October 31, 2019

"Eagles These Days Text Too Much," Said Putin (Or Did He?)


"Eagles These Days Text Too Much," Said Putin (Or Did He?)
You’d never guess it, but this gal is a texting fiend. Центр реабилитации диких животных

Quote of the Week

“The family likes the series Jeeves and Wooster and they want the candidate to pay attention to the main character of the series (Jeeves), to see what is expected from the butler.”

— One rich Russian family’s job posting for a butler

Voracious Vegans and Didactic Deepfakes

1. Think teens text too much? Then check out the eagles of Novosibirsk, which send thousands of dollars in texts every season. Of course, they’re not the ones texting — rather, scientists have hooked them up to SMS transmitters that ping the scientists with their location. Nevertheless, these eagles give the scientists as big a headache as if they were texting teens. This summer, one eagle racked up 7,000 rubles ($117) per day, forcing the scientists to crowdfund to “Top Up the Eagles’ Mobiles.” Fortunately, their data provider noticed their unusual flight plight and promised to give them a discount. So the next time you get overcharged for texting, just blame the eagles.

2. Some Russians don’t believe that Putin would ever say “I’m tired, I’m leaving.” Thanks to a new AI, however, their dream may come true. The AI, Vera Voice, takes voice recordings of anybody — Putin included — and any text you want that person to say, and generates a recording of that person saying that text. Now, this kind of AI creates all sorts of risks. But its creators hope people use it for wholesome things like audiobooks and films. They themselves have used it to make Putin’s voice lecture listeners about the dangers and benefits of AI. See, now we’re listening.


AI imitates reality. / Video: Vera Voice
 

3. Russians aren’t known for loving meatless food, but they do love discounts. At least, that’s what one of Russia’s largest restaurant operators is betting on as it pioneers Meatless Mondays in Russia. Since mid-October, restaurants in seven cities have been offering Monday discounts on meatless delivery orders. It’s an uphill battle in terms of awareness, though. Some vegetarians will love the move; others point out that, in the end, most people just would rather stay with their meaty traditional dishes. Nevertheless, if there’s two things people vote with, it’s their stomachs and their pockets, and maybe the pockets will win in the end.

In Odder News

  • Opposition activist Alexei Navalny staged a photo where he took a selfie while his wife was about to smack him with a frying pan. Memes ensued.
Navalny meme
“Thirtieth birthday” / “Nineties kids” / @oldLentach
  • Survivor, meet Orthodoxy. A Russian TV channel is launching a reality show bringing together ten people to live in a monastery for a month.
  • Meet four bands leading Russia’s underground feminist punk scene.
  • Bonus: On Wednesday, the oldest woman in Russia passed away aged 124. She lived through the February and October Revolutions, not to mention World Wars I and II and the end of the Soviet Union. Read more about her life.

Thanks to David Edwards for a story idea!

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955