What's the Focus

On this week’s What's the Focus on The Morning Run, the conversation kicks off with the bizarre social media craze of keeping hydrated bricks as low-maintenance pet, tracing its roots back to 1970s Pet Rocks and modern anti-consumerism. The team then dives headfirst into the polarising world of ugly fashion, from five-toe shoes and hoof-like clogs to the controversial sliders-and-socks look.Later, the spotlight shifts to Putrajaya's new BMW iSmart public toilets. Equipped with automated self-cleaning features and odour sensors, the facility comes with a construction cost ceiling of RM1 million, sparking a lively debate on whether high-tech automation solves municipal maintenance headaches or borders on over-engineered extravagance.Finally, stick around for the team's curated weekend picks, spanning horror flicks, Australian political docudramas, local specialty coffee milestones, hidden gallery haunts, and classic Patrick Stewart tributes.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's WTF, or What's the Focus, authorities in China's Hangzhou are restricting dog walks to between 7pm and 7am in certain areas, leaving pet owners wondering when their four-legged friends are supposed to enjoy the sunshine. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are swapping noisy nights out for live audiobook events, where professional narrators read stories aloud in bars and bookstores. And finally, AI has helped uncover two critical vulnerabilities in PHP, the programming language powering much of the internet, triggering emergency fixes and raising fresh questions about cybersecurity.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on WTF, nothing is quite what it seems. A woman in China cracks open a durian to find a cooked potato and modelling clay inside. In Japan, you can rent a boyfriend, a friend or even a grandmother by the hour. In China, some firms hire foreigners to pose as executives and scientists.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's WTF, or What's the Focus, thieves in France make off with a 210kg, diamond-studded book illustrated by Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. Meanwhile, an AI-generated internet sensation called Tung Tung Tung Sahur is at the centre of a legal battle over who owns AI-created characters. And in Japan, the social-media app BeReal is getting a little too real, with workers accidentally exposing confidential workplace information. Plus, the team's recommendations for the weekend.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since August, Japan's second-hand bookshops have been getting mysterious bulk orders, and more than 50 tonnes of books have been shipped to the US. Booksellers suspect AI companies are behind it. We also look at why young Chinese workers are asking whether a Golden Week holiday counts if they have to work weekends to make up for it. Then Joseph Gordon-Levitt questions why AI creation Tilly Norwood is called an actress when nobody calls Donald Duck an actor. Plus the Shortlist, our weekly round-up of what to watch.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.