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Leica Announces Monopan 50
If you follow the photography industry, or Leica specifically, you’ve likely seen that Leica is celebrating the centennial anniversary of their Leica I camera. First available in 2025, the Leica I was the first commercially successful 35mm film camera and would go on to revolutionize the photography industry as a whole. As part of celebrating this historic anniversary, Leica has released numerous pieces of memorabilia, limited edition cameras, and are hosting numerous parties around the world, but their newest release is a first for the brand: their very own 35mm film. Marketed as a homage to Analogue Black-and-White Photography, this new film will be available in ISO 50 and is said to have “‘ultra-fine grain and super-panchromatic sensitivity”, and can be processed in all black and white developing solutions. Along with the announcement, Leica included various sample photos with a distinct style: high contrast, full of grain, and very detailed. While there’s some speculation about who is physically making the film, you can check out the sample photos and learn more about this release here. Just remember, #FilmIsNotDead.
Old School Beats New School
From social media to business software, it seems like A.I. is everywhere. While there are some legitimate and wonderful uses, it’s also having some unintended consequences, especially when it comes to education. As Chat GPT has become more accessible and widely used, it didn’t take long for people to realize that it could complete their assignments, even if it’s against the rules. While some teachers and professors have utilized unreliable software to detect A.I. and plagiarism, it turns out that the best solution has been around for years, the dreaded Blue Book as per an article from Gizmodo. For some people, walking into a lecture and seeing a stack of blue books or being told to bring one to class was one of the worst things about college, unless you genuinely enjoy writing. While returning back to an in person essay offers an immediate solution, it turns out that it’s not a great one, as students aren’t able to properly research and write extended reports during a singular class. Until a new solution is developed, it seems like this might be a good excuse to buy yourself a new, fancy pen and it just so happens that our very own Ed just did a video on the topic!
The Naked Gun Returns
It’s probably fair to say that as movie fans, we’re all a little tired of the constant relaunching of classic franchises, remakes, and sequels that have been coming at us for years on end. It seems like a week doesn’t go by where there isn’t a movie in theaters positioning itself as a new version of something we all liked 20 years ago. Good, original concepts are in short supply.
So it’s a little surprising that we were so enthusiastic about a remake of The Naked Gun. The full trailer for the relaunch of the franchise just dropped, and it proves that the silly gags that made the original series of films starring the late Leslie Nielsen so enjoyable haven’t really gone out of style. Liam Neeson, trading on his image as a badass action star, appears game to follow in Nielsen’s shoes as Frank Drebin Jr., and the cast is filled out with some of our favorite comedians and character actors. This could be just the nostalgia fueled distraction we’re looking for when the new Naked Gun hits theaters on Aug 1, 2025.
An End to Sega Forever
Launched in 2017, the Sega Forever program was an initiative aimed to bring vintage console nostalgia to modern mobile gaming. While this service brought titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Crazy Taxi, and Golden Axe to smartphones, it appears that Sega is hitting pause. While some games are released as paid or free with ads, a recent DesignTAXI article notes that some of these games are now available completely free. As of writing, Sega has not released an official statement, but it’s been reported that in-app notifications have confirmed the end is near. Overall the program has been met with mixed reviews, due to inconsistent performance and quirks, but it’s managed to carve out a loyal fan base, while racking up millions of downloads.
