Category Archives: Immortality

Developer Arkane Studios has revealed some of the environmental inspirations for its time-twisting shooter Deathloop.

Blackreef Island, the central location inDeathloop, is a striking place cold and isolated, yet populated (admittedly by hedonistic cultists living the same day on repeat as a desperate grasp for immortality) and possessed of striking natural beauty. While that taps into the sense of protagonist Cole having no one to rely on but himself as he faces down an entire island thats out to kill him, its also based on real-world locations.

On the officialDeathloop Twitter account (as spotted by GamesRadar), Arkane revealed that Blackreef is inspired by Edinburgh, Scotland, with dark shades of stone facades made from the rock present on the island.

It added that the studio also took inspiration from the Faroe Islands, to give it that isolated village feel.

Given the population of the Faroe Islands in 2020 sat at a mere 52,337, with a population density of 38.1 per square kilometre compared to the UKs density of 270.7 per square kilometre it probably served as excellent reference material for Blackreefs vast rocky expanses and icy tundra.

Deathloop launched on September 14 on PS5 and PC. In NMEs review of the game, it was dubbed Arkanes most ambitious game, with reviewer Jordan Oloman saying they wereblown away by Arkanes ambitions in game design, and how they manage to maintain them alongside such strong aesthetics, and compelling writing.

However, nearly two months on from release, Arkane says players still havent uncovered all of the game or Blackreefs secrets.

In other news, the famously difficult Tetris: The Grand Master a Japan-only version of the block-dropping puzzler that tests even the most committed players skills may finally be coming to consoles in the west.

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Deathloop based Blackreef Island on Scotland and the Faroe Islands - NME.com

This year, there is one game world I have enjoyed exploring more than any other. Were so spoiled for visually rich open environments these days, it takes something special to keep players immersed, to keep them wandering about looking at stuff, just for the sake of it. Deathloop is a shining example. Developer Arkane is known for its highly refined and individual approach to game art, thanks to the astonishing Dishonored titles, set in a steam-punk dystopia of rats, robotic guards and ornate classical architecture. This time around, the team created a strange Groundhog Day-like adventure set on an island populated by mad scientists and spoiled billionaires, all looking to gain immortality by living the same day over and over again, thanks to a localised space-time phenomenon.

The island of Blackreef, where the whole game takes place, provides a fascinating example of how Arkane works. At first, the team built a timeline to explain the variety of natural and human-made features in each region. The location itself is a remote, wintery outpost, heavily inspired by the Faroe Islands, with craggy cliffs and windswept grasslands. On top of this are the monolithic concrete buildings constructed by a group of military researchers who arrived in the 1930s to investigate the islands weird phenomena. And then, decades later came Aeon, a cabal of rich tech bros, looking for a new playground. It was kind of like if Elon Musk had said, lets go to the Bermuda Triangle and study it! explains art director Seb Mitton. They came with all this money and realised they could create these strange events. They said were going to start this loop and were going to live forever.

So in the islands architecture, you see different layers co-existing: the islands flora, the military buildings, with bunkers and towering antenna (inspired by abandoned sites in northern Europe, Japan and Russia, such as Chenobyl), and in addition, a hedonistic society, re-purposing and re-decorating everything they see. For this element, Mitton and his team were heavily inspired by the end of the 1960s. It was all about freedom of mind, he said. If you think about hippies, people really wanted change at that time, people wanted to live differently, but you had the cold war as well; there was a lot of violence. We found inspiration in the era of the Vietnam war that helped us build the Aeon programme: the visionaries and their guests what are their goals in life? For some its drinking all day, its partying, for others its about killing people. But there are no consequences because there is no tomorrow, so, even though theres a lot of violence, its very lighthearted.

The 60s influence is clear in the games interiors the buildings throughout are filled with brash, multicoloured furnishings, weird art and gigantic Saul Bass-style posters. However, Mittons team worked hard to avoid kitsch excesses they didnt want it to become Austin Powers: the game. At the same time, we looked at contemporary materials and there were a lot of rugs, a lot of rounded plastics it was very different to what we did in the Dishonored games, where it was a lot of straight lines. Theres a big contrast between the outside where everything is cold and hard, and the interiors, where everything is colourful. At Arkane, we love creating contrast because it plays with the players emotions. We also developed different layers depending on each of the visionaries background: some build laboratories, but Frank has a casino for him its a party. So we took these different themes inspired by the 60s and we developed them differently to reflect the characters.

Another big influence on the interior architecture was Frank Lloyd Wright, whose approach suited the experience Arkane wanted to provide. As he explains, He made these huge offices and in our game thats very useful we couldnt make very small interiors because we want a lot of mobility. Also, he was one of the first architects to work with diffused light so youd look up and think you were seeing the ceiling but actually it was the light behind it. It was such a different approach to office design. For the parties, we looked at how he lit interiors to make inside light look like outside light, we looked at all his work with lines and wooden curves. As soon as you go in Joannas house at the very beginning of the game, you see the 1960s has taken hold: these big rooms, huge lamps, feature fireplaces thats 60s interior design.

Mitton reels off the cinematic influences on the look of the game. It feels like Kubrick is in there, as well as Roger Vadim, but he also cites Jacques Tatis futuristic classic Playtime, and Tarantinos Jackie Brown. Importantly though, the townscapes in Deathloop are designed to be play spaces, to encourage joyful exploration. Here, the team was inspired by Italian towns such as Positano, which tumble down steep cliffs towards the sea and look climbable. You see it on Google Earth or Street View and you think I could jump from this roof to that one, that would be great. We call our districts mini open worlds because theyre not linear, you can go everywhere, there are very few buildings closed off some that are closed during the day might be open in the evening. We play a lot with physics and water levels, so some places unlock when tides go out. Its really important to make sure players dont get burned out. When people play Dishonored, even today theyll still find different passageways.

For the strange costumes worn by the games non-player characters, Mitton looked at late-60s fashion. It was an era in which people were moving away from tailored clothes, toward expressive fashion with lots of new fabrics and printing technologies. With swinging London, he says. People really took hold of their look, they joined fashion gangs. We looked at Twiggy, she really brought forward that whole ready-to-wear, off-the-rack look. People would choose clothing and assemble their own style. Were still Arkane, though, so we always look at the lines, we make sure everything reflects the light beautifully, we looked at new shaders for the different fabrics

The decision to have all the characters wear masks was partly technological (its still difficult to portray authentic emotions on the face of a game character), but it was also about the idea of using fashion, design and art to express emotion. Aeon is living like an endless party, so it made sense to express this in the decoration of the streets and buildings such as the coloured powders used in Hindu festivals, or the paint-throwing in the Cascamorras festivals of Andalucia, or of course, the vast street murals of the hippy era. I mean sometimes theyd paint entire building facades, says Mitton. There are pubs in London that were entirely painted, even the roof tiles, and these were exterior projections of their emotions: this is our party, our place. For the people of Aeon, why not just live an exalted crazy life?!

I think thats why the world of Deathloop is so arresting and explorable it isnt just a pastiche of historical architecture and design. Everything has a place in the fiction of the world, and everything expresses an underlying theme or idea. As Mitton puts it, we looked at the Beatles and Rolling Stones, but we tried to understand what was cool about those haircuts, and what was just too goofy. He pauses for a second before adding. That took us a really long time.

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Deathloop: how Arkane used Frank Lloyd Wright, Tarantino and Twiggy to build a world - The Guardian

This weekend sees Saul Canelo Alvarez take a huge leap towards boxing immortality. The WBA, WBC and WBO super-middleweight champion takes on IBF champion Caleb Plant for the chance to become undisputed. After a heated build-up, which has seen the great Mexican uncharacteristically lose his cool, the main event has potential to become an absolute cracker.

Heres everything you need to know ahead of one of the biggest fights of the year...

Where:

MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When:

Saturday, November 6.

How To Watch:

The fight will be shown on BT Sport Box Office for a price of 19.95.

Tale Of The Tape:

Alvarez

Place Of Birth: Guadalajara, Mexico

Alias: Canelo

Age: 31

Pro debut: 29/10/05

Record: 56-1-2 (38)

Height: 58

Reach: 70

Plant

Place Of Birth: Nashville, Tennessee

Alias: Sweethands

Age: 29

Pro debut: 10/5/14

Record: 21-0 (12)

Height: 61

Reach: 74

Last Fight:

Canelo was last in action back in May, beating Billy Joe Saunders in eight rounds to add the WBO strap to his collection, breaking the Brits right orbital bone in the process. The Mexican also stopped mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in February. Plant has fought just once in 2021, outboxing Caleb Truax to a unanimous decision win in Los Angeles in January.

What They Say:

Canelo: Im 100% focused on this fight. Theres nothing else crossing my mind. After its over, well figure out who the next opponent will be.

Being the undisputed champion is huge for my legacy. Not only would it be an honor to be the first Latin American fighter to do it, but theres only a select club of fighters who have achieved this. Eddy [Reynoso, his trainer] and I said in the beginning that the goal was to be undisputed, and now were one fight away.

Plant: This is personal for me, but every fight is personal for me. Ive sacrificed a lot for this sport and dedicated myself completely, so anybody whos getting in the way of my goals makes it personal to me. No matter who it is.

There are a lot of things that I possess that are going to give him issues in the fight. Every fighter says this is their best camp, but I am honestly saying that. Ive had no injuries, amazing sparring and Im ready to rock.

Undercard:

Anthony Dirrell vs Marcos Hernandez, super-middleweight

Rey Vargas vs Leonardo Baez, super bantamweight

Elvis Rodriguez vs Juan Pablo Romero, super-lightweight

Betfred Odds:

Canelo: 1/10

Draw: 25/1

Plant: 6/1

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Everything You Need To Know About Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs Caleb Plant - The Sportsman

DC ComicsThe Swamp Thinghas been a story about a lot of things. Its a series about environmentalism, the immortality of ideas, and its a story about family.The Swamp Thing #9 manages to touch on all of those themes, while also eagerly employing classic comic book tropes. Writer Ram V, artist Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Aditya Bidikar have tons of fun withThe Swamp Thing #9. Its an issue with lots of heart.

V brings all of the threads of this sprawling series together. Our mysterious villain, Mr. Pilgrim, and our heroes are finally meeting face-to-face. And, nearly immediately, Pilgrim begins monologuing. Vs pulling right from classic comics with this scene, and it feels just right. Part of what makes Pilgrims history lesson work is that V is constantly jumping around in this script. We see Levi racing to the rescue, thinking back on all the omens and warnings hes scene that have told him everything would lead to this, then we come back to hear more about Pilgrims plans.

As we reach the final scene, V shows how his deep, philosophical character study and his pulpy, tropey comic script fits together. Braiding both aspects of the story together seamlessly, V leaves us on a rousing story beat. It will leave you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the last issue in this miniseries.

So much of this comics ability to have its cake and eat it too comes from Perkins brilliant art. When Vs script transitions from a pulpy action sequence to a scene of Levi wrestling with his past, its Perkins who makes the switch feel seamless. Thats because, even in Perkins action sequences, you can see the fear in Swamp Things eyes. He never loses the humanity at the core of this story. But hes also full of the comic book tropey fun, too. Pilgrims face shows up in a variety of sinister expressions throughout the issue. Hes a character whos evil and proud of it. Perkins makes the character terrifying, though you still cant help but kind of love him too.

In this issue, we see Pilgrims collected research on the Swamp Thing. He has screens lit up with decades of research. Each screen, Spicer colors in a shade of green. But its not the rich, dark green that weve become familiar with in this series. Its a yellowing green, a green that almost seems to be rotting. With this, Spicer makes Pilgrims efforts to connect to the Green look counterfeit and off. Then, when Levi shows up as the Swamp Thing, we see the deep green of nature come flying into the picture. Spicers coloring is both stunning and meaningful.

Bidikars lettering choices are always rich with purpose. When we see one of Levis memories, the dialogue is shown in a faded grey font. Its easy to picture the sound of it, like an echo in your head, not something you hear out loud. Later, Bidikar shows Swamp Thing screaming in desperation. The letters burst past the outline of his word balloon, like they cant be contained. Then, as the issue closes, we see Swamp Thing speak his first bolded word. Bidikar holds off using bold earlier in the issue to give this final moment all the punch it needs.

DC Comics The Swamp Thingcontinues to be bafflingly beautiful. V, Perkins, Spicer, and Bidikar have delivered a series thats both complex and fun at the same time. This issue sets us up for a grand finale. Hopefully, thats not the last we see of these characters. There still seems to be plenty of story to tell. Pick up The Swamp Thing #9, out from DC Comics November 2nd, at a comic shop near you!

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Review: THE SWAMP THING #9 Brilliantly Sets up the Final Issue - Monkeys Fighting Robots

Service: HBO Max

Show Title: "Dune"

Tune in every week for a new review for what is trending on your services.

The desert world of Dune is a monotonous, bleak sphere of sand. But hidden underneath the titular landform is a precious substance which grants virtual immortality, god-like prescience and the capability to travel to far-flung locales across the universe. The film, released in both theaters and on HBO Max Oct. 22, is the second adaptation of Frank Herbert's acclaimed 1965 novel, possibly the most popular science fiction book of all time, if sales are any indication. Directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothe Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson, the movie is undoubtedly the year's highlight for its genre, combining thrilling visual drama with a unique story of political intrigue.

"Dune" is distinctive among a sea of other space epics by its overt rejection of futuristic technologies: set centuries after humanity destroyed all forms of artificial intelligence and banned any use of computers, the film depicts the use of analog machinery not unlike our own alongside psychic powers which resemble magic. If you expect laser crossfires, planet-hopping space travel and deus ex machina technobabble, "Dune" will surprise you instead with swords, human thinking machines and a story confined primarily to two locations. In fact, the most prominently featured technologies are nothing more than the water conservation and recycling systems necessary in an extremely arid climate.

This refreshingly simple backdrop is the perfect foil for familial rivalry: a war between two fiefdoms engineered by an insecure and power-hungry emperor. Once again betraying the sweeping scale typical of its genre, "Dune" focuses much of its runtime on the personal travails of protagonist Paul Atreides, heir to a prosperous dukedom who is forced to flee into the deep uncharted desert. Paul turns to the indigenous population of Dune for help but is forced to contend with their understandable mistrust of outsiders, who historically oppressed and enslaved them.

Near the end of the film, it becomes clear that "Dune" is only the first installment of a new franchise. I for one eagerly anticipate the next! The film is a treat for both committed sci-fi fans and anyone in search of a good action movie, thanks to its clear plot, immaculate special effects and creative repudiation of conventional sci-fi tropes.

Here is the original post:

Streaming Now: "Dune" | Opinion | reflector-online.com - The Reflector online

Duke basketball (Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)

Although the outlook seems bright for Duke basketball in 2021-22, there are some storm clouds on the horizon. The good news for the Blue Devils is that they can see those dark skies up ahead; the question is: can they avoid them?

By looking into Duke basketballs past in the last bully-ball article, we tried to portend some success for the future. Despite those past powerhouses ACC titles, combined record of 69-8, and the reverent places they hold in Duke basketball fandom, neither the 1998-99 nor 2018-19 team won an NCAA titleSIGH!

But tomorrow is a new day, and Im putting my belief, or distorted hope, in the third-time-is-a-charm theory that ran rampant through the other piece. This seasons Duke basketball squad looks more than ready, as evidenced or not by the short snippets of scrimmage video against the preseasons No. 4 team, the Villanova Wildcats.

Paolo Banchero seems like the beast he was advertised to be with a good handle and ability to stretch the floor and initiate offense for himself or others. He also appears to have an air and attitude about him thatscreams National Player of the Year and all that entails. Again, both those other Duke basketball teams actually had NPOYs so thats not always the recipe for ultimate success.

Some of the issues that hurt both the 1998-99 and 2018-19 squads can be seen in this current group, although no one really believes that either of them wasnt the best in the nation and shouldnt have won the title.

Its yet to be seen if this group is that good, but less physically dominant teams have brought the goods back to Durham. Its up to the 2021-22 Blue Devils to take their chance at Duke basketball immortality and do what those two comparable behemoths could not.

We explored how these Blue Devils can be just as good by using their physical gifts to their advantage. Like Dukes previous bullies, this group seems primed to hit the glass, get out in transition, and play smothering defense. They are big and thick, and most dont seem to mind mixing it up a little bit. Offensively, they have one of the more deadly in-out duos in the nation, potentially, in Trevor Keels and Banchero.

I would bring Trajan Langdon and Elton Brand to mind, but thats almost sacrilegious considering neither freshman has played a game yet and those other guys were just the senior/sophomore combo leading Duke basketballs most dominant team of all time. Either way, the potential for great things is there, if Duke can play above the faults that brought those others down.

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Duke basketball bully-ball might be back: The Pitfalls Edition - Ball Durham

Some of you may be surprised to find out that UBCs Vancouver campus is the ninth most-filmed location in the world. Yep, you did read that right, the entire world! Located in the city that is known for never playing itself, UBCs Vancouver campus has been disguised as everything from Nazi Germany to a high school to even multiple different science fiction universes. I hate ranking movies, probably because my own personal favourite changes from hour to hour, so Im going to count them down based on how many UBC locations are visible on the big screen.

It was only after rewatching Shes the Man this summer that I recognized the stadium skyline as being UBC. Based on Shakespeares play Twelfth Night, the film follows a teenage girl named Viola who after her high school gets rid of the girls soccer team, poses as her twin brother so she can play in the big tournament. The film basically annihilated gender stereotypes with its exaggerated performances that are sure to make viewers laugh. While not the most recognizable spot, its still fun knowing that this quirky rom was filmed on campus.

I was unsure of where to put this film on the list. Tomorrowland is a science fiction film about an inventor named Frank and a teenager named Casey who explore Tomorrowland an unexplored dimension of time and space. While the film features the Buchanan side of Main Mall, the few glimpses we get of campus were digitally altered in post production to make it look like New Yorks 1964 World Fair. Its pretty easy to miss campus, but if you watch closely you can see a corner of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery. This movie is probably the least underwhelming and unrecognizable view of UBC out of the bunch, but it technically features more than Shes The Man, so I had to place it at number four.

Set in San Francisco, The Age of Adaline follows the adventures of a woman who after a fatal car accident, is miraculously granted immortality, causing her to remain twenty-nine for eight decades. In the film, Blake Livelys character drives an old-timey car down Main Mall where you can see the Chemistry building and IKB in the background. If you look up the film online, you can even find some student-taken photos posted on reddit of Main Mall from the night of the shoot!

The Butterfly Effect is a science fiction thriller that features a time travelling Ashton Kutcher. In the film, Kutcher uses his powers to change past events for himself and friends; finding himself having to live through multiple alternate universes after realizing that changing the past also changes the future. This film boasts multiple UBC locations. While Main Mall is the most obvious of the locations, some scenes also take place within various classrooms on campus.

Finally, the film with the most UBC locations out of this list is Fifty Shades of Grey. The film is the first film in the Fifty Shades trilogy adapted from E.L. James novels. Perhaps the most entertaining part of this movie is the way they construct spaces using multiple different UBC locations. One of many of these instances is the graduation sequence where they enter the auditorium through the MacMillan building and end up inside The Chan Centre auditorium. Some other notable locations visible in the film are IKB, the Chemistry building and the Frederic Wood Theatre. Similar to Age Of Adaline, you can find student posted photos of Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan filming on campus on the internet.

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Five movies you didn't know were filmed at UBC - Ubyssey Online

The forces of darkness and evil with help from some of those in government insisted on conspiring against the will of the people. Now there is a blanket internet shutdown aiming to create an environment where they can commit their heinous crimes against protesters away from the watchful eyes of the world.

Taking to the streets became inevitable and a legitimate way for people to defend their newly acquired freedom, to stand against the military junta and defend the constitutional document.

All sectors of the Sudanese community, from groups to individuals, from people in the countryside to people in the cities, must join the masses to resist this coup and restore the democratic transition process to its right path towards an undiminished full democratic transformation.

Negotiations, conferences, dialogue or even condemnations of this coup do not spare the thundering masses that rallied on 21 October, demanding the handing-over of the power to civilians.

We must rise to stop the completion of this coup, which has turned into a rough and savage act that sponsors terrorism, terrorises innocent people and suppress freedom and democracy.

These are unprecedented acts in the history of Sudan, and they amount to terrorism

In order to avoid the international catastrophe that threatens the stability of the country and region, and even threatens international peace and security, we call on all countries of the free world that believe in democracy to condemn and reject this coup.

We also ask to expose those who executed the coup and the complicit officials and their supporters wherever they are. Expose the complicit faction army and militias, the terrorist Islamic Brotherhood regime and its security brigades.

Show the consequences of their actions against the unarmed civilians, and against ministers and executives of the state, such as wielding weapons against the minister of industry, dragging the cabinet affairs minister out barefoot in his pyjamas, and kidnapping the prime minister.

These are unprecedented acts in the history of Sudan, and they amount to terrorism crimes against humanity have been committed that contravene international law and human rights. The international community must play its part and protect the Sudanese people.

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Whoever supports this coup either publicly or passively, by being silent, contributes to placing Sudan in the category of tyrannical, dictatorial regimes that must be exposed worldwide. We support the masses of our people flooding the streets roaring like torrents in resistance to the military junta who robbed the people dreams.

Here, we send a message to the UN, that the Sudanese people who are currently in the streets condemning the coup and chanting for freedom, civility and democratic transformation, have paid a heavy price and sacrificed the lives of the most precious of their youth to get rid of a dictatorial regime that lasted for 30 lean years.

The Sudanese people are in dire need of the strongest possible measures from the international community to end this military coup immediately and restore the legitimate authority to the people to complete the transition to democracy, and to start building the new democratic Sudan.

We urge the UN to take the necessary measures to stop any act of violence by the security forces, rapid support forces, and the army against unarmed civilians, and the progress of the Sudanese people towards freedom, democracy and a decent life!

Long live the glorious December revolution, and may the Sudanese people live free, proud, independent, without guardianship from anyone.

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Sudan: Glory and immortality to the martyrs and victory to the masses - The Africa Report

FILL UP YOUR CUP WITH SOME FIZZY CUP FILLER

There are no Big Cup fixtures this week. No action either in Big Vase, or whatever that thing is that Spurs are in. There are no international qualifiers and no rescheduled Premier League matches, this weeks episodes of Succession and the Bake Off have been and gone, and the nights are fair drawing in so Granny Fiver wont let us out to the swings. Theres not much to do, dear reader, so, and you wont hear us saying this sort of thing very often, thank goodness for the League Cup! Yep! You heard us. Aye.

A traditionalist to its marrow, The Fiver has always loved this grand-ish old-ish competition, and none of its myriad dignity-stripping associations with Fizzy Pop, Fizzy Beer, Rumbelows, Littlewoods, Woolies, Timothy Whites, Bejam, MacFisheries, Milk, Eggs, Bacon, Lard, Breakfast Ale or Players No6 have ever lessened our excitement when League Cup week comes round. Even last nights meagre fare the only highlight in three matches being Eddie Nketiahs bid for internet immortality as he sliced the ball with his shin one yard from an open goal, only for it to roll across the line and apologetically into the far corner, a very unsatisfactory denouement in pure slapstick terms hasnt quelled our desire for ever more sensational sparkling soccer. More please, Fizzy Cup!

And indeed the bubbles keep rising thick and fast. The reigning champions Manchester City travel to West Ham, conquerors of Manchester United, who, knowing what we know now, bought Ole Gunnar Solskjr at least three more days by getting themselves knocked out in the last round. Burnley and Spurs replay the 1962 FA Cup final; Preston and Liverpool contest the Bill Shankly derby; Leicester host Brighton in what was a third-division fixture just 11 years ago; and 1935-36s fourth-best team in the country, Stoke, welcome Brentford, who finished just one place below them that year in the First Division. Yes, were pretty sure these are the prisms through which most people will be viewing this particular set of fixtures, and why not, with plenty of scores to be settled there. Our Fizzy Cup runneth over! Hic.

Join Scott Murray at 7.45pm BST for red-hot minute-by-minute updates on Preston 1-3 Liverpool in the Milk Cup fourth round.

Im a footballer and Im proud to be gay Adelaide Uniteds Josh Cavallo becomes the only known current male top-flight professional footballer in the world to come out as gay.

Test your knowledge of unexpected international call-ups here.

With rumours still flying around Old Trafford I really do think they should seriously consider Steve Bruce. I know hes getting on a bit but hes got to be better than the current centre-backs (terrific turn of pace, too Fiver Ed) John Myles.

Alex Ferguson and Martin Edwards turned up at Carrington? Will we see a new midfield on Saturday? Ferguson, Van de Beek and Edwards ? No, thats silly, Van de Beek has no chance Martin Reece.

Given the grovelling press David Moyes has been getting recently youd think he was the second-coming of Brian Clough or Jos Mourinho, the old Special One not the current dysfunctional one. As an experiment why dont the Hammers and Man Utd switch Moyes for Ole? It would give us a return visit to Moyes so carefully tucking his note-to-self Sharpie into his United blazer, while Ole would be under no undue pressure to succeed and we just might find out that one is overrated and the other underrated Hanford Woods.

Thanks for doing an article on stats and commentators (yesterdays Still Want More?), just the excuse I needed to highlight another commentary irritant. Although vast amounts of stats exist it does not mean they must be used. Telling me that the goal I have just witnessed is the first that player has scored with his left foot in three years and that hell enjoy the celebration because its his birthday may well be interesting details but if I am hearing them as the net is still rippling it seems irrelevant. Perhaps I should turn the volume down Liam Stevens.

Once again The Fiver purposely provokes the pedants: Donald Gennaro ... blah blah blah ... T-Rex ... blah blah blah ... not velociraptors ... blah blah blah. Is provocation of the dino-pedants better or worse than the provocation of grammar pedants? Ian Sherman (and no other dino-pedants).

Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Todays winner of our letter o the day is John Myles, who wins a copy of John Nicholsons excellent Was Football Better in the Old Days?

Ole stays! For now at least. Next up for Manchester United? Tottenham. Atalanta. Manchester City. Ah.

Fifpro and European Leagues have called for complete reform of governance to prevent the recurring threat of a uropean $uper eague.

Latvia 0-10 England. Its a night I [and presumably most of the Latvia team] will never forget, honked hat-trick hero Ella Toone. Meanwhile, Estonia put up a bit more fight in losing 4-0 to Wales.

Aston Villas Matty Cash is now a Polish citizen and expects to be Robert Lewandowskis teammate very soon.

We didnt want our first win to be away anyway. Rob McElhenney, one half of Wrexhams Hollywood ownership team, reflects on his first experience of live National League football, having flown in with Ryan Reynolds to watch the 3-2 loss against 10-man Maidenhead at York Road. Next up: Torquay at home. Oh, the glamour.

And Kepa Arrizabalaga has channelled the Baywatch theme tune in declaring he will be ready to step up for Chelsea if his fellow goalkeeper douard Mendy represents Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Richard Gough has written this touching tribute to Walter Smith, whom he for played at Dundee United, Everton and Rangers. He was a second father he could handle himself in any dressing room and got total respect from every player.

Ole is on the ropes but not yet out for the count. Heres a survival guide for Solskjr, courtesy of Jamie Jackson.

This weeks Knowledge: have the outfield players of a team ever had to wear goalkeeper kits?

Patson Daka looks like the Jamie Vardy replacement Leicester need, writes Ben McAleer. Just dont tell him about the Red Bull.

And if its your thing you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!

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Eddie Nketiahs bid for internet immortality and the Shankly derby - The Guardian

Ashima got a peek at her destiny when she was 13. Shell live a long life, an astrologer predicted. Even though Ashima didnt take this on blind faith, she was scared. The prospect of longevity wasnt as tempting as her family made it out to be.

The Indian consciousness has long since imbibed a cultural fixation with living a long life. People pray for an everlasting lifespan on birthdays and big occasions. Jeete Raho, as the oft-used blessing goes. Indian palmists hint at the lifeline, an arc meant to determine our stories. This obsession has shaped much of human desire shaping how we love, live, and understand death.

Butforever is beginning to sound exhausting. To young Indians, the stressors of modern life play out endlessly. In swapping forever with for now, the individual lives we lead and the way we talk about death, evolves.

***

I have known everything that life can give, lamented the immortal crow to Alexander the Great. Success, love, joy. Now I cannot die and I want to die. Alexander returned without drinking from the fountain of immortality.

Alexanders choice resonates today. In an experiment, Iddo Landau, a professor of Philosophy at the University of Haifa, asked thousands of people if they would take an Immortality Pill a concoction that would not only defy death but also keep people from aging. Almost 70% of people were against the idea.

Recently, researchers found the upper limit of human life is on the rise; some even argue there is no limit to the human lifespan. Perhaps were finally living in a time where we can finally have what the heroes and villains alike have been chasing in our stories: From Gothel confining Rapunzel to a tower to use her golden locks for immortality or Ras Al Ghul from Batman revisiting a pit of immortality to recharge himself. Even Dumbledore once craved eternal life.

Whats the point, asks 23-year-old Gokul. Look at the state of things around us, look at the standard of living whats the point in living long if we are going to be living like this?

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Today, living forever sounds tedious, futile, and environmentally unsustainable. The Lord of the Rings franchises Bilbo Baggins was burdened with an unusually long life. He was torn over a similar dilemma. I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread, said Bilbo.

There are also some intergenerational aspects to consider. New Scientists Richard Webb argued: Imagine attempting to get old disgracefully while your parents were still around to see it. According to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center, the average American isnt interested in living forever or extending life spans much beyond. Or another survey that found only one in five adults in the UK would choose to live forever. Just thinking that I have to work and save for another 100 years so that I can live somewhat comfortably does not really entice me, a Quora user wrote.

We think of life as a gift which is great until it begins feeling like a Russian doll.

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In 1973, anthropologist Ernest Becker argued that much of human action is meant to evade and ignore the reality of death. But as expectations from individual lives change, the way people perceive death changes too. Im more accepting of the inevitability now. The fear of death is no longer there, which is kind of freeing then you can talk about it more openly, says Rhea, 25. A study found constructing stories and conversations around death helps people understand their experiences and themselves and gives individuals a sense of predictability and control over their lives.

People in the past especially in India have struggled to articulate their anxiety around death. Not talking about it in front of elders, for instance, constitutes good manners. But this also discourages any conversation about planning or preparing for it. If we dont want to live forever, is there a way we want to die? I want to go off quietly as a protest against the world, Gokul says.

Most Indians consider it inauspicious to discuss death, much less prepare for it, a 2017 study out of the Tata Institute of Social Science showed. Ashima remembers discussing this with her partner; the two would prefer to exercise the right to die of their own free will. Rhea talked about her death with her friends and family. They found it a little unnerving, she says, understandably, because death makes everyone nervous. His parents always found it unsettling that when there was a death in the family, Gokul would think out loud about what would happen if he were to die; but they didnt talk about this either.

But labeling death as a bad omen only eclipses one reality. Death can be comforting in others, for it anchors an irrefutable, undeniable truth.

In some forms of therapy, people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are advised to hold on to a universal truth something undeniable, like No matter what, the sun will rise in the East to serve as an anchor while dissociating. For a colleague, the comforting truth remains One day, I will die.

If life is a party, anticipating death perhaps triggers the worst kind of FOMO of missing out forevermore. But people may no longer be worried about it. The real FOMO, then, is that of not living well.

A fixation with longevity also spills into how we live our everyday lives: people often dont maximize their time or resources in the present, thinking they can do many things later (the spiel of saving until youre 40 and then retiring). Kafka said the meaning of life is that it stops.

In the legend of Doctor Faustus, the doctor exchanges his soul for longer life. But what if we exchange a longer life for a meaningful one? Being unburdened by a larger mission of chasing a long life might alleviate the pressures on those grappling with burnout and exhaustion, for example. Listen to the yelly teenagers: Nobody wants to live through a climate crisis. No one lives to tell the tale after an 80-hour workweek. As the current generational anthem goes: Here for a good time, not a long time.

If people want to live forever, they tend to amass things because no one thinks of a time when they wont be there. Baad mein zarurat padhegi, (youll need it later in life), is a common refrain in Indian households. So you collect as much as you want, as much as you can. But because you are mass consuming everything, youre putting a strain on yourself, says Bindu Puri, a professor of Philosophy at Jawaharlal Nehru University. At some point, you end up being surrounded by clutter of the things you want to do, goals to achieve, adventures to try. But life cant be hoarded; when death isnt hushed away from discussion, people can find clarity.

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And what do we gain with this knowledge? Perhaps its the freedom to try a lot of things, try your best to do something because the odds are so good that none of it means anything; that perversely it makes me feel free to try, author Jia Tolentino proposed.

Ashima too finds herself focused on choices that suit her sensibilities, caring less about restrictions we impose on ourselves to make our families happy.

In Gullivers Travels, Jonathan Swift talks of the Struldbruggs, immortals whom Gulliver assumes must be the happiest people ever. But he learns that theyre bitter, crotchety grumps whose message for the rest of us is that living forever might be the harshest curse imaginable, as a blog noted. Just like the Struldbruggs, people may feel like foreigners in their own, ever-changing culture with time, argues Iddo Landau. The desire for a shorter life, thus, responds to a desire for belongingness, of shaping cultural identity, of being kinder.

It might lead to a culture where you value what youre achieving, where youre sympathetic to other people, Puri notes. Because youre sharing this condition of human mortality with other people.

In 1994, the host of the Miss USA competition asked Miss Alabama a now-familiar dinner-party question: If you could live forever, would you want to?

She responded: I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever.

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What if People No Longer Want To Live Forever? - The Swaddle