Last week, you might have heard about the debut of a tech company
called The Guild. A video campaign called “Don’t Fear Tomorrow” heralded the launch, and various announcements appeared in publications including Forbes and Wired, with
ad placements promising “Tech You Can Trust.” But the ads were promoting a company that doesn’t actually exist — at least not outside the world of gaming.
It was all
part of a campaign promoting the launch of the latest game in Activision’s popular “Call of Duty” series, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.” 72andSunny Los Angeles was the
creative agency, collaborating with Mutiny, who designed to digital presence for “The Guild.”
The campaign also included OOH ads for The Guild across Silicon Valley, with
confrontational messages such as, “We’re not owned by a tech billionaire, are you?” and “The biggest lie tech ever told is that it’s on your side.”
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Within
the game, The Guild is a global tech force focused on building robotics and billing itself as humanity’s last line of defense.
After the earlier placements for the fictional company,
Activation released a launch video revealing the nature of The Guild. The game doesn’t yet have an official launch date, but numerous
gaming publications — including GameSpot and IGN — reported that leaked information indicates the release date will be Nov. 14.
In addition to drawing out speculative
reactions from influencers and audiences online, and building intrigue around the mysterious company, the stunt also drew audiences into themes explored in the game.
“As we ramp up to
the worldwide reveal of ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,’ we set out to create something as bold and thought-provoking as the game itself,” Activision CMO Tyler Baylor said in a statement. “Set
in 2035, it draws on themes of technology, robotics, and the military-industrial complex, amplifying the tension and intrigue that define the Black Ops experience.”
“The world stands at
a crossroads, where technology could be humanity’s salvation or merely its self-destruct button,” added 72andSunny Los Angeles Executive Creative Director Zach Hilder. “This campaign
locks eyes with that paradox.”
Although Tottenham’s 2024-25 season ended in glory with their first trophy in 17 years and their first European silverware since 1984, their woeful league performances left them 17th, in their worst position in English football since one campaign in the old Second Division in the late 1970s.
Fan protests were a regular part of last season, although a planned protest on Saturday failed to materialise, apart from a handful of fans outside the stadium holding one banner criticising chairman Daniel Levy, which read: Built a business, killed a football club.
Some supporters have expressed their disappointment at the club’s business in the transfer window as Kudus, along with midfielder Joao Palhinha who has joined on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, have been the only major additions.
Hugely popular club captain Son Heung-min was sold to Los Angeles FC for £18m, while Spurs failed in an attempt to sign England’s Morgan Gibbs-White with the midfielder since agreeing a new deal with Nottingham Forest.
But the club are making progress to sign Crystal Palace and England forward Eberechi Eze with talks expected to progress in the next 48 hours, while Manchester City winger Savinho remains a target.
The best way for Tottenham and Frank to stop fans protesting is with their performances.
This result, and their showing in the Uefa Super Cup on Wednesday – when they gave European champions Paris St-Germain a huge fright before conceding a 94th-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 and then lose on penalties – has been a good start.
Tottenham have remained as entertaining as they were under Postecoglou, but the early signs under Frank are that the team will be able to do that without the all-out attack and defensively vulnerable nature often displayed under the Australian.
Frank summed it up by saying: “It was a perfect start, our dream start, but we all know we need to follow on it.
“But today I will just enjoy it, and I hope the players, the club and the fans enjoyed it.”
Scientists have developed a new method to break down harmful “forever chemicals” by exposing them to a sunlight-activated material.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals found in many household products, including cookware, cosmetics, dental floss and waterproof clothing. True to their nickname, the chemicals take thousands of years to break down, enabling them to accumulate in the environment and our bodies.
PFAS have been used since the 1940s. Initially, they were valued for their nonstick properties, but now they are linked to a number of health impacts, including increased risks of autoimmune disease, developmental disorders, reduced fertility and cancer in humans. This has led some PFAS to be banned. But with nearly 15,000 types having been produced, roughly 98% of the U.S. population has these chemicals in their blood.
Now, a team of researchers has found a way to break down the chemicals, reducing them to components that include fluoride, which is harmless at low doses. They published their findings July 25 in the journal Small.
“PFAS contamination continues to pose a global health risk, and this research represents a critical step toward safer communities and cleaner ecosystems,” lead researcher Cameron Shearer, a materials scientist at the University of Adelaide in Australia, said in a statement.
Related: Scientists find a simple way to destroy ‘forever chemicals’ — by beheading them
PFAS owe their persistence to their strong chemical bonds; they consist of a head (often charged oxygen molecules) linked to a tail of carbon and fluorine atoms. For PFAS to degrade, this bond must be broken — but this process is very difficult to achieve using traditional methods.
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“Many water contaminants are degraded by adding a reactive chemical that binds to the carbon,” Shearer said. “However, in PFAS molecules, the carbon atoms are protected in such a way that makes this process nearly impossible.”
In recent years, researchers have been developing methods to break down PFAS using materials called photocatalysts, which absorb incident light to speed up chemical reactions. The scientists behind the new study turned to a photocatalytic material called cadmium indium sulfide, known for its ability to release reactive oxygen species — or free radicals — after being exposed to visible light.
After mixing the material with one common PFAS called perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), the researchers watched as the photocatalyst absorbed light to generate free radicals that attacked the fluorine atoms in the bond.
Under optimized conditions, this led to the “complete breakdown” of around 99% of the PFOS molecules. The byproducts were components which the scientists say can be isolated and used to make toothpaste and fertilizer additives.
“The materials we have developed through our research could be used as part of PFAS-treatment chains that first capture and concentrate PFAS in water, which can then be degraded through exposure to our light-activated materials,” Shearer said. “We plan to build on this study through our ongoing work improving the stability of the materials before they can be applied to large scale systems.”
The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Sahiwal Class 9th Result 2025 has been officially published on August 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM (PST).
Students can view their SSC results through the board’s website, SMS service, or helpline.
How to Check BISE Sahiwal Class 9th Result 2025
Online: Visit the Sahiwal board official website → Click on 10th Class Result 2025 → Enter roll number → Get result.
SMS: Send your roll number to 800292 to receive the result via SMS.
Helpline: Call 040-9200516 for further information or support.
Waze is the best navigation app for daily driving with quick, accurate updates on real-time issues like lane closures and speed cameras.
GasBuddy helps you find the cheapest gas prices in urban areas with crowd-sourced information, trip cost calculator, and fuel log book.
ParkWhiz allows you to find and book parking spaces in advance, offering discounts and taking a commission from the parking facility.
There is an app for everything, but when I drive, there are four apps that make my life a lot easier. I need to know where I’m going and how long it is going to take. I want to, within reason, have an indication of where I can find the best price for filling my car with gas. Gas is gas, and if I can save a couple of bucks driving a mile away, I’ll do it.
Dash cams are an absolute must-have, and many newer, more expensive cars have them as standard. The rest of us have to get them aftermarket. Here is an app that works quite well as a stopgap while you decide what you want and how much you are prepared to spend on it. This one is possibly good enough to use as is going forward.
The final bugbear for any driver is parking, and my last entry is about a very popular parking app that allows you to find parking, get the price, and book the space before you leave. All apps have niggles, including the ones on this list. But the reviews on them are generally good, and because they are free to download, you can try them and see if they work for you.
1
Waze
Best navigation app for daily driving
Cost: Free
Compatible: iOS and Android
CarPlay and Android Auto: Yes
Voice commands: Yes
Waze goes up against Google Maps and Apple Maps, and they will all get you there, but I find Waze to be quicker and more agile. Because it’s so focused on real-time updates, it will spot snarl-ups, lane closures, and other issues that crop up on your route and alert you immediately. Notifications and route deviation suggestions are quick and accurate.
Waze goes even more granular, for example, telling you when to move to the right lane to take your exit, and warning you about specifics like speed cameras, and crashes ahead.
I initially found the constant alerts on Waze irritating and distracting, until I realized I could change the settings to eliminate the clutter. Now it only gives me the updates I actually care about. One feature I really appreciate is its parking info, showing available spots at my destination along with the cost.
Both Waze and Google Maps have voice command options, but I rarely use them while driving. I usually set my route before I leave, and let the app ping me if there’s a detour or traffic change along the way.
OS
ios, Android
Price
Free
Waze is a popular navigation app available on iOS and Android devices. You can get real-time traffic updates and road alerts to help make your commute as smooth as possible.
2
GasBuddy
Find the cheapest gas prices and more
Gasbuddy
Cost: Free/paid for options
Compatible: iOS and Android
CarPlay and Android Auto: No
Voice commands: No
GasBuddy has been around years, and in its basic free format it is handy for those driving a lot in urban areas. You can scan at a glance where the best fuel cost in your area is, how far it is from you, and so on. It is the kind of app that you should launch when you need it, and turn it off when done, otherwise it could eat your data.
The information it supplies is crowd-sourced, and works best in areas with many users, but it could be iffy in rural areas with only a few users. It also has other features, including:
A trip cost calculator
A gas price map
Fuel log book
Warnings of gas stations that are offline
Like most free/paid membership apps, GasBuddy also offers a card to pay for gas, with discounts when you use it, and some other stuff like winning prizes. Most of the negative reviews focus on this part of the app, so I would suggest you do a bit of homework before committing to a paid-for service.
3
IPCamSoft Smart Dash Cam
A free app that turns your phone into a handy dash cam
Cost: Free
Compatible: iOS and Android
CarPlay and Android Auto: No
Voice commands: No
Dashcams are great when someone jumps a red light in front of you, or rear ends you at a light. But dashcams are the wild west of technology, with the good, bad, and ugly ranging from over $300 to as low as $30. So, while you are deciding how high or low you are prepared to go, you can download IPCamSoft Smart Dash Cam and turn your phone into a dashcam, which you can set to your own needs:
Choose the recording resolution
Choose the frame rate
Display time/speed on the video
Choose the time range for loop recording
Choose how much space it can use on your phone for recordings
Auto-lock the recording when it detects an impact
Store video on the cloud
Share via email or post on YouTube
4
ParkWhiz
Find and book parking
Parkwhiz
Cost: Free
Compatible: iOS and Android
CarPlay and Android Auto: Yes
Voice commands: Yes
Finding parking is a major bump in the road for anyone who regularly has to go to meetings downtown, or go to a major concert or sporting event. ParkWhiz takes the strain out of this stupid activity, and it can do it for free.
You can find and book a parking space in advance, and get a discount on the parking fee as well. The way it makes money is through a commission from the parking facility. ParkWhiz is one of those apps that gets mixed individual reviews, with some loving it and others hating it. However, it gets 4.5 stars on Google Play, so let’s go with that.
Two events define Monterey Car Week above all others: the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which is the most prestigious car show in the world, and the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, which has its own concours and, more significantly, where nearly every major automaker assembles to reveal new models and concepts.
At this year’s Quail, Cadillac, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Corvette, Acura, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Infiniti, Koenigsegg, Lexus, and Pagani had among the biggest field exhibitions, showing new one-offs, few-offs, concepts, and production models for public consumption. Tuners and smaller marques were also represented, from Czinger to Ruf to Singer. That was all in addition to the concours, which featured scores of cars on display for competition in various traditional categories, as well as cars special to this year’s event, including Formula 1 racers and cars celebrating anniversaries for Iso Grifo, the Shelby Mustang GT350, and the Ferrari F50.
This year’s Best in Show was a 1996 Ferrari F50 GT1, which was switched on and revved earlier in the day to the delight of onlookers, among a sea of other F50s. Tickets to the event are limited and run hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Attendees dress their best, sip champagne and coffee, and take in the cars and spectacles like, this year, a parade of IROC cars.
The cars uniformly look their best, too, and while all of them are outstanding by some or many measures, our 10 favorites are below.
Lamborghini Fenomeno
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
Let’s cut to the chase. This is the most powerful and fastest V-12 Lamborghini to date. The aptly named Fenomeno celebrates 20 years of the marque’s Centro Stile styling studio’s advanced and beautifully aggressive automotive design. Based on the flagship Revuelto hybrid, the Fenomeno is the latest in Sant’Agata Bolognese’s Few-Off series, which includes the Countach LPI 800-4 debuted in 2021.
The output of 1,065 hp comes from a 6.5-liter V-12 complemented by three electric motors—two on the front axle and one at the gearbox. That muscle, harnessed by an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, makes possible such metrics as a zero-to-62 mph time of 2.4 seconds, the ability to reach 124 mph from a standstill in 6.7 seconds, and a top speed of more than 217 mph.
“The performance jump from the Revuelto to this car is even bigger than the performance step from the Aventador to the Aventador SVJ,” says Rouven Mohr, Automobili Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, adding that there’s also “30 percent more downforce than the Revuelto, and 30 percent more cooling.”
As for its distinctive pseudo-longtail profile, inspiration was drawn from the track-only Essenza SCV12 from 2020. Yet while the latter had 40 built, the Fenomeno will have a production limited to only 29 examples, each starting at $3.5 million.
Bugatti Brouillard
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
Otherworldly engineering and performance are usually the headlines with any new model release from Bugatti. When it comes to the Brouillard, though, the real tale to tell is its tribute to last century’s golden age of coachbuilding. Sure, the staggering stats are all there, as this is basically a 1,600 hp coupe version of the Mistral roadster, which has a zero-to-62 mph time of 2.4 seconds and a blistering top speed of 273 mph. But the stylistic customization seems equally cutting-edge.
“The central focus for the design of this car was Ettore Bugatti’s love of horses, and in particular, his favorite horse named Brouillard, of which this car is also named,” stated Frank Heyl, Bugatti’s director of design, during the unveiling. “We focused on more sculptural and reflection-based surfaces, and we deliberately avoided any hard crease lines . . . to give this a more organic touch, like the muscles flowing and surging through skin on a powerful thoroughbred horse.”
The equestrian theme is truly showcased in the green-hued, carbon-fiber cockpit, where the depiction of horses runs throughout. Subtlycontinuing that motif is the use of weaved horsehair for much of the trim, complemented by wool for the seats and a striking tartan print on the steering wheel.
The exterior features the signature horseshoe grille machined from a single block of aluminum, and a center line that extends in subtle relief from the front to across the roof—a contemporary take on the iconic seam found on the bygone-era Type 57 SC Atlantic. With the bespoke Brouillard, Bugatti has clearly let loose the reins on creativity.
Gunther Werks Project F-26
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
Restomod Porsche 911s are becoming ubiquitous on the automotive landscape, but apart from Singer Vehicle Design’s gallery-worthy reimaginations, few can compete with the rolling art from Southern California–based Gunther Werks, exemplified by its latest reveal, Project F-26.
“My childhood dream car was always the Porsche 935,” says Gunther Werks founder Peter Nam. “With the last eight years of developing cars and building our Turbo, finally we had the platform to be able to build this car and make it a reality—an homage to the 935.” Nam also explains that it pays tribute to Lockheed Martin’s F-26 fighter jet (a prototype that never went into production), doing so by incorporating a number of aeronautical design cues, including those applied to the rear wing and steering wheel.
Propulsion comes from an enhanced 4.0-liter flat-six bolstered by twin turbochargers and an advanced intercooling system. The configuration gives the 2,700-pound (curb weight) slantnose coupe an output of 1,000 hp and 750 ft lbs of torque when using E85 fuel, and 880 hp on standard gas. That muscle is managed by the same six-speed manual transmission found in the 996 GT3, and tempered by a suspension that, according to Nam, “adjusts 1,000 times per second.” Only 26 examples will be made, each with a base price of $1.45 million.
Gordon Murray Special Vehicles S1 LM
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
What do you get if you take what the world considers your masterpiece, set out to improve on it, then attempt to do so again. If you’re the legendary Gordon Murray, the result is the S1 LM (“Special One Le Mans”). This is the first bespoke model from the Special Vehicles division of Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), and it commemorates his 1995 Le Mans–winning machine. According to the team, the S1 LM shares similar underpinnings to GMA’s T.50 an T.50s, but all the body panels are new, the naturally aspirated engine—making more than 700 hp—has been enlarged to 4.3 liters of displacement, and the entire car has a target weight of less then 2,100 pounds.
“It’s really inspired by Gordon Murray’s philosophy of lightweight; and in design, I love the similar approach of distilling DNA . . . timeless design, as little design as possible,” mentions Florian Flatau, the man who penned the extremely limited-edition model. “It’s taking the DNA of the original F1, like a family member, but really trying to become its own animal.” Only a concept version was unveiled at Quail, but the plan is that five of these bantam-weight beasts come to fruition, though pricing and intended performance specs have yet to be revealed.
Hennessey Venom F5 LF
Image Credit: Viju Mathew
When asked about the design brief he was given prior to embarking on Hennessey’s latest dream machine, Nathan Malinick, design director for the Texas-based marque, quipped; “Make the coolest manual hypercar of all time . . . so no pressure there.” The result of that directive is the Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution LF, a one-off variant to the Venom F5 model, which first appeared in production guise back in 2020. Although originally known as a tuner, John Hennessey had long been driven to create a car from the ground up.
“The Venom F5 is the only thing that we’ve ever built that was like a clean sheet of paper,” Hennessey told Robb Report in an interview five years ago. “We took everything that we knew and liked from the previous 29 years and tried to put the best of all of our know-how in the all-new car.” And he has not stopped the refining process.
According to the official press release, this LF features an all-new carbon-fiber tub and 6.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 that makes more than 2,000 hp. Remarkably, that engine is paired with a six-speed manual transmission controlled via an H-pattern gated shifter—proof that analog still has powerful allure. And while this is a unique commission, it’s an example of what can be expected from Hennessey’s new special-projects division dubbed “Maverick”—a moniker befitting the founder himself.
Ferrari F50 GT1
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
This 1996 example of Ferrari’s legendary F50 won Best in Show at this year’s Quail, a departure from last year’s Best in Show winner, a 1937 Delahaye Type 145, which was more typical of Best in Show winners at the Quail, which have historically all been cars much older than 1996.
Supercars are also not typical winners at concours, and many wondered if the F50 winning this year represented perhaps a generational change for the Quail, and maybe even concours events as a whole.
Or perhaps this F50 is just a truly outstanding car, powered by a naturally aspirated V-12 that makes 739 horsepower mated to a six-speed manual transmission. It was built to beat the McLaren F1, and just three of them were made. Its sound alone is transporting.
Lexus Sport Concept
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
Lexus was not expected to show its Sport Concept at the Quail, so it was a surprise when that’s exactly what it did. The Sport Concept might even be the successor to the LFA, which is one of the greatest cars ever made.
The Sport Concept looks a lot like a concept that Lexus first showed a few years ago, that was “electrified” back then, though with this latest version Lexus did say how it would be powered, whether by electric motors, an internal combustion engine, or both. A different Lexus supercar under development, called the LFR, is thought to have a hybrid V-8 setup, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Sport Concept was all-electric.
Regardless, the car looked ready from the outside, a low-slung, two-door stunner.
Cadillac Elevated Velocity
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
The Elevated Velocity was also a surprise, but in different way, in that it is an off-roading, performance SUV that sits high from a brand not necessarily known for any of those things. The Elevated Velocity is a version of a protoype Cadillac showed last year, called the Opulent Velocity.
The wheels are 24 inches, the gull-wing doors are a conversation starter, and the all-electric powertrain is likely to be very fast, though Cadillac did not reveal any performance numbers. On the other side of Cadillac’s field exhibition was its Celestiq, an all-electric sedan that is expected to start at around $340,000, in a play for ultra-luxury that may or may not have Rolls-Royce and Bentley worried.
The Elevated Velocity is something else, a vision of Cadillac that is ready for a race in the desert. Cadillac is also, of course, racing in Formula 1 next year, signalling a few different directions for a brand that has been a bit aimless for years now. The Elevated Velocity is one direction we hope will stick.
Czinger 21C
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
Czinger was one of the bigger presences at the Quail this year, seemingly determined to compete with players it considers rivals, including bigger names like Gordon Murray Special Vehicles, Koenigsegg, and Bugatti.
To that end, Czinger has been busy in recent times setting various speed records with its 21C, a seven-figure price hypercar, several of which were on display Friday. Czinger 21Cs are built primarily for the track, though the 21C V Max drops the rear wing to enhance aerodynamics for straight line speed instead of downforce and grip.
As such, it also looks more restrained than the maximalist 21Cs that attract more attention. In this shade of green, the 21C V Max might even be considered classy. At a place where there is a strong incentive to look loudest, this 21C looked among the best.
1967 Toyota 2000GT
Image Credit: Justin Festejo
This 2000GT was one of just a few that were sold new in Switzerland, one of just 84 left-hand drive models that were ever built, of 351 2000GTs that were produced in total. This 2000GT was also a class winner at the Quail, proving, as it did when it debuted in 1965, that it could compete and beat supercars made by American and European manufacturers.
In person, what’s surprising about the 2000GT is how modern it looks, even 60 years later. It wasn’t exactly considered a supercar in 1965, but that was also an era when the word supercar was not used and abused. Today, it’s a super car by any measure, and onlookers at the Quail agreed, as it attracted a steady stream of admirers. Judges agreed, too.
Authors
Viju Mathew
Shifting gears from his degree in physical geography, Viju Mathew has spent the last decade covering most categories of the luxury market prior to becoming Robb Report’s automotive editor. Along with…
Read More
Erik Shilling
Erik Shilling is digital auto editor at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he was an editor at Jalopnik, Atlas Obscura, and the New York Post, and a staff writer at several newspapers before…
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she wanted to consider “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, Ministers, or even Israel as a whole”, referring to trade or research sanctions. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Saturday (August 16, 2025) that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem”, adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as her country currently holds the European Union (EU) presidency.
“Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Ms. Frederiksen said in an interview with the Jyllands-Posten daily, adding that the Israeli government was going “too far.”
The centre-right leader slammed the “absolutely appalling and catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza and the new settlement project in the occupied West Bank.
“We are one of the countries that wants to increase pressure on Israel, but we have not yet obtained the support of EU members,” she said.
Ms. Frederiksen added that she wanted to consider “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, Ministers, or even Israel as a whole”, referring to trade or research sanctions.
Also read: 146 countries now recognise a Palestinian state
“We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing the sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect,” added Ms. Frederiksen, whose country is not among those who have said they will recognise the Palestine.
The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Gaza’s Hamas rulers resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 61,430 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
