Twitter has changed a lot in recent years, and especially more recently with a subscription service, Spaces, and the ability to remove followers. Some might say the social media platform is virtually unrecognizable from the platform they first joined back in 2006.
Actually, I might say that but now Twitter is, according to Tech Blogger and code-sleuth Jane Manchin Wong , testing a new feature that takes me all the way back to my own first Tweet on March 19, 2007.
Code-named "Vibe," the "Set a status" feature would let you show followers what you're doing right now.
In the captured feature screen, there's a "What are you doing?" prompt with a dropdown list of options like, "Driving highway," "Shopping grocery," and "Lurking Twitter".
This might appear with your profile, possibly even above your tweets. Wong likens it to what Instagram Threads does with "Status."
I, however, see it differently.
When Twitter launched in 2006, the idea was to let followers (usually co-workers, colleagues, friends) know what you were doing at any given moment.
The service's tag line back then was quite clear: "A global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing?"
The last sentence appears in bright yellow as if Twitter had run a highlighter across it.
That's right. The wording is exactly the same.
Fifteen years ago, I had no idea how to use Twitter, so I followed the platform's instructions and simply listed what I was doing: "Listening to TWiT. Eating a bagel. Drinking my coffee. Typing this note."
It was arguably a terrible post, but it did answer the question, "What are you doing?"
The Twitter of 2022 is, obviously, a far different beast. It asks "What's happening?" It's a place to post what you're thinking, explore ideas, argue, and share a wide array of information, photos, video, and audio. It's a media platform.
Twitter, perhaps sensing that it has moved oceans away from its original intent, is thinking that just a little hint of the past - of its roots - might make Twitter more engaging, fun, and less of a self-serious place.
Instead of an angry tweet about the latest political debate or a pitched battle regarding Android versus iOS, there might just be an old-school status update, one that says the Twitter member is driving, walking, or eating a bagel.
I have no idea if Twitter fully plans to launch "Set a status" (I asked Twitter directly and it had nothing to share on the subject), but I think it could use this nostalgic feature, especially as it faces the prospect of new ownership (Hi, Elon Musk!) and maybe some significant changes that could, again, change the face of the venerable platform.
4-24-2022: Updated with Twitter's response.
Fallout TV show locks Army of the Dead star into lead role
Army of the Dead star Ella Purnell has reportedly joined the cast of Prime Video's upcoming Fallout TV show.
Per Deadline , Purnell – who also stars in Netflix's Arcane animated series and Showtime's Yellowjackets – has landed one of the lead roles in the Fallout TV series. Unsurprisingly, there are few confirmed details about who Purnell will play. However, Deadline suggests the Army of the Dead actor will portray someone called Jean, a "young woman with a can-do attitude" who'll be hiding a dark secret when the series begins.
Purnell will line up alongside Walton Goggins (Justified, Invincible ), who signed onto the Prime Video show project in February 2022 (per The Hollywood Reporter ). Goggins is expected to play another of the series' main characters, but there's no word on who he'll play yet.
Prime Video's live-action adaptation of Bethesda's beloved post-apocalyptic RPG series has been in development since 2020, but is slated to enter full production sometime in 2022. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the brainchilds behind fan favorite sci-fi series Westworld and the Hugh Jackman-starring movie Reminiscence , will reportedly pen the scripts and take on executive producing roles.
The duo will be joined by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, who will serve as showrunners. Meanwhile, Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard is also on board as an executive producer alongside James Altman, Bethesda Softworks' director of publishing.
Fallout has been a wildly popular series among gamers since the first title launched in October 1997. The critically-acclaimed franchise puts players in the shoes of a post-nuclear war survivor – known as a Vault inhabitant – who must venture out of their shelter, head into the wastelands to complete various tasks, explore the post-apocalyptic world, and more.
Bethesda's game series currently comprises nine titles, with action-RPG MMO Fallout 76 the latest to be released. Fallout 76 is set to receive its next major update sometime in late 2022 .
Analysis: can Fallout make the daunting leap from beloved game series to popular TV show?
It's a possibility. The Fallout game series is rich in lore, interesting characters, real-world settings, and – though it's been done countless times before – sits squarely in the popular post-apocalyptic genre. Add in two well-known actors in Goggins and Purnell, and Prime Video's Fallout adaptation has the ingredients to be a good TV series.
Of course, it'll take the show's proverbial chefs to cook up a good meal – i a well-received TV adaptation – using those raw materials.
Many have tried (and failed) to create a worthy movie or TV adaptation of a beloved video game series. There have been some successes recently – Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat , Arcane, and The Witcher to name five – but, largely, video games don't translate well to the big or small screens. Just look at The Rock's Doom film, Michael Fassbender's Assassin's Creed movie, or one of Sonic 's many animated TV shows.
Still, Amazon Studios will need Prime Video's Fallout adaptation to do well. Amazon is also reportedly developing a God of War TV show , based on Sony Santa Monica's iconic game series, so its Fallout live-action show will need to show whether there's an audience for this kind of content. If not, Prime Video can always fall back on its fantasy shows, such as The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power , or fan favorite R-rated superhero programs like The Boys .
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other video game franchises that are being turned, or have been turned, into TV shows that gamers and general audiences to potentially enjoy. HBO is developing a Last of Us show based on Naughty Dog's acclaimed gaming series, while Netflix has a Resident Evil TV show on the way. Finally, the long-gestating Halo show just started streaming on Paramount Plus , but we think it has an identity problem .
GoPro’s lightest-ever action cam for FPV drones weighs less than the Airpods Pro
GoPro has built its lightest-ever action camera for FPV (first-person view) drones in the form of the Hero 10 Black Bones – a stripped-down version of its flagship Hero that weighs only 56g. (Want to jump to our early verdict? Check out our hands-on GoPro Hero 10 Black Bones review ).
The Hero 10 Black Bones is the camera that FPV pilots have been crying out for (although it's currently only available in the US), thanks to its combination of Hero 10 Black image quality and that super-lightweight body.
This means it can be mounted on small, agile FPV drones that are in the 3-inch class (or above, with that measurement referring to the propellor size), which are usually too small for traditional GoPros.
Naturally, GoPro has had to cut corners to achieve that weight, with the result that the Hero 10 Black Bones is lighter than a pair of Airpods Pros in their case. Unlike the standard Hero 10 Black it has no display, battery, speaker, GPS, or metal enclosure, with the camera coming with a plastic, well-ventilated shell instead.
The idea is that FPV pilots can plug one of the best action cameras into their existing drone setups without the unnecessary weight of those extra parts, while benefitting from the 5.3K/60p video quality and stabilization that have made GoPros so popular among FPV pilots. Instead of a built-in battery, you add your own – with the 'Bones' compatible with rechargeable lithium batteries that are rated between 2S and 6S and have a voltage between 5-27W.
Many FPV pilots actually turn off GoPro's excellent HyperSmooth stabilization, and iron out any wobbles in post-production using ReelSteady, which GoPro acquired in March 2020. With this in mind, GoPro has now folded ReelSteady into its revamped GoPro Player desktop software (now called GoPro Player + ReelSteady), and includes a license for it with the Hero 10 Black Bones.
Further good news for FPV pilots is that the Hero 10 Black Bones retains its sibling's replaceable lens covers, which means you swap in ND (neutral density) filters when needed. These are often used by FPV drone pilots in bright conditions to help maintain ideal shutter speeds for video.
The new action cam can be mounted on drones using a single screw, or by using the bundled adapter for GoPro mounts. There are two buttons on the camera itself, and it can also be controlled using the Quik app, GoPro's The Remote accessory, a drone's transmitter, or QR Codes generated by GoPro Labs (software that lets you test experimental GoPro features).
The only downsides of the GoPro Hero 10 Black Bones are that it's currently US-only and also pretty pricey. GoPro told us that it "does not have a date yet for international availability", which suggests that a global launch is at least possible. If you're in the US, you can buy it now for $399.99 (if you get it with a one-year GoPro Subscription), or $499.99 without a Subscription.
Considering that the Bones version of the Hero 10 Black lacks so much of its sibling's hardware (including a screen and battery), that price tag seems quite steep. But right now that's the price you'll have to pay for what is likely the best FPV drone camera around.
Analysis: GoPro returns to the skies
Four years ago, GoPro had to discontinue its ill-fated Karma drone – so why has it returned to aerial videography? The Hero 10 Black Bones is certainly more niche than the Karma, but it's a more sensible launch that's likely to prove popular with the growing FPV drone community.
Until now, FPV drone fliers have effectively been reverse-engineering recent GoPro models to create what are known as 'naked GoPros' for their small, speedy drones. This is because FPV drones need to be as small and light as possible to achieve the dynamic shots that are increasingly going viral on social media.
Recently, we've seen FPV drone videos of Tesla's new Gigafactory and a bowling alley widely shared on Twitter and Facebook, and those kinds of videos are the ideal match for GoPro's action-oriented brand and video style.
GoPro previously launched a compact version of its flagship action camera in the form of the cube-shaped Session in 2016. This proved popular with FPV drone fans, so the Hero 10 Black Bones can be seen as its natural successor – albeit with a more niche appeal and, for now, US-only availability.
Given its lack of a screen, battery, GPS or GoPro's trademark rugged build quality, it's a shame that the Hero 10 Black Bones isn't a little more affordable. But given how long FPV drone pilots have been asking for a stripped-down Hero camera, it will still likely fly off the shelves in the US.