Victoria Fox's Blog, page 188

X Blue subscribers can now download videos from the website

X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, is now letting users download videos from its website, as long as a couple of criteria are met. First, the creator must explicitly allow downloads for the content they post. Also, the ability to save videos from the website is exclusively available to verified users comprised mostly of people paying for Blue subscription. Elon Musk has announced the new feature on his account and explained that a verified user can download content by tapping the ellipsis (…) menu on the upper right corner of the screen when a video is in full screen mode. Musk also said that X will soon make it easy to download videos on mobile simply by tapping and holding the content on the screen.

Previously, people have had to use to third-party websites and apps to be able to save videos. Of course, non-paying users still have to use those tools if they want to download content from X. That doesn’t come as a surprise, seeing as the company has been releasing new features specifically for paying members while making the website less usable for the rest of its userbase. It announced in July that it will limit the number of DMs non-paying users can send to address its spam issues, and it also previously limited the number of posts non-verified users can see to 600 a day.

Meanwhile, X gave verified users the ability to publish posts with up to 25,000 characters and allowed them to post videos up to three hours in length. More recently, it also gave Blue subscribers the option to hide their blue checkmark in case they don’t want to make it obvious that they’re paying for the service. For those interested to see how X has evolved since Elon Musk took over Twitter, company CEO Linda Yaccarino has just published the list of changes it has implemented right here.

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Diane Kruger to Receive Zurich Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award

German actress Diane Kruger will be honored with the Golden Eye award, a lifetime achievement prize, at this year’s Zurich Film Festival, the festival announced Thursday.

Kruger has had a diverse career, balancing roles in global blockbusters — she is arguably best-known for her turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and for her performances alongside Nicolas Cage in the National Treasure films — with work in more international and art-house movies. Her starring role in Fatih Akin’s In the Fade, as a victim of neo-Nazi violence who seeks bloody revenge, won her the best actress prize in Cannes in 2017. More recently, she starred in Neil Jordan’s 1930s-set crime thriller Marlowe alongside Liam Neeson. Marlowe screened in Zurich last year.

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“Diane Kruger is one of cinema’s most versatile character actresses. She not only becomes wholly absorbed in each and every role she takes on, but also imparts her characters with great depth,” said Zurich Film Festival artisitc director Christian Jungen, announcing the honor. “In addition to her powerful charisma, she possesses the rare ability to captivate audiences with her irresistible, somewhat enigmatic aura…For these reasons, we are truly delighted to be welcoming Diane Kruger back to Zurich and presenting her with the Golden Eye for her services to cinema.”

Kruger will accept her Golden Eye honor on October 2 and present Visions, her new film from director Yann Gozlan (Black Box). The French drama follows Estelle, a brilliant airline captain (Kruger), who risks her perfect life with her husband Guillaume (Mathieu Kassovitz) when she falls in love with a woman and starts an intense affair. Visions will have its international premiere in Zurich.

Previous Zurich Golden Eye winners include Eddie Redmayne, Kristen Stewart, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Helen Hunt and Olivia Colman.

The 2023 Zurich Film Festival runs from September 28 until October 8.

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Dear Abby: I want to save my marriage, but my wife keeps calling me a loser

DEAR ABBY: I am a married man (15 years) with three children, and I am a recovering alcoholic. My marriage has been a roller coaster filled with lies, infidelity (my wife’s), abuse and drinking. I am in an outpatient alcohol program to save myself, my family and my marriage. 

My wife is talking to other men. She communicates via text, on social media and in person, saying it’s non-sexual. She constantly tells me they are better than I am, that I’m a loser and I’ll get what I deserve (meaning losing her and the children).

I still want to save my marriage. I know I have been a poor husband due to the drinking, but that is changing. I keep trying to convince her to give me a little time to prove that I can be a brand-new, sober, honest man. She says it’s too late and that I pushed her into the arms of others. She says she no longer loves me and is going to divorce me. She evidently has hired an attorney. 

Our children beg her all the time to not divorce me, not to seek others and to let Dad show he is changing. I’m lost, angry, hurt and anxious. I want to save my family and somehow convince her that I’m better than the person she has seen. Is the trauma too much to overcome? — MIDDLE OF THE STORM

DEAR MIDDLE: Although you may desperately want to save your marriage, for your own sake, it’s time to face facts. Your wife has an attorney, plans to leave the marriage and is seeing other people. She’s no longer interested in saving the marriage. 

That you are in a program to help you overcome your addiction is laudable, but paramount now is that you do everything you can to heal yourself. It will make you a better father to your children if you are fully present. You may need professional counseling to help you through this painful period so you can map out a better future for you and the kids. 

Talk to an attorney for reassurance that your wife cannot take them from you. You already have their love. They see you are trying to better yourself. Let nothing stand in the way of that.

DEAR ABBY: My husband is addicted to our home security cameras. He, my 19-year-old daughter and I live in a townhouse, in which he has installed no fewer than 20 cameras in and around our home. He’s always looking at them, when I’m on my way out to run errands or to visit my older daughter and even while we are eating dinner. He has started keeping a log of my daughter’s and my activities and what our neighbors are doing. What is wrong with him? — UNDER A MICROSCOPE IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR UNDER A MICROSCOPE: Does your husband have a job or any outside interests besides what you, your daughter and neighbors are doing? His compulsion may be caused by insecurity, paranoia or a need to control. 

Have you asked him why he feels the need to do this? While it’s not unusual for families to install security systems in their homes, your husband’s obsession is over the top. This isn’t normal behavior, and something may be wrong with him.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

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Beauty queen Ariana Viera, 26, dies in crash after posting chilling message

Venezuelan beauty queen Ariana Viera has died from injuries she sustained in a horrific car crash in Florida last month. She was 26.

Viera is accused of falling asleep behind the wheel July 13 before colliding with a truck in Lake Nona, Orlando, according to media reports.

Her death comes two months after she made a chilling video for her funeral.

Although the official cause of the crash hasn’t been reported, Viera’s mother shared that her daughter had been suffering fatigue and fell asleep behind the wheel.

“My girl fell asleep. She was tired,” Vivian Ochoa said in an interview with Telemundo31.

Venezuelan beauty queen Ariana Viera, 26, died from injuries she suffered in a horrific Florida car crash.

“They revived her, but when they were going to take her to trauma care, she stayed there,” she added.

She reportedly suffered a heart attack after being revived.

The grieving mother went on to praise her daughter for always championing others, but hinted that her caring attitude may have led to her exhaustion.

“She helped too many people,” Ochoa explained. “She would stop everything to help you or listen to you. She was always there for her friends, her brothers, her mother.”

The model also worked in real estate and ran Full House Cleaning Service, according to her Instagram page.

Viera’s father, who lives in Peru, reportedly applied for a humanitarian visa to attend his daughter’s funeral, but wasn’t approved until the day after the service.

The exhausted model reportedly fell asleep behind the wheel. Instagram / arianaviera__

In May, Viera posted an eerie video on Instagram referencing her future funeral.

“Recording myself for my future funeral because it’s always me who takes the videos no one takes them of me,” she captioned a video with several clips of herself pretending to be caught doing mundane activities like waking up, drinking water and just hanging around the house.

The video is part of a trend of people making montages of themselves looking good and pretending someone is sneaking a video of them to poke fun at movie or documentaries that include similar B-roll.

Viera was due to represent her home country of Venezuela at the Miss Latin America of the World 2023 competition in the Dominican Republic in October. Instagram / arianaviera__

“Recording myself for my future funeral because it’s always me who takes the videos no one takes them of me,” she captioned a video posted two months before she died. Instagram / arianaviera__

Her followers noted the grim timing of the video.

Viera was due to represent her home country of Venezuela at the Miss Latin America of the World 2023 competition in the Dominican Republic in October.

“I didn’t know that God had given me an angel. I didn’t know that God had given me a little piece of heaven for a very short time,” her mother said.

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Woman charged more than $220 for a roast chicken at Aussie Woolworths

A woman has opened up about the horror moment she realized she had paid more than $219 for a roast chicken from a supermarket.

In a video shared to TikTok this week, the woman from Perth revealed how the costly error was made.

“Woolworths charged me $336 ($220 USD) for a roast chicken,’ she says in the clip.

“$336! For a roast chicken!”

“This chicken! I know it’s RSPCA, but did they put it up in the f***ing Crowne Towers before they killed the bird?” she says.

In a second post, she returns the chicken to the store to complain about the price.

“I bought this chicken and, look you do really juicy chickens but I don’t think it’s worth $336 ($220 USD),” she is heard telling customer service.

“Woah!” the employee is heard saying.

“What on earth?”

In a video shared to TikTok this week, Kirby Cooper revealed how the costly error was made.TikTok/kirby.cooper

“That’s a first. It’s definitely a first,” employee says.

She then leaves the store and explains the problem had been rectified.

“So, happy ending,” she says.

“I got a free chicken. I went from a $336 ($220 USD) chicken to a free chicken.”

Woolworths told NCA NewsWire there was a glitch in the system that lead to the price of the chicken changing.

In a second post, Cooper returns the chicken to the store to complain about the price.TikTok/kirby.cooper

“We are happy that the issue was able to be rectified.”

In a third post to social media, the customer defended herself against comments asking why it took her so long to realize she’d been severely overcharged.

“I’ve had a lot of people questioning why it took me so long to realize there was a $300 chicken in my shopping,” she said.

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“We’re not very organized when it comes to weekly grocery shops.

“I went to Woolworths to purchase things for dinner last night but the list continually got longer.

“My husband likes to eat a lot of snacks and so we thought stuff it, we’ll just do a big shop.

She said she bought lots of items because of their “packaging, or specials” and she didn’t want to miss out on deals.

“I also had to buy some bulk items like bleach and carpet cleaner.

“I normally go through self serve, but not with that much shopping. I didn’t want to deal with some robot b****.”

She started adding items to the conveyor belt at a checkout but didn’t pay attention to how much the items were adding up to.

“Not once did I think there was something wrong with the scan.”

She said she blamed the extra junk food she’d put in her cart.

“I don’t have the skill or speed to load groceries on the conveyor belt and watch the screen to make sure they’re correct,” she said.

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‘Human bear’ seen snacking at Chinese zoo as critics doubt she’s real

Angela the Malayan sun bear isn’t letting accusations that she’s not fur real bruin her good time — she’s doing whatever suits her.

In new photos obtained by The Post on Wednesday, the controversial creature that some suspect is actually a human in a bear costume can be seen adorably munching away on food and relaxing on a rock at the Hangzhou Zoo in China.

In one snap, the 4-year-old internet sensation is lying on her back, happily eating a cucumber, and in another, she can be spotted sweetly gripping a carrot.

A man presumed to be a zoo employee even came over to give Angela some watermelon and other treats in one photo.

But that’s not all — it looks like she had quite the busy day, as she also took a dip in the water, spent time with another bear, and interacted with zoo-goers, doing her signature standing move that raised eyebrows in the first place.

Angela, the sun bear that sparked rumors she’s a human in a bear suit, is seen in new photos Wednesday. ZUMAPRESS.com

Angela enjoyed some watermelon. ZUMAPRESS.com

Angela also munched on a carrot in new photos. ZUMAPRESS.com

Other zoos have posted in solidarity with Angela. ZUMAPRESS.com

A sun bear only grows to be about half the size of an American black bear, per National Geographic.

The outlet explained that these bears are known for their “stocky, muscular build.” Males weigh up to 150 pounds and come in at 5 feet in length, slightly more than females.

A viral video of Angela at the Hangzhou Zoo sparked some wild rumors last week that she was actually a human. Many thought her stance on her hind legs and skin folds resembled a person.

She could even be seen waving to observers.

Angela took a dip in the water. ZUMAPRESS.com

Angela is a sun bear, a kind of bear typically smaller than an American black bear. ZUMAPRESS.com

Because of the way Angela stands, some argued she is actually a human in disguise. ZUMAPRESS.com

Male sun bears weigh up to 150 pounds. ZUMAPRESS.com

The local Hangzhou Daily first gave way to the attention, writing: “Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise.’”

However, the zoo has denied these claims in a statement pretending to be from Angela.

“Some people think I stand like a person. It seems you don’t understand me very well,” the statement read.

The zoo had to release a statement to clarify that Angela was not, in fact, a human. ZUMAPRESS.com

Someone who presumably works at the zoo gave Angela some snacks. ZUMAPRESS.com

Angela can be seen at all different angles. ZUMAPRESS.com

A zoo spokesperson debunked the rumor by saying a human would simply get too hot in the suit, with summer temperatures soaring to 100 degrees.

“If a person did wear a bear costume, they would be lying down within minutes due to the heat,” the rep said.

And, this week, managers of Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire, England, showed their support for the Chinese zoo by posting footage of their own sun bears.

“We can confirm that Kyra is a sun bear,” the facility stated on Instagram.

“Sun bears might look human when they stand, but they actually have the natural behavior of standing on their hind feet.”

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Meta is launching a UFC-themed VR experience in Horizon Worlds

Meta has teamed up with UFC to bring live mixed martial arts (MMA) in VR to Horizon Worlds, the company announced in a Quest Blog post seen by The Verge. The experience, launching in November, will let UFC Fight Pass subscribers (via Xtadium and YBVR streaming) watch MMA action at 4K resolution and 180-degree VR capture on Horizon Worlds. “Enjoy the action alone or with friends and switch camera angles throughout the fight to get the best view of every matchup,” Meta wrote. 

Users will also be able to discuss UFC with other Horizon Worlds users, check out a virtual version of the Octagon and compete in single player and multiplayer in-world games to gain unlockable rewards — all with the goal of becoming a UFC “Hall of Famer.” 

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The new experience is one of a number of ways Meta is attempting to lure users to Horizon Worlds. Recently, the company added Quests to keep users returning to the site, including mini-games like Giant Paddle Mini Golf, Arena Clash and Bad Roommates. It also recently introduced Rumble World, the first of many next-gen Horizon Worlds games featuring improved graphics and more complex gameplay. 

Meta said it latched onto UFC due to the “engagement and passion of this audience,” noting that fans enjoy not just the fights but also sharing the experience with other fans. “We tested this technology successfully with a handful of MMA events last year, and now we’re going further,” says MMA chief content officer Craig Borsari. “We’re just scratching the surface of how we can use this technology to create greater fan engagement and grow this sport.”

UFC also makes sense on Meta given CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s apparent interest in the sport (though his cage match with Elon Musk seems doubtful at the moment). In any case, live sports may be a potent way to attract new users to the reportedly flagging service, so it’ll be interesting to see if Meta adds others along with UFC. 

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Elon Musk-owned X renames TweetDeck to XPro

Elon Musk-owned X, formerly Twitter, has renamed TweetDeck to XPro in an ongoing rebranding exercise of the social media service.

The company has adopted the @Pro handle instead of @TweetDeck for the tool. However, many parts of the tool, including the help page, still have “Twitter” and “TweetDeck” mentions.

The renaming is not surprising given Musk had hinted about the change last week. At that time, he had added that XPro will come with “a wide range of psy op plugins.” As it is the case with many of Musk’s posts, there were no details about what kind of plugins those might be.

Name is changing to XPro. Will come with a wide range of psy op plugins.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2023

Early last month, after many users were unable to access parts of TweetDeck, the company started pushing them to the new version of the tool. Later, it also announced that in 30 days, only verified users would be able to access TweetDeck. Since this announcement was made on July 4, X will expectedly make XPro/TweetDeck a paid-only feature in the next few days.

We have just launched a new, improved version of TweetDeck. All users can continue to access their saved searches & workflows via https://t.co/2WwL3hNVR2 by selecting “Try the new TweetDeck” in the bottom left menu.

Some notes on getting started and the future of the product…

— Support (@Support) July 3, 2023

Musk & Co. has been busy with the site’s rebranding, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. The company took over the @X handle from the previous owner without any compensation or prior notice. Additionally, Apple seemingly granted an exception to the social media company to use a single character as the app name. Typically, the iPhone maker prohibits developers from using a single-character app name on the App Store. Musk-owned company was also asked to remove the flashing ‘X’ sign from its office building after The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection received complaints about it over the weekend.

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‘Star Wars: Jedi Survivor’ will be ported to PS4 and Xbox One after all

Earlier this year, EA said that Star Wars: Jedi Survivor would only come out on the latest PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles in order to take advantage of the latest tech on those consoles. The developer has now changed its tune, however, announcing in an earnings call that the title will come to PS4 and Xbox One consoles after all, The Verge has reported.

“Thanks to the strength of this legendary franchise and community demand, our development team has committed to bringing this Jedi experience to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson. Jedi Survivor came out on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 in April, but there’s no firm date for release on the last-gen consoles. 

Jedi: Survivor, a direct sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was the headliner in Engadget’s article about disappointing PC ports earlier this year. The problems boiled down to performance, upscaling and other issues — which might make gamers nervous about how it’ll run on the much older Xbox One and PS4 hardware. 

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Marc Gilpin, Young Actor on ‘Jaws 2,’ Dies at 56

Marc Gilpin, who played the younger son of Roy Scheider’s Police Chief Martin Brody in Jaws 2, has died. He was 56.

Gilpin died Saturday in Dallas after a long battle with glioblastoma, his older sister, Frasier actress Peri Gilpin, announced.

After answering a casting call, Gilpin beat out hundreds of other boys to get hired as Sean Brody in the 1978 sequel to the blockbuster Jaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg. He was 11 when the movie reached theaters.

Jaws 2 was directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Lorraine Gary returned as Chief Brody’s wife, but their sons, Michael and Sean, portrayed by Chris Rebello and Jay Mello in the original, were replaced by Mark Gruner and Gilpin in the second film.

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A year later, Gilpin guest-starred on NBC’s CHiPs and appeared with his younger sister, April, on ABC’s Fantasy Island. In 1981, he was in the films The Legend of the Long Ranger and Earthbound.

In the 1985 ABC telefilm Surviving, which told the story of a teenager (Zach Galligan) dealing with the aftermath of his father’s affair, Gilpin was in a top-notch cast that included veterans Ellen Burstyn, Marsha Mason, Len Cariou and Paul Sorvino and up-and-coming stars River Phoenix, Molly Ringwald and Heather O’Rourke.

After receiving strong notices for Surviving, Gilpin was spotted by manager Jerry Silverhardt in Williamstown, Massachusetts, while he was visiting Peri. Silverhardt wanted to sign him, and Gilpin was OK with that — but only if he would sign Peri as well.

Peri, of course, found fame with her work on the NBC comedy Frasier as Roz Doyle, producer of the radio show hosted by Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier Crane.

Born in Austin on Sept. 26, 1966, Marc Gilpin booked his first national commercial, a spot for Exxon, when he was 4. He then appeared on a 1977 episode of the Saturday morning NBC series Thunder and landed the title role in the family film Where’s Willy? (1978) before his gig on Jaws 2.

After working on episodes of NBC’s Silver Spoons and ABC’s China Beach and in the 1989 movie She’s Out of Control, Gilpin became a self-taught software engineer. He was involved with a start-up company and then worked for another firm for which he earned several software patents, his family said.

His sister April died in July 2017 at age 48. Another sister, Patti, died in 2020 at age 57.

In addition to Peri, Marc’s survivors include his wife of 24 years, Kaki, and sons Spencer, 18, and Presley, 16.

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