Digital Lifestyle

Russian Film Week is back in London cinemas for 8 days from November 28 – December 5 2021, the annual film festival features the best films produced in Russia or Russia-themed films produced globally. Tomorrow Unlocked Film Festival Finalist Cheat sheet for the princess by Vladimir Bukharov will be screened on Thursday, December 2. To celebrate, check out our favorite films about how technology influences our lives from Russia and beyond.

Cheat sheet for the princess

When an agent introduces his latest star to a film producer, things end bloody. But do they?

Terra Cene

Terra Cene is a remembrance of things past and an observation of the interconnected nature of our time on Earth. Winner, Tomorrow Unlocked Film Festival 2021.  

hacker:HUNTER – Wannacry: The Marcus Hutchins Story

In May 2017, computers around the world suddenly shut down. A malware called WannaCry asks for a ransom. The attack stops when researcher Marcus Hutchins finds the killswitch. What happens next for Marcus has to be seen to be believed.

Defenders of Digital – Inherited bias: The trouble with algorithms

These lawyers from Athens explains the dangers of today’s content moderation systems and explores how discrimination can occur when algorithms inherit the biases of their programmers.

hacker:HUNTER – Cashing In

ATMs hold cash, and that makes them attractive for criminals. While criminals around the world try to get to the money in cash machines with hammers, explosives, excavators, or other heavy gear, the Carbanak gang found a more elegant and stealthy way. 

Defenders of Digital – Fighting every day to keep children safe from exploitation

Susie Hargreaves and her team at the Internet Watch Foundation hunt down child abuse images online and help identify children involved so that law enforcement can intervene.

Visit the Russian Film Week website to see the complete film program along with details of exhibitions, talks, masterclasses, and other special events.

There’s nothing like a documentary to help get your head around new tech looking set to change the world. We think these 8 documentaries on the future of tech are not to be missed, whether you stream on Amazon, Netflix or another service.

Time for a top tech documentary

You’ve made your way through what’s trending on Netflix and cut through Amazon Prime’s top films like a knife through butter. Now it’s time to sit back and feast your eyes on the next big thing. These are our favorite tech documentaries of recent years.

The Social Dilemma

2020

About: Social media and data protection

Directed by Jeff Orlowski

Watch on Netflix

What’s behind your Facebook? Is someone on the other side of your Instagram? The Social Dilemma examines our growing dependence on social media, how it’s reprogramming the way we interact and insider secrets about how the companies work.

11:Years – The Rose Of UK FinTech

2019

About: FinTech

Directed by 11:FS

Watch on YouTube

The financial crash in 2008 set the scene for a new wave of British banks like Monzo, Starling and Revolut. Will they change how we interact with banking? Featuring the trailblazing CEOs of UK fintech, 11:Years looks at what banking could be if finance keeps going digital.

The Great Hack

2019

About: Data protection

Directed by Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim

Watch on Netflix

This documentary uses the iconic Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal to tell the story of how the powers that be use our data and control what we see. For extra reading, Kaspersky interviews Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser about her ideas for solving the big personal data problem.

iHuman

2019

About: AI

Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei

Watch on Modern Films

Is artificial intelligence the most powerful technology of all time? iHuman accesses the booming AI industry and uncovers fascinating truths on how AI could shape our future.

Coded Bias (above)

2020

About: Machine learning

Directed by Shalini Kantayya

Watch on Netflix

How fair are the algorithms that are increasingly part of life? Coded Bias explores what algorithms do, how they work and how they might embed bias. At the heart of the documentary are cyber-heroes of algorithms, the Algorithmic Justice League.

Do You Trust This Computer?

2018

About: AI

Directed by Chris Paine

Watch on Amazon

Stephen Hawking once warned that pursuing superintelligent artificial intelligence might jeopardize humanity. Do You Trust This Computer? asks whether that prediction holds water.

The Cleaners

2018

About: Data protection

Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck

Watch on Google Play

The Cleaners follows the lives of five cyber guardians who monitor and delete offensive, pornographic and provocative posts on social media. Are they what stands between us and total online chaos?

For more stories on the people protecting our digital lives, watch our Defenders of Digital series.

Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World

2016

About: Future of the internet

Directed by Werner Herzog

Watch on Amazon

An award-winning director looks at the internet of our future in this beautifully shot documentary. A complete view of the evolution of the world wide web and what that will mean for humanity further down the line.

Did we miss any great tech documentaries?

These are our favorite documentaries on technology’s evolution, but we know there are more everyone should see. Which tech documentaries do you recommend? Share your suggestions on our Twitter and Facebook.

For more documentaries on how tech is changing the world, subscribe to Tomorrow Unlocked on YouTube and watch documentaries like Imagine Beyond: Who Wants To Live Forever.

Invisible men, brutal algorithm-driven dystopia and devices that fragment consciousness – it’s been a tasty year for sci-fi. As we approach The Oscar’s 2021, we look at a few movies about the future of tech that, unfortunately, didn’t make the shortlist. Which one surprises you the most?

How did these sci-fi films miss out on The Oscars 2021?

It’s that time of the year again. The great and good from the world of film come together to celebrate cinematographic achievements. Except, this year, we won’t be focusing on those. We’ll be focusing on those that *didn’t* make it.

Yes, we’re delving into the depths of the unrecognized to focus on what we do best: tech film. The future of technology to be precise. There’s a rich well to drink from, too. So here’s our favorite sci-fi films about the future of tech that *didn’t* make the list for The Oscars 2021.

The Invisible Man (above)

Director: Leigh Wannel

Griffin, a scientist interested in optics, stalks his wife with an invisibility suit which only works when he’s totally naked. The suit supposedly bends light, using various cameras and displays to record the wearer’s surroundings and transmit them on its surface. You might be thinking, can someone actually make an invisibility suit? It may be closer than we think.

Watch it: YouTube, Amazon Prime

Bloodshot

Director: David S.F. Wilson

Vin Diesel is back. After witnessing his wife’s murder, his character Ray wakes up in a strange facility with amnesia. Turns out his blood has been replaced with nanorobots that give him superpowers – think Wolverine meets The Punisher. He can heal from any injury thanks to the tiny helpers in his blood, plus morph his own body, changing his shape and appearance. Sound like your kind of thing?

Watch it: YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play

Possessor

Director: Brandon Cronenburg

Will the life of an assassin ever get any easier? Possessor thinks so. In this near future tale, hired killers, called ‘possessors,’ control the bodies of others to earn their money. No trace, no trouble. But how does it work? Brain-implant technology that plants the consciousness of one into the other. Thing is, both exist in the same body. Surely that’s a recipe for disaster? Yes, as our protagonist finds out.

Watch: YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play

Black Box

Director: Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.

Widowed protagonist, severe amnesia and a new form of experimental brain treatment – what could go wrong? Nolan is struggling to adapt to life after the loss of his wife, so he turns to tech to sort himself out. In Black Box, tech — in this case, a virtual reality headset — is used to help access and unlock memories, drastically altering our personalities and perspectives on our past. The hope? That by uncovering the dark recesses of our brain through VR reconstructions, we can come to terms with grief, pain and anguish. Keen to give it a try?

Watch it: Amazon Prime

Minor Premise

Director: Eric Schultz

R10 – recognize the name? Probably not; it’s a fictional, mind-altering device. Ethan, our protagonist, built R10 – which isolates sections of the brain that control emotions or behaviour, allowing us to better understand our personalities. But things go a little bit stray when Ethan’s consciousness starts fragmenting into different pieces. It’s not a technology we see getting past regulators any time soon. That said, would you try it?

Watch it: Amazon Prime

Ready to stream? Make sure you do this first

If you’re streaming films, particularly recently released ones, do it from a recognized, paid service. Why? Because free streaming sites are a breeding ground for phishing attacks, spam emails and malware. Kaspersky experts found that almost 70 percent of malicious files are disguised in three Oscar-nominated movies: Promising Young Woman, Judas and the Black Messiah, and the Trial of the Chicago 7.

In short, cybercriminals know that ‘free’ films are a popular lure for unsuspecting victims. So how can you avoid getting hacked? Check the website’s authenticity (including URL spelling), pay attention to files you’re downloading (a video file will never be called .exe or .msi) and use reliable security solutions. There, you’re ready to stream.

Did we miss anything?

These are our favorite sci-films that didn’t make The Oscars, but what about yours? Share your suggestions on our Twitter and Facebook.

Completing a game more quickly than opponents is the goal of the esport of speedrunning. It could be Super Mario, Doom or any other game. This week we’ll see which elite players can break the speed record playing Minecraft.

Speed is the name of the game

The Break the Record Live Series is a live-streamed event where elite gamers compete to be the fastest ever player. Next week, they’ll try to break the Minecraft speed-playing record. The brains behind Break the Record, Fredrik Lidholt (aka Edenal) chats about the future of esports with Marco Preuss and Rainer Bock in the latest episode of Unlocked.

Find out more about next week’s Minecraft event here!

Let us know on Facebook and Twitter if you’re tuning in and don’t forget to tag Tomorrow Unlocked and the European Speedrunner Assembly!

A non-fungible token (NFT) of digital kitten art sold for 170,000 US dollars. These tokens could change how we buy, sell and own digital media. What are they, and could they build a new creative economy? To start, check out the video above from CNBC!

Is this the art of true ownership in the digital age?

Most of us can make a GIF, take a picture or record a clip, but what if you could sell those and other digital media for hundreds of thousands of dollars? With the rise of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), pictures, short clips of comedians, GIFs and every other form of digital art is now being tokenized and sold just like a physical painting.

What is an NFT?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a digital certificate of ownership of a piece of digital information that can be bought and sold. It works the same way as cryptocurrency: Secure transactions made between two parties recorded permanently through blockchain. The difference is, with bitcoin – a popular cryptocurrency using blockchain – you can trade one coin for the other and it has the same value, but NFTs are one-of-a-kind. Each NFT is unique and can have a different value.

You can make NFTs of almost anything digital, but the big news is they’re starting to be used to buy and sell digital art, known as cryptoart.

Why NFTs can benefit digital artists and art buyers

Uniqueness has always been central to the art market. Digital art is hard to sell, and for buyers, hard to ‘own’ because of the potential for an infinite number of copies. NFTs could solve that problem.

For creators, NFTs are super trendy and therefore add to your enigmatic status, and they have a handy sell-on feature. If you sell a GIF using NFTs, you get a percentage every time the NFT is sold to a new buyer. Imagine Van Gogh selling a painting, then getting a slice of every resale, forever.

And if you’re a buyer, you have a concrete claim of owning a piece of digital art. And speaking of buying, you might want to see this.

A world gone mad for NFTs

The best way to understand the NFT market explosion is to see some pieces that have fetched crazy sums. Brace yourself.

This Nyan Cat GIF sold for almost $600,000 US dollars.

Article in the NY Times

Grimes – The NFT goldrush continues

This 50-second video by Grimes sold for almost $390,000.

Watch the video here.

Beeple – Authenticated by blockchain

This video by Beeple sold for $6.6 million.

Watch the video here.

Crypto financial and environmental impacts

Many financial experts have warned that this could be an investment bubble that, if it bursts, could mean big losses.

And while NFTs are making the digital art world fairer, they come with a warning. The sale of a crypto art piece can use the same amount of energy in one transaction as an art studio uses in two years.

How  artists can benefit

If you’re an aspiring or established artist or content creator, no promises, but this could be big for you. First, prepare your work ready, whether it’s a GIF, picture or video. Then, when you’re happy with it, start on NIfty Gateway. On Nifty Gateway, you can apply to create a project for them to sell.

Will you get into the world of cryptoart? Share your favorite pieces with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Technology could go anywhere in future. We ask you, which of these five sci-fi on-demand TV shows predicts it best?

Which sci-fi series gets our tech future right?

Predicting the future of tech is hard. These five on-demand sci-fi TV shows all predict different technological futures for humankind. Which do you think is closest to the truth?

Alphas (above)

Watch on Amazon Prime

In a new twist on the superhero saga, in Alphas, a select few humans have developed super senses, but they’re also plagued by harmful drawbacks. For the crime-fighting supergroup, their strengths and flaws act as both help and hindrance.

Altered Carbon

Watch on Netflix

Set in a future where consciousness is digitized and stored in human spines, people can survive physical death by having their memories and consciousness “re-sleeved” into new bodies. What could go wrong?

Black Mirror

Watch on Netflix

Could technology alter memory and perception? Will AI be our friend or foe? Can we tell a digital human from a real one? This anthology of self-contained future worlds will satisfy the most curious minds, but is not for the faint-hearted.

Brave New World

Watch on Amazon Prime

This 2020 adaptation loosely based on Aldous Huxley’s influential 1932 novel envisions a perfect, happy society, where everyone knows their place. But, with advanced genetic technology, is it possible?

Devs

Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK only)

In a world where quantum computing can predict all human behavior (ouch,) humanity places its trust in a crack team of developers to restore their freedom.

There you have it – our five favorite sci-fi shows predicting a technological future. Which stands out for you, and why? Tell us on Twitter or Facebook and see what others say. And at Tomorrow Unlocked, we have our own predictions for the future of tech. Strap in – this is Imagine Beyond.

One man spent 168 hours – a full week – in a VR headset. He came out with these insights. Crazy experiment or timely voyage?

Seven days in a VR headset

However you normally spend your week, there’s probably a large chunk of it eating and sleeping. You may spend some time in nature, or maybe not. What if you could do it all in virtual reality? (Including the nature part.)

One man has gone to extreme lengths to show the possibilities of VR. Brought to you by ‘off-world’ YouTubers Disrupt, here’s what happens when you live in the future for a week.

After a year of working from home, which urban trends in how we work will stick around? In the face of bad Zoom signal and limited contact, we’re adapting to the biggest challenge in recent human history.

Business as unusual: City trends for the new normal

Adjusting to life in lockdown has been hard, but a glimmer of hope is on the horizon. COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work. What will our jobs and living spaces be like when we return to the ‘new normal?’ Here are the trends that could shape the future of work, technologies empowering these shifts and how we can make this new tech-forward way of life safe from cybercriminals.

Cybersecurity crucial for homes of the future

Working at home has meant a rise in intelligent buildings and smart homes. From keyless entry to voice-activated elevators, the demand for hands-off tech is up. And as you’d expect, the numbers using laptops at home has increased. As we’re becoming more reliant on home technology, we need to secure our homes against hackers – like securely configuring home Wi-Fi and using strong unique passwords to protect devices and control panels.

Recent Kaspersky research shows 58 percent use internet security software beyond what’s built in, most (65 percent) agree antivirus software is a must-have for good ‘digital hygiene,’ but only 48 percent password-protect their Wi-Fi.

Pop-up workspaces mean less time in the office

As we plan for life after the pandemic, most workers will likely head to the office just two or three days a week. This has a huge impact on how employers will use their properties, if they keep using them at all. Low-cost alternatives are small private offices, hot desks and co-working spaces.

Pop-up workspaces mean virtual work will be available to anyone who wants it. But without the protection of business cybersecurity, individuals need to protect themselves and their employers. A simple tip: Turn on your virtual private network (VPN) at home or on public Wi-Fi – to protect your and your employer’s data.

Rise of Zoom towns and 15-minute cities

COVID-19 has seen many turn and look outward – living outside cities. Millions are changing small apartments for bigger properties further from city centers and closer to green spaces. Meanwhile, Zoom towns have arisen: Vacation destinations turned virtual working hotspots by those escaping the city.

The 15-minute city, where everything from shops to parks are within 15 minutes from home, is now a reality for many. Huge malls are making way for grocery stores, only a bike ride away. All this means people spending more time in their neighborhoods and prioritizing lifestyle, based on affordability, commercial infrastructure, parks or whatever they value most.

As the digital world evolves, society benefits from the multiple uses of technology. But as tech continues to play an increasing part of our lives, we need the right cybersecurity solutions and defences to keep us safe from hackers and cybercriminals. The question remains: What do you think of all this?

Today is World Sleep Day, but don’t hit the duvet just yet! Do you have smart tech that helps you achieve a better quality of health? Sleep is vital to help you live a better life. These three videos are sure to help you crack the code to feeling well-rested.

“How can you track your sleep?” – (above)

“What is the accuracy of these apps?”

“Simple tips for better sleep”

Sleep apps are one solution. Besides tech, a big part of better sleep is to relax. Try CyberSpa for novel ways to unwind online, like squeezing a virtual stress ball. Then switch off your devices to let your body and mind decompress before hitting the hay.

If you’re curious about what it means to share health data with apps, then read this story from Kaspersky.

How do you get the best night’s sleep? Share your tips with us on Facebook and Twitter!