Anastasiya Bobrovskaya – Hit.Media. Space young journalism

From Jay-Z to Drake: Richest Rappers
The Forbes rating is headed by the first billionaire in hip-hop culture — Jay-Z

Reading time 7 minutes

In early June, an influential financial publication Forbes published a list of the richest rap artists. The wealthiest rapper in the world is a hip-hop artist Jay-Z, the husband of the famous R’n’B singer Beyoncé. In early 2000s he sang: «I’m already the G.O.A.T. — next stop is the billie». So it happened: today the musician’s capital is one billion dollars. Jay-Z became the first owner of a billion dollars in the history of hip-hop culture.

Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter) for the second year in a row becomes the wealthiest rapper in the world

The rapper invested in a private company Uber, music service Tidal, alcohol production company Armand de Brignac и D`Uss. The musician gains his profit from concerts and Roc Nation service, and also a partnership with the recording Studio Def Jam. The real estate of Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé is estimated at $50 million, and the collection of art objects — $ 70 million.

The younger generation of hip-hop artists takes Jay-Z as an example of success. TV presenter and novice rapper Fab 5 Freddy believes that Jay-Z — an example of how to make the real American dream come true.

Second place — Dr. Dre, $800 million

Dr. Dre (Andre Romelle Young ) was considered the richest artist in hip-hop culture until March 2018

Five years ago, Dr. Dre. declared himself the owner of a billion dollars. However, Forbes did not confirm this information about his financial condition. In 2014, the musician sold his line of headphones Beats by Dr. Dre to Apple for three billion dollars. He owned approximately 20-25% of the company’s shares. For the deal with Apple, hip-hop artist received an advance of about $500 million. Only last summer the company paid Dr. Dre remaining fee, however, even this did not help him top the Forbes’s list.

In recent years, the artist has put his music in the background. Dr. Dre invested his money in real estate and charity. He bought a huge Villa in California for $40 million. Together with partner Jimmy Iovine, he also invested $70 million in the development of the Academy of Arts at the University of Southern California.

Third place — Diddy, $740 million

In 2017, P. Diddy (Sean John Combs) was recognized as the wealthiest hip-hop artist

Hip-hop artist Diddy earned his first money at the age of 12 by selling newspapers. He admitted this in an interview in the anniversary issue of Forbes. At that time the edition considered Diddy to be the wealthiest and most influential rap artist.

Now the musician takes the third place in the list of the richest rappers. Market fluctuations have a negative impact on his business projects. The most unprofitable were the cable business Revolt and the clothing brand Sean John.

However, the rapper Diddy owns a successful business as well. For example, the production of luxury vodka Ciroc. Products give the musician a lot of money, as the volume of sales has increased in recent years. According to Forbes, Diddy will soon replace Jay-Z and become a billionaire.

Fourth place — Kanye West, $240 million

The famous performer and husband of epotage Kim Kardashian Kanye West ranks fourth in the list of wealthy colleagues. Recently, the musician can be spotted at private Sunday services on the South coast. West also held an Easter service at the largest Coachella festival.

In 2016, the musician told about his debt of $53 million. Then he suggested the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to invest one billion dollars in his projects. In 2019, Kanye West still entered the top five wealthy artists in hip-hop culture, but thanks to another source of investment. Kanye West has a partnership with the sports brand Adidas for more than one year. Prior to this brand, the artist had a contract with Nike. This collaboration with Adidas brings huge income to the rapper, his line of sneakers Yeezy is gaining more and more popularity. According to Forbes, if Yeezy sales do not stop growing, Kanye West will become a billionaire thanks to the business.

Fifth place — Drake, $150 million

Concludes the list of the richest hip-hop artists 32-year-old canadian rapper Drake. But he is already catching up with his colleagues: over the past year, his musician’s capital has doubled. Drake has invested in real estate and in its own brand of whiskey Virginia Black. The rapper cooperates with the XS Nightclub in Las Vegas, which also brings the rapper a large fee.

In 2013, the musician admitted that earning more money is one of his main goals. And he sticks to the plan: since that time, the average price tag for one concert of the artist has grown from $500,000 to more than two million dollars.

Asel Minbaeva

By author Asel Minbaeva

Tarantino made a romantic film with a terrible ending
The love story of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski which turned into a tragedy

Reading time 8 minutes

«Once Upon a Time in Hollywood», a three hours long retro filmed by Quentin Tarantino, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is based on the real events of 1969. The main roles were performed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie played the main character. The film is timed to the 50th anniversary of the death of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate.

Margot Robbie played the main character in the «Once Upon a Time in Hollywood» movie

Sharon Tate was one of the most beautiful Actresses of her generation. She became widely known after her role in the film “Valley of the Dolls” in 1967. At that time, the young actress also married the famous Director Roman Polanski. Hollywood couple attracts attention: she is a young actress with model features, he is a talented, but not the most charming Director.

Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski got married in 1967

During World War II Polanski and his family got into the Krakow Ghetto. Having seen all the horrors of the war, the Director shot his movies in dark colors and the genre of psychological thriller. Sharon is the complete opposite: she was born and raised in the American family of the officer. Since childhood, she participated in various beauty contests and aspired to world fame.

She began her actress career as a model at beauty contests in the US

Polanski and Tate met at a casting for the film «The Fearless Vampire Killers» in 1967. «She made a big impression on me and I called her,» says Polanski about their first meeting. During the filming of the movie, between the Director and the actress broke out romantic feelings. Polanski was patient with Tate, who suffered from her inexperience in the film industry. Once they needed seventy takes for just one scene.

In the «The Fearless Vampire Killers» the Director also acted as the lover of Tate’s character

Sharon Tate broke off her engagement to her longtime lover Jay Sebring because of Polanski. For two years, the Hollywood couple enjoyed the relationship and traveled the world. The Director often took his Muse on business trips and on film shoots. In early 1969, the Polanskis learned about the imminent addition to the family.

Despite the label of the most unusual couple of Hollywood, Tate was happily being married to Polanski

In the summer of 1969 in Europe, Polanski was shooting his new film — «The Day of the Dolphin». Tate was with him, but due to her pregnancy she left for America. When she said goodbye to her husband, Sharon was very much worried, as if she felt that this was their last meeting.The Director embracing his pregnant wife thought that he might not see her again. But quickly pushed away the bad thoughts.

The couple was waiting for their firstborn, who already had a name — Paul Richard

In a country house near Los Angeles, Tate spent the summer days waiting for her husband. On the 8th of August, 1969, the actress spoke with Polanski, who once again postponed his arrival to America. That night, Tate’s sisters were supposed to look after her, but Sharon refused their help. Without knowing it, she saved the lives of her family.

The motives for the murder of Sharon Tate and her friends are still not disclosed

The evening of the same day Tate spent in the company of her friends, when followers of Charles Manson broke into her house. They massacred everyone, including two random witnesses. Sharon was 9 months pregnant and begged to spare her unborn child, but the cultists only tortured her. They wrote «Pig» on the front door in her blood. This crime was recognized as the most brutal in the XX century.

Roman Polanski allowed to take a picture of himself with the inscription, which was left by the killers of his wife

Roman Polanski could not come to his senses for a long time and suspected all of his friends in this murder. Only after the arrest of Charles Manson’s group, the Director calmed down, but could not continue shooting the film «The Day of the Dolphin». He believed that it was because of this project he had to leave his beloved wife. Polanski returned to his work with the film «Macbeth», in which he used a lot of blood and cruelty. When the English film critic Kenneth Turan reproached him for this, he replied: «You were not at my house last summer».

Roman Polanski admitted that he tried to commit suicide several times because of the loss of his pregnant wife

Polanski did not give his permission to Quentin Tarantino to use his story in the film. Because of that, the current wife of the Director criticized Tarantino. He, in turn, addressed the sister of Sharon who approved the project.

Ajar Sultanalieva

By author Ajar Sultanalieva

Wonders of Modern Photo Editors
Now you can change sex, get a tattoo and turn into an anime in one click

Reading time 7 minutes

Once again Snapchat literally blew up social networks with its new filter, which allows you to «change» sex. The girls looked at themselves as a guy, and the guys looked at themselves as a girl. Some users have even created Tinder pages for their alter ego to prank friends.

Илон Маск в «женской» версии от Snapchat — Elon Musk and his «female» version from Snapchat

It is not the first time when Snapchat developers demonstrate to the public interesting things. Take even insta-stories, the format that has been created by Snapchat team. Also masks and photos in dialogs, which disappear after 24 hours. All of that Instagram borrowed from the creators of Snapchat. Although, in a way it was not invented by them either. Some time ago, Snapchat redeemed the Looksery app, which was developed in Ukraine. The team of the same app actually made most of those «masks».

Today Snapchat really sets the bar, but it is not the only app that allows you to experiment with your appearance. There are plenty of them, and they all perform different functions – from changing the sex and age to transformation into the anime.

Meitu — transformation into the anime

Chinese app Meitu was launched way back in 2008, but it became popular only in January 2017. The mask of this photo editor increases eyes, blushes cheeks and changes facial proportions. That is how you become an anime character. The main advantage is that the app processes images in real time, so you can try on the effects before taking a photo or a video.

Basic editor filters are free – but there are also special filters that require a paid subscription. For free you can try on Bunny ears and pretend to be sick: a face blushes, cheeks grow and virtual snot starts pouring.

Meitu - приложение для любителей японской культуры — Meitu — the app for fans of Japanese culture

FaceApp — aging, fake smile and sex change

The developers of FaceApp one of the first resorted to the use of neural networks in creating photo editors. The app is widely known for the opportunity to try on a believable smile, change the sex and look at yourself in old age. In 2017, the social network was full of collages of four photos, which appeared even on television.

Today FaceApp yields to new masks from Snapchat. New filters process images in real time and make men look like women, and women look like men way more realistic. However, FaceApp can still surprise those who just discovered it, because it alters the appearance quite plausibly. We must not forget that the developers of Snapchat obviously got inspired by this app. Because several years ago, the developers of FaceApp introduced such filters as «sex change» and «aging».

FaceApp - нейросеть, от которой стареешь — FaceApp — neural network that makes you grow old

InkHunter — the virtual try-on of tattoos

InkHunter does not change the appearance, this application’s function is practical. It is recommended to use it before going to the tattoo parlor. With InkHunter you can try on a tattoo: the desired image will be applied to the specified area of the skin. In order to do this, you only need to draw a special sign on your hand or foot — three stripes in the form of a smiley. So the neural network recognizes it.

The app uses augmented reality technology, so the quality of the displayed tattoo is not high enough. The «tattoo» cannot be properly scaled, expanded or zoomed in to really see how the image would look on the skin. Probably the fact is that after the success of the app in 2016, it is no longer being developed.

Фото с меткой для приложения и снимки с примерами татуировок (динозаврик настоящий) — Photos with a label for the app and pictures with examples of tattoos (a dinosaur is real)

FaceTune — the simplified version of Photoshop

And finally, the most important hit in the insta-photography industry — FaceTune. It was developed by the Israeli team Lightricks. This platform has replaced Photoshop for many users. In the photo editor, you can do face tuning, whiten teeth or remove bags under the eyes. In addition, it looks quite natural.

Even the free version of FaceTune amazes with its list of features. For instance, you can «narrow» the shape of the face and highlight the cheekbones, or paint it in any color. The app does not apply filters or «masks», but it provides tools: you need to apply the desired effects with a brush and try not to overdo it.

FaceTune - любимое приложение всех insta-блогеров — FaceTune is the favorite app of all insta bloggers

The app simplified the work on improving the appearance so much that the media started discussions. On the one hand, FaceTune is suitable for those who cannot use Photoshop, on the other — it makes it too easy to hide flaws, which makes natural beauty a rarity.

Asel Minbaeva

By author Asel Minbaeva

Holocaust through the prism of modernity
The story of 13-year-old Hungarian Jew Eva Heyman recreated in Instagram

Reading time 5 minutes

The story of the Jewish girl Eva Heyman, who died in the Auschwitz camp in 1944, was brought to live in Instagram. The creators of the project showed what would be the life of Eva if she posted on her social media everything she had been going through.

The eva.stories project recreates the events which Eva wrote about in her diary. It consists of 70 short videos that reflect the life of a Jewish family during the war years. Everything is depicted in insta-stories format, in the profile, the authors of the project posted only a poster and a trailer. The role of Eva Heyman is played by British actress Mia Quiney.

View this post on Instagram

Eva.Stories Official Trailer

A post shared by Eva (@eva.stories) on Apr 28, 2019 at 4:36am PDT

War first comes to Eva’s family when her cousin gets deported to Poland. After some time, the accomplices of the Nazis come to the pharmacy of the Eva’s grandfather and confiscate it in favor of the government. The decisive moment for Eva Heyman’s fate is the day when she sees the incoming Nazi army. From now on, she promises subscribers to broadcast everything that happens. The girl shows the details of life with a yellow star on her chest. In the ghetto.

Ева Хейман, жертва Холокоста — Eva Heyman is a Holocaust victim whose story served as a reminder of the tragedy

The project was sponsored by the Israeli businessman Mati Kochavi and his daughter Maya. It was launched on May 2nd, Holocaust Memorial Day. Before filming the story of Heyman, Mati and Maya Kochavi looked through about 30 diaries written by the victims of those events. But Eva’s diary stood out for its modernity and simpleness.

Злосчастная желтая звезда, которую евреи впоследствии были обязаны нашивать на наиболее заметные места своей одежды, стала самым зримым символом нацистского антисемитизма. — The Yellow star – a symbol of Nazi antisemitism, all Jews were obliged to sew it on prominent places of clothing

Before launching the eva.stories the authors widely announced the project both on street billboards and in social media. The initiative was supported by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. The account was also noted by different celebrities in their profiles, including the actress Gal Gadot («Wonder Woman») and the stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman. As a result, the account had around 200.000 followers before it was even launched. Now Eva’s profile has about 1.7 million subscribers.

Билборд с рекламой Instagram-аккаунта Eva.stories — The billboard advertising the Eva.stories Instagram account

The initiator and producer of the project Mati Kochavi believes that the world is beginning to forget about the terrible events of the Holocaust. That is why he created the project and invested about $5 million in it. Neither the government nor any organizations financed the creation of Eva’s profile.

Although, there are some critics on the way. Disputes in the comments under the publications in Eva’s profile do not cease. Users think that the profile is not serious enough. Critics of the project reckon that it is inappropriate to use Emoji, stickers and hashtags when it comes to the Holocaust. Many also criticize the implausibility of Eva’s modern story. For instance, how did the girl manage to charge the phone if there was no electricity in the ghetto?

According to Maya Kochavi, their team was expecting this kind of reaction as well. However, Kochavi family is convinced that they chose the best way to address the situation: the problem of antisemitism does not lose its relevance. Instagram platform was chosen for a reason: it was important to bring the issue to the younger generation.

Asel Minbaeva

By author Asel Minbaeva

The most expensive mistakes of space engineers
How one bug in the program and confusion of meters and feet can cost millions of dollars

Reading time 6 minutes

Developers of space projects sometimes make expensive mistakes. Let’s recall the five largest engineering errors of the space era.

Rocket «Mariner 1»

Ракета «Маринер-1» — Rocket «Mariner 1». Ph: NASA

Mariner 1 is the first apparatus of the NASA’s «Mariner» project (automatic interplanetary probes designed to investigate Mars, Venus and Mercury), the launch of which was scheduled on July 22, 1962. The apparatus was supposed to fly to Venus, however, after 293 seconds it deviated from the course, and was destroyed over the Atlantic ocean. According to the official version, the programmer made a mistake while translating the handwritten formula into a computer code: he mistook the index symbol for a regular dash. As a result, the on-Board computer software perceived normal speed jumps as critical, which led to a failure. The accident could not have happened, but the device’s antenna lost contact with the guidance system on the Ground, and the program automatically moved to plan «B». The engineering error cost $18.5 million, which the New York Times called «the most expensive dash in history».

Space station «Skylab»

Станция «Скайлэб» — Skylab space station. Ph: NASA

Skylab is the United States orbital station launched in 1873 (the first and only one). It was designed for Earth observation, astrophysical, technological, and biomedical researchs. Before the destruction, it held three space expedition, however, due to increased solar activity, it went off the orbit in 1979. The lowering of the Skylab accelerated, and since the station did not have its own engine, it was not possible to raise it to another orbit. According to the forecasts of the mission control Center, the station was to enter the Earth’s atmosphere on July 11, 1979 and sink for 1300 kilometers in South Cape Town. But the inaccuracy in the calculations by 4% led to the fall of some wreckage of the station in Western Australia. The damage from premature destruction was estimated at $10 million.

Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble was launched in 1990, but immediately there was a problem in its work: the telescope transmitted a blurred image. After checking, it turned out that edges of the telescope’s main mirror were too flat, making the telescope «myopic». NASA scientists have developed a program for image processing and, at first glance, the problem was solved. But few months later, other problems were discovered (gyro failures, problems with solar panels and computer malfunctions), and NASA organized three space expeditions to eliminate those defects. One of them brought «glasses» for the telescope — optical correction system COSTAR. Manufacturing and delivering of «glasses» have cost NASA 49.9 million dollars, while since the beginning of telescope’s construction there were spent 6 billion dollars.

Mars Climate Orbiter

Mars Climate Orbiter is an apparatus studying the Martian climate, which was launched by NASA on December 11, 1998. The main objective of the apparatus is to picture the surface of Mars and to study the dynamics of its atmosphere. Nine months later the unit arrives to the planet, turns on braking and begins to move on highly elliptical orbit. According to the calculations of engineers, the device was supposed to change the orbit to circular and to begin research two months later. However, 5 minutes after the start of braking the apparatus passed Mars and never sent any signals. After analyzing the errors, it turned out that the NASA team calculated the parameters of the decisive stage of the flight in the metric system, and the engineers of Lockheed Martin — in the British system (pound-force). As a result, the device crossed the orbit for 53 kilometers lower than required and disintegrated in the atmosphere of Mars; the loss amounted to $193.1 million.

Satellite «NOAA-19»

Спутник «NOAA-19» — Satellite«NOAA-19». Ph: NASA

The accident is not related to the software, but to ordinary sloppiness. In 2003, September 6, during the construction of the satellite, engineers have tried to move it to a horizontal position, but the device collapsed to the floor. The investigation determined that shortly before failure the technician has pulled from the truck 24 screws and has not documented it, but other staff did not check the presence of screws either. As a result, $135 million were spent to repair the satellite.

Irina Tsybulya

By author Irina Tsybulya

James Gunn returns to the director’s chair for «Guardians of the Galaxy 3»
The director gets rehired after being fired for his scandalous tweets

Reading time 4 minutes

According to the report from Deadline, the company decided to reemploy Gunn several months ago. Alan Horn, the Walt Disney Studios president, was meeting with James and Marvel representatives in order to discuss the project. Gunn publicly apologized for his controversial statements in Twitter. Consequently, Horn let him to film the third part of «Guardians of the Galaxy».

Съемки фильма должны были начаться в начале 2019 года. Однако из-за увольнения Джеймса Ганна с поста режиссера проект заморозили — Shootings were to start in the beginning of 2019. However, when the director was fired, the project got frozen

It all started in July 2018. At that time James Gunn was accused of his offensive tweets that he had been publishing from 2008 to 2011. The director joked about AIDS, violence and pedophilia. Gunn wrote that he was laughing at sick people, because laugh is the greatest remedy. In addition, he said that he did not mind violence and cannibalism when someone is really hungry. Then, Disney announced that James’s views were contrary to the values of the studio. That is how tha company broke all ties with the director.

Подборка оскорбительных твитов Джеймса Ганна — Some of Gunn’s offensive tweets

But how did it occur that the last tweet of that kind he had written in 2011, and got caught only in 2018? It’s pretty simple: Gunn’s account was full of not only jokes, but also criticism. Through Twitter, he judged Ben Shapiro, an editor of a conservative political website Breitbart. It got noticed by The Daily Caller website, where its representatives did not like Gunn’s comments. They decided to dig deeper and read the director’s old tweets. There the dirt got revealed.

James Gunn accepted his suspension with understanding and admitted his mistakes. First of all, the director had deleted all tweets with offensive jokes. And then, he blocked his account, however, it got reactivated soon. Gunn confessed that he had been trying to maintain the image of provocator through his statements. He also declared that had changed since then.

«Guardians of the Galaxy» decided to support the director as well. Gunn’s fans signed the petition, which called for permission for the director to return to work on the film.

Открытое письмо — Signatures of the cast in the open letter in the director’s defence

It all ended where it had started: the director confirmed the news of his return in Twitter. He will film the third part of the blockbuster after the shooting of «Suicide Squad 2». It was impossible to find a replacement for him, despite all the attempts. The third part of «Guardians of the Galaxy» will be filmed by the same director who had shot the first two — James Gunn.

Джеймс Ганн с кастом «Стражей Галактики» — James Gunn with the cast of «Guardians of the Galaxy»

Asel Minbaeva

By author Asel Minbaeva

Must plays of March 2019
The best games of the spring season

Reading time 10 minutes

Along with spring, thaw and sunny weather in March, begins the gaming season. Usually, spring is not as fruitful for big games as autumn or Christmas holidays, but here is the list of the most exciting releases of March.

Dead or Alive 6 — 1st of March

Dead or Alive 6, the newest part of a popular Japanese fighting game, opens up the first month of spring.

Всего в Dead or Alive 6 26 персонажей. Ещё больше контента будет доступно в виде DLC.Всего в Dead or Alive 6 26 персонажей. Ещё больше контента будет доступно в виде DLC. — Overall, there are 26 characters in Dead or Alive 6. there will be more content available in DLC.

This time, the creators decided to shift slightly the vector of the game by dressing up immodest heroins (however, the chest physiology stayed the same) and making the game more accessible and appealing for new players. Besides, there will be a full customization of characters, which can be seen in Soul Calibur VI, Tekken 7, and other modern Japanese fighting games. In addition, the game has extremely realistic visuals of clothes and faces of characters, which there are 26.

If you miss these quality Japanese fisticuffs — and Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur VI already drive you crazy — you definitely should check out Dead or Alive 6.

The Occupation — 5th of March

Also in the first week of March will be released a new project by an independent British company White Paper Games — The Occupation.

The Occupation - один из самых интересных квестов последнего времени. — The Occupation – one of the most interesting quests of the last years.

The setting is Great Britain in the 1980s, where happened a disastrous terrorist attack that has taken lives of 26 people. In the role of a journalist, the player will have to understand what happened and prevent a looming political scandal. To finish the game, the player has 4 real hours, which means that it can be ended without any player’s interactions, so solving all mysteries of the narrative is not easy.

For those who love fascinating stories and intrigues, The Occupation will be a perfect match.

Devil May Cry V — 8th of March

This year’s international women’s day will bring joy to fans of the Devil May Cry series, slash action shooter games.

Главные герои DMC 5 (справа налево): Данте, Неро и V — The main characters of DMC 5 (from right to left): Dante, Nero and V

After 11 years, if not taking into account a remake in 2013, the Devil May Cry series returns with the complete sequelae — Devil May Cry V. The player still needs to exterminate hordes of demons in the roles of Dante, Nero, and mysterious V saving Red Grave City from awful hell-creatures. Everything the series is popular for stayed the same — powerful combos, considerable arsenal, and pinch of magic will not leave indifferent both veterans of the series and beginners.

There is no point of saying anything else — you have to see it for yourself. In case you are not ready to purchase the game, there is a demo version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 — 15th of March

In the middle of March will be released a project that can possibly become one of the best games for the next couple of years — Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, a loot shooter by UbiSoft.

Explicitly recreated ruined Washington is one of the main features of The Division

This time, as an agent of The Division the player will visit Washington, specially recreated on a one-to-one scale. Like in the first part, the main activity will be helping citizens, neutralizing local gangs, recapturing their territory and, of course, the production of new weapons and armor in industrial volumes. There is also a PvP mode in the form of Dark Zones.

This time, as an agent of the «Division» the player will visit Washington, specially recreated on a one-to-one scale. Like in the first part, the main activity will be helping citizens, neutralizing local gangs, recapturing their territory and, of course, the production of new weapons and armor in industrial volumes. There is also a PvP mode in the form of Dark Zones.

You can play the game either by yourself or in the company of three friends, so whether you look for a game for a couple of evenings or even months, you will definitely enjoy Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.

The Sinking City — 21st of March

A week later, the world will see a new project by Ukranian Frogwares, which is famous for its games about Sherlock Holmes. This time, they were inspired by works of Howard Lovecraft.

You cannot miss The Sinking City if you are a Lovecraft fan

The game’s setting is a fictional American town called Oakmont in in the 1920s. Our protagonist is an investigator Charles W. Reed who decided to visit Oakmont, which turned into a half-flooded wasteland with a couple of people that did not leave the town after the flood. What has happened in this town? What does Reed has to do with it? Carefully exploring the city and communicating with witnesses, the player will find answers to these and many other questions.

For those who was not impressed by the recent Call of Cthulhu and those who love mysteries and puzzles, The Sinking City is mandatory for familiarization.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — 22nd of March

A day later, on the store shelves will appear the most sadistic project of the month or even of the year — a new game by From Software, the authors of Dark Souls and Bloodbourne.

В Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice даже протезы несут смерть и разрушение — In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice even prosthesis can be used as a deadly weapon

Instead of Gothic of the middle ages you will experience Japan in late 1500s, a Sengoku period. Under the control of the player is the warrior Sekiro, who seeks revenge on the Ashina clan for the loss of his master and a hand, which he now replaces with the mechanical prosthesis. With the help of his new mechanical limb, Sekiro will be able to use the hook and other useful fixtures which can be switched in a moment. As for the combat system, it will be based on blocks and parrying.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice promises the same furious action and brand-name complexity of From Software. If you want to tickle your nerves the game will intrigue you as well.

Yoshi’s Crafted World — 29th of March

At the very end of the month will be released Youshi’s Crafted World — infinitely cute 2.5D platformer about the dragon Yoshi by Nintendo.

Yoshi’s Crafted World is definitely one of the cutest projects of this year

The new adventure of Yoshi is created in a handmade aesthetics. The dragon will have to work his way through DIY obstacles made of paper, fabric and other everyday materials in an unusual appearance. The main feature of the game is a reverse mode which turns the world around enabling to look behind the facade of homemade obstacles. The game can be played by two players as well.

Youshi’s Crafted World is a mandatory purchase for everyone who misses classic platformers, but looks for something fresh, and also for those who likes relaxing and colorful games. If you are not sure about buying you can try the demo version.

Daniel Grigorenko

By author Daniel Grigorenko

New pokemons of the «Alternative UK»
The Pokémon Company announced new games of the legendary series

Reading time 4 minutes

The information about new games in the main Pokémon series appeared last year, but so far fans of pocket monsters could only guess what’s going to come next. Now the new «Pokémon RPG 2019» has more details. What is interesting in the latest projects of the iconic franchise?

Sword and Shield

First of all, the «Pokémon RPG 2019» finally possessed a name. During the February video presentation Pokémon Direct, names of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games were revealed, they will be the eighth generation in the series.

As well as in previous generations, Sword and Shield will be separate games, and despite the similar story, the single setting and game mechanics are going to differ in the set of included pokemons. However, there is no need to buy every game at once: in order to catch them all, the owners of various versions are able to exchange their pocket monsters.

Brave New World

New generation — new region. This time, the game will take place in the region of Galar, which is going to be one of the biggest settings in the series with the great number of different zones. The Galar’s theme reminds of the undecided in its time period UK, which was the subject of rumors long before the game’s presentation.

Полная карта нового региона - острова Галар — The full map of the region of Galar

On the official map of the region posted on the teaser site of the game there are rural, urban and industrial zones, as well as various climatic biomes.

Railways and trains can also be noticed on the map. Apparently, they will serve as a means for rapid travelling in the region.

They’re not Pikachu!

In addition to the names and setting, three new initial pokémon were shown: Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble, which relate to grass, fire, and water types respectively. It is with one of them that players will begin their journey as a pokémon coach.

Стартовые покемоны в Sword/Shield: Груки, Скорбанни и Соббл — Initial pokemons of Sword/Shield Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble

In Sword and Shield the series will return to the system of Gyms and and icons instead of tests from the previous generation, Sun and Moon. it means that the main purpose of the games is again gaining the title of Champion, the best trainer of pokemon.

Some information about «Pokémon RPG 2019» appeared in the middle of 2018 for the first time. It was when The Pokémon Company announced the development of new games. The franchise itself was created by Satoshi Tajiri, a Japanese video game designer, in 1996, while the game’s production was managed by Game Freak studio. In addition to games, the franchise includes manga, anime, collectible card game and several full-length cartoons.

In may 2019, the big screens will also see the first feature film in the series — POKÉMON Detective Pikachu with Ryan Reynolds as Detective Pikachu. Pokémon Sword/Shield themselves will be released exclusively on Nintendo Switch in the end of 2019.

Daniel Grigorenko

By author Daniel Grigorenko

Russians who impressed the Eurovision
The most successful performances from Russian artists at the European song contest

Reading time 7 minutes

Sergey Lazarev will be representing Russia at the Eurovision at Tel Aviv for the second time. This Russian artist won the public vote, but based on the results of overall scoring he took the third place in 2016. The European audience was moved by his song «You Are The Only One» and the breathtaking performance with 3D projection. Now, everyone bode him the the success of another artist, Dima Bilan, who managed to win a Crystal microphone with the second attempt.

Which other artists from Russia achieved success and claimed the first place in the main European song contest?

Сергей Лазарев — Sergey Lazarev will be representing Russia at the Eurovision again

Alsou «Solo» (2000) — 2nd place

Алсу — Alsou became the first Russian representative to take a prize place

The first one to have an impact on Europe was sixteen year old Alsou, the youngest contestant in the history of this show, with the song «Solo». Originally, «Solo» was made for male vocals, but the artist was so imbued with the song, so she choose it. The authors, Andrew Lane and Brandon Barnes, corrected the song for the young singer, and she went to thrill Europe. Alsou won the second place, what became a real triumph for Russia.

Tatu «Don’t believe, don’t be afraid, don’t ask» (2003) — 3rd place

Тату — Tatu believed in their victory until the end, but took only the third place

The third place was accepted with disappointment. In 2003 the duo actively transferred from Russia to Europe and held a leading position in the charts of many countries of the continent. So the girls were one of the favorite contestants on the show. Julia Volkova and Lena Katina wore shirts with number one, because they were sure in their victory. However, Tatu took the third place, lagging behind the leaders only by 1 and 3 points. Many people assume that their Russian song «Don’t believe, don’t be afraid, don’t ask» was not understood by the European audience.

Serebro «Song #1» (2007) — 3rd place

The group’s debut with their «Song #1» took place at “Eurovision-2007”. The unknown trio of Maxim Fadeev was the winner of the national contest. People did not pin their hopes on inexperienced girls, but they brilliantly performed at the final and took the honorable third place.

Polina Gagarina «Million voices» (2015) — 2nd place

Полина Гагарина — Polina Gagarina’s performance turned into a magic fairytale

Polina Gagarina was representing Russian at the Eurovision with the composition «Million voices» which was written by five authors from different countries. The song is about intolerance to the division of people, the importance of love and peace between them. The magnificent dress of the artist became a part of the projected starry sky. Her performance is considered one of the most memorable performances in the history of the Eurovision. During the show, Gagarina was a leader, but lost the victory to the Swedish representative in the final.

Dima Bilan «Never let you go» (2006), «Believe» (2008) — 2nd and 1st places

Дима Билан, Евгений Плющенко и Эдвин Мартон — Dima Bilan brought Russia the only one victory at Eurovision

Dima Bilan was able to impress the Eurovision twice. The first time, in 2006, the artist with the song «Never let you go» took the second place, giving up the victory to a Finnish hard rock band «Lordi». Ballerinas took part in the performance, and one of them appeared in rose petals from the piano in the middle of the song. In his performance, Bilan did his signature jump for the first time, which became the singer’s hallmark.

Dima Bilan managed to win a Crystal microphone with the second attempt. He also brought Eurovision to Russia for the first time in the history of the show. Together with the figure skater Evgeni Plushenko and the violinist Edvin Marton, the artist created a performance for his song «Believe». Putting his health in danger, Bilan performed barefoot on ice while the famous skater could hurt the singer in any time. But the performance was impeccable and very sensual, which touched both the jury and the audience.The outcome was the first and so far the only Russian victory at Eurovision.

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Ajar Sultanalieva

By author Ajar Sultanalieva

Balenciaga and Farfetch collaborated to save animals
The brands will donate a part of their profit from a new collection to The International Union for Conservation of Nature

Reading time 4 minutes

Balenciaga fashion house released a new collection for e-tailer Farfetch dedicated to rare animal species. The main goal of this collaboration between the famous French brand and the biggest online platform is to demonstrate endangered species.

This exclusive capsule collection consists of clothes, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and children. The clothes are illustrated with Large Pandas, Asian Elephants, North White Rhinoceros and Blue Whales — these species are threatened with extinction right now. While creating this limited edition, the brand did not use leather, fur and down materials. The collection is also complimented by popular models presented in new colors and materials.

A North White Rhinoceros on a shirt from Balenciaga

A presentation of the new clothing line played a big role for Balenciaga fashion house. For the lookbook, two leading luxury companies decided to hold a creative photoshoot. The models were photographed with natural landscapes on the background — this way the designers wanted to stress the acute problem of preserving the environment. To make the album for the collection, the brand blurred the background on all photos in order to emphasise the fragility of nature. While the rare representatives of fauna are depicted clearly.

The lookbook of the exclusive collection from Balenciaga

The fashion house expresses its concern with the current ecological situation. CEO of the label, Cédric Charbit, encourages all fashion connoisseurs to support organizations aiming to save rare animal species. A part of a profit from sales of the limited collection will be donated to The International Union for Conservation of Nature — the Swiss charity organization. Moreover, Cédric Charbit mentioned that Balenciaga shares with the organization the same values.

According to José Neves, the founder of Farfetch, the brand Balenciaga is very popular among users of the online platform. He considers this partnership pretty advantageous, because it will bring new clients. The e-tailer represented exclusive wear which can be purchased only through the company’s web site.

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Asel Minbaeva

By author Asel Minbaeva