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 Yahoo-owned photo-sharing and storage site Flickr announced this morning the rollout of a new licensing program aimed at the service’s members who are looking to have their work discovered, featured on prominent news sites, including Yahoo’s own properties, as well as generate additional income through commercial licensing. Some photographers may receive a message from… Read More

Why you should really take a nap this afternoon, according to science

For a year, City of London Police have been working with the music and movie industries on initiatives to cut down on the consumption of pirated content online.

Operation Creative employs a multi-pronged approach, seeking to educate consumers while making life difficult for sites that operate unlicensed services.

Many unauthorized sites generate revenue from advertising, so the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) informs potential advertisers on how to keep their promotions away, thus depriving sites of cash. Another key aim is to stop users from getting the impression that pirate sites have “big brand” support when household names are seen advertising.

Today, PIPCU officially announced the launch of another angle to their ad strategy. As reported by TF in April, police are now placing their own ads on pirate sites to warn users that the site they’re using has been reported.

“This new initiative is another step forward for the unit in tackling IP crime and disrupting criminal profits,” said Head of PIPCU, DCI Andy Fyfe.

“Copyright infringing websites are making huge sums of money though advert placement, therefore disrupting advertising on these sites is crucial and this is why it is an integral part of Operation Creative.”

Sample police ad

As shown below, the BBC has published a PIPCU-supplied screenshot of how the ads look on an unauthorized MP3 site known as Full-Albums.net.

In our tests we couldn’t replicate the banners, despite dozens of refreshes, so it’s possible the site took action to remove them. Needless to say, we did see other advertising, and very interesting it was too.

Ironically, by clicking album links on Full-Albums we were presented with ads from BearShare, a music service that struck deals with the RIAA in the last decade. As can be seen from the screenshot below, the service places the major labels’ logos prominently to attract customers, even when accessed from a UK IP address.

TF checked with the BPI on the licensing status of the service in the UK and will update this article when their statement arrives, but as can be seen from this quote from the BearShare site, they claim to be legal.

“Using BearShare is 100% legal. The service employs state of the art filtering technology, and is approved by the major record labels and RIAA. Downloading from BearShare is entirely legal, and will not get you in any kind of trouble whatsoever,” the service says.

If Bearshare is licensed, this raises the possibility that the labels are indirectly financing ads on pirate sites themselves, something they’ll want to quickly remedy.

Ads on other sites

PIPCU, who have partnered with content verification technology provider ‘Project Sunblock’ to place the warning ads, say their banners are “now replacing a wide range of legitimate brand adverts on infringing websites.”

So, determined to find examples of the police advertising, we began moving through sites with the most copyright complaints as per Google’s Transparency Report.

Unfortunately we were unable to view a single PIPCU banner. However, as shown in the screenshot below, we did get some interesting results on MP3Juices, a site for which the BPI has sent 1,206,000+ takedowns to Google.

Skybet is not only a subsidiary of broadcasting giant BSkyB, but the company is also a leading member of the Federation Against Copyright Theft. In turn, FACT is a key Operation Creative partner. While Sky Bet wasn’t the only gambling advertiser on the site, this ad placement means that BSkyB are currently helping to finance the very sites that PIPCU are trying to close down.

There’s absolutely no suggestion that Sky or the major labels via Bearshare are deliberately trying to finance pirate sites, but the above examples show just how difficult it’s going to be to keep major brand’s advertising off these sites, even when they are acutely aware of the problems.

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

Welcome 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.

Featured App

ZeoSpace

Android Police coverage: Looking For A Quick And Easy Way To Share Files?

35 Best New Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (7/16/14 - 7/28/14) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

A Windows Phone version of the HTC One has been a long-standing rumor, but it now appears the handset might be close to launching imminently. The Verge revealed at the weekend that HTC is testing a Windows Phone version of the One M8, and WP Central now claims the device will launch on Verizon on August 21st. Labelled the “One (M8) for Windows,” HTC’s latest Windows Phone is expected to be a carbon copy of its Android handset, complete with BoomSound speakers and Duo cameras. HTC’s One M8 for Windows will likely ship with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 installed, alongside the Dot View case that uses the new smart cover support that Microsoft recently revealed to phone makers.

There’s no word on an exclusive for Verizon, but the US carrier...

Continue reading…

 Over the next few days, Facebook will stop allowing messaging in its main iPhone and Android apps, and force all their users around the world to download its standalone Messenger app. Facebook first started requiring users in Europe to use Messenger back in April, but after seeing “positive results” in terms of engagement, its rolling out the plan to the everyone. Facebook tells… Read More

Two and a half years ago, a Reddit user named frackyou decided to pull a prank on her teenage cousin, who had posted on Facebook that "he was bored" while offering up his phone number as a plea for entertainment. What proceeded is the stuff of internet trolling legend, with a series of texts purporting to be from an SMS service called "Cat Facts" that would deliver "fun daily facts about CATS!" every hour. Of course frackyou's cousin never signed up for such a thing; each text was being drummed up by frackyou, and the reactions and attempts to unsubscribe made for cringe-inducing entertainment.

Continue reading…

Every week we cover new Android apps with Fresh Meat on Wednesday, followed by Android Gaming on Thursday and Top 10 App Updates on Friday. When Monday rolls around, we look back to see which apps were the most appealing to our audience. Read on for the 5 most popular Android apps from last week. These apps are ones that are most likely new and haven’t appeared in the Top 5 list more than three times.

1. Ahagame

App info: This is a game resembling a box of sweets. You will get different flavours and user experience in each game. You can also try for free boosters by using a spinner or solving a riddle. The games can involve shooting with an object, solving a question or getting through a maze.

 

2. HTC Sense Input

App info: HTC Sense Input speeds up your typing and reduces accidental errors. It learns from your input and selections and offers you more precise word candidates. HTC Sense Input also supports the “trace” feature so you can type more efficiently with one hand.

 

3. Google Now Launcher

App info: Upgrade the launcher on your device to make Google Now one swipe away. From your primary home screen, swipe right to access Google Now cards that give you just the right information, at just the right time.

 

4. Magic 2015

App info: Experience the world’s best strategy game with Magic 2015—Duels of the Planeswalkers! Hunt bigger game in this all new adventure. Command powerful creatures and wield devastating spells to defeat your opponents in the most exciting Magic yet!

 

5. Normal

App info: Normal is an entirely new kind of earphone designed by you and personalized to the nooks and crannies of your ears. Download the app to capture your ears, customize your Normals, and place your order.

 

Note:  To ensure that all apps receive a fair chance to make the list, we will retire any app that has made the list for three consecutive weeks and will place it in our Android and Me App Hall of Fame. We will post this Hall of Fame list in a dedicated series. Any app with * next to the title indicates it will now be added to our Hall of Fame list and will no longer be listed in this article.

LG's current Android tablet strategy is a little baffling. They jumped back into Android tablets with the admirable G Pad 8.3 last year, a well-equipped device with a premium build and a premium price. Then they launched the G Pads 7, 8, and 10.1 this year... with the usual plastic bodies and specs well below the first one, aiming at the budget market. Now LG is shooting far above even the most expensive Samsung tablets with the Tab Book, a device that looks like a super-premium Windows machine that just happens to run Android instead.

LG Aims High With The Tab Book, An 11-Inch Tablet-Keyboard Combo Powered By An Intel Core i5 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

When researchers look at trauma, they don’t just look at the lives of those who experience traumatic events. Often, they turn their attention to offspring, because numerous studies, some conducted on the children of Holocaust survivors, have shown that parents can pass symptoms of trauma onto their kids. This is called "intergenerational trauma," and although it’s been described in academic literature, researchers still don’t fully understand how it occurs. One idea is that symptoms like anxiety and depression can be passed down through changes in gene expression in sperm. But what of specific fears, like a fear of dentists? How do they make their way into the psyche?

According to a new study, published today in Proceedings of the...

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36 Nature Photos That Prove Texas Is Not Just Tumbleweeds

Often "decluttering" comes with the connotation that the process will take all day (or days), and be mentally and physically exhausting. Apartment Therapy's Fay Wolf has three easy ways to declutter in just a couple of minutes: look over your towels, old sweaters and jackets, and books.

The video above tells the tale, and of the three we imagine most people will have a more difficult time parting with books than anything else. It makes sense that most of us have more towels and jackets or sweaters than we ever really wear, and it wouldn't take long at all to pile up a bunch that are either ratty and worn out, the wrong size, or just will never get used again. The same applies to books—of course you wouldn't want to get rid of any that you love, but if there are books you just don't enjoy anymore or don't resonate with you, your local library may be more than happy to take them off your hands, as would local charities. Pet shelters are always happy to get old towels as long as they're still in decent condition, and there are always people who could use a jacket or sweater when the cold sets in.

3 Very Effective Ways to Spend 10 Minutes | Apartment Therapy

Swatch is working on adding personal fitness tracking and other electronic functionality to its touch-based digital watches for 2015. It was previously rumored that the Swiss company would work with Apple to produce the iWatch, but Swatch CEO Nick Hayek denied these reports. Hayek has now shared with a Swiss newspaper that the company is working on adding fitness functions to its existing line of Swiss Touch watches.

The Swatch Touch line of watches will be adapted to better compete against watches available on the market today. The company has yet to bring a smartwatch to the market and it's interesting to see the CEO focus on adding more features but keeping everything simple and more 'watch-like'. "It will remain a watch, but will have all today's usual functions to monitor physical fitness."

Swatch still remains hesitant about smart wearables with interactive functionality, relying on third-party apps and services, but it's a strong step in the right direction to remain relevant. What are your thoughts on this move and would you be interesting in purchasing a new Swatch Touch with some fitness functionality?

Source: Reuters

Dear Lifehacker,
I scratched the screen of my last phone and I want to avoid that on my new one. I'm not a fan of plastic screen guards, but I have been hearing a lot about glass screen protectors. Are they better than plastic?

Thanks,
Screen Scratcher

Dear Scratcher,
Yup, you can get screen protectors made out of tempered glass. Like with any technology, they have their own pros and cons. Let's take a look at them:

The Differences Between Plastic and Glass

Price: Plastic screen protectors are much cheaper than tempered glass ones. Depending on the quality, you will pay anywhere between $1 for a pack of five to $10 for a single plastic protector. Glass protectors again start at around $2 for the cheapest variant and go up to $35. The price difference is because of the quality of the plastic or glass, and technologies applied to it like an oleophobic coating (which reduces fingerprints).

Toughness: Tempered glass is almost always sturdier than plastic at the same price. Plastic protectors—especially the cheap models—also get scratched easily, unlike glass ones. Glass protectors are generally around 0.3-0.5 mm in thickness; plastic is around 0.1mm.

Feel: Most smartphones today have Gorilla Glass or some other scratch-resistant screen. When you add a plastic protector, you can feel the difference when you use your phone; especially in terms of how smoothly your finger glides. Tempered glass protectors feel more like the original screen.

Look: Because of their thickness, glass protectors will bulge out a bit more than plastic. This is especially noticeable on devices like the iPhone 5 or the HTC One. The protector is slightly raised from the flush finish of the sides, which can be an aesthetic issue for some. On the iPhone, this also means your Home button is recessed more than you're used to. I know 0.5mm seems like a small number, but you can feel the difference.

Installation: If you've installed a plastic screen protector, you know how difficult the process is. There are different kinds of glass protectors (full-adhesive or bezel-adhesive), but generally, they are easier to install if you use a quality product. Of course, you'll still have to clean the screen first.

Do I Need a Protector on My Glass Screen?

Screen protectors aren't as necessary as they once were, but they can still be useful. Your Gorilla Glass screen can still get scratched with the sand in your pocket, and can crack if you drop your phone. The bad news is that tempered glass protectors are also fallible to the same issues, but it's far easier to replace the glass protector than your phone's screen itself. If you've had one too many scratches in the past, it's a good way to protect your phone and get that superior glass feel.

Which Glass Protector Should I Get?

I'm not a fan of the cheaper variants (read: $10 and lesser) of tempered glass protectors because of bad experiences with them, but there are lots of people who are happy with those. Apart from the installation, I've found two problems with these. First, the oleophobic coating and the quality of the glass is just not good enough. You will see fingerprints, and you'll be able to tell that it's not as good as your actual phone. To me, that defeats the purpose of a glass protector. Second, I have trouble with multi-touch input while gaming when more than two fingers are involved. This isn't a dealbreaker but it can be frustrating at times.

If you are buying a tempered glass screen protector, it makes sense to spend a little money and go for the slightly expensive ones. In no particular order, my recommendations would be the Zagg InvisibleShield, the Spigen Glas.t, or the Armorz Stealth Extreme R, based on several reviews around the web. Of these, the Spigen Glas.t offers a low-cost replacement policy for a year.

No matter what you buy, you have to be careful about one thing: Buy a protector made for your device. The "it looks the same" or "it kind of fits" ideas are a trap and you'll regret it. Those protectors will come loose eventually, or fit in a way where using them isn't comfortable.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

Have a question or suggestion for Ask Lifehacker? Send it to tips+asklh@lifehacker.com.

Photo by Spigen.

 London has had a dedicated contactless payment travelcard, called Oyster, for over a decade — offering a smarter alternative to paper ticketing that can hold a balance and cap daily and weekly travel costs. But change is coming. From September, London’s public transport network will be accepting contactless bank cards for payment, after conducting a trial with some 3,000… Read More

 Amazon has launched a new store for 3D-printed goods, which include items that can be customized to change their size, color, material and even aspects of their design. The store covers a range of types of products, including jewelry, electronics, toys and games, home decor and kitchen supplies, and items are supplied by a number of partners including Mixee, Scupteo and 3DLT. Amazon is… Read More

One of the biggest movies of next year will without a doubt be the return of Mad Max in Fury Road, and the film already started to wow audiences yesterday at Warner Bros.' big Comic-Con presentation. A first look at the film was show on stage, and now that trailer has been released online for the rest of the world to watch. It's an explosive look at the film in all the right ways, and it shows that series director George Miller, who's back on board for Fury Road, still knows exactly what fans want to see out of its apocalyptic world.

Continue reading…

Usenet has been around for decades, but it's still a great resource, one that offers speed and reliability that bittorrent can't match. Putting aside the whole "first rule of Usenet," this week we're looking at five of the best Usenet providers, based on your nominations.

Earlier in the week, we asked you for your favorite Usenet providers, and you weighed in with tons of great options. Before we begin though: Yes, yes, the "first rule." We discussed the futility of that—along with how to get started with Usenet in a previous guide, so we won't rehash it here. Everyone knows, it's not special knowledge and hasn't been for decades, let's move on. If you're thinking "why not use bittorrent," we have an explainer on that too. Finally, if you want to find great files and give back to the community, check out this thread on how to find Usenet files, it's full of useful tips.

Another thing we should mention is that four out of your top five are resellers from the same Tier 1 provider, which is great for availability and broad use, but means that while all of these are great for a primary account, if you're looking for a backup block account in case something you're looking for has been taken down or censored, you'll want a different provider. We'll get to that a little later. With that aside though, let's get to your top nominees, in no particular order:

Newshosting

Newshosting was a popular contender in the nominations round, and almost all of the conversation centered around their exceptional speed and throughput—even if your ISP isn't terribly Usenet friendly, many of you reported great speeds and maxing out all of your available connections when you used Newshosting. The company offers monthly access plans starting at $10/mo for 50Gb with rollover to following months, a $13/mo unlimited plan with up to 30 simultaneous connections, and a $16/mo unlimited plan with 60 connections and a free account at Easynews. That's possible because Newshosting is a Highwinds/UNS Holdings reseller (as is Easynews.) Newshosting offers SSL encryption on all of its connections, 2170 day file retention, and North American and European servers (although they're technically a US provider). Newshosting also talks the talk on privacy, and punishes false DMCA claims. You can read their privacy policy, TOS, and DMCA policies here.

Like we mentioned, the nominations thread was abuzz with praise for the fact that it's pretty easy to saturate those multiple connections when you start a download with Newshosting. Some of you mentioned their easy-to-use Usenet browser, which gives newbies a kind of webapp-style experience with Usenet, but others pointed out that it's great with tools we've mentioned before, like SabNZBd+. Almost every comment in the nominations thread was upbeat about the service, praising it for high completion rates, speedy downloads, great retention, and overall simplicity and ease of use. Read more in its nominations thread here.

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UsenetServer

UsenetServer earned points from many of you for its built-in search feature, which makes it easier to find what you're looking for without digging through specific groups. You can even use it to create NZBs. For its part, UsenetServer offers 2170 day retention, unlimited accounts starting at $15/mo with 10 simultaneous connections (and you can add 10 more for an extra $3), 99% completion, and boasts over 100,000 available groups. UsenetServer also boasts 24/7 customer support. They don't say too much in their privacy policy about what information they collect from your activitices, but they do reserve the right to turn it over to anyone asking in a legal context. Their DMCA policy is standard, and protects themselves but also notes that false claims could be subject to penalties. We should note that UsenetServer is a Highwinds/UNS Holdings reseller, like Newshosting, EasyNews, and NewsDemon, so if you're looking for a provider, choose one and make your backup block account a different service.

Those of you who praised UsenetServer in the call for contenders highlighted its great completion rates and its built-in search tool as your primary reasons for sticking with the service, and one of you even noted that you'd been a subscriber for over 10 years with no problems at all. We couldn't find the $10/mo plan mentioned in the nominations thread on their signup page, but we did see the $15/mo plan we mentioned above. You can read more in its nomination thread here.

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NewsDemon

NewsDemon refers to itself as America's #1 Usenet provider, and it was definitely a popular contender in the nominations thread. The service also offers block accounts where you pay for the amount of data you plan to use, as opposed to pay for unlimited data every month that you may or may not use. Block accounts start at a ridiculously low $2 for 10GB with 50 connections, goes up to $7 (recurring monthly) for a 200GB account with 50 connections. If you're in the mood for an unlimited account, you can get one with 50 SSL encrypted connections and unlimited online storage with NewsDemon for $12/mo. Add in another buck and make it $13/mo and you get access to a partner VPN provider ( SlickVPN) as well. NewsDemon boasts 2170 day retention, US and UK servers (although again they're technically a US provider), 24/7 live support, and the company is up front about protecting your anonymity and privacy. You can read their privacy policy, TOS, and DMCA policies to get a feel for their stance. As with many of the others in the roundup, NewsDemon is a Highwinds/UNS Holdings reseller, so keep that in mind if you already have a primary account, or if you're looking for a new one.

In the nominations thread, many of you praised NewsDemon's ability to saturate your available connections with great download speeds and rates, and also praised the service for offering a "vacation pause" service that lets you pause your monthly rebill if you know you won't use the service that month. Their extremely affordable prices make them a worthwhile contender, and the option to add a VPN for security and remote use is a nice bonus as well. You guys liked it so much you nominated it twice. You can read more in this nomination thread or this one here.

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Astraweb

Astraweb earned some sold praise in the nominations round even though their service is controversial to say the least. One of Astraweb's most notable features is that instead of paying a monthly fee for data you may or may not use, you can get kind of a "pay as you go" block accounts where you only pay for a set amount of data that you re-up when you've used it all up (starting at 25GB for $10, then 180Gb for $25, and up from there.). If you prefer regular unlimited subscriptions though (starting at $10/mo), you can certainly get those as well. Astraweb offers file retention up to 2169 days, boasts SSL encryption on all connections, 99% completion on hosted files, and supports up to 20 simultaneous connections. They also run their own servers, and they don't resell to third parties, unlike most other Usenet providers. Astraweb is notable because in a way they started the "Retention Wars," and were on the leading edge of the charge for providers to retain binaries for thousands of days at a time. Astraweb has servers in the US and the EU, although technically they're a US provider.

Those of you who nominated Astraweb in the call for contenders thread praised its "pay for data, not access" plans, and specifically highlighted the cost of those plans—their data costs are incredible, and most of you noted that the bang-for-the-buck proposition with Astraweb is difficult to match. Astraweb also does not keep download logs, doesn't censor their newsgroups, lets you post anonymously, and says all the right things about protecting your privacy. However, they auto-takedown anything they get a DMCA notice over, and they do so almost instantly. Whether the notice is legit or not, it can be difficult to find or complete file downloads with them from time to time, and that's worth considering if your need is primarily downloads. At least one of you had a rough time with their customer support too. You can read all about it in the nomination thread here.

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EasyNews

EasyNews' claim to fame is that you don't necessarily need a newsreader to use the service—your web browser will do if you prefer, or if you're looking to read articles and join discussions. If you need to download, you can, or you can use NNTP ( Network News Transfer Protocol) with all of the clients that support it (like you would with any of the other contenders here). They're probably one of the most universally popular Usenet providers, partially because they've been around for decades and are relatively well known. The rules and pricing vary depending on whether you use NNTP or the service's web interface. For example, the service boasts 2000 day retention and 60 SSL encrypted connections if you use NNTP to connect. If you use the web, retention varies depending on the plan you're signed up for. The plans themselves are a mixed bag, starting at $10/mo for 20GB of data via the web, and another $10 on top for unlimited NNTP access (and a 50% discount on your data if you use NNTP). They charge more for NNTP, but give you an overall bandwidth break if you use it. You can see the nitty gritty on their pricing page here. EasyNews is, like many of the others here, a Highwinds/UNS Holdings reseller.

The nomination thread for EasyNews was popular, but generated little discussion. We imagine it's their ease of use that's so attractive, and considering you get a free Easynews account with a service like Newshosting, their browser access is a nice feature for people who are more casual Usenet users and may not have huge download needs. However, the service isn't exactly a slouch for those people who do need to use a third party client to grab media when it's available. Read more in its nomination post.

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Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all-out vote to determine the winner:

This week's honorable mention goes to Thundernews and XLNed, both of which were just shy of the top five by only a couple of votes. Thundernews earned praise for 2169 day retention, full SSL connection encryption, European and US servers, and all the bells and whistles you would expect. They also happen to be a Highwinds/UNS holdings reseller. Check out their nomination post here.

XLNed on the other hand is a EuroAccess reseller, which makes them a great option for someone looking for a backup block account that's both in the EU and not subject to swarming DMCA takedown requests, and an alternative to the Highwinds/UNS Holdings near-monopoly on Tier 1 Usenet providers here in the US. Their retention rates aren't as long, and you'll need to do some currency conversion on their prices, but they're worth a look. Check out their nomination post here.

Surprisingly, Giganews didn't make a terribly strong showing in the nominations round, although it did turn up shy of the honorable mentions. We figured we'd mention it down here because they're incredibly popular (just not with you guys!), have their own VPN service in the form of VyprVPN/Golden Frog, have developed their own cross-platform Usenet browser and search tool (MIMO) to make finding discussions and files easy, have their own online storage, and perhaps most importantly, they're a Tier 1 Usenet provider themselves. They have a few resellers, but they're one of the big root sources themselves. The only big drawback that many of you mentioned was that they're pretty pricey compared to most other providers. Read more in their nomination thread here.

These were just the tip of the iceberg, and there were plenty of other nominees that we think would be worth mentioning, but we just don't have room for them all. One thing we should note though is that if you're looking for a backup block account to fill in your incompletes or someone who isn't associated with the big US Tier 1 providers, this list from /r/Usenet and this table of resellers from Usenet-Providers will both steer you in the right direction to diversify your accounts and services.

Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread earlier in the week. Don't just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is—and make your case for it—in the discussions below.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!

Marvel is the biggest name in superheroes when it comes to the movies, so DC is now making a big effort to take over a screen of its own: the TV. Gotham, which premieres on September 22nd, will be one of DC's highest-profile attempts to bring its comic-book worlds to television. The show is a crime drama that tells the origins of Batman, though Batman himself won't actually turn up in the series. Instead, it'll follow a young Commissioner Gordon — then just a detective — and it'll have him occasionally crossing paths with an even younger Bruce Wayne, who's dealing with the murder of his parents.

A new trailer released today gives the best look yet at what that struggle will be like for young Bruce, and also gives a good look at the...

Continue reading…

James Gunn & co back in July 2017

It was hardly a big surprise given word this weekend and the positive buzz on the first film as it prepares to launch in cinemas. But James Gunn and Chris Pratt appeared on screen at Hall H at the end of this year’s Marvel panel to announce that, yes, Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 will be out on July 28, 2017.

Clearly, Kevin Feige and the rest of the Marvel brass have faith in Gunn’s vision for the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nothing of substance was detailed, but then that might be because Gunn has only just finished the first film, has been on a whirlwind tour promoting the movie around the world and deserves a well-earned rest before throwing himself back into the Marvel maelstrom.

The main Guardians cast – Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel – is expected to return the sequel, and you can start to wonder which villains the bunch of a-holes might have to take on this time.

The first film, meanwhile, arrives in the UK on July 31.

Shared on reddit/awwww by kilonad. "Asian small-claw otters cuddling at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington."

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/25/agents-of-shield-season-2-patton-oswalt/

This just played at the Marvel TV panel in Ballroom 20. There's some interesting character news to be had. And watch the Season 1 gag reel as well.

When you're trying to be a careful shopper, comparing two similar products is a given. Sometimes, though, if you're having a tough time deciding which one you actually want, the best decision might be to just save your money.

One of the worst money habits you can have—and I'm definitely guilty of this—is impulse buying. You walk into a store filled with things you want and you suddenly decide to buy something that day. Trouble is, you don't know which one you want more. Nancy Mitchell at Apartment Therapy has a suggestion:

Can't decide which pair of sandals you like the best? Try on the idea of not buying anything at all. I've found that often, being completely unable to chose between two things means I don't really feel strongly about either of them.

If you're not capable of picking which one you want more, you probably don't actually want it enough to warrant the purchase. In that situation, you're better off keeping your hard earned money in your pocket.

How to Cut Down on Impulse Purchase, Save Money, and Buy Things You Really Like | Apartment Therapy

Photo by iamtheo.

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series could be coming to TV. In a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic Con, Raimi announced that he and his brother Ivan are writing a show based on the franchise, and that it will star Bruce Campbell. We know pretty much nothing else, but it's extremely exciting news. In addition to the original trilogy of films, a remake of The Evil Dead was released in 2013, but it wasn't directed by Raimi and didn't star Bruce Campbell.

We also got some news about the film adaptation of 2013 game The Last of Us. Naughty Dog writer Neil Druckmann and producer Raimi revealed one potential casting choice: Maisie Williams, better known as Arya on Game of Thrones. Druckmann and Raimi stressed that they'd only met with Williams,...

Continue reading…

Update: The Android version of Shazam has now received this update as well. Here's the new changelog posted to the Play Store.

Shazam, the company whose app uses a phone or tablet's microphone to identify a song or TV show, has partnered with Rdio to offer users full in-app song playback.

[Update: It's Here] Shazam Will Now Stream Full Songs In-App Via Rdio, Android App Update Coming Soon was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

If you like to take advantage of free space for your files, you no doubt have several cloud storage accounts. MultCloud helps you access and search all of your files in one place so you don't need to sign into several accounts.

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Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on punishments for and remedies against online copyright infringement. One of the speakers was David Bitkower, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General, who laid out the wishes of the Obama administration.

After praising previous successes, such as the shutdown of Megaupload and the prosecution of several IMAGiNE members, Bitkower explained the evolving challenges copyright holders are dealing with.

From illegal piano rolls in the early 1900s to floppy disks a century later, new technologies have presented new threats, he argued. With the rise of broadband access this process has worsened and the most recent challenge is combating illegal streaming services.

“One new challenge confronting copyright owners and law enforcement authorities is the rise of Internet ‘streaming’ as the dominant means of disseminating many types of copyrighted content online. This activity also derives from advances in technology: in this case, the growth in availability of high-speed Internet to the average consumer,” Bitkower said.

The problem for the Department of Justice and copyright holders is that these services are harder to prosecute. Technically, streaming doesn’t count as distribution but as a public performance, which can only be charged as a misdemeanor.

The administration tried to remedy this in 2012, by implementing the SOPA and PIPA bills, but these were shelved after public outrage. Many people feared that uploading copyrighted YouTube videos could possibly land them in jail and took their concerns to the streets.

However, fast forward a few years and the same plan is back on the table.

“The Administration recommends that Congress amend the law to create a felony penalty for unauthorized Internet streaming. Specifically, we recommend the creation of legislation to establish a felony charge for infringement through unauthorized public performances conducted for commercial advantage or private financial gain,” Bitkower explained.

“It would emphasize the seriousness of the threat that unauthorized streaming poses to legitimate copyright holders, clarify the scope of conduct deemed to be illegal in order to deter potential infringers, and provide the Department with an important tool to prosecute and deter illicit Internet streaming.”

In addition to criminalizing illicit streaming, Bitkower also called for persistent funds to support its international operations. In recent years the DoJ has educated police forces abroad to deal with copyright infringement. This apparently includes training on very basic skills, such as how to connect to the Internet in the first place.

“The program has realized numerous successes, including a Ukrainian police officer who, after receiving training, was able to use a dial-up Internet connection from his home computer to bring down the largest illegal file sharing service in his country,” Bitkower said.

The international program helped to shut down Megaupload, but could also target The Pirate Bay through tools such as “diplomatic and trade-based pressure.” Worryingly, the United States has trouble getting the facts rights, as it believes that the political Pirate Party is connected to The Pirate Bay.

“In addition to the Mega Conspiracy described above, we have seen The Pirate Bay start as a file sharing site for unauthorized copies of works in Sweden, expand to other countries, and even develop its own political party in Europe,” Bitkower noted.

Mistakes aside, it’s clear that the Obama administration hasn’t lost its focus on copyright infringement.

All recommendations are aimed at more prosecutions, more international pressure and tougher punishments for pirates. Time will tell whether they can get Congress to agree this time around.

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