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'The Wizard of Oz' at the Sphere Tests the Ways AI Can Preserve Classic Cinema
Product Reviews

‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Sphere Tests the Ways AI Can Preserve Classic Cinema

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The Wizard of Oz is landing on the Vegas strip at the Sphere this summer, and it’s not without some controversy.

The Warner Bros. classic Technicolor feature starring Judy Garland is being presented in a special limited engagement at the massive spherical stadium venue in Las Vegas, presumably in between music artist residencies. The state-of-the-art immersive entertainment center made its debut as a must-visit attraction with rock band U2.

Now in a new venture, the Sphere collaborates with Warner Bros. Entertainment to celebrate The Wizard of Oz by giving it a refresh for the screen-filling presentation that’s caused a stir in the world of cinema. Recently, it was reported that to get the classic film to fit the scale of the sphere, AI would be used visually in an extensive manner.

In a Mashable story, Sphere Entertainment executive chairman and CEO Jim Dolan talked about the venue’s collaboration with Google Cloud. “The power of generative AI, combined with Google’s infrastructure and expertise, is helping us to achieve something extraordinary,” he said. “We needed a partner who could push boundaries alongside our teams at Sphere Studios and Magnopus, and Google was the only company equipped to meet the challenge on the world’s highest resolution LED screen.”

It might have ruffled the feathers of film fanatics and conservationists at the thought, with many decrying what’s to stop them from tampering with the MGM masterpieces Warner Bros. Discovery now owns—or worse, somehow attempting to enhance Judy Garland’s performance.

In a recent interview with Variety, Carolyn Blackwood, head of Sphere Studios, discussed how the generative AI’s use will stick to only upscaling the vintage picture. “If there was a closeup before and it was just Dorothy, but you knew that the Tin Man and the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion were in the scene with her, but you didn’t see it in the original, you now you go wide and they’re all there together.”

So things like legs on characters and expanded figures, as well as landscapes, are not off the table. It remains to be seen how that affects characters in the space that didn’t have reactions filmed. Will the technology generate a performance based on cut scenes or composite from knowledge of the film or the actor’s film legacy? That’s where it feels like it’s getting a little sacrilegious.

Blackwood assures, however, that Garland’s vocal performance will remain untouched. “People have asked us, because they know that we’re obviously using AI technologies on this film visually, a lot of questions about whether or not we were gonna do that to the vocals. We didn’t. This is Judy Garland.”

Paul Freeman, principal audio artist at the Sphere, added that the touches are solely intended to enhance the film into an immersive experience like no other. So while music stems and other character lines get some cleaning up, Garland remains pristine. “One of the cool byproducts of that is, number one, it gives you a very, very, very immersive feeling. So when you listen to ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ and you’re hearing the real Judy Garland vocal placed position where it should be based on the picture, and you’re hearing that orchestra enveloping you, it is a version that you’ve never heard before, and you’ll never hear again. It’s perfect. It is the perfect version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’”

But will using a Hollywood crown jewel to test the waters of AI preserve the classics for new formats, or will it open the floodgates to remixing them with new tech until they are no longer the instantly recognizable beloved pieces of cinema history?

The Wizard of Oz begins its Sphere engagement August 28.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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7 Ways to Limit Your Endless Doomscrolling
Gaming Gear

7 Ways to Limit Your Endless Doomscrolling

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This may just lead you to check these apps more often on the web—but you can always delete your accounts entirely. This is usually not too difficult to do: In the case of X, for example, head to the website and log in, then click More > Settings and privacy > Your account > Deactivate your account and follow the instructions.

Put Your Phone in Another Room

You could consider putting your phone in a different room during parts of the day—especially at bedtime, to avoid doomscrolling when you should be sleeping.

Note that several studies have shown that just having a phone in the same room with you can have an impact on your attention and focus, even if you don’t actually pick it up and use it.

Set Screen Time Limits

Modern phones come with built-in tools that allow you to limit your screen time, so you can put restrictions on how long you use specific apps and how long you’re on your phone overall. Of course, you’re able to disable these limits as easily as you can enable them—it’s your phone after all—but you can use them in combination with your own willpower to change your habits.

If you’re on Android, you can open Settings and choose Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls, then App limits, to put some restrictions in place. Over on iOS, from Settings tap Screen Time, then App & Website Activity. On both platforms, you get a pretty detailed breakdown of how you’ve been spending your time on your phone.

Scroll Something Else

If you must spend time on your phone (what else are you going to do on the subway platform?), you can replace social media and news with apps like Calm for mindful meditation; Blinklist for reading summaries of books, podcasts, and talks; and Kindle for ebook reading, which will also be synced to your actual Kindle, if you have one.

Tell Your Phone It’s Bedtime

Enabling a bedtime schedule on Android

Courtesy of David Nield

Both Android and iOS now let you set a specific bedtime on your phone, the idea being that it helps you wind down properly by steering you away from opening apps and doomscrolling into the early hours. These bedtime modes put limits on incoming notifications, dim the screen, and give you the option of using a more simplified phone interface late at night.

If you’re on Android, open the Clock app and switch to the Bedtime tab: You can set start and end times for the mode and access settings such as turning the screen gray at a specific hour. On iPhone, head to the main iOS Settings screen, then tap Focus, then Sleep. The next screen will show all the available options and timers.

Get a Reminder to Stop

This is iPhone only, but Adam Davidson over at How-To Geek has a neat idea: Create an iOS shortcut to generate a snarky message from ChatGPT or Claude AI that warns about the harm of doomscrolling, and have it go off every time you open certain apps. The message can be shown on screen or read aloud.



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'Best Wishes to All' Proves J-Horror Can Still Find New Ways to Freak You Out
Product Reviews

‘Best Wishes to All’ Proves J-Horror Can Still Find New Ways to Freak You Out

by admin


New Shudder release Best Wishes to All begins with a nightmare, and that sets the tone for everything that follows.

A nursing student, never given a name and played by the instantly sympathetic Kotone Furukawa, dreams she’s a child again visiting her grandparents—and wakes up screaming after spotting something deeply alarming beyond a cracked-open door. We soon realize this was really more of a flashback, in anticipation of what seems to be her first trip to their rural home since that happened.

And she’s going alone. “By myself?” she murmurs in dismay to her parents when they call to tell her they’ll be delayed in joining her. She’s reluctant, but she leaves her Tokyo apartment and heads to the train, where an elderly woman she helps cross the street layers in some thematic heft early in act one: “I’m sorry that young people are sacrificed for old folks like me.”

Our protagonist shakes the odd encounter off, but the weird vibes escalate even after what seems to be a perfectly pleasant family reunion… at least at first. It’s odd being back in the sleepy village, where neighbors—especially a young man she hasn’t seen in years—seem startled to see her stopping by from her current life in the big city. There’s a sense of unease clinging to every frame, and director and co-writer Yûta Shimotsu carefully sprinkles warning signs in such a way that neither the nurse nor the audience can tell if this is just “old people acting like old people” and “eccentric small-town stuff,” or something far more distressing.

There’s also the matter of that room from her nightmare, sealed behind the only locked door in the house.

© Shudder

Best Wishes to All has Takashi Shimizu among its producers, a name Japanese horror fans will instantly recognize. He created the Ju-On series, also known as The Grudge, and had such ownership of the franchise he even directed the American remake and its sequel. Along with The Ring, The Grudge was one of the breakout titles of the early 2000s J-horror craze, spawning terrors about cursed houses and wide-eyed ghosts with long black hair. His involvement in Best Wishes to All ties it into that tradition and also signals his support for the genre’s 21st century evolution—and this release certainly proves there are still agonizing new ways to reveal ghastly truths lurking within an ostensibly peaceful setting.

Like many standout horror movies, Best Wishes to All roots its frights in social commentary, though American audiences may have to poke around after viewing to understand the finer details of the cultural context. However, it also contains a more universal message about generational conflicts, as well as traditions that remain stubbornly in place despite seeming wildly out of step with the times.

If this review reads as frustratingly vague regarding exactly what the nurse uncovers at grandma and grandpa’s home—sorry, but Best Wishes to All is a movie best experienced with as little knowledge of its reveals as possible. It’s not entering spoiler turf to note that a movie that came to mind while watching it was Jordan Peele’s Us; there are no murderous doppelgangers here, but there’s a similar exploration of an awful truth that’s become completely entangled with the way the world operates.

And like the characters in Us, the nurse peels back a layer she can never put back in place. She’s forced to come to terms not just with what she learns about her own family, but so many other families too, as well as the knowledge that everyone else already has full awareness of something she’s been kept in the dark about. At one point, someone even jokingly asks her if she still believes in Santa Claus.

Best Wishes to All is decidedly bleak; instead of leaning into jump scares, it gets under your skin in more philosophical but no less dreadful ways. And it’s packed with body horror too—a creepy extra flourish in a movie whose characters are fixated on asking each other if they’re happy or not. They all say yes, but in a world like theirs, how can we believe them?

Best Wishes to All is streaming on Shudder.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S folded away, in the hand
Product Reviews

Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S review: sturdy support for multiple types of gear in multiple ways

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S: two-minute review

Ask around, and most enthusiast photographers and creators are familiar with the accessory maker Peak Design, but newcomer Heipi? Nope.

Well, I have a welcome surprise – Heipi’s carbon fiber 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S beats the Peak Design Travel Tripod in just about every regard, plus it’s cheaper too. Three-Legged Thing’s Punks Brian 2.0, however, provides stiffer competition for standard use – I explain why, below.

The W28S replaces the W28 – which I described as one of the most relevant and best travel tripods today in my in-depth review – delivering several refinements for a virtually complete and highly versatile three-legged support, in three ways.


You may like

Its 3-in-1 credentials cover regular tripod support for camera gear, the ability to support a phone instead via a clamp that’s hidden in the integrated ball head, plus a generously-sized removable mini tripod, which is nestled inside the main legs, and which doubles up as a center column – the novelty of this feature hasn’t worn off in this second-gen model.

Image 1 of 2

You’re not seeing double – this is the Heipi 3-in-1 tripod’s main legs (right) and mini tripod that slots inside the main legs when not in use (left)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Given that the main legs can tuck in between the gaps of the mini tripod legs when you’re done, there’s no wasted space and the Heipi 3-in-1 is able to pack away more compact than most, plus it comes supplied with a snug-fit carry case.

There are limitations though. I’d hesitate to mount particularly large and heavy gear – although that’s true of all travel tripods – and the Heipi tripod’s maximum height is bettered elsewhere. Also, despite its 3-in-1 party tricks, there’s no monopod built into one of the legs. Nor can you swap out the supplied ball head for a fluid head, which would provide smooth panning movements for video.

If none of the above are dealbreakers, though, then Heipi’s latest travel tripod is the complete package, with some unique features.

It’s carbon fiber build quality is top-drawer, while improved leg locks are easier to lock-off and unlock than before. Also, they lock-off with even distribution on the leg sections (rather than a clamping lock), which reduces lateral movement between sections.

The addition of a bubble-level in the base is a neat touch, even if you can’t see it properly when the center column is tucked away.

Image 1 of 6

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Heipi also offers handy extras for accessory-laden users, such as clamp arms, which easily screw into the mini tripod legs via a 3/8-inch screw. The arms Heipi supplied to me for this review can support accessories such as an external monitor, and can even work with Heipi’s optional phone clamp, so you can support a camera and phone simultaneously.

I’ve been able to switch between using a phone and a mid-range mirrorless camera with moderate size lens, with ease. Panning movement? No problem, unlike the Peak Design which is locked off.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Even the design of the mini tripod, which easily rests on a table top for vlogging and is impressively sturdy with a 11lbs / 5kg max payload, has been improved. The previous version felt like it sacrificed ease of use for versatility, because it was stiff to extend and put away compared to a regular center column.

Now the mini tripod slides up and down much more easily, and when fully removed it even offers multiple leg angles to work from for a variety of shooting orientations, including close to the ground.

It can also be reversed and locked off upside down in the main legs in order to shoot from lower angles. Put simply, the mini tripod is one of the most sophisticated of its kind.

With camera gear generally getting smaller and lighter, and many creators using their phones as much as ‘proper’ camera gear, the case for the travel tripod grows as the need for bulkier supports diminishes.

And of all the many travel tripods I’ve reviewed, the Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S is the one I come back to most often – I reckon this is the best tripod for most people.

Image 1 of 5

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Is Heipi’s travel tripod perfect? No. There were times that I wished I could work from a higher level than its 59-inch / 150cm maximum reach (with the center column fully raised).

However, given that it packs away with a tighter diameter than most and to just 17.7 inches / 45cm in length, while it weighs just 3lbs / 1.35kg (with ball head included), I’m happy to sacrifice any extra reach.

And one party trick it lacks, which you can find in many alternatives, is the option to remove one of its legs for used as a monopod.

If you can live with these few limitations, though, the Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S will be the most versatile tripod you’ve ever used, complete with a high-quality and lightweight carbon fiber build, plus tiny pack-away proportions.

If you want a lightweight support for a variety of camera gear, the Heipi would be my first recommendation.

You can discover more about the W28S’s design and features in my W28 in-depth review – the two tripods share much in common, notwithstanding the design tweaks mentioned above.

Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S: key specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Total weight

3.04lbs / 1.38kg (including ball head and mini tripod)

Max height

59.8 inches / 152cm (with center column fully raised, or 47 inches / 119cm without)

Legs sections

5

Packed length

17.7 inches / 45cm

Max capacity

Up to 44lbs / 20kg

Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28 price and availability

The Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S with ball head is available now, from $399 / £325 on the Heipi website and from $399 on Amazon US or from AU$735 at Amazon AU.

There are also optional accessories such as a QR plate, and a different type of ball head in a pricer bundle. Heipi also sells clamp arms, an add-on phone clamp, plus a hammock for stowing accessories or even a weight to increase stability.

Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28: Also consider

Should I buy the Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S?

(Image credit: Future)

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S

  • I’ve used it over several months
  • I’ve extensively tested its 3-in-1 features
  • I’ve attached various mirrorless cameras and smartphones

I’ve had the Heipi 3-in-1 Travel Tripod W28S for several months, and it’s been my go-to camera gear support during this period.

It has ably supported beginner, mid-range and pro mirrorless cameras, although I’ve drawn a line at the larger sports-focused bodies and bulky telephoto lenses.

I’ve also used the phone clamp to attach a variety of smartphones, the largest of which was an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and I’ve tried out optional extras, including clamp arms for an external monitor.

I’ve tested the mini tripod as thoroughly as the main tripod legs. Generally I’ve used the gear in fair weather, but it has also withstood moderate rain and use on sandy beaches.

First reviewed June 2025



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Non-profit Games for Change appoints 5 new board members to "scale impact in meaningful new ways"
Esports

Non-profit Games for Change appoints 5 new board members to “scale impact in meaningful new ways”

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Games for Change, a non-profit organization “empowering game creators and social innovators to drive impact through digital games and immersive tech,” has expanded its board and appointed five more members: Samir El Agili, (Tilting Point and Brandible), Benjamin Golant (Tencent Americas), (Xbox, Microsoft), Evan Segal (Segal Ventures), and Mark Stanley (Yelnats Collective).

They join existing board members to guide the expansion and growth of G4C’s mission and its latest initiatives, including its XR for Change, G4C Learn, and Raising Good Gamers programs. Previous projects have included the Games for Change Diverse Voices, New Stories Challenge, which ran in 2023.

“As communities and organizations worldwide experience change at an unprecedented rate, Games for Change is needed more than ever,” said president Susanna Pollack. “We stand at the intersection of creativity and purpose, clear-eyed about the unique co-creation and storytelling power of games to foster empathy and inspire the next generation of changemakers.

“Individually, each of our Board members has worked to empower others through the power of play, not just as entertainment, but for education, entrepreneurship, and global progress. Collectively, the experience of our Board of Directors across marketing, policy, and philanthropy strengthens our ability to forge innovative partnerships and scale our impact in meaningful new ways.”



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After parting ways with EA, WRC gets new home and six-year deal to "reboot" rally series
Game Updates

After parting ways with EA, WRC gets new home and six-year deal to “reboot” rally series

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A month after EA announced it was ending its partnership with the World Rally Championship, and “pausing development” on all future rally games, publisher Nacon has revealed it’ll be the new home of official WRC titles starting 2027, in an agreement initially spanning six years.


EA inherited the World Rally Championship license as part of its acquisition of UK racing game specialist Codemasters in 2021, and its first WRC title – EA Sports WRC – released two years later in 2023. Last month, however, the publisher revealed it had “reached the end of the road working on WRC”, leaving the future of rally gaming somewhat uncertain given it also confirmed it was laying off staff and “pausing development plans on future rally titles”.


But less than a month later, a fresh World Rally Championship deal has been struck with a new company, Nacon – the publisher behind the likes of RoboCop: Rogue City and last year’s disappointing Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. It’s perhaps not a huge surprise, given Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) previously held the WRC license between 2013 and 2022, and released nine titles in that time, culminating in WRC Generations.

EA’s first – and only – WRC effort launched in 2023..Watch on YouTube


As detailed in today’s announcement, Nacon’s new agreement “covers the development and publishing of the official WRC games and eSports competitions, granting [the company] exclusive rights for PC and consoles for six seasons, from 2027 through 2032.”


Nacon adds it’s now set to begin development of an “all-new WRC game series, aiming to deliver an immersive experience that faithfully reflects the reality of the championship and meets the expectations of both rally enthusiasts and new players”. These titles will mark a “complete reboot of the franchise”, and will include the likes of official rallies, vehicles, teams, drivers, and sponsors.


“After a comprehensive evaluation, we are delighted to have reached an agreement with Nacon,” World Rally Championship chief marketing officer Arne Dirks said in a statement accompanying today’s new. “[Its] vision for the franchise stands out, and their expertise in delivering great rally games is unquestioned. We look forward to breaking new ground together in this collaboration, to truly turn the WRC games into epic adventures and offer gaming experiences beyond rally as we know it today.”


The most recent game to release under the WRC license was the Codemasters-developed EA Sports WRC, which launched in 2023. Eurogamer called it a “joyous and rugged display of rally racing, with exquisite handling, lightly flecked by technical issues”, in our four star review.



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Decrypt logo
GameFi Guides

7 Ways to Protect Yourself From Violent Crypto Attacks (Without a Shotgun)

by admin



In brief

  • Use multisig wallets or other techniques to create time delays.
  • Practice a script you’d use under coercion (“The wallet is stored at my lawyer’s office and takes 72 hours to unlock.”)
  • Keep a decoy wallet on your phone or hot wallet with a few thousand dollars.
  • Cover your tracks. Never disclose your holdings or wallet structure in public or online.

In 2009, the webcomic xkcd published a strip that laid out one of the most chillingly simple concepts in cybersecurity: the “$5 wrench attack.” In the comic, a stick figure explains how to bypass sophisticated encryption—not with code or brute force, but by threatening someone with a $5 wrench until they give up their password.

Sadly, the $5 wrench attack is no longer a punchline. Far worse attacks are happening in real life, with alarming frequency. Criminals aren’t bothering to hack private keys or compromise seed phrases—they’re simply knocking on doors, kidnapping crypto holders, and demanding access to wallets, often with violence.

The most recent attack occurred a few days ago in Uganda, when Mitroplus Labs founder Festo Ivaibi was reportedly abducted near his home and forced at gunpoint to transfer crypto worth roughly half a million dollars.

In France, a series of horrific kidnappings and attempted abductions have alarmed the crypto community. Notably, the father of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur was kidnapped in Paris earlier this month, with his finger severed to pressure a ransom payment of €5–7 million in cryptocurrency. He was rescued after a two-day ordeal, and five suspects were arrested. In another incident, the pregnant daughter of a crypto CEO and her child were targeted in a daylight kidnapping attempt in Paris, which was thwarted by passersby. That was one of six attacks that have occurred there since January.



In the United States, three teenagers kidnapped a Las Vegas man in November after he hosted a crypto conference, and drove him 60 miles away into the Mojave Desert, where they demanded access to his cryptocurrency. They left him there after stealing $4 million in digital assets. Two of the suspects, both 16-year-olds from Florida, were recently apprehended and now face multiple felony charges, including kidnapping and robbery.

With Bitcoin reaching all time highs in recent days, that target on your back is bigger than ever. So what can you do when the weakest link in your security setup is you?

A growing class of tools, wallet setups, and physical protocols are emerging to defend against real-world coercion. Here’s how to start thinking like a crypto-savvy but extremely paranoid billionaire.

1. Multisig Wallets

Multisignature wallets require multiple private keys to authorize a transaction. A common setup is 2-of-3: two keys are needed to move funds, but three exist in total. If an attacker gets access to just one—say, by threatening you—then they still can’t drain your holdings.

Tools like Nunchuk and Casa allow users to split keys across locations (one at home, one in a bank vault, and one with a lawyer, for instance), making instant theft impossible.

Potential downside: The attackers can simply force you to beg one of the other keyholders to authorize the transaction.

2. Shamir’s Secret Sharing

A number of wallets, including Trezor Model T, support something called “Shamir’s Secret Sharing,” which sounds like the title of a children’s book but is actually a cryptographic algorithm that splits your recovery seed into multiple shards. You can distribute the shards to people or places you trust. Only a threshold number (for example, 3-of-5) of shards is needed to reassemble the key.

Another option is Vault12, which lets you assign guardians—family, lawyers, or business partners—who help you recover your vault only when needed.

Potential downside: Like multisig wallets, SSS is only as secure as your co-seed holders are coercion-proof.

3. Duress Wallets and Decoys

Lots of wallets, such as Blockstream Jade, support so-called “duress PINs.” Enter one PIN and access your real wallet. Enter another—under duress—and it opens a dummy wallet with a modest balance. It can even wipe the device with a secret emergency PIN.

Plausible deniability can be an excellent ploy if you’re a fast talker.

Potential downside: If an attacker has been stalking you online, then they might know that you’re holding millions, rather than the $267 that shows up in your decoy wallet.

4. Hiding your tracks

A great way to avoid an attack is to not look like a target in the first place. Privacy-preserving tools can reduce your visible footprint on the blockchain. The Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency, for example, uses stealth addresses and ring signatures to make transactions virtually untraceable (getmonero.org). Bitcoin wallets like Wasabi implement CoinJoin, a technique that mixes coins with others to obfuscate origins.

Potential downside: It’s fairly easy to figure out who’s a player in big crypto, whether they try to hide their riches or not.

5. Proximate and Remote Wipe

A number of good hardware wallets, including Trezor and Ledger, offer this feature, which can be invoked in a number of ways, including inputting a special PIN that immediately bricks your wallet. The Samourai wallet, once renowned for its extraordinary security until the Feds shut it down and arrested the founders for suspected money laundering, supported remote wipe via sending a special SMS. If you know what you’re doing, you can find the Samourai software from repositories on the internet and invoke that feature.

Potential downside: Bricking a wallet while someone has a gun to your head is risky; SMS texts can be intercepted.

6. Air-Gapped Hardware Wallets

Your average crypto billionaire keeps their crypto in one or more hardware wallets. And if they keep them in their homes rather than safe deposit banks or secret bat-caves, then they are well hidden. Devices like COLDCARD and Keystone Pro use QR codes or SD cards for signing transactions offline. Even if an attacker has your laptop, then they still need the physical device, PIN, and (usually) another co-signer.

Potential downside: A highly motivated and violent thief likely has ways to force you to access your hardware wallet. We’ve all seen the movies.

7. Wearable Panic Buttons with GPS Tracking

Compact, wearable emergency buttons have been around forever. They were invented for your garden variety, paranoid high net-worth individual, not crypto people. Devices such as Silent Beacon can call any phone number, and send alerts with the user’s GPS location to designated contacts. It also features two-way communication, allowing the victim to talk to their prospective rescuers.

Potential downside: Wearing a panic button signals to a potential bandit that you indeed are protecting something valuable.

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Derry
Product Reviews

Welcome to Derry’ Is Creepy in All the Best Ways

by admin


The idea of setting a TV series in the realm of Stephen King’s It already had us hooked. Then there’s the bonus of having the show co-developed by It filmmaker Andy Muschietti, who’ll also direct  four episodes. Then we learned Bill Skarsgård would be reprising the role of Pennywise.

The first-look images released last year were tantalizing, but HBO’s eerie first teaser has solidified our ravenous desire for It: Welcome to Derry, a show we’d 100% drop into a sewer occupied by a demonic clown to watch.

Get ready to go back to where IT all began… 🎈 #ITWelcometoDerry is coming this fall to HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/SOhXEA6yYe

— Max (@StreamOnMax) May 20, 2025

The imagery is nightmare-inducing—as is the suggestion of Pennywise’s ever-lurking evil. In no way would we ever want to actually enter the city limits of Derry, Maine, but we will absolutely sink our pointy teeth into this show and spend some time there at a safe distance.

It: Welcome to Derry is set in 1962 and takes inspiration from Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel. More specifically it expands the world of Andy Muschietti’s two It films—which take place in 1988-’89 and 2016, meaning the series will act as a prequel of sorts. The story is by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, who are also among the show’s executive producers.

Fuchs wrote the first episode; he’s co-showrunner with fellow executive producer Brad Caleb Kane. Andy Muschietti directs four of the season’s nine episodes.

In addition to Skarsgård, the It: Welcome to Derry cast includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso.

It: Welcome to Derry hits HBO and Max in 2025.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.





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