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Google is joining Facebook, Stanford and other outfits setting up institutions to support ethical AI. The company has created an Advanced Technology External Advisory Council that will shape the "responsible development and use" of AI in its products...
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Two years after Brie Larson‘s directorial debut premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, Unicorn Store is finally coming to Netflix. Despite boasting an impressive cast including Larson and her Kong: Skull Island and Captain Marvel co-star Samuel L. Jackson, the comedy-drama about a young idealistic woman struggling to find herself had seemingly vanished after its TIFF premiere. But Unicorn Store was saved by streaming giant, which debuts the film in April. Watch the Unicorn Store trailer below.
Unicorn Store Trailer
Larson has proven to be a lauded onscreen talent, but does that translate to behind-the-camera? We’ll find out with the release of Unicorn Store, which looks to be a quirky indie comedy that stars Larson as a dreamy art student who finds herself floundering after she fails out of art school. But an encounter with a magical man (Jackson) at the questionably real Unicorn Store inspires her to embrace her quirks and live life by her standards.
The film and its buzz somewhat disappeared after its TIFF premiere two years ago, but /Film’s Marshall Shaffer was warm to the film, writing, “Unicorn Store might not wield the fanciest and finest filmmaking techniques to convey this morsel of knowledge, but it does show Larson possesses a wisdom beyond her years (as anyone who follows her on social media can attest). The first part of the equation can be learned, honed and perfected.”
Imperfect or not, Unicorn Store reunites Larson with Jackson, a pairing that proved pivotal to the success of Captain Marvel and one of the standout parts of the Marvel movie.
Here is the official synopsis for Unicorn Store:
Kit (Brie Larson) is a lonely twenty-something dreamer who’s reluctant to leave the comforts of childhood and fully embrace adulthood. But when art school sends her packing, Kit is forced to move back home with her parents and take a temp job in a boring office. Just when she’s resolved to finally put her Care Bears aside and grow up, a mysterious salesman (Samuel L. Jackson) enters Kit’s life and offers to give her childlike heart its greatest desire. Larson’s directorial debut, with a script by Samantha McIntyre, is a love letter to everyone’s inner child, and a reminder that no dream is impossible.
It can be costly and time-consuming to train police dogs when each candidate might have different skills and personalities. China's solution? Make copies of the best-performing dogs. The state-backed China Daily reports that the city of Kunming, t...
Let’s face it, some people like their pets big! If you are looking for a large dog there are a number of breeds which are generally referred to as giants. Be careful, though – you should only consider these breeds if you have lots of space, lots of time and quite a deal of money. The Ark in Space takes a look at the giants of the canine world.
The English Mastiff, in terms of mass is the big daddy of all dogs and its dimensions particularly that of the male are something to be believed. Every inch of this dog gives off strength and power – if the planet Krypton had a dog then this would probably be it. The world record holding breed for weight, this dog can weigh up to two hundred and fifty pounds for a male and around fifty pounds less than a female. The breed has been around for a long time – the name probably derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for powerful –masty. It is generally recognized to be the oldest dog breed in the UK.
The dog is often used to guard, but makes a wonderful domestic pet as well. It is said that the face gives away the character if the dog and that is the case with the English Mastiff. It is very affectionate to its owners but combines both courage and dignity and will protect its owner from unfamiliar people with a polite but determined maneuver which puts the dog between the stranger and its owner. It is great with children and smaller dogs and will become firmly attached to the family unit to which it is introduced. A surprisingly gentle dog, it does have a tendency towards laziness if left to its own devices to a program of daily, regular and prolonged exercise is recommended to keep it in trim. There are no Medifast coupons for dog diets.
The Irish Wolfhound (see below) usually takes the prize as the world’s tallest dog but the record at the moment is with a Great Dane by the name of Gibson who is a staggering 42.3 inches tall – a good ten inches taller than the average English Mastiff. As such the Great Dane is known as the ‘Apollo of all breeds’ and its history is thought to go back (perhaps) three thousand years. There are drawings on Egyptian tombs from this period that strongly resemble the Great Dane. The modern breed is thought to originate in either Denmark (hence the name) or, most likely Germany. Toon lovers will of course know the breed as the Scooby Doo dog!
The breed comes in a variety of colors from the common fawn and brindle to the harlequin which is a white coat with black tear patches over the entire body (a white neck is particularly sought out by owners – see Stella above). Although it is intimidatingly tall the Great Dane has an extremely friendly temperament and get on well with people, other dogs (and other pets!) alike. Some Great Danes can have certain dominance issues, which is true of pretty much each and every species of dog – and of course, supervision around young kids is essential. The Great Dane has a slow metabolism and needs a great deal of exercise to keep it in trim. A common misconception is that they do not need a lot of exercise as they generally plod along in a fairly docile way. The opposite is true – they need lots. Great Danes do suffer from some breed specific disorders and can sometimes be born blind, deaf or both.
It does what it says on the packet – the Irish Wolfhound is so called because the breed originated for that very purpose, not, as many assume in its twenty first century family member role because it actually looks lupine. Although they are not the world record holder for the height of a single dog, they most certainly are on average. The male is usually between 33 to 36 inches and the female two to three inches shorter. They are not naturally inclined to guard (they were designed to hunt) but their sheer size would probably put any burglar off his task. They are also way too friendly – the chances are the Wolf Hound is more likely to approach the burglar as his new best friend than to deter him from his goal.
As such the Irish Wolfhound, more than many giant dogs can be trusted with children. They will also put up with quite a lot of ear and tail pulling (if your kids can reach) with patience and a sweet temper. They are very open to training and are of a generous and caring nature. They will – if you are out walking with them and are attacked – pretty much see off your attacker: despite their reluctance to guard they will be fearless if you are threatened. The great shame is that they are not long lived and at maximum you can hope for ten years. As with other dogs of this size they do need a lot of exercise and although originally a country dog they do take to urban living pretty well.
Otherwise simply known as a Deerhound this lesser known giant breed looks like a rough coated greyhound but it is their size which distinguishes them. The history of the breed goes back to pre-Roman times and it is thought that the Scots and the Picts kept this breed to hunt deer (hence the name!). These dogs are about the friendliest you will ever meet and so, like the Irish Wolfhound, is not the best dog if you want something to guard your home. They are very eager to please and their gentle bearing means that they are loved the world over by their owners. When young, though Deerhounds get bored extremely easily and have a sort of canine ADHD which means that if you do not exercise them sufficiently you will probably come home to find your house looking like a burglar really has been there.
Living up to eleven years, these dogs like nothing more than spending the day stretched out or sleeping on your largest couch. However, it must be exercised regularly and properly and although it enjoys the company of humans this is a breed that really needs a companion with its own DNA in order to be fully happy. In other words, this dog can pine on its own but will be perfectly happy in a pair. Like all the other breeds in this article they are fine with children but should be supervised with small ones as, due to their size, they can inadvertently knock toddlers down which will distress both dog and child.
This dog just loves the water. In fact they have been used for water rescue due partly to their musculature and also due to the fact that they have webbed feet – the combination of which makes them fantastic swimmers. They have a wonderful disposition and are very loving animals. One of the easier dogs to housebreak, they are quite daffy animals and are about as laid back as a dog can get. The downside is that they have to be groomed at least once a week otherwise their gorgeous coat will become tangled.
They are thought to be the strongest dogs in the world, beating all of the others on this list. They also make great watch dogs and are just about the best breed in the world when it comes to children – they really are the gentle giant of the dog world. Lord Byron said this about his Newfoundland (or Newfie as they are known) after it died. ‘Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of Boatswain, a Dog.’
Originally a working dog, the St Bernard originates in the Swiss Alps where it was used in Mountain Rescue. It is a very large dog and can grow up to thirty six inches in height with a coat that can be both rough or smooth. They make wonderful pets but it is vital that thorough training takes place when the dog is young as they can be boisterous and need to be ready to take commands and be willingly controlled.
They are good with kids as long as the above is taken in to account. If you are looking for a dog for protection they are not the ideal choice. They will bark at intruders but that is about it – though of course their sheer size (like other dogs here) will probably act as a deterrent. If it were not for the St Bernard we might not have the soccer team Manchester United. In 1902 the team was about to go bankrupt and so held a fundraiser. The Captain of the team, Harry Stafford, brought his St Bernard and it drew the attention of JH Davis – an extremely wealthy brewery magnate. Davis wanted to buy the dog which Stafford refused. However, he did silver tongue Davis in to buying the entire club.
From Leonberg in south west Germany this dog was bred – according to local legend – as a symbol of the lion in the crest of the town. So it is that this most leonine of dogs came in to being and the breed is gorgeous. The dog is extremely large but has an air of European elegance about it which makes it popular in well to do households. The male usually carries a lion like mane and they can reach up to thirty inches in height.
This is a very cool dog – almost unflappable – and unlike most of the dogs on this list the Leonberger can be used as a guard dog – albeit a mild one. When in a tight spot the Leonberger will use his size and weight to protect his owner rather than his teeth. This makes the breed sound a little aggressive but the Leonberger will imprint deeply and quickly on to his adopted human family. A very agile dog, the Leonberger needs a lot of exercise and often astounds it owners by its athleticism, especially considering the size of the breed. Until properly trained the dog can be a little like the St Bernard – over energetic and somewhat willful but after the third year usually calms down and becomes the gentle giant that this breed is known to be.
This dog has history! Often used as a guard dog, its breed goes way back to the time of the Roman legions – it is just a shame there weren’t a few in the Gladiator movie. It seems that they were trained up by Roman Legions to fight alongside them. They wore harnesses upon which were sewn in spikes and blades. The Neapolitan Mastiff would then run under the horses of the enemy horses and disembowel them. They don’t do that today.
If you want a fearless guard dog that also really does prefer to be with the family rather than outside in a kennel then this could be the dog for you. However, it is not a dog for beginners and is not appropriate if you have small children. Proper training, because of its size, is paramount. If you think the ‘alpha roll’ training method will work on this breed, think again. Unless the dog is thoroughly socialized and trained they will be aggressive to strangers and other dogs in to adulthood.
Artificial lighting can be a real problem to live with, outputting the wrong type of light for the time of day (or task), potentially even messing with sleep cycles. With the Dyson Lightcycle, that problem goes away, as the lamp is designed to match its light with that of the Sun, based on your exact location.
Configured via Bluetooth and the smartphone app, the Lightcycle takes your position on Earth and age into account, automatically adjusting the colour temperature of the light to match that of the sun: a warm light to start with, getting brighter and colder, before a warmer light for bedtime.
I’ve seen similar options in the LIFX Mini Bulbs, which automatically adjust colour during the day, although the tech here is more generically based on average sunrise/sunset times, as opposed to the more accurate data that Dyson is using.
Using a combination of three warm and three cool LEDs, the Lightcycle can simulate colour temperatures from 2700k to 6500k. Should you want to override the settings at any point, say going for a brighter light for detailed project work, you can use the temperature and intensity touch controls on top.
Dyson says that its product is designed to reduce eyestrain. It has a maximum brightness of 1,000 Lux and a heptagonal reflector split by a PMMA diffusion layer to evenly mix the light from the six LEDs.
To prevent the LEDs from overheating, the Lifecycle uses a vacuum-sealed copper pipe containing a single drop of water. As it heats up, the water evaporates and moves to the other end of the pipe, transferring heat away. The water then condenses and runs back to the start.
Via the app, you can set favourite lighting modes or use the pre-set modes: Study, Relax, Boost, Wake-up, Sleep and Away. There’s no Alexa control at the moment.
As with previous Dyson lights, the Lightcycle has a three-axis adjustment for height, rotation and reach. The new light is available in desk and floor variants in two colours. It’s available now for £449.99 for the desk version and £649.99 for the floor stander. We’ll have a review soon.
Anyone who spends time online has probably heard of, and run into, websites and social media posts that are clearly being promoted by bots. But just what do those bots look like on the other end? While I expected to see rackmount servers spoofing various devices en masse, according to a post from Tom-James Lee, CEO at Vagabond Digital, some of those "click farms" are literally giant banks of smartphones.
This is scary... A click farm in full flow. Most probably these programmatically controlled devices are liking, engaging and clicking on social media posts, pages and ads trying to trick algorithms. You hear about it happening but it's scary to see it in action as it can be seriously detrimental to digital and social marketing for businesses and brands everywhere. Keen to get everyone's thoughts?
Discussion
That opening declaration from co-creator Mike Schur perfectly summed up the attitude for everyone in attendance at the Dolby Theatre for Thursday’s special — and emotional — 10-year anniversary Parks and Recreation reunion.
Joining Schur for the PaleyFest panel, which was moderated by Parks guest-star Patton Oswalt, was the entire cast of Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Retta, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Jim O’Heir, and Chris Pratt. Hell, even Perd Hapley (played by Jay Jackson) was on hand to open the event with a live news report. “Good evening, I’m coming to you tonight from where I’m standing, which is here,” he said in classic Perd form. “The story of tonight’s event is that it is happening.”
And plenty did happen, with the cast reminiscing about some of the most memorable moments, how Parks and Rec has blended into pop culture (see Fyre Fest), and whether they could get back together for more. So grab a plate of waffles and a bottle of Snake Juice and read on for some of the highlights.
Jerry/Garry/Larry/Terry still gets treated like Jerry
As the cast came out one by one, they took their seats and cheered on their costars. But, when Mike Schur was announced, he sat in the last remaining seat, which became a slight problem when Jim O’Heir walked out and discovered that he had no place to sit. The reactions from his castmates were spot on as Aziz Ansari laughed just as uncontrollably as Tom Haverford would have in the situation. O’Heir would eventually drag out his own chair from the back but it really delayed the start of the proceedings. Dammit, Jerry.
The emotional star
Ahead of the panel, Amy Poehler told EW that it was going to be “awesome” and “surreal” to be back together talking about the show with her former costars — and the emotions hit her early on. “I’m totally overwhelmed right now,” she admitted as she got choked up and came close to tears. She later said of playing Leslie Knope, “Leslie was really good for my physical and mental health. It really did extend my life, I think.”
Rob Lowe literally says literally a lot
During Thursday’s event, it was clear that Lowe literally brought something crucial to the character of Chris Traeger. Schur recalled his first meeting with Lowe about possibly joining the show and asking the West Wing alum about his involvement with the purchase of the entertainment company Miramax. “Rob says, ‘I’ll tell you the story, I was literally on a yacht…’ Before that sentence, Chris Traeger didn’t exist. Then he said, ‘I was literally on a yacht’ and my mind went blank and then after that that was who Chris Traeger was.” Upon Lowe exiting the show in season 6, he says Schur gifted him the writer’s notes from after that first meeting. “I always wondered how much of Chris was me and how much of Chris was Mike,” shared Lowe. “And in your notes, it literally…there I go…it says, ‘He says literally all the time.'” Schur was right, as evidenced by the many times Lowe accidentally said it in casual conversation throughout the night.
Was Entertainment 720 behind Fyre Festival?
The internet isn’t alone in thinking that Fyre Festival was really something that could have been crafted up by Tom (Ansari) and Jean-Ralphio’s (Ben Schwartz) short-lived company. “It’s literally Entertainment 720,” said Ansari. “Tom and Jean-Ralphio were definitely buddies with Billy McFarland.” Added Schur, “They could have gotten Ja Rule.” But that’s not the only controversial story that Ansari thinks the Parks and Rec universe was behind. “The other day I was reading about the college admissions scandal and I was like that is some Eagleton sh– right there.”
Into the Pawnee-Verse
it’s not just pop culture that the show seemed to be ahead of the curve as Oswalt noted that Parks basically predicted the 2016 election. “If only we had Bobby Newport at the helm,” cracked Poehler of Paul Rudd’s Sweetums heir and City Council election opposition. The actress then recounted a story of someone asking her before the panel if we need Leslie more than ever right now. “I do feel like she’s kind of the Spider-Man of public service,” said Poehler. “It does feel a little bit like we’re looking up into the sky like, ‘Leslie, where are you?!'” She continued, “I kind of do wish she was around. But she wouldn’t be able to have any access to the White House .”
Chris Pratt manifested Jurassic World into existence
Pratt, now one of Hollywood’s stars, shared the story of how during an early season of Parks, he was asked to make a behind-the-scenes video, and when he got a text, he pretended it was from Steven Spielberg (“which was f—ing insane at the time”) and ended it by saying he’d get back to him about Jurassic Park 4. “And then like five years later,” said Pratt, who would eventually star in Jurassic World. “It’s not crazy,” declared Poehler. “It’s The Secret, you can manifest anything.” Pratt says the video is funnier than him telling it so enjoy below.
Galentine’s Day pride
This is the first full-fledged reunion since the show ended, but there’s always a smaller one at least once year when Poehler, Jones, and Plaza get together on Feb. 13 for Galentine’s Day, the holiday that Parks created. Schur says they take “a great deal of pride” in Galentine’s Day turning into something so popular — until it went too far. “Just this year it kind of bummed me out because like I’d go on Twitter and it would be like, ‘Hey ladies, this Galentine’s Day why not share a Mountain Dew Code Red?'” he revealed. “What does that have to do with Galentine’s Day? It was like appropriated by every brand and it kind of bummed me out.” Retta then interjected and declared, “Try walking into Target and all you see is Treat Yo’ Self.” She then brought up recently seeing a Treat Yo’ Self mug from Crate & Barrel. “It’s obnoxious,” she said of how Donna and Tom’s catchphrase has been monetized. “I was like what the f—? Crate and Barrel too? I mean, God bless.” Important — and awesome — note: Retta was wearing an epic dress that was covered in the words “Treat Yo’ Self.”
Rashida Jones’ opinion on Ann might start a fight
Schur says when creating Parks, he looked at Ann and Leslie’s friendship as the “core of the show,” which is why Jones departure in season 6 was the “saddest I ever got on set.” He said of her final episode before leaving, “It was the end of an era, and also because Rashida and Amy were very good friends in real life. If you look at the tape that was in that episode, it’s just two really good friends saying goodbye to each other. It was devastating.” But Schur also thinks that the best episode they’ve ever done was also centered on that relationship, pointing to season 3’s “The Fight,” which featured “the realest moments we’ve ever shot” with Ann and Leslie drunk fighting, not to mention Snake Juice, Burt Macklin, Janet Snakehole, and the epic drunk — and improv’d — dances from everyone in the cast.
And speaking of fights, Jones almost started one when she was talking about Leslie’s obsession with Ann and dared to say, “Ann is just like alright.” This prompted Poehler to respond in peak Leslie fashion: “I just want to say that if I ever hear you talk about Ann like that again….Ann’s perfect.”
Adam Scott now watches Game of Thrones — but he still doesn’t get Li’l Sebastian
In recent years, Scott has become even more like Ben Wyatt. While his attitude on Li’l Sebastian hasn’t changed (“I still don’t get it,” he jokes), his character’s next level Game of Thrones fandom has rubbed off on him. “After mentioning it a couple of times on the show, I started watching it and I could not be more into Game of Thrones.” That answer from Scott came in response to what he’s brought from his character into his real life, and for Pratt, it was something that would equally make Andy Dwyer proud. “My relationship with the FBI in real-life is legit,” he said in a hat tip to Dwyer’s alter-ego Burt Macklin. “Especially now I think they’re just really happy to have someone In the zeitgeist that’s like, ‘I love the FBI.’” So much so that they allegedly leave him care packages. Oh, and O’Heir, scoring the biggest laugh of the night, says in his case, “art and life kind of combined,” referencing the revelation that Jerry was very well-endowed.
Never say never to a reunion movie (but probably never)
In less of a highlight and more of like a sadlight, don’t get your hopes up for a reunion movie or reboot. “I think that in the world we live in now nothing is ever gone; everything comes back and is cycled through again,” shared Schur. “I would only say that I think everyone on this stage and like six other people would have to feel like there was a story that needed to be told. Part of what I felt personally is that the show had an argument to make…. I don’t feel like we left anything on the table. I feel like the show sort of made its argument.”
Schur also pointed to the show having jumped well into the future in the finale, which he jokes may have been a “preventive measure” against a follow-up. “There’s nothing I loved more than working on this show,” he continued. “It felt like the most important thing that I would ever do. And so I would never ever say never. The chance to do it again should it arise would be incredible, but I think that we would all only do it if we felt like it was something compelling us to do it. As tempting as it is, I don’t want to just make more episodes of the show or something. If one single person says no, then we wouldn’t do it — whatever that would be.”
The ultimate Ron Swanson goodbye gift
Well, even if the show never comes back, the cast will always have a special keepsake from it, courtesy of Offerman, who — without telling anyone — salvaged all of the doors from the set and made them into canoe paddles with the seal of Pawnee on them and gifted them to Schur and the cast. “It was perfectly good red oak,” deadpanned Offerman.
Amazon is said to have cast Sam Strike of Syfy’s Nightflyers as Roland Deschain (a.k.a. the Gunslinger) and Jasper Pääkkönen of BlacKkKlansman is believed to be playing Martel Broadcloak (a.k.a. the Man in Black, a.k.a. Randall Flagg), EW has learned.
Amazon declined to comment officially. Deadline was the first to report the news.
Unlike 2017’s The Dark Tower movie, which starred Idris Elba as Roland and Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black, this series is reportedly independent of the film, set years before the events that played out in director Nikolaj Arcel’s work.
Glenn Mazzara, an alum of The Walking Dead, serves as showrunner for studio MRC on the planned series, which pulls from the world documented in King’s novels.
“I’ve been a Stephen King fan for decades, and the opportunity to adapt The Dark Tower as a TV series is a great honor,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “The events of The Gunslinger, Wizard and Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, and other tales need a long format to capture the complexity of Roland’s coming of age — how he became the Gunslinger, how Walter became the Man in Black, and how their rivalry cost Roland everything and everyone he ever loved. I could not be more excited to tell this story. It feels like being given the key to a treasure chest. And oh yeah, we’ll have billy-bumblers!”
As this project progresses, Amazon is also planning another fantasy saga with a series based on The Lord of the Rings to be set during The Second Age, long before the events portrayed in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.
The Dark Tower hasn’t yet landed a formal pilot order, but one seems imminent with the two leads now set.
Every day the final season of Game of Thrones grows nearer, and with it the end of a pop culture era. In a new essay for The New Yorker, star Emilia Clarke (who plays one of the show’s main characters, Daenerys Targaryen) reveals that she almost didn’t make it to see the show’s completion. For the first time, Clarke has come clean about surviving two aneurysms over the course of working on Game of Thrones.
The first came in February 2011, after Clarke and her co-stars had finished shooting season 1. While working out with a trainer, Clarke writes, “I immediately felt as though an elastic band were squeezing my brain.” Overwhelmed by violent nausea, she soon realized that something had gone wrong with her brain: “To keep my memory alive, I tried to recall, among other things, some lines from Game of Thrones.”
After being rushed to a hospital, Clarke was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH): “a life-threatening type of stroke, caused by bleeding into the space surrounding the brain. I’d had an aneurysm, an arterial rupture.” She underwent brain surgery, which appeared to fix the problem. But, Clarke writes, “this would not be my last surgery, and it would not be the worst. I was 24 years old.”
Clarke was back on the set of Game of Thrones little more than a month after surgery, which meant her recovery was going a lot better than many SAH patients. But even so, she writes that filming season 2 and doing publicity for it was a nightmare: “If I am truly being honest, every minute of every day I thought I was going to die.”
Things got worse from there. While working in New York in 2013, Clarke went in for a brain scan and learned that she had a massive growth that needed treatment. She underwent another surgery, similar to the first, but this one failed. As a result, doctors had to immediately do an even more intense brain surgery that involved opening up Clarke’s skull.
“The recovery was even more painful than it had been after the first surgery,” Clarke writes. “I looked as though I had been through a war more gruesome than any that Daenerys experienced. I emerged from the operation with a drain coming out of my head. Bits of my skull had been replaced by titanium. These days, you can’t see the scar that curves from my scalp to my ear, but I didn’t know at first that it wouldn’t be visible. And there was, above all, the constant worry about cognitive or sensory losses. Would it be concentration? Memory? Peripheral vision? Now I tell people that what it robbed me of is good taste in men. But, of course, none of this seemed remotely funny at the time.”
Clarke finishes by writing that she is now at full health, and has gotten involved with the charity SameYou to help people recovering from brain injuries and strokes. Reflecting on her experience, she concludes, “There is something gratifying, and beyond lucky, about coming to the end of Thrones. I’m so happy to be here to see the end of this story and the beginning of whatever comes next.”
Volvo plans to use cameras and sensors inside cars to combat drunk and distracted driving. The vehicles may intervene if a driver doesn't respond to warning signals -- cars may limit their speed, alert the Volvo on Call service (which will contact th...
Less than a week after Blake Bortles was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars — a sad day for Bortles, Jason Mendoza, and The Good Place viewers — the NBC comedy’s favorite quarterback found a new home — and it’s in a real good place.
The 26-year-old has officially signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Now, why is this so good? Well, for him, he will be the back up to Jared Goff and get to learn under offensive genius (and hottest coach in the league) Sean McVay, and anybody that even looks at McVay is usually rewarded handsomely, so Bortles could become a hot commodity after next season.
But, much more important is that he’s now in Hollywood, you know, the place where a little show called The Good Place is filmed. When Bortles was let go by the Jaguars, we suggested that he might now have some free time for a cameo, and, honestly, we couldn’t have dreamed up such an ideal scenario. I mean, surely Bortles has a few hours free and enough money in that contract for an Uber ride to the Universal lot.
So, with Bortles on The Good Place now a foregone conclusion, what scenario can we come up with for his appearance? Maybe the afterlife comedy pulls a Heaven Can Wait and has Jason return to Earth to play alongside Bortles. Or how about he’s a resident of Team Cockroach’s new Good Place neighborhood and opens a bar called Bortles Service (the show does love food puns)? Our original idea might still make the most sense, which is that Bortles is the unknown person that Shawn has sent to torture Jason. Yes, on paper that seems like the opposite of torture as Jason would have a new BFF, but what if Jason learns that in the years he’s been gone, Bortles won a Super Bowl…with the Rams…over the Jaguars. That would truly be his Bad Place.
Hopefully, we will soon find out what scenario Bortles can be factored into, and, hopefully, for Bortles sake, with him now free from the Jaguars, he’s also free of The Good Place‘s curse.
Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have discussed how they use footage that doesn't make it into the final cut of their films in their trailers as to "preserve the surprise of the narrative."
Via ComingSoon.net, the Russo brothers were recently interviewed by Empire Magazine and talked about how important it was to them that they "keep the film's marketing department from spoiling the surprises."
“We talked about all scales of marketing,” said Joe Russo. “The thing that’s most important to us is that we preserve the surprise of the narrative. When I was a kid and saw The Empire Strikes Back at 11am on the day it opened…It so profoundly moved me because I didn’t know a damn thing about the story I was going to watch. We’re trying to replicate that experience.”
Today at GDC, Google announced its new video game streaming service. The new service will be called Stadia. This builds on the information earlier this year that AMD was powering Project Stream (as was then called) with Radeon Pro GPUs, and now Google is confirming the project is a primary partner using AMD’s next generation GPUs. (Edit: AMD reached out to confirm that their press release only mentioned GPUs.)
Stadia is being advertised as the central community for gamers, creators, and developers. The idea is that people can play a wide array of games regardless of the hardware at hand. Back in October, Google debuted the technology showcasing a top-end AAA gaming title running at 60 FPS. Google wants a single place where gamers and YouTube creators can get together – no current gaming platform, according to Google, does this.
Ultimately Google wants to stream straight to the Google browser. Google worked with leading publishers and developers to help build the system infrastructure. Google is one of a few companies with enough content delivery networks around the world to ensure that frame rates are kept high with super low latency.
Users will be able to watch a video about a game, and instantly hit ‘Play Now’ and start playing the game in under five seconds without any download and lag. The idea is that a single code base can be enjoyed at any stream. At launch, desktop, laptop, TV, tablets, and phones will be supported. With Stadia, the datacenter is platform. No hardware acceleration is required on the device. The experience can be transferred between devices, such as chromebook to smartphone.
One of the highlights of Google’s demonstration of Stadia was the platform working on Google-enabled TVs.
The platform allows users to have any USB connected controller, or mouse and keyboard. Google will also be releasing its own Stadia Controller, available in three colors – white, black, and light blue. The controller connects via Wi-Fi straight into the cloud, and also which device is being run (it’s unclear how this works).
The controller has two new buttons. The first allows saving and sharing the experience out to YouTube. The second is Google Assistant, using the integrated microphone in the controller. This allows game developers to integrate Google Assistant into their games. It also allows users to ask Google when they need help in a game - and the assistant will look for a guide to help.
Stadia uses the same datacenter infrastructure already in place at Google. There are 7500+ edge nodes allows for compute resources being closer to players for lower latency. Custom designed, purpose built hardware powers the experience. Interconnected racks have sufficient compute and memory for the most demanding games. The technology has been in development inside Google for years.
At launch, resolutions will be supported up to 4K 60 fps with HDR and surround sound. Future plans for up to 8K streaming at 120 fps are planned. The platform has been built to scale to support this. While playing, the stream is duplicated in 4K for direct upload – you get rendering quality video rather than what you capture locally.
The platform is instance based, so Google can scale when needed. Game developers no longer have to worry about building to a specific hardware performance – the datacenter can scale as required.
Sadia is powered by a custom AMD GPU with 10 TFLOPS of power, with a custom CPU with AVX2 support. Combined they create a single instance per person. Uses Linux and Vulkan, with full Unreal and Unity support. Havok engine support as well. Tool companies are onboard.
At a high level, the specifications for the GPU are almost a shoe-in for AMD's Radeon Vega 56, right down to the number of CUs and compute throughput. So while not confirmed, it's very likely that Google is using some kind of Vega 10 card; probably a variant of the Radeon Instinct MI25.
However it's notable (and unusual) that Google is only announcing their partner for the GPU and not the CPU. With AMD capable of delivering solid products in both categories, one would consider them a shoe-in for the CPU as well since they're already providing the GPU. However Google's announcement took special care not to announce the CPU partner, and even AMD emailed us that they could only confirm the use of AMD GPUs. So whether Google's CPU vendor is Intel or AMD remains to be seen. There are good arguments for each based on the vague specifications, though with AVX 2 support listed, if it is AMD then that would mean that Google has gotten their hands on some early Zen 2 CPUs.
One of the first games supported will be Doom Eternal from id Software, which will support 4K with HDR at 60 fps. Every user will get a single GPU with no other users.
UL Benchmarks (3DMark) has been working with Google to help benchmark the systems and measure the power of the infrastructure. Developers if required can use multiple GPUs, it appears.
Multiplayer is also supported, at least between different Stadia players. Distributed physics becomes possible, which means up to 1000 players in Battle Royale titles. There’s also the advantage, according to Google, of getting around hackers and cheaters.
Developers can support multi-platform multiplayer, and transfer save files between platforms. Game developers have already been working on MP demos with destructive environments using real-time rigid body physics, allowing for perfect synchronization.
Google also points out that split-screen gaming has not been a priority recently because of rendering two scenes at once. With Stadia, that problem disappears, as each player will be powered by a separate instance, reviving the idea of local co-op and squad based gaming. This also allows for multiple cameras for a single player to navigate a single map, for better tactics in certain types of games. Google says that this ability allows developers to create new types of games.
Built on Google’s platform, Stadia will also support machine learning. For developers that want to take advantage, they can incorporate Google and third-party libraries to help improve games over time and enhance the experience both on a per-user level and on a local/global scale.
The other focus on Stadia is the interaction with YouTube. Google points out that gaming has been a fundamental part of YouTube since its exception, and it is Google’s goal to help creators interact with (and monetize) their audience. The idea is that creators can directly livestream from Stadia, as well as play with creators through Stadia. ‘Crowd Play’ will allow users to play directly into the server instance with the creator – it acts like a lobby, so players will sit in line to play with their favorite creator. For example, the NBA2K above shows 'join this game (3rd in line)'.
Google states that any link from any location can act as a launch point for a title. This means that developers do not have to be limited to a single game store – games can be launched from almost anywhere, as long as the user is in an up to date Chrome browser. Google is also set to put extensive parental controls into the mix.
Google will be creating an entity called ‘Stadia Games and Entertainment’, headed up by Jade Raymond, enabling first party studios to use Stadia. Other partner studios will also work through the new division as outreach in order to enable game development on Stadia.
Developers who want to create for Stadia should go to stadia.dev to sign up for tools and resources. Stadia Partners for distributers. Stadia.com will be the hub for gamers.
Stadia will launch in 2019, in the US, Canada, UK, and most of Europe. No word on pricing yet, but Google will be announcing more in the Summer.
Today, we got our first glimpse of the Lucy In The Sky trailer. Starring Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm, this is the first feature film directed by Noah Hawley, who's behind Fargo and Legion. Lucy In The Sky is loosely based on the headline-grabbing st...
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We’re going back-ish in time with Rainbow Johnson.
Tracee Ellis Ross‘ black-ish matriarch is getting an origin-story episode that will air later this season (and likely will serve as a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off), EW can confirm.
The 1980s-set episode will star former Champions star Anders Holm and The Haves and the Have Nots‘ Tika Sumpter as the parents of a young Rainbow. (The adult versions of Bow’s parents, Paul and Alicia, are played on black-ish by Anna Deveare Smith and Beau Bridges.) Young Bow will be played by Arica Himmel, who has appeared on CBS’s God Friended Me, recurred alongside Amy Sedaris on Go90’s Thanksgiving, and starred Off Broadway in Second Stage’s Production of The Layover.
The episode will also star Veep actor Gary Cole — as Bow’s paternal grandfather — as well as Ethan William Childress, Mykal-Michelle Harris, and Christina Anthony.
In the early 2000s, MySpace introduced us all to the world of social networking. Within a few years it became huge platform for music, where bands could share their songs and users could customize their profiles with their favorite tracks. Even as it...
Season 3 of The Good Fight opens with two very surprising words: “I’m happy.” Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) utters those words in the season premiere, as she’s lying in bed with her husband Kurt (Gary Cole). This is the same Diane Lockhart who almost lost her mind last season as she tried to cope — using LSD and Aikido — with the surreality of life in the Trump era. In season 3, though, Diane is happy: She and Kurt are living together as husband and wife for the first time, and she’s channeling her anti-Trump energy into working with an organized resistance movement. But Baranksi tells EW that Good Fight viewers should not get used to seeing Diane in such a contented space.
“Let me just say this: All these shows and movies and plays are not written about people who are consistently happy, or there’d be nothing to watch,” says the actress. “No sooner are people happy than the writers will make sure that something happens, and then you’re dealing with conflict.” That conflict takes many forms in season 3 of the transcendently brilliant CBS All Access drama: Diane and Kurt’s marriage will be tested when he takes a job that she finds deeply troubling, while the arrival of a corrupt, Roy Cohn-like lawyer (played by Michael Sheen) will have Diane “ringing alarm bells” all through the halls of Reddick, Boseman &Lockhart. EW sat down with Lockhart to debrief her on what fresh hell Diane and her colleagues will face this season.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What is Diane like as a happily married woman? CHRISTINE BARANSKI: Oh, you know, it’s just been such a great relationship, the way it’s written and the way it has evolved with my great feeling for Gary Cole as an actor. I think someone who’s gone through as much as Diane has, he just balances her out and I think she’s happy. That genuine happiness that can come later in life where you think, “Oh my gosh, this is really possible to have a companion and a soulmate.” I happen to think it’s just one of the most adult relationships on television.
Showrunners Robert and Michelle King said that this season, the show will explore whether Diane can really let herself be happy. Is she looking for some reason to be unhappy?
Oh, I don’t know — the season starts in an interesting way. I mean, the first words of the season are “I’m happy,” those two words. In bed, with this delicious man. Obviously, it’s a post-coital bliss and all is forgiven, and the next thing you know, she’s , “What is this? What is this I’m finding on his jacket?”
The show will tackle racial tensions at the firm this season, and the idea that “good liberals” can still have biases. What can you tease about that?
We’re just reexamining, to our amazement, how prejudicial we are, how ingrained it is in our culture. Even the most seemingly enlightened liberal people can stand back and go, “Oh my gosh, wait a minute, it’s true — I don’t remember the names of the African-American people who were shot, but I can remember the names of the white people who were victims of crime.” And that’s in one of the episodes. I think in the general culture we are very much looking inward, and I think it’s a healthy moment.
Many of the characters will have soliloquies this season. Does Diane have one?
I have one that is in episode 1, and it happens to be one that I just absolutely love. It’s about “where have all the real men gone?” It’s an aria about what happened to real men? Where are the Burt Lancasters and Paul Newmans? I think women will so relate because it’s something I hear from women all the time, like “Why can’t we find real men?”
And Kurt is a real guy, and she’s deeply in love with this guy even though she disagrees with his politics. He’s a man’s man, he uncomplaining, he’s not girlie, he doesn’t use girlie products, you’re not going to see him in a Korean salon getting his pedicure or getting a facial. My late husband was like that — he’d wear socks that didn’t match, and I’d say, “Your socks don’t match.” And he’d say, “I have a pair at home just like them.” He wore jeans and a leather motorcycle jacket and a scruffy T-shirt, and I loved him, I loved the cowboy. Even sophisticated women, they want a guy to be a guy, so that’s one big monologue.
There’s a great scene in the trailer where Diane discovers Michael Sheen’s character, Roland Blum, in her office — what is their relationship like?
Well, he’s presumptive and she’s incredibly wary. She knows his reputation, so she’s immediately on her guard about him. Or let me put it this way: She remains unimpressed by him. And he has a great effect on people in the law firm — he’s seductive and bombastic and kind of coming in and taking over, and Diane will have none of it.
is a self-created person, and he dispenses with the truth and it’s all about hyperbole, and probably like a certain president we know it’s as though Roland represents that template, that kind of person, and he infects the law firm. And we know how Diane feels about Trump, so to have a Trumpian figure come into the law firm is truly appalling to her. She’s ringing alarm bells through the season.
The Kings said that Roland will have quite an influence on Maia (Rose Leslie), and Diane will try to interfere.
Rose and I are just so happy to have a bit of work together, because last season, even though she’s my goddaughter, we were really pulled away from that relationship, having established a very close relationship in season 1. Season 1 begins with my welcoming her into the firm and mentoring her, and the next thing you know her father turns into the villain, the Bernie Madoff character, and our relationship suffers greatly.
Our professional personal relationship wasn’t addressed much in season 2, and I’m glad it will return . Yes, Maia is the victim of the Roland Blum influence. That’s the first thing you see is her character in court with Roland Blum, and him trying to corrupt her and tell her, “Listen, it’s an amoral universe, baby, and just go with it and trust me — I’m the devil and this is the way the world works, so learn from me.” Diane, she will be the avenging angel — Maia does suffer a great fall because of the Roland influence.
Diane will join the resistance to fight Trump. Where will that lead her?
Well I think that that’s going to unfold as the season goes on, but this season we are going to see Diane venture over to the other side and cross a line in terms of good and evil, and the ends justifies the means — that’s very much my story arc. How far am I able or willing to go? Last year it was Diane not being able to cope and resorting to and letting her hair down in the law office and dropping the f-word and sleeping with Antifa bartenders. This season, it’s covert and underground and very much fighting the enemy from behind the scenes. It’s counter-intelligence. It’s really an interesting season for everybody, but I love the Diane story.
For , it’s as though the Trump influence, the Trump ethos comes into my personal life. It now affects my marriage and it affects the workplace with Roland’s presence and with what happens with Kurt… There’s a very strong sense, which is why she really goes militant, of, this is an infection, this is a toxicity that’s come right into my home and my workplace and I’ve got to rid myself of it and rid the people that I love of this influence.
I think it’s something that people will relate to. There is, whatever your politics, I think there’s definitely a feeling of just utter exhaustion with our political atmosphere and the fact that we can’t seem to talk or think of anything about politics, and I think the Kings are addressing that. I’m as excited as I’ve ever been in my 10 years of playing Diane.
The Good Fight season 3 premieres Thursday, March 14 on CBS All Access.
One Day at a Timefans aren’t waiting one more day to express their dismay at the series’ cancellation.
Netflix axed the critically acclaimed comedy about a Cuban-American family on Thursday morning, posting a Twitter thread explaining the “very difficult decision.” Starring Rita Moreno, Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, and more, One Day at a Time, a revival of Norman Lear’s 1970s sitcom, was celebrated for its representation of Latinx and LGBTQ characters, as well as its deft handling of protagonist Penelope Alvarez (Machado), a single mother and veteran dealing with PTSD.
Showrunners Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce responded quickly with a statement explaining that they’ll be “exploring other places One Day at a Time can live”:
You got to LA, You did the work, You worked hard for a long time, You finally got a show, It was a critical darling and it STILL got canceled. A THREAD. Here we are. I can’t believe it but it happened. The show I love just got canceled. This happens. This is part of the gig.
— Gloria Calderón Kellett (@everythingloria) March 14, 2019
Lear posted a statement as well, thanking the cast and crew while also prodding Netflix for a better explanation. “I wish I could understand Netflix’s decision to not pick us up for a fourth ,” he wrote. “Is there really so little room in business for love and laughter?”
But with the series’ fate still up in the air, cast members including Machado and Gomez have posted farewells in the meantime expressing their gratitude and disappointment:
I’m so grateful to have played Penelope Alvarez. I don’t even know how to begin to express my gratitude to everyone. Truly, I am so honored that we got to tell our stories .Yes it was a Latinx family but it was a universal story about family and love. An American Familia
My heart is breaking, but I still can’t help but thank Netflix for giving the Alvarez family a home for 3 years and for changing my life… and to the fans: familia para siempre. I got you. https://t.co/ECvLXaJoqP
Fans — including Lin-Manuel Miranda, who helped campaign for Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s renewal and network move after its cancellation on Fox — have been less diplomatic about Netflix’s decision. Using the hashtag #SaveODAAT, which quickly became the top trending topic worldwide, many are rallying on Twitter to bring the show back.
Hey @nbc…I hear you like comedies with built-in fan bases that do even better on YOUR network than at their previous homes…#saveODAAThttps://t.co/5bIQYexpDz
Critics even chimed in to call the cancellation a “colossal failure” on Netflix’s part:
cancelling ODAAT feels like a colossal failure, or at least a reversal — and certainly positions netflix on the other side of good TV. they have cancelled other critical favs: EVERYTHING SUCKS, AMERICAN VANDAL, now this.
Look, a business is a business, and if Netflix couldn't make (enough) money on ODAAT, of course they can cancel it. But when you have a seemingly endless supply of programming $, you don't get to tweet something like this about a show you could have kept around as a loss leader. https://t.co/0w7mtM2Ajd
I wish @Netflix would say what's basically true: "We love appearing progressive by supporting marginalized groups with programming but we don't own ODAAT and it's going into a fourth season and it will be cheaper to make a new show instead and hope you forget about this one."
I know many of you out there are heartbroken about #ODAAT. Me 2. I know you are exhausted. Me 2. I'm also angry. The system is broken but we are not. We will keep telling our stories, even if studios don't see them as worthy of investment. Let's show them just how green our $ is
Shortly after collecting the Best Actor Oscar for his crowd-pleasing performance in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek returned — for the last time — to the role that made him a star. The 37-year-old actor is currently filming the final season of Mr. Robot, on which he stars as Elliot Alderson, a paranoid, depressed, and genius hacker. Last August, creator Sam Esmail announced that while crafting the upcoming fourth season, he realized that it would work best as the series’ conclusion.
“I trust Sam implicitly, so if that is the way he thought he could close out this story line, then I’m with him,” Malek tells EW. “I can say this, it is a very impactful, emotional, and I think clearly well thought out way to end this story and this series. It’s remarkable. I’m in awe of the man and what he has done this season.”
Esmail’s series about Alderson and his anarchist alter-ego brought prestige to USA, the network previously known for their blue skies programming. Robot‘s debut season scored an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series and an Emmy victory for Malek. While the sophomore season wasn’t as well-received, the show came back strong for season 3, which was hailed as a “noir masterpiece” by EW critic Darren Franich.
Speaking to EW from the show’s set, Malek says he and his costars are just trying to make the best product — and the best of the time they have left together. “Christian and Carly and I were on set the other day almost making a pact to soak everything in as much as possible,” he shares. “Christian has always been a guy who has got me to really savor these momentous times in our lives, and this has been a major one for me and the most life-changing. So it’s obviously bittersweet, but I’m just going to try and enjoy it for as long as I possibly can. ”
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke was a member of the influential US-based hacking group Cult of the Dead Cow (CDC), according to a report from Reuters. The former three-term congressman from Texas confirmed his involvement in the group...
Every MCU movie features numerous references pulled from Marvel's comic book universe, and Captain Marvel is no exception. This new superhero epic is packed to the brim with cameos, references and Easter eggs for eagle-eyed Marvel fans to find.
From Carol's mohawk to call-outs to heroes like Protector and Spectrum and right on down to Avengers: Endgame tie-ins, here are all the Easter eggs, references and cameos we found in Captain Marvel.
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Seers can be a useful asset for those vying for the Iron Throne, but the real-life stars of Game of Thrones had a fortune teller of their own: Ice and Fire superfan Adam Whitehead.
At a 2009 George R.R. Martin book signing in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the sci-fi and fantasy blogger met some of the cast members — who were filming the pilot nearby — and quickly realized he knew much more about their characters’ futures than they did. He fondly recalls informing a 12-year-old Maisie Williams that Arya was going to become an assassin. “She was quite taken aback,” Whitehead recalls to EW. He also informed Sophie Turner that Sansa would team up with Littlefinger to “become a better player in the game of thrones.”
With those overwhelming revelations, it was a good thing the girls had their onscreen big brothers on site. “Richard Madden was in command, talking to everyone and making sure he learned their names, just like the King in the North,” Whitehead says. Kit Harington, who had been shooting relentlessly, showed up for a few polite hellos too. “He was absolutely wiped out,” Whitehead says. “It was very Night’s Watch-ish: turned up, did his duty and took off.” Alfie Allen, however, had more energy to contemplate Theon’s fate. “He asked, ‘They won’t have a whole season of me just being tortured, will they?’” Whitehead (mistakenly) assured him it was unlikely.
The fan dedication on display that night and the 500 or so people in attendance only hinted at what was in store when winter came via HBO in 2011. “I think that was the first time they realized it wasn’t going to get canceled after five episodes,” says Whitehead.
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones premieres April 14.
When we first met Handle the wheeled robot was hopping and jumping to show off its agility, but a new demo video from Boston Dynamics is much more practical. In this one, larger Handle units work autonomously to move boxes around inside a a warehouse...
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It can be costly and time-consuming to train police dogs when each candidate might have different skills and personalities. China's solution? Make copies of the best-performing dogs. The state-backed China Daily reports that the city of Kunming, t...
The English Mastiff, in terms of mass is the big daddy of all dogs and its dimensions particularly that of the male are something to be believed. Every inch of this dog gives off strength and power – if the planet Krypton had a dog then this would probably be it. The world record holding breed for weight, this dog can weigh up to two hundred and fifty pounds for a male and around fifty pounds less than a female. The breed has been around for a long time – the name probably derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for powerful –masty. It is generally recognized to be the oldest dog breed in the UK.
The dog is often used to guard, but makes a wonderful domestic pet as well. It is said that the face gives away the character if the dog and that is the case with the English Mastiff. It is very affectionate to its owners but combines both courage and dignity and will protect its owner from unfamiliar people with a polite but determined maneuver which puts the dog between the stranger and its owner. It is great with children and smaller dogs and will become firmly attached to the family unit to which it is introduced. A surprisingly gentle dog, it does have a tendency towards laziness if left to its own devices to a program of daily, regular and prolonged exercise is recommended to keep it in trim. There are no Medifast coupons for dog diets.
The Irish Wolfhound (see below) usually takes the prize as the world’s tallest dog but the record at the moment is with a Great Dane by the name of Gibson who is a staggering 42.3 inches tall – a good ten inches taller than the average English Mastiff. As such the Great Dane is known as the ‘Apollo of all breeds’ and its history is thought to go back (perhaps) three thousand years. There are drawings on Egyptian tombs from this period that strongly resemble the Great Dane. The modern breed is thought to originate in either Denmark (hence the name) or, most likely Germany. Toon lovers will of course know the breed as the Scooby Doo dog!
The breed comes in a variety of colors from the common fawn and brindle to the harlequin which is a white coat with black tear patches over the entire body (a white neck is particularly sought out by owners – see Stella above). Although it is intimidatingly tall the Great Dane has an extremely friendly temperament and get on well with people, other dogs (and other pets!) alike. Some Great Danes can have certain dominance issues, which is true of pretty much each and every species of dog – and of course, supervision around young kids is essential. The Great Dane has a slow metabolism and needs a great deal of exercise to keep it in trim. A common misconception is that they do not need a lot of exercise as they generally plod along in a fairly docile way. The opposite is true – they need lots. Great Danes do suffer from some breed specific disorders and can sometimes be born blind, deaf or both. 
It does what it says on the packet – the Irish Wolfhound is so called because the breed originated for that very purpose, not, as many assume in its twenty first century family member role because it actually looks lupine. Although they are not the world record holder for the height of a single dog, they most certainly are on average. The male is usually between 33 to 36 inches and the female two to three inches shorter. They are not naturally inclined to guard (they were designed to hunt) but their sheer size would probably put any burglar off his task. They are also way too friendly – the chances are the Wolf Hound is more likely to approach the burglar as his new best friend than to deter him from his goal.
As such the Irish Wolfhound, more than many giant dogs can be trusted with children. They will also put up with quite a lot of ear and tail pulling (if your kids can reach) with patience and a sweet temper. They are very open to training and are of a generous and caring nature. They will – if you are out walking with them and are attacked – pretty much see off your attacker: despite their reluctance to guard they will be fearless if you are threatened. The great shame is that they are not long lived and at maximum you can hope for ten years. As with other dogs of this size they do need a lot of exercise and although originally a country dog they do take to urban living pretty well. 
Otherwise simply known as a Deerhound this lesser known giant breed looks like a rough coated greyhound but it is their size which distinguishes them. The history of the breed goes back to pre-Roman times and it is thought that the Scots and the Picts kept this breed to hunt deer (hence the name!). These dogs are about the friendliest you will ever meet and so, like the Irish Wolfhound, is not the best dog if you want something to guard your home. They are very eager to please and their gentle bearing means that they are loved the world over by their owners. When young, though Deerhounds get bored extremely easily and have a sort of canine ADHD which means that if you do not exercise them sufficiently you will probably come home to find your house looking like a burglar really has been there.
Living up to eleven years, these dogs like nothing more than spending the day stretched out or sleeping on your largest couch. However, it must be exercised regularly and properly and although it enjoys the company of humans this is a breed that really needs a companion with its own DNA in order to be fully happy. In other words, this dog can pine on its own but will be perfectly happy in a pair. Like all the other breeds in this article they are fine with children but should be supervised with small ones as, due to their size, they can inadvertently knock toddlers down which will distress both dog and child.
This dog just loves the water. In fact they have been used for water rescue due partly to their musculature and also due to the fact that they have webbed feet – the combination of which makes them fantastic swimmers. They have a wonderful disposition and are very loving animals. One of the easier dogs to housebreak, they are quite daffy animals and are about as laid back as a dog can get. The downside is that they have to be groomed at least once a week otherwise their gorgeous coat will become tangled.
They are thought to be the strongest dogs in the world, beating all of the others on this list. They also make great watch dogs and are just about the best breed in the world when it comes to children – they really are the gentle giant of the dog world. Lord Byron said this about his Newfoundland (or Newfie as they are known) after it died. ‘Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of Boatswain, a Dog.’
Originally a working dog, the St Bernard originates in the Swiss Alps where it was used in Mountain Rescue. It is a very large dog and can grow up to thirty six inches in height with a coat that can be both rough or smooth. They make wonderful pets but it is vital that thorough training takes place when the dog is young as they can be boisterous and need to be ready to take commands and be willingly controlled. 
They are good with kids as long as the above is taken in to account. If you are looking for a dog for protection they are not the ideal choice. They will bark at intruders but that is about it – though of course their sheer size (like other dogs here) will probably act as a deterrent. If it were not for the St Bernard we might not have the soccer team Manchester United. In 1902 the team was about to go bankrupt and so held a fundraiser. The Captain of the team, Harry Stafford, brought his St Bernard and it drew the attention of JH Davis – an extremely wealthy brewery magnate. Davis wanted to buy the dog which Stafford refused. However, he did silver tongue Davis in to buying the entire club.
From Leonberg in south west Germany this dog was bred – according to local legend – as a symbol of the lion in the crest of the town. So it is that this most leonine of dogs came in to being and the breed is gorgeous. The dog is extremely large but has an air of European elegance about it which makes it popular in well to do households. The male usually carries a lion like mane and they can reach up to thirty inches in height.
This is a very cool dog – almost unflappable – and unlike most of the dogs on this list the Leonberger can be used as a guard dog – albeit a mild one. When in a tight spot the Leonberger will use his size and weight to protect his owner rather than his teeth. This makes the breed sound a little aggressive but the Leonberger will imprint deeply and quickly on to his adopted human family. A very agile dog, the Leonberger needs a lot of exercise and often astounds it owners by its athleticism, especially considering the size of the breed. Until properly trained the dog can be a little like the St Bernard – over energetic and somewhat willful but after the third year usually calms down and becomes the gentle giant that this breed is known to be.
This dog has history! Often used as a guard dog, its breed goes way back to the time of the Roman legions – it is just a shame there weren’t a few in the Gladiator movie. It seems that they were trained up by Roman Legions to fight alongside them. They wore harnesses upon which were sewn in spikes and blades. The Neapolitan Mastiff would then run under the horses of the enemy horses and disembowel them. They don’t do that today.
If you want a fearless guard dog that also really does prefer to be with the family rather than outside in a kennel then this could be the dog for you. However, it is not a dog for beginners and is not appropriate if you have small children. Proper training, because of its size, is paramount. If you think the ‘alpha roll’ training method will work on this breed, think again. Unless the dog is thoroughly socialized and trained they will be aggressive to strangers and other dogs in to adulthood.
If you enjoyed this feature, then why not take a look at our tribute to the MWD - the Military Working Dog.
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