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18 Aug 13:56

American Child Protection Workers Would Investigate All Parents in Europe

by lskenazy

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Here’s how we look to other, less fear-wracked countries. Boldface, mine. (And for contrast, see my piece in yesterday’s New York Post about not expecting kids to walk to school):

Dear Free-Range Kids: I am from Germany and what I read on your webpage is really shocking for me. How did American parents get so paranoid and CPS professionals support that! I am a social worker and a mother of a 4 year old girl and a 6 year old boy. I work for the city of Regensburg at the youth department. Our CPS would NEVER even think about investigating Free-Range kids. Parents who are no giving their kids the possibility to play outside, go to playgrounds, walk to school are much more likely to be referred to CPS for counseling than Free-Range parents. The parents here who are helicoptering (Americans would probably see our helicoptering as Free-Range) are considered to be paranoid and not normal by most of the people.

Part of my job is to ensure our city provides a healthy and good environment for kids to grow up. So our city has me professionally investigate how child-friendly the neighborhoods are and make suggestions how to improve. We work really hard to provide playgrounds in all neighborhoods that children can and are supposed to go to by them selves from age 6 on! We check the streets to help make them safe so children can go to places alone! All 6 year olds are walking or biking or taking the bus to school! The parents only accompany them the first few days to teach them how to do it. We organize volunteers for difficult crossroads  who stand there before school and when ever the kids come they help them cross the street. Our whole system is there to make sure that kids can go alone to school or music lessons or playgrounds or friends.
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That is always our goal and it is the norm and our kids do grow up healthy, socialized, good at school and safe! There are more kids hurt in car accidents sitting in the back of a car than walking around by themselves even though most kids walk to school by themselves. Our kids even take public transportation by themselves like buses and subways.
 .
The most shocking news are for me the ones about the mother having such trouble because the kid was alone in the yard. Our kids play in the garden alone for hours! My son started playing alone in the garden when he was one year old! He loves it. When our kids need something, they know where to find us and can come. In the mean time we can take care of our household etc., and of course we check on them. The frequency depending on their age.
 .
I wished your Police and CPS would professionally understand what  it means to raise healthy and responsible children. I cannot believe that they are supporting this paranoia. Such professionals cannot really believe their way is the only right way. If that was true it would mean that all Europeans are neglecting their children and harming them and endangering them….
 .
I wish you good luck with you cause and I hope sincerely that  Americans stop depriving children of all the Learning opportunities of a normal and free and loved childhood . Children are persons not puppets or prisoners. If I can help your cause by providing information from abroad I am happy to do so.
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Sinseriously,
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Anna Schledorm
Yes, I know “sinseriously” is not a word, but sincere + serious just seemed perfect. It also seems perfect to expect kids to play outside on their own, the same way we did just a generation or so ago. – L
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Regensberg, where the letter writer allowed her 1 year old to play in the yard by himself.

Regensberg, Germany, where the letter -writer allowed her 1 year old to play in the yard by himself. (Of course, she would check on him.) 

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18 Aug 13:53

How chimpanzees helped inspire the Windows Start menu

by Matt Weinberger

monkey chimpanzee computer tablet

When Windows 95 came out twenty years ago, its headlining feature was the  new Start menu, giving easy access to programs and documents.

The official theme song for the Windows 95 launch was even "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones. 

20 years later, the Start menu is still with us, making headlines once again as a key part of Windows 10.

It's something that gives Danny Oran, the ex-Microsoft interface designer who holds the patents for the Windows 95 Start menu and taskbar, mixed feelings.

"In some ways, it's a little disappointing the same stuff is in there," Oran says. 

One the one hand, millions and millions of people use his invention every day. But it also means that in the 22 years since he first invented the concept, nothing better has come along.

"In retrospect, I wish I got a royalty," jokes Oran.

Austin and Sherman 

daniel oran chimpanzee skinner computerOran first joined Microsoft in 1992. As a trained behavioral psychologist, Microsoft brass was hoping that Oran could figure out ways to make Windows easier to use for non-technical people.

Oran was uniquely qualified. At Harvard, Oran had undertaken his first user interface design project, overseen by no less than famed behavioral scientist BF Skinner.

Skinner asked Oran a simple question: "How would you teach chimps to talk?"

To answer that question, Oran ended up working with two teenage chimpanzees named Austin and Sherman, using a home-built device out of wood as a kind of keyboard for a computer program that would, ideally, teach them English.

"Did the chimps learn to talk? No. They didn't even come close," wrote Oran in a presentation. Still, it provided a lot of insight into how to design a computer program so even a chimpanzee could use it. 

"Our customers are morons!"

windows 95At the time, Microsoft needed the help. Windows 3.1, the version in use around 1992, had a reputation of being hard to use. And as a big fan of Apple's Mac operating system, Oran could come at it from an outsider's perspective.

One of the first steps along the way was to watch how customers were actually using Windows in the wild. As part of a usability study, Oran and some programmers would instruct a subject on how to complete a simple task and watch how they did it. 

This would become a frustrating experience for Oran very quickly. The Windows programmers wouldn't recognize that the problem was with the operating system and not the users.

For instance, one study subject took twenty minutes of staring at a Windows 3.1 desktop before being able to open a text editing program.  Finally, a programmer spoke up that this was unacceptable, to Oran's relief. But that relief would be short lived: "Our customers are morons!" exclaimed the programmer. 

This was frustrating enough, Oran says. But then they talked to that user, and it turns out that he was actually a propulsion engineer for Boeing. 

"He was literally a rocket scientist," Oran says. "And even he couldn't figure out Windows."

daniel oran windows start menu sketchThen he had an epiphany on his commute to Microsoft's Redmond headquarters.

If users couldn't figure out where to go in Windows, Oran says, it was a design failure.  So instead, he thought to give them one single button to push that led them to everything, the same way he had to teach the chimps, button by button, how to use software. 

Originally, Oran says, it was called the "System" button, and it lived at the top of the screen. But for whatever reason, maybe because it sounded too technical, users in these Windows studies wouldn't click a System button no matter what. 

But once they renamed it the "Start" button, people understood it intuitively.

Oran knew he had a winner when a test subject was able to use the Start menu to complete their task before he was even given the instructions. 

Taskmaster

The other piece of the puzzle was the taskbar. A big issue with Windows 3.1 was that people didn't know how many programs they had open. People would open a new game of Solitaire, minimize it when their boss came by, and then open a new one when they wanted to start playing again.

Windows 3.1 had a task manager to show you what programs were running, but most mainstream users would never figure out how to get to it. Their computers would gradually just get slower until they restarted the machine and started the cycle all over again.

"There was no way of knowing," Oran says.

windows 95 taskbar evolutionSo to solve this problem, Oran came up with the basic idea of a bar that would show you what was running. It was originally conceived as a bunch of tabs on the top of the screen. The earliest version of the concept looks a lot like browser tabs in Chrome or Safari. 

But these tabs took up too much space on the screen, especially since most monitors at the time were small and ran at a 640 by 480 resolution.

Eventually, Microsoft was guessing, there'd be bigger screens with higher definition displays (and they were right), but at the time, it wasn't practical. Oran ended up making the tabs smaller and making them into buttons.

For the sake of convenience, the Start menu and the taskbar were combined into one thing that sat at the edge of the screen. But for reasons that were unclear, Microsoft made the call to bring the taskbar down to the bottom, where it still sits by default in Windows 10. 

Oran says he heard a rumor that Microsoft did this because placing the taskbar at the top made it look too much like Apple Mac OS, and Microsoft was worried about legal action. But he never found out for sure.

Today

New Windows 10 start menuOran left Microsoft in 1994, before Windows 95 was released, to continue his graduate school program at Harvard.

These days, he's putting his behavioral science background to use for social good: Previously, he was at progressive activism site MoveOn.org, studying how social network effects can encourage a higher voter turnout and creating its Social Report Card product for the 2012 election. He also worked with early-stage startups in the Cambridge Accelerator. 

Today, Oran is living in the Washington DC area and working in the healthcare industry, using his expertise to come up with strategies for fighting suicide. 

"As fun as the Windows stuff was," Oran says, the work he's doing now is literally "life and death." 

He only watches Microsoft from the outside, and he hasn't gotten his hands on Windows 10 just yet.

Still, those mixed feelings remain: Windows 8 had its ups and downs, he says, but at least it tried something new besides a Start menu he invented decades prior. 

But he has a little bit of advice from his experience: Oran was still very young when he worked for Microsoft, but what he did had a lasting effect. The lesson for aspiring innovators just starting out is clear. 

"The things you work on can have a surprising impact," Oran says. 

SEE ALSO: 20 years ago, Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston made a very '90s instructional video for Windows 95

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18 Aug 13:49

Here's What the Guy Who Paid $50,000 to Kill Cecil the Lion Can Learn from the Guy Who Paid $350,000 to Kill a Black Rhino

by Katherine Mangu-Ward

cecilDays after the news of the death of Cecil the Lion broke—and weeks after the actual hunt—the Internet is still in an uproar. The dentist/hunter who killed the beloved big cat has shuttered his business in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and seems to have gone missing. Everyone from Betty White to Zimbabwe's minister of the environment is pissed.

At least part of the outcry seems to be focused on the fact that Walter Palmer regularly paid big bucks to go on big game hunts. From CNN:

"As troubling as it is, the rarer these trophy hunted animals become, the more hunters are willing to pay to kill them—like the American hunter who recently paid $350,000 to kill a critically endangered black rhino in Namibia," said Jeff Flocken, the [International Fund for Animal Welfare]'s North American regional director.

But the problem isn't that Palmer paid a lot of money to hunt a lion, it's that he didn't pay enough money, he paid it to the wrong people, and he killed the wrong lion.

As far as I can tell, Palmer screwed up by using dodgy guides who in turn used illegal practices to lure an animal that should have been off-limits for many reasons, including that it lived on protected land and that he was part of an Oxford research project. In a public statement, Palmer has said he believed his guides were on the up-and-up and that all his permits were in order, but he should have been more meticulous about checking out the legitimacy of the operation, especially since he already had a felony record for botching a bear hunt. It's unclear how much he was involved in the coverup when it became clear that the lion was not a legitimate target.

But too much of the coverage has elided of the fact that hunts like the one Palmer says he thought he was on can be carried out perfectly legally and, more importantly, are a huge boon for wildlife conservation.

Here's the story of even more expensive and high-profile hunt, flawlessly executed:

rhinoAmerican Corey Knowlton paid $350,000 for a permit to hunt a black rhino in Namibia under the auspices of the Dallas Safari Club back in January 2014. Black rhinos are critically endangered, and Knowlton received death threats after the permit auction, but the details of his hunt are likely to win over all but the most ardent hunting opponents.

For starters, the money will go to fight poaching. (That's right: this pay-to-play hunt will help fund efforts to prevent exactly the kind of crappy practices used by Palmer's team) The permit from the Namibian government authorized only the killing of one of 18 elderly male black rhinos, which are actually considered a net negative for overall species survival, since they are past their breeding years but remain territorial and are therefore a threat to the younger males. Knowlton and his well-vetted team whittled that list to just four animals and were obsessively carefully about finding the right rhino to kill. 

At one point during the hunt, they felt visibility wasn't good enough to be sure they were getting the right animal, so they headed to a new location to hunt one of the approved rhinos, only to discover that it has beaten them to the punch by dying of natural causes, likely old age–related. 

Yet according to an account from a CNN journalist who rode along on the hunt, the kill was no less thrilling for its careful targeting and elderly quarry and when it was over Knowlton felt he had done the right thing:

Knowlton walks up from behind the rhino and when he's certain it's over, he kneels next to it.

"Any time you take an animal's life it's an emotional thing," Knowlton said.

The Namibian government official assures Knowlton it is the rhino on the approved hunting list. The trackers smile with relief and shake hands.

I ask Knowlton if he still feels that killing this black rhino was the right thing to do and that it will benefit the future of this endangered species.

"I felt like from day one it was something benefiting the black rhino," reflected just moments after the hunt ended. "Being on this hunt, with the amount of criticism it brought and the amount of praise it brought from both sides, I don't think it could have brought more awareness to the black rhino."

If the accounts of a grisly two-day march to find the wounded Cecil, followed by a scramble to cover up the fact that he was collared and therefore should have been off-limits, are accurate, the closing moments of Palmer's hunt were nothing like this one. And hunts like Palmer's are likely more common than Knowlton's. But the fact that money exchanged hands wasn't the problem with Palmer's hunt—and it was probably the most praiseworthy party of Knowlton's.

Semi-related: If Palmer wasn't spending his money on big game hunts, it looks like he'd be spending it on GOP candidates. Which is more harmful? Your call.

Full disclosure: I'm on the record being bummed about narrowly missing the chance to eat South African lion meat. I later got the the chance to do so. It wasn't very good.  

06 Aug 11:33

7 Shocking Twists You Could See In The Next Marvel Movies

by Bill Bradley

Now that "Ant-Man" has hit theaters, Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is complete. While Phase 2 was all about the exploits of Marvel superheroes, Phase 3 is going to be about the aftermath, and that means heavy shiz is going down.


Things get started with a big conflict between Iron Man and Captain America in "Captain America: Civil War," which premieres May 2016; following that, "Thor: Ragnarok" will probably lay waste to Asgard; and that's all before Thanos, the purple dude who has been teased since the first "Avengers," raises hell in the "Avengers: Infinity War" movies. And if these films are anything like their comic counterparts, the MCU is about to get insane.


Marvel does a good job of incorporating storylines from the comics and adapting them to fit the movies. If they stick to this formula, here are 7 shocking twists you may see in the next Marvel movies:


(Note: These are speculated based on what we know from reports, the Marvel comics and the already released movies.)


1. Thor might kill an Avenger.




Image: Giphy


In Marvel's Civil War comics, Thor appears to kill Bill Foster, a superhero known as Goliath who uses the Ant-Man technology to increase in size. This version of Thor is actually a cyborg clone created by Tony Stark who later takes the name Ragnarok, which means the end of the world in Norse mythology.


We already know that the new "Captain America" movie will at least have clues for "Thor: Ragnarok," and with the importance of the clone in the comics and the significance of a superhero losing his life, it appears we may see an evil version of Chris Hemsworth destroy an Avenger at some point.


2. And that Avenger could be Ant-Man.




Image: Giphy


Since Goliath, aka Foster, hasn't been introduced to the MCU and his tragic death is pivotal to the Civil War story, there's a strong case that another hero will take his place. And that guy is Ant-Man.


The giant Thomas the Tank Engine from "Ant-Man" and interviews with director Peyton Reed have sparked rumors Ant-Man will have his giant growth abilities in "Civil War." This is the same power used by Foster, so it seems like an easy transition for Ant-Man to fill the fallen hero's shoes. 


As shown with (spoiler alert) Quicksilver's death in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Marvel isn't afraid to kill off a character shortly after he's introduced, and it looks like Ant-Man could be next. (Like Baskin Robbins, Marvel don't play.)


3. Or Falcon might die instead.




Image: Giphy


"Ant-Man" has won the box office its first two weeks after release, Paul Rudd is reportedly still under contract with Marvel for "multiple" movies and director Peyton Reed told The Huffington Post there is still plenty of story to tell, so killing off Ant-Man before a sequel seems like a worse marketing move than if Tony Stark mass-produced a bunch of Ultrons for the public. Because of this, another character may take one for the team.


MoviePilot speculates that Falcon and War Machine are likely candidates for the job. The death of either of these characters could potentially have the biggest impact on their BFFs Iron Man and Captain America, whose conflict is central to "Civil War."


Marvel reportedly doesn't have plans for a standalone Falcon film, and in the comics, Foster, the superhero who dies, is fighting for Captain America's side, so it's possible Falcon is about to enter a no-fly zone, aka he dead.


4. The Vision could turn evil.




Image: Daily Dot


With "Thor: Ragnarok" set to air after "Civil War," it's unknown if the Thor clone will show up at all in the new Cap movie. If that happens, The Vision is a strong candidate to take his place. Like Ragnarok, he's a creation from Tony Stark, Thor also had a hand in bringing him to life, he's an android and, as an added bonus, he can pick up Thor's hammer. In other words, he's worthy. Because of all this, Vision is theorized to become an antagonist.


5. "Dead" villains may return.




Image: Giphy


Red Skull, the villain from "Captain America: The First Avenger" who'd probably be voted most likely to play Anger in a live version of Pixar's "Inside Out," actually plays a part in the aftermath of the Civil War comics. 


The character is presumably dead in the movies, but we've already seen the return of Red Skull's accomplice Dr. Zola in "Captain America: Winter Soldier," and theories suggest that Red Skull might make a comeback in "Civil War." (Or, at the very least, the dude might have some Pixar work ahead.)


Other villains like Ultron and "Guardians of the Galaxy" bad guy Ronan the Accuser are also speculated to make comebacks via the Infinity Stones and Thanos in the upcoming movies.


6. Get ready for crazy superhero cameos.




Image: Giphy


In the Civil War comics alone, you have the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Punisher and tons of other superheroes that haven't even shown up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet.


We already know there are plenty of heroes on the roster for the "Civil War" movie. These include most of the Avengers, Spider-Man and even Black Panther. There are already hints that a Thor clone might show up, so more cameos are likely.


7. It's probably the end for Captain America.




Image: Tumblr


After Captain America's surrender and arrest at the end of Civil War, Steve Rogers is apparently assassinated by Sharon Carter and Crossbones in Marvel's The Death of Captain America storyline. Both Carter and Crossbones are set to appear in "Civil War."


Adding to speculation, Chris Evans has an uncertain future with Marvel. Evans' contract is reportedly expiring soon, and Marvel could easily off Cap to stick to the storyline. Plus, this would allow Bucky Barnes, aka actor Sebastian Stan (who is reportedly barely into a nine-movie contract) to take his place.


But don't worry, 'Merica. If Marvel does stick to the comics, it probably won't be the last time you see the Cap after all. 




Image: Tumblr


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03 Aug 11:18

Bruce Campbell Promises So Much Blood in Ash vs. Evil Dead

by Matt Fowler

During the Ash Vs. Evil Dead panel at the TCA Press Tour, executive producer/star Bruce Campbell made sure to let everyone on hand know just how much blood and gore there'd be on the upcoming Starz series - which premieres October 31st.

"People ask how much blood is there going to be," Campbell noted. "I went blind the other day shooting a scene. Just picture that. Like, take a shower and open your eyes right into the faucet. That’s how much blood there is on the show."

"I’ve been gagged once and I went blind," Campbell added. "That’s a lot of blood in the show. So anyone who’s looking for it, it’s coming your way."

Campbell, who appeared on the panel alongside creator/director Sam Raimi and co-star Lucy Lawless, also made sure to speak about how this series, based on the Evil Dead horror trilogy (which last graced us in '91, not counting the 2013 remake) was totally fan driven. "The fans are responsible for every single bit of this," he said. "They’ve been relentless for years. The last Evil Dead movie was 24 years ago, 1991. We shot Army of Darkness. They haven’t shut up since. So no matter what we say to them or what we give them, it will never be enough, and we’re very grateful for that."

Continue reading…

03 Aug 11:18

Star Wars Director Broke His Back Helping Harrison Ford

by Alex Osborn

J.J. Abrams, the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, broke his back while attempting to help Harrison Ford during the filming of Disney's highly anticipated sci-fi movie.

Last year, we learned the Han Solo actor injured his ankle when the Millennium Falcon's hydraulic door closed on his leg. Abrams, in an attempt to help Ford by lifting the door, then managed to break his own back.

Abrams tried to hide the injury by wearing a back brace under his clothes, he revealed on The Daily Show, noting that Ford managed to recover much quicker than himself.

Continue reading…

03 Aug 11:17

Sherlock "Less Rude" in Upcoming Victorian-Era Special

by Matt Fowler

While the three-episode Season/Series 4 of Sherlock is still a long way off, fans can look forward to the show's upcoming "through the looking glass"-style special set back in the original Sherlock Holmes time period. We're still not sure when it will air (executive producer Mark "Mycroft' Gatiss once stated it was to be a Christmas special), though creator Steven Moffat did have a few tidbits to share about it during a recent Q&A session at the summer TCA Press Tour.

"It's probably Christmas-ish," Moffat told the ballroom full of TV critics. "We don’t actually know. We’re not making this up.”

Benedict_Cumberbatch_s_Sherlock_is__a_lot_less_brattish__in_Victorian_set_special Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch as Victorian Watson and Holmes.

Continue reading…

03 Aug 11:17

MI: Rogue Nation Is Series' 2nd Best at Box Office

by Anthony Couto

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation proves that audiences still want a dose of Ethan Hunt in their lives, as the Tom Cruise-led film topped this weekend's domestic box office, and gave Paramount its second-highest debut in the series.

On its opening Friday, Rogue Nation earned $20.3 million, and over the course of its three-day weekend debut, grossed $56 million domestically.  Combined with big numbers overseas -- an additional $60 million, internationally -- Rogue Nation is poised to earn over $116 million globally by the end of the weekend.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Rogue Nation is now the second most successful opener in the series, behind Mission: Impossible II, which raked in $70.8 million over the course of its Memorial Day weekend debut back in 2000. Rogue Nation is Paramount's second-biggest opening day ever, behind Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and is also the second-best of this year, after Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Continue reading…

03 Aug 11:13

Video: Watch Tom Cruise destroy BMW M3 whilst fIlming

by Staff Writer

File under: Latest News

Video: Watch Tom Cruise destroy BMW M3 whilst fIlming Photo credit: YouTube / Jalopnik Tom Cruise is an actor known for doing all his own stunts, and that includes the driving scenes that will appear in the latest Mission Impossible film. continue reading

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03 Aug 11:09

Disney explains why its 3D animation looks so realistic

by Jon Fingas
Have you watched 3D-animated Disney flicks like Big Hero 6 and wondered how some of its scenes manage to look surprisingly realistic? Today's your lucky day: Disney has posted a top-level explanation of how its image rendering engine, Hyperion, wo...
03 Aug 11:08

Apple Watch now works with August's designer smart lock

by Steve Dent
Roumen.ganeff

if only this was a better actual lock

Unlocking a door with your smartphone feels like the future, but you still have to fish something out of your pocket to do it. If you happen to own one of the Yves Behar designed August smart locks, however, you can open it with something on your w...
03 Aug 08:18

The German car industry is buying Nokia's Here maps

by Aaron Souppouris
Nokia is selling its Here maps service to a group of German car makers for €2.8 billion (roughly $3.07 billion). The consortium is comprised of Mercedes' owner Daimler, BMW, and Audi. As the latter is a VW subsidiary, the buyers essentially re...
02 Aug 09:48

Japan's Suntory to conduct important space whisky research

by Steve Dent
We have a strong whisky bias, so when Suntory revealed that it would be sending products into orbit, we had to know more. The company will fire six samples of its beverages to the International Space Station (ISS), including its Yamazaki Single Mal...
02 Aug 09:48

Marine Corps finally declares the F-35B ready for combat

by Andrew Tarantola
After years of testing and development, production setbacks and cost overruns and more than half a trillion dollars invested, the F-35B fighter jet has finally passed its biggest milestone to date: it's achieved initial operational capability (IOC)...
02 Aug 09:47

Surgeons practice on 3D-printed models for kids' operations

by Mariella Moon
Surgeons at Boston Children's Hospital started using 3D-printed copies of patients' affected body parts to prepare for procedures last year. Now, that move has helped save the lives of four children aged two months to 16 years old who suffered from...
02 Aug 05:35

Annihilator - Release First Video From New Album

by BloodTears
As they gear up to release their new and 15th album, <i>Suicide Society</i>, Canadian thrashers <a href=/bands/band.php?band_id=33&bandname=Annihilator>Annihilator</a> have now debuted the first video and song from the upcoming release. More specifically, they have shared the album's title track. <a href="/events/news_comments.php?news_id=26672">As previously announced</a>, Jeff Waters is also back commanding lead vocal duties as you can hear on this track. Enter <a href=/bands/band.php?band_id=33&bandname=Annihilator>Annihilator</a>'s "Suicide Society" below. Have fun! <a href="/events/news_comments.php?news_id=27159>Read more...</a>
02 Aug 05:35

Alestorm - Share New Video Clip

by BloodTears
Given that it has been a year since their latest album, <i>Sunset On The Golden Age</i>, came out, <a href=/bands/band.php?band_id=2786&bandname=Alestorm>Alestorm</a> have decided to celebrate that by releasing a music video for one of their favourite tracks from the album, "Magnetic North". The video is a bit silly and filled with pirate mayhem but entertaining. You can now watch it here if you dare. <a href="/events/news_comments.php?news_id=27161>Read more...</a>
01 Aug 06:25

Trivium - Announce New Album, Release New Video

by Kais
Orlando-based <a href=/bands/band.php?band_id=1531&bandname=Trivium>Trivium</a> have just announced their upcoming new full-length album, <i>Silence In The Snow</i>, and with it, they released a music video for its title track, that can be watched below. The album is set to be released on October 2nd, 2015 via Roadrunner Records, their long lasting label. <a href="/events/news_comments.php?news_id=27144>Read more...</a>
31 Jul 15:00

'Mr. Robot' creator on the evils of Facebook and hackers in Hollywood

by Devindra Hardawar
You'd be forgiven for being skeptical about Mr. Robot, USA's new hacker thriller starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater. In general, movies and TV shows haven't done a great job of portraying hackers, and really, technology of any sort. Even the ki...
31 Jul 14:35

Netflix to bring three Star Wars TV shows to the little big screen

by Dave James
Netflix to bring three Star Wars TV shows to the little big screen

So Amazon Prime might have been all smug about the fact it poached the much-maligned fading lights of BBC's Top Gear show, but in this game of streaming Top Trumps Netflix seems like it's got the ace card: Star Wars.

According to rumours from Cinelinx Netflix is set to work with Disney to create three new live-action Star Wars TV shows.

And we thought our Lucasfilm excitement couldn't get any more powerful…

Disney already has a deal in place with Netflix to create Marvel-based shows, such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron-Fist and Luke Cage - with more on the way - so Netflix seems like an ideal home for Star Wars. After all, the final series of The Clone Wars cartoon was distributed exclusively on Netflix too.

And with the amount of money Netflix is ploughing into its homebrew TV offerings we shouldn't be looking at low-budget offerings either.

Scene-stealing

In fact reports are that filming of the TV series is being scheduled to fit between work on the various movies so that they can share the same sets. Thank JJ that they've decided to eschew Lucas' obsession with CGI in favour of actual physical things…

There has been no official confirmation though as yet, and the rumours don't seem to have any clue as to who, what or when the different TV series will cover or when they might go live.

With Rogue One covering the Rebels' troops and the second of the Star Wars Anthology movies covering young Han Solo and potentially Boba Fett too, what's left for the TV series?

We're desperate to find out what the hell happened to Ashoka, and maybe see a little more about the seedy underbelly of Coruscant's lower levels too.

Though with three new movies, three anthology flicks and potentially three live-action TV series, is that going to be too much of a good thing?

Familiarity breeds contempt and all that...

via Cinelinx










30 Jul 11:49

Microsoft makes Windows 10 version of Solitaire a freemium game

by Daniel Perez
Roumen.ganeff

Solitaire freemium .. what is this madness

Microsoft has released Windows 10 today, and with its release, we’re slowly learning about everything the new OS has to offer. While there are a number of great features included, we’re surprised to see a new version of Windows’ iconic Solitaire made its way to Windows 10. What’s more surprising is it appears Solitaire has been turned into a freemium game.

As you can see from the image above, Microsoft offers a premium for its Solitaire game. The premium, which can be purchased in 1-month and 1-year bundles, allows players to play Solitaire with no advertisements, gain more coins when completing Daily Challenges, and get a boost for each game of TriPeaks and Pyramid played.

Solitaire has been a staple of the Windows experience for as long as we can remember. Turning it into a freemium game seems like an underhanded way for Microsoft to make a quick buck on such a simple game. If you’re a fan of Solitaire, you might want to consider purchasing a pack of physical cards and play the game offline. At least you can do something else besides play Solitaire with your deck of cards, like perform magic tricks, build a house of cards, or play 52 card pickup.

[via Reddit]

30 Jul 11:42

Ultimate Scalextric track up for auction

by Staff Writer

File under: Latest News

Ultimate Scalextric track up for auction Photo credit: Classic Car Auctions If you yearned for longer and longer Scalextric sets as a child, you'll want to head to the Carfest South Classic Car Auction, as you can get your hands on the largest layout the slot car track experts have ever made. continue reading

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30 Jul 11:22

Amazon snaps up former 'Top Gear' trio for new motoring show

by Daniel Cooper
Amazon has announced that it's signed a deal with ousted Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond for a new motoring show. The stars of the popular BBC franchise left the program earlier this year when Clarkson was fired as ...
30 Jul 09:36

Jessica Jones Will Feel Very Different From Daredevil

by Matt Fowler

During a Netflix Showrunners panel yesterday at the TCA Press Tour, Marvel's Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg discussed how her upcoming Netflix MCU series - which has now been confirmed to premiere in 2015 - will differ from Marvel's Daredevil.

"Jessica Jones is a very different show than Daredevil," Rosenberg stated. "We exist in the cinematic universe. The mythology of the universe is connected, but

very different. Tonally, they're very different. If you pick up

 Bendis' graphic novel, Alias, and you pick up Daredevil, they're wildly different. And the shows ‑‑ that was my one concern coming in. 'Okay. Am I going to have to fit into whatever has been done with Daredevil or with any of the Marvel things before? The answer was, 'No. That's why we're hiring you, for your point of view.'"

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30 Jul 09:35

Tom Cruise Says M:I-6 Shoots Next Year

by Nathan Lawrence

The fuse has been lit on another Mission: Impossible movie, according to star Tom Cruise.

During his appearance on the The Daily Show, the Mission: Impossible actor-producer claimed the six entry in the franchise could shoot as soon as this time next year.

"We're starting to work on it now. We'll probably start shooting it next summer," said Cruise.

If Cruise is correct, this would suggest Paramount Pictures has already green-lit a sequel before the success of Rogue Nation has been proven at the box office.

It would also be a departure from the lengthy gaps between sequels that has been common with every Mission: Impossible movie from M:I-2 onwards.

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30 Jul 09:30

Most 2016 Volkswagen cars can avoid crashes and talk to your phone

by Jon Fingas
You normally have to spring for higher-end cars to get semi-autonomous features that could save your hide, but Volkswagen is aiming to make them relatively commonplace. The automaker has started shipping its 2016 model line, and most of it will at le...
30 Jul 09:29

Hackers can crack the self-aiming rifle to change its target

by Andrew Tarantola
TrackingPoint's computer-augmented rifle sights, better known as the ShotView targeting system, have set off a wave of controversy and debate since they first debuted in 2014. That debate is about to get even hotter now that security researchers Runa...
30 Jul 09:29

Canon's new $30,000 video camera can see where you can't

by Edgar Alvarez
Canon is already competing with the Arri Alexa and Red cameras of the world, but it's about to take this one step further. Meet the ME20F-SH, a high-end video shooter that features a sleek, subtle and somewhat compact design. Most importantly, Canon'...
29 Jul 12:41

Video: Glasgow driver takes 17 minutes to reverse park

by Christofer Lloyd

File under: Latest News

Video: Glasgow driver takes 17 minutes to reverse park Photo credit: YouTube / Glasgow Steph Many drivers have trouble reverse parking, but this new motorist has more trouble than most, needing 17 minutes to get into a space earlier this month. continue reading

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29 Jul 12:25

Netflix set to create two new Marvel TV series every year

by Dave James
Netflix set to create two new Marvel TV series every year

With the success of its Daredevil TV series Netflix has announced plans to put out a new Marvel show every six months, pulling inspiration from The Defenders group of heroes.

Speaking at the Television Critics Association Ted Sarandos, Netflix CCO, explained that it was the company's plan to continue producing a new shows from The Defenders pool of characters. The final end goal is for them to all finally assemble (wink) for an ensemble series featuring them all.

"Some will selectively have multiple seasons as they come out of the gate," said Sarandos. "So there will probably be two launches a year."

The Defenders suits this approach perfectly, the comic-book group is referred to as a 'non-team' because of the individualistic nature of its ever-changing protagonists. So building up the individual characters via their own shows or miniseries before throwing them all together makes perfect sense.

To hit its two per year goal shouldn't be hard as The Defenders has had a bunch of different members since Dr. Strange, the Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner set it up. There's a host of possible crossovers too, with the Guardians of the Galaxy having time-travelled their way onto the roster at one point and even Howard the Duck and Spiderman made their own appearances too.

Right now though Netflix has Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist in development to compliment the second season of Daredevil.

The Defenders

This huge commitment to creating its own Marvel series just shows how times have changed for the streaming giant. It also shows how big a player it has become in the TV market.

Following on from Sarandos' 2013 claims of a goal to "become HBO faster than HBO can become us" it is close to delivering on that promise. The Vulture has plotted the homegrown content of both companies showing that Netflix's 36 shows in in production or on-screen in 2015 outstrips HBO's 23 count of its own content.

Considering last year Netflix's homegrown shows only numbered 11 that's huge growth.

HBO though is very much still HBO and with HBO Now it's created a US-only Netflix-a-like service too. And profit-wise there is no comparison - HBO is still reportedly ten times more profitable.

But then you've got to spend money to make money....

Who would you like to see Netflix creating their own series? I'm holding out it paying Cage to chew some more scenery as Ghost Rider.