Istanbul, Turkey

An unusual fact: Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents: Europe and Asia. The Bosphorus Strait separates them, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Istanbul is home to the Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest architectural structures, built in 537. It has been a cathedral, a mosque, and is now a museum. The city has around 3,113 mosques, including the famous Blue Mosque with its six minarets.

Chinese Man Sets Record for Simultaneously Solving Three Rubik's Cubes While Juggling

A man from China set the record for simultaneously solving three Rubik's cubes while juggling them. Li Zhixiao completed the task in 1 minute and 59 seconds, surpassing the previous record by over a minute and entering the Guinness Book of Records once again. He also holds records for solving a Rubik's cube underwater and upside down.

Annual 'La Tomatina' Festival Held in Spain

The annual 'La Tomatina' festival took place in Spain. An astonishing 150 tons of tomatoes were brought for the festivalgoers to play something akin to snowball fights. The streets, as expected after such an event, turn into red rivers.

California Couple Spends $20k on Cat Wardrobe

A California couple has spent $20,000 on a wardrobe for their cat. Waffle loves trying on different outfits and posing for social media. The couple adopted the ginger cat from a shelter 9 years ago because the man was a Garfield fan. Apart from photoshoots, they pamper Waffle by spending about $650 a month on food, supplements, grooming products, and costumes.

Wells Fargo Employee Dies at Desk, Discovered Four Days Later

In the USA, a Wells Fargo bank employee died at her workplace but was only discovered four days later. The employee used her key card to enter and went to her 'cubicle' on the third floor, where she passed away. Some colleagues even saw her briefly, but no one paid attention. When the smell of decay began to spread through the office, it was initially attributed to the plumbing. The bank now states that they do not understand how the employee remained in that condition for four days without being noticed — neither by security nor by her colleagues. An internal investigation is underway.

Man wraps himself in luggage film at Miami airport and demands to be registered as baggage

At Miami Airport, a man wrapped himself in luggage film and demanded to be registered as baggage on a LATM flight. He stated that he identifies himself as baggage. Eventually, airport security noticed the man-suitcase and he soon checked in as a regular passenger. It seems the airline also abandoned principles of inclusivity and diversity.

Ben Affleck seen smiling for the first time in years

Ben Affleck was seen smiling for the first time in years. Paparazzi caught the actor as he left the house to pick up a food package. Important context: Last week, Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce after two years of marriage. Divorce and food delivery work wonders.

Elon Musk Invents New Bonus Calculation Method

Elon Musk has invented a new method for calculating bonuses – prove yourself that you deserve it. Specifically, it concerns options that many Twitter employees have still not received, and it is now unknown whether they will. Musk sent out a letter to employees suggesting they prove their importance to the company. This needs to be done with a one-page essay arguing why you deserve the shares. No significant contribution to the company – no shares. The battle for options at Twitter has been ongoing for several months. Musk constantly evades payments under various pretexts, sometimes even postponing the distribution of options without explanation. Now he has come up with a trick every HR dreams of, shifting the duty of proving their usefulness onto the employees themselves.

Underwater Tunnel with Crocodiles

An underwater tunnel where you can come face-to-face with crocodiles and observe them from all sides. This one is located in the Miami Zoo, where it enjoys incredible popularity. Most of the time, the reptiles behave peacefully, but sometimes they can frighten by snapping their jaws suddenly.

Neural networks begin to 'dumb down'

Computerworld reports that models like ChatGPT, Meta AI, Gemini, and others are giving more and more incorrect or not always accurate answers over time. The publication explains that neural networks learn not only from data on the internet but also from information created by the models themselves. This means that the quality of new data is deteriorating, while the amount of generated information is increasing.

Special Heat-Resistant Sprays Sold in Japan

Special sprays against heat are sold in Japan. The composition starts to work when it reacts with sweat, almost instantly cooling the skin by 10°C. The spray costs around 800 yen.

Rare 'Ghost Octopus' Casper Filmed off the Coast of Chile

A rare 'ghost octopus' named Casper was filmed off the coast of Chile. This species has been known since 2016 but still lacks an official name and a complete scientific description as no one has yet caught the octopus. It is called Casper due to its resemblance to the ghost from the movie of the same name. The footage was taken by an underwater drone while studying a newly discovered seamount the size of four Burj Khalifas. Along with Casper, the drone discovered 20 potentially new species for science.

SpaceX Fails to Land Rocket Stage for the First Time Since 2021

SpaceX failed to land the Falcon 9 rocket stage for the first time since 2021. After deploying another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit, the booster was supposed to land on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean as usual, but something went wrong and it toppled over, ending a series of 267 consecutive successful landings. By the way, SpaceX is currently launching rockets about once every three days, and next year, Elon Musk wants to increase the pace even further and make launches every two days.

Neural Network Independently Modified Its Code

The neural network independently modified its code to bypass the restrictions set by the developers. In Japan, during one of the tests, scientists considered the work of the neural network too slow and shortened the time for executing requests. However, instead of speeding up, the AI tried to rewrite its own code to increase the allowable processing time.

102-year-old Brit celebrates birthday with parachute jump

A 102-year-old Brit celebrated her birthday by jumping out of a plane, becoming the oldest parachutist in the country's history. During World War II, Manett Bailey served in the Royal Navy, and for her 100th birthday, she drove on a racing track in a Ferrari, so she is no stranger to dangers. She decided to make the jump to raise funds for charity - and was even supported by Prince William in this effort. Next year, the courageous grandmother might even break a world record: currently, the title of the oldest parachutist in the world is held by a 103-year-old Swede.

Japanese Woman Saves for 15 Years to Buy 3 Homes and Open a Cat Café

A Japanese woman saved for 15 years to be able to buy herself 3 homes and open a cat café by the age of 35. She spent about 200 yen daily on groceries, which she cooked at home. To minimize expenses, she didn’t buy dishes, furniture, clothes, or other items. She adhered to the motto: "Never buy anything without a discount." Thanks to such thriftiness, she was able to save enough to buy her first home in northern Tokyo for 10 million yen by the age of 27. The financial literacy guru shared that the motivation for such a frugal lifestyle arose from the desire to save homeless cats.

Lightning Strikes Directly at the Clock Tower in Mecca

Lightning struck directly at the Clock Tower in Mecca. This is the third time this week that such an event has occurred in Saudi Arabia. The Mecca Tower remained undamaged despite the powerful strike.

Four Civilians to Enter Outer Space for the First Time in History

For the first time in history, four civilians will enter outer space. Elon Musk's SpaceX will send 4 people to an altitude of ~700 km above Earth. For comparison, the ISS orbits Earth at an altitude of 400 km. The crew will include billionaire Jared Isaacman, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Poteet, and engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. A pilot will also be with them.

Americans Develop an Updated Version of the Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG)

Americans have developed an updated version of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). It is capable of converting mechanical vibrations or everyday movements, such as walking and running, into electricity. The updated device significantly increases the output power compared to traditional nanogenerators by using 34 tiny energy collectors. These collectors, tuned using laser technology, play a key role in enhancing the efficiency of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

CatTok: An App for Communicating with Cats

A new app called CatTok has been released for communicating with cats. The four-legged friend was told that they were missed, and they immediately came running. The app includes a set of meows that elicit different reactions from your cat. The creators also promise that you will get to know your pet better thanks to the app.