The Grand and Jubilant Reboot InfoGamer Has Begun

Four pavilions of Zagreb Fair will welcome tens of thousands of visitors to Reboot InfoGamer over four days.

The Biggest Reboot InfoGamer Yet

The 10th anniversary edition of Reboot InfoGamer will take place from November 14 to 17 at the Zagreb Fair. Spread across four pavilions—over 10,000 square meters—visitors can expect a plethora of exciting content to captivate gaming enthusiasts and tech fans alike.

In addition to showcasing the regional gaming industry, with a focus on Croatia, gamers of all ages will find approximately 300 gaming stations, an indie arena for independent developers, and the latest gaming hardware from major global and domestic brands such as White Shark, Asus, AMD, and Nintendo.

Esports Highlights

The event will also feature the finals of the 14th season of the A1 Adria League and the A1 Student eChallenge competition. Skilled gamers from local universities will compete in Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, and EA Sports FC 24, while finalists from the Adria League will face off in Counter-Strike 2, EA Sports FC 24, FC Mobile, and Brawl Stars.

This year's esports competitions at Reboot InfoGamer will provide an excellent overview of PC, console, and mobile gaming.

The competitors underwent months of qualifications and league matches, with only the top four teams or individual players (depending on whether the game is team-based or solo) earning a spot in the grand gaming arena organized by A1, the event's partner. The full event title is Reboot InfoGamer 2024 powered by A1.

The prize pool for these seven esports finals amounts to €42,000, a significant sum sure to attract future participants to these competitions.

Focus on Cybersecurity and Education

A1 has emphasized cybersecurity throughout the year and, in collaboration with the Center for Safer Internet (CSI), developed an educational game for children. This game teaches young users how to behave responsibly online and stay safe while browsing. Visitors can try the game at the event and download it for their own devices.

The PISMO Project powered by A1 will also showcase its initiatives with a series of interactive workshops and events over the four days. These include a preschoolers’ workshop in the Croatian game Moopies and a game development workshop for primary school students, where they can create their first game.

For competitive attendees, a tournament in the game Swing By, developed by ANIQ studio (a PISMO entrepreneurial incubator alum), will also take place.

Industry Panels and Investment Discussions

The event kicked off with a panel discussing new incentives for investing in the Croatian gaming industry. Moderated by Aleksandar Gavrilović, Secretary General of the Croatian Game Developers Cluster, the panel featured Joe Stirling Lee, a researcher from the British consulting firm Olsberg SPI, and Krešimir Partl, State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Media.

Joe Stirling Lee presented projections from his firm, suggesting that state incentives could help grow the Croatian game development scene. The panelists then debated the pros and cons of such investment models.

Drawing from similar experiences in the film and TV industry, Krešimir Partl noted that incentives are a good idea but emphasized the importance of first investing in domestic (smaller) studios. He highlighted that incentives in the film and TV sector have led to foreign (larger) productions offering higher pay than domestic (smaller) ones, causing local talent to focus on these higher-paying opportunities at the expense of the local industry.

Source: vidi.hr / November 14, 2024

Alen Soldo, a professor at the University of Split’s Department of Marine Studies, tirelessly works to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the sea and its inhabitants. His fascination with the ocean and marine life, particularly sharks, has shaped his career. In this interview, he reveals how his love for the sea began, which expedition nearly cost him his life, and what he aims to achieve with his work.

How did your love for the sea begin?

Soldo doesn’t recall the exact moment he fell in love with the sea, assuming it started at birth. Watching his children, who learned to swim before they could walk, he concludes that this love for the sea is genetically ingrained. Growing up in Split, life without the sea was unimaginable for him.

Did you study the sea and its creatures as a child, or did that come later?

Soldo doesn’t remember his first diving masks, but he vividly recalls spending more time underwater than on the surface. Over time, he managed to combine his passion for diving with his profession, resulting in much of his scientific work being based on research involving diving methods.

Where did you attend elementary and high school?

He completed elementary school in Podstrana, a suburb of Split, and attended high school in Split, at the then-called "old Realki."

How did you decide that the sea would be your professional path?

Soldo admits that when he was choosing a college, there were no marine studies programs in Croatia, except for a specialization at the Faculty of Chemical Technology. Fortunately, during his first year of studies, a new program in Marine and Fisheries Technology was launched, and he immediately switched to it.

Which subjects were you most interested in during your studies?

Soldo was fascinated by all the specialized subjects, including nautical ones. He realized early on that to fully understand marine processes, interdisciplinary knowledge was necessary. His ability to predict marine phenomena has earned him the nickname "the doom prophet" in the media.

Where did you go for your first field research?

His first field research was in the Velebit Channel in the late '90s, during a time of tension between fishermen using different fishing gear. He gained invaluable experience and learned a lot about the difficult life of fishermen.

What was the most dangerous expedition, and what happened?

Soldo describes a dangerous expedition in the early 2000s when he was researching lobster habitats. Due to nitrogen narcosis, which he experienced while diving at a depth of 70 meters, he nearly lost his life. However, he managed to regain enough awareness to save himself and now shares his experience to warn others about the dangers faced by divers.

In which seas have you conducted research, and which expedition is your favorite?

Soldo has conducted research in seas around the world, except the Antarctic. It’s difficult for him to pick a favorite, but he particularly highlights the experience of diving with a great white shark in South Africa. This was a childhood dream that left a deep impression on him.

Which marine creatures fascinate you the most, and why?

For Soldo, sharks are a particularly special group of organisms that he admires. He considers them to be nearly perfect creatures that are now under significant threat from humans. Protecting sharks is one of his main goals, and through various organizations, he works to raise awareness about their importance.

What do you hope to achieve with your work?

Soldo wants people to understand that although we live on what is called "Earth," our planet is actually "Sea," with 71% of its surface covered by water. He regrets that people often treat the ocean as something distant and lifeless. He emphasizes that the majority of the oxygen on Earth comes from the sea and that climate change directly depends on it. He also points out the rapid urbanization of the coastline, which negatively impacts the marine environment. Soldo believes that important issues like marine protection are not sufficiently discussed publicly, while politicians focus on less important topics.

What behaviors toward the sea and marine life bother you the most?

Soldo criticizes politicians who only focus on the sea during their summer vacations. Despite the numerous laws protecting the Adriatic Sea, he believes they are not consistently enforced. He also condemns the way environmental impact studies are conducted, often favoring investors over protecting the sea. He proposes a change in this process to ensure impartiality in creating such studies, but he doubts this will happen soon.

Source: 24sata.hr, 10.08.2024.

ROKOTOK

RokOtok is a project created in memory of Rok, a curious, cheerful boy who planned to visit all Croatian inhabited islands with his father, but the adventure was abruptly interrupted at the age of thirteen, when Rok left this world. His father, Domagoj Jakopović, better known as Ribafish, decided to fulfill his promise to his son, swim from island to island, continue the story and include other children and parents in it in order to realize their never-ending life project together.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the importance of the time parents spend with their children through sports, play and learning, and to develop and encourage children's curiosity, interests and spirit of inquiry. And precisely through games and activities with parents, he plans to teach the kids about the cultural and natural heritage of each island he visits. Additionally, through specially prepared ecological workshops, Ribafish will point out the importance of preserving the environment, with a special emphasis on ecological waste disposal.

Project idea

The idea of ​​this unique project was born while Ribafish was writing the book RokOtok about his conversations and travels with Rok, and his desire to turn his son's adventure travel companion into a socially useful project to highlight the importance of positive quality joint activities between children and parents.

While Rok and dad Domagoj managed to visit eight Croatian islands, the idea of ​​this project is to achieve their life's goal through three stages in which Ribafish will connect all inhabited Croatian islands by swimming.

Do you know how many there are?

Geography professor Domagoj counted no less than 50 of them!

When was the last time you actively socialized?

It is a question that Riba will ask children and their elders, and through a conversation in which an excerpt from the book RokOtok will introduce them, they will be reminded of the almost forgotten charms of spending time together.

Upon Ribafish's arrival on the islands, children and their parents will search for hidden treasures in his company and along the way learn something more about ecological waste disposal, various new games they can play and interesting facts about the island they are staying on.

They will talk about the importance of learning, socializing and various ways with the help of which they can learn how to help our Planet and what we can do for our better and cleaner future, apart from picking up trash after ourselves, sometimes for others.

Yesterday's finals in "statics" (holding the breath at rest) concluded the pool world championship in freediving according to the AIDA federation (world championships according to AIDA are held every other year). This championship was attended by 146 competitors from 23 countries who competed in the disciplines: "dynamics without fins" -DNF (long-distance diving without fins), "dynamics with fins" -DYN (long-distance diving with fins) and "statics" - STA (resting breath hold). The following players performed for the Croatian national team: Katarina Turčinović, Lidija Lijić Vulić, Goran Čolak and Vanja Peleš. In the strongest competition of the world's best divers so far, the Croatian national team achieved exceptional success, winning the largest number of medals of all countries in the history of holding world championships in freediving (over twenty years). Croatia won six medals (three gold, two silver and one bronze) and an impressive world record.

The Russians are next in terms of success at this world championship with five medals (three gold and two bronze), but also three world records in the women's competition.

Our Goran Čolak once again confirmed that he is the best scuba diver in the world. With the victory the day before yesterday in "dynamics without fins" with 206 meters dived, yesterday's victory in "dynamics with fins" with a new world record length of 281 meters dived and today's victory in "statics" with 8 minutes and 59 seconds, Goran defended the title of current world champion in STA and DYN from 2011, to which he added the title of champion in DNF at this championship, which means that for the next two years he is the world champion of all swimming disciplines. So far, not a single scuba diver has been able to do that, except for the Russian Natalija Molchanova. In the description of Goran's success, it should also be said that at this championship he broke the now old, his own world record (273 m), which he set in 2011 at the last world championship in Italy (Lignano) by eight meters, and which no one else has equaled brought you closer to the fact that he is the current world record holder and champion in dynamics with fins according to the CMAS federation (250 m), as well as the team world champion from last year 2012 when he won in France (Nice) with the Croatian team. The team world championship is held according to AIDA every other year, and as a result, the sum of the results of three competitors who dive in distance with fins (DYN), hold their breath at rest (STA) and dive in depth with unchanged weight (CWT) is scored. .

In the men's competition, our young debutant Vanja Peleš surprised everyone by diving 200 meters in the DNF discipline and winning second place (silver medal), leaving behind several favorites, big world names such as William Trubridge from New Zealand, Aleksey Molchanov from Russia etc.

The women's competition was dominated by the most experienced competitor, multiple world record holder Russian Natalia Molchanova, who, like Goran, won in all three competitive disciplines, setting new world records at the same time.

Our current world record holder in DYN according to the CMAS federation (216.9 m) and European vice-champion in DYN according to CMAS, young Katarina Turčinović dived 175 meters in the DNF discipline, which was 12 meters more than the world record. However, even that was not enough to win the gold medal, and Katarina took second place and won the silver medal behind the most experienced competitor in the world, Natalija Molchanova. In the DYN discipline, Katarina dived 212 m, which was enough for another, this time a bronze medal.

Our national team member Lidija Lijić Vulić, who is the current European vice-champion in the "Jump Blue" discipline according to CMAS, achieved excellent results at this championship, catching the "connection" immediately to the medal, taking fifth place in the DNF (152 m) discipline and fourth place in DYN ( 204 m).

Source: www.podvodni.hr

20. Dalmatian ✅️

[BADIJA]

Badija is the largest of the 19 islands, islets and rocks in the vicinity of Korčula. It is the largest islet in Croatia, because it lacks the status of an island by 0.03 square kilometers.

The name of the island of Badija was first mentioned in 1737, and before that it was also known as the School of St. Petra, Island, Veliki skolj, Veci skolj, School of St. Mary...

The island got its name from the monastery (lat. abbatia) which was built in the 15th century and still dominates the view of Badija today. The five-hundred-year-old monastery was converted into a resort in the fifties of the last century, and in 2003 it returned to the possession of the Franciscans. Today it is restored and imposing, and it can only be visited with prior notice.

Considering the modest area and the highest altitude of 74 meters, where the church of St. Catherine is located, the island is easy to get around on foot. It is completely covered with maquis and pine forest, with a series of beautiful beaches along a four-kilometer long circular promenade.

MOST IMPORTANT: I ​​am extremely grateful to my partner White Shark, who at the first invitation accepted to be the "owner" of this island and thus supported the project ❤️

Source: facebook.com, Dina Levačić profile, 05.06.2024.

On April 24, 2024, Dina Levačić swam around the first of 104 Dalmatian islands, islets, and rocks as part of a humanitarian project that is scheduled to be completed in November with a swim around Škoj in the Kaštela Bay.

Three goals:

1. To promote Dalmatia and Croatia as tourist destinations, especially since long-distance swimming is one of the fastest-growing sports, bringing more and more foreigners to Croatia.
2. To raise awareness of the need to keep the islands and the sea clean.
3. To raise money for charities and non-profit organizations that carry out projects on the Dalmatian islands.

The swims vary in length, from a mere 50 meters to the 16 kilometers of Sveti Klement (Palmižana). In total, Dina will swim around 160 kilometers. The biggest challenge is the organization, getting to each island and everything that goes with it. The most demanding are the open-sea islands of Palagruža and Jabuka, where she will have to wait for an ideal day to avoid danger for herself and the crew of the boat accompanying her.

Dina started the project in Split, and the final swim will also be to the Split islet Škoj off the northern side of Marjan. The entire project should be completed in November.

The exact schedule is unknown as it will depend on the weather. Dina knows that she will swim in May and June, then after a break again in September and October, and hopes to complete the entire project by mid-November. Due to her private obligations and the crowds at sea, she will not be swimming in July and August. The last one should be Školjić in front of Lučice in Spinut, so that the project starts and ends in Split.

The sea was cold, about 15 degrees, but that didn't bother Dina. She jumped in ready, accompanied by Domagoj Jakopović Ribafish and a few friends who are usually with her.

"The weather is perfect, no waves, no rain..., ha, ha, ha... and in these 180 meters I wouldn't have time to freeze even if it was much colder," Dina said after the ten minutes it took her to swim around the Ježinac rock.

Unfortunately, she has not yet been able to secure the financial side of the entire project.

"It's always a pull-and-drag with sponsors - we haven't covered everything yet, not even the basics, the fuel for the boat that takes us, the accommodation costs on longer routes... But that's nothing new, we're used to it, so if anyone can help, I would be grateful," Dina concluded.

Source: 24sata.hr, Dina Levačić facebook page, 24.04,2024.

The False Bay swimming project encompassed swims across False Bay, Cape Point, and Robben Island, a rare opportunity due to weather conditions, especially at Cape Point.

False Bay, 08.02.2024: False Bay is the largest natural bay in South Africa and one of the largest in the world, covering approximately 1000 km². Stretching along the eastern coast of the Cape of Good Hope natural reserve on the Cape Point peninsula to Cape Hangklip. On February 8th, Dina embarked on a 33km swim. Despite initially seeming like an ideal day, strong winds quickly arose, making the swim much more challenging than expected. The swim showcased the unpredictable, relentless nature of marathon swimming. Throughout the swim, Dina was accompanied by seals, dolphins, and even two whales. After 11 hours and 39 minutes, Dina reached the opposite shore.

With the successful crossing of False Bay, Dina became the 19th person in the world and the first person from Croatia to achieve this feat.

Cape Point, 14.02.2024: On February 14th, weather conditions permitted Dina to swim around Cape Point, a rare opportunity given that it's possible only a few days a year. Cape Point is the southernmost point of the Cape Peninsula, where many believe the cold Atlantic and warm Indian Oceans meet. The start, near the Cape of Good Hope, was daunting, fun, and impressive, requiring entry into two-meter waves. Passing around Cape Point was the most memorable part of Dina's swim. The view of the cliffs, lighthouse, and the thought that south lies nothing but Antarctica made it special. After encountering a bluebottle sting and enduring pain throughout, Dina reached the sandy beach after 2 hours and 17 minutes, proud and happy.

Robben Island, 19.02.2024: Despite knowing that the sea temperature had drastically dropped the day before the potential swim to Robben Island, from an average of 16°C to 12°C due to winds and currents from the Atlantic, Dina never hesitated. The sea seemed ideal, calm, and quiet before the start, hinting at currents. Dina embarked on the swim completely unburdened and happy for the chance to swim the Freedom Swim in honor of Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned on the island for 18 years. As she entered the water, the temperature was 15°C, surprising everyone by occasionally rising, despite expectations of dropping. As Dina approached the finish, the currents became stronger, but she successfully navigated them, propelled by surfing waves, reaching Blouberg Beach after 7.4 km in 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Dina Levačić, a 27-year-old swimmer from Split-Solin-Mravince, is embarking on a new adventure in South Africa, challenging herself with three marathons that present varying levels of difficulty.

"If I manage to complete two out of three marathons, I will be satisfied," says Dina.

The first marathon is Robben Island, spanning 11 kilometers. Despite its relatively short length, it poses significant challenges.

"We swim from Robben Island, known for the prison where Nelson Mandela was held. First swum in 1909, it holds more of a symbolic role in the marathon world than being particularly demanding. The swim takes only two to three hours, but the unique aspect is the very low ocean temperatures. Robben, located in the Atlantic, can have temperatures drop to 10 degrees, which is very cold. I hope that for my swim, it could be 13-15 degrees, making the swimming much easier," says Dina, adding:

"The second marathon is False Bay, slightly warmer as it's in the Indian Ocean. Its uniqueness lies in its 33-kilometer length and constant winds. The winds are consistently strong, and in brief periods, they blow at less than 20 km/h, allowing for swimming, lasting about eight to 11 hours.

"The third marathon is the shortest, Cap Point and Cap of Good Hope (Rt Dobre nade), around ten kilometers. However, given the collision of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in that area, the weather is highly unpredictable, with strong currents, and only a few days a year are suitable for swimming. If only Cap Point is swum, it's about eight kilometers, and if you go to Cap of Good Hope, then it's about 11 kilometers... Lengths vary depending on the strength of currents and winds...

A significant concern for swimmers in that region is the danger of great white sharks living in large colonies.

"Interestingly, until 2019, there were many sharks, hundreds..., but since then, the local association monitoring their life and movement has recorded only a few individuals. It is assumed they scattered due to the arrival of two killer whales, their natural enemies," says Dina. When asked if killer whales are dangerous to swimmers, she laughs:

"People organizing the swims know what they are doing, monitor the situation, and certainly will not jeopardize the lives of swimmers. Honestly, my mom is more afraid than I am. She insisted that the swimsuit be as colorful as possible because it is known that most shark attacks on humans occur when they mistake them for seals, their prey. I try to think about it as little as possible and look forward to meeting African penguins. In False Bay, there is a colony of over 3000 individuals, so it will be interesting to see them. The first goal is always for everything to go well, then for the swims to be successful, but also to send a message to people to engage in sports and care for nature. If I succeed, I will be the first person from Croatia to accomplish this, and only 16 people in history have succeeded in completing such a feat.

Dina sets off on Sunday, with a planned return on February 25, and everything else depends on the weather forecast at the location. Interestingly, on her return, she will briefly stop in Doha, where the World Masters Swimming Championship is taking place.

"Although I am 27 years old, I have the right to compete as a veteran because the first veteran category is from 25 to 30 years old. It is a three-kilometer race, and the sea temperature is already 18-20 degrees, so it will be easier for me. It coincided that I am returning from South Africa at that time, so why not try...

After returning, Dina awaits a new project called "104 Dalmatians," and her plan is to swim around 104 islands, islets, rocks... as many as officially registered in the registry in the four Dalmatian counties from May to October this year. It's a soul project...

"The shortest section is 50 meters, and the longest is 22 kilometers. I will swim around most, of course, the largest ones like Brač, Hvar, Korčula... no, but I want all those little islands... In total, it will be 1180 kilometers of swimming. The goal is to tell the story of our gems, bring them closer to foreigners, but also to our people, raise awareness for people to care for nature because we will have actions to clean the seabed along the way, and a humanitarian action. During the swim, people will be able to symbolically buy islands or donate funds that we will forward to projects carried out by numerous associations on Dalmatian islands," concludes Dina.

Source:24sata.hr, 31.01.2024.

AFTER being photographed with a larger hole in its dorsal fin, a silky (silky) shark surprised scientists a year later with its massive and inexplicable transformation. The aforementioned shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) was photographed by an underwater photographer and diver for the first time in July 2022 off the coast of Florida. A huge piece of his dorsal fin was missing, that is, almost 20 percent of the fin, exactly where it was marked.

Probably some fisherman caught it by mistake and then removed the tag with a sharp object. When marine biologist Chelsea Black from the University of Miami in the US saw a photo of the butchered fin, she worried whether this creature would even be able to swim well enough to feed itself, writes Science Alert.

However, much to her surprise, the shark was photographed again 332 days later and it looked "too good". About 87 percent of his fins had regenerated and he swam quite solidly and was in good health.

Scientists confused

Scientists do not yet know, given that they only have photographs, whether this healing process is due to new tissue, the growth of scar tissue, or some kind of joining of the area around the wound.

"Prior to this study, there was only one other documented case of dorsal fin regeneration," says Black. Sharks and rays have a seemingly "supernatural" ability to heal wounds, and since they are very difficult to study in the natural environment, experts don't know much about this extremely fast healing process.

Dorsal fin regeneration in a silky shark recorded for the first time

According to a 1978 study, the skin of nanny and leopard sharks can regenerate after just three weeks. In 2017, a great white dogfish with a severely torn dorsal fin was spotted near the coast of Massachusetts in the United States. It was seen again a few years later, and the fin looked as if someone had surgically sewn it on.

This #WhiteSharkWednesday features the ability of sharks to heal. White shark "Crescent" was seen with some serious injuries in 2017 with a split dorsal fin. The research team saw him in 2022 and was able to see that his dorsal fin "zipped" back up! Incredible! pic.twitter.com/oTyRl6GlgI

— Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (@A_WhiteShark) February 8, 2023

Although high rates of wound healing in sharks have been repeatedly reported, complete dorsal fin regeneration has only been officially documented in the cetacean, and now, for the first time, in the silky shark.

The research, titled Resilience in the Depths: First Example of Fin Regeneration in a Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) following Traumatic Injury, was published in the Journal of Marine Sciences.

Source: Index.hr, 08.01.2024.