AFRAID (2024 movie)

Since the twilight of the pandemic, AI has become an exploding trend. Most AI applications are beneficial, but some are controversial, and a few are horrifying. From the producer of horror movies such as M3GAN and The Black Phone comes a horrifying twist on the AI trend.

AFRAID (2024 movie)

AFRAID is a horror movie written and directed by Chris Weitz. It's a horrifying twist on the ever-growing AI trend. A family is selected to try out a new home device called AIA. AIA makes their lives convenient until it goes berserk. The family must risk everything to escape AIA's clutches.

This horror movie is proof that this is the future we live in because humans like us over-relied on AI trends such as the ever-popular Amazon Alexa, ChatGPT, Siri, and others. It exposes us to what happens when AI takes control of our lives and leaves us in an inescapable death trap. Welcome to the new normal, people.

What better way to end the summer than to see a horror film that exposes the horrors of our overreliance on AI?

Let's Do The News! (August 30, 2024)

          

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- A magnitude 4.6 quake hits Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.

- The Bureau of Immigration is not yet acquitted in Alice Guo's escape and her lawyer who notarized its counter-affidavit is likely to be disbarred, according to the PH DOJ. Guo and others will be charged with money laundering by the AMLC.

- The Philippine National Police is still halfway through raiding the KOJC compound.

- Partial operation of the MRT-7 to San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, will begin next year.

- US President Kamala Harris defends her White House record as she is grilled on her shifting policy positions in her first interview as presidential candidate.

- Iran has increased its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran's Supreme Leader said he was not opposed to re-opening talks with the US.

- Ukraine's F-16 fighter jet crashed just weeks after it was donated by NATO allies.

- Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat wants sanctions against Israeli ministers for anti-Palestinian "hate messages".

- The Xpeng Mona M03 was unveiled with up to 620km of driving range.

Xpeng Mona M03

- The Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch 21 new models by 2030, including the production version of the N Vision 74 Concept, IONIQ 9, the Genesis Magma lineup, and others. It also confirms the EREV system and Android Auto IT System.

- Audi teases the third-generation Q5 crossover coming next week.

- Things to expect on Forza Motorsport (Xbox Series X|S)'s Year 2 plans and beyond.

- The My Dress-Up Darling TV drama airs on MBS this October, starring Riko Nagase and Kota Nomura.

- Love and Berry from the Oshare Majo Love and Berry game series will make their special guest appearance on the October 6 episode of Himitsu no AiPri.

- Disney announced Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, the sequel to the hit sitcom series Wizards of Waverly Place. It airs on Disney Channel this October 29 and on Disney+ the next day.

- Actor Armie Hammer sold off his truck to start a "new life" after his cannibalism scandal.

- Actor-politician Richard Gomez drew flak over his comment about EDSA traffic.

TTFN.

My FH5 Log: Goodbye Fiesta. Hello New Adventures.

 Ford says:

"It’s been a fun ride over the past years, and we couldn’t be prouder of our spirited, up-for-anything compact vehicle. Even though we will no longer be producing the Fiesta, we think we’ve got a few vehicles in our lineup to fill your criteria for versatility and driving enjoyment to seek out new adventures."

The people behind the Forza games forgot the memo and injected the not-for-US final-generation Fiesta into Forza Horizon 5 as the prize car from the High-Performance Dailies Wet Season Playlist.

Another Ford we never got in the States has popped up during the Forza Horizon 5 High-Performance Dailies update. What's it all about?

The Ford Fiesta Mk8 made its world premiere at Ford's Go Further 2016 event in Germany and it's available only in a hatchback body style in regular, the sporty ST, and the crossover-ish Active. The ST is powered by a 1.5L three-cylinder engine that produces 200PS of power and 290Nm of torque. Mated exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox, it does 0-100kph in 6.7 seconds.

A limited-edition Fiesta ST Edition was unveiled. Available exclusively as a three-door and only 500 units were built and sold only for Europe, it dons the Azura Blue exterior paint and other exclusive features.

Production of the Fiesta ended in June 2023.

To give the not-for-US final-generation Fiesta a rather unnecessary sendoff it deserved, let's drive it to one of the latest Sprint races offered in this update. I've driven the not-for-US final-generation Ford Focus at the Rocosa Sprint as well as the final JDM Toyota Camry at the San Juan Sprint. Now, let's use the Valle Del Rio Sprint as the final destination for Europe's favorite little car. Roll the tape.

Shame.

The Ford Fiesta is a great car. It's stylish, affordable, and fun to drive. Unfortunately, Ford discontinued the Fiesta in the United States. If they had kept it in their lineup, it would have been one of the most affordable high-performance daily drivers on the market. Sadly, it's too late for that.

Ford Fiesta Retired. Now What?

The Ford Fiesta has been a great car for Europe since its introduction in 1976. It became one of the all-time greats, along with the legendary Cortina. For eight generations, this world-proven compact fulfilled its role within Ford's lineup as an efficient and easy-to-drive car that relatively well. Now that the Fiesta's story is done, its outstanding legacy will live on forever. 

Goodnight, Fiesta.

Let's Do The News! (August 29, 2024)

         

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- A fire broke out at the Baseco Compound in Manila, the second alarm has been raised. As of 1:14 PM Manila Time, the fire that broke out in a residential area in Baseco Compound, Manila has been declared out.

- The oil collected from the submerged MT Terranova has reached over 200k liters, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

- The Bureau of Immigration is punished for failure to prosecute accomplices in issuing fake passports and birth certificates.

- Advocacy groups are supporting the PNP's efforts to hunt down Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. Meanwhile, Quiboloy's hangar is possibly connected to an underground bunker. The PNP is closely monitoring the hangar.

- Telegram chief Pavel Durov was placed under formal investigation in France and banned from leaving the country.

- At least nine Palestinians killed as Israel launches operation in occupied West Bank, and troops surround Jenin hospital.

- The FBI said the gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump last month had searched extensively online for events by him and President Joe Biden.

- The smart #5 crossover was unveiled. It's the first to feature a Sennheiser sound system with 20 speakers.

2025 smart #5

- The all-new MG ZS was unveiled with a hybrid powertrain.

2025 MG ZS

- Land Rover remastered the first-generation Defender with the 5.0L V8 natural aspiration engine mated to an 8-speed ZF AT.

- Mashin Sozoden Wataru TV anime premieres this January 2025 on TV Tokyo.

- SM Entertainment has shared a statement in response to recent reports about Taeil’s sexual offense allegations being filed earlier this year in June.

- The Paris 2024 Paralympics has officially begun. The opening ceremony took place at the Place de la Concorde.

- Korean actor Kim Ji Soo officially signs a contract with Sparkle GMA Artist Center.

- TV presenter Willie Revillame drew flak from netizens over last night's Wil To Win episode when he rejected the phone call from a contestant for watching Family Feud on GMA-7.

TTFN.

Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet

When Mercedes-AMG engineers took the subtle CLE Coupe, force-fed it moderate amounts of steroids, and made it look moderately cool without drawing wanton attention, the result was the Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Coupe. What about the Cabriolet version?

2025 Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet

The Mercedes-AMG CLE53 Cabriolet is the latest AMG open-top model. It starts at 100,436 Euros, which is less expensive than the Mercedes-AMG SL43, making it the season’s bargain. The CLE53 Cabriolet is a bold blend of machoness and subtlety, as you would expect from a moderately beefed-up CLE Cabriolet.

Under the hood, the CLE53 Cabriolet has a 3.0L inline-six engine with an electric turbo and an integrated starter generator that produces up to 472PS of power. Mated to an AMG Speedshift TCT 9G and AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, it does 0-100kph in 4.4 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.

The CLE53 Cabriolet is a moderately good car to drive on the road and on the track. It has AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with fully adaptable power distribution and rear-wheel steering. It also has AMG DYNAMIC SELECT, three-stage AMG parameter steering with variable ratio, and AMG RIDE CONTROL suspension with adaptive damping. However, the controversial AMG Real Performance Sounds is downright filtered.

Having a V6-powered convertible with a six-figure price tag is outrageous, but for the fun of it, you can really have the CLE53 Cabriolet over the SL43 because despite being slower than that, it is less expensive, more powerful, and overall, more fun to drive. It's a bravado of a bargain AMG managed to pull it off.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz AG

Volkswagen ID.3 GTX

When the first-ever Volkswagen ID.3 received its first minor change last year, it gained what the customers demanded apart from its updated styling; and more user-friendly features. It all went well but the lack of a performance variant made it...lacking. Until now.

2025 Volkswagen ID.3 GTX

2025 Volkswagen ID.3 GTX interior

The first-ever Volkswagen ID.3 GTX is an all-electric alternative to the legendary Golf GTI. It promises to deliver GTI levels of driving feel, and at 50,795 Euros plus additional costs, it's a worthy sleeper. The ID.3 GTX is part subtle and part obvious.

Although it looks and feels just like the normal ID.3, it features the usual GTX exterior treatment as well as sporty front seats, red stitching, a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and illuminated touch sliders for the media volume and air-conditioning. It still fits five people and has up to 1267 liters of boot space for your daily stuff.

Being the only rear-wheel-drive vehicle of the VW GTX grid, the electric motor powering the rear axles and the 79kWh battery pack gives the ID.3 GTX 286PS of power and 545 Nm of torque. In the more powerful Performance variant, the performance figures bumped to 326PS, resulting in a 0-100kph time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 200kph, as fast as a Mazda Roadster.

The ID.3 GTX is a rear-wheel drive car that weighs almost two and a half tons. It behaves like a hot hatch but in a mild and tangy way as expected. It has spartan driving manners just like a normal Porsche 911. Driving one is a piece of cake, thank you MEB platform and aluminum bodywork.

As for safety, the ID.3 GTX features a wide array of ADAS such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist, Travel Assist with automated lane changes, and Park Assist Plus with a memory function. It also comes with V2X technology that allows this car to "communicate" with others within 800 meters and alert the driver of hazards, accidents, and stationary traffic.

If you're looking for a hot hatch that promises to be as cool as the Golf GTi, but the Golf is out of the picture due to the new normal, then the ID.3 GTX is your only alternative. It's controversial, but it's worth a shot.

Available Colors: Mondsteingrau Schwarz, Grenadillschwarz Metallic Schwarz, Gletscherweiß Metallic Schwarz, Kings Red Metallic Schwarz, and Scale Silver Metallic Schwarz.

Photo: Volkswagen AG

Let's Do The News! (August 28, 2024)

        

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Today's Metro Manila Council meeting regarding mpox and ASF is canceled due to inclement weather.

- Senator Win Gatchalian claims that Sheila Guo lied to the Senate just like her fugitive sister Alice Guo.

- The DILG clarified to the court what's with the temporary restraining order at the KOJC. The PNP says that the search for the KOJC compound over Pastor Apollo Quiboloy will continue despite the TPO.

- Israel says it has rescued a hostage being held by Hamas during a "complex" operation in southern Gaza.

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will present his "victory plan" to the US. Ukraine's recent incursion into Russia's Kursk region is part of the plan. 

- Williams Racing dropped Logan Sargeant out of the F1 '24 season following his firey accident during Free Practice in Zandvoort last weekend and he was replaced by Argentinian Franco Colapinto for the remainder of the season.

- The NASCAR Cup Series will, for the first time, race in Mexico City for the 2025 season.

- Ariel showcased its E-Nomad concept with its 281bhp electric motor.

- The recent Nintendo Direct showcase previews new games coming to the Nintendo Switch such as Pizza Tower, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, The Patrick Star Game, and more.

- The MMORPG video game Blue Protocol will end its service this January 18, 2025.

- Netflix original series Gyeongseong Creature's 2nd season will premiere this September 27, 2024.

- The NCAA is proposing the elimination of football's spring transfer window. Under their proposal, the 30-day transfer window in December would become the lone opportunity for FBS and FCS players to enter their name in the transfer portal and seek a new school.

TTFN.