Illustration from the Cover of the First Harry Potter Book Sold at Auction for $1.9 Million

An illustration from the cover of the first Harry Potter book was sold at auction for $1.9 million. The watercolor painting by Thomas Taylor was used for the cover of the debut book in the series in 1997. It became the most expensive Harry Potter-related item ever sold at auction. The previous record holder was the first edition, sold for $421,000.

Toilet Stands Installed on a Baseball Field in the USA

In the USA, toilet stands have been installed on one of the baseball fields. The organizers ironically say they want to provide fans with the most comfortable experience possible, including a special person to bring food and drinks. Tickets for the toilet row will be sold separately at a higher price.

Failed Rocket Launch in Henan Province

In China's Henan province, there was an unsuccessful launch of the Tianlong-3 carrier rocket. Videos of powerful explosions have spread on social media. Immediately after launch, the device deviated and fell one and a half kilometers from the test site, causing a forest fire. None of the 800,000 city residents were injured.

LeBron James will play for the Lakers with his 19-year-old son Bronny

LeBron James will play for the Lakers with his 19-year-old son Bronny - he was selected in the draft. A year ago, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during training but managed to rehabilitate and make it to the NBA. LeBron always said that it was his dream to play with his son.

Rent a Cave House in the USA

In the USA, you can live in a cave with all the amenities. An unusual house is for rent in the state of Ohio. Inside, there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a billiards area. At the entrance, there is a hot tub, a small barbecue area, and even a charging station for an electric car. The house can supposedly be rented long-term, but there have been no such clients yet, so it is being rented out daily for $780 a day.

ChatGPT Passed the Turing Test

ChatGPT passed the Turing Test and demonstrated that it possesses human intelligence. The experiment involved 500 randomly chosen people who communicated with 4 interlocutors - among them GPT-4, GPT-3.5, ELIZA (the ancestor of GPT), and one real person. The result: In 54% of cases, people see GPT-4 as a peer; 33% mistakenly identified neural networks; GPT-3.5 was named human in 50% of cases; even ELIZA gathered 22% humanity. From this experiment, scientists concluded that all future versions of ChatGPT will be indistinguishable from humans.

ESA Scientists Inspired by Lego

ESA scientists found inspiration in Lego and created 'building blocks' for lunar bases from cosmic dust. ESA space bricks were 3D printed from raw materials made from a 4.5 million-year-old meteorite, polylactide, and regolith simulant to test if they can be used as lunar building blocks. Some of the samples will also be displayed in LEGO stores.

OpenAI to Disable ChatGPT API for Chinese Companies

Chinese AI developers are actively expanding their customer base following the news of restricted access to OpenAI's API for users from China. ChatGPT is not available in mainland China, but local startups had access to the platform through the API. Chinese users started receiving emails with warnings about regional unavailability and OpenAI's plans to block API traffic starting July 9. In response, Chinese AI companies such as Baidu, Alibaba Cloud, and Zhipu AI have announced various inclusive programs for users who have decided to switch to their AI models.

Robot Suicide in South Korea

For the first time in South Korea, a robot committed suicide. The machine, from the startup Bear Robotics, was working in the administration of the city of Gumi, but at some point it went crazy, spun like a top, and fell off the stairs.

Car for Dogs

Hyundai has unveiled a concept autonomous car for dogs called Dogability. This innovative car would be able to independently transport your pets to the park or veterinarian. The car would be activated by a nose print and would even have the ability to dry off a wet passenger if they get caught in the rain.

Driver of Electric Suitcase Arrested for the First Time in Japan

For the first time in Japan, a driver of an electric suitcase has been arrested. The historic arrest took place in Osaka, and the offender was a Chinese citizen. The girl was riding a lazy suitcase through the streets of the city. She was surprised by what happened and explained that she had not even thought about the need for a driver's license when operating such a vehicle.

China Creates World's First Carbon Fiber Metro Train

China has created the world's first passenger metro train made of carbon fiber. Thanks to it, the train not only looks cool, but also weighs 11% less than regular trains, resulting in less wear on the tracks, less noise, and consumes 7% less energy. In addition, the train is equipped with autopilot and will operate at a speed of 140 km/h, almost twice as fast as current trains.

Space tug

NASA has tasked SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, to create a space tug that will bring the ISS down from orbit and sink it in the Pacific Ocean in the 2030s. The space tug, which has been allocated $843 million for development, is required to dock with the ISS and enable a controlled reentry into the atmosphere, during which it will likely be destroyed. By the way, SpaceX will also be responsible for launching the private space station Starlab, which is intended to serve as an alternative to the ISS.

Butterfly Discovery: Painted Ladies Can Fly Across the Ocean

Scientists have discovered that painted lady butterflies can fly across the ocean. These insects make nonstop flights for a distance of 4200 km, migrating from Europe to South America.

China Completes World's Largest Maritime Highway

China has completed the construction of the world's largest maritime highway in the south, connecting the cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan. This 24 km transportation complex includes the largest suspension sea bridge made of box girders, two artificial islands, and the widest 8-lane underwater tunnel. The entire highway is also covered by a 5G network. The project took seven years and $1.5 billion to complete, reducing travel time between the cities from two hours to just half an hour.

New Series on Harry Potter in the Works

Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod are working on a series about Harry Potter. The duo, known for their work on Game of Thrones, The Descendants, Shameless, and other high-profile projects, are set to bring an honest adaptation of Rowling's books to the screen. The franchise's creator herself has joined the project as a consultant. The premiere is scheduled for 2026.

Man Wins $4 Million at Casino and Dies On the Same Day

A man won $4 million at a casino in Singapore and immediately collapsed in front of the crowd congratulating him. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save him - the man died of a heart attack on the happiest day of his life.

Hobbyhorsing Championship Held in Finland

The hobbyhorsing championship took place in Finland. Hobbyhorsing is a youth social movement dedicated to riding toy horses on sticks, including competitions and coaching, creating highly realistic horses (or hobbyhorses), selling, collecting, and trading them, as well as providing equipment for them. Over 1800 participants from several countries took part in the championship. Participants were specially provided with 21 training arenas, which took place over several years.

British football fans can insure their beer at Euro 2024

Heineken has launched the HeineCare program, where fans can receive a voucher for a replacement glass if they accidentally spill their beer. The process works as follows: a fan spills their beer, shows the voucher, and gets a new one. British fans are quite clumsy - they spill around 6.25 million liters of beer per year at matches.

Nike's New Sneakers with Built-in Foot Massagers

Nike has created sneakers that provide foot massages. Each sneaker features a system of air chambers and heating elements, and the temperature and intensity of the massage can be adjusted using buttons on the heel. The shoes are currently being tested by LeBron James and other athletes. Sales will start in the near future, but exact dates and prices have not been announced yet.