Bird Buddy Unveils Camera for Insect Observation

The startup Bird Buddy, which produces 'smart' bird feeders for bird watching, has showcased a camera for capturing butterflies, bees, and other insects. The built-in AI is capable of recognizing insect species, counting their number, recording statistics, and predicting when pollinated flowers will bloom.

23 People Trapped in British Tavern by Snow after New Year

In the UK, 23 people became stranded in a tavern for the entire holiday after celebrating the New Year because it was snowed in. The holidays went smoothly: there were bedrooms, food supplies for a month, and plenty of beer. The catch is that the Tan Hill Inn is known for how often it gets snowed in, so one can go there specifically for isolation.

Los Angeles on Fire for Second Day

Los Angeles is ablaze for the second day - in the "City of Angels," large-scale fires have spread from the forests to residential areas and nearby cities. The fire covers an area of 1,200 hectares - forests, exclusive neighborhoods, and cottages are burning. The most affected are the star-favored Pacific Palisades district and the legendary city of Malibu.

Swiss Man Sleeps While Swimming

Swiss Noam Yaron shared that he learned to sleep while floating during his attempt to swim from Calvi to Monaco in three days, without leaving the water. He says he simply switches off part of his brain. Dolphins, for instance, do this by shutting down one hemisphere of their brain and closing the opposite eye. Using this technique, Yaron swam 103 kilometers in 2 days and 2 nights, but due to jellyfish, hypothermia, and counter-currents, he withdrew from the race. He will repeat the swim this year.

First AI-assisted Terror Attack in the USA

The first terror attack in the USA was carried out with the help of AI. Matthew Levelsberger used ChatGPT to plan the bombing of a Cybertruck at the Trump Hotel in Vegas. The chatbot advised on how to assemble and activate a bomb.

Flying Bicycle Unveiled at CES 2025

At the tech exhibition CES 2025, a flying bicycle was unveiled. The electric Rictor Skyrider X1 can ascend to a height of 200 m, fly for up to 40 minutes, and autonomously calculate the optimal route. The price is only $60,000, which is significantly cheaper than other flying machines.

Mr. Beast surpasses 341 million subscribers

Blogger Jimmy Donaldson, known by the pseudonym Mr. Beast, reached over 341 million 671 thousand subscribers on YouTube as of January 5, 2025. And the number keeps growing. This is more than the population of the United States. According to official census data, there are 341 million 156 thousand people registered in the USA. Jimmy Donaldson started his YouTube channel on February 20, 2012, and the total number of views now exceeds 69 billion. Recently, the blogger reported that an entire city was built specifically for his new project, which cost him 14 million dollars.

30-year-old Miniature Donkey Perry Dies in the US

In the US, the 30-year-old miniature donkey Perry, who served as the model for the Donkey in 'Shrek', has died. He was euthanized due to illness. Perry suffered from laminitis, a hoof disease that caused him agonizing pain. For a month, he just stood on three legs and held one up due to the pain. No treatment could help him.

Robottaxi Stops Car Thief in the USA

A Los Angeles resident attempted to steal a driverless Jaguar I-PACE, but the car locked the unfortunate man inside and handed him over to the cops.

China to Subsidize Electronics Purchases

The Chinese government will start subsidizing the purchase of any electronics from Xiaomi, Huawei, and other local brands. The subsidies will primarily aim to reduce the cost of new gadgets through trade-ins of old ones and to stabilize prices. Currently, China's state subsidies strongly cover the local automotive market, which has led the European Union to impose special tariffs on all Chinese electric cars.

Pablo Escobar's Private Jet is Now Available on Airbnb

Pablo Escobar's private jet can now be rented on Airbnb. The hotel is located in Bristol, UK. A Boeing 727 has been transformed into an apartment with a bed and jacuzzi. The plane retains the original kitchen, landing gear, cockpit, and 1980s interior. One night in the plane costs $1055.

China Leads Starlink in Laser Data Transmission

China surpasses Starlink in the field of high-resolution 'space-to-earth' laser data transmission in the 6G standard. China has achieved a technological breakthrough in laser communication between satellite and Earth, setting a data transmission speed record of 100 Gbps - 10 times faster than the previous achievement. Chang Guang Satellite Technology, which owns the largest commercial satellite constellation Jilin-1, conducted tests using a mobile ground station.

Legendary Walter White's House for Sale

The legendary house of Walter White from 'Breaking Bad' has been put on sale for 4 million dollars. Even 12 years after the show concluded, crowds of fans continue to flock to the house regularly: they take photos with it or try to get inside. On average, about 300 people visit the house every day. Now the owners have given up and suggest that the new owners turn the house into a museum.

Giant Alcohol Cloud Found in Space

A giant alcohol cloud is located 10,000 light years away from Earth. It contains 400 quintillion liters of alcohol. To consume such a volume, every person would need to drink 300,000 liters of alcohol daily for a billion years. This cloud was discovered near the constellation Aquila and is 1,000 times the diameter of the Solar System.

Mysterious Object Falls from Sky in Kenya

In Kenya, a mysterious object fell from the sky. A half-ton metal ring with a diameter of about 2.4 m fell on the village of Mukuku. It turned out to be space debris, but what is unusual is that the ring did not burn up in the atmosphere and did not break apart.

Judge in the US Used Quest 2 VR Headset to Reconstruct a Crime

A judge in the US used the Quest 2 VR headset to reconstruct a crime. With the VR headset, the judge was able to immerse himself in the scene from the perspective of the defendant, who allegedly pulled out a weapon in front of a crowd for self-defense.

Kenyan Man Collects 4.2 Million Butterflies

A man from Kenya has amassed a collection of 4.2 million butterflies. At the age of 5, Steve Collins was given a bug net and began searching for unusual specimens. He is now 74 years old and has an entire museum with hundreds of insect species, some of which are already extinct. Steve now plans to retire and sell the collection for $8 million.

Tequila surplus in Mexico

In Mexico, they don't know what to do with the tequila. About 500 million liters of the traditional Mexican drink have accumulated in warehouses. Due to a sharp drop in demand in neighboring countries, producers are unable to sell the product fast enough, and tequila remains 'gathering dust' in storage.

LEGO Set about the Grinch Receives 10,000 Votes

The LEGO set about the Grinch received 10,000 votes and may soon be available for official sale. The set consists of 1489 pieces and includes the Grinch's house in the form of a two-story cave with a spring bed, a musical monkey, and a telescope for detecting uninvited guests, as well as minifigures of the Grinch and Cindy Lou.

Robotic Dogs Help with Trash Collection in China's Mountains

A truly useful application for robotic dogs has been found in the mountains of China - they now help clean up trash there. The iron workers operate in the Taishan area, carrying heavy containers with bags up the stairs. Previously, the cleaners carried them themselves, but now they walk alongside, satisfied and unburdened.