

Bring your best weapons. For the Ender Dragon, this is a Netherite sword with your preferred enchantments, and a bow with the infinity enchantment at a minimum, as this gives you unlimited arrows. You’ll also want full diamond or Netherite armor, with your preferred enchantments. If you’d prefer to avoid the Endermen completely at the sacrifice of limited vision, you can carve a pumpkin and wear it as a helmet. This way, the Endermen won’t attack you no matter how much you look at them.

Bring a bed and a chest with spare armor and weapons. Place the bed and chest next to the End portal, and set your respawn on the bed before jumping into the portal.

Finally, bring some stacks of building blocks, preferably cobblestone or something else similar to obtain, as the spawn into The End is random and you may find yourself on one of the area’s many standalone platforms with no way to reach the Ender Dragon. Should this happen after jumping through the portal, you can create a bridge across to the main area.

How to destroy the tower crystals and cages

When you spawn into the Ender Dragon fight, you’ll notice several pillars with End Crystals on top of them. Two of these towers will also have cages around the crystals. You’ll need to climb the towers to destroy the cages.

Some towers have cages at the top.

You can use your bow to shoot the crystals at the top of the towers. All of the crystals need to be destroyed, as they will heal the Ender Dragon. You can shoot the crystals from the ground, but if you’re finding it difficult then use your scaffolding to ascend the tower to get a better angle to hit it from.

Destroy the cages around the crystals with a pickaxe.

You will have to use the scaffolding to climb the towers to destroy the caged crystals, as the cages cannot be destroyed using projectiles. When you reach the top, use a pickaxe for the most efficient way to destroy the cage. Remember that there are two towers with cages. When the cage and crystal are destroyed, head down the scaffolding or use the water bucket to create a safe space to jump into.

If you destroy a crystal while the Dragon is tethered to it–signaled by a white beam between the Dragon and the crystal–it will cause the Ender Dragon to take more damage when the attack phase begins.

How to avoid being killed by Endermen

As mentioned above, you can carve a pumpkin and wear it as a helmet to avoid Endermen attacking you. However, the limited visibility this provides often isn’t worth it. Instead, try to avoid looking at them directly.

An Enderman can’t attack if you’re stood in water.

If you accidentally do look at one for too long it will become hostile. Use your water bucket and stand in the middle of where the water was placed. If you stay in this safe area, the Endermen will not get closer and therefore cannot hit you with their melee attacks. However, the Ender Dragon can still use its Dragon’s Breath attack, so keep an eye out for it as it will still do damage over time while you’re standing in water.

How to kill the Ender Dragon

You can now begin to damage the Ender Dragon. Use your bow and aim for it as it circles in the air, keeping an eye out for its Dragon Breath attacks. Remember not to look at the Endermen during this time too, as if you anger one, they’ll all become hostile and can actually prove more deadly than the Dragon itself at times.

The Ender Dragon has several hitboxes on its head, body, wings, and tail. Hitting it in the head causes the most damage.

Shoot the Ender Dragon with arrows when it’s in flight.

When the Ender Dragon lands on the perch made of Bedrock in the center of the arena, it’s time for the next stage of the fight. Again, hitting it on the head will cause the most damage, but be careful of its flapping wings, as they’ll cause damage.

The Ender Dragon dying

It will still be using its Dragon’s Breath attack, so use the glass bottles in your inventory to quickly bottle it up, or move away from it. As the Dragon’s health depletes, it will periodically return to the sky to fly around before landing again on its perch. Keep attacking it with arrows in the air, or melee attacks when it’s on its perch, until it’s killed.

Ender Dragon Drops

For defeating the Ender Dragon, you will receive several items. Firstly, you will get 12,000XP in orbs, so run around and collect them all for a huge amount of level boosts. It’s enough to raise your level to 68 from zero, to put that into context. If you resummon the Ender Dragon and defeat it again, it will only drop 500XP.

Secondly, the Dragon Egg will spawn. To safely get it without destroying it, follow these steps:

Hit the egg once so it falls from the portal.
Mine underneath the egg and place a torch underneath the block it is sitting on.
Break the block it is sitting on, and it’ll fall on the torch.
You can now pick up the egg and have it in your inventory.

This also grants The Next Generation achievement. There is only one Dragon Egg in each Minecraft world, and there is no way to get more than one without using Minecraft mods.

How to pick up the Ender Dragon Egg.

Finally, defeating the Ender Dragon opens a portal to the End Islands, which gives access to things such as Elytra and Shulker boxes. The portals appear in random locations, and look like a cluster of blocks. There can be up to 20 portals around the main island, and teleport you large distances to the End Islands.

How to resummon the Ender Dragon

You’ll need four End Crystals to summon the Ender Dragon for a repeat of the fight. Place one End Crystal on each side of the perch where the Ender Dragon usually rests during the fight, on the central block. This will cause four beams to shoot up, one from each crystal, which will take it in turns to point to the top of each obsidian tower to create a new End Crystal, and the Ender Dragon will respawn when all of them have spawned.

Resummoning the Ender Dragon.

Now that you know all about the Ender Dragon, check out our Minecraft guides hub for more tips and tricks. We’ve also got everything you need to know about the Minecraft Warden–while he’s not a boss, he’s certainly a formidable force that you’ll want to be familiar with.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

TCL CSOT pushes the boundaries of IJP OLED, MLED and more at Display Week 2025

by admin May 20, 2025

TCL CSOT made an appearance at SID Display Week 2025 and showed off a few massive advancements in its IJP OLED, MLED, and APEX technology. TCL CSOT is the B2B division of TCL, and they’ve been cooking up a lot of new advancements in display technology. Let’s dig into what each of those are, the innovations TCL CSOT showed off at Display Week, and what it may indicate about the future of display technology.

What is IJP OLED?

Robert Rosenfeld / Digital Trends

Inkjet Printing OLED (IJP OLED) technology is a process for making OLED TVs. It uses a printer to deposit the organic materials in OLED panels, rather than the traditional method, which involves vacuum chambers and evaporation. The traditional method is time consuming and wasteful. IJP OLEDs, on the other hand, are faster and cause less waste. This could mean cheaper OLED TVs in the long run.

TCL CSOT is the leading manufacturer of OLED panels using this process, and their announcements at SID Display Week 2025 showed some massive applications of the technology.

In 2024, TCL CSOT mass-produced a 21.6-inch 4K OLED display using IJP technology. This weekend they showcased four new displays: a 6.5-inch smartphone display, a 14-inch tablet display, a 14-inch laptop display, a 27-inch monitor display, and a 65-inch TV display. This shows a huge jump in the capabilities of IJP OLED technology. TCL CSOT says they are continuing to scale the process up so that one day we will have full-size TVs manufactured using IJP.

What is MLED?

Robert Rosenfeld / Digital Trends

Micro LED (MLED) is a type of display technology that allows for finely controlled individual pixels. MLEDs produce their own light, allowing for individual pixel control, faster response times, better color gamut, and true blacks (because each pixel can turn off completely).

TCL CSOT introduced some groundbreaking MLED tech at Display Week 2025. They showcased the world’s smallest silicon-based MLED display: just 0.05-inches. It gets 256×86 resolution and a sharp pixel density, perfect for things like smart glasses.

On the other end of the spectrum, TCL CSOT introduced a 219-inch MLED display. Large screens can struggle to maintain sharp picture and deep colors, but TCL CSOT’s new MLED display has a 5760×1440 ultrawide resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and over 98% DCI-P3 color gamut.

TCL CSOT introduced a few other fancy MLED advances, such as an ultra-bright display designed for use in cars, and a transparent MLED display with interesting prospects for alternate reality or museum exhibits. TCL CSOT is pushing the boundaries of what MLED can do, from tiny to massive and bright to invisible.

What is APEX?

Robert Rosenfeld / Digital Trends

If futuristic tech like IJP OLED and MLED makes your eyes glaze over, don’t worry. TCL CSOT showed off some innovations with real world applications that are easy to understand. TCL CSOT’s APEX initiative focuses on improving consumer displays (“A” for “Amazing”), increasing comfort and safety (“P” for “Protective”), making the technology and manufacturing process more sustainable (“E” for “Eco-friendly”), and generally pushing the boundaries of display tech (“X” for “Unlimited”).

TCL CSOT showcased some of these new efforts at Display Week 2025. It included an LCD TV with the world’s highest image quality, a mobile OLED display with 95% ultra-wide color gamut coverage, an LCD display that gets the full visible spectrum of natural sunlight (better for your eyes), and some displays with massive reductions in power use.

These are some ways TCL CSOT is expanding the possibilities of display technology. It won’t be long before we see these advancements in the screens of our home TVs, smartphones, wearable tech, and more.

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May 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

RoadCraft review: Streamlined building biz beset by bumbling AI Bobs

by admin May 19, 2025

It’s getting close to 10PM on a Friday night.

There’s a slightly muddy hill. Halfway up it, their tires spinning helplessly, are two trucks carrying goods they need to deliver to a shed about half the map away. I sigh, and give my bulldozer/cargo truck the beans. As one fourteen-wheeled mass, we begin to crawl up the gentle slope, which would be easy pickings if the AI-manned haulers glued to my front scoop had any off-roading capabilities whatsoever.

They don’t. There’s no driving skill to make up for it, either. If they run into an obstacle during the course of the route I’ve plotted out for them which can’t be overcome by simply reversing and pulling forwards less than three times, they just give up. Small rocks terrify them, turns that happen to be in any way sharp are the banes of their existence, and sometimes they seem to roll over just for a laugh. They need me. When I’m not Bob the builder, I’m Bob the babysitter.

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What I’ve just described is one of the main things that sets RoadCraft – the latest entry in Saber Interactive’s Spintires series of off-roading sims – from its rugged, outdoorsy siblings. These games, MudRunner, SnowRunner, and last year’s Expeditions, were generally games about you – the player – getting from A to B through untamed environments and getting stuck when you messed it up.

I’ve regularly, and slightly sarkily, compared these games to the driving equivalent of FromSoft’s boss battlers. Notoriously unforgiving adventures about eventual success earned through overwhelming skill or luck, and usually preempted by a crap-tonne of failure that gradually pushes those who haven’t already taken their lumps in the direction of doing the right thing.

When you’re behind the wheel, RoadCraft’s by far the least hardcore title in its delivery of that gameplay loop that Saber has put out to this point. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a learning curve and plenty of ways to mess up that’ll require a reset. However, in its creation of a game that’s more focused on construction, maintenance, and logistics management than it is straight-up haulage or frontier-conquering exploration, the studio’s simplified things.

As you carry out jobs, you no longer have to keep a watchful eye on your fuel gauge or do any repairs if you slam into a wall. RoadCraft’s fleet is permanently fully-fueled and indestructible unless you roll over, sink, or otherwise get wedged in a spot you can’t extricate yourself from. While this, and the resulting lack of an in-depth upgrade system for vehicles, might be a bit frustrating to hardcore haulers, you can see why Saber’s opted to do it.

See? Told you there are still ways you can monumentally mess things up. | Image credit: VG247/Saber

The rides you’re handed the keys to this time are generally a lot more specialised towards very specific roles for the jobs you’ll be doing as the game walks you through getting locations which have suffered different kinds of natural disaster – from floods, to earthquakes, to hurricanes – up and running again.

You’re running a construction firm that you start off by naming and picking out a livery/logo combo for. When you first deploy into one of the maps, which thankfully are openly free-roamable outside jobs unlike those in Expeditions, you’ll do the usual thing and head out in a nippy scout 4×4 to recon the environment.

Then, your re-construction efforts begin, and can be divided into about five or six different general activities you’ll do in various orders and with different quirks as you progress – scouting, logging, road and bridge building, plotting routes for AI supply runs, debris clearing, and resource delivery.

In terms of the latter, there are four types of resources you’ll need to fix various things – logs, steel beams, metal pipes, and concrete slabs – all of which you’ll acquire by either recycling debris at the plants on each map that part of your job is to get up and running. Getting ahold of those, ferrying them where they need to go, and installing them is done in very SnowRunnery fashion, albeit with manual loading being your only option.

As such, the vehicle I’ve spent by far the most time in during my time with the game so far is the Mule T1 crane cargo truck. As the name suggests, it’s a lorry with very decent off-roading capabilities that’s built to transport goods, and even boasts its own built-in crane.

(Slaps roof) You know how much junk this Mule can haul? | Image credit: VG247-Saber

If you’re playing solo, it’s by far the most important purchase you’ll make early on, because its good stats and that crane mean it’s ideal to handle the vast majority of haulage jobs the game gives you. There is a point where some loads start to get a bit too heavy for it to deal with easily, but I’ve made it up to level 12 so far and it’s still the heart of my fleet. That arguably exposes a bit of a flaw in RoadCraft’s launch vehicle offerings – there’s only one or very occasionally two better successors you can unlock for each of the different vehicle types as you progress.

You do unlock some new types of vehicle around the midpoint, such as a heavy crane and beefier cargo truck that together can handle the heavier loads the Mule struggles with, but in plenty of cases there’s a beginner rusty variant of a specific vehicle, a refurbished version of the exact same model with slightly better stats, and then an advanced variant you’ll unlock once you’re starting to home in on the endgame.

The most egregious example of this is with the field service vehicles. There are two. One you’re given for free at the start of the game and can’t even be repainted in your company livery as far as I can tell, and then its endgame replacement, which you won’t unlock until level 20, which based on my progress so far looks like it’ll be when you’ve basically finished all of the game’s current content.

You’re still unlocking one or two new vehicles or variants of existing vehicles with each level you gain to help freshen things up a bit, but the relatively thin depth at each position and lack of part customisation means the sense of progression feels a lot more limited. No doubt there’ll be plenty of DLC to beef up the roster, but Focus seems to be leaning a bit too heavily on that.

C. W. McCall intensifies. | Image credit: VG247/Saber

Combined with the aforementioned stripping out of stuff like fuel management, and the XP/cash rewards for jobs being quite generous (the latter especially so because you aren’t constantly spending on upgrades), to this point RoadCraft is the entry in the uber-hard Spintires series I’ve made my way through with the least struggle. The one exception to that, as I outlined in the intro, is that damn route plotting for AI trucks. If it’s the part of the game that’s supposed to dial the difficulty back up, it certainly does just that at regular points, often in infuriating fashion.

If I’ve gotten stuck while driving, usually because I’ve done something stupid, that’s annoying, but at the end of the day it’s on me to do a better job. If an AI lorry I’ve already built a bunch of bridges and roads for requires me to follow it along its entire route and do some push-based babysitting whenever it encounters the tiniest obstacle because it’s using a truck that only works on perfectly straight asphalt highways, that’s less easy to take on the chin. Kudos to Saber for trying something different, but some of the ways I’ve had to resort to helping its lorry Lemmings feel like they pretty much defeat the point of not having me just make the deliveries myself.

While folks who take a bit more time to clear the perfect path might well find RoadCraft lacking a bit of challenge, I’ve personally enjoyed the non-AI lorry bits of it generally being a lot more chill than the usual. The game’s at its best when you’re heading to a base or driving your field service vehicle somewhere and setting up to spend some time doing a specific job. Both act as spawn points for vehicles, though the latter requires fuel tokens that’re pretty easy to earn from side jobs. Once you’re there, you’ll be doing something like watching the four stages of RoadCraft’s namesake party trick, building roads by dumping sand with a dump truck, using a dozer to flatten it, wheeling out your paver to coat it an asphalt, and then hopping in a steamroller to make it nice and smooth.

It’s as mega-satisfying as you always dream baking a cake will be, even if the first step can be pretty unforgiving because it’s near impossible to drop sand in a nice uniform fashion. Luckily, you’ve got the choice to do each step manually or let the computer do it automatically, with the latter tending to go ok given you’re only making short stretches of road. Well, unless your paver finds a small rock you haven’t cleared.

It’s a piece of cake to lay a pretty road. If the way is hazy, you gotta do the laying by the codex. | Image credit: VG247/Saber

Logging by chopping down trees with a tree harvester, picking up the big twigs with a log hauler, and then cleaning up your mess with a stump mulcher is just as fun. There’s not as much process to laying electrical wires between different spots on the map to power up substations, but finding a way to guide the comically unwieldy cable layer through the backwoods has its good moments, even if it’s possible to get stuck in weird ways.

Overall, RoadCraft offers a unique enough twist on the established Spintires formula, if a streamlined one, to be worth giving a go. Some series veterans will end up longing for the elements it’s stripped out, especially when the new stuff that’s been drafted in is being more frustrating than fun. But, that central loop of frustration giving way to jubilation as you overcome the environment is still there and regularly just as satisfying.

Especially when the convoy you’ve spent all evening pushing up hills finally reaches its destination.

RoadCraft releases on March 20 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5. This review was conducted on PS5 using a code provided by the publisher.

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May 19, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

XSGD Stablecoin by StraitsX, With 8B On-Chain Transactions, Launches on XRP Ledger

by admin May 19, 2025

Crypto infrastructure provider StraitsX debuted its Singapore dollar-pegged stablecoin, XSGD, on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to cater to growing demand for regulated multi-chain stablecoins supporting real-time cross-border payments.

Digital asset developers, fintechs firms and financial institutions can use XSGD to conduct cross-border transactions, settle transactions on-chain and create programmable financial flows. XGSD is being powered by XRPL, a decentralized public blockchain from Ripple.

StraitsX, a major payment institution licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, began issuing XSGD in 2020. The stablecoin pegged to the Singapore dollar is fully backed 1:1 by reserves held with DBS Bank and Standard Chartered.

As of writing, XSGD had a total supply of 14.12 million, with an onchain transaction count exceeding 8 billion. The stablecoin is available on Arbitrum, Avalanche, Ethereum, Polygon, Hedera and Zilliqa.

“At StraitsX, we’ve always approached stablecoins not just as digital representations of fiat, but as critical infrastructure for the future of financial markets. Launching XSGD on the XRP Ledger is a meaningful step toward that vision – an expansion of interoperability, programmability, and access across networks that were purpose-built for real-world value exchange,” Co-Founder and deputy of StaitsX, Liu Tianwei, told CoinDesk.

Regulated stablecoins like XSGD are better positioned to see increased adoption in the expected boom in cross-border economic activity in the coming years. For instance, per some estimates, cross-border e-commerce in Asia is expected to surpass $4 trillion by 2030. Meanwhile, global cross-border payments are projected to hit $250 trillion by 2027, according to a report published by Infosys Finacle last year.

The report mentioned Ripple while discussing various methods fintechs employ for money transfer. The report said that Ripple’s real-time settlement of funds “eliminates the need for pre-funding destination accounts and supports low-cost payments within seconds.”

Opening move

The debut of XSGD on the XRP Ledger marks the beginning of a series of upcoming rollouts outlined under the strategic partnership, the press release said.

In June, StraitsX plans to introduce a second phase focused on institutional applications, including programmable payouts, merchant settlements, and seamless compliance integrations for various financial workflows.

“StraitsX’s launch of XSGD on the XRP Ledger underscores that digital assets, including stablecoins, could play a pivotal role in payments” said Fiona Murray, managing director of APAC at Ripple.

“We are seeing a growing appetite for stablecoins like XSGD to support enterprise-grade use cases across payments, liquidity, and compliance-first infrastructure. Our collaboration with StraitsX to bring XSGD to the XRP Ledger supports our commitment to delivering regulated assets that can reshape cross-border payments and unlock value for financial institutions,” Murray added.

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May 19, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

This Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ 512GB Is Just $549, Down From $1849 on Amazon (70% Off)

by admin May 19, 2025

Lenovo is a brand synonymous with reliability in the world of computers, and it’s rare to find one of their laptops priced under $1,000. Which is why the Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ touchscreen laptop deal currently available on Amazon is the genuine deal: This high-performance 512GB storage laptop can be had for just $549 which is a staggering 70% off its regular price of $1,849. Those with the need for even more storage can choose the one that includes a 1TB SSD, also discounted to $599 from $1,949, which makes both options fantastic bargains.

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Best in Class Touchscreen Laptop

This Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ laptop is designed for people who demand the best combination of performance and versatility. The laptop is powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor which features 10 cores and 12 threads. You get to enjoy great speed and response whether you are performing demanding productivity, multitasking or even light creative work.

The 15.6-inch touch screen Full HD display delivers a sharp 1920×1080 resolution with IPS technology and features rich colors and broad viewing angles. The anti-glare coating ensures its usability in sunny environments while the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics enable silky smooth graphics for everyday use and multimedia streaming. Streaming videos, image editing and web surfing, the display quality improves your overall experience.

16GB DDR4 RAM means multitasking is effortless and allows you to switch between programs with ease. The 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD provides fast bootup times and quick access to your files and the option to upgrade to a 1TB SSD (for $50 more) means even more room for those who need it. This memory and storage give the laptop responsiveness and zip, even under heavier loads.

There are connectivity options galore with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 providing fast and consistent wireless connectivity. It has a variety of ports such as USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI, and headphone/microphone combination jack, all of which provide easy connectivity to any number of peripherals and external monitors.

With Windows 11 Professional in S mode, this Lenovo IdeaPad has a clean and secure operating system that’s performance-tuned and accessible. The Abyss Blue finish adds a touch of personality to the portable and light design and makes this laptop ideal for students and business professionals.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your laptop or need a reliable machine for work or entertainment, this Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ laptop deal is not to be missed. It’s a smart choice if you’re looking to combine performance with affordability.

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May 19, 2025 0 comments