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07 Jul 11:45

Jerry Weintraub 1937-2015

Jerry Weintraub 1937-2015

Legendary producer was 77

Jerry-Weintraub-obit

Ocean’s Eleven producer Jerry Weintraub, a man almost as well known for his sense of showmanship in life as the movies he made, has died at the age of 77.

Born in Brooklyn in 1937, Weintraub was raised in the Bronx and obsessed with cinema. In his teenage years, he’d sneaked in to the local Lowes Paradise Theater so often that the manager offered him a job as an usher. He ditched high school at 17 for the Air Force and then used the G.I. Bill to fund his education at Sanford Meisner’s Neighbourhood Playhouse. He took a somewhat traditional route into show business, working as a page at NBC and in the mailroom at the William Morris agency. But his restless spirit meant he sought out more, and became a personal manager to various clients on the club circuit and worked briefly for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1959.

His first big taste of success came in 1960 after founding Management III with Bernie Brillstein and Marty Kummer. After badgering Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker to let him promote one of the musician’s tours, the huge returns saw clients flock to him for promotional services, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and the Beach Boys.

After a fortuitous meeting with Robert Altman during a John Denver performance, Weintraub got into film, working on Nashville. His film career stretched across genres and styles of films, including Diner, the four original Karate Kid films (and the 2010 remake), The Firm, Vegas Vacation, Soldier, the Ocean’s Eleven films, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind and Oh, God!. On TV, he worked on innumerable live shows and special events, including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics broadcast. More recently, he produced HBO comedy The Brink and was part of the team for the new Westworld series on the channel.

He parlayed his success into charitable events, raising money for student scholarships and, along with his wife Jane Morgan, participating in the Variety Club Foundation and various medical charities. “In the coming days there will be tributes, about our friend Jerry Weintraub,” George Clooney, a frequent collaborator, said in a statement. “We’ll laugh at his great stories, and applaud his accomplishments. And in the years to come the stories and accomplishments will get better with age, just as Jerry would have wanted it. But not today. Today our friend died. To his family and friends, Amal and I send our love. And to those who didn’t know him we send our deepest sympathy. You would have loved him.”


06 Jul 21:33

Microsoft rebrands Xbox Music to Groove

by Tom Warren

Microsoft killed off the Xbox Music branding in its music and video apps for Windows 10, but today the company is rebranding the entire service to Groove. In a blog post detailing the changes, Microsoft's reasoning for the new name appears to be because "Groove describes what people feel and do with music." Groove will be largely the same as Xbox Music, but Microsoft is planning to update it regularly in the coming months. At launch, alongside Windows 10 later this month, the Groove app will work in both light and dark themes with features that are currently in the Windows 10 preview.

"Groove describes what people feel and do with music."

While there's no free streaming version of Groove, following the end of Microsoft's free music...

Continue reading…

06 Jul 19:21

35 New And Notable (And 1 WTF) Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (6/23/15 - 7/6/15)

by Michael Crider
multi-page article Page 1 Page 2

nexus2cee_gamethumbWelcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Featured App

King of Dragon Pass

Android Police coverage: [New Game] Highly-Regarded Interactive Storytelling Game 'King Of Dragon Pass' Hits Android Priced At $9.99

Today's app roundup is sponsored by the King of Dragon Pass from Herocraft.

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35 New And Notable (And 1 WTF) Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (6/23/15 - 7/6/15) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.



06 Jul 19:14

Microsoft Rolls Out The Latest Windows 10 Build To Its 5 Million Testers

by Alex Wilhelm
screenshot-7-1024x576 (1) Late last week, Microsoft kicked out another Windows 10 build, numbered 10162, to the ‘fast ring’ of its testing community. The larger Windows Insider program has two groups, fast and slow, allowing people to select how raw they want their code. The build was rolled out to the larger group of testers today, those in the slow ring. Given that Windows 10 is now just 23 days out… Read More
06 Jul 15:08

Dog with muzzle taped shut now posing with hot firefighters

by Andrea James
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Remember Caitlyn, the dog whose muzzle was damaged after being taped shut with electric tape for days? Well, she's doing much better and posing with sexy firefighters in a new fundraising calendar. Read the rest

06 Jul 15:07

The worst parallel parker in Scotland

by Rob Beschizza

Bo'Ness, West Lothian, Scotland. The driver of a yellow Fiat compact spots a perfect space to park up. And so the time-honored dance of the incompetent parallel parker begins. But, dear reader—wait for it.

PARK-IT

06 Jul 13:19

GoPro Reinvents Its Action Camera With The Hero4 Session

by Matt Burns
gopro4 The Hero4 Session is the smallest GoPro yet. It’s a one and a half inch cube and weighs just 2.6 ounces. That’s about half the weight of an iPhone 6. And users will not need to lug around different cases to use the camera. It’s waterproof. This is part of the company’s efforts to reduce the amount of stuff needed to use a GoPro camera. The smaller size comes with… Read More
06 Jul 11:30

Amazon says 20th birthday celebration will be bigger than Black Friday

by Rich McCormick

To celebrate its 20th birthday, Amazon is introducing Prime Day, a "global shopping event" that the retail giant says will offer more deals than Black Friday. The deals will become available at midnight ET on July 15th, but will only be available to Amazon Prime customers in the US, the UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, and Austria. Amazon says new deals will be introduced as fast as every ten minutes, and will come from every product category, from clothing to electronics.

The new promotion appears to be part of Amazon's ongoing attempt to drive regular shoppers toward Prime membership, having last month expanded its same-day rapid-delivery service Prime Now outside the US. According to Consumer Intelligence Research...

Continue reading…

06 Jul 11:30

Hacking Team, Which Sells Surveillance Tech To Governments, Exposed By Major Hack

by Jon Russell
hack One of the technology world’s most notorious providers of surveillance and intrusion software has found itself on the wrong end of an embarrassing hack. Read More
06 Jul 11:30

Instagram photos are now bigger — if you know where to look

by Vlad Savov

Just over a week ago, I wrote plaintively about Instagram's archaic 640 x 640 resolution and the need to move with the times and give users the ability to upload larger images. This past Friday, it appears, Instagram has started addressing that very issue, as photos sent to the popular image sharing app are now being stored in a higher 1080 x 1080 size.

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06 Jul 11:28

All 40 of the FBI & DHS's post-9/11 terror attack warnings fizzled

by Cory Doctorow


And yet, the press keeps on reporting these "reliable intelligence-based" reports of impending attacks on the "homeland" as though you should believe them. Read the rest

06 Jul 11:27

The Best App Uninstaller for Android

by Eric Ravenscraft

The Best App Uninstaller for Android

Installing apps is easy on Android. So easy that you can end up with a ton that you don’t need over time. Rather than tediously paging through every app to uninstall them one by one, we recommend Easy Uninstaller. This app allows you to uninstall several apps at once, sort them by size, and even clean up any junk files left behind.

Easy Uninstaller

Platform: Android
Price: Free
Download Page

Features

  • Batch uninstall several apps at once
  • Sort apps by storage space
  • Clean up leftover junk files
  • Track app usage to identify most and least-used apps
  • Track battery usage to identify biggest battery drains
  • Set reminders to clear out storage on regular basis or when storage gets too full

Where It Excels

Even without all the bells and whistles, Easy Uninstaller does its fundamental job well. You’re presented with a list of apps, as well as how much storage space they’re taking up on your phone. Simply check the boxes next to the apps that you want to uninstall and Easy Uninstaller will run through them, one by one. Due to the way Android handles app uninstallations, you’ll still need to confirm each one individually, but the process is much quicker than going through the usual Settings app. Easy Uninstaller will even keep a history of the apps that you uninstall if you want to find them again.

The extras make it stand out, however. You can set the app to remind you on a regular basis, such as every week or month, to clear out unused apps. Alternatively, you can get a reminder when your free storage space drops below a certain percent of your total storage. You can also use the built in tracker to find out which apps use up your battery, or which apps you use often enough to keep.

Where It Falls Short

While the battery and usage trackers are handy, they can themselves be a battery drain. While this might be useful occasionally, chances are you already know which apps you use regularly. Android also has its own battery usage tracker, so this feature is a little redundant. It also can’t uninstall or disable any system-level apps that come preinstalled on your device. You can disable them through the Settings app, but it’s still the normal hassle.

The Competition

While Easy Uninstaller is more than serviceable for the non-rooted crowd, if you’re a root user, Titanium Backup is handy to have around if you have root access. In addition to the usual backup features, it can also uninstall system-level apps if you want to get rid of any carrier-branded junk or bloatware.

Outside of root apps, most of the competition around app uninstallers is less about doing batch uninstalls better, and more about which app has the least junk. For example, Easy Uninstaller advertises a “virus scanner” which you probably don’t need, though the other extras it has still push it to our top pick. On the other hand, Uninstaller can also batch uninstall apps without any extra frills and also doesn’t pack any extra crap features or “offers.” System App Remover similarly can uninstall system apps, though if you’re using Titanium Backup, it’s a bit redundant.

05 Jul 21:20

International Space Station resupplied for the first time in months

by Dante D'Orazio

The International Space Station has just received its first new supplies since April 14th. The Progress 60 Russian cargo ship docked with ISS early this morning, at 3:11AM ET according to NASA, bringing with it over three tons of cargo. That includes "1,940 pounds of propellant, 106 pounds of oxygen, 926 pounds of water, and 3,133 pounds of spare parts, supplies and experiment hardware."

The spacecraft launched atop a Soyuz rocket during the early morning hours of July 2nd. There was a bit of tension around the normally-uneventful, unmanned resupply mission because the two prior attempts to supply ISS failed. Last week, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket exploded just minutes after takeoff, disintegrating the over 5,000 pounds of supplies onboard...

Continue reading…

05 Jul 21:19

Puppy vs Air Conditioning

by Rob Beschizza

WhAIRrgarbl [via. Previously.] wairgarblr

05 Jul 16:25

Latest Ant-Man Trailer Jumps Online

Latest Ant-Man Trailer Jumps Online

''We should call the Avengers...''

The buzz around Marvel’s latest has taken a turn for the positive of late and, as Ant-Man prepares to arrive in cinemas, the latest trailer has gone online. This is your chance to become the viewer... 

Michael Douglas’s scientist Hank Pym is the inventor of the suit that lets Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) shrink to insect size and run around a lot. Pym is the man who discovered the particles that let him miniaturize objects and people. He recruits Scott for a heroic heist that will let them both save not their own world, but everyone else’s. And for Scott, whose criminal record is lengthening, it’s a chance for him to be the hero his daughter sees. 

They’ll have to deal with Corey Stoll’s Darren Cross, who has his own plans for the tech with his more nefarious alter ego Yellowjacket. Also along for the ride are Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Abby Ryder Fortson, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, Gregg Turkington, T.I., and John Slattery, who returns as Howard Stark in flashbacks.

Ant-Man will be out here and in the US on July 17. 










05 Jul 08:22

Time to stare at a live feed of this underwater garden

by Russell Brandom

Holidays can be exhausting, but it's nothing an underwater garden can't solve. This is Nemo's Garden, an underwater greenhouse anchored off Italy's Ligurian coast, recently detailed in The Washington Post. Stationed 20 feet underwater, Nemo's garden is able to take advantage of high humidity, even temperatures and exceptionally high CO2 concentrations to grow herbs and fruits significantly faster than you could on land. Luckily for us, they've also set up a public livestream, in case you'd like to spend a few minutes losing yourself in the paradise of aquatic agriculture.

Continue reading…

04 Jul 10:17

Star Trek paperclips

by Cory Doctorow


$20 gets you 40 clips, half in the shape of the Starfeelt insignia, the other half shaped like the Enterprise.

04 Jul 10:12

Why we're still talking about Terminator and the Matrix

by Cory Doctorow


My July 2015 Locus column, Skynet Ascendant, suggests that the enduring popularity of images of homicidal, humanity-hating AIs has more to do with our present-day politics than computer science. Read the rest

03 Jul 22:15

Streaks Is a Simple Habit Tracker and Daily Reminder for Android

by Mihir Patkar

Streaks Is a Simple Habit Tracker and Daily Reminder for Android

Android: Habits are difficult to adopt, so it’s important not to overload this hard process with a complex app. Technology needs to get out of the way. That’s what Streaks does.

Streaks is as simple as a habit tracking app can get. It works on the “Don’t Break The Chain” productivity method. Add a task and the app will ask you every day if you completed the task or not. The free version has a limit of five tasks, while you can unlock unlimited tasks for $2.

Users can also add a daily reminder for each task, which will show up as a notification. Initially, this feature is a little difficult to get used to. You get the reminder to perform the task, but Streaks also prompts you to say whether you completed it or not. A good idea is to set the reminder for 10 minutes after you will regularly begin the task. If you’ve already started, there’s a good chance you will finish it and so you can mark it as “completed”.

Streaks is Android-only. If you’re looking for a Web or iOS app, Chains.CC is a gorgeous habit tracker for those platforms.

Streaks (Free) | Google Play Store

03 Jul 22:14

EFF's new certificate authority publishes an all-zero, pre-release transparency report

by Cory Doctorow


EFF, Mozilla and pals are launching Let's Encrypt, an all-free certificate authority, in September -- but they've released a transparency report months in advance. Read the rest

03 Jul 19:57

PicoBrew’s Zymatic Beer Making Machine Made A Brewer Out Of A Noob Like Me

by Jay Donovan
Zymatic by PicoBrew PicoBrew is a beer-centered startup in Seattle, founded by brothers Bill and Jim Mitchell and Avi Geiger. The machine at the heart of their operation is The Zymatic—an apparatus that simplifies beer-making by reducing the need to monitor the cooking process of creating Wort (unfermented beer). Did their device turn a beer drinker like me, with zero brewing experience, into a beer maker? Read More
03 Jul 19:52

FBI Wants Pirate Bay Logs to Expose Copyright Trolls

by Ernesto

pirate bayOver the past few years copyright troll law firm Prenda crossed the line on several occasions.

Most controversial was the clear evidence that Prenda uploaded their own torrents to The Pirate Bay, creating a honeypot for the people they later sued over pirated downloads.

The crucial evidence to back up this allegation came from The Pirate Bay, who shared upload logs with TorrentFreak that tied a user account and uploads to Prenda and its boss John Steele.

This serious allegation together with other violations piqued the interest of the FBI. For a long time there have been suspicions that the authorities are investigating the Prenda operation and today we can confirm that this is indeed the case.

The confirmation comes from Pirate Bay co-founders Peter Sunde and Fredrik Neij, who independently informed TF that they were questioned about Prenda during their stays in prison.

“I was told that Prenda Law has been under investigation for over a year, and from the printouts they showed me, I believe that,” Sunde tells TF.

Sunde was visited by Swedish police officers who identified themselves, noting that they were sent on behalf of the FBI. The officers mainly asked questions about Pirate Bay backups and logs.

“They asked many questions about the TPB backups and logs. I told them that even if they have one of the backups that it would be nearly impossible to decrypt,” Sunde says, adding that he couldn’t help them as he’s no longer associated with the site.

A short while after Sunde was questioned in prison the same happened to Neij. Again, the officers said they were gathering information about Pirate Bay’s logs on behalf of the FBI.

“They wanted to know if I could verify the accuracy of the IP-address logs, how they were stored, and how they could be retrieved,” Neij says.

The FBI’s interest in the logs was directly linked to the article we wrote on the Prenda honeypot in 2013. While it confirms that the feds are looking into Prenda, the FBI has not announced anything in public yet.

Both co-founders couldn’t help the FBI as they are no longer running the site, but perhaps they had more luck elsewhere. TF contacted the Swedish police a while ago asking for further details, but received no response.

It’s worth noting that the police officers also asked questions about the current state of The Pirate Bay and who’s running the site. With the recent raid in mind, it’s not unthinkable they may also have had an alternative motive.

In any case, today’s revelations show that Prenda is in serious trouble. The same copyright trolls who abused The Pirate Bay to trap pirates, may also face their demise thanks to the very same site.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and the best VPN services.

03 Jul 15:17

Leaked render shows off the Android powered BlackBerry Venice

by Jared DiPane

A leaked render of BlackBerry's upcoming "Venice" slider phone shows the device running Lollipop, instead of BlackBerry's own BlackBerry 10 OS. There have been rumors that BlackBerry was working on an Android powered device, but until now we had no idea just how that would look.

03 Jul 14:15

Google's Homescreen Search Bar Displays Sample 'OK Google' Commands For Some Users

by Bertel King, Jr.

Google

Over the past few weeks and months, it seems Google has been testing out a minor tweak to the search bar that appears on the home screen above your apps. Instead of simply showing Say "OK Google," some of our readers are seeing search recommendations such as "OK Google 15% of 80" and "OK Google... Movies nearby."

Google1 Google2

The former shows that you can use Google to do math. The latter nudges people to use Search to find what movie theaters are currently playing nearby.

Read More

Google's Homescreen Search Bar Displays Sample 'OK Google' Commands For Some Users was written by the awesome team at Android Police.



03 Jul 14:12

Flashmob choir interrupts TTIP congress

by Cory Doctorow

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a secret EU/US trade agreement that "puts the right to profit above all other rights," in the words of one MEP. Read the rest

03 Jul 14:07

WATCH: Bricklaying robot ushers in semi-automated masonry

by Andrea James
Construction Robotics developed this bricklaying robot SAM (Semi-Automated Mason) after addressing two key challenges: mortar application and onsite variables that can hinder precision. Read the rest
03 Jul 14:07

Woman posts others' judgments on her appearance with and without make-up

by Heather Johanssen

The title is You Look Disgusting, but don't worry, they get to "Slut" and "False Advertising" when the make-up goes on.

02 Jul 19:43

Bubble Wrap is dead, long live Bubble Wrap

by Sean O'Kane

Yesterday we learned some horrible news: Sealed Air, the company that makes Bubble Wrap, is rolling out a new version that doesn't pop.

The reasoning behind this choice is sound. The version of Bubble Wrap we all know and love takes up a lot of space, and therefore is expensive for the company to ship. That also means they must use more trucks, which in turn produces more emissions.

The new version — called iBubble — basically arrives deflated, and customers doing the packing inflate it on-site. The bubbles are no longer individual, and instead each row of them is actually one long, connected chamber of air. It won't completely replace the OG Bubble Wrap but it's plain to see that having a more cost-effective option means the poppable...

Continue reading…

02 Jul 19:31

Major civil forfeiture reforms just took effect in Montana and New Mexico

by Mark Frauenfelder

"Yesterday, two landmark reforms took effect in Montana and New Mexico," says Nick Sibilla. "Both states now require a criminal conviction for civil forfeiture, while New Mexico went even further and banned the practice outright." Read the rest

02 Jul 19:31

Brown fat therapy reverses Type I diabetes in mouse trial

by Cory Doctorow

A Vanderbilt University School of Medicine study published in Endocrinology and Metabolism found that mice with Type I diabetes that received brown fat transplants had their diabetes reversed 53% of the time. Read the rest