Author: rb809rb

  • Signal in the age of infinite noise

    The amount of analysis available to you right now is greater than at any point in human history.

    And yet most people have less clarity on what is actually happening than they did five years ago.

    What changed is the scale. When analysis was expensive to produce, there was a natural filter. The people producing it had to know something because the cost of being wrong was reputational and financial. Now that cost is basically zero. Anyone can generate a macro take that sounds like it came from a Goldman desk in five minutes. The noise is growing exponentially while real signal stays roughly constant.

    The insidious part is that the noise does not look like noise anymore. It looks like signal. Bad analysis used to be obviously bad. Now it is polished, structured, uses the right terminology, cites the right data. The tools most people are using to produce it are optimized to sound right. Whether the output is actually right is a different question entirely.

    Telling the two apart is the whole game now. The same systems flooding markets with noise can be used to cut through it. That is what I have spent the past two years proving – publicly, on X, with every call timestamped and nothing deleted, across geopolitics, energy, macro, crypto, and broader markets simultaneously.

    The account grew from nothing to over 140,000 followers organically, with no paid promotion and no name attached. Signal Core on Substack, the home of the full forecasting operation, became the #3 best–selling crypto publication on the platform within nine months. In a market drowning in noise, the signal alone was enough.

    The moment

    The signal-vs-noise problem has arrived at the worst possible time.

    The next twelve months will reshape more of the financial, technological, and geopolitical order than the past decade combined. Digital assets are integrating with the traditional financial system at a pace that would have seemed impossible eighteen months ago. Regulatory frameworks stalled for years are being rewritten in real time. AI is transforming how capital gets allocated. Geopolitical orders are realigning. Monetary policy is at an inflection point. The labor market is being restructured in front of us.

    These are foundational shifts, arriving simultaneously, and compounding on each other. And this is exactly the moment when the ability to see clearly has collapsed. There has never been more at stake and never less clarity on what is actually going on.

    The convergence problem

    It is actually worse than a noise problem.

    AI is converging everyone toward the same wrong answers simultaneously. When a thousand people use these tools to analyze the same event, they do not get a thousand different perspectives. They get minor variations of the same default output. The tools do not just fail to produce signal – they manufacture false agreement.

    Before AI, if five analysts said the same thing, that meant something. Now if five hundred accounts say the same thing, it might just mean they all used the same tool.

    What this looks like in practice

    In January of this year, the prevailing view was that a direct U.S.–Iran confrontation was unlikely. The diplomatic channels were still open. The market was not pricing meaningful conflict risk. Oil was trading like nothing was coming.

    The structural picture told a different story.

    More than a month before the strikes began, the indicators were already pointing to a confrontation that was more likely than not. We flagged this publicly on X on January 13 while the crowd was still dismissing the risk. When the strikes hit, and oil nearly doubled, the move caught most of the market off guard. The signal was there. The crowd just was not looking at it.

    The inputs we were watching were not exotic. Public statements, internal economic pressure inside Iran, and the absence of certain de–escalation patterns. Anyone with access to the open internet could see the same things. The edge was in synthesis – reading those inputs as a single converging system rather than as separate news streams. That synthesis is the hard part. The inputs are just the inputs. The bottleneck has never been technology. It has been how the technology gets used.

    This is the pattern. The information was available. The tools to process it were available. What was missing was the ability to read the signal before the crowd formed around the wrong interpretation.

    The scarce resource

    Most people use AI to generate. Very few use it to see.

    Signal is when you can look at a situation that has the entire market confused and see the structure underneath. It is when you can hold a position that every feed is telling you to abandon, and hold it anyway, because you can see something they cannot.

    The challenge for most people is not generating signal themselves. It is recognizing who actually has it. Most analysis is hedged to the point of meaninglessness – strategies for avoiding accountability dressed up as analysis.

    The old filter for getting past this was credentials. It no longer predicts who is seeing clearly. Plenty of the biggest calls in recent years have been missed by traditional institutions and caught by people working outside them. What matters now is whether someone is actually seeing what is happening – recognizing patterns the crowd is missing, naming what is real before it is obvious, and being right about it often enough that it holds up over time. Once you can see clearly, you start operating on a different timeline than the rest of the market.

    What comes next

    We are entering an era where signal is the most valuable and least understood asset in the market. The investors, builders, and allocators who figure this out first will have a structural advantage that compounds over years. The ones who keep consuming the flood without questioning it will keep agreeing with the crowd. And the crowd will keep being wrong at the moments that matter most.

    Finding rooms where real signal still shows up is getting harder. Most of the venues that claim to aggregate market intelligence are just amplifying whatever the models already spit out.

    Consensus 2026 in Miami is one of the few that still functions as a filter rather than an amplifier. The people who show up have skin in the game. Their disagreements are real. Their agreements were not manufactured by the same five models everyone else is using. That kind of room is getting harder to find anywhere else. Which is why I will be there – hosting a small invite–only session about what signal extraction at scale actually looks like.

    The edge will not belong to whoever has the most information, the fastest tools, or the loudest platform.

    It will belong to whoever can see clearly when everyone else is drowning in noise.

    That is the scarcest resource in markets right now.

    And it is only getting scarcer.

  • ‘Jackass 5’ Trailer: Robot Performs Rectal Exam in ‘Best and Last’ Sequel

    So you’ve been warned: The trailer for the final Jackass film features, among other gross-out stunts, a robot giving Steve-O a prostate exam with its metal “claw,” an electric shock collar on a cast member’s genitals and an “escape room from hell” that includes an electric chair.

    The first look (below) at the final film in the hit franchise, Jackass: Best and Last, features 55-year-old Johnny Knoxville and his masochistic crew enduring a last round of physical suffering for our entertainment. The trailer was first shown at CinemaCon earlier this month.

    The Paramount and MTV Entertainment Studios release is the follow-up to 2022’s hit Jackass Forever, a production that put Knoxville in the hospital with several broken bones when he was hit by a rampaging bull.

    Best and Last returns franchise regulars Steve-O, Ehren McGhehey, Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, and Dave England, along with (younger and less broken) newcomers Zach Holmes, Jasper Dolphin, and Rachel Wolfson.

    The trailer starts out with the traditional “do not attempt these stunts” warning. In the footage, Knoxville is asked how he’s feeling about making the final film. “Um, I’m sad,” he says. Pontius then adds he isn’t — “I’m not in touch with my emotions.”

    “Twenty five years and we haven’t learned a thing,” Knoxville adds.

    The franchise is based on the MTV series Jackass which ran from 2000-2001.

    Best and Last arrives in theaters June 26.

  • Netflix Sets Leonardo Sbaraglia-Starring Film ‘El Sobrino’ From ‘Wild Tales’ Director Damián Szifron

    Netflix Sets Leonardo Sbaraglia-Starring Film ‘El Sobrino’ From ‘Wild Tales’ Director Damián Szifron

    Netflix has unveiled the new film from Argentine writer-director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales, To Catch a Killer), El sobrino, starring Leonardo Sbaraglia (Elite, Pain and Glory, Wild Tales). Rita Cortese, Luisana Lopilato, Valeria Lois and newcomer Luan Adler Fuks also feature in the cast. Netflix also promises “special appearances by Vincent Macaigne and the legendary [Italian actor] Franco Nero.”

    The dramedy, which doesn’t have an English-language title yet, is written and directed by Szifron, whose 2014 film Wild Tales was Argentina’s contender and nominee for what was then known as the Oscar’s best foreign-language film section.

    “An internationally renowned pianist, at the height of his career, sees his world turned upside down when he discovers that his nine-year-old nephew possesses a musical talent that could surpass his own,” reads a synopsis for El sobrino, which translates as “The Nephew.”

    Produced by K&S Films, the movie is starting filming today, Monday, in Ramos Mejía in the Buenos Aires province. Set in the world of classical music, it promises to send its protagonists on “a dizzying pilgrimage through Buenos Aires, Hamburg, London and New York.” El Sobrino comes from producers Hugo Sigman, Matías Mosteirin and Leticia Cristi. The director of pPhotography is Julián Apezteguía.

    “Starting a film shoot is an intense experience,” said Szifron. “It marks the point where a significant flow of visual and narrative ideas, extensively discussed with teams of artists and collaborators, cross the threshold of imagination and begin to transform into concrete images and sounds. It is a fascinating process of materialization that resembles magic, but which often occurs under very high-pressure conditions, because filmmaking is expensive and risky. The challenge is to remain creative and sensitive in that context, and to find allies who understand and enhance the task.”

    Added the filmmaker: “For as long as I can remember, the films that have most impacted me reside at the intersection of art and industry. Today, that intersection is increasingly thin, which is why I consider the strong support of Netflix, the leading global content producer, and of K&S – at this point, part of my family – a privilege in telling this story. Leo is at an incredible point in his acting career: lucid, profound, mature and vital, and I am especially excited about the reconnection with my beloved Rita, meeting Luisana and Valeria, discovering such a young and unique actor as Luan, and the opportunity to collaborate with Franco Nero, my childhood idol. New film. New adventure. Here we go!”

    Said producer Mosteirin: “Damián is back with a vengeance: El sobrino is surely the best script we’ve ever read. Szifron plays with genres and shows us that comedy can lead us, with humor and beauty, to explore profound themes of the human condition. With this film, he invites us to reflect on art and creation, family ties, love and loneliness, our origins, and the passage of time.”

  • Reports: Anthony Edwards (left knee) likely to miss several weeks

    Reports: Anthony Edwards (left knee) likely to miss several weeks

    Anthony Edwards is averaging 18.5 points per game in the playoffs for the Wolves.

    Per multiple reports, Minnesota star Anthony Edwards is expected to be out several weeks after suffering left knee injuries in Game 4 vs. Denver.

    Edwards’ left knee remained structurally intact when he was injured during Game 4, but he suffered a bone bruise and also hyperextended the knee. ESPN and The Athletic first reported the diagnosis on Edwards.

    Edwards was hurt in the first half of the Timberwolves’ 112-96 win over against the Nuggets on Saturday night, a victory that gave the Timberwolves a 3-1 lead in that series. But the Wolves also lost fellow starting guard Donte DiVincenzo in that game with a torn Achilles tendon, meaning his season is over and his 2026-27 season is likely in great jeopardy as well.

    Game 5 of the series is Monday night in Denver (10:30 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock).

    DiVincenzo was having surgery to repair the Achilles on Sunday in New York, the Timberwolves announced. That timeframe – surgery one day after the injury – follows what Boston’s Jayson Tatum did after he suffered the same injury in last season’s playoffs.

    Tatum started rehab quickly and missed about 10 months, returning for the final stretch of this season. If DiVincenzo follows the same timeline, he could be back before the end of next season.

    Edwards is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players, someone who – if he had met the league’s eligibility criteria by playing in a few more games – would have been a lock to make the All-NBA team for a third consecutive season.

    He averaged 28.8 points per game in 2025-26, third best in the NBA behind Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers and reigning Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Edwards also averaged five rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

    Edwards was fourth in scoring for the U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal at the Paris Games in 2024. He missed 21 games this season, by far the most of his career.

    This injury happened with him on the defensive end, while he was contesting a layup attempt by Denver’s Cam Johnson. Edwards leaped in an effort to block the shot, and when he landed his left leg appeared to be at an unusual angle. His knee buckled, and when he hobbled off the floor, he seemed unable to put much, if any, weight on that leg.

    Timberwolves forward Julius Randle said he didn’t see DiVincenzo before leaving the arena, and he had a quiet exchange with Edwards when he saw him in the locker room.

    “I just dapped him up,” Randle said. “There’s not much to say in those moments. … Somebody who’s going through those situations is processing a lot.”

    Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

  • Starting 5: Quartet of Game 4s shine bright on Sunday

    Wemby’s return, Boston’s 3s help Spurs, Celtics go up 3-1. Raptors get even with Cavs & Rockets extend series on Sunday.

    From 19 points down … to 21 up.

    Wemby and the Spurs packed a historic rally into what seemed like a blink to grab a 3-1 series lead.

    Keep reading for what you gotta know from a wild Playoff weekend, three games tonight on NBC & Peacock and what’s ahead this week ⬇️

    Victor Wembanyama


    5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

    What’s Trending – West: Four teams one win from advancing, four fighting to survive

    What’s Trending – East: Two series tied 2-2, Orlando making Magic, C’s one win from closing

    Spurs Surge Back (Again): Wemby’s dominant return ignites another epic San Antonio swing

    Rockets Respond: Shorthanded Houston clamps down on Lakers to force Game 5

    East Dubs: Raptors even series at 2-2, C’s splash 24 treys to take 3-1 lead


    BUT FIRST … ⏰

    Scores & Schedule

    Three Game 4s tip off tonight across NBC & Peacock, with the Magic (up 2-1) hosting the Pistons, before the Thunder (up 3-0) and Wolves (up 3-1) look to advance.

    Catch Up Quick: From the bracket, to schedules, to the latest news from every single series, tap here for the NBA Playoffs Hub.

    The Kia Rookie of the Year winner will be announced at 7 ET on Peacock ahead of Pistons-Magic. The three finalists? Philly’s VJ Edgecombe, Dallas’ Cooper Flagg, Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel. See this week’s full NBA Awards announcement schedule here.

    Playoff bracket


    1. WHAT’S TRENDING – WEST: CLOSEOUTS OR COMEBACKS?

    Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard

    Four series. Four teams one win away from advancing. Four opponents with their backs against the wall.

    A wild Playoff weekend produced fireworks out West, from a frantic Friday to two Saturday takeovers, a pair of San Antonio rallies and a season-saving win in Houston.

    How We Got Here: Sunday opened with Victor Wembanyama’s return igniting a 2nd-half Spurs avalanche, before the Rockets avoided elimination.

    • Back-To-Back Comebacks: After rallying from 15 down on Friday to take a 2-1 series lead, the Spurs erased a 19-point deficit on Sunday, outscoring Portland 73-35 in the 2nd half to go up 3-1
    • Top Two, Twice: It’s the second-largest Spurs comeback in postseason history and the second-largest 2nd-half Playoff point differential (+38) since play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98
    • Wemby Masterclass: Leading the way? Wemby, who returned from concussion protocol in dominating fashion (27 pts, 12 reb, 7 blk, 4 stl) – a Playoff stat line unseen in 20+ years
    • Rockets Rebound: In a 3-0 hole against LeBron James’ Lakers – after an epic Game 3 OT duel – Houston answered with an emphatic 19-point win last night, forcing a Wednesday Game 5 in Los Angeles (10 ET, ESPN)

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ayo Dosunmu

    Saturday Sizzle: Saturday delivered two statement wins from the Thunder and Wolves, highlighted by a rare pair of 40-balls – one from the reigning Kia MVP, and the other from a scorching-hot spark plug.

    • Ayo Emergence: After losing Anthony Edwards (knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles), Ayo Dosunmu dropped 43 for the Wolves off the bench on 13-of-17 shooting, lifting Minnesota past Denver to take a 3-1 lead
    • Ant & DiVo Updates: Edwards is reportedly expected to miss multiple weeks with a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee, while DiVincenzo’s season is over with a torn Achilles
    • Thunder Strike Again: Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for OKC, scoring 42 on 15-of-18 shooting to fuel a 121-109 win in Phoenix, giving the Thunder a 3-0 series lead
    • 40-Ball Fire: Dosunmu’s 43 points are the 2nd-most by a reserve in NBA Playoff history, while SGA is the first player ever to score 42+ pts on at least 83.3% shooting in a postseason game

    Nikola Jokić, Dillon Brooks

    Huge Games Tonight On NBC & Peacock: The Suns and Nuggets will look to respond tonight with their backs against the wall, as Phoenix welcomes OKC for Game 4 (9:30, Peacock), while Denver hosts Minnesota for Game 5 (10:30 ET, NBC/Peacock).

    • Been Here Before: The last team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the series? The Nuggets in 2020 – both in the First Round (vs. UTA) and the West Semis (vs. LAC)
    • Phoenix Fight: The Suns will look to become the first team to erase a 3-0 series deficit behind Dillon Brooks, their emotional leader who’s stepped up with back-to-back 30-pieces

    2. WHAT’S TRENDING – EAST: PRESSURE RISING, PIVOTAL WEEK LOADING

    Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo

    While four teams face elimination out West, the East is tightening: two series tied at 2-2, the No. 1 seed trailing 2-1 and the Celtics one win from advancing.

    • Knicks & Hawks tied 2-2
    • Cavs & Raptors tied 2-2
    • Celtics lead 76ers 3-1
    • Magic lead Pistons 2-1

    Now the pressure shifts to a pivotal week, with two Game 5s in Knicks-Hawks and Raptors-Cavs, while Detroit fights to avoid a 3-1 hole and Boston looks to close the door.

    How We Got Here: Sunday saw key Game 4 wins from the Raptors and C’s – both winners of two straight – highlighted by a thriller in Toronto.

    • Raps Respond: After going down 2-0, Toronto evened the series with back-to-back home wins, capped by a 17-5 closing run to take Game 4
    • Up Next: Cleveland hosts Game 5 on Wednesday (7:30 ET, ESPN)
    • C’s Control: After splitting Games 1 & 2 in Boston, the Celtics took both in Philly, punctuated by a Game 4 win behind a franchise Playoff-record 24 triples
    • Game 5 Tuesday: Facing elimination, Philly looks to respond tomorrow night in Boston – where it took Game 2 (7 ET, ESPN)

    Cade Cunningham, Paolo Banchero

    8-Seed Magic: After splitting the first two in Detroit, the Magic took Saturday’s Game 3 at home, becoming just the third No. 8 seed in the last decade to grab a 2-1 series lead over a No. 1 seed.

    • Core Clicking: Paolo Banchero led the way with a near triple-double (25 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast), while Desmond Bane (25 pts) and Franz Wagner (17 pts) combined for 42
    • Game 4 Tonight: Detroit will look to even the series tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock), while Orlando seeks a 3-1 lead

    CJ McCollum, Karl-Anthony Towns

    Hawks-Knicks Thrills: New York’s 1-0 series lead flipped into a 2-1 deficit after back-to-back one-point losses – with Hawks vet CJ McCollum at the center of both heartbreakers.

    But the Knicks answered Saturday behind Karl-Anthony Towns, leveling the series at 2-2 to set up a massive Game 5.

    • Big Spot, Big KAT: Facing a potential 3-1 deficit on the road, Towns went off for a monster triple-double (20 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast), securing a key 114-98 win
    • Crucial Tuesday Tilt: Now comes a pivotal Game 5 at MSG (8 ET, NBC/Peacock), where the two teams split Games 1 & 2
    • Exactly How Pivotal? In a best-of-seven series tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has taken the series 81.5% of the time (194-44)

    3. WEMBY ERUPTS, SPURS STORM BACK TO TAKE 3-1 LEAD

    Victor Wembanyama

    They were down 17 at halftime. They won by 21.

    How’d the Spurs do it? With a Wembanyama takeover, a historic 2nd-half swing and a reminder that they’re far more than a one-man show.

    Spurs 114, Blazers 93: After exiting Game 2 with a concussion, Wemby returned in full force, posting 27 points, 12 boards, 7 blocks and 4 steals to ignite a 73-point 2nd half, as the Spurs raced past Deni Avdija (26 pts, 7 reb) and the Blazers to take a 3-1 series lead. | Recap

    • Wemby 🤝 Shaq: Wembanyama is the first player to record 25+ pts, 10+ reb and 7+ blk in a Playoff game since Shaquille O’Neal in 2004
    • Spurs Epicenter: Since blocks were first tracked in 1973-74, only two other Spurs have posted such a stat line in the postseason: Tim Duncan (2003) and David Robinson (1991 & ‘93)
    • Dream Dominance: Add 4 steals, and only one player has matched it since 1973-74: Hakeem Olajuwon (2x)
    • And A Reminder: It was Wemby’s first career road Playoff game

    De'Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle

    Spurs Ball(ing): Down 58-41 at the break, Wemby posted 18 points and 5 blocks in the 2nd half without missing a shot (5-5 FG, 8-8 FT) as the Spurs outscored the Blazers by 38 in the final two quarters.

    It’s the first time that a team has trailed by 15+ points at halftime of a Playoff game and then won by 20 or more.

    While Wemby lit the fuse, San Antonio’s depth turned the spark into an inferno – showcasing what makes the Spurs so dangerous.

    • Fox Fire: De’Aaron Fox (game-high 28 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast) matched Wemby with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the 2nd half, as the duo outscored Portland on their own (36-35)
    • Castle Cooking: Stephon Castle (16 pts, 8 ast) – after making history with Dylan Harper to earn a Game 3 win – orchestrated with 6 dimes in the 2nd half, including this go-ahead oop to Wemby
    • Vassell Voltage: Devin Vassell (11 pts, 6 reb) helped spark the rally with 9 points in the 3rd, before San Antonio outscored Portland 40-19 in the 4th to ice it
    • “I love when others benefit from unselfish efforts,” said Wemby on the win. “That’s the culture here – it’s the way we play.”
    • What’s Next: San Antonio returns home Tuesday with a chance to close the series in Game 5 (9:30 ET, ESPN)

    4. ROCKETS RESPOND: HOUSTON FORCES GAME 5 WITH HUGE WIN

    Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson

    With their season on the line after dropping a Friday thriller, the Rockets responded with resilience.

    Rockets 115, Lakers 96: With Kevin Durant (ankle) out for a second straight game, Houston used a complete team effort to win. All five starters scored 16+, while the defense clamped down for its first win of the series, cutting the Rockets’ deficit to 3-1. | Recap

    • Full Tank: Amen Thompson (23 pts, 7 ast), Tari Eason (20 pts, 8 reb, 5 stl) and Alperen Sengun (19 pts, 6 reb) led the way as Houston’s starters combined for 95 points
    • Reed Hot: Reed Sheppard added 17 on four 3s, including a pair of treys to spark a 34-18 3rd quarter, as Houston entered the 4th up 20 and rolled the rest of the way
    • “We were all in,” said Thompson on the win. “Alpi gave us a motivational speech this morning, and we took that and ran with it. Now, we gotta do it next game in L.A.”

    Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason

    Identity Dub: Ten different Rockets scored, but it was their defense that drove them to victory.

    Facing elimination on their home floor, Houston turned up the pressure from the opening tip – responding with one of its best defensive efforts of the season.

    • No Air: The Rockets held the Lakers to just 5-of-22 (22.7%) from deep, Los Angeles’ fewest made 3s in a game since December 2024
    • Wreaking Havoc: Houston also forced the Lakers into 23 turnovers, one shy of their season-high, resulting in 30 points the other way
    • Takeaway Time: That included 17 steals for Houston – its most in a Playoff game in 45 years – while limiting LeBron James to 10 points, 9 assists and 8 turnovers
    • “Our aggressiveness was on display from the start,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka postgame. “That’s what made the difference.”
    • What’s Next: Houston will look to cut its deficit to 3-2 on Wednesday as the series shifts back to L.A. for Game 5 (10 ET, ESPN)

    5. EAST DUBS: RAPTORS EVEN SERIES, CELTICS SEIZE CONTROL

    Jamal Shead, Scottie Barnes

    Make that 2-2 between Toronto and Cleveland.

    Raptors 93, Cavaliers 89: After Donovan Mitchell (20 pts, 6 reb) sparked a 15-2 Cavs run to take the lead midway through the 4th, the Raps responded with a 17-5 closing burst, with Scottie Barnes (23 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk) scoring six points in the final 35 seconds to earn a wild win. | Recap

    • Defense Delivers: Mitchell scored 12 in the 4th to spark the Cavs, but Toronto held Cleveland to just 2-of-10 shooting in the final 4:55 to stymie the run
    • Stars Finish: Barnes, Brandon Ingram (23 pts, 6 reb) and RJ Barrett (18 pts, 8 reb) took over on the other end, scoring 16 of Toronto’s final 17 points to take the lead for good with 47 ticks left
    • Six Grit: That included a string of clutch free throws from Barnes and four straight stops in the final two minutes, earning a series-tying win despite trailing for at least five minutes in every quarter
    • “We want it so bad,” said Barnes on the win. “We’re fighting … we’re taking it one possession at a time, and that’s what allowed us to get through it.”
    • Rook Steps Up: Collin Murray-Boyles (15 pts, 10 reb) came up clutch on both ends, joining Barnes and Jamario Moon as the only Raptor rookies to post a double-double in a Playoff game
    • Up Next: Cleveland hosts Wednesday’s pivotal Game 5 (7:30 ET, ESPN), with Toronto aiming to earn the series’ first road win

    Payton Pritchard, Jayson Tatum

    The C’s are one win shy of the East Semis.

    Celtics 128, 76ers 96: Jayson Tatum did it all (30 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast, 5 3s), while Payton Pritchard caught fire off the bench (32 pts, 5 ast, 6 3s), as the C’s drilled a franchise Playoff record 24 3s to take a 3-1 series lead, overcoming Joel Embiid’s big return (26 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast). | Recap

    • Fire-Starter: Pritchard poured in 18 points on four 3s in the 1st half, sparking a 25-6 run to give the Celtics an 18-point lead entering the break
    • Door-Slammer: Then Tatum took control, posting 25 points and 7 dimes in the 2nd half as Boston outscored Philly 72-48 to seal the deal – finishing the night 24-of-53 from deep (45.3%)

    Payton Pritchard

    • Bench Burst: Pritchard’s 32 points are a Playoff career-high, trailing only Kevin McHale (34 in 1991) for the most by any Celtic reserve in a postseason game
    • Buzzer & Banter: The highlight? A patented Pritchard buzzer-beater to end the 1st quarter, plus some friendly jawing with Reggie Miller
    • JT Rolling: It’s Tatum’s second straight 25+ point game on over 50% shooting, both of which have resulted in wins
    • Game 5 Tuesday: Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (22 pts, 6 ast) led Philly, which will look to respond in tomorrow’s Game 5 to avoid elimination (7 ET, ESPN)
  • Have US-Iran talks failed? Why no deal yet doesn’t mean diplomacy is dead

    Have US-Iran talks failed? Why no deal yet doesn’t mean diplomacy is dead

    Tensions between the United States and Iran have reached another critical juncture. While a fragile ceasefire is holding, efforts to translate the nearly three-week truce into a permanent agreement appear to have stalled.

    Hopes of talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, over the weekend dissipated after US President Donald Trump cancelled a visit by his envoys as both Iran and the US remain steadfast in their respective demands, especially over Tehran’s nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

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    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday blamed the US for the failure of the talks. “US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” he said during a visit to Russia.

    Yet experts said the impasse reflects a slowdown in negotiations rather than a collapse, citing plenty of examples in history that illustrate how diplomacy is rarely linear but is often marked by deadlocks, setbacks and backdoor engagement.

    So where do the talks stand now, and what could come next?

    What is the current status of talks?

    Trump on Saturday told reporters in Florida that he scrapped a visit by his top diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan because the talks involved too much travel and expense to consider an inadequate offer from the Iranians.

    The following day, Trump said Iran could telephone if it wanted to negotiate an end to the war that began on February 28 with the US-Israeli bombardment of Iran.

    “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines,” Trump told the US TV news channel Fox News.

    “They know what has to be in the agreement. It’s very simple: They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, there’s no reason to meet.”

    Iran had already signalled its hesitation about participating in talks with the US. Officials in Tehran have said direct talks are pointless at the moment, citing US actions, such as its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as violations of the ceasefire and obstacles to meaningful dialogue.

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone on Saturday, said his country would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade.

    Since early March, Iran essentially has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies had passed before the war. Meanwhile, Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and ships days after the ceasefire began on April 8.

    This has disrupted global oil supplies and contributed to rising prices. Countries around the world have been forced to seek alternative supplies and implement austerity measures to keep their economies afloat.

    Despite the breakdown in direct engagement, diplomacy continues via indirect channels. Iran has sent “written messages” to the US through Pakistani mediators outlining its red lines, including positions on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Fars News Agency said.

    At the same time, Araghchi has been engaged in an intense round of regional diplomacy, visiting Pakistan, Oman and Russia over the past three days.

    “It is a good opportunity for us to consult with our Russian friends about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period and what is happening now,” Araghchi said in a video interview posted by Iran’s IRNA news agency from St Petersburg.

    Has US-Iran diplomacy failed?

    While the gulf between Tehran’s and Washington’s positions remains wide – Iran refuses to give up its nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment, which it insists is for peaceful purposes only – the ceasefire between the longtime foes is still largely holding, indicating that neither side is eager to return to a full-blown war.

    Emma Shortis, director of the Australia Institute’s International and Security Affairs Program, said despite the deadlock, there was “room for progress”. Meaningful diplomatic endeavours, she said, “take years to build”.

    “There has certainly been signalling that there might be room to move, particularly on the issue of uranium enrichment,” she told Al Jazeera. However, she warned that this was all subject to “volatile leaders” who are liable to “change their minds at the very last minute”.

    Trump also indicated over the weekend that cancelling talks does not necessarily mean a return to active fighting.

    On Sunday, he referenced a new Iranian proposal that he described as “a much better plan”, and there has been signalling that some flexibility may exist.

    Shortis said Trump was particularly under “enormous pressure” domestically because the war is “hugely” unpopular among Americans. “As the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and affects gas prices in the US, the pressure will continue to build,” she said.

    Echoing Shortis, academic Rob Geist Pinfold said diplomacy has not failed but for the time being is coming up against “intractable divides” between the two sides.

    “The irony here is that neither side wants a return to war. No one wants another round of conflict,” Geist Pinfold, a lecturer at King’s College London, added.

    On Iran’s side, he said, the calculation is shaped by the damage it has already sustained. “Iran has had many of its assets degraded. Its military feels the need to recover. It wants some breathing space.”

    The US, meanwhile, is wary of being dragged back into a costly confrontation in the Gulf – in part because of Iran’s ability to exact a price on the region and the global economy.

    “Iran’s deterrent strategy worked. Iran managed to cause enough chaos to affect the global economy and global finances by hitting the Gulf states,” he said. “The US was disincentivised from carrying on the war.”

    The academic predicted that the current situation may solidify into a semipermanent ceasefire, one that is fragile but increasingly normalised.

    “Neither side feels like the other one has the upper hand, but they both feel like, ironically, they have the upper hand, so the result is this standoff of neither peace nor war.”

    That situation he said could endure for a long time. “This is a dynamic that can go on more or less indefinitely until one side manages to coerce the other into making a compromise,” he added.

    How have previous negotiations concluded?

    The 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), took roughly two years to negotiate successfully, including secret backchannel talks facilitated by Oman. Its eventual success came only after prolonged periods of deadlock and incremental progress. Trump abandoned the deal unilaterally in 2018 during his first term.

    “All major negotiations to end wars have their own peculiarities,” Chris Doyle, director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, told Al Jazeera, citing the example of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords between the US and Vietnam.

    “Here you see sides that were inimical to each other, trying to get a deal where the hostilities didn’t really end. There were huge differences as well,” he said. Negotiations leading to the accords began in 1968.

    Nevertheless, while the US in effect was out of the war, there were immediate violations of the accords. Ultimately, South Vietnam fell to communist forces in 1975. “Plenty of antagonistic parties in a conflict have made deals, but it’s another thing to ensure that it lasts,” Doyle warned.

    Other conflicts, including very recent and ongoing ones, have shown the same stop-start nature of diplomacy.

    Early negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 initially raised hopes for a settlement but ultimately collapsed. However, diplomatic engagement did not end entirely. There were smaller agreements, including the exchange of prisoners, repatriation of children and allowing Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea.

  • ‘Clearly stronger’: Germany’s Merz says Iran ‘humiliated’ US in its war

    ‘Clearly stronger’: Germany’s Merz says Iran ‘humiliated’ US in its war

    German chancellor warns the US risks becoming bogged down in another quagmire similar to Iraq and Afghanistan.

    German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the United States is being “humiliated” in its war with Iran, warning that Washington lacks a clear path out of the conflict as Tehran gains the upper hand.

    Speaking to students in the German town of Marsberg on Monday, Merz said the situation has exposed a deeper strategic problem for the US as he drew comparisons with past military debacles.

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    “The problem with conflicts like this is always you don’t just have to get in – you have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq,” he said.

    Merz said Iranian officials were “obviously negotiating very skilfully” and appeared “clearly stronger than one thought”, adding that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership”, particularly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

    Merz urged a rapid end to the war, warning that the fallout was already hitting Germany’s economy.

    “It is, at the moment, a pretty tangled situation,” he said. “And it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output.”

    The German leader said Berlin remains ready to deploy minesweepers to help secure shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global petroleum supplies, but stressed that such steps depend on a cessation of hostilities.

    Merz made the comments as concerns are growing across Europe over the wider impact of the conflict, including energy disruptions and economic instability.

    Earlier, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned that nuclear threats continue to shape the security environment, even as Berlin reaffirmed its commitment to nonproliferation.

    “As long as nuclear threats against us and our partners continue, we will need a credible deterrent,” he said before meetings at the United Nations on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

    France and Germany have recently moved to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence, reflecting mounting anxiety in Europe over both the Iran war and broader regional instability.

  • Michael Jackson’s Auteur Music Video Directors: Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, David Fincher and More

    Michael Jackson’s Auteur Music Video Directors: Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, David Fincher and More

    One of Jackson’s most controversial and iconic songs, “They Don’t Care About Us,” was accompanied by an equally provocative music video, directed by filmmaker Spike Lee.

    Organizing and shooting the video, released in 1996, was an extensive process. State authorities originally tried to ban Jackson from filming in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fearing that depictions of poverty might affect the country’s tourism rate, and accused Jackson of exploiting the poor.

    A judge banned Jackson from filming, but the ruling was eventually overturned by an injunction. While the government was reluctant to let Jackson shoot in Brazil, residents seemed more open to the idea. A real-life fan broke onto the shoot and hugged Jackson, causing him to fall, but the incident made it into the music video.

    For the first time in his career, Jackson made a second music video for a single, this time shooting in a prison with cellmates. The second edition contains real footage of police attacking African Americans, the military crackdown of the protests in Tiananmen Square, the Ku Klux Klan, the assassination attempt of George Wallace and other human rights abuse cases.

    In 2020, Lee created a third music video that incorporated parts of both the Brazil and prison versions, along with footage from the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and an aerial view of Washington D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza.

    Before that, Jackson directed the music video for “This Is It,” which was released after Jackson’s death in 2009. Almost five minutes long, the music video featured various scenes of Jackson’s hometown and former residence in Gary, Indiana, along with photos and videos of him and tributes from his fans around the world.

  • Norwegian Creature Feature ‘Kraken’ Acquired by Signature for U.K., Ireland (EXCLUSIVE)

    Norwegian Creature Feature ‘Kraken’ Acquired by Signature for U.K., Ireland (EXCLUSIVE)

    Signature Entertainment has acquired the U.K. and Irish rights to Norwegian creature feature “Kraken” from TrustNordisk.

    Directed by Pål Øie (“The Tunnel”), and written by by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Jelen Rasmussen & Natasha Arthur, “Kraken” Kraken follows marine biologist Johanne who encounters several strange occurrences while researching at a local fish farm. Following the brutal death of two local teenagers, all clues point to Norway’s deepest fjord, where a gigantic mythical monster is hiding.

    The feature stars Sara Khorami (“Nothing to Laugh About”), Mikkel Bratt Silset (“The Shadow of Victory”), Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes (“The Tunnel”), Jenny Evensen and Steinar Klouman Hallert (“Thelma”).

    “Kraken” is produced by John Einar Hagen (“The Tunnel, Mortal”), Einar Loftesnes (“The Tunnel”), Vindhya Sagar (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”). Executive producers include Sveinung Golimo (“The Last Resort”), and Katrine Vogelsang (“The Last Resort,” “To New Beginnings”).

    The deal was negotiated between Signature Entertainment’s acquisitions and development executive Max Hart and TrustNordisk’s managing director Susan Wendt.

    “Kraken is a rare, elevated creature feature that combines thrilling disaster spectacle with striking cinematography and a timely ecological message,” said Hart. “We’re delighted to bring the film to audiences in the UK & Ireland.”

    Added Wendt” “I’m really glad the we’re able to bring this thrilling monster action to the U.K. audience and excited to collaborate with Signature on yet another film.”

    Signature Entertainment and TrustNordisk have worked together a number of times previously, with Signature acquiring the rights to films include “The Tunnel,” “Handling the Undead,” “Before it Ends” and “The Arctic Convoy.”

  • The sequel to the iconic emulator ZSNES is called Super ZSNES, of course

    Somehow, ZSNES has returned after laying dormant for 20 years. The developers of the iconic Super Nintendo emulator, which originally debuted in 1997 for DOS (something I distinctly remember trying to install on my ancient Intel 486 Packard Bell), are back with a sequel release dubbed Super ZSNES. And really, what else would they call it?

    Developers zsKnight and Demo say that Super ZSNES has been rewritten from scratch with a focus on a GPU-powered “Super Enhancement Engine,” which allows for high resolution playback, overclocking (which could help with games notorious for slowdown), widescreen support, uncompressed audio and 3D height maps for Mode 7 graphics. Purists, of course, can turn all of these extra features off if they want.

    Super ZSNES is built on “far more accurate CPU and Audio cores” than the original emulator, according to the developers, as well as the usual fast forward/rewind save states and a higher-resolution version of the original ZSNES UI. And as a cherry on top, they promise there’s “No Vibe Coding.”

    There’s no shortage of SNES emulators out there today, but it warms my gaming heart to see ZSNES completely revived. And while I still need to play with its enhancement features to truly judge them, the early footage from Modern Vintage Gamer looks very sharp without losing the SNES charm. There’s no replacement for playing the original console on a CRT, but the GPU upgrades in Super ZSNES seem to do a great job of modernizing classic games like Super Mario World for modern displays.

    Super ZSNES is currently available as an early build for Windows, Mac and Android. An iOS release is coming soon, according to the emulator’s website.