Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? – Issue 621
I’m working on my New Year’s goal to play twelve PlayStation 5 games that weren’t released on the PS4, and for February, I’ve chosen Deathloop, developed by Arkane Studios.
Dutch Regulators Slap Polymarket with Fine-Watch the Shocking Fine Escalation!
Netherlands authorities have officially barred Polymarket from offering prediction‑market services across the country. A court, after a weary deliberation that could have been a season of more entertaining dramas, declared that its event‑based contracts amounted to illegal gambling. Consequently, the platform must secure a license or cease all Dutch operations.
Casualty pulled from screens tonight in BBC One schedule shake-up
The soap is taking somewhat of a mid-series break, to accommodate sports coverage by the channel.
The BAFTAs are too conventional – and Urchin’s snub is the perfect illustration
All five films nominated for the BAFTA Best Film award in 2026 are also contenders for the Oscars’ Best Picture award – a trend that’s held true for the last decade, with only a couple of exceptions (I, Daniel Blake in 2017 and The Mauritanian in 2020).
Beyond the Luttinger Liquid: New States of Matter Emerge in 1D Bose Gases
Researchers have discovered exotic critical states resembling ‘fractional Fermi seas’ within one-dimensional Bose gases pushed far from equilibrium, challenging conventional models of quantum fluids.
Altcoins Dance on Bitcoin’s Grave: Is the Crypto Waltz Beginning?
What provoked this sudden ballet? None other than the U.S. Supreme Court, which, in a 6-3 ruling, declared President Trump’s global tariffs as illegal. Traders, ever the pessimists, braced for a sell-off. Instead, capital leapt from Bitcoin’s arms into the waiting embrace of altcoins. Oh, the irony! The market, it seems, has a sense of humor darker than a Moscow winter.
Amanda Seyfried reveals feelings about how she lost out on Wicked role to Ariana Grande: “I like to feel appreciated”
The actress shared that she auditioned six times for the movie version of the popular Broadway musical. She was hoping to star alongside Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, but the role eventually went to singer Ariana Grande.
Joseph Fiennes talks Young Sherlock origin story and playing his nephew’s on-screen father
Joseph, why did you take this role?
Marvel Studios’ First-Ever Disney+ Creator Just Abandoned the MCU
Jac Schaeffer, the creator of WandaVision and Agatha All Along, has signed a three-year deal with Amazon, MGM Studios, and Prime Video. She will develop, write, executive produce, and direct new TV series for them. This move means she’s stepping away from Marvel Studios for the time being, according to Variety.
Ethereum’s $2K Gamble: Bull Trap or Breakout?
Ethereum’s [ETH] technical setup is a riddle wrapped in a paradox. After a 50% drop from its mid-January peak, the price lingers near $2k, a crossroads where hope and despair collide. One might say it’s a trap, but then again, what is life if not a series of traps, each more elaborate than the last?