Digital_trance has added a photo to the pool:

Michael B Jordan and Juno Temple voice indistinctive body-swap caper for kids with muddled empathy message

This March’s Pixar adventure Hoppers might not have been a vintage offering but it was a minor, much-needed victory for a studio whose magic touch had faded over time. It was a rare non-sequel that appealed to both critics (a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (with $164m it was Pixar’s biggest original hit domestically since Coco) and had just about enough of the head plus heart formula many of us had grown to love and, recently, miss.

Its success has reminded us just how it should be done right (or at least right enough) and how many, many others have failed to get even close to that place. Smarter competitors have found their own lanes – the maximalist mania of Illumination’s Minions movies, the specific, zeitgeist-y superhero stories of Sony’s KPop: Demon Hunters and Spiderverse – but there’s been a weak yet constant flow of obvious attempts to replicate what Pixar does so well. What nudges Swapped – a Skydance film once intended for Apple that now lands on Netflix – that much further into the shadow is not just how it follows the general template but how it also seems to be a closer copy of Hoppers itself. It’s more unfortunate timing than anything but it’s hard to watch without thinking briefly back with even a less memorable Pixar film seeming like a stone cold classic in comparison.

UN Women report says AI, anonymity and lack of effective laws are increasing the risks of engaging in digital spaces

Women in public life are facing growing and increasingly sophisticated forms of online violence, the UN has said, warning that “AI-assisted ‘virtual rape’ is now at the fingertips of perpetrators”.

Female rights campaigners, journalists and other public communicators face a deepening threat due to a combination of artificial intelligence, anonymity and the absence of effective laws and accountability, a report by UN Women found.

As stalwarts Sub Pop and Rough Trade celebrate big anniversaries, insiders speak candidly about the challenges they face. Can streaming ever ensure their survival?

In the late 1980s, the fledgling Seattle record label Sub Pop was a mess. It struggled to pay the phone bill; staff would race to cash their wage cheques before they bounced; and the management couldn’t even cover studio time that had been booked for their artists. “We were a big train wreck,” laughs Megan Jasper, who was then the label’s receptionist. “But the funnest train wreck you’d ever want to be on.” One of the label’s mottos became: “Going out of business since 1988.”

Then, in 1989, Nirvana released their debut album on Sub Pop and saved it. Now, as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary, Jasper is the chief executive. “Is it rewarding and is the label still working? Yes,” she says. “But it’s never been easy – there have always been challenges and now there are more of them. Plus, it’s harder than ever for artists.”

USA retain the world 50+ title, while Germany-Lasker SGK win the 65+ equivalent, with England fourth in both events

England finished out of the medals for the first time in five years in this week’s world senior team championships for over-50s and over-65s, played at Durres, Albania, as the US, fielding a largely former USSR squad, retained the over-50 gold medals, while a nominally German team, which also included a former Soviet star, won the over-65s event.

The US victory was clear but had a controversial aspect in the team’s use of package deals, which are forbidden in Olympiads but still allowed in senior events.

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

Have you been following the big stories in football, darts, rugby union, boxing, athletics, swimming and horse racing?

We are in a world where robots compete against humans and while perfect scores might be impressive, they are also dull

It hurts to miss an unmarked shot in basketball. And it certainly seemed to pain the Alvark Tokyo shooter, halfway through April’s Japanese league game against Shimane Susanoo Magic. As the ball bounded off the rim, the player wheeled away, head lowered, eyes downcast. The disappointment looked glaringly real.

Which is interesting, because it was not. The player could not have cared less. They literally could not care at all, and not just because this was a half-time exhibition. It was because they were a robot, created by Alvark Tokyo’s team sponsor, Toyota.

BERLIJN (ANP/DPA) - Bij veel tankstations in Duitsland is de literprijs voor benzine vrijdag onder de 2 euro gezakt. Dat komt door een tijdelijke accijnsverlaging van ongeveer 17 cent om de pijn te verzachten van de gestegen brandstofprijzen door de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten. Die al eerder aangekondigde maatregel ging vrijdag in en geldt tot eind volgende maand.

Volgens de app van de Duitse automobielvereniging ADAC kost benzine bij veel tankstations zelfs aanzienlijk minder dan 2 euro, soms zelfs minder dan 1,90 euro per liter. Ook diesel wordt in delen van Duitsland voor minder dan 2 euro per liter verhandeld.

Ter vergelijking: in Nederland ligt het goedkoopste tankstation volgens de ANWB in de provincie Drenthe. Daar is een automobilist voor een liter benzine net iets minder dan 2,15 euro kwijt.

De Nederlandse tankstationbranche klaagt al langer dat door het grote prijsverschil steeds meer Nederlanders over de grens gaan tanken. Nederlandse pomphouders in de grensstreek hebben daardoor veel minder klandizie.

For once, Oracle ERP wasn’t the problem

On Call  Fridays can be a drag, but The Register has a formula to inject a little fun by delivering a new instalment of On Call – the reader-contributed column in which we share your tech support stories.…