kate

“Is Bing.com a supported browser for the new site?”

Me: Do you think you’re computer-savvy enough to go into the backend of the system to make the changes to the pages? You will have to navigate, upload media, and do a bunch of other things like that. Or, would you rather send me the changes so I can do them?

Client: I can do it myself. Just give me the login information.

I do just that.

Client: This password is full of numbers, symbols, and letters. I can’t memorize this.

Me: You can just copy and paste the password before you click “Remember Login.”

Client: How do I copy and paste?

“The yellow you used reminds me of urine, which isn’t bad because urine is good, but…”

Recent news reports exposed how the National Security Agency has been collecting millions of Americans' phone data and online communications. Here's how we got from the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to the massive domestic spying operations of today:

2001	September 11: Nearly 3,000 people are killed when terrorists fly planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and crash another in Pennsylvania. Soon afterward, the NSA begins a "special collection program" to track the communications of Al Qaeda leaders and suspected terrorists. George W. Bush speaks at the NSA in 2002. NSA October: Six weeks after 9/11, President Bush signs the USA Patriot Act, which lowers protections against government collection of Americans' communications and personal records.
2002	TIA logo WikiMedia Commons February: The New York Times reveals that the Pentagon is "developing technologies to give federal officials instant access to vast new surveillance and information analysis systems" under a new agency called the Information Awareness Office, which later gave way to the Total Information Awareness program.
2004	March: White House counsel Alberto Gonzalez and Chief of Staff Andrew Card visit Attorney General John Ashcroft in the hospital seeking to persuade him to reauthorize the NSA's domestic warrantless wiretapping program. The program will be revealed to the public a year and a half later by the New York Times.
2006	NSA's National Security Operations Center NSA March: The Patriot Act is reauthorized. May: USA Today reports the NSA has been tracking millions of Americans' phone calls with the help of major telecom companies. A few weeks later a former AT&T technician reveals that the company let the NSA tap into its fiber-optic lines in 2002, enabling it to monitor a majority of internet and phone traffic in the United States.
2007	September: Microsoft becomes the first major internet firm to cooperate with the NSA's PRISM program, giving the NSA the ability to collect data on search history, email, file transfers and live chats. Over the next few years, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and other companies become part of the program, which won't be revealed to the public until 2013.
2008	July: Bush signs the FISA Amendments Act, which retroactively codifies the warrantless wiretapping program and compels telecoms and internet firms to give the government access to private communications if one party is "reasonably believed" to be outside the United States. It also gives telecoms retroactive immunity for handing over customers' private data without a warrant.
2009	NSA headquarters NSA January: Google begins giving data to the NSA under the PRISM program. June: A federal judge upholds immunity for telecoms that handed over private information. The same day, Facebook starts participating in the NSA's PRISM program.
2010	March 10: A federal judge rules that the NSA warrantless wiretapping program started during the Bush administration is illegal. The ruling, based on a 2006 lawsuit, will be overturned on a technicality in 2012. April 15: Federal authorities charge Thomas Drake, an NSA employee who passed information about the agency's activities to reporters, under the Espionage Act. He accepts a plea deal on a lesser charge in 2011.
2011	January: The NSA begins construction of a massive, 1 million square foot, $2 billion data center in Utah. "Just as we defend our lands, America also needs to also defend our cyberspace," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) says at the groundbreaking ceremony. It is scheduled to be completed in September 2013. May: The Patriot Act is renewed and signed by President Barack Obama. May: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee has access to classified materials, warns: "When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act, they will be stunned and they will be angry."
2012	April-May 2012: As part of a leak investigation, the Department of Justice secretly obtained two months worth of phone records from multiple offices and individual reporters at the Associated Press. It's top executive calls the DOJ's actions a "massive and unprecedented intrusion into the newsgathering process." June: The inspector general of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says it "would itself violate the privacy of US persons" to reveal how many people the NSA had tracked inside the country. July: In a letter to Wyden, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) acknowledges that some NSA activities have "circumvented the spirit of the law" and that on one occasion a FISA judge found that some of NSA's activities violated the Fourth Amendment. December: Obama signs a five-year extension of the FISA Act. Amendments to provide more oversight of mass surveillance are defeated in the Senate.
2013	PRISM documents NSA/The Guardian March: Wyden asks DNI chief James Clapper in a congressional hearing if the NSA collects information on millions of Americans. June: The Guardian reports that the NSA has been collecting millions of Verizon customers' call data. A day later, the Guardian and the Washington Post reveal the existence of PRISM. Now under pressure from the revelations, Clapper admits that he lied in his congressional testimony. June: "Nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That's not what this program's about," Obama says at a speech in Silicon Valley. "But by sifting through this so-called metadata, they may identify potential leads with respect to folks who might engage in terrorism." He adds, ""You can't have 100 percent security and then also have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience." August 15: Based on more Snowden documents, the Post reports that the NSA had "broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year" since 2008. Sens. Wyden and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) say the reported violations represent "just the tip of a larger iceberg." August 29: The Post publishes details of the United States' $52.6 billion intelligence "black budget," more than $18 billion of which is dedicated to the CIA and NSA data collection and analysis operations. September 5: The New York Times, Guardian, and ProPublica report that the NSA has engineered ways to foil virtually all encryption protecting the average person's "everyday communications in the Internet age." September 9: Der Spiegel reports that the NSA has the capability to bypass security features of iPhones, Android devices, and BlackBerrys, allowing it to access contacts, location data, photos and perhaps credit card numbers and passwords.

There are a lot of fake re-cut trailers in this world, but taking one of the funniest movies of all time and turning it into a modern epic? This one took some determination. Excellent job, Stephane Bouley, you transformed Monty Python and the Holy Grail into a Nolan-worthy work of suspense. 

None shall pass. Unless they click below, and then they can watch the full trailer with no problem.  

[The ominous sound of coconuts approaching...]

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Stubby the Rocket is the mascot of Tor.com. Stubby knows the airspeed velocity of all swallows, laden and unladen, regardless of their continent of origin. 

"Why aren't comics fun anymore" is one of the biggest complaints you'll hear about the current state of the comic industry, with some readers pining for the days when comics weren't as "dark." But if you follow the football, you know for a fact that no one, anywhere, hates fun quite like the NFL. Case in point, the NFL -- or the No Fun League, if you want to go by its official name -- has recently banned players from using facemasks inspired by the mask worn by Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. That, right there, is the very definition of hating fun.

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If you happen to be in Bangkok, Thailand and you want to spend a day checking out a truly overwhelming collection of Batman toys and ephemera, I have some very good news for you. The Batcat Museum, founded by collector Somchay Nitimongkolchai after he saw Batman Begins in 2005, is open for business with a massive (and strange) collection of Batman stuff for your perusal.

If you're not in Bangkok, then don't worry. CA reader Greg Heath was just there, and sent in a few pictures of his tour through the museum's considerable Batman collection. Having seen them, I think I can officially say it: I want to go to there.

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I haven’t got a chance to try out the Nintendo 2DS. So I’m going to reserve my judgement until one is sitting in my hands. Then again, I still don’t own a Nintendo 3DS. Might get one when ‎Pokémon X and Y come out, but I still stand behind the real reason I intended on getting a 3DS in the first place and to why I have yet to get one since.

To be honest I don’t know. Really going to need to hear from the peanut gallery on this one. Not motivated enough to form an opinion about the Nintendo 2DS one way or another.

A teacher killed a girl’s love of programming, and a parent tries to keep it from happening again

Steam introduces sharing plan for game libraries, with support for up to 10 “shared” systems

A Song of Ice and Fire has been a book series and a TV show, and now thanks to Abel Alves it’s an 8-bit video game, too. Download it for free here and play as four different characters—Jon, Daenerys, Arya (?), and Tyrion (?)—each using their own attacks to try and keep them from going the way of one of Game of Thrones‘ many dear departed.

Not convinced by the trailer above? There’s a game play video of 8-bit Jon Snow under the cut. Happy playing!

(via: Kotaku)

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Literally all we know about Boom! Studios’ upcoming dino-themed title, this promo pic for which was just released, is that it’s by three of the creators of the Adventure Time comics.

But still. We had to share. Because dinosaur in a space suit. It’s not rocket science.

(via: Comic Vine)

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Les Misérables meets Star Wars in a big way. Somehow, I don’t think Victor Hugo ever saw his work going quite this way. But don’t worry, Victor ol’ chap, believe us when we say, this is great.

(via SciFiRiot)

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Announced at the Goerge Perez Spotlight panel at Baltimore Comic Con today, is the news that Perez’ project for Boom! Studios, for whom he had signed an exclusive contract, would be She-Devils. Here’s some art, exclusively provided to CBR.

Eight women, all with super, or paranormal or heightened abilities, in one comic book. You can see all sorts of influences there, Red Sonja, Witchblade, Raven, Atom, even Crimson Plague… coming next year.

 

George Perez’ She-Devils – An Eight-Strong Superheroine Comic For Boom

Up for pre-order now, though the silly price clearly won’t stick, is the complete Breaking Bad. Take a look at this thing.

So there are the different piles of discs, one per season; the barrel container; the apron; some little round thing that I expect to be a coaster; and a booklet.

As for software special features, there’s an alternative ending, commentary tracks, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Mainly, though, there’s all of Breaking Bad, in beautiful 1080p video. Surely that’s the main draw? I will admit that I’m curious about the alternative ending… not that I’ve even seen the first ending yet.

The set is expected to ship in the US on November 26th. I’ll let you know what, if anything, the UK get, or if these discs turn out to be region free.

Complete Breaking Bad Blu-Ray Set To Come In Fancy Packaging With Extra Bits And Pieces

With apparent plans to build a Bourne-like franchise around Ellen Page, 20th Century Fox are currently looking to sign the actress up for spy thriller, Queen and Country.

The film, or indeed films, will be based on the Oni Press comics by Greg Rucka and various artists. According to Variety the filmmakers will be using a screenplay by Leverage creator John Rogers, though he’s warning folk to leave the corks in the champagne a little longer.

Thanks for the love, but please slow down a bit on the movie news … Could just be press release chuffah.

— John Rogers (@jonrog1) September 9, 2013

There’s no director attached as yet.

Page really would be the cornerstone of the project, not least because projects like this will tend to require a strong lead. Her character, Tara Chace, is maybe not the most obvious match for Page’s talents – and not just because she’s English, but because she’s an overt action heroine too – but I expect Page’s talents are far wider than we’ve yet seen anyhow.

One of the most interesting elements of the comic series is its commitment to portraying the bureaucracy that Chace and her colleagues have to wade through, as well something of their day-to-day life. Rucka admits that he was heavily influenced by the superb British TV series The Sandbaggers – if you haven’t seen it, there is a full series DVD. I love that British TV went from Danger Man to The Prisoner to The Professionals to The Sandbaggers. We sure do like our “agent” tropes, and even more than that, we love messing about with them. Happy to have Rucka join in too.

I think Queen and Country could really come off, and getting Page in the frame is a wonderful start. Now let’s see if they can get the appropriate director.

Ellen Page Is Tara Chace As Greg Rucka’s Queen And Country Is Adapted Into A Movie

Has it already been ten years since Yotsuba brought her whimsical world into ours? It’s easy to lose track of time when every day is the most enjoyable day. The Shibuya Parco Part-1 shopping mall is celebrating the manga’s 10th year anniversary with a limited edition cafe, photo exhibition, and mini-film festival.

The commemorative cafe is serving up a variety of Danboard-themed sweets to go along with slacker cooking staples like spaghetti Neapolitan and sausage rice bowls that could have been prepared by Mr. Koiwai himself. You don’t think the cook could be the life-size Danboard wearing an apron, do you?

We settled on the Danboard pancakes that were more fluffy than the name would suggest and washed it down with a tall glass of milk--just the thing that growing kids like Yotsuba should be chugging down! The banana juice was also tempting, but the last thing we wanted was to draw the attention of a professional jerk like Yanda.

Bellies full, we lounged around for a bit admiring choice shots from the photo book 365 Days of Danboard that decorated the walls. These snaps perhaps served as the inspiration for Le Danboard, a stop motion film created by animation studio Dwarf of Domo-kun fame that explores the heartwarming slice-of-life adventures of our favorite “robot.” The Cine Quinto theater located next door in Parco-3 is showing the short featurette together with Komaneko: Hajime no Ippo, another adorable stop motion animation that fans of Yotsuba&! are sure to love.

The exhibitions run through September 16th, but if you miss it, don’t fret. Parco in Nagoya will be hosting a follow-up event from November 28th to December 9th.

Fans of curmudgeonly kitties, rejoice! Grumpy Cat's official twitter feed revealed that, not one, but two different plushes of Tardar Sauce will be produced. Each toy is a different representation of the internet celebrity, with Gund's being more realistic-looking and Ripple Junction's having a more cartoon-like feel to it. I personally like Ripple Junction's interpretation best. The collar bearing the word "NO" seals the deal. 

One quick internet search later and the two cuties were found over at Entertainment Earth. Ripple Junction's Grumpy Cat plush (US$19.99) is 11 inches tall and ships this December. Gund's Grumpy Cat plush (US$19.99) also ships in December 2013 but is just a tad smaller, measuring at 10 inches in height.

Which is your favorite Grumpy Cat?

[images via Grumpy Cat]

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[UPDATE: Picture gallery added]

[UPDATE 2: CD Japan pre-order link added. Go Go Go !]

[update 3: Added another pre-order link :)]

Are you ready for some Winter Cup action, Kuroko no Basket fans? Just in time for the highly anticipated premiere of the second season, MegaHouse has announced a new figure line specifically dedicated to the widely popular sports manga/anime. The first character set to debut the new line will be none other than the "Generation of Miracles" phantom sixth player, and series protagonist, Tetsuya Kuroko.

Wearing his number 11 Seirin jersey, the dynamic sculpt impeccably captures Kuroko's fierce competitiveness as he's about to use misdirection to (undoubtedly) pass the ball to Kagami. Along with the amazing the sculpt, the paint job looks nice and solid. I'm particularly digging the shading around the folds of his uniform, which gives it that added oomph of realism to his pose. I especially love how well accentuated Kuroko's muscles are. I'm not going to lie - I have a thing for nicely-shaped calf muscles.

If you've been captivated by Kurokocchi's intense stare or shapely calves, be on the lookout for pre-orders to commence on September 11 at 18:00 Japan Standard Time. Get ready to face Kuroko on the court this coming January for a retail of ¥7,600.

[picture via @Figure_No_Oni]

[ Pre-order at CD Japan | The Grandline Shop]

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Axe Cop‘s journey toward world domination continues this week with the launch of a T-shirt line at WeLoveFine.com. You can now sport the webcomic-turned-animated series by brothers Malachai and Ethan Nicolle on your torso, mashed up with A Game of Thrones, Kool-Aid Man, Super Mario Bros. and various food items, like tacos and cereal. Check [...]

And check out the cover art

Displaying a grasp of fake Lego mastery never before seen by human eyes, hobbyist Alex Jones (not that one, a German guy) spent two months of his life building the most amazing set of Masters of the Universe LEGO you'll ever see, and may never buy. Check out a few of the more jaw-dropping pieces after the jump.

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We have so many Sherlocks to choose from these days, but they are all admittedly on the much younger side of things. Which might be why Bill Condon is adapting A Slight Trick of the Mind for film. It features an older Sherlock Holmes coming back to a case he never solved in the year 1947—but that's not all!

[Read more]

It looks as though Sir Ian McKellen has signed on to play the Great Detective. Which is awesome because everything that McKellen touches probaby turns platinum, and also because we love him. But really, at this point, they should just cast Michael Fassbender as young Holmes, and create Baker Street Days of Future Past. Right? This makes sense, yes?

Condon has already written a screenplay that starred McKellen—Gods and Monsters—and won an Oscar for it. So let's see what this new turn for Holmes will bring. We're pulling for Robert Downey, Jr. turning up in the film looking confused.

In a move to please Whovians with a hi-def hankering, BBC Home Entertainment announced it is releasing a fan-tastic 29-disc Blu-ray box set this November just in time for the show’s 50th anniversary.

The series 1-7 set of the relaunched ‘Doctor Who’ includes the adventures of Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston, Tenth Doctor David Tennant and the final full season of Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith. And in case that doesn’t make you jump into the set, the Eleventh Doctor gesture-based Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control (and replica), a set of original art cards and an exclusive ‘Doctor Who’ comic might make skeptics shout ‘Geronimo.’

Retailing for $349.98, the set additionally includes ‘Doctor Who: The Complete Specials’ starring Tennant as well as multiple bonuses such as ‘Doctor Who At The Proms 2010’; the previously unreleased ‘Doctor Who: The Best Of The Christmas Special’; and ‘The Doctor Who Ultimate List Of Lists’ where John Barrowman and BBC America pop culture correspondent Asha Leo countdown the show’s “Top Five Companions,” “Top Five Scariest Moments,” “Top Five Best Monsters,” “Top Five Guest Stars” and “Top Five Things You’ll Only See on Doctor Who.”

Arriving in a blue box, the set might need to be bigger on the inside to contain so much nerdery, and you might actually need to be a Time Lord to sit down to watch about 5,000 minutes of the set’s content. Still, if you or a loved one is a massive Whovian, this is the gift to get when it materializes for retail on Nov. 5 – only a couple weeks before the ‘Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special’ on Nov. 23.

Related Video:

Watch: Doctor Who Music With Murray Gold

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Which "Game of Thrones" family motto best fits "The Simpsons?" Which banner would best represt "Mortal Kombat" ninja warrior Sub-Zero? Artist Fabio Di Corleto attempted to answer these--and other burning questions with a series of alternative houses based on the HBO series.

Most of the creations of the the Italian illustrator and graphic designer Di Corleto work--really well, in fact. The Bowser/Lannister mash-up at the top of the article is the standout, matching the style of the banners used in the series while still drawing on the colors and aesthetic of the character. Likewise, Pokémon Tentacruel ably represents for House Greyjoy. On the flipside, even if their animal is the fish, House Tully could have gotten something a little more thematically appropriate than radioactive fish Blinky from "The Simpsons." Still, the rest of the work here is very, very strong in concept.

[Source: Fabio Di Corleto via GeeksNGamers]

Related posts:

Dracula: From Bela Lugosi to Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Will You Survive 'The Walking Dead' Online Course?

Related Video:

Watch: Game Of Thrones: The Musical

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We first heard about it almost two years ago as Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle debuted at the 2011 New York Comic Con. But what we saw then focused only on the years 1938 to 1954. On October 15th 2013, PBS will be running the full documentary over a three hour block (8pm to 10pm) that they are calling “Superhero Night”.

The documentary is broken into three parts (including the one shown at the convention) and is narrated by Liev Schrieber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ray Donovan) and is produced/directed by Michael Kantor (Broadway: The American Musical; Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business Of America) and includes interviews from interviews from Stan Lee; actors Adam West (Batman) and Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman); Geoff Johns (Chief Creative Officer, DC Comics), Jeph Loeb (Head of Television for Marvel Entertainment); Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) and cartoonist/author Jules Feiffer (the long-running strip Feiffer), as well as appearances by the late comic book icons Joe Simon (co-creator of Captain America) and Jerry Robinson (who helped create the Joker).

The show is broken into three one-hour segments covering different eras of comics and are described as follows:

PART ONE, 8 PM: Truth, Justice, and the American Way (1938-1958)

During the Depression, the popularity of dozens of superhero characters opens the door for a new generation of artists and writers. World War II creates a patriotic fervor for star-spangled adventurers to represent the American spirit at war and on the home front, but in the 1950s, superheroes are caught in the fire of government scrutiny and regulation. When the thrilling Adventures of Superman is broadcast on the new medium of television, America’s first and greatest superhero leads the entire comic book industry to renewed strength.

PART TWO, 9 PM: Great Power, Great Responsibility (1959-1977)

In the 1960s, a new breed of superhero emerges in the pages of Marvel Comics, inspired by the age of atomic energy and space travel and, in turn, inspiring the pop culture and pop artists of the time. Spider-Man, the Hulk and others are the first to have “problems” with which an adult audience can identify, and contemporary social issues make their way into comic books. Black powerhouses such as the Black Panther and Luke Cage appear on the scene, and the pages of Green Lantern/Green Arrow explode with relevant storylines as comic books are forced to confront the reality of an increasingly complex world.

PART THREE, 10 PM A Hero Can Be Anyone (1978-Present)

Modern enthusiasm for superheroes has been embraced in all forms of media and by all demographics, beginning with the historic Superman movie featuring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. In 1986, Batman is overhauled as The Dark Knight to reflect the nocturnal underside of his character, and Watchmen bring new sophistication to comic book narratives, illuminating a violent and politicized world. In the burgeoning new millennium, superheroes have taken over popular culture with feature films, television shows and video games complementing a new generation of web-based comics that bring superhero adventures to every corner of the world.

Also interviewed for the documentary: artist Neal Adams, Ed Catto (Bonfire Agency), writer Chris Claremont, writer Gerry Conway, writer Paul Dini, writer Mark Evanier, writer and editor Danny Fingeroth, historian William Foster, artist Ramona Fradon, artist Irwin Hasen, the late artist Carmine Infantino, writer and artist Phil Jiminez, writer Gerard Jones, publisher Jenette Kahn, the late artist Joe Kubert, artist and co-publisher of DC Comics Jim Lee, former comic store owner Mike Malve, artist/writer Todd McFarlane, screenwriter Ashley Miller, writer Grant Morrison, writer Gary Phillips, writer/editor Denny O’Neil, writer Trina Robbins, chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment Joe Quesada, casting director Andrea Romano, artist/designer Arlen Schumer, writer Louise Simonson, writer/artist Walt Simonson, Man of Steel director Zack Snyder, artist/writer Jim Steranko, writer J. Michael Straczynski, colorist Christina Strain, writer/editor Mark Waid, writer/editor Len Wein, writer Marv Wolfman and author Bradford Wright.

There will also be a new book hitting stands on October 1st called Superheroes!; Capes, Cowls And The Creation Of The Comic Book Culture written by the documentary co-writers Kantor and Laurence Maslon. The companion volume tells the story of the superhero in American pop culture, with interviews, character biographies and more than 500 illustrations.

It will be interesting to see what changes were made to the initial segment that debuted in New York to the one that airs this October. If nothing else, it gained 4 years of coverage in the two years since it was scene.

After Two Years We Get The Full PBS Documentary – Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle

Handle Productions have decided to mark Tove Jansson‘s centenary in 2014 with an original, hand-animated feature called Moomins on the Riviera. There isn’t much info in their initial announcement, but here are some images from the film nonetheless.

Fans of the original, and exceptionally sweet, sad Moomin novels or Jansson’s own comic strip stories for her little monsters should be very happy with these designs. Those raised exclusively on the stop-motion TV series, or the films that were edited from those episodes, might be surprised to see the look of “raw Moomin.”

Moons on the Riviera, or Moomins The Movie as the below sales poster calls it, is being directed by Xavier Picard. What a name. I really do hope he casts Patrick Stewart to do Moomin Papa’s voice for the English language version.

 

I’ve read every last one but I haven’t owned a Moomin book in decades. Time to put that right, I think.

First Images – Moomins On The Riviera, Their First Feature, A Hand-Drawn Animation

Princess Tutu + scenery