Ronald.phillips

When Valve released the Steam Deck last year, it completely reinvigorated the market for handheld gaming PCs. In just the last six months we’ve seen a fresh wave of rivals like the GPD Win 4 and the Ayaneo 2. But now it’s ASUS’ turn with the ROG Ally and thanks to potent specs, a speedy screen and a slick design, we might be looking at the most powerful PC gaming handheld yet.

Now before we get in too deep, it’s important to mention that ASUS hasn’t provided official pricing or availability for ROG Ally’s just yet, and we’re still waiting for clarity regarding some of its more detailed specs. That’s expected to happen on May 11th at its official launch. But from what I’ve gotten a chance to play around with so far, there’s a lot to get excited about.

Perhaps the most tantalizing thing about the Ally is its components. Not only does it feature a new Ryzen Z1 chip – which is a customized Zen 4/RDNA 3 APU designed specifically for handheld gaming PCs – it also has a 7-inch 1080p screen with 500 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. That alone represents some very premium upgrades compared to the Steam Deck. And with ASUS claiming that the ROG Ally is between 50 and 100 percent more powerful than Valve’s portable (depending on the power settings), it might have the performance necessary to make that screen really shine. With ASUS rounding out the ROG Ally’s kit with up to 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a microSD card slot, there’s very little to complain about in terms of hardware.

Then there’s the screen, which might be the best looking display in this category. Colors were bright and rich and didn’t look washed out on any game I played, which sometimes happens on the Steam Deck. And even though the panel is the same size as what you get on Valve’s machine, the added resolution and that 120Hz refresh rate made games look both sharper and more fluid.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Another notable difference is that unlike the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally runs Windows 11 which ASUS says was a deliberate move to make sure gamers could play all their favorite titles from any of the major stores (Steam, Epic Game Store, Battle.net, etc.). On top of that, ASUS added a few thoughtful software tweaks including a customized version of its Armoury Crate app along with a helpful button for quickly toggling between hardware settings for stuff like power draw, performance modes and more. And even on the preview devices I used, ASUS’ software felt more responsive than similar apps on competitors like the Ayaneo 2.

As for its design, while ASUS isn’t really innovating a ton compared to other devices in the category, there are a number of small touches I appreciate. You get a familiar assortment of shoulder and face buttons, with two macro buttons in back (one on each side). At 608 grams, the Ally is a bit lighter than the Steam Deck (669 grams) and it's significantly thinner and less bulky too. It doesn’t have big beefy grips like some rivals, but ASUS says the angled contours on the side were designed specifically to make the device sit in your hand just right when you're resting your arms on a desk or table. My favorite nod toward general usability are the Ally’s quiet fans. I noticed that while the system can get a bit toasty under load, even then it never got close to sounding like my Steam Deck, which emits a small whine pretty much anytime the fans are spinning.

For those who want even beefier performance, ASUS included an XG Mobile port so you can hook the ROG Ally up to one of the company’s portable GPU docks. Admittedly, I’m not sure I see the need to take a handheld PC and tether it to a big dock (even if it does provide better performance). And with the cheapest XG Mobile dock going for about $1000 (for an older 30-series card), it’s a pricey way to upgrade Ally’s performance. But for people who might already have one of ASUS’ Flow-series gaming laptops, it’s a nice bit of extra value.

All told, the only things you don’t really get on the Ally are built-in touchpads like on the Steam Deck or a second USB-C jack like on the Ayaneo 2. And while ASUS has opted for standard analog control sticks instead of ones based on more sophisticated magnetic hall effect sensors, the company teased that it may be possible to swap in third-party joysticks in the future.

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Even though the ROG Ally naturally draws a lot of comparisons between it and the Steam Deck, I don’t think they’re actually direct competitors. That’s because while ASUS has yet to reveal official pricing, I’m expecting the Ally to cost at least $800, which is twice the price of a base Steam Deck. Instead, it seems like the Ally is a better version of the Ayaneo 2. Not only is it more powerful, its software feels more polished and with ASUS being a significantly larger company I’m hoping the Ally will come with better customer support too.

For people out there who are looking for a premium gaming handheld, the ROG Ally may have just leaped to the head of the pack. It has pretty much the fastest components you can fit in a system this size. My one concern at this point is if its 40Wh battery can deliver decent longevity while still pumping out strong performance. But more importantly, when I think about the category as a whole, it’s really encouraging to see more big names enter the space and put their spin on a rapidly growing class of gadgets.

This post is part of Lifehacker’s “Living With AI” series: We investigate the current state of AI, walk through how it can be useful (and how it can’t), and evaluate where this revolutionary tech is heading next. Read more here.

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Tech companies mainly control the world we live in, and it would not be wrong to say that, to some extent, they have also been controlling our lives. However, UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking to change that as the body has introduced a new bill to ensure that the tech companies breaching the rules written in the bill face massive fines.

UK's latest Digital Consumer Bill is a step in the right direction to break the dominance of tech giants such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and more

So, what will this new bill do? Well, based on information from the bill, companies with "strategic market status" in digital services must comply with the rules written in the bill, or the Digital Marketing Unit (DMU) will be free to impose a fine.

Interestingly, UK's Competition and Marketing Authority did not name any companies in the bill. However, there is a threshold based on an annual turnover. The threshold states that companies with a global turnover above £25 billion or domestic turnover above £1 billion will be monitored. This means that Apple, Google, Amazon, and a few other companies will be under scrutiny.

But what will these companies be required to do? The UK government has said that the DMU could ask the monitored companies to be more upfront and transparent about how app stores and review system works, and the agency itself would have the authority to impose certain conditions. This means that DMU could ask Apple and Google to be more lenient in their policies, which would involve allowing for 3rd party app stores or sharing data with other companies in the same industry.

Under the new bill, Apple, Google, and other companies will also have to make it easier for users to cancel their contracts. Companies would need to send a reminder to the user when their trial or introductory offer is coming to an end, and on top of that, the companies would need to provide a seamless way of getting out of contracts as well.

This bill is a big thing because if Apple and other companies fail to abide by the rules listed in the bill, DMU will have the authority to slap a fine totaling up to 10% of their global turnover. So, for instance, if Google earned £225 billion last year, the fine would be around £22.5 billion, which is not a small amount by any means.

The bill will be heard in the parliament today and, based on the hearing, could come into effect pretty soon. We will keep you posted as we hear more, but this is certainly a good move by the UK government as it will ensure that companies like Apple and Google are not freely abusing the power they have in their hands.

Source: Gov.uk

Clyde: Do you know what I wonder about you?

Jackie: What?

Clyde: How your cunt taste like.
Shocked?

Jackie: Not really.

Gotta love them Andrea Arnold movies! No but seriously Red Road is one greatest films of the past twenty years, and you never hear anybody talk about it. Well that's what I'm here for. It's the actress and goddess Kate Dickie's 52nd birthday today and I considered doing a list of my favorite performances but I realized she's done a lot of work I've never seen, and besides that a lot of her roles are small supporting character roles -- like, she'll pop up in something like The Green Knight for five minutes and you won't be able to look at anything else while she's there. Of course if I did do a list it'd also include Robert Eggers' The Witch...

... basically if you're a filmmaker who has properly utilized Kate Dickie, who understands what a force she is, then you're one of my favorite directors. We speak each other's language. To get back to The Witch for a second though -- one of my favorite reveals in that film is when we realize that Dickie's prim mother character has blonde hair. We never see her hair until things start going wrong, she's got it all pinned up under her bonnet. But then the world begins to collapse and little strands of blonde hair start appearing, and then of course all the blood matted in the blonde at the end.

Dickie makes that hair feel wicked -- like it's her foul secret that she's cursed her wicked daughter with. And it's without saying anything -- it's all in the margins. Anyway it takes an actress capable of fully possessing such sternness as Dickie is called on for in the film's first three-quarters to make the revelation of a hair color feel apocalyptic, but she does it. God I love her. Absolutely one of the greats working today and people need to be giving her big roles!

Harry Belafonte, one of the most important and influential Black figures in entertainment, music, and throughout the last century of the civil rights movement, has sadly passed away at the age of 96. The news was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by Belafonte's spokesman Ken Sunshine, the cause of death resulting from congestive heart failure.

The actor, singer, musician, and activist had most recently appeared in a small but significant supporting turn in director Spike Lee's provocative "BlacKkKlansman" in 2018, where he portrayed a fictionalized civil rights activist. In one of the most pivotal scenes towards the end of the film, Belafonte recounts the horrific real-life lynching of Black teenager Jesse Washington in 1916 and draws a direct parallel to the production of director D.W. Griffith's racist propaganda movie "The Birth of a Nation." The astute choice to cast Belafonte for this particular role speaks to his much wider influence in history, which included Broadway performances, a prolific singing career (including two of his own songs featured in the classic film "Beetlejuice"), and a successful acting career spanning seven different decades in both television and film.

Even more important than becoming one of the first Black leading men in Hollywood, however, Belafonte was a staunch political activist and humanitarian who devoted much of his personal life to battling racial prejudice alongside his close friend and confidant Martin Luther King, Jr. At a time when it was already a deeply profound struggle to make a living in the arts as a Black man, Belafonte committed himself to supporting the civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and '60s and eventually becoming an outspoken critic of the South African apartheid system.

A Massive Loss, But An Even Greater Legacy

Born Harold George Belafonte, Jr. in March of 1927 to Jamaican parents in Harlem, his incredible life almost feels like a Hollywood story in and of itself. Belafonte served in the Navy during World War II and, after returning to civilian life in New York, developed his love of theater and acting. According to Variety, it was during this time that Belafonte befriended another young and struggling actor by the name of Sidney Poitier, performing at the American Negro Theater and eventually earning his big breakthrough after singing in various nightclubs to help pay for his acting classes. His first major hit came with his album "Calypso" in 1956, leading to the popularization of Caribbean-style music across the United States and culminating in his enduring hit "Banana Boat Song."

Not only did Belafonte's singing talents land him at the top of the charts multiple times, but his wide-ranging career also earned him recognition for a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in 1954, a Primetime Emmy winner in 1960, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, a SAG Award nominee for his performance in "BlacKkKlansman," and he was even inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Although his film career never quite took off on a sustained run like his other passions and pursuits, Belafonte dedicated much of his time and energy to social concerns and humanitarian causes in support of the Black community. Although his direct efforts in the civil rights movement are well-documented, he also used his artistry to comment on the issues near and dear to his heart.

A legend until the end, may Harry Belafonte rest in power.

Read this next: A Brief History Of Black Filmmakers

The post Harry Belafonte, Legendary Musician and Actor, Dies at 96 appeared first on /Film.

Red Dead Redemption 2 might be my favourite game of all time - at least my favourite big-budget, mainstream game. To the occasional chagrin of my PCGamesN colleagues, I’m a little difficult (perhaps too difficult) to please, but the western sandbox game by Rockstar continues to impress me some five years after its launch. And clearly I’m not alone, as new figures see Red Dead Redemption 2 jump up the Steam sale and player charts, beating even Grand Theft Auto 5. But with GTA 6 on its way, despite its popularity, RDR2 updates from Rockstar are likely a thing of the past.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has just made history as it has become the first smartphone to be used to place a satellite voice call. This was done by a partnership between AST SpaceMobile and AT&T, the call was made using a standard device with no modifications, and it was made from Texas to a phone in Japan.

AST SpaceMobile and AT&T's partnership to use a Galaxy S22 Ultra for satellite voice call could revolutionize satellite communication

So, how did it work? Well, AST and AT&T used the Galaxy S22 Ultra to place a call to BlueWalker 3 satellite. Once the call was received by the satellite, it was then forwarded to the phone in Japan. Acting as an intermediary was an AT&T spectrum, and this right here is the key that made the whole process work without needing a smartphone capable of satellite calls. This also means that any smartphone with 4G LTE can theoretically work.

Now, another interesting thing to note here is that this test proves that the BlueWalker 3 satellite is perfectly capable of handling cellular data speeds, which, in simpler terms, means that any smartphone can use this technology without having to use the latest technology, or some expensive changes being made to how networks already work. If the Galaxy S22 Ultra was used for this, there is a possibility that we could see the same test being done on other phones.

With more research on this application and how it works, in the future, we could see various regions being connected to each other using off-the-shelf smartphones instead of specialized communication. Sure, most people would have a hard time understanding why there is a need for such a technology in the first place. But we have to remember that there are cellular deadzones around the world, areas where standard cell towers cannot be installed for one reason or another, and because of the same reason, having satellite calling available to your standard smartphones is an excellent move.

Sadly, we will have to wait and see for a broader implementation but based on the current founding, it certainly is a promising start that could one day revolutionize smartphone calling. The best part? You won't need a $1,000+ smartphone to make this happen, as any phone that has cellular connectivity should be able to support this.

Source: Business Wire.

In a world that’s constantly changing and challenging us, we believe that nothing can stop us when we work together. That’s the spirit of collaboration we celebrated on April 24, 2023, at the fourth annual Microsoft Security Excellence Awards. These awards recognize outstanding contributions from Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA) members.

MISA is a coalition of Microsoft leaders and subject matter experts, independent software vendors (ISVs), and managed security service providers (MSSPs). Together, we work to defend organizations around the world from increasing threats. Security is a broad, collaborative business, and our amazing partners continue to show their resilience and excellence in delivering comprehensive protection integrated with Microsoft Security technology.

In San Francisco, California, on the first day of the RSA Conference (RSAC), we were honored to bring together MISA members and Microsoft Security leadership to honor the top finalists and announce award winners.

“It is my privilege to acknowledge this year’s Microsoft Security Excellence Awards recipients, who continually inspire us with their commitment to building a safer world for all. Their solutions, services, innovative spirit, and customer focus are integral to this goal. Security is a team sport, and we are proud to partner with our MISA community. My warmest congratulations to all the awardees.”

—Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President (CVP), Microsoft Security, Compliance, Identity, and Privacy

Security for all  

We believe that inclusivity is not just an ethical choice, but also a strategic advantage. That’s why we’re proud to showcase the investment and efforts our partner ecosystem has made to promote diversity and inclusion. This year we recognized the first winner of the new Diversity in Security award. This award honors a partner who has gone above and beyond to foster diversity and cultivate positive change within the industry, and ultimately improve our ability to protect customers against cyberthreats.

Security is a team sport, one that always needs new players. So, we were also proud to recognize the next generation of security defenders. Microsoft is partnering with Last Mile Education Fund by funding scholarships for underrepresented students to help target the nationwide shortage of cybersecurity talent while Shadow Hunter is our gamified experience that immerses contestants in a simulated real-world cybersecurity scenario to build and test security skills. Bringing the two together was natural. We invited students from around the United States to challenge themselves in our special Last Mile Education Fund and Microsoft Security Immersion Event: Shadow Hunter four-hour virtual events. To acknowledge those students who achieved the top scores among their peers, Bret Arsenault, CVP and Chief Information Security Officer, Microsoft, and Ruthe Farmer, Founder, Last Mile Education Fund, recognized the top 10 students—Logan Gamma, Joan Waldron, Dialla Diarra, Cristian Carrillo Mendez, Lisa Friel, Afraz Sakib, Alexandra Farina, Sean Dixon, Amanda Hite, and Angelina Zhukova—for their ongoing accomplishments.

2023 Security Excellence Award winners

Both technology and people are essential for creating a secure future, and we were thrilled to recognize some of the top companies and individuals in the field across 11 award categories that reflect the diverse and valuable contributions of MISA members. We were impressed by the hundreds of award nominations we received. The panel diligently reviewed each one and shortlisted five nominees for each category. Winners were then decided by the votes of Microsoft and MISA members.

We are proud to announce the finalists and winners in each category:

Security Trailblazer

Partners that have delivered innovative solutions or services that leverage the full Microsoft range of security products and have proven to be outstanding leaders in accelerating customers’ efforts to mitigate cybersecurity threats.

• Ascent Solutions—Winner
• Critical Start
• D3 Security
• Quorum Systems
• Synack

Compliance and Privacy Trailblazer

Partners that deliver innovative solutions or services and are distinguished leaders in driving holistic or end-to-end Microsoft compliance or privacy strategy with customers.

• Protiviti—Winner
• archTIS
• Epiq
• Infotechtion
• Relativity

Identity Trailblazer

Partners that are leaders in the identity space and have driven identity-related initiatives and delivered innovative solutions or services with Microsoft Azure Active Directory.

• EY—Winner
• HCLTech
• Squadra Technologies
• Synergy Advisors
• Thales

Zero Trust Champion

Partners that are dedicated to supporting customers in their Zero Trust journey and have demonstrated vital integrations with the Microsoft Zero Trust platform.

• Silverfort—Winner
• Avanade
• Netskope
• Oxford Computer Group
• Yubico

Security Software Innovator

ISVs that have developed innovative solutions with disruptive and transformative technology in collaboration with Microsoft that makes work easier for our mutual customers.

• Relativity—Winner
• 42Crunch
• Axiad
• ContraForce
• Theom

Security Services Innovator

MSSPs that are exceptional at educating the market on security risks and driving holistic end-to-end managed extended detection and response (MXDR) security strategy with customers using Microsoft Security products and that deliver innovative and transformative security services to customers.

• Ontinue—Winner
• Bridewell
• Difenda
• Quorum Cyber
• Wortell

Security Customer Champion

Partners that go above and beyond to drive customer impact and that have a proven track record of customer obsession and success.

• Vectra—Winner
• Epiq
• F5
• Lighthouse
• Ontinue

Security Changemaker

Individuals within partner organizations who have made a remarkable security contribution to the company or the larger security community.

• Katie Nickels, Red Canary—Winner
• Federico Charosky, Quorum Cyber
• Jeffrey J. Engle, Conquest Cyber
• Harry Haramis, Keyfactor
• Mike Ounsworth, Entrust

Diversity in Security

Partners that have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion to better serve security customers and foster change in the industry.

• Lighthouse—Winner
• Difenda
• KnowBe4
• Recorded Future
• Wortell

Security ISV of the Year

ISVs that are all-around powerhouses, show growth potential and have innovative security solutions that integrate with a MISA-qualifying security product.

• Adobe—Winner
• Cloudflare
• Delinea
• Silverfort
• Thales

Security MSSP of the Year

MSSPs that are all-around powerhouses with strong integration between Microsoft products and ongoing managed security services that drive the end-to-end Microsoft Security stack to our mutual customers.

• BlueVoyant—Winner
• glueckkanja-gab
• PwC
• Red Canary
• Wipro

We’re ready for what’s next

This was an amazing evening, bringing together MISA members, Microsoft executives, and future security experts. Many thanks to all who came, and congratulations again to all our finalists and winners. One constant within the ever-changing world of cyberthreats is the way our community comes together to protect and empower customers. We look forward to seeing everything you accomplish in the upcoming year.

If you’re at the RSA Conference through April 27, 2023, come and visit us at the Microsoft Booth 6044 North Expo where MISA members will be showcasing their solutions at our MISA demo station and the Microsoft Theater. We’d love to see you at the following sessions:

• Session 20: Build your MXDR environment using the Azure Marketplace in 5 minutes (Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 10:10 AM PT to 10:30 AM PT).
• Session 21: Using breach and attack simulation across the Microsoft Security portfolio to optimize your SecOps (Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 10:40 AM PT to 11:00 AM PT).
• Session 22: Achieving Zero Trust application access with Cloudflare One and Microsoft Security (Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 11:10 AM PT to 11:30 AM PT).
• Session 23: “Power of Partnerships”—Services + Technology + Microsoft (Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 11:40 AM PT to 12:00 PM PT).
• Session 28: The new MXDR paradigm: Nonstop SecOps through real-time collaboration and AI-driven automation (Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 2:10 PM PT to 2:30 PM PT).

Figure 1. MISA member companies will share how they work together with Microsoft to protect customers from cyberthreats. Sessions will be presented by the following MISA members: BUI, SafeBreach, Cloudflare, Relativity and Epiq, and Ontinue.

Figure 2. MISA and its ecosystem of ISVs and MSSPs, with solutions integrated with the Microsoft’s security technology, will have a demo station at the RSAC Microsoft booth. Demos will take place on Monday, April 24, 2023, through Thursday, April 27, 2023, throughout the conference hours. The following MISA ISV and MSSP vendors will be giving demos: Cerby Kovrr, Elevate Security, Red Canary, Yubico, Lighthouse, Ascent Solutions, Wipro, Adobe, Forsyte, Corelight, 42Crunch, Maureen Data Systems, Datawiza, Secude, Avanade, archTIS, Difenda, Quorom Cyber, Netrix, Theom, BlueVoyant, BigID, and Synergy Advisors.

Learn more

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and Twitter (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

The post Microsoft announces the 2023 Microsoft Security Excellence Awards winners appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Who you know is just as important as what you know in business. These two work in tandem to afford you a successful career, regardless of the industry. While the latter sets you on course to launch a career, the former helps you gain access to the resources, funding, or advice needed to pursue your career goals.

The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is actually changing. James Gunn and Peter Safran are moving closer and closer to unleashing their brand-new take on DC's movie and TV properties, and there is a lot to be excited about. At long last, we're getting a modern "Swamp Thing" movie, Superman is returning to his dorky form, there will be new animated shows, and so much more.

Arguably the most thrilling part of this new DC Universe has to do with Batman. Now, to be fair, we've only just gotten an excellent Batman movie courtesy of Matt Reeves and we've never really stopped seeing Batman in TV and film, so it's understandably hard to argue that yet another Batman is the coolest part of a brand-new universe — especially when there will also be a "Booster Gold" TV show. And yet, the upcoming "The Brave and the Bold" has something no other Batman movie has had since Joel Schumacher was running the franchise — Robin. Moreover, the film is set to finally going to bring back a hugely important part of the movies we've only seen in live-action once before: the Bat-family.

This is what separates Batman from other heroes and there is no best way to introduce the Bat-family than with Damian Wayne. Damian is of the coolest characters DC has introduced in the last couple of decades. But if you haven't read the multi-year comic book epic he debuted in, or watched the many animated movies he was a part of, then it's hard to be excited just by the mention of his name. This is why we're breaking down what you need to know about Damian Wayne ahead of "The Brave and the Bold."

Batman And Son

Originally, the idea of Bruce Wayne having a son was introduced in Mike Barr and Jerry Bingham's 1987 graphic novel "Batman: Son of the Demon," wherein Batman romances Talia al Ghul, who becomes pregnant with his child. It wasn't until Grant Morrison took over the "Batman" comic book title in the early '00s that the child was brought into canon, as Damian Wayne (also known as Damian al Ghul).

Damian's existence was long kept hidden from Bruce. He was raised as a full-blown member of the League of Assassins and was already an excellent martial artist and assassin by the time he became a teenager. Although he was originally trained to kill and replace his father, Talia eventually decided to reveal her son's existence to Bruce Wayne and left Damian in his custody — presumably because she knew there is no bigger threat to Batman than having to care for a child.

Originally, Grant Morrison's plan was to kill Damian as soon as he was introduced. As the author told IGN, "I planned to have Damian learn his lessons quickly before dying nobly at the end of that first arc." Thankfully, they changed their mind, and we got one of the coolest characters in comics, who is now as integral to the character of Bruce Wayne as Alfred. Plus, as Robin, he stands out as something completely unique, starting with the fact that as hyper-violent, bratty, and obnoxious as Damian is, he is also a kid who loves animals so much he becomes a vegetarian. Among his many pets are the Bat-dog his father gifted him and the greatest sidekick in DC, Bat-cow, who is literally just a cow.

The Dynamic Duo Together At Last

From his introduction, Damian's bratty personality was a great contrast to Bruce's and those of the other Robins, which made him hugely entertaining. To paraphrase Grant Morrison, giving a stoic billionaire playboy like Bruce Wayne a volatile aristocratic ninja jerk of a son made him cooler and more complex.

However, it was only when Bruce Wayne briefly died during "Final Crisis" that we got the best Damian stories. In "Batman" #657, he finally became Robin after almost killing the previous Robin, Tim Drake, and paired up with Dick Grayson, who had just become Batman. The result was one of the best things to happen to the Caped Crusader, as we got a reversal in dynamic — Batman became a happy-go-lucky guy who smiled a lot, while Robin was the grim and angry edge-lord. It is unlikely we will see Dick Grayson take the mantle in the DC Universe's "The Brave and the Bold," but hopefully, this relationship will be explored in the DCU at some point.

Sure, Batman growing by taking care of a kid and realizing the mistakes he made with his previous wards is cool and emotional, but a fun Batman constantly fighting with his younger brother is hilarious — and we could use a funny Batman on the big screen.

Whatever Damian's role is in the new DC Universe, let's not forget one of the biggest reasons Morrison had for creating the character. "Part of my approach included reminding readers that Batman does get laid, and his partners are some of the most beautiful exotic women in the world," Morrison told IGN. At the time, Batman was portrayed as a noble and pure crusader, or as Morrison called him, a "fundamentally sexless tight-ass, in the face of the printed evidence of decades of stories."

Read this next: Every Batman Movie And The Real-World Fears They Highlight

The post The Origin of Batman's Son: How Damian Wayne Entered the DC Universe appeared first on /Film.

The success of Ridley Scott's 2000 battle epic "Gladiator" might be seen as a little baffling. The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards in the early months of 2001, and would win Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Costumes, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. This was in spite of the film receiving only vaguely positive reviews from most critics (it currently holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Stephen Hunter, in his review in the Washington Post, called the film a disappointment, and the L.A. Weekly's Manhola Dargis called it "ultimately pointless." Roger Ebert gave the film a mere two stars. Overall, "Gladiator" is something of a slog, featuring a dishwater-dull color palette and a perfunctory story that offers little drama and no surprises. These days, "Gladiator" occasionally pops up on lists of the worst Best Picture winners. 

"Gladiator" was, however, a massive hit, so it clearly tapped into a pulpy pop sensibility that a mass audience enjoyed. It would ultimately earn half a billion dollars worldwide. Because of this, ideas for sequels have floated through Hollywood for the last two decades, despite the lead character Maximus (Russell Crowe) dying at the end. In 2006, one might have heard the rumors that Nick Cave had written a follow-up wherein Maximus was resurrected to kill Jesus Christ (!), and would henceforth be cursed to eternal life. That film would have ended in the modern day. In 2001, Timur Bekmambetov directed a low-budget peplum film called "The Arena" which was released as "Gladiator 2" overseas. It was not official. 

Crowe himself seemed wary of "Gladiator." It netted him an Oscar and made millions, but he recalls, back in 2000, being baffled and put off by the film's script. He expressed his entire thoughts in a video interview with Variety.  

'What The F*** Is All This?'

Crowe begins the video interview very positively about "Gladiator," however. While he may have had trepidation, he recalls his first time seeing the film with a big crowd and recalling their excitement, as well as their outrage when his character was killed at the end. He knew it was going to be a big hit. 

But during production, Crowe was not so thrilled. Mostly because the screenplay, credited to John Logan, David Franzoni, and William Nicholson, simply wasn't very good. He knew he was able to headline a major studio release, but he recognized that the dialogue was terrible. In his words: 

"I was confident about my abilities as a leading man. What I wasn't confident about with 'Gladiator' was the world that was surrounding me. At the core of what we were doing was a great concept but the script, it was rubbish, absolute rubbish. And it had all these sorts of strange sequences."

He recalls a scene wherein chariot racers were depicted riding vehicles emblazoned with then-modern product placement logos, like olive oil manufacturers. It may have been accurate to the film's A.D. 180 timeframe, but Crowe thought it would look too contemporary for audiences in 2000. It took Scott to talk Crowe out of abandoning the film altogether. Crowe said:

"That's all true but it's just not going to ring right to a modern audience. They're going to go, 'What the f*** is all this?' The energy around what we were doing was very fractured. I did think a couple times, 'Maybe my best option is just to get on a plane and get out of here.' It was my continued conversations with Ridley that sort of gave me faith."

Rewriting On The Fly

As happens with many major Hollywood productions, "Gladiator" underwent massive re-writes while shooting was already underway. When production began, Crowe felt that only a small portion of the final script was poised to make a good film. The rest had to be reworked, using ideas from various screenwriters, the director, and the star. It seems, evevtually, they reached a point where Crowe was comfortable. Scott was a savvy enough director to allow for massive changes, and seemed nimble to pivot. Crowe said:

"[Scott] said to me at one point in time, 'Mate, we're not committing anything to camera that you don't believe in 100%.' So when we actually started that film, we had 21 pages of script that we agreed on. A script is usually between 103 or four or 110 pages. So we had a long way to go and we basically used up those pages in the first section of the movie. So by the time we got to our second location, which was Morocco, we were sort of catching up."

The final film may not have been as widely embraced by critics as it might have been, but when Crowe heard those cheers with his first crowd, all seemed to fall into place. Once finished, both Crowe and Scott immediately ran off to other projects. Crowe was in "Proof of Life," "A Beautiful Mind," and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" within the next three years, and Scott directed both "Hannibal" and "Black Hawk Down" in 2001 alone. That "Gladiator" was a massive success and an Oscar darling seems to have been a lucky happenstance for two filmmakers who were constantly on the move.

Read this next: The 18 Best Action Movie Actors Ranked

The post Russell Crowe Thought The Original Gladiator Script Was 'Absolute Rubbish' appeared first on /Film.

Whether your mom keeps on top of the latest tech trends or still calls you for help logging into her email account, a carefully considered gadget can be a practical way to tell her thanks for, y’know, putting up with you. Sure, the usual flowers, breakfast in bed or complementary spa day will always be worthwhile Mother’s Day gifts, but if you want to take a different (and much nerdier) approach, a good piece of tech can make her life easier even after the holiday has passed. If you need some help brainstorming some gift ideas, we’ve put together a list of gadgets, services and other gear that should bring any mom a little joy.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

On March 20, 2023, Microsoft announced the successful completion of the Cloud Data Management Capabilities (CDMC) certification. As a proponent of wider industry standards, I was fortunate to be part of Microsoft’s executive team working to achieve this important milestone. Beginning in 2020, we collaborated with more than 300 executives from across the financial, technology, and services sectors—a total of 45,000 hours—to complete the CDMC framework in 2021.¹ Working with these firms gave us the opportunity to come together as an industry and define the key components needed to effectively protect sensitive data in the cloud and enable trust for data consumers. It also helped us better understand business needs for data management and define best practices for a hybrid-cloud world.

Because data privacy laws and regulations differ by country and industry, organizations have lacked an all-encompassing standard for protecting data. For example, the European Union has its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), while in the United States, there’s a mix of privacy laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), and many more. There’s also the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS 239) that governs data controls for large banks worldwide.

As a result, many of Microsoft’s customers have had to maintain sensitive data in inefficient siloes, often with conflicting security requirements. An underlying framework was needed to maintain data security across a constantly changing regulatory environment. The CDMC assessment fills that function, helping to remove systemic risk by providing 14 key cloud data controls and automations, thus empowering your organization to move data to the cloud with confidence. In this blog post, we’ll look at how CDMC certification can provide a standard for data governance at scale while speeding your organization’s cloud journey.

It accelerates cloud adoption

Microsoft’s CDMC certification empowers customers with the confidence to accelerate their own adoption of cloud and hybrid-cloud strategies, knowing their data is protected. By establishing a common framework for cloud data security, CDMC certification also facilitates greater trust and collaboration within an organization. The rigorous certification process lasts four to six weeks, during which evaluators work with stakeholders on both the business and IT teams to review the organization’s cloud data solution against the CDMC framework. Customers can opt for a readiness assessment before a formal certification assessment. With this two-phase approach, organizations identify gaps with the CDMC-provided checklist, formulate a remediation plan, allocate resources to act on the plan, and ultimately provide the evidence for formal CDMC certification.

This assessment helps to communicate the business case for investing in cloud data management to the CEO and board of directors, driving the value proposition of cloud adoption. Having key controls and automations in place empowers your organization to spend less time on compliance management, and more time deriving value from your data. Once the assessment is passed, your organization can obtain the EDM Council’s official certification—a symbol of trust to let your customers know their data is in good hands.¹  

It provides a checklist for regulators and auditors

Organizations need confidence that their sensitive data is properly protected, no matter where it resides. However, too many businesses have to contend with the lack of a common language for discussing requirements for cloud data management—the CDMC framework provides this. Certification allows organizations to balance data sovereignty controls with generating business value from their data, wherever it resides. Most importantly, certification assures regulators that privacy laws are being followed for data such as:

• Personally Identifiable Information.
• Personal Health Information.
• Company- or client-identifiable information.
• Material Non-public Information.
• Information with sensitivity classifications, such as “Highly Restricted” or “Confidential.”
• Critical data elements used for business processes.
• Licensed data.

For Microsoft Purview users, your business can also benefit from out-of-the-box compliance reporting and customization. In addition, Microsoft Purview builds on the CDMC framework across all 14 key controls and automations:

Governance and accountability

1. Data control compliance must be monitored for all data assets containing sensitive data through metrics and automated notifications. With Microsoft Purview, data control compliance can be assessed for each data asset across all CDMC controls using a Python script to check compliance, then update assets with compliance scores through Microsoft Purview’s API.

2. Ownership fields in a data catalog must be populated for all sensitive data or otherwise reported to a defined workflow. Each asset in Microsoft Purview’s Data Catalog has an Ownership attribute that is linked to the organization’s active directory and can be searched in the Catalog user interface (UI). Changes to the catalog can trigger a notification workflow for further action.

3. Authoritative data sources and provisioning points must be populated in a register for all data assets containing sensitive data. Each asset can have a certified flag in Microsoft Purview that can be used to identify Authoritative Data Sources through search from the Catalog UI.

4. Data sovereignty and cross-border movement of sensitive data must be recorded, auditable, and controlled according to defined policy. Cross-Border Movement can be tracked using Microsoft Purview’s API and Lineage flows, provided the location data is captured as metadata. Any violations can be audited using a Python Script.

Cataloging and classification

5. Cataloging must be automated for all data at the point of creation or ingestion, with consistency across all environments. Cataloging is automated using Microsoft Purview’s pre-built connectors for user-defined scans. Other services offer native integration to “push” metadata. The API allows for the creation of custom integration scripts.

6. Classification must be automated for all data at the point of creation or ingestion and must always be on. Classification can be triggered through automated scans at the point of ingestion. Assets and classification results are visible in Microsoft Purview’s Data Catalog and the Data Estate Insights view.

Accessibility and usage

7. Entitlements and access for sensitive data must default to the creator and owner, and access must be tracked for all sensitive data. Broad Usage Rights can be captured as Managed Attributes in Microsoft Purview, which are searchable via the Data Catalog UI. Specific User Entitlements and access control can be created through access Policies.

8. Data consumption purpose must be provided for all Data Sharing Agreements involving sensitive data. Data consumption purpose can be documented as part of standard metadata in Microsoft Purview, such as “description” or as customer-managed attributes.

Protection and privacy

9. Appropriate security controls must be enabled for sensitive data and evidence must be recorded. Security Controls can be applied at source and recorded in Microsoft Purview using specific properties depending on asset type; for example, “isMasked” attribute for a SQL Server column. Classifications and sensitivity labels can also be applied to identify sensitive data.

10. Data privacy impact assessments must be automatically triggered for all personal data according to its jurisdiction. Data Privacy Impact Assessments can be automated using classifications, which can be used to set privacy assessments and can be discovered through catalog search or Data Estate Insights. Data assets can be linked to privacy-sensitive projects using the metamodel to understand impacted business areas.

Data lifecycle

11. Data quality measurement must be enabled for sensitive data with metrics distributed when available. Data Quality Assessments can be run based on user-defined rules at the asset level to produce data quality scores. Resulting scores can be monitored over time for changes, with threshold-based alerts defined as appropriate.

12. Data retention, archiving, and purging must be managed according to a defined retention schedule. Data Retention, Archiving, and Purging policies are applied directly at the source, such as within Microsoft Azure storage accounts. Policy documents and assets can be augmented at the source with additional metadata, which can be scanned into Microsoft Purview. This metadata is available through the UI or API search.

Data and technical architecture

13. Data lineage information must be available for all sensitive data. Data Lineage can be viewed against each asset in the catalog and updated automatically each time a data processing pipeline is executed (for example, when a file is produced or updated through a Data Factory operation).

14. Cost metrics directly associated with data use, storage, and movement must be available in the catalog. Cost Metrics are available throughout Microsoft Azure and would generally be tracked at the source. For data movement costs, the Lineage view can be used to identify which processes (for example, Data Factory) are used in the movement of data, then drill through to the source to see specific costs.

It monitors the maturity of your cloud migration program

Every organization is at a different point in its cloud journey. Undergoing a CDMC assessment offers an easy entry point, providing a standard for data governance and controls for smart data management at scale. Your organization can leverage the CDMC framework to build your own roadmap for multicloud enablement alongside it, moving forward with confidence that the 14 key controls will help protect your sensitive data across jurisdictions while speeding up your own CDMC certification.

Learn more

Jumpstart your organization’s cloud journey with your own CDMC assessment. Learn about best practices for cloud data management from the EDM Council’s CDMC framework, including a free download. Also, read about Microsoft’s data transformation journey and how our data governance solutions can help your organization move data to the cloud with confidence.

Learn more about Microsoft Purview.

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and Twitter (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

¹Cloud Data—CDMC frameworks, EDM Council. April 2023.

The post Getting started with the CDMC framework—Microsoft’s guide to cloud data management appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Activision Blizzard has received a new lawsuit from NetEase after their... Less than amicable licensing split that left Chinese players without access to games like World of Warcraft and Overwatch. According to recent reports, the company is seeking ¥300 million Yuan (roughly $43.5 million USD) to cover refunds for discontinued games and services alongside compensation for unsold merchandise inventory on undeveloped games.

The Chinese media conglomerate Sina Technology was the first to report this lawsuit. According to it, Blizzard violated several licensing agreements. NetEase is also calling several "unequal provisions favoring Blizzard Entertainment" in the licensing agreements between the two companies, such as bet-on agreements and even large deposits from NetEase to insulate Activision Blizzard from the risk.

According to the report, the primary reason for NetEase to sue Blizzard is that Blizzard refused to assume the obligation of refunding players in the China service and refused to pay NetEase the prepaid commission fee related to the Chinese service refund, involving an amount of nearly 100 million RMB. NetEase has already paid over 1.12 million players in full to refund applications for Blizzard games in China.

In addition, the lawsuit involves a "one-side clause" signed between Blizzard and NetEase. This clause includes the requirement that NetEase delivers a large deposit for several games from Blizzard in advance. As you might expect, Blizzard did not refund the relevant deposit when the relevant games were not developed, even after the partnership between the two fell through.

As we all know, the tensions between NetEase and Activision Blizzard had been escalating before the deal's expiration. According to a New York Times report, simmering tensions between the long-term partners over a license renewal came to a head during a conference call last October. A senior figure at NetEase talked about the reasons behind the lack of an extension of the deal a few months ago. The President of Global Investment and Partnership, Simon Zhu, explained that the reason behind the partnership breaking was due to the actions of a "jerk" behind the scenes.

Multiple upcoming games are said to be receiving optimizations from the Mesa Radeon Vulkan driver (RADV), which is being worked on by Valve's Linux graphics development team. The optimizations are expected to offer similar performance as a user would find in a closed-source Windows operating system environment. In addition to optimizations, patchwork is also being integrated into this new game.

Upcoming PC games receive big RADV "Radeon Vulkan" optimizations, matching Windows performance

Samuel Pitoiset, Valve's Mesa developer, recently uploaded a patch that will fix stalling in specific "wait" packets, as outlined in the below text:

This is really noticeable for games that resolve a bunch of occlusion queries (in this case 4096) because it seems that emitting 4096 WAIT_REG_MEM packets can stall more than expected. Fixes this by waiting for queries in the resolve query shader.

This improves performance of an unreleased game by +~10% (71->78 FPS). RADV should now be really close to Windows performance for that title.

While the games are currently unknown and open to speculation, the amount of focus from Valve's Linux developers to ensure an impressive amount of optimizations being completed before the game's release is much higher than most other titles have seen, especially for optimizing for Steam Play and Proton.

Hans-Kristian Arntzen, the lead developer for implementing Direct3D 12 on Vulkan for Proton and Steam Play, also known as VKD3D-Proton, was mentioned in the merge request filed recently:

This removes the bubble with occlusion queries reported by Hans-Kristian and gives +~10% FPS in that game.

Mesa 23.2-devel also received a patch limiting the number of context rolls. The code radv: track DB_COUNT_CONTROL was uploaded to Mesa 23.2, with Pitoiset commenting,

This can be really noticeable for the BeginQuery/Draw/EndQuery pattern. It seems to improve a depth-only pass by +35% in one upcoming game because this removes a bunch of context rolls.

Michael Larabel of the Linux hardware site Phoronix mentioned that the timing of this implementation is most likely coinciding with the new game in development that has been receiving so much support recently. The merge request notes that "Hans-Kristian confirmed this specific pass no longer has context rolls. We did compare against native."

Mesa 23.2 will roll out in August and will have continued optimizations. Hopefully, we will find out the mystery title before then that is being optimized on both closed- and open-source channels, especially with Valve's backing and known partners that have assisted the group in the past. It is likely we will get more information about the games soon.

Chromebooks have always been a popular option for schools due to the relatively cheap prices, but they exploded in popularity during the Covid pandemic as kids did their schoolwork from home. However, they may not be such a good deal after all, according to a new report called Chromebook Churn from the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). They found that many Chromebooks purchased just three years ago are already breaking, creating electronic waste and costing taxpayers money. 

Chromebooks in schools typically see rough use, and repairability is a key issue, due to a lack of parts and expensive repairs. For instance, 14 out of 29 keyboard replacements for Acer Chromebooks were found to be out of stock, and 10 of the 29 cost $90 each — nearly half the price of some models. "These high costs may make schools reconsider Chromebooks as a cost-saving strategy," the report states. In another instance, HP only stocked power cords and AC adapters for one model, but no other parts.

The devices also have built in "death dates," the report reads, after which software updates end. "Once laptops have 'expired,' they don’t receive updates and can’t access secure websites." Google does provide eight years of software updates for Chromebooks, but that's only from the date of release. Since many schools buy Chromebooks released several years before, support can expire in half that time. 

Chromebooks aren’t built to last. Professional repair techs tell me they’re often forced to chuck good Chromebook hardware with years of life left due to aggressive software expiration dates.

"Chromebooks aren’t built to last. Professional repair techs tell me they’re often forced to chuck good Chromebook hardware with years of life left due to aggressive software expiration dates," iFixit's director of sustainability Elizabeth Chamberlain told PIRG. Those expiration dates also make it a challenge for schools to resell their devices. PCs and Macs may have a higher purchase price, but they can easily be resold after a couple of years and can get updates for longer periods of time.

The organization said that doubling the lifespan of the Chromebooks sold in 2020 (some 31.8 million) "could cut emissions by 4.6 million tons of CO2e, equivalent to taking 900,000 cars off the road for a year. To do that, they recommend that Google eliminate update expirations and that its manufacturing partners production a 10 percent overstock of replacement parts, and that those parts be more standardized across models. They also say that consumers should be allowed to install alternative operating systems like Linux.

In a statement to Ars Technica, Google said: "Regular Chromebook software updates add new features and improve device security every four weeks, allowing us to continuously iterate on the software experience while ensuring that older devices continue to function in a secure and reliable manner until their hardware limitations make it extremely difficult to provide updates." 

It added that it's "always working with our device manufacturing partners to increasingly build devices across segments with post-consumer recycled and certified materials that are more repairable, and over time use manufacturing processes that reduce emissions."

Google needs to do better, though, according to the group. "The least we can do for students who rely on their laptops is ensure these devices are durable and repairable—not part of a constant churn," said PIRG's Lucas Rockett Gutterman. "With more tech in our lives and classrooms, if Google wants to be a trusted source for tens of millions of students, they need to make laptops that families and school districts can count on."

Who doesn't love a good Viking movie? Nearly a full millennium after the Vikings' heyday, stories of the Scandinavian seafarers and warriors who rampaged their way through Europe and around the world in the 8th through 11th centuries still fascinate us — enough to inspire an entire subgenre of historical fiction that spans various media. Film in particular has returned to the Viking world repeatedly since the silent era, with productions that hail from Iceland, America, Norway, Britain, Denmark, and more.

A quick scan of the most notorious Viking-themed films reveals that these movies have never been just one thing; it's a milieu that lends itself to comedy, romance, horror, superhero-style action, and, of course, the gruesome war sagas it's most commonly associated with. Here, then, are 14 essential Viking movies that should cover a wide range of cinematic tastes and proclivities, while still satisfying anyone who's just looking for a grand, bloody, swashbuckling ol' time.

The Long Ships (1964)

There was a period during Hollywood's transitional mid-century, post-Golden Age period in which its obsession du jour with historical epics and cross-cultural spectacles translated to a brief wave of Viking films. Jack Cardiff's "The Long Ships" is undoubtedly one of the most memorable of that crop.

Based (very loosely) on the eponymous novel by Swedish author Frans G. Bengtsson, the film tells the story of Moorish king Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier) and Norse explorer Rolfe (Richard Widmark), who are forced to join efforts and crews to track down the legendary Mother of Voices, a mythical golden bell supposedly hidden somewhere in the vicinity of the Mediterranean. Although somewhat goofy and sophomoric from a technical standpoint, the film is still a consolidated genre classic due to the charm of its lighthearted adventure, its earnest tone, and its visually rich sets and costumes.

The Viking (1928)

One of the earliest Viking-themed features, Roy William Neill's "The Viking," is also the most notable (albeit highly fictionalized) cinematic adaptation of the story of Leif Ericsson, the Norse voyager known as the first European to set foot in North America. Starring Donald Crisp, "The Viking" interweaves Leif's world-changing journey with a plot focused on the romantic rivalry between Leif and his captured slave-turned-friend Alwin of Northumbria (LeRoy Mason), both of whom are vying for the affection of Leif's protegé, Helga (Pauline Starke).

That classic epic-adventure setup is conducted in typically satisfying Golden-Age Hollywood fashion. However, the plot is but one, and arguably the least important, of the film's attractions: In addition to its historical importance to Viking cinema, "The Viking" was also the first soundtracked Technicolor film ever released, making it a crucial time capsule of what's arguably cinema's most momentous transitional period. 

Interestingly, "The Viking" still essentially qualifies as a silent film, as the synchronized sound amounts entirely to music and sound effects while the dialogue is still delivered in intertitles. The surreal, time-traveling effect that soundscape creates would be reason enough to give the film a watch, but, for Viking enthusiasts, the lush production design and costumes, rendered in unique and gorgeously strange colors by the early two-strip Technicolor process (which only captured shades of green and red), should be even more enticing.

Beowulf (2007)

Although not a stricto sensu Viking film, seeing as it's set several centuries prior to the social organization of Norse raiders to which the word refers, Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf" nonetheless captures the essential spirit of Viking cinema by following the historical precursors of the Vikings and by bringing Scandinavian myth and heroic legend to life.

The film, arguably the most high-profile of the numerous cinematic takes on "Beowulf," follows the epic poem's tale of a Geatish warrior (Ray Winstone) on a mission to slay the fearsome creature Grendel (Crispin Glover) more faithfully than most adaptations — although it still takes its share of dramatic liberties, courtesy of the illustrious screenwriter duo of Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. Like almost every Zemeckis feature, "Beowulf," the director's immediate follow up to "The Polar Express," also doubles as a bold formal experiment: Fully animated with the most cutting-edge motion capture technology available at the time, the film attempts to visualize what a "serious" action-adventure film might look and move like if rendered entirely in ultra-photorealistic CGI.

That technical gambit proved controversial even at the time; the film received mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. Nowadays, its once-pristine VFX look a tad dated. Yet Zemeckis' indefatigable eye for spectacle comes through even more clearly in the face of all that temporal distance; stripped of the pressure to look convincing, "Beowulf" is revealed as one of the best-constructed and most imaginative epic fantasy sagas of the 2000s.

Erik The Viking (1989)

As a filmmaker, Terry Jones is primarily remembered for the three masterpieces of absurdity he helmed and co-helmed as Monty Python's resident director of big-screen ventures: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "Life of Brian," and "The Meaning of Life." Yet Jones' directorial career wasn't limited to his work with the legendary British comedy troupe. Six years after the Pythons ended their official collaborative run (not counting reunions) with "The Meaning of Life," Jones could still be found on the historical comedy beat thanks to "Erik the Viking."

While not quite as supernaturally hilarious and visionary as Jones' previous satires of medieval historical epics — it would be much closer to the top of this ranking if that were the case — "Erik the Viking" still retains all the wit, irreverence, and goofy charm of the director's best work. It also boasts some features that mark it as decidedly non-Pythonesque: namely, a varied international ensemble cast that includes Tim Robbins, Eartha Kitt, and Mickey Rooney, and a fully sincere and straightforward narrative.

The film, an adaptation of a children's book authored by Jones himself, follows Erik (Jones), a young Viking who can't seem to fall in with his people's pillaging and acts of violence. However, he gets a chance to prove himself by leading an expedition to Valhalla in order to ask the gods to end the Age of Ragnarok. Comedy and adventure of the highest order ensue — and without undermining each other, as in certain recent Norse-themed superhero films.

The White Viking (1991)

Icelandic director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson is one of the most notorious figures in the history of his country's cinema, and of all the movies on his three-decade-spanning filmography, he is perhaps best remembered for the run of classic Viking features he released between 1984 and 1991. All three films, which are collectively known as his "Raven Trilogy" or "Viking Trilogy," are very much worth watching, including the last one, 1991's "The White Viking" — also sometimes called "Embla," after its principal female character.

Loosely inspired by the real-life historical record, "The White Viking" is set during the reign of Olaf I of Norway, who ruled over the kingdom during its transition from the Old Norse faith to Christianity. King Olaf (Egill Ólafsson), a fanatical Christian, is in the process of consolidating his rule by eradicating paganism and the land ownership of Earls. He finally manages to defeat Earl Godbrandur (Þorsteinn Hannesson) and capture his daughter Embla (Maria Bonnevie), who is held captive in a convent. To save her, Embla's husband, Askur (Gotti Sigurdarson), the son of a powerful Icelandic lawspeaker, is ordered to travel to his home country and christen its people.

The most lavish, assured, and visually accomplished of Gunnlaugsson's Viking films, "The White Viking" exists in multiple versions; if you can, go with the 2007 director's cut, which most closely approximates the director's original vision by putting a greater emphasis on Bonnevie's character.

The 13th Warrior (1999)

Here's a film that would've earned an even higher spot on this list if it hadn't been mangled by production circumstances. Directed by John McTiernan and based on Michael Crichton's novel "Eaters of the Dead," which liberally melds "Beowulf" with the history of the Varangian Vikings as recounted by Ahmad ibn Fadlan, "The 13th Warrior" could have been one of the great historical epics of the 1990s. However, the film got stuck in the dreaded post-production hell of endless reshoots and re-edits following poor test screenings; ultimately, Disney replaced McTiernan with Chrichton, who cut much of the "Die Hard" director's work from the final product.

Even so, what remains of McTiernan's film is enough to get the blood pumping. Antonio Banderas stars as the film's fictionalized Ahmad ibn Fadlan, the 10th-century Muslim poet and traveler famous for his detailed accounts of the Viking world. "The 13th Warrior" positions Ibn Fadlan as an audience surrogate in the Varangians' "Beowulf"-like quest to slay a deadly, ancient creature, and while it's inevitably messy, the end result provides almost everything you could want from a sturdy, lushly-made Viking flick.

Erik The Conqueror (1961)

Mario Bava is primarily remembered for helping make the gruesome Italian horror cinema of the 1960s and 1970s into a worldwide phenomenon. But Bava's mastery as a filmmaker and writer wasn't limited to horror; among his many other ventures, he also had a kind of a side gig as the director of Viking-themed swashbuckling pictures, the best and most celebrated of which is "Erik the Conqueror."

Directed by Bava from a screenplay by him and fellow Italian cinema luminaries Oreste Biancoli and Piero Pierott and loosely based on Richard Fleischer's "The Vikings," "Erik the Conqueror" is an epic about estranged brothers on opposing sides of a bloody war in the 9th century. Eron (Cameron Mitchell) and Erik (George Ardisson) are born in Scandinavia and separated early in life during strife between the Vikings and the English; Erik is raised as an Englishman, while Eron is brought back home. 

Twenty years later, a war erupts between the two peoples, leading the brothers to meet again under the most charged circumstances. If you don't think Bava's incantatory, expressionistic style would suit the particular demands of a historical epic, you'd be wrong: "Erik the Conqueror" brilliantly locates the nugget of Greek tragedy in Erik and Eron's story, and emphasizes it with the same aesthetic and emotional fervor that the director routinely applied to his horror tales.

Valhalla (1986)

A must-see for fans of Viking movies and European animation enthusiasts alike, "Valhalla" is also a universal cultural reference for any Dane who grew up in the 1980s. Directed by Disney veteran Jeffrey J. Varab alongside Danish cartoonist and illustrator Peter Madsen, the film adapts three volumes of the popular Danish comic series of the same name, which tells whimsical, humorous stories set in the world of Scandinavian mythology.

"Valhalla" concerns two Midgardian siblings, the peasants Tjalvi and Röskva, who cross paths with Thor and Loki and, through a series of circumstances, find themselves whisked away to Asgard as Thor's new servants. They soon embark on a series of magical adventures. As a family-friendly take on the world of Norse gods like Thor and Loki with beautiful, expressive, and detailed cel animation, the film taps into a primal sense of wonder and discovery that makes it a particularly crucial entry in the Viking cinema canon.

Valhalla Rising (2009)

Shortly after Nicolas Winding Refn introduced himself to English-speaking audiences with "Bronson" and right before he became a household name with "Drive," and when Mads Mikkelsen had just introduced himself to English-speaking audiences with "Casino Royale" and was right on the verge of achieving A-list status via "Hannibal," the two superstars of Danish cinema made a film that stands out in both their filmography as roundly well-liked yet strangely underdiscussed: "Valhalla Rising."

As pure and bare-knuckled a Viking film as they come, Refn's genre exercise is set largely in the Scottish Highlands, telling the story of a mute, one-eyed thrall (Mikkelsen) who manages to kill his chieftain (Alexander Morton) and escape captivity with the help of a young boy (Maarten Stevenson). The man and the boy, unnamed like every other character in the film (though the boy eventually nicknames Mikkelsen's character "One-Eye"), end up joining a band of Christian Norse Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. The journey soon turns dark, mystical, and — typically for Refn — astonishingly violent. It's a film of such elemental force that, were it not for the entirely English-language dialogue, you could almost mistake it for a trek through time straight into the middle of the Viking world.

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

"How to Train Your Dragon" may well be the out-and-out best film on this list. The only reason it's not ranked higher is that, as these things go, it's not quite as representative of the "Viking film" subgenre as the next few entries. Although the tenets of cinematic "Viking culture" figure significantly into the plot, and are lovingly parodied in DreamWorks Animation's typical deconstructionist style, this is really more of a contemporary-style boy-and-his-dog — oops, boy-and-his-dragon — story that happens to be set in the Viking world.

Be that as it may, what a picture. Arguably the best family-oriented fantasy adventure saga Hollywood has released in the 21st century, animated or not, "How to Train Your Dragon" still packs as mighty of a punch as it did back in 2010, even after two sequels, three TV series, and one live-action reboot announcement. The sheer beauty of the evolving friendship and slowly-developing mutual trust between Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless, the most endearing 26-foot beast ever conceived by a character design team, is enough to land this film on any half-serious list of great Viking movies.

When The Raven Flies (1984)

Like "The White Viking," Hrafn Gunnlaugsson's earlier "When the Raven Flies" is a must-see. True to the endless intertextuality of the period's genre cinema, it could be described as a Viking riff on "Yojimbo" by way of spaghetti westerns, with a plot about an Irish man (Jakob Þór Einarsson) who travels to Iceland to get revenge for the raid that took his parents' life when he was a boy.

Really, the whole Viking Trilogy is worth a watch for fans of the genre, but "When the Raven Flies" stands out as its defining achievement. Raw, angry, sweaty, endlessly resourceful despite a limited budget, and representative of the '80s in the best way — it comes complete with a propulsive Icelandic-folk-meets-synth-machines score by Hans-Erik Philip and Harry Manfredini — it's a film that inspired everything that came after it in the realm of Viking-related storytelling, and is routinely cited as one of the greatest Icelandic films of all time.

The Northman (2022)

It's not too soon to call it: With "The Northman," Robert Eggers has succeeded in crafting one of the defining Viking movies. In fact, "The Northman" often feels rather like a purposeful, fully aware summation of a century of Viking film iconography, a stab at epitomizing the genre that's as dogged and intrepid in its feverish ambition as the very warriors it tells of.

Starting with the hand-picked cast of superstars including Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, and — yes — Björk, everything about the film feels grand, imposing, and statement-like in a way that very few Hollywood blockbusters allow themselves to anymore. With its "Hamlet"-like tale of a warrior prince (Skarsgård) on a quest to avenge his father's murder, the film is both dramatically hefty and formally overwhelming — the biggest, most immersive, and most darkly exuberant work yet from one of the leading American filmmakers of his generation.

Hagbard And Signe (1967)

To a significantly greater degree than many of the other Viking films on this list, the criminally little-known "Hagbard and Signe" (also sometimes called "The Red Mantle") is soulful, meditative, poetic, and taken with themes of romance and eroticism — which makes sense, seeing as it's directed by the same Gabriel Axel of the culinary drama classic "Babette's Feast."

Although violence still exists at the center of the narrative — which centers on a flimsy truce between two warring clans, ultimately broken due to jealousy and deceit — the primary focus of "Hagbard and Signe" is the bond between the two titular star-crossed lovers (played by Oleg Vidov and Gitte Hænning), who endeavor to be together even as war threatens to pull them apart.

It's a different speed and a different look for a Viking story, but that's what makes the film's exploration of its milieu so enchanting. Its evocation of doomed, obstinate love against a backdrop of tragedy and chaos gives it an almost Gothic sweep, yet remains unmistakably planted in the Norse folkloric tradition.

The Vikings (1958)

When it comes to strengthening the contemporary notion of Vikings in the public imagination and establishing a standard lexicon of their audiovisual depictions, it's impossible to overstate the importance and influence of "The Vikings." Outside of Europe, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Richard Fleischer's film effectively introduced Vikings as a tangible idea to millions of viewers the world over, and that alone might well make it worthy of the top spot on this list. However, in addition to its cultural impact, "The Vikings" also happens to be a fantastic, endlessly exciting old-school adventure flick.

With a star-studded cast that includes Kirk Douglas, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, and Ernest Borgnine, "The Vikings" tells the story of King Ragnar Lodbrok (Borgnine) and his warring sons, which would later become the basis for the popular (and very different) History Channel series "Vikings." Largely shot on location in Norway and graced with the kind of Homeric production scale that made Hollywood epics of the '50s feel almost like brushes with the divine, this is a capital-S Spectacle that matches its sense of grandeur to an equally keen eye for pure, high-spirited fun.

Read this next: The 15 Best Historical Epic Movies Ranked

The post The 14 Best Viking Movies Ever Made appeared first on /Film.

This article contains spoilers for season 3 of "The Boys." 

Eric Kripke's Prime Video series "The Boys" has always been brutal, but season 3 was especially violent, killing off major characters or wounding them permanently. That's saying something when you take into account the fact that many of the characters are superhuman and incredibly tough to kill, but season 3 saw a whole lot of them kick the bucket. 

Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), in particular, went through hell in the finale, losing an eye in the battle with Homelander (Antony Starr) and losing her powers in the battle with Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). It looked like she died, but she miraculously survived, albeit as a normal, non-superpowered human with some pretty nasty injuries. This was a change from the character's fate in the comics, but it made a lot of sense given the changes to the character in general and her impressive arc over the three seasons. Maeve went from being selfish and apathetic to nearly sacrificing herself for others, and she deserves a happy ending as much as anyone does in the cynical, nihilistic world of "The Boys." 

It looked like Maeve was going to get a chance to walk off into the sunset at the end of season 3. As far as the world knew, she had died in the fight with Soldier Boy, and she could finally go live happily ever after with her girlfriend Elena (Nicola Correia-Damude). Then again, Ashley (Colby Minifie) at Vought knows that Maeve's not dead, and that means she's not totally safe. In an interview with Variety, Kripke shared his thoughts about the future for Brave Maeve, and it sounds like we're going to see her again before the series ends. 

Taking Away Annie's Support System

In the comics, Maeve dies, but Kripke and the writing team didn't want to fall into the "bury your gays" trope and thought Maeve deserved better. However, Annie (Erin Moriarty) needs to learn to stand on her own. Annie is the show's true hero, and in order for her to grow, Maeve had to disappear for a bit. Thankfully, it sounds like Kripke doesn't plan on making that absence permanent:

"I don't think 'The Boys' will end without Maeve showing up again... We needed a way to sort of gracefully get Maeve out of the show, let her head for the exit. Obviously, we didn't want to kill her and fall into the tropes of gay characters and bisexual characters in shows getting killed. We wanted to do the opposite of that and send her off and give her a happy ending with Elena. The best way to do that was, well, take away her powers, and she's not useful in the fight anymore. And we did that because Annie can't really grow into her own until all the characters that are around to protect her are gone. It was important for her next step for her mentor characters and her protector characters to go away. And so it's only up to Annie. There's no one left but Annie. So what is she going to do?"

At the end of season 3, Annie had left the Seven and was finally officially joining forces with The Boys and her boyfriend Hughie (Jack Quaid), but she's not exactly friendly with Butcher (Karl Urban), and Hughie's allegiance is clearly divided. She really is on her own, but maybe Maeve will return?

The Potential For Maeve's Return

While it would be lovely for Maeve to live the rest of her life in relative peace and quiet, this is "The Boys" and no one gets a happy ending. Besides, Maeve has become one of the series' strongest characters, and she deserves another shot at putting Homelander six feet under. Sure, she lost her powers on account of being hit with Soldier Boy's freaky beam, but she could always get them back the same way Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) did, by injecting herself with Compound V once more. It's not a sure thing and there's always a chance the V could just kill her outright, but based on what happened with Kimiko and Maeve's general resilience, I'm guessing she'll be back with a vengeance. Maybe she'll even have a super cool eye-patch and a new costume that's not tied to her abuse at the hands of Vought. 

In a dream world, Maeve, Annie, and Kimiko get to start their own superhero team actually based on doing good, after taking out Homelander and the rest of the awful remaining members of the Seven. There aren't too many left, and Homelander's the only one that's a real threat (on land, anyway). What happens next in season 4 is anyone's best guess, but I'm looking forward to maybe seeing Maeve again. 

"The Boys" is available to stream on Prime Video. 

Read this next: The 14 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Amazon Prime

The post The Boys' Eric Kripke Hasn't Forgotten About Queen Maeve appeared first on /Film.

Being a part of a fandom can be an incredibly affirming experience. Sure, some of our friends and loved ones might not understand why we feel compelled to wear full cosplay and jam ourselves into overpopulated convention centers, but for those that understand our pop culture obsessions, an immediate familial bond can be forged by the power of wearing a matching T-shirt. Fans express their appreciation in countless ways, with some of the more die-hard folks willing to name their children after their favorite characters, or permanently alter their bodies by getting tattoos.

I'll admit that I'm one of those people, as all three of my tattoos are references to movies I love ("Dracula's Daughter," "Fright Night," and "Let The Right One In"). Getting a fandom tattoo is a risky decision because while something might feel good at the moment, there's always the chance the creator of your favorite property might turn into the world's loudest mouthpiece for transphobia, and suddenly that "Always" tattoo feels more like a scarlet letter.

And then there are the wildcats who are willing to get a fandom tattoo for a TV series that hasn't even finished its story yet -- meaning, whatever character or bit of iconography they get inked might have a completely different denotation by the end of the run. This is precisely what's happening with the "Yellowjackets" fandom, as more and more members in the Hive get the mysterious wilderness symbol tattooed on their bodies ... even though we still don't know what the symbol actually means.

'That Is A Dangerous Game To Play'

During a recent interview with Insider, "Yellowjackets" co-showrunners and executive producers Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle, and Bart Nickerson were asked about seeing the symbol everywhere, and in particular, on the bodies of their fanbase. Lisco told Insider that he was "actually very nervous" to see the journalist with the symbol drawn on her hand, only to tease "But we can't tell you why." The symbol has so far been shown as an omen for unexplainable events around the cabin but also adorns all of the necklaces worn by the members of Lottie's cult intentional community. Ashley Lyle told Insider that she'd seen a number of fans with the symbol tattooed on their body, and more or less said these fans are playing with fire.

"I'm like, 'You don't know what that means,'" Lyle said. "That is a dangerous game to play." It's hard not to think about the number of people who named their daughters "Khaleesi" or "Daenerys" at the height of "Game of Thrones" excitement, not realizing that she was not only not going to become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but that she was destined to be an unlikely villain. I was gifted a vinyl decal of the "Yellowjackets" symbol for my birthday last year and have yet to put it anywhere because ... Okay, yeah, I'm superstitious! I don't wanna end up putting a decal on my car that turns out to mean "I SUPPORT SACRIFICIAL CANNIBALISM!"

Let this be a lesson to us all: don't get something tattooed unless you know precisely what it means ... or, yanno, do whatever you want. I'm not your mom. I'm just trying to keep you from getting haunted by tree demons.

Read this next: The 20 Best Female Friendships In TV History, Ranked

The post Yellowjackets Co-Creator Thinks Fans Are Playing a 'Dangerous Game' Getting This Tattoo appeared first on /Film.

Despite the cancellation of Netflix's "Daredevil" way back in 2018, Marvel Studios didn't let Ol' Hornhead slip through the cracks. Charlie Cox returned as Matt Murdockin "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and we eventually saw him suit up as Daredevil in "She-Hulk." Meanwhile, Matt's arch-rival Wilson Fisk/the Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) appeared in "Hawkeye." These were all seeds that will finally sprout with "Daredevil: Born Again," set for release on Disney+ in 2024.

Keep in mind, this series is probably not going to be an adaptation of the eponymous Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli comic story, mainly since season 3 of the Netflix series already covered that ground. Still, the title is too fitting to not use for a revival series (even if Cox insists "Born Again" will stand on its own). What direction will the story of "Born Again" take? If the writers pull from more recent comics, then Wilson Fisk may soon become Mayor Fisk. Indeed, (unconfirmed) reporting from Daniel Richtman suggests that "Born Again" is looking to cast actors to play Fisk's mayoral team.

How did this storyline play out in the comics and is adapting it the right move? Let's dig in.

Mayor Fisk In The Comics

"Mayor Fisk" played out in "Daredevil" issues #595 to #600 (art by Stefano Landini for the first three issues, then by Ron Garney in the latter three). It was published from 2017 to 2018 as part of writer Charles Soule's run on the title. As advertised, it featured Fisk being elected Mayor of NYC, bolstered by a good PR campaign after the "Secret Empire" event.

This happened in the last stretch of Soule's run, and the most interesting thing that happens is Matt Murdock became Fisk's Deputy Mayor. This leads to the "Mayor Murdock" arc (issues #601-605, art by Mike Henderson) when Fisk is incapacitated. However, Soule wisely chose to end his run with Fisk still in City Hall. This left his successor as "Daredevil" writer, Chip Zdarsky, the opportunity to play around with Mayor Kingpin even more.

In Zdarsky's run, Fisk decides his mayoralty means it's time to go legitimate. He cedes his criminal empire to rivals but discovers he's made himself a smaller fish in a much bigger pond. Old money power broker siblings the Stromwyns make it clear to Fisk that even as the mayor, he'll never be part of the "big club" they're in. At a high society dinner party, Fisk is treated like a sideshow attraction -- eventually, he snaps and beats one of the other guests to death (necessitating a lightning-quick clean-up job by Fisk's assistant James Wesley).

This doesn't mean that Fisk causes no problems for superheroes during his political run, though. During the "Devil's Reign" event (written by Zdarsky, with art by Marco Checchetto), he declares vigilantism illegal in NYC. Super-villains are deputized as a new Thunderbolts team to hunt down the local heroes.

Is Adapting Mayor Fisk/Devil's Reign A Good Idea?

I see how the pieces align for Mayor Fisk in the MCU. Matt working under his nemesis as Deputy Mayor would be a challenge for him worth watching. The Thunderbolts will be getting their own movie in 2024, which could set up the part they play in "Devil's Reign." D'Onofrio is also eager to get screentime with Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and a big-budget film -- say, "Spider-Man 4" -- could do the scope of "Devil's Reign" justice.

However, Zdarsky's run on "Daredevil" pulls a lot from the Netflix TV series, from Matt's costume to his crises of faith. Kingpin fraternizing with New York's upper crust seems inspired by Netflix's Fisk as well; in "Daredevil" season 1, his criminal empire was a secret and he posed as a philanthropist trying to improve (read: gentrify) Hell's Kitchen. I'd wager that "Daredevil" #12-#13 (with Fisk's aforementioned rage killing) was based in part on episode 4 of Netflix's "Daredevil," where Kingpin beats an associate to death by slamming his head on a car door. Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore) was featured in the Netflix series as Fisk's loyal and efficient right-hand, and Zdarsky's portrayal of him owes a lot to that version.

Taking from Zdarsky's run for "Daredevil: Born Again" risks being repetitive. We already saw Fisk trying to get back in the public's good graces during season 3 of Netflix's "Daredevil," but we've only seen him as an out-and-out crime boss for an episode of "Hawkeye," where he led the Tracksuit Mafia. Emphasizing Fisk as out-of-place and subordinate to people like the Stromwyns -- as Zdarsky's run did -- could offer a fresh twist on the familiar. That opens another problem, though: messaging.

The Problem Of Politics

Zdarsky's "Daredevil" is bitingly political. The Stromwyns and their ilk accepting Fisk as only a pawn is a matter of class hierarchy; he grew up poor so he can never be part of the elite. Meanwhile, Matt's arc is about him, a man of the law, finally understanding something about the law: it's written by and for those who have power. Now, Daredevil has gone from fighting supervillains to preventing evictions. That brings us to Thunderbolts' role in "Devil's Reign." It's an allegory for police brutality and violence on the innocent sanctioned by the state. But frankly, I don't trust the MCU to handle such sensitive political topics.

Look back at the previous Disney+ series "Falcon and The Winter Soldier," which introduced us to Thunderbolts' member John Walker (Wyatt Russell). Episode 4 ends with Walker executing a surrendering prisoner, then the concluding image is a low-angle shot of Walker holding Captain America's blood-stained shield. It's one of the precious few provocative shots in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and with purely visual messaging too.

Then, in an embarrassing finale, the series walks that all back. Walker gets a half-hearted redemption while the former Falcon/new Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), gives a vague "do better" speech to the politicians who created a refugee crisis. Marvel's heroes may have the courage to take a stand, but the company that owns them sure doesn't.

Much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a faint echo of superior comic source material, and unfortunately, I think that's all a live-action "Mayor Fisk" or "Devil's Reign" would be. But maybe there's a way to utilize the storyline and take it a completely different direction. Only time will tell. 

Read this next: The Most Powerful MCU Villains Ranked

The post Will Kingpin's MCU Return Follow Marvel Comics and Send Him to New York's City Hall? appeared first on /Film.

This post contains spoilers for "Barry" season 4, episode 3.

"Barry" has returned for a fourth and final season, and according to /Film's review, "things have grown increasingly bleak [in the final season]. And if the bleakness doesn't get you, the feverish levels of anxiety will do the trick. And yet, despite all this, "Barry" is funny. But it's also so much more than the comedy it began as."

Much like "Atlanta," "Barry" is based on a very specific and singular creative vision, and it is unafraid to take wild swings, both tonally and narratively. Perhaps the biggest legacy of the show is that it served as Bill Hader's calling card as not just a great writer, but a fantastic performer and director. Still, it seems even the success of "Barry" isn't enough to avoid Hader getting teased by fellow filmmakers.

One of the biggest guest stars in season 4 of "Barry" is Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro, who appears in the third episode of the season. Speaking to Deadline, Hader explained how he got del Toro on the show, and more importantly, how the director reacted to being given instructions.

"He was f***ing with me a little bit," Hader recalled. "He was like, 'Are you really going to block it like this?' [Laughs] I was like, 'Yeah, I am.' And he's like, 'Really? That's it? Okay...' No, he was really funny, and we're all friends."

It's All Fun And Games Until Someone Calls Noho Hank

Turns out, del Toro wasn't even the only director to get in on the fun of messing with the new guy. "I'm friends with [del Toro]," Hader continued. "And I'm friends with Alfonso Cuarón, and Alfonso was texting me, "Guillermo says you don't know how to direct." [Laughs] They were just f***ing with me while I'm shooting with him. And I'm like, "Oh my god." Guillermo was like, "I never said that. No, no, no. He's being an a**hole."

Of course, this isn't the first time del Toro has popped up in a supporting role in a show he loves. He previously played "Pappy" McPoyle in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," appearing in episodes in 2012 and 2016. 

Bill Hader has certainly made a name for himself as a director worth paying attention to. Throughout "Barry," he's shown a keen eye for balancing action, tension, and comedy, pushing one over the other at the right time. Even if season 4 is less stressful than the previous season, it is much darker, but no less funny. Though he had very pragmatic reasons to take on directing duties for the entire final season of the show, Hader continues to prove he was more than up for the task, and if del Toro was comfortable enough teasing Hader, it is because he recognizes a fellow talent in the actor-turned-director. The final season of "Barry" will unfold over the next six weeks, and we can't wait to see what Hader directs next.

Read this next: The 10 Best Guillermo Del Toro Characters Ranked

The post Barry Season 4's Incredible Director Cameo Gave Bill Hader Some Playful Grief On Set appeared first on /Film.

For almost two decades, MSKey Readme¹ has heralded the defeat of Windows XP's product activation, not via mere circumvention, but by cracking the encryption algorithm itself.

Based on the even earlier Inside Windows Product Activation: A Fully Licensed Paper², WindowsXPKg³ launched on Microsoft's GitHub platform four years ago (see update #3 below). While it can generate product keys, the program relies on an external, third-party server to return the Confirmation ID.

In a post last year on the Windows XP subreddit (Windows XP web activation is finally dead…), retroreviewyt shared xp_activate32.exe⁴, which calculates the Installation ID then generates and optionally applies the corresponding Confirmation ID to activate Windows XP, all offline. Wiping the system and reinstalling Windows XP results in the same Installation ID being assigned by Windows (assuming no change in hardware or product key), thus the same Confirmation ID obtains even in msoobe's standard telephone activation window.

Long considered out of reach, this development bodes well for salvaging old systems even after Microsoft shuts down the activation servers. Given their curious tolerance (even use!) of MAS (hosted on their own platform!), which impacts all modern versions of Windows, perhaps Microsoft will see fit to release an official XP activation tool for posterity.

Footnotes

1. The apparently oldest extant copy, dated January 18, 2005, is signed "yag". A few months later, it was posted to Tool_Delphi2005 by Alexandre Trevizoli. By 2007, Kevin Hatfield was hosting it, and he claimed copyright by 2008, thereby becoming associated with the document in later years.  

2. In fact, the paper was released in July 2001, before even Windows XP was released to manufacturing. However, it was kept "a little vague at some points in order not to facilitate the task of an attacker attempting to circumvent the license enforcement supplied by the activation mechanism". 

3. Elliptic Curve Key Tool is a similar app that does not require recompiling for each combination. 

4. 18432 bytes with a SHA-256 hash of 5a4bcac5a50eb5113dd6a2f88c35ebdb709c4df8a792c71ad03ea347afaced52 (first seen by VirusTotal on 2020-10-16).

Updates

1. Neo-Desktop has forked WindowsXPKg to include a fix for compiling and running properly under Linux. They are also at work on disassembling xp_activate32.exe.

2. The purported source code for xp_activate32.exe has been posted to MDL (since deleted) by diamondggg, who referenced such a tool in 2021. See this thread for more information.

3. On the provenance of WindowsXPKg, Endermanch stated: "This repository is not the original source for the Windows XP Keygen. The original was uploaded to PlanetWPA as part of MSKey 4-in-1 algorithm sources back in early 2000s and was made by z22." The comment has been updated with additional details and, along with his XPKeygen README, is sine qua non for understanding the history and mathematics behind this story.