And even if you don’t know who Petrov was, he might be the reason you’re alive today.
In the 1980s, Petrov was a lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Union’s Air Defense Forces. He was in charge of watching the computers at one of the Soviety Union’s nuclear early warning centers. If the Americans wanted to start a nuclear war, Petrov would be one of the first to know.
At this time, the United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in the Cold War. Each had stockpiled tens of thousands of nuclear weapons and a nuclear war, though horrific, often seemed imminent.
Suddenly, in the early morning of Sept. 26, 1983, a siren started to scream. If Petrov’s computer was to be believed, the Americans had just attacked the Soviet Union.
The word “LAUNCH” appeared in bold red letters across Petrov’s computer’s screen. Then it happened again and again — five missiles in all.
Petrov need to react. If a nuclear attack really was incoming, the Soviets only had a few minutes to save themselves and launch a nuclear counter attack of their own.
It was Petrov’s job, his duty, to alert his superiors — but something seemed off.
Petrov sat there, trying to figure out what to do. If the Americans were attacking, why were there only six bombs? Why not the thousands they were capable of? Why weren’t there corroborating reports from ground radar? Plus this particular computer system was new and unproven. It could be a malfunction.
Did Petrov really think this was enough evidence to potentially start a full-scale nuclear exchange? Kill millions of people? It was a heavy weight to bear.
“Nobody would be able to correct my mistake if I had made one,” Petrov later told the BBC.
After a few pregnant minutes, Petrov made his decision.
He picked up the phone and, though he couldn’t know for sure, told his superiors it was a false alarm. His level-headed thinking may have saved millions of lives.
He was right. It was a malfunction.
For his efforts, Petrov’s reward would be a long time coming. In the immediate aftermath, he actually got reprimanded by his superiors. It wouldn’t be until after the fall of the Soviet Union that the world learned just how close we all came to destruction and the one man who saved it.
Petrov reportedly died on May 19,2017 in a home outside Moscow. The news was not widely reported.
If you want to hear Petrov describe the incident in his own words, check out this interview with Petrov from the BBC.
Every professional and collegiate basketball team has a dedicated group of equipment managers whose main job is to ensure, at minimum, everyone has the right uniforms and their shoes for the game.
Ideally they also have the proper warmup attire and other gear as well, but the jerseys and shoes are the only real necessities. On Wednesday night we learned what happened when that doesn’t happen when Texas A&M visited Florida and realized before tipoff they had left their game jerseys at the team hotel.
Texas A&M and Florida are in delay. Why you ask? That’s a very good question.
The result was one of the only true delay of game penalties in basketball history, as they quite literally could not start the game until they went and got the jerseys — although some threw out the idea of just playing shirts and skins like it was pickup ball. That meant Florida started the game with a 1-0 lead before the opening tip by hitting a technical free throw, which provided the odd visual of something other than a 0-0 score on the scorebox when they jumped it up at midcourt to finally start the game officially.
If the game ends up being decided by one, it could be the rare game lost by the equipment staff rather than the players.
January is traditionally and infamously a dumping ground — a time for the studios to get rid of movies in which they have no confidence, all while most viewers catch up with 2022 releases. Instead the new year is kicking off with a bang, at least for the multiplexes. Not only are people seeing Avatar: The Way of Water in droves, but a silly-looking horror film has scored better reviews than most of 2022’s offerings:M3GAN, about a killer high-tech doll. This isn’t a toy like Annabelle, Chucky or The Boy. (Remember The Boy?) The titular murderer looks pretty real. But is she played by a real person or is it some CGI-person-animatronic hybrid or what?
The answer is…well, we’d tell you but then we’d have to kill you. Also we don’t know. What’s more, the cast and crew are prohibited from revealing exactly how they brought the homicidal doll to life. In a new interview with Total Film (as caught by CBR), director Gerard Johnstone was asked whether she/it was a mix of CGI, animatronics, and a real actor. Johnstone could only say that they took a “multi-tiered approach.”
The film’s IMDb page does credit someone — child actor Amie Donald — as playing M3GAN, which suggests that she’s at least partly real, or perhaps she was just did mo-cap like most of the cast of Avatar 2. At some point the secret of M3GAN will be revealed. But for now, embrace the mystery.
Remember Kari Lake? At one point she was an anti-Trump news anchor. Then she reinvented herself as a small-time Trump clone. Last month her bid to become governor of Arizona ended in magnanimous defeat. She responded by making like the former president, simply — and without evidence, and despite being humiliated in court — crying voter fraud. Now, some two months after losing, she’s going as far as to declare herself the winner.
Crazy town. Kari Lake calls herself “the duly elected governor” of Arizona. Note: She lost her election lawsuit, and her opponent was already sworn in. In other news: I’m the king of England. (Video: Real America’s Voice) pic.twitter.com/FlR0B6iKcL
As per Mediaite, Lake went on the far right streamer Real America’s Voice, where she caught the gang up on her failed attempts to prove widespread voter fraud. “I mean, with President [Donald] Trump, they did this, they did this in the middle of the night, and our movement was so big and so powerful that they couldn’t just do this in the middle of the night,” Lake asserted. “They had to pull out all the stops and do this in broad daylight. So everyone saw it.”
Lake, who has filed appeals after losing a court case claiming voter fraud, then made a bold declaration about herself. “The way we get it changed is we get a — the real governor, the duly elected governor, myself, in there to work with lawmakers to change our laws, put some teeth into the laws, and frankly, we need to recall every one of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors,” she said.
Despite Lake’s baseless cries of election malfeasance, Arizona has already moved on without her. The real winner, Katie Hobbs, was sworn in on Monday without a fuss. Will Lake ever accept defeat? Probably not. But what she’s already been doing is sounding ever kookier, including vowing some veiled revenge on the “evil bastards” who turned her into another of last year’s failed MAGA candidates.
The Hold Steady are back with the announcement of their ninth studio album, The Price of Progress. Arriving in March on the band’s label, the record is their first since 2021’s Open Door Policy. The lead single “Sideways Skull” is out now; it’s a fiery anthem packed with vivid, witty lyricism from the intriguing kickoff: “She ordered me Newcastle / And handed me a Marlboro.”
“‘Sideways Skull’ is a rocking song about rock and rollers,” frontman Craig Finn said about the song. “In this case, they’ve been taken out of the game for a bit of rest, but still keep their dreams alive as they discuss past glories. We loved the big sound of this when Tad Kubler brought it into the band, and the studio performance of it felt especially joyful. We’re happy to put this forth as a first look at The Price of Progress, and the album’s title even comes from this song.”
Listen to “Sideways Skull” above. Check out the album artwork and tracklist below.
The Hold Steady
1. “Grand Junction”
2. “Sideways Skull”
3. “Carlos Is Crying”
4. “Understudies”
5. “Sixers”
6. “The Birdwatchers”
7. “City At Eleven”
8. “Perdido”
9. “Distortions of Faith”
10. “Flyover Halftime”
The Price of Progress arrives on Positive Jams on 3/31. Pre-order it here.
Drake started the year off by making his directorial debut with TVGucci’s “Bora Bora” music video, depicting a lavish party and overflowing wealth. “I visit Bora Bora ’cause I’m bored,” TVGucci flaunts in the hook. Drake’s next collaborative offering with Popcaan figures to deliver the same vibe.
Popcaan posted a teaser video to his Instagram today, January 4, which Drake reposted to his Instagram Story. In it, Popcaan lights one up, Drake cruises the ocean on a jet ski, and bikini-clad women walk around under palm trees. Popcaan’s “We Caa Done” featuring Drake is expected to drop on Friday, January 6, giving it six full months to morph into an undeniable summer jam.
Popcaan has been an OVO artist since 2019. During the Jamaican dancehall artist’s Unruly Fest in December 2018, Drake made a surprise appearance and announced to the audience that Popcaan was “officially” signing with his OVO label.
Popcaan fans have been waiting for his Great Is He album, and the release date appears to be drawing nearer. Yesterday, January 3, he shared the cover art and tweeted alongside it, “New year, new gear, new blessings, new money, new music!”
In 2022, Popcaan released potential Great Is He singles “Skeleton Cartier,” “One Way,” “Next To Me” featuring Toni-Ann Singh, and “Set It.” He also featured on Burna Boy’s triumphant afrobeats album, Love, Damini.
Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As the saying goes, the heart wants what it wants.
On Jan 2, BBC News shared the most unlikely love story—between a nun and a priest whose instant connection inspired them to leave behind celibacy and instead spend the rest of their lives together.
Lisa Tinkler became a nun at the age of 19, moving from her hometown in Middlesbrough, England, to serve a Roman Catholic convent in Lancashire as Sister Mary Elizabeth.
For 24 years, Sister Mary Elizabeth lived the life of a carmelite nun, meaning most of her time was spent in silent devotion and in a small enclosure with a barred window known as a “grille.” There, she was mostly closed off from the outside world, only seeing her family a few times a year and always from behind the grille.
Though the hermit lifestyle deeply fulfilled Sister Mary Elizabeth’s “interior world,” a chance encounter would turn it all upside down in such a way that even the least religious among us might call it divine intervention.
On what seemed like any other ordinary day, Sister Mary Elizabeth’s convent had been paid a visit by friar Robert, hailing from a priory in Oxford. Robert would occasionally stop by to say mass, where she would watch his sermons from behind the grille.
Sister Mary Elizabeth and her superior were tasked with providing lunch to the friar, but when the prioress had to take a phone call, the two were in the parlor room together.
Robert was finished eating and still the prioress hadn’t returned. So Sister Mary Elizabeth opened the door to let him out. When she brushed up against his sleeve, all bets were off.
“I just felt a chemistry there, something, and I was a bit embarrassed. And I thought, gosh, did he feel that too. And as I let him out the door it was quite awkward,” she told the BBC.
It seems that the feeling was indeed mutual—for only a week later, she received a message from Robert asking her to marry him.
Though elated, Sister Mary Elizabeth admitted she found the proposal shocking, as the two knew so little about each other. She had at least caught snippets of Robert’s life through his sermons, like growing up in Poland near the German border and his love of mountains.
Robert, on the other hand, knew nothing about her. “I wore a veil so he never even saw my hair color. He knew nothing about me really, nothing about my upbringing. He didn’t even know my worldly name,” she recalled.
Unsure of what to do, Sister Mary Elizabeth reached out to her superior, who was … perhaps less than supportive, causing her to walk away from the convent for good and choose instead to go meet Robert at a pub that evening.
“The prioress was a little bit snappy with me, so I put my pants and a toothbrush in a bag and I walked out, and I never went back as Sister Mary Elizabeth,” the former nun, now Lisa, told the BBC.
The decision wasn’t an easy one. Becoming a nun had felt like a divine calling for Lisa, and leaving it all behind created inner turmoil. She even admitted having momentary suicidal thoughts.
Robert, who had been a Carmelite friar for 13 years, was having his own existential dilemma. Theology gave his life meaning after a dark period brought on by a former failed relationship. So when Lisa showed up at the pub that night, he was “paralyzed by fear.” Not for questioning his feelings for her, or for guilt over turning away from friendship, but because he was unsure of how to make such a huge life change.
Still, the couple courageously moved forward and eventually got married. The two left behind their former monastic lives in November 2015 and now share a home in North Yorkshire. Robert works as the vicar of their local church and Lisa became a hospital chaplain. Sharing books—and a few cries together—helped them ease through the transition.
Though Robert and Lisa anticipated their love would in some way change a core part of their identity, it has instead strengthened their faith. As Lisa put it, they discovered that “love can make a sacrament of everything you do.”
Even if you’re not the religious type, it’s hard to deny that love seems to have a mind of its own, moving us to do things that we otherwise would never dream of. While Robert and Lisa’s story is quite unique, great things can happen to all of us when we follow our hearts.
Even if they’re not sold on him as an actor, people in general love Keanu Reeves as a person. With his down-to-earth vibe and humble acts of kindness, the Canadian star is just a genuinely good guy. Appreciating Keanu Reeves is like an inviolable law of the universe or something.
So it’s understandable that people would be eager to follow Reeves on social media—except there’s one problem. He has made it clear he doesn’t use it.
Some people who come across an “Unreal Keanu” video on TikTok, however, are being duped into thinking he does, despite multiple disclaimers—including the account name—that it’s not really his account.
The @unreal_keanu account has more than 8 million followers, some of whom appear to think they’re following the actual actor. Whoever owns the account shares fun little video creations with “Keanu Reeves” in various relatable scenarios. He never speaks, so there’s no voice to compare to the real deal, but his face and body are a darn good dupe.
The account clearly says “parody” in the bio, but if people don’t click the bio to see that, they may very well believe the video to be Keanu Reeves himself. And judging by the comments, that’s exactly what a lot of people do.
Life with a girlfriend. #keanureeves #relationship #girlfriend
People who are familiar with deepfake videos or who have seen Keanu Reeves more recently (with his scruffy, salt-and-pepper beard) can fairly quickly discern that they can’t be real, but the casual observer who sees these videos in passing can be forgiven for assuming it’s him. The TikTok account has been around for almost a year and the technology has only gotten better and better. The first few videos are pretty clearly deepfakes, but the recent ones are genuinely hard to tell.
Here’s the first video that was shared on January 18, 2022, where the AI element is a lot more obvious:
The progression of AI tech in just under a year is both impressive and a little terrifying. This account is clearly using Keanu’s likeness for silly giggles and is pretty harmless, but it’s easy to see how someone with nefarious intent could create serious problems for public figures as well as the average person.
The future of AI, for better or worse, is a big ethical question mark for us all. But in the meantime, it’s pretty incredible to see what humans have figured out how to do.
Almost as incredible as how Keanu Reeves refuses to age. Unreal, indeed:
Like many of us, Jess Mell, 34, an insurance adjuster in England, had a hard time during the pandemic. During the first two years of lockdowns, she suffered from anxiety and depression, so on December 27, 2021, she decided to fight back by getting out of her comfort zone.
To overcome her mental health problems, she challenged herself to try something new, every day, for 100 days. The challenge was so effective at improving her mental health that she extended the challenge to a whole year.
“The first 100 I did one new thing every day—for the rest of the year I decided I’d do 365 new things in 365 days,” she said, according to The Metro. “I could do ten things in one day if I was free.”
One of the most interesting things about the challenge was the wide variety of new things that Mell attempted. She tried new artistic endeavors such as taking a life drawing class, origami and attempting to play the ukulele.
She gave up on the ukulele, but at least she tried.
She also expanded her life skills by learning to pick a lock, using chopsticks and changing a car wheel. Mell also took a walk on the wild side by drinking moonshine, taking a shot out of a belly button and dying her hair pink.
According to the New York Post, by the end of 2022, she had only accomplished 364 new tasks. She found the perfect number 365 by turning her year of new experiences into her first Instagram reel.
Mell has gotten tremendous benefits from expanding her horizons and she looks to continue the challenge in 2023 as well. “I’m going to keep [trying new things] in that it’s now just part of what I do,” Mell said according to the New York Post. “I’ve always tried to find new things to do, so that will go on. Whether I track it the same way I’m not sure.”
Anxiety and depression are serious health conditions that require professional help, so Mell’s experiences shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all for complex conditions. However, there is some scientific backing to her turnaround.
In Psychology Today, Dr. Jutta Joormann explains that “experiential diversity” (having new experiences) “can improve overall well-being” and leads to an increase in “positive affect.” Dr. Joorman adds that when we experience new things it can lead to a positive “upward cycle” that can “promote subsequent development of more positive emotions.”
That’s probably why once Mell started her challenge, she couldn’t stop.
Mell’s story is a wonderful reminder to all of us of the benefits of getting out there and trying something new. Hopefully, her story encourages people to break free from their routines and have some new experiences. As science shows, it’s bound to improve your outlook on life.
“What has been so nice about the whole experience has been that whenever I’ve thought ‘I could try that,’ rather than putting it off, I just ask myself ‘why don’t I?’ I really hope I keep that up,” she said, according to The Metro.
Here’s s partial list of some of the new things that Mell tried. Any sound interesting to you?
Tried origami
Went to hot yoga
Dyed my hair pink
Learned how to do various types of knots
Went to a life drawing class
Completed a paint by numbers
Learned to pick a lock
Ate using chopsticks
Attended a first aid course
Changed a car wheel (or helped to!)
Drank a shot out of a belly button
Made fudge
Played golf
Made a pizza from scratch
Went to Belfast/Northern Ireland for the first time
New Belgium/Upslope/Troegs/Sierra Nevada/istock/Uproxx
Winter IPAs are a beer style for drinkers who either flat out refuse to move on to darker beers in the winter or simply want a change of pace during these darker, frigid months. While there’s no clear-cut definition of what the term “winter IPA” means, you can bet they’ll have at least a slightly higher ABV than some of their summery counterparts (we’re talking 6-8%), more caramel malts, and some even add wintry flavors (like spruce tips) on occasion.
If you’re the type of drinker who would rather enjoy a hazy, juicy, wintry New England-style IPA or a citrus-driven winter IPA than a stout or porter, you’re in luck. Since there’s no standard for what a winter IPA needs to be, brewers are able to experiment with flavors and IPA styles. This means there’s a winter IPA for every IPA fan to find.
We picked eight of our favorite winter IPAs and ranked them on overall flavor and how well they pair with the freezing winter winds. Keep scrolling to see how they all stacked up.
The folks at Peak didn’t want to give up the citrus juice and haze just because it was winter. They crafted this organic IPA with Azacca, Calypso, Citra, and Simcoe hops. This creates a hazy, juicy, wintry New England-style IPA perfect for the months ahead.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all tangerine, grapefruit, lemongrass, and pine needles. The palate is more grapefruit and some bready malts, but not much else. The finish is slightly bitter with dank pine. Overall, it’s a fairly one-dimensional beer.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t a bad beer, it’s just a bit of a one-trick pony with grapefruit taking center stage and not much else. It’s just not overly exciting.
This bold, 7% ABV red IPA gets its flavor from the use of Trident and Simcoe hops as well as the addition of rye. This creates a slightly spicy, fruit, citrus-filled IPA you’ll want to drink from now until the spring thaw.
Tasting Notes:
Caramel malts, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, and resinous, dank pine are prevalent on the nose. The palate continues this trend with tangerine, grapefruit, caramelized pineapple, and pine, with just a hint of rye at the end. Not the best winter IPA, but not the worst.
Bottom Line:
The rye spice adds a nice warming element to this beer. It’s just that overall, it’s not the most flavorful winter IPA on the market by a long shot.
According to New Belgium, its Mosaic, Lotus, Stratus, and El Dorado hop-filled Accumulation IPA isn’t just a seasonal release that drops at the end of December each year, it’s also a “Skisanal” release perfect to enjoy after a day spent on the slopes.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of ripe pineapple, tangerine, grapefruit, lemongrass, and herbal, floral hops greet you before your first sip. This is followed by a palate of brown bread, caramel malts, lemon zest, grapefruit, wheat, and a light, spicy, slightly piney finish.
Bottom Line:
Accumulation is a reasonably flavorful, balanced winter IPA. It’s just not all that memorable. It feels like it’s missing something.
Brewed with 2-row, Carared, and Carafa malts, this wintry IPA gets its citrus and tropical fruit flavor from the addition of Simcoe, Comet, Citra, and Cascade hops. Flaked oats give it a creamy, smooth mouthfeel.
Tasting Notes:
The nose begins with caramel malts, candied orange peels, lemons, grapefruit, pineapple, and peach. The palate is creamy, velvety, juicy, and loaded with melon rind, grapefruit, pineapple, caramel malts, and lightly bitter, floral hops at the finish.
Bottom Line:
This is labeled as a winter beer and its creamy mouthfeel works well for the season, but we’d drink this juicy, citrus, and tropical fruity-filled beer any time of year.
There aren’t many winter IPAs more well-known than Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Available from October through December, this well-balanced winter IPA features 2-row pale and caramelized malts as well as Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
This is a really hoppy beer right from the start. The nose is filled with an endless pine forest as well as wildflowers, orange peel, lemon, and some light caramel malts to hold it all together. The palate continues this with tangerine, grapefruit, caramel, and resinous, dank, floral pine. The finish has just the right amount of bitter bite.
Bottom Line:
This is an exceptional winter IPA. It’s a hop-lovers (especially fans of the big “C” hops) dream. It’s all pine and citrus and holds back on nothing.
This popular seasonal IPA is brewed with a selection of malts and Cascade and Simcoe hops. That would be all well and good for a flavorful winter IPA, but this beer gets an added jolt in the flavor department from the addition of hand-picked Colorado spruce tips.
Tasting Notes:
Grapefruit pulp, caramel malts, wet grass, pine, and spruce are big on the nose. The palate follows suit with a ton of spruce right off the bat. Luckily, instead of drowning out the dank, floral, piney hops and grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and bready malts, it only enhances them.
Bottom Line:
This is a beer for the pine lovers of the IPA world. If that’s your jam, you’ll absolutely love this sip of wintry heaven.
This 6.8% ABV winter IPA was crafted to be a bigger, bolder, more flavorful beer for the winter months. The folks at Half Acre did this by propping up the orange peel, pine needle, and ripe berry flavor of Mosaic and Simcoe hops with rich, warming specialty malts.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of brown bread, ripe berries, dried fruits, caramel, orange zest, and fresh pine are highlighted on the nose. Drinking it reveals notes of candied orange peels, bready malts, more berries, and resinous, dank pine. The finish is a mix of citrus sweetness and bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
There are few IPAs more balanced and well-suited for winter drinking than Half Acre Tend. It’s bold, higher in ABV, and has just the right amount of hop aroma and flavor for the winter months.
This might be the most aptly-named winter IPA on the market. This 6.4% ABV winter IPA is only available from November through January. It’s brewed with white wheat, unmalted wheat, and Pilsner malts as well as ale yeast and Centennial, Chinook, El Dorado, and Galaxy hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with caramelized pineapple, tangerine, grapefruit, honey, bready malts, and resinous pine needles. The palate is orange peel, lemon zest, more honey, caramel malts, and a heavy dose of dank pine needles. The finish is pleasantly bitter and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This beer is the beer equivalent of a blizzard of hops. It’s an explosion of wintry hop aroma and flavor. The kind of beer you’ll look forward to every winter.
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