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When Did Gilligan’s Island Start Shooting In Color? – SlashFilm

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    When Did Gilligan’s Island Start Shooting In Color? – SlashFilm







    Though it only aired for three seasons from 1964 to 1967, all 98 episodes of “Gilligan’s Island” were shown in syndication for years, garnering the sitcom a devoted following that spanned generations. But if you happen to belong to the generation that saw the show when it first aired, you might recall the first season debuting in black and white.

    A decade before “Gilligan’s Island” hit the airwaves, NBC became the first U.S. network to transmit a coast-to-coast color transmission, broadcasting the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California across the nation on New Year’s Day 1954 But the network that would later host “Gilligan’s Island,” CBS, had beaten NBC to the punch when it came to the first ever color broadcast in the U.S. Though it wasn’t a coast-to-coast transmission like the Tournament of Roses parade in 1954, CBS’s 1951 broadcast of musical variety special “Premiere” was the first ever commercial color program shown in the U.S. Broadcast across a five station network on the East coast, the program was perhaps a tad premature as nobody had the TV set necessary to actually watch CBS’s field sequential color TV system at the time.

    By the end of the 1950s, color TV sets were slightly more prevalent, but even then the majority of U.S. households were still watching in black and white. As the 1960s began, NBC was regularly broadcasting in color but the other networks stuck to monochrome, with CBS only broadcasting the odd special in color. It would take until the late ’60s for primetime networks to switch to mostly color transmissions, and until the mid-1970s for roughly half of U.S. households to own color TVs.

    So, with “Gilligan’s Island” airing from 1964 to 67, it became swept up in the still burgeoning shift towards color, transitioning from shooting in monochrome to color after its first season. But if most homes in the U.S. still had black and white TVs at the time, why did CBS — which wanted to ditch the titular island from “Gilligan’s Island” — make the switch?

    Gilligan’s Island transitioned to color fairly early

    Though it was later colorized when shown in syndication, the 36-episode first season of “Gilligan’s Island” aired in monochrome back in 1964. When season 2 debuted in September 1965, however, things had changed. Firstly, whereas the season 1 “Gilligan’s Island” theme song had been sung by folk group The Wellingtons (who later portrayed fictional band The Mosquitos on the series), season 2 debuted with a brand new theme song. Perhaps more significantly, though, it marked the series’ switch from shooting in black and white to color.

    After that, the third season of the series was also shot in color, as were the three TV movies: 1978’s “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island,” its 1979 sequel, “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island,” and 1981’s “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” (which almost featured an entirely different basketball team). But what compelled CBS and series creator Sherwood Schwartz to make the switch to color all the way back in 1965, especially when, despite the growing popularity of color TV, America was still very much in the black and white era?

    Why did Gilligan’s Island start shooting in color for season 2?

    It seems there are several stories as to why “Gilligan’s Island” was shot in black and white for its first season. According to a fan, a special featurette included with a DVD collection of the show features series creator Sherwood Schwartz stating that it was merely down to the fact that “nothing was in color on TV.” Meanwhile, however, Professor actor Russell Johnson claimed “it was just too expensive” to shoot in color.

    In a way, both takes are somewhat accurate. At the time “Gilligan’s Island” was airing, color represented the general direction in which TV was headed anyway. On September 24, 1961, “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” debuted on NBC, introducing color to a new generation and persuading more people to go out and buy color TVs. That trend continued throughout the 1960s and both ABC and CBS decided to make the switch to color in 1965, adding “in color” bumpers to the ends of their shows’ title cards. This was, of course, the same year season 2 of “Gilligan’s Island” aired, so it seems the series simply ended up straddling the line between the old standard and the new.

    Meanwhile, as one Redditor has pointed out, attempts to colorize the monochrome inaugural season have left much to be desired, with several commenters noting how important color was to the show once it made the switch and lamenting the desaturated look of colorized episodes. Even Sherwood Schwartz himself credited the success of “Gilligan’s Island” to the visual style of the characters, which were most clearly defined by their different color uniforms. Unfortunately, Schwartz’s show found itself airing just a year too early for every season to be shot in color.




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    How to Get Common Club Rush in Disney Dreamlight Valley

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    How to Get Common Club Rush in Disney Dreamlight Valley


    The Storybook Vale expansion of Disney Dreamlight Valley offers several new crafting recipes that players can craft for various purposes including completing the quests. These new crafting recipes are crafted with the new crafting materials which are also introduced with the expansion. One of the new crafting materials is Common Club Rush. Players will have to get Common Club Rush for several expansion quests along with friendship quests for the new characters and many other crafting recipes. This guide will help you get the Common Club Rush in Disney Dreamlight Valley.

    How to Get Common Club Rush in Disney Dreamlight Valley

    Common Club Rush is one of the new crafting materials in Disney Dreamlight Valley that is exclusive to the Storybook Vale expansion. Players will have to travel to the Storybook Vale world to find the Mussel on the ground in one of its biomes. There are three biomes of Storybook Vale and the Mussel is only available in the Everafter biome.

    The Everafter is the second/third biome that players will get to explore as they progress through the main story of expansion. During The Wolf of the Wilds quest, players will get to unlock the Everafter biome for 2,000 Story Magic. Once there, start looking on the ground to find Mussel. Similar to most seafood and herbs, you can easily see them appearing on the ground.

    Moreover, the Mussel appears in all four areas of the Everafter biome. So, as you make further progress and unlock new areas, you can find it appearing on the ground.

    Use of Common Club Rush

    Common Club Rush is a crafting material exclusive to the Storybook Vale expansion. Players will need it to craft various recipes like Green Bind Couch, Orange Bind Couch, and more. Moreover, players can also sell it for 45 Star Coins at Goofy’s Stall.



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    Do Kwon’s Terra Trial Set for 2026—Here’s What You Need to Know – Decrypt

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    Do Kwon’s Terra Trial Set for 2026—Here’s What You Need to Know – Decrypt



    The high-stakes trial of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon is scheduled for January 26, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He’ll spend the next year in federal jail, after his lawyers consented to his detention.

    The trial, expected to last four to eight weeks, will address criminal fraud charges tied to the catastrophic $40 billion collapse of the TerraUSD (UST) stablecoin and its sister token LUNA in 2022.

    This case is a culmination of international legal battles, financial ruin, and allegations of deceit that dismantled the promises that once captivated millions of crypto investors.

    Do Kwon, who pleaded not guilty to the charges last week, has been accused of multiple counts of fraud, including securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    Prosecutors allege the Terra founder orchestrated schemes to manipulate markets, misrepresent the stability of Terraform’s products, and launder proceeds through Swiss bank accounts and other blockchains.

    If convicted, the 33-year-old faces a maximum sentence of 130 years in prison.

    In addition to the criminal charges, Kwon faces multiple civil lawsuits. In April 2024, a New York jury found Kwon liable for fraud in a case brought by the SEC.

    Terraform Labs agreed to a $4.47 billion settlement with the SEC in June 2024. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has also levied allegations against Kwon, compounding his legal challenges.

    Speaking to Decrypt, Sid Powell, CEO & co-founder of Maple Finance, called the Terra ecosystem collapse a “wake-up call” for DeFi, or decentralized finance—a catch-all term that describes the various protocols and platforms built around automated, crypto-driven finance products.

    “When it comes to regulatory effects, lawmakers began cracking down on DeFi protocols more aggressively,” said Powell. “Developers responded by prioritizing resilience and risk management, incorporating over-collateralization models and exploring hybrid mechanisms that combine algorithmic design with collateral.”

    How $40 billion was lost in days

    The collapse of Terraform Labs’ ecosystem in May 2022 remains one of the most devastating events in crypto history. It wiped out $40 billion in market value almost overnight.

    Both UST and LUNA were designed to work together in a system that promised stability and high returns, but flaws in its design led to a catastrophic failure. UST’s stability relied on an algorithmic system where its value was maintained through a burn-and-mint mechanism with LUNA.

    When UST traded below $1, users could burn UST to mint LUNA, reducing supply and restoring the peg. Conversely, when UST traded above $1, LUNA could be burned to mint more UST.

    On May 6, 2022, a large UST selloff on Curve Finance caused the stablecoin to lose its dollar peg. Panic set in, leading to mass redemptions.

    As UST’s value fell, the burn-and-mint mechanism drastically inflated LUNA’s supply, diluting its value. Within days, UST plummeted to $0.13, while LUNA’s price collapsed from $64 to fractions of a cent.

    The algorithmic system failed to stabilize UST, triggering a death spiral that obliterated the ecosystem’s value and impacted more than a million estimated victims.

    The collapse also rippled through the crypto sector, pushing several interconnected projects into bankruptcy and contributing to the eventual downfall of the FTX exchange.

    There was also reinforced skepticism toward high-yield generating crypto projects (since the crash), prompting a shift in focus toward more sustainable projects,” Sei Labs co-founder Jayendra “Jay” Jog told Decrypt. “Trust in algorithmic stablecoins—seen as innovative but inherently risky—diminished, prompting investors to focus on fiat-backed stablecoins such as USDC and USDT.”

    Extradition tug-of-war

    Following the TerraUSD collapse, Kwon went on the run, evading international authorities. Kwon was arrested in Montenegro in March 2023 for attempting to travel with a forged passport.

    Both the U.S. and South Korea sought his extradition. Montenegro’s courts initially ruled in favor of South Korea, but U.S. prosecutors ultimately secured his extradition in December 2024.

    Upon his arrival in the U.S., Kwon appeared in court and agreed to remain in custody without bail.

    The Terra crash exposed the vulnerabilities of algorithmic stablecoins and unregulated financial systems. Kwon now faces trial, which will serve as a litmus test for accountability in the largely unregulated crypto space.

    Edited by Stacy Elliott.

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    Why GPU Needs Are Growing and How Spheron Stands to Capture the Market

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    Why GPU Needs Are Growing and How Spheron Stands to Capture the Market


    The global GPU and data center market is expanding at an incredible rate. According to Global Market Insights, Graphics Processing Unit Market size was valued at USD 52.1 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 27% from 2024 to 2032

    Projections suggest continued growth over the next several years, due to the needs of artificial intelligence (AI) development, big data analytics, and cloud computing. Companies large and small rely on GPU-driven computing to handle complex tasks, train and run machine learning models, and support the infrastructures that power modern applications. Yet, while the top end of the market receives most of the headlines, there is a strong and growing demand for lower-tier machines, especially for testing, development, and non-production tasks.

    Spheron sits in a unique spot because it lets developers aggregate both high-end and more modest systems within one ecosystem. By doing so, it addresses the needs of a broad user base and opens a path to capture significant market share. This article will explore the drivers behind the GPU and data center boom, the emerging trends that favor solutions like Spheron, and how Spheron’s approach aligns with the evolving needs of AI and Web3 developers.

    The Accelerating Growth of GPU and Data Center Demand

    Data centers serve as the computational backbone of modern digital services. These facilities house racks of servers, and an increasing number of those servers rely on GPUs to speed up tasks that were once performed by CPUs alone. GPUs excel at parallel processing. That makes them essential for training large AI models, processing heavy datasets, and handling tasks like rendering and simulations.

    As businesses realize the importance of GPU-accelerated computing, they invest more resources into upgrading their hardware. This is not only happening in the largest data centers owned by tech giants but also in smaller facilities that cater to specialized industries and regional needs.

    AI has captured the attention of almost every major technology player. From autonomous vehicles to voice assistants, from natural language processing to computer vision, machine learning has moved out of research labs and into real-world products and services. This shift means more investment, more experiments, and more demand for hardware that can handle intense computational tasks. GPUs are central to modern AI because they reduce the time it takes to train and run models. Training some of the largest models can cost millions of dollars in compute time, so large organizations pour money into data center expansions that can support these workloads. This pattern of investment keeps pushing up the total size of the GPU market.

    Yet, many smaller organizations also want to benefit from AI. They might not have the budget to buy high-end GPU clusters in-house, but they still want to prototype new ideas, train smaller models, or run proof-of-concept projects. These users look for shared infrastructure, cloud-based solutions, or any resource that can grant them the right level of power at an affordable cost. The cost of a top-tier GPU server can be out of reach for many startups. At the same time, they might not need that much power if they just want to refine a basic model, test a new algorithm, or develop a minimum-viable product. Hence, many smaller players search for flexible compute solutions that can scale up or down, depending on their needs.

    The developer ecosystem around AI is also expanding. Universities and coding bootcamps produce new generations of programmers who want to learn machine learning. Tools like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Hugging Face have lowered the barriers to entry, allowing individuals to experiment with AI in ways that were once reserved for large research institutions. As this community grows, the demand for affordable GPUs also increases. Students and solo developers need some level of GPU power, but might not have the resources to buy a top-tier machine. They need a marketplace of options, where they can pick from entry-level to high-end GPU nodes on demand.

    The net effect of these trends is a multi-layered GPU market. At the top, huge data centers invest billions in ultra-high-end hardware to power state-of-the-art AI research and big data workloads. In the middle, medium-sized businesses and specialized service providers scramble to provide GPU-accelerated solutions for their own products and services. At the lower end, a massive user base of developers, students, and small startups needs moderate GPU power at a reasonable price. All these tiers add up to a huge total addressable market, sometimes pegged at around 50 billion dollars and possibly growing beyond that. Spheron’s approach to aggregating both high- and low-tier GPU machines positions it to serve that entire spectrum of demand.

    The Promise of Web3 and AI Convergence

    Another major trend that shapes the GPU and data center landscape is the convergence of Web3 technologies with AI. Web3 refers to the next evolution of the internet, which emphasizes decentralization, user control, and blockchain-based protocols. While the hype around some blockchain projects has been high, there is a real and growing ecosystem of developers who experiment with decentralized applications (dApps), smart contracts, and token-based systems. These projects often need stable infrastructure solutions for hosting, data storage, and computation.

    When we add AI to this mix, we see an increasing interest in decentralized AI marketplaces, on-chain analytics, and new ways to handle data ownership. Some Web3 projects want to offer AI services that run in a trustless environment. Others look at how AI can improve the security or functionality of decentralized protocols. In all cases, the developers behind these projects need compute resources to train or run AI models, and they also need reliable hosting for their applications. Traditional cloud providers have filled that role until now, but there is a push for more decentralized or aggregated platforms that align with the ethos of Web3.

    Spheron’s approach matches these values because it makes it possible to leverage multiple compute sources. Rather than relying on a single cloud giant, developers can make use of a network of GPU providers or smaller data centers. This can align better with decentralized principles, where no single entity has too much power over the system. It also reduces the risk of lock-in with one provider. Developers gain flexibility in how they deploy and pay for compute. If they need a burst of GPU resources, they can tap into that capacity. If they want to scale down to a handful of cheaper nodes, they can do that too.

    The intersection of Web3 and AI also highlights data privacy and ownership concerns. Many AI projects rely on large datasets. Web3 projects often revolve around user control of data. A platform that can manage a diverse range of hardware might also offer creative solutions for data storage, data sovereignty, and transparent billing. This can be a big draw for developers who want to preserve user trust and respect local regulations around data. By positioning itself as an aggregator of both high-end and low-tier machines, Spheron offers the building blocks for a flexible, developer-focused environment that resonates with both AI and Web3 communities.

    The Growing Developer Ecosystem

    Developers are at the heart of the tech industry. They drive innovation by creating new applications, services, and solutions. Their decisions on which tools and platforms to use have a major impact on the market. If a developer community rallies around a particular set of tools, that ecosystem benefits from widespread adoption, community support, and network effects. This is true in AI and Web3, as new frameworks, languages, and services vie for the attention of coders worldwide.

    Right now, the developer market around AI is booming. Online resources, tutorials, and open-source frameworks have made it simpler than ever for curious programmers to dip their toes in machine learning. They can spin up a basic model, train it on some sample data, and see results in hours. This democratization of AI has expanded the user base far beyond academia and large tech companies. At the same time, many of these developers still face barriers in getting access to reliable GPU infrastructure at a price they can afford. Some might use free tiers offered by cloud providers, but those often have limited GPU time or come with usage caps. Others might pay for specialized GPU instances, but that cost adds up quickly.

    Another group of developers is focused on Web3. This community is also expanding, as blockchains like Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and others attract new projects. Smart contracts and decentralized finance (DeFi) gained media attention, sparking a wave of curiosity about how to build on these platforms. While some interest might ebb and flow with market conditions, the underlying developer ecosystem keeps growing. These developers often face infrastructure choices: how do they host their front-end? Where do they store data? How do they handle computation off-chain in a way that is still transparent and secure?

    Spheron speaks to both groups: AI devs who need flexible GPU power, and Web3 devs who want a dependable yet decentralized approach to hosting and compute. By offering a platform that bridges these needs, Spheron positions itself as a go-to resource for a wide range of developers. It allows them to move fluidly between different tiers of hardware, whether they are experimenting with small-scale AI models or launching a new dApp that requires advanced analytics. The ability to pick and choose machines, deploy workloads without friction, and scale up or down as needed is a powerful proposition. As the developer market keeps expanding, it rewards services that remove complexity and reduce costs. Spheron’s supercompute model does both, which is why it stands out in a crowded field.

    Aggregation as a Competitive Advantage

    Aggregation might sound simple, but it requires technical sophistication and market insight. The idea is to unify multiple resources and present them to users under one interface. In the context of GPUs and data centers, this means pulling in hardware from different providers, from large cloud companies to smaller data center operators, and even individual nodes that might belong to a distributed network. Users then have a single entry point to request compute, without having to manage a dozen different accounts, configurations, or pricing models.

    This aggregated approach solves many problems. First, it ensures that users can find capacity even when one provider runs low. During peak demand, a single data center might have a backlog of requests for GPU servers. By tapping into a broader network, an aggregator can redirect workloads to other providers with free capacity. That helps developers avoid downtime and keep their projects moving.

    Second, aggregation promotes price competition. When multiple providers offer similar hardware, they might compete to attract users, leading to better pricing or deals. It also enables more transparent pricing. A user sees all the options in one place and can choose the one that fits their budget. This is more convenient than shopping around across multiple platforms. The aggregator model eliminates friction and helps users focus on their workloads rather than the details of hardware sourcing.

    Third, an aggregator can standardize the user experience. Providers often have different APIs, management consoles, or usage restrictions. That can be confusing to developers who want a consistent and predictable interface. Spheron can abstract away these differences. It can provide a unified API, a single documentation set, and a common set of tools. This improves the developer experience and encourages more adoption. It also means that as new providers join the network, users get more options without having to learn new systems.

    Spheron’s supercompute model also aligns with the evolution of AI and Web3. As more specialized hardware emerges—such as tensor processing units (TPUs) or AI accelerators—an aggregator can incorporate these new resources under its umbrella. The user does not have to sign up for a new platform each time they need a different accelerator. They stay within Spheron, selecting the type of hardware they need, from the highest tier to the most affordable tier. This adaptability is a form of future-proofing. The tech world changes rapidly, and Spheron’s approach ensures it can pivot to include new hardware or services as they arise.

    Finally, supercompute network helps smaller providers. Not every data center or GPU operator has the marketing budget to attract global users. By joining Spheron, they can list their resources to a broader audience. This synergy supports a healthier and more distributed market, which can drive innovation and reduce the dominance of a small set of cloud giants. Overall, aggregation is a clear advantage in a market that wants flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and broad choice. Spheron uses it to build a platform that stands at the nexus of many important trends.

    Balancing Ease of Use and Technical Depth

    One challenge in offering aggregated compute is striking the right balance between simplicity and advanced features. Developers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are brand new to AI, just trying to run a tutorial model. Others are seasoned experts who want fine-grained control over container configurations, driver versions, and network settings. A successful platform needs to cater to both without alienating either group. This requires a layered approach to the user experience.

    At the simplest level, Spheron offers a user-friendly dashboard or CLI (command-line interface) that abstracts away complex details. A user might only need to specify how much GPU power they need and for how long. They click a few buttons (or run a few commands), and the platform takes care of the rest. This approach brings new developers to the onboard easily since they do not have to learn about hardware specs or tinker with drivers. They can focus on writing code and experimenting with models.

    At the same time, more advanced users might want to pick specific GPU models (like NVIDIA A100 vs. RTX 3080), customize their environment, or optimize for certain AI frameworks. They might want to integrate specialized software libraries or tune settings for maximum performance. Spheron allows them to do that by exposing a deeper layer of controls when needed. The model allows for different providers to offer different hardware and configurations so advanced users can find exactly what they need.

    Economic Efficiency: Pay for What You Need

    One of the biggest draws of cloud computing has been the ability to pay only for the resources you use. Instead of buying expensive hardware that sits idle, you rent compute resources on an hourly or per-second basis. This shift helped many companies reduce costs and focus on core development instead of IT overhead. With GPU computing, this model remains true, but the costs can be higher due to the specialized nature of GPUs. The Spheron supercompute model adds another layer of efficiency because it offers many different price points and performance tiers.

    In a single cloud environment, you might see a handful of GPU instance types, each with a specific price. That might not always match your workload or budget constraints. Perhaps you only need half the GPU memory offered by the smallest instance, but the cloud provider does not offer anything smaller. You end up paying for capacity you do not need. Aggregation solves this mismatch by letting you select from a wide range of machines, each priced differently. If your workload is light, you choose a cheaper, lower-tier GPU. If you need to run a huge training job for a short burst, you might pick a more expensive, high-end GPU. This granular level of choice helps optimize spending.

    A platform’s success often hinges on the vibrancy of its community. While the Spheron supercompute model has technical advantages, it also benefits from network effects. The more developers use Spheron, the more attractive it becomes for providers to join. The more providers join, the more options developers have. This feedback loop can spark growth, but it relies on satisfied users who see clear value in the platform.

    Building a thriving community involves more than just offering computing resources. It means hosting hackathons, sponsoring open-source projects, and publishing tutorials that solve real developer problems. It means listening to feedback and implementing features that users request. It also means having a visible presence in conferences, online forums, and social media. By doing this, Spheron position itself as not just a product, but a partner in a developer’s journey.

    The Scale of the Market Opportunity

    The GPU market has reached 52 billions of dollars in value. Analysts project further growth as AI continues to expand into more industries, and as data center needs keep rising. When we look at the total addressable market (TAM) for solutions that bridge high-end and lower-tier compute, the number can approach 452 billion dollars by 2032.

    To appreciate why the TAM is so large, consider all the verticals that now rely on GPU computing. Healthcare uses AI for medical image analysis and predictive diagnostics. Finance uses machine learning for algorithmic trading, risk assessment, and fraud detection. Retail employs AI to understand customer behavior, forecast demand, and optimize logistics. Manufacturing uses GPUs for computer-aided design, simulations, and robotics. Gaming, entertainment, autonomous vehicles, and many other fields also turn to GPU acceleration. These industries do not just buy hardware once and move on. They continually upgrade and expand their resources, or they pay for GPU-as-a-service to keep pace with new demands.

    Web3 adds another dimension. Some see it as a natural continuation of the internet’s evolution, while others view it as speculative. However, many developers are actively building on these decentralized protocols. They need infrastructure that can handle the distributed nature of their work. They also see AI as a key ingredient in advanced dApps. As the Web3 space matures, it may integrate with real-world assets, identity solutions, and next-generation social networks. All these applications will demand compute resources, data storage, and a stable environment to run code. This broad adoption scenario, if it unfolds as many predict, can bring new revenue streams to platforms like Spheron.

    From a strategic standpoint, entering a large market is not enough. A platform needs a clear approach and a way to differentiate itself. Spheron’s value proposition rests on its supercompute model and its focus on both AI and Web3 developers. The potential user base is vast. By offering a convenient solution that spans multiple hardware tiers, Spheron stands to attract a healthy slice of that multi-billion-dollar market. It does not have to replace all major cloud providers or become the sole option for every developer. Even capturing a fraction of that total spend can translate into significant revenues.

    The key for Spheron is execution—how it scales its supercompute network, how it partners with hardware providers, and how it markets its platform to the tens of thousands of new AI and Web3 developers entering the market each year. Yet the size of the opportunity is undeniable. As more organizations adopt AI, and as the Web3 developer ecosystem grows, an aggregated platform that simplifies GPU access could become a standard part of the developer toolkit. That is where Spheron sees its chance to shine.

    Conclusion: Spheron’s Strategic Intersection

    We live in a time when GPU and data center markets are growing at breakneck speed. AI models require massive amounts of parallel computing power to process data, train advanced models, and generate insights that fuel everything from self-driving cars to medical breakthroughs. Meanwhile, Web3 offers a decentralized vision for the future of the internet, one that demands flexible and transparent infrastructure and on-chain computation. Developers in both realms seek solutions that simplify deployment, reduce costs, and provide a range of hardware options.

    Spheron sits at the intersection of these needs by aggregating multiple tiers of GPU power—from lower-end machines ideal for testing and development, to top-tier data center-grade GPUs that can handle heavy training workloads. This supercompute model provides flexibility, resilience, and economic efficiency. It lets developers pay for exactly what they need, whether they are building a small proof-of-concept or scaling a production AI system. The platform’s commitment to serving both AI and Web3 developers sets it apart, as more projects look to blend AI-driven intelligence with the decentralized ethos of blockchain technology.

    The potential market for such a solution is vast, possibly reaching 5-10 billion dollars or more. To contextualize, io.net, a decentralized AI computing network, has a market capitalization of approximately $476 million. Render Network, focusing on decentralized GPU rendering solutions, has a market value of around $3 billion.

    Given the vast market potential and the current valuations of existing players, Spheron is well-positioned to capture a significant share by offering a stable, user-friendly, and future-proof platform. Its approach can adapt to new hardware, integrate the latest AI frameworks, and collaborate with data centers worldwide. By fostering a robust developer community and delivering clear value, Spheron can establish itself for sustained relevance and growth, potentially surpassing the market presence of current competitors.



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    Don’t think of Better Man as a music biopic — it’s a must-see fantasy spectacle

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    Don’t think of Better Man as a music biopic — it’s a must-see fantasy spectacle


    For American audiences, at least, the movie musical Better Man is a fairly hard sell. It’s an odd-sounding project — a music biopic with the leading man replaced by a CG chimp, built around the career of an international superstar and former boy-band member who’s never really broken through in the States. Americans don’t share the rest of the world’s fascination with pop singer Robbie Williams, in spite of his 14 chart-topping albums, regular presence in U.K. tabloids, and cheeky, viral-friendly music videos. (Note: 107 million views on that video alone, and it isn’t even close to his most-viewed hit, “Angels.”) So the idea of a biopic might not have any instant appeal for U.S. viewers, even with that “ape protagonist” gimmick adding some intrigue.

    But while the movie is drawn from Williams’ life, it’s still better to think of it as a fantasy feature. Director Michael Gracey previously turned P.T. Barnum’s career into the rousing, ultra-popular musical movie The Greatest Showman, while glossing over or revising most of the reality of Barnum’s life and work. While Better Man comes closer to the truth about Williams’ history, it similarly plays with image and emotion over facts, particularly when it comes to the music. Just as Gracey replaces Williams with an ape for a variety of reasons (more on that in a bit), he fictionalizes and broadens his subject’s story. More significantly, though, he tells the story through fantasy sequences so bold, expressive, and visually startling that the effects dominate the movie.

    Image: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection

    Actor Jonno Davies plays Williams throughout the movie for mo-cap purposes, as he grows up as a swaggering, attention-hungry showoff in a tense working-class household. He gets his first shot of national fame as a teenager, when producer Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman) picks him for manufactured boy band Take That, which rockets to massive success. (Time later described the fandom around the band as “the 90s’ version of Beatlemania.”)

    The usual behind-the-scenes drama follows: depression, substance abuse, arrogance and alienation, a bottoming-out, a recovery and revival. But the basic beats don’t matter as much as the way Gracey depicts them, through bravura sequences where Williams and his cohorts travel through a spinning, mutating fantasy version of London’s Regent Street, or with zombie-like hordes of paparazzi attacking Williams underwater, in a set-piece straight out of Aquaman’s Trench fight.

    Better Man is openly constructed more around Williams’ emotional experience of his life than around a sober reconstruction of its events: Presumably he never actually fought 110,000 versions of himself in a gory, over-the-top battle royale set to “Let Me Entertain You.” If nothing else, timeline nitpickers may break out in hives over the way music from throughout Williams’ career is used to represent emotional moments from entirely different parts of his history. But the full-throated fantasy approach lets Gracey escape the usual queasy questions about fidelity to truth in a biopic. When your leading man is an ape operating in a human world, how could anyone miss that the approach is more about image and sensation than about factual precision?

    That central conceit, of Robbie Williams as a monkey-man among humans, gives Gracey a lot of extra visual appeal, but it also serves as a potent metaphor. He and Williams have given different reasons for the approach: In the film itself, Williams just says he’s always seen himself as “a little less evolved” than other people. In other interviews, Gracey has talked about wanting to distance the audience from reality so they’ll better accept the unreality of a musical, or about simply needing a gimmick to avoid making just another samey biopic.

    And ahead of the movie’s release, Williams and Gracey released a video clip where they offer a completely different reason: Gracey says he was inspired by Williams griping about “being dragged up on stage to perform like a monkey,” and he decided to make that idea literal and tangible.

    But aside from those justifications, presenting Better Man’s subject as a literal animal, a different creature from everyone around him, lets Gracey lean on the themes of Williams’ alienation and sense of separation. Whether the barrier is his bottomless hunger for attention, the way he struggles with drugs and alcohol while his boy-band peers seem physically and emotionally healthier, the way his fame distances him from his family and former friends, or just the way he constantly yearns for approval from a father who’s busy chasing his own form of fame, Williams is set apart from the world. Framing the movie around the most self-deprecating, instinct-driven version of his self-image underlines the point in every shot, without the need for exposition.

    And there’s a destructive, animalistic side to the ape image as well. Wētā FX, the effects house behind the Planet of the Apes movies, gives Williams an expressive and believable chimp face and a detailed chimp pelt, but keeps his body language and physical form largely human. Still, there’s an atavistic danger to Williams’ angry or fearful moments on the screen, as he beats his chest or bares his fangs. In those moments, he feels far more dangerous to those around him, and far less in control, than any human character.

    All of that, plus the ambitiously wild musical sequences, leaves Better Man as a spectacle movie worthy of sharing multiplexes and audiences with Wicked. It’s seemingly designed more for fans of immersive, Wētā-centric fantasy worlds like the Planet of the Apes or Lord of the Rings movies than it’s aimed at fans of pop music history — or even of Williams himself. (Netflix has a four-part documentary on Williams’ life and career for those looking for a more factually driven approach.) By the end, viewers may be curious to learn more about Williams as a performer and personality, or to dig deeper into his discography.

    But the Better Man experience is more akin to watching a standout Bollywood musical or a Baz Luhrmann spectacular like Moulin Rouge! than to watching an episode of Behind the Music. Most musicals translate emotion into song. This one takes that a step further, translating emotion into a daring central gimmick. It’s experimental and explosive. Even for those with no investment in Williams’ work or previous knowledge of his career, it’s worth the watch just to see how Gracey fills the screen with energy and verve, with mesmerizing staging designed to overwhelm the audience’s senses and ensure that they walk out singing.

    Better Man is in theaters now.



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    Inside Charlotte Church’s ‘dark, twisted fairy tale’ after losing her millions

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      Inside Charlotte Church’s ‘dark, twisted fairy tale’ after losing her millions


      Welsh singer-songwriter Charlotte Church attained fame and fortune at a strikingly young age, but decades later, she’s no longer a millionaire.

      She documented her quest to renovate her rural mansion, The Spinney, in the TV show Dream Build. However, last year, after making the decision to downsize and move on from The Spinney, she revealed she was no longer a millionaire.

      That’s despite selling her home for the guide price of £2 million. So, what happened?

      In case you missed Charlotte on RuPaul’s Celebrity Lingo, you can watch it on ITVX, free of charge.

      Charlotte rose to fame at the age of 11 for her vocal talents (Credit: This Morning/YouTube)

      Charlotte’s ‘dark, twisted fairy tale’ and deciding to sell country mansion

      Charlotte Church was worth £25 million in 2003 – when she was just 17 years old.

      But no longer. She told BBC One Wales in 2014 that she’ll have to work for the rest of her life, not because she wants to, but because she has to.

      By 2013, she had reportedly spent £17 million of her massive fortune, leaving her with just £8 million remaining. But that’s just the half of it.

      Around 2010, she came across a house called The Spinney, in the Welsh town of Dinas Powys. She snapped it up and lived in it for a dozen years, before putting it back on the market in 2023.

      She sold it for £2.1 million, after lowering the asking price from £2.25 million. A year later, and over half of the money she took for it appears to have gone.

      Charlotte Church on This Morning

      She’s a pro-Palestine organiser and lives a more down-to-earth lifestyle now that she’s in her 30s (Credit: This Morning/YouTube)

      Teenage star Charlotte Church is ‘not a millionaire anymore’

      “I am not a millionaire anymore,” Charlotte Church told Closer Magazine last year.

      “What mattered to me when I bought The Spinney is it was absolutely beautiful and close to the forest and it was a big mansion house.”

      The house sale fits into a broader progression from fantastical riches to living a more down-to-earth life.

      “It was very fairy-tale-like,” she told Richard Herring on stage in Cardiff during his RHLSTP tour, per Closer, referring to the way she skyrocketed to fame and fortune at the young age of 11.

      YouTube video player

      “And then it gets into this dark, twisted fairy tale… When I think back on it now, the path I am on is very interesting in the way I reflect rather than the way I look at what happened to me.”

      And so it made financial sense for her to downsize, and to begin to live within her means.

      “We genuinely have absolutely adored the house and its grounds,” Charlotte told Wales Online following the sale.

      “It’s looked after us and we’re so excited for a new family to move in and take over as guardians of this beautiful place.”

      Read more: Police issue statement following death of Dancing On Ice star The Vivienne

      How closely did you follow Charlotte Church’s rise to fame as a child star? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.



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      A Complete Guide to Pak: The Distinguished NFT Artist

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      A Complete Guide to Pak: The Distinguished NFT Artist


      Only a select few names are in consideration for being the best NFT artists in the world. One such name has sold almost $500 million USD in NFTs, been a pioneer of new approaches to NFTs, and has helped Julian Assange in his fight for freedom. That NFT artist is Pak.

      Over the last decade, Pak has built game-changing products, created crucially-important art, and used their platform to drive impactful change.

      Many regard Pak as having done more than any other to prove the ability for NFTs to drive real change – but how did Pak rise to the top of the industry, why are Pak’s works so prominent, and what could be seen in Pak’s future?

      Here’s our complete guide to Pak, the distinguished NFT artist.

      Key Insights

      Pseudonymous individual or teamDebuted in NFTs in February 2020Sold The Merge for $91.8 million USD in December 2021Sold The Clock to AssangeDAO for $52.8 million USD in February 2022Considered to be, alongside Beeple, one of the most distinguished NFT artists in the world

      Pak Guide - Archillect

      Who is Pak?

      Pak is a pseudonymous digital creator. Very little is known about Pak – even if Pak is an individual or a team of creators – though we do know that Pak has been largely active over the past 10 years.

      The first known work from Pak came in 2014 – and ever since, Pak’s work has only continued to grow in notoriety, ambition, and importance.

      As a trend, Pak’s NFTs focus less on aesthetics and more on using the medium of NFT collectibles to its fullest extent. Art-wise, these NFTs are typically algorithmically-generated or use geometric shapes – though rather than artistic value, it is often their ability to dynamically change based on real-world events that has enshrined them as some of the most important NFT artworks in the world.

      Pak Guide - The SwitchPak Guide - The Switch

      The history of Pak

      Pak’s earliest known creation was internet bot Archillect, which debuted in 2014. Archillect searches social media platforms and compiles fresh content with engagement as the priority. Over its history, it has grown to become a very popular tool over the past decade.

      The NFT debut of Pak came in February 2020, minting Cloud Monument Dark on SuperRare. Despite the size of the NFT market at the time, Pak made an big impact, quickly becoming one of the biggest artists in the industry. Later in 2020, Pak is also credited with introducing Beeple to the NFT industry – who would later become the world’s biggest NFT artist.

      Many of Pak’s early works either pioneered, or helped to popularise, many innovations in NFTs that are common today. These include time-limited sales, open editions, dynamic NFTs and many more.

      In 2021, Pak created The Fungible – a 48-hour open edition NFT for Sotheby’s first NFT auction – raising a total of $16.8 million USD. Pak has enjoyed a long partnership with Sotherby’s, including auctions for The Pixel and The Switch, plus the launch of the Sotheby’s Metaverse in October 2021.

      Pak Guide - MergePak Guide - Merge

      December 2021 saw Pak create their most prominent NFT to date: Merge. Available on Nifty Gateway for 48 hours, Merge saw buyers acquire “mass units”, with the art of the NFTs determined by the transaction data and the number of “mass units” that were purchased.

      312,686 mass units of Merge were purchased by 28,983 buyers, collecting $91.8 million USD. If Merge is considered as a single NFT sale, this makes Merge the single most expensive NFT ever sold.

      Pak followed Merge with the February 2022 series known as Censored, raising money in support of Julian Assange. One NFT in this collection, titled The Clock, counted the number of days that Assange had been imprisoned. The Clock sold for 16,593 ETH – worth $52.8 million USD at the time – to AssangeDAO, an online community of Assange supporters.

      The success of Censored established Pak as one of the world’s top NFT artists, with a reputation for consistent innovation, meaningful works, and crafting real change.

      Pak’s use of NFT technology has helped to legitimize the industry as much as any other innovation to date. By harnessing NFTs as a medium to fight for meaningful causes, Pak has uplifted the NFT industry as a whole, inspiring countless artists to do the same and shaping the industry we know today.

      Pak Guide - The ClockPak Guide - The Clock

      What’s next for Pak?

      Though Pak’s presence in the NFT industry has fallen away in recent years, their impact is still felt prominently today.

      The innovations that Pak helped to popularise have made a huge impact on where NFT art is today. These include time-limited sales, open editions, and the “mass units” introduced by Merge. Pak has continually pushed the boundaries – and has no doubt inspired many other artists to do the same.

      Pak is situation at the very pinnacle of the NFT art industry – a space which few will ever occupy. Their passion, ambition and impact are renowned – and whatever may happen in future, Pak will always be known as one of the most distinguished figures in NFT history.



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      Super Star Wars – Holiday Special unofficially arrives on the Commodore Amiga as a port from the Sega Mega Drive

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      Super Star Wars – Holiday Special unofficially arrives on the Commodore Amiga as a port from the Sega Mega Drive


      Although I’m personally not a fan of Star Wars (I blame my Ex :p). I’ve just found out through Earok however, that not only did the SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis get a new homebrew release called ‘Super Star Wars Holiday Special’. Which is an unofficial game from the cult-classic SNES Super Star Wars series, and loosely based on the outrageous The Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978. But as of today you can download the Commodore Amiga version, that’s been ported over as the first public beta by Earok.

      Sega Mega Drive version by Master Linkuei

      Amiga Version by Earok

      Here’s the latest from Earok. “I’m very pleased to post a port of Master Linkuei’s recent Mega Drive game to the Amiga. This is the first public beta, while it is complete it hasn’t been broadly tested. Please let me know if you find any bugs or have other suggestions for improvements. Except for one or two short tracks, music is currently CD only. I’m very proud to get this one out the door – this is the first time a Mega-Drive-First Scorpion game has received an Amiga port. Hopefully there’ll be a tonne more in future”.

      Requirements:

      AGA, CD32 Pad. Music is CD32 only. 020/2MB chip minimum. 030 or Fast RAM recommended but not required.

      Public Beta 1 DownloadsCD32 (stock) ISO – https://mega.nz/file/d2YAESLb#G6UrMa…Z0N2djn1KkkcE8LHA – https://mega.nz/file/Uv42TTTJ#z803aR…1TpuEVj4QJLg6U



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      Prime Gaming January 11th 2025 edition round-up for Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck

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      Prime Gaming January 11th 2025 edition round-up for Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck


      A little later than I planned, but here’s the up to date list of games available on Amazon Prime Gaming, and what compatibility you can expect for Linux / SteamOS and Steam Deck. Each week Prime Gaming, part of what you get with a subscription to Amazon Prime, add and remove various games you can claim to keep.

      I’ll use the Steam Deck Rating from Valve ( Verified, steam deck playable Playable, steam deck unsupported Unsupported and steam deck not rated Not Rated), plus the ProtonDB rating to help you decide on what to play. Compatibility may be slightly different since the games are from various stores. Some of the games might also have no ratings right now.

      Here’s the current list as of January 11th, 2025:

      New since last covering include: BioShock 2 Remastered, Spirit Mancer, SkyDrift Infinity, The Gunk, Death’s Door.

      Amazon have announced more to come through this month including: GRIP, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, Deus Ex GOTY Edition, To The Rescue!, Star Stuff, Spitlings, Zombie Army 4: Dead War, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Blood West, Super Meat Boy Forever.

      You can install games from Epic, GOG and Amazon easily via the Heroic Games Launcher. For any games that use anti-cheat be sure to check out our anti-cheat compatibility page.

      See them all and claim from Prime Gaming. You can also follow our Prime Gaming tag!

      Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.



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      Top NFT Collections – January 11, 2025 | NFT CULTURE | NFT News | Web3 Culture | NFTs & Crypto Art

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      Top NFT Collections – January 11, 2025 | NFT CULTURE | NFT News | Web3 Culture | NFTs & Crypto Art


      Top NFT Collections (Last 24h)

      Here are the hottest NFT Collections of the day.

      Rank

      Name
      Volume
      Transactions
      Chains
      URL

      1

      Pudgy Penguins
      564.41 ETH
      21
      ethereum
      View

      2
      Azuki
      Azuki
      435.71 ETH
      35
      ethereum
      View

      3
      Azuki Elementals
      Azuki Elementals
      260.49 ETH
      147
      ethereum
      View

      4
      Lil Pudgys
      Lil Pudgys
      258.47 ETH
      96
      ethereum
      View

      5
      Doodles
      Doodles
      250.72 ETH
      54
      ethereum
      View

      6
      Kaito Genesis
      Kaito Genesis
      229.76 ETH
      36
      ethereum
      View

      7
      Age of Dino - Dinosty
      Age of Dino – Dinosty
      222.64 ETH
      750
      ethereum
      View

      8
      NewCat
      NewCat
      219.26 ETH
      461
      polygon
      View

      9
      Bored Ape Yacht Club
      Bored Ape Yacht Club
      172.04 ETH
      11
      ethereum
      View

      10
      BEANZ Official
      BEANZ Official
      142.07 ETH
      173
      ethereum
      View

      The post Top NFT Collections – January 11, 2025 appeared first on NFT CULTURE.



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