Latest news with #DeepBlue
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Rematch' Recreates a Cultural Touchstone
It is rare that chess grabs the public's attention — most people consider it to be too slow or too arcane to be engaging. But every now and then, the game transcends those obstacles, as it did in 2020, when Netflix released 'The Queen's Gambit,' about a girl genius who rises up to conquer the game of kings. It happens with real chess matches, too. It happened in 1972, when against the backdrop of the Cold War, a match for the world championship was played in Iceland between the American Bobby Fischer and the Russian Boris Spassky. Fischer won. And it happened again in May 1997, when Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion, played a match against a black, six-and-a-half-foot tall, 1,500-pound computer named Deep Blue, developed at IBM. The last event is the subject of another television series, called 'Rematch,' now streaming in Britain on Disney+. (It is not currently streaming in the United States; Disney declined to say when or if it would.) The six-part series walks viewers through what led up to the weeklong match held in midtown Manhattan and the unfolding drama culminating in (spoiler alert) Kasparov's historic loss. Spinning a tale of human drama, corporate skulduggery, double-dealing and even espionage, 'Rematch' also makes several explicit references to the attention that the match received, including by weaving in actual clips from contemporaneous news broadcasts. Though there are some fictional elements in the series, the hype was real. It was not hard to understand. The match pitted man against machine, something right out of science fiction. (In one scene in 'Rematch,' characters joke about naming Deep Blue after sinister robots from 'Alien' or 'Terminator.') Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Rematch Season 1 Review: A gripping and brilliantly staged battle of mind vs machine
Story: Set against the high-stakes world of chess, this gripping drama reimagines the iconic 1997 face-off between world champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue. Review: 'Rematch' is a psychological thriller drama built around Garry Kasparov's iconic 1997 face-off with IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer. The series walks a fine line between historical fiction and intense character study. Directed by Yan England, it doesn't merely chronicle chess games—it dissects the mind of a genius, slightly intimidated by something he can't fully comprehend. While the setting is the chessboard, the show unfolds like a thriller, complete with boardroom politics and cold ambition. The tone is dark, atmospheric, and unapologetically stylized, giving the narrative an edge that's as much about psychological warfare as it is about pawns and kings. Full credit must go to the director for making this a riveting watch, even for those uninitiated in the game of chess. The series opens with Garry Kasparov (Christian Cooke) comfortably defeating Deep Blue in a six-round match in 1996. But when IBM chief George Silverman (Donald Sage Mackay) calls a boardroom meeting to investigate the company's declining edge, VP Helen Brock (Sarah Bolger) suggests that the real threat is the rise of the internet. She sees an opportunity in the chess duel and persuades Kasparov for a rematch, promising that the machine is now better equipped and Kasparov will earn a $1 million paycheck. Once Kasparov agrees, IBM launches a marketing blitz, branding the duel as a once-in-a-lifetime event. After he wins the first round, panic sets in. Brock brings in grandmasters to secretly assist Deep Blue. The plot soon leans into paranoia—was IBM playing fair? Were humans aiding the machine mid-game? And despite the known outcome, the suspense remains gripping. Christian Cooke brings both intensity and quiet rage to Kasparov—equal parts brilliance and brittleness. He portrays a man long used to being the smartest in the room, now spiralling as his opponent remains eerily emotionless. Trine Dyrholm as Kasparov's mother provides emotional grounding through flashbacks, offering warmth amid the cold tech world. Bolger's fictional character adds dramatic tension, though her arc occasionally feels underwritten. The rest of the ensemble—largely techies and aides—help root the narrative in realism. But make no mistake, 'Rematch' is an out-and-out Cooke show; his performance anchors the emotional weight of the story. The series succeeds most in building mood—oppressive, cerebral, and haunting. The cinematography and sound design mirror the protagonist's inner chaos, and the use of real chess games lends authenticity. However, the pacing is uneven. Some episodes move briskly, while others loop around the same psychological terrain, offering little new insight. At times, the dramatization slips into melodrama, particularly in its attempt to paint Kasparov as a tragic, almost mythic figure. 'Rematch' is less about chess and more about what it means to be human in the shadow of looming, powerful, unstoppable technology. The show thrives on atmosphere and psychological nuance rather than plot twists. While it takes dramatic liberties, it remains anchored to its core theme—the fear of becoming obsolete. Even when it stumbles, it remains compelling. For viewers interested in history, AI, or the human psyche under pressure, it's a rewarding watch. With its layered drama, sharp performances, and thematic depth, the man-versus-machine battle feels deeply personal.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- IOL News
Deep Blue: Why we love the sea
Veruska de Vita is the author of Deep Blue: Why we love the sea. Image: Supplied. Veruska de Vita has sea water in her veins. Last week the Johannesburg-based author released her ode to the ocean; Deep Blue: Why we love the sea. Both a freediver and open water swimmer, de Vita has felt the call of the ocean throughout her life. By melding science, storytelling, and her own free-diving adventures she explores the impact it has on all emotional and physical wellbeing. Below is an extract from the book which retails for R330 and can be found at all good book shops. Deep Blue is an ode to the ocean and all the benefits it provides. The 256 page book is an invitation to dive in and understand why the ocean calls to us. Image: Supplied. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Deep Blue: Why we love the sea. Humans have been diving to great depths on a single breath for millennia. Staggering distances have been recorded since the early 1900s, with Giorgos Statti in Greece diving to 70 metres to retrieve a coin, Frenchman Jacques Mayol plunging to 100 metres in 1976 and Austrian Herbert Nitsch reaching 214 metres in 2007 using a weighted sled to descend and a buoyancy device to surface. More recently, William Trubridge dived to 102 metres in 2016, Alessia Zecchini reached 123 metres in 2023 and Alexey Molchanov reached 133 metres in the same year – all using a monofin. A monofin is a fi n that both feet fit into, giving the diver a dolphin-like 'tail'. Professional freedivers continue to extend the limits of their reach, going a few or many metres deeper at each world record attempt. The sport has limitations set by the human body's response to lack of oxygen, increased carbon dioxide and mounting water pressure. I like to think that the abilities of competitive freedivers point to the fact that humans are semi-aquatic. Our bodies seem built for water immersion, some bodies being more adept than others. Most babies, when put into water, instinctively react by swimming and holding their breath. This reflex has been attributed to the cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or cot death, when babies stop breathing. Beth Neale, a South African competitive freediver you'll read about later, submerged her daughter Neve when she was three months old. Beth tells me that Neve held her breath, exhaled a little, but it was obvious that her mammalian diving reflex had kicked in. 'She is so comfortable in the water that, as a baby, when I went into the ocean, as the water went above my knees and touched her feet, she put her face in the crook of my neck and fell asleep,' says Beth. From all that Beth has researched about diving reflex in children, what she understood about her own toddler is that the reflex becomes a lesser response beyond the age of six or seven months. Babies experience a laryngospasm, which is when the throat naturally locks, and before six months this happens instinctively. 'With Neve it was still natural until about seven months. At eight months she would come up and cough a little, so I started teaching her,' says Beth. Beth also explains that when the face is immersed in water, chemoreceptors around the eyes push the diving reflex to kick in sooner, which is why during her record attempts she prefers to go without a mask. Some believe that the diving response stops when a toddler begins to walk, because the need to survive in water diminishes. Yet this reflex is inherent; we can access it and train ourselves to extend our time underwater, to harvest the treasures of the sea and enjoy the feeling of weightlessness. We continue to be seduced by water, whether we're diving, swimming, immersing ourselves in it for our health, simply playing in it as children or exploring its depths and its shallows. We heed its call to explore, find bliss and push our own physical and mental limits. What happens to the human body during freediving? As the face is immersed in water, the mammalian diving reflex kicks in, slowing down the heart rate and causing blood to move to the thoracic area. This blood shift keeps the vital organs safe and provides protection for the lungs, so that they don't collapse. Unlike other diving mammals, humans have not adapted to managing lung compression – as a freediver swims deeper, the lungs become smaller. The deeper the freediver descends, the smaller the volume of air in the body. At the water's surface, the atmospheric pressure is 1 bar. At 10 metres, it is 2 bars, halving the volume of air in the body. An interesting thing happens at about 20 metres: neutral buoyancy is reached, which means that one neither sinks nor floats. The freediver is simply suspended. Just beyond this point of equilibrium, hydrostatic pressure takes hold; one becomes negatively buoyant and is pulled downwards, entering a state of continuous freefall. This is what may have happened to freediver Natalia Molchanova – she may have reached this freefall depth and passed out, or she may have become disorientated, not knowing up from down, continuing to soar or drop to the greatest depths of the sea. A poetic ending for someone so in love with the water. At 50 metres, a freediver continues to freefall and the lungs become more compressed. The lungs are at residual volume – the volume of air that remains in the lungs after maximum exhalation. The lung tissue is under strain and the freediver needs to be careful not to make big movements that could cause injury to any part of the pulmonary system. At 100 metres, lung volume can decrease to between 9 and 4,5 per cent of surface volume – the lungs become the size of pillboxes. Yet some individuals are extremely tolerant of lung compression at depths beyond this. Chris McKnight is a research fellow in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. His primary focus is marine mammals and he spends weeks, sometimes months, tracking and observing seals. This has led him to study some of the world's greatest vertical freedivers. He tells me that the elite freedivers were phenomenal to work with, very keen to have instruments attached to them on their dives. For him, it's fascinating – groundbreaking, even – to learn more about what happens inside the human body when submerged. Chris and his team develop tools to follow diving mammals, measuring their heart rate and blood oxygenation, and changes in blood volume and brain oxygenation. 'Doing research on humans is a great stepping stone for us because we can ask questions to deeper understand what happens to the body during a dive.' Chris's Irish accent is thick. He chats to me from his home in Dublin – in the frame of the Zoom call, it looks like a surfer's house: lots of light wood, and everything in it is functional, not just decorative. He explains that one of the crucial differences between humans and marine mammals is that we have sinuses and they don't. Without air-filled sinuses, marine mammals do not suffer the effects of changing pressure as much as humans do. We need to equalise to match the pressure in the middle ear to that of the depth. Another fundamental difference is that marine mammals don't have involuntary breathing movements, or contractions, and we do. Those who have held their breath to the point of these contractions know that they are uncomfortable and uncontrollable, and only stop once you exhale the carbon dioxide that has built up in the lungs. 'What freedivers who go to depths of sixty, a hundred metres have conditioned themselves to tolerate is phenomenal. They present an incredibly unique model for research,' says Chris. The research hopes to uncover how freedivers condition themselves to endure bouts of exceptionally low oxygen, which could help doctors treating cardiac patients. 'A few of the key things we found was a reduction in heart rate. The freediver's heart rate declined through the descent, just like a dolphin's, until it was 11 beats per minute at the bottom of the dive. In some of the deep dives that went past ninety metres, the heart rate got lower than what we'd expect to see in marine mammals, which was a surprise. Physiologically, deep diving is a stressful situation and I didn't expect heart rate to get as low as that. 'Other interesting changes occurred in oxygen levels. We measured the oxygenation of blood being delivered to vital organs like the brain. At the onset of exercise during descent, these levels, which are normally at 98 per cent, dropped enormously to as low as 25 per cent, which is well below the point at which we expect people to lose consciousness, which is at 50 per cent. One particular diver was tolerating levels in deoxygenation in the brain that far exceed those of marine mammals. 'Brain metabolic rate also drops, so it shuts down. A lot of the body is shut down so that it can better utilise oxygen for the major organs. It goes back to normal in 45 seconds once they surface and concomitant with that is brain oxygenation. 'We also saw a big increase in blood pressure and high intracranial pressure. Deep diving is a complete physiological assault,' says Chris. What Chris observed, but did not document, while researching elite freedivers was their desire to push the boundary of where their body could go, how much pressure they could withstand and how much further they could fly into the depths, using only the oxygen they took into their lungs at the surface. While the long-term effects of freediving on the mind and body have not been clearly established, some athletes feel a change in their mood. Chris tells me that after a number of days of doing deep dives, some of the divers had to take a day off because they felt cranky, angry and emotionally vulnerable. As freedivers immerse themselves deeper into the blue and as research on them continues, it will be interesting to see what is uncovered. As I move my focus to those who enjoy the sea on the surface, I find a study done by the French Swimming Federation, published in 2024, on the physiological traits of extreme open-water swimmers. It piques my interest as I have wondered how regular and long hours of swimming affect the body. Surfers, and people who swim in cold water, can develop bony growths in the ear canal, or external auditory exostoses, a condition better known as surfer's ear. Swimming influences the lungs by increasing capacity, which is beneficial, but it can also make them swell from a build-up of fluids, which can cause illness. I've heard of long-distance swimmers falling ill with swimming-induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE), which affects those who swim in cold water under high physical exertion. The French Swimming Federation study showed that the success of open-water swimmers depends on their ability to swim hard and fast for many hours. The researchers found a number of common attributes in 14 elite male open-water swimmers: a highly developed aerobic capacity, which is the body's ability to use oxygen efficiently during prolonged exercise, and elevated lactate thresholds, which allows them to swim longer and faster without muscle fatigue. The conclusion was this: the better a swimmer's body is at using oxygen and managing lactate build-up, the better they can swim.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What would it take to end Iran's nuclear program? An army
Following the US strikes on Iran's nuclear program, discrepancies arise regarding the extent of the damage. While a complete obliteration is unlikely with airstrikes alone, a comprehensive dismantling would necessitate a large-scale invasion, mirroring the Iraq model. The author advocates for a diplomatic resolution, emphasizing the high costs and potential pitfalls of military intervention, drawing lessons from the Iraq War. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In the weeks since the US attacked the Iranian nuclear program with 30,000-pound 'bunker busting' bombs and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles, we've heard wide variation in how much damage has been done Donald Trump 's claim that the US had 'obliterated' the Iranian nuclear program was widely challenged, and current assessments have broadly settled on 'severe damage' that has set back the program 12 to 24 is largely not disputed is that 800-plus pounds of enriched uranium remains somewhere in Iran; that some number of the critical enrichment machines (gas centrifuges, cascade structures, precision bearings) are likely still in Iranian hands; and, indisputably, that the scientific knowhow to produce an atomic bomb still exists in the minds of Iranian scientists, engineers and technologists who survived the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Trump met this week, they were in agreement: Iran can never be permitted to have a nuclear weapon. But from there, the beliefs diverge. Israel probably wants more strikes to find and destroy the uranium stockpile and machinery, and to assassinate leading scientists. Trump likely wants to avoid more strikes, seeking to find a diplomatic and economic solution that doesn't drag the US further into another Middle East the fact is, neither of these approaches would achieve that ultimate goal of ensuring the Tehran regime never produces a viable nuclear arsenal. So, what would it actually require? Certainly, more than the American people, their elected officials and the military would be eager to undertake any time way to think about this is to look at the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yes, we all know it turned out that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein didn't have a nuclear weapons program. But, paradoxically, the mission intended to find it must be considered a military success in terms of achieving its objective. That effort provides a blueprint for what it would take to truly obliterate a nation's weapons research programs.I remember the invasion of Iraq clearly. Immediately after 9/11, I was promoted to a one-star rear admiral's rank and head of the Navy's new tactical antiterrorist think tank, called 'Deep Blue.' My mission was to come up with ways to defeat al-Qaeda forces who had perpetrated the attack on the our focus on finding and eliminating terrorist groups in Afghanistan, I was surprised to hear more and more discussion in the Pentagon about invading Iraq. Operational plans were underway to remove Saddam's regime, on the presumption that he had a capable program for weapons of mass destruction. That intelligence turned out to be wrong. But at the time, the objective for the military was to destroy what we believed was an extensive Iraqi nuclear program.I remember reviewing those plans, and they were far, far from a series of precision strikes. They included an initial force of more than 150,000 ground troops (US and British); another 200,000 supporting troops; almost 2,000 combat aircraft for 24,000 sorties in the first six weeks, with 65,000 airmen supporting; and more than 100 naval warships with 60,000 sailors. Several thousand highly trained special forces members were also to be engaged. Ultimately, nearly 40 nations participated in the operation that began in 2003, including a major North Atlantic Treaty Organization training mission which I would eventually plan also envisioned that Shiite Muslim militias — opposed to Saddam's Sunni-led regime — would rise up and fight alongside our forces. I recall another rear admiral speaking in football parlance that 'Shias go long,' like NFL wide thinking aside, here's the point: This was a massive undertaking that ultimately cost the US trillions of dollars, thousands of combat deaths and tens of thousands of life-changing wounds, and countless Iraqi civilian lives. It was costly, bloody and every government lab was inspected and neutralized; key scientific personnel were identified, interrogated and placed under surveillance. Machinery was destroyed and factories converted to other uses. But this required, above all, boots on the ground. It simply could not have been done in Iraq with a handful of airstrikes and clusters of Tomahawk let's look at Iran. It is nearly four times the size of Iraq, with a population roughly twice as large. Unlike the case in Baghdad, we know with absolute certainly — because of international inspectors — that Iran has an active and impressive program to build not only nuclear weapons but also ballistic missiles to deliver them. Thus, the challenge to obliterate that capability is immense, far greater than in Iraq. It would require invading Iran with hundreds of thousands of ground troops, occupying the country and systematically dismantling the we do that? Yes, but the costs would be enormous. Would the Iranian people greet us as liberators and turn their nation into a democratic beacon in a turbulent region? Uh, we heard exactly that about Iraq. Didn't work out our leaders are going to call for obliterating the Iranian nuclear program, they need to be clear-eyed. Perhaps someday an overwhelming military option may be needed, but for now let's see what we can accomplish at the bargaining table. And tell the Israelis to cool their jets, potential deal needs to include a guarantee of open inspections by international bodies anywhere, anytime; no uranium enrichment within Iran (if the regime truly wants low-enriched material for an energy program, it can come from a neutral third site); termination of long-range ballistic missile research and testing; and no further support to terrorist or proxy groups threatening the US, Arab states or return, we can offer a graduated series of steps to relieve sanctions; cooperation on peaceful nuclear power; and economic incentives — for the Europeans, a peaceful Iran could be a very attractive investment the long haul, we can always go back to the Pentagon and pull out the war plans to invade Iran — and the Tehran leadership knows it. But we shouldn't kid ourselves about what can be accomplished strictly with low-cost and low-risk airstrikes. To truly obliterate the Iranian nuclear plan would be shockingly costly and painful. Far better to try again diplomatically. The ghosts of Iraq demand no less.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Big Apple's Core Shaken: Muslim Socialist Mamdani Wins Democratic Nomination For NYC Mayor
In a political upset shaking New York City and rippling across the nation, self-described Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for mayor, effectively guaranteeing his election in the deep-blue city. The nomination marks a dramatic shift in America's largest city and has ignited swift criticism from Americans. Mamdani defeated former governor and Democratic establishment figure Andrew Cuomo by running on a platform to tax the wealthy, create government-run grocery stores, support Palestinian causes, and defund the NYPD, reported Newsweek. New York City's Democratic Socialists of America celebrated the result, writing, 'This historic victory of working people over the oligarchs extends throughout the city and into the City Council,' citing the win of fellow socialist Councilmember Alexa Avilés, who campaigned without corporate PAC money. The win has generated intense reaction across the political spectrum, particularly in Republican-led Texas, where concerns over rising Islamic and socialist influence have been escalating. 'The leading Mayoral candidate in one of our largest cities is a Muslim socialist who wants to defund the police and globalize the intifada. This isn't the America you grew up in,' Texas Congressman Brandon Gill wrote on X. 'Mass migration is fundamentally transforming our communities—and the electorate. It has to stop.' Tim Young, a conservative commentator, added, 'The next Mayor of New York wants to have government owned grocery stores… Enjoy your bread lines. NYC is about to become even worse of a dump.' Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French warned the shift isn't isolated to New York. 'Similarly, people ask how could Texas be in play? Perhaps it's because we have at least 5.5 million foreign born here too,' French wrote on X. Concerns over Islamic political influence have been mounting in Texas for months. As The Dallas Express previously reported, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into EPIC City—a controversial real estate venture tied to the East Plano Islamic Center. Paxton sent formal records requests to multiple municipalities amid questions over potential legal violations and remarks from EPIC figure Yasir Qadhi, who claimed local officials were backing the project. The Texas Legislature responded by passing House Bill 4211, a measure banning Sharia-compliant enclaves and religious governance in Texas communities. Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill into law on June 19. Adding to tensions, the City of Richardson recently elected a Democratic Muslim candidate, Amir Omar, as mayor. Omar, endorsed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), won with 55% of the vote, defeating incumbent Mayor Bob Dubey, reported Fox 4 News. CAIR, a group with a controversial political footprint, claims its mission is to 'empower American Muslims' and 'promote justice.' With Mamdani poised to lead New York City, questions are surfacing over the city's future as America's financial capital. Major business leaders have already expressed concern. 'We may consider closing our supermarkets and selling the business,' Catsimatidis, who owns the Gristedes chain, commented in The Free Press, reported The New York Times. 'I will never move from New York, but there's a lot of other people that will and are leaving New York,' Neil Blumenthal, the co-founder and co-C.E.O. of Warby Parker, said, reported NYT. The New York Stock Exchange Texas has secured its new home in Dallas. The NYSE Texas will occupy 28,000 square feet at Harlan Crow's Old Parkland, a business center known for its family offices. Earlier this year, The Dallas Express reported that Trump Media & Technology Group became the inaugural company listed on the state's first securities exchange. NYC, the nation's financial hub, is losing businesses such as Goldman Sachs to Dallas due to its affordability and space, reported AXIOS. With financial giants like Goldman Sachs already shifting operations south, and now with a socialist mayor-elect looming, many fear that New York City's era as America's financial hub may soon come to an end, while cities like Dallas rise in its place.
