RICK REA: Helping You Grow Through Online Marketing
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Social Media News
    • SEO Marketing News
    • Digital Trends News
    • Photography News
    • Mobile Marketing
    • Business News
    • Gadget News
    • Printing News
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe

Digital Trends News

Tempow turns your dumb Bluetooth speakers into a connected sound system

4/30/2017

1 Comment

 
http://ift.tt/2oXsonR

Tempow turns your dumb Bluetooth speakers into a connected sound system

http://ift.tt/2qs1CnE

Meet Tempow, a French startup that can make your Bluetooth speakers more versatile. The company has been working on a new implementation of the Bluetooth protocol in order to let you play music from your phone on multiple speakers and headphones at once.

Bluetooth speakers have become a common gift and a hit item in consumer electronics stores. Most people now have multiple Bluetooth speakers and headphones at home. While it’s nice that you don’t have to use cables anymore, it can be quite frustrating that you can only play music on one device at a time.

Many manufacturers avoid this issue by relying on Wi-Fi and different protocols, such as Spotify Connect. This is also Sonos’ main selling point. But most speakers are still Bluetooth only.

Tempow is replacing the Bluetooth driver on your phone so that you can send music to multiple Bluetooth devices at once. It works with standard Bluetooth chipsets and all Bluetooth audio devices out there.

It only works on Android as it requires some low-level modifications. As a side note, Apple has developed its own Bluetooth chipset for the AirPods, and the company is probably going to reuse this proprietary chip in all its devices.

After pairing the Bluetooth devices with your phone, you can activate them one by one, enable stereo by differentiating left and right speakers and adjust the volume individually. In other words, it works pretty much like a Sonos system.

Tempow thinks its technology could be valuable for smartphone manufacturers. That’s why the company has been negotiating with them to license its technology.

Other chipset companies have been working on similar stuff. You may have seen that Samsung’s Galaxy S8 lets you play music on two Bluetooth devices at once. Samsung isn’t using Tempow’s technology.

So it clearly means that Tempow is onto something. Let’s see if the startup can sign deals with smartphone makers and ship its technology in the coming months. This could be a lucrative business model as I could see smartphone companies paying a tiny amount of money for each device they sell with Tempow.

The startup is also building a competent team when it comes to all things Bluetooth. As smartphones become the central element of your digital life, Bluetooth is going to be increasingly important in the coming years.





Digital Trends

via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com

April 29, 2017 at 08:18PM
1 Comment

Tech and politics clash in Cameroon as government restores internet

4/30/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2oXtfVp

Tech and politics clash in Cameroon as government restores internet

http://ift.tt/2pwAo28

The government of Cameroon ended its internet blackout of parts of the country last week, according to news reports and confirmation from the country’s Ambassador to the U.S.

The three month outage forced the hand of Africa’s largest telecom, halted operations of its leading e-commerce startup, and created digital refugees. The disruption also prompted a grassroots #BringBackOurInternet campaign that could serve as a global model for countering government internet meddling.

Cameroon’s outage started on January 17 when net access went dead nationally, and then in the North-West and South-West regions of the country, according to Dyn Research, and Internet Without Borders.

The affected areas―primarily English speaking―had been the center of protests over policies of the country’s 36 year incumbent president, Paul Biya, and linguistic disputes rooted in Cameroon’s colonial past.

The country adopted English and French as official languages upon independence in 1961. Discontent over marginalization of English speakers in the Anglophone regions erupted into protests and strikes in January.

“The internet and social media was key in mobilizing and organizing this movement,” said Cameroonian activist and 2011 presidential candidate Kah Walla. “I believe this prompted the government to shut down the net.”

According to Walla, the outage followed arrests of activists. “Everything was shut down across the entire country, then they put the internet back on in other parts of the country and left it off in the Northwest and Southwest,” she said. Cameroonians also reported a receiving a countrywide SMS from the Ministry of Posts and Communications warning citizens of imprisonment for spreading inaccurate information on social media.

Initially, Cameroon’s government did not issue any statement acknowledging the outage. But as Rebecca Enonchong, the CEO of Cameroonian firm AppsTech, pointed out, “letters surfaced from the government to the telcos requiring the shutdown.”

According to Enonchong, internet activity in the country is managed through the national telco, Camtel, which resells to all ISP’s and mobile providers―MTN and Vodaphone among them. A January 18 letter materialized from Camtel to the state telecommunications minister confirming suspension instructions had been delivered to the country’s internet operators.

Cameroon has a burgeoning IT scene and the outage impacted it immediately. The center for the country’s startup ecosystem―dubbed Silicon Mountain―lies in Buea, the capital of the South-West region impacted in the internet blackout. Cameroonian Rebecca Enonchong is also one of Africa’s more recognized techies. The CEO and Chair of Cameroon’s Active Spaces innovation hub is a global speaker and advisor on multiple facets of the continent’s technology sector.

Enonchong explained how Cameroon’s net outage forced digital dislocation and some unique measures to access email.

“It created internet refugees. ActiveSpaces was shutdown. There was no net and no ability for entrepreneurs to work out of the space,” she said. “People travelling to the connected areas started doing things like taking a whole bunch of email passwords or mobile phones from people in the no-internet zones, printing out or downloading emails, and then taking the papers and phones back to those without connectivity.”

Eventually, Enonchong and other tech leaders set up impromptu internet cafes. “At one point the travel had become so expensive that we rented small buildings right at the border between internet and no internet zones. We created internet refugee camps,” she said.

 

Local techies also coordinated a local and global response to the internet blackout. “Internet activists reacted very quickly. Rebecca coined the hashtag #BringBackOurInternet. Somebody came up with the visual, a public letter was drafted and signed by many different people and organizations asking that internet be restored,” said Walla.

“We set out to make as many people aware as possible of what was going on,” said Enonchong. The activists also “made sure the social media campaigns included the handles of Cameroon’s president, key political officials, and institutions,” said Walla.

#BringBackOurInternet attracted the attention and support of a number of individuals and organizations, becoming a Twitter cause célèbre. Edward Snowden chimed in several times with Twitter support. Global organizations such as the UN and Access Now intervened. Though the Vatican would not verify, one source (speaking on background) said presidential aides confirmed the Pope raised the internet shutdown during his March meeting with Biya.

The economic costs of Cameroon’s internet blackout also became apparent. In an email to TechCrunch, African e-commerce giant Jumia’s MD for Cameroon, Roland de Heere, said the internet outage led to an 18 percent decline in orders over the period. French telco Orange saw a 20 percent revenue drop in Cameroon. Access Now estimates the shutdown cost the country $4.5 million in economic activity.

There was also the international reputational risk. The Cameroonian government has taken to touting achievements of the country’s tech entrepreneurs.

“Ironically, senior officials were talking up Silicon Mountain at the same time the government had cut it off from the net,” said Enonchong. Cameroon’s Ministry of Telecoms announced several youth startup initiatives during the outage.  Global press reported that the first African winner of Google’s annual coding competition, Cameroonian teen Nji Collins Gbah, lived in a blacked out town.

On April 21, Cameroon’s government restored internet connectivity to the country’s Anglophone regions. A statement by the Minister of Communication included a caveat, that the government “reserved the right to restrict internet moving forward if citizens misused it.”

While Cameroon’s Minister of Economy and Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications did not respond to requests to speak for this story, the country’s Ambassador to the U.S. stated in a letter that “the conditions that led to the temporary suspension of Internet…have greatly improved. Therefore, Internet connectivity has been reinstated.”

As for lessons from Cameroon’s state forced internet blackout, “It’s a big mistake for governments in Africa or anywhere to underestimate the tech community,” said Enonchong. She also noted Cameroon’s digital debacle “politicized tech entrepreneurs who weren’t previously involved in politics” and sparked conversations between Cameroonian and global internet activists on best practices to overcome blackouts. This includes contingency plans―such as mesh networks―to bypass government network restrictions altogether, explained Enonchong.

Kah Walla underscored the effectiveness of local initiative paired to global support. “The victory is in the fact that Cameroonians came together, used social media, and used our internal pressure to bring the external pressure,” she said.

Walla also flagged Cameroon’s 2017 net blackout as an example of the complexity of contemporary tech and politics. “Internet is a basic right. Our government cut off access to that right and then used the internet to justify why,” she said. “But because some of us still had access, we were able to use the internet to bring back our internet.”





Digital Trends

via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com

April 29, 2017 at 07:30PM
0 Comments

In the 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special black is the new chrome

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2pi5lq8

In the 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special, black is the new chrome

http://ift.tt/2oWKRAW

Chrome used to rule in the big bore motorcycle world. The question wasn’t if you chose chrome for your big road bike, but how much chrome could you could afford when you bought your bike and how fast could you add more chrome. But now chrome’s long-standing reign has given way to performance black. And that’s a big deal with the 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special.

Black doesn’t connote power, performance, and attitude only with motorcycles. Performance cars, SUVs, trucks, boats, and even bicycles increasingly sport black trim.

And trim color isn’t the only thing that’s new with Harley’s Road King Special bagger. Other new and noteworthy parts on the 2017 checklist start with the brand new Milwaukee-Eight engine that’s on all 2017 Harley-Davidson touring bikes. You’ll also find new front and rear suspensions and a new 9-inch tall “mini-ape” handlebar. You can still buy a chrome-bedecked 2017 Road King, but the Special version is all about black.

So what’s black about it? The dark front end, gloss-black headlamp nacelle, gloss-back turbine cast-aluminum wheels, black handlebars and hand controls, and black mufflers and exhaust shields account for all of the black trim except for the engine.

The Road King Special’s engine guard, engine covers, and air cleaner cover are black, but there’s still some chrome. To contrast with the black covers, the lower rocker boxes, pushrod tubes, and tappet blocks are chrome finished to outline the V-twin shape.

The new suspension components include hand-adjustable rear shocks with more pre-load adjustment than earlier models. The front suspension is designed to enhance performance while cutting weight. The Road King Special also comes standard with ABS brakes and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System.

The new Milwaukee-Eight engine delivers faster throttle response, better passing power, a smoother ride, and what H-D describes as “purer sound.” The four-valve cylinder heads have 50 percent greater intake and exhaust flow capacity and a higher compression ratio.

Coupled with increased displacement and dual spark plugs for each cylinder, the new engine is 11 percent quicker from zero to 60, and from 60 to 80, and also produces 10 percent more torque. The company states that heat management is better with the new engine along with reduced vibration and improved charging to the battery by 50 percent at idle.

You can order a Road King special in Vivid Black, Charcoal Denim, Hot Road Red Flake Hard Candy Custom, and Olive Gold. Vivid Black is the standard color at the Road King Special’s $22,000 starting price. Charcoal Denim and Olive Gold each cost an additional $450 and the Red Flake paint job is a $2,400 option. We think Olive Gold contrasts best with the bike’s blacked-out look, which is probably why that’s the color Harley-Davidson uses on its product pages.

  • All dressed up and ready to ride: Touring motorcycles for long hauls in comfort
  • Harley-Davidson's new Street Rod makes no excuses for its urban readiness
  • Limited edition motorcycles halfway between imagination and reality




Digital Trends

via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/mG1NBn

April 29, 2017 at 02:10PM
0 Comments

Climate marches draw hundreds of thousands on Donald Trumps 100th day in office

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2oX2qka

Climate marches draw hundreds of thousands on Donald Trump’s 100th day in office

http://ift.tt/2qk4xja

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities around the country marking President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office with protests against his environmental policies.

In Washington, organizers of the climate march estimated some 200,000 people showed up to march, clogging  the streets and snarling traffic on a sweltering day where temperatures threatened to break records.

The marches occurred as a slew of executive orders and policy moves from the Trump Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (along with the proposed budget for the EPA) reveal a disregard for climate science (and science in general), while pursuing a pro-business agenda that even some conservative pundits say poses health hazards for the US.

In an editorial for The Atlantic (it’s worth reading the whole thing), Christine Todd Whitman, the EPA Secretary under President George W. Bush writes:

There are a number of health risks inherent to the proposed budget cuts, thanks in part to Trump’s promises to leave only “a little bit” of federal regulations. For example, the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention runs a program that screens and tests endocrine disruptors, which are harmful chemicals that pose a threat to reproductive health and children’s growth and development. Under the Trump budget, funding for this program would be cut from $7.5 million to $445,000—rendering the program inoperable and ineffective. Trump also wants to significantly cut the federal radon program to the tune of 80 percent. Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, is believed to cause lung cancer and is linked to 21,000 deaths annually. An estimated one in 15 homes has high levels of the gas, and this small program promotes radon testing in homes.

Perhaps the greatest threat the new budget poses is to several vital bodies of water.

Pollution poses an undeniable threat to public health, as the Supreme Court has validated. A 2013 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study reported that roughly 19,000 more people die prematurely from automobile pollution each year than die in car accidents. The same year, Harvard University researchers found that pregnant women living in areas with elevated levels of air pollution “were up to twice as likely” to have an autistic child, compared with women in low-pollution locations. And a new study released in January found that air pollution increases the risk and expedites the onset of dementia and other forms of cognitive decline.

Just yesterday the EPA removed pages related to climate change research from its website. In a statementexplaining the changes, the EPA said that the website was being updated to reflect “outdated language”.

Much of that “outdated language” reflects the consensus of what can best be described as a supermajority of scientists, according to a December 2016 study by an energy professor from the University of Houston.

Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania this evening, Trump said that there would be an announcement on the Administration’s continued participation in the Paris Accords in the next two weeks.

Rallies weren’t limited to Washington as thousands of protestors also marched in Boston;

 

Chicago;

and Seattle.

Featured Image: Garry Knight/Flickr UNDER A CC BY 2.0 LICENSE




Digital Trends

via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com

April 29, 2017 at 01:02PM
0 Comments

Only a superweapon can kill superbacteria and humanity finally found it

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2pK63y3

Only a superweapon can kill superbacteria, and humanity finally found it

http://ift.tt/2pJS0IK

In 1945, in New Mexico, the researchers of the Manhattan Project performed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon; it bathed the desert with light, and cast a pall over the world for decades after. In 2016, the Southwest saw another harbinger of destruction. As a 2017 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report explained, a woman died in a Nevada hospital after contracting an infection from carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). This “super bacteria” was resistant to all 26 antibiotics available in the United States.

Although the Nevada case may have been a wake-up call for some in the United States, for years now, researchers have been watching the crisis grow worldwide. In 2014, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the Assistant Director for Health Security at the World Health Organization (WHO), warned of the already present danger, saying “Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill.”

The CDC estimates that there are more than 23,000 deaths in the United States each year due to antibiotic resistant bacteria. India — where the Nevada woman was traveling when she sustained her fatal injury — has the highest rate of resistance to E. Coli in the world, according to the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy. In China, resistance to the drug colistin is spreading. This is particularly troubling, as colistin is already considered a last resort; it is an old drug which can cause kidney damage, and physicians only pulled it out of retirement because modern drugs have become steadily less effective.

Antibiotic resistance will continue to spread, and it represents one of the great health crises of our time. Thankfully, there are researchers working to stop it.

A genetic solution

“My belief is that bacteria will develop resistance to any one antibiotic or antimicrobial given enough time,” says Dr. Bruce Geller, a professor of microbiology at Oregon State University. “I think that because they’ve had a 4 billion year head start in the evolution of mechanisms to adapt to changing environments, they’re very, very good at getting around any antimicrobial they might encounter.”

For years, biologists like Geller have been playing a game of evolutionary whack-a-mole with bacteria. Although researchers are armed with the collective knowledge of the scientific community, bacteria have the cunning flexibility of nature. For every tool humans use against them, the bacteria develop a countermeasure. While antibiotics were a revolution in medicine, the moment we first employed them, bacteria began to reshape themselves.

Geller is exploring a unique approach; rather than developing yet another way to kill bacteria — on which they will eventually become resistant to — why not make them vulnerable to already existing antibiotics again?

To this end, Geller’s weapons of choice are peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers — PPMOs, for short. As you may have guessed from the outrageously long name, PPMOs are fairly complex; so to understand how they work, you first need to wrap your head around how antibiotics work, and how bacteria develop resistances to them. Here’s a quick rundown:

How bacteria and antibiotics function

Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms that come in a variety of shapes. Like other single-celled organisms, bacteria cells have a cell wall surrounding them; in bacteria specifically, these walls contain a substance called peptidoglycan, and this can be essential to the use of antibiotics.

An antibiotic is designed to destroy microorganisms like bacteria. For an antibiotic to work effectively, it must kill bacteria cells without destroying human cells, so biologists engineer antibiotics to target aspects unique to bacteria cells. For example, penicillin prevents the peptidoglycan in bacteria cells from linking, leaving the cell walls weak and prone to collapse. Another class of antibiotics – sulfonamides — inhibits the ability of cells to produce folic acid. This is fine for human cells, which can absorb folic acid from outside sources, but it means death for bacteria cells, which must produce folic acid on their own. A third type of antibiotic, tetracycline, inhibits protein synthesis in cells, but it does not accumulate in human cells enough to harm them.

However inventive antibiotics might be, bacteria always adapt. Some bacteria use protein structures called “efflux pumps” to push antibiotics out of their cells. Others can rearrange themselves, effectively hiding parts of the cell that are vulnerable to antibiotics. Still others produce enzymes — such as Geller’s target, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1) — that can neutralize the antibiotics.

The human gut alone holds more bacteria than there are cells in the human body.

As if the mercurial nature of bacteria were not frightening enough, researchers must contend with the fact that bacteria also have a useful, if unwitting, accomplice: Us. Resistance develops and spreads through natural, evolutionary processes, but human behavior gives it a helpful nudge.

How does resistance develop? Some bacteria cells develop random mutations that result in these resistance mechanisms. When a round of antibiotics kills a population of bacteria, resistant cells are left alive, able to reproduce. Making matters worse, non-resistant bacteria can acquire resistance from cells that have it, receiving a copy of the gene that provides the resistance mechanism.

This process is entirely natural — bacteria will inevitably develop resistance to an antibiotic used against them — but it moves faster due to human behavior. The first trend that has accelerated the spread of resistance is that society simply uses too many antibiotics. A report by the CDC estimates that at least 30 percent of antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are unnecessary; many of these prescriptions go to patients suffering from viral infections, against which antibiotics are completely useless!

Humans, despite our obsession with hygiene, are walking bacteria farms. The human gut alone holds more bacteria than there are cells in the human body. When a patient takes antibiotics, the bacteria in his or her intestines can develop resistances, which can then spread to other people.

People aren’t the only creatures taking an excess amount of antibiotics; even farm animals have contributed to the problem. For years, farmers have given antibiotics to food animals such as cows, chickens, and pigs. Not only does this keep the livestock healthy — sick animals are bad for business — but antibiotic use has also been shown to increase the growth of these animals. Good news for farmers, but terrible for anyone worried about the rise of superbacteria. The Food and Drug Administration has been trying to curtail the use of antibiotics in livestock, cracking down on growth promotion.

The wonderful world of PPMOs

Changing societal behavior is often a slow and difficult process. The CDC hopes to cut down on antibiotic prescriptions by 15 percent over the next few years, an ambitious goal given how often patients demand prescriptions for their ailments. Thanks to the work of researchers like Geller, the war on bacteria may flip without sweeping reforms.

Geller’s weapon of choice is a PPMO designed to neutralize resistance mechanisms in bacteria, leaving them vulnerable to antibiotics. “This molecule can restore sensitivity to standard, already-approved antibiotics in bacteria that are now resistant to those antibiotics,” Geller says, which eliminates the need to invest time and money in developing new antibiotics. So how does this PPMO work?

A PPMO a type of synthetic molecule that mimics DNA and can bind to the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of a cell. RNA takes the information stored in the DNA of a cell, translating it into proteins that carry out the various functions of that cell.

Imagine a gene as instructions, written in a letter. Normally, the RNA receives this letter and carries out the instructions, creating the appropriate proteins. The PPMO, however, intercepts the letter along the way, replacing it with one that commands the RNA to do nothing. So Geller’s team can create a PPMO that binds to the gene that produces NDM-1 — an enzyme that neutralizes antibiotics — and silences it. Suddenly, the bacterium has no defense mechanism.

“Most standard antibiotics don’t target genes or gene expression, they bind to cellular structures like ribosomes or membranes,” Geller explains. “Our approach is to target the genes themselves, or more specifically, target the messenger RNA that’s made from the genes; our molecules bind to a specific messenger RNA, and that prevents its translation into protein.”

Although the PPMOs are synthetic, they are not conjured from “earth, wind, and fire,” as Geller puts it. The process begins — as many a great night does — with brewer’s yeast. Chemists take the yeast from fermentation vats, and extract the DNA.

Geller’s team can create a PPMO that binds to the gene that produces NDM-1 — an enzyme that neutralizes antibiotics — and silences it.

Chemists then break the DNA down, extracting some of the more valuable parts, and use their pieces as the building blocks of the molecule. Although bacteria are the target for the molecule, they are not the only obstacle it faces. The human body, with all its natural defenses, poses a threat, so the chemists make modifications to the resulting compound, protecting it from the enzymes in the human body that could disintegrate it.

The process may sound time-consuming, but it is actually remarkably quick. “The real beauty of this technology,” Geller says, “is that it really shortens the discovery time for a new drug. One of the most time-consuming and laborious steps in drug development is discovery. When scientists go out and try to discover a new drug, it can take many years before they find a hit, something that they think might be a good medicine.” Since the PPMO “can really target any gene, all we have to do is change the sequence of our oligomer; we can make a new drug in a matter of days, if not hours.”

Geller has been working on his research since 2001, and the results did not come easily.  He works with Gram-positive bacteria, which have a thick peptidoglycan layer in their cell walls. Early in his research, his molecules — which were then just PMOs — could not penetrate the cell walls. How did he eventually break through?

If you’re a medieval warlord trying to crack a fortress, you use a trebuchet; Geller settled for peptides. His team attached membrane-penetrating peptides to the PMOs — creating PPMOs — allowing them to pierce the cell wall. Once inside, the molecule gets to work, binding to RNA and stopping it from translating genes.

Perhaps the most useful aspect of the PPMO is that, because it is silencing a gene, rather than directly killing the bacteria, it could be less likely to trigger resistance mechanisms. To be safe, Geller thinks physicians should play the odds, using two antimicrobials or compounds in unison, to lessen the chances that any bacterium will survive treatment.

Nothing is perfect

Despite their virtues, PPMOs are not without flaws. For starters, Geller’s team has observed bacteria displaying resistance to the peptide portion of the molecule. The strength and frequency of resistance differs greatly based on the peptide used.

Beyond the cellular level, there are other drawbacks to PPMOs. Geller emphasizes that they are not broad-spectrum solutions; because a PPMO is designed to target a specific gene, a physician will need to know exactly what illness is afflicting their patient. In cases where a patient has a long-term illness, like tuberculosis, a doctor would know exactly what to target. If the physician is not yet sure what the cause of illness is, the PPMO would be virtually useless.

Finally, Geller’s project faces the same constraints that any medical research does: Time and money. Although his team can produce a PPMO quickly, Geller points out that the molecule will be subject to the same regulatory process that any drug must go through before it can be used on humans. “It takes many years to actually then test these compounds and develop them to make them effective and safe, so that they can be ultimately tested in humans,” he says. “We’re still in the development stage.”

The testing process will last as long as it needs to, but the sword above our heads is dangling ever more precariously. The fight against super bacteria is not new; humanity’s front has been inching back for years now, and the enemy seems to be crawling over the gates. It will take all the ingenuity of the medical world to stem the tide, and without wise decision-making from politicians and society at large, even that may not be enough.





Digital Trends

via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/mG1NBn

April 29, 2017 at 12:52PM
0 Comments

Five shows and movies to stream this week: The Handmaids Tale 13 Reasons Why and more

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2qr4KQS

Five shows and movies to stream this week: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ’13 Reasons Why,’ and more

http://ift.tt/2oKBLuT

Online streaming is bigger than ever, and with so many streaming services adding new shows and movies every week, it can be nearly impossible to sort through the good and the bad. If you need something to watch and don’t want to wade through the digital muck that washes up on the internet’s shores, follow our picks below for the best new shows and movies worth a watch.

This week: A terrifyingly prescient dystopia, a gritty noir, and a celebration of popular music.

The Handmaid’s Tale season 1

An adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic speculative fiction novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a not-too-distant future where a group of religious extremists stage a coup, reshaping the United States into a theocratic dystopia called the Republic of Gilead. In this new society, women are not allowed to own money, or even learn to read, and exist only to manage domestic affairs. The main character, Offred (Elisabeth Moss), is a handmaid, a woman forced to bear children for powerful men. She serves at the behest of Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his barren wife, Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), trying to survive and hopefully, one day, escape. Adapting a great novel is always a daunting task, but Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale succeeds, tweaking the story to fit modern times. The show also takes advantage of the visual nature of television, rendering Offred’s world in beautiful, haunting tableaux.

Watch now on:

Hulu

Small Crimes

After serving six years for attempted murder, former cop Joe Denton (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is out and ready for redemption. Unfortunately, the new life waiting for him is hardly wonderful. His wife has left him, taking their kids with her, his parents think he is a loser, and a cop from his past, Lieutenant Pleasant (Gary Cole), is twisting his arm to get him to carry out a hit on a mob boss who knows too much. Small Crimes is a well-executed modern noir, a gritty, violent tale of redemption — or the impossibility of it — that nonetheless has moments of humor. At the center of it all is a familiar character, the criminal trying to turn his life around, but Coster-Waldau gives a tremendous performance that makes the story feel fresh.

Watch now on:

Netflix

American Honey

At first glance, American Honey may seem like a typical coming-of-age movie: The generic title, the sweeping shots of roads and fields, the jovial band of misfits at the center of the film. Road trip stories have shown this all before, but British director Andrea Arnold brings a fresh eye to this youthful pilgrimage. The film follows Star (Sasha Lane), a girl who leaves her home in Oklahoma to join a group of teens who roam the countryside, selling magazine subscriptions and partying hard. Star pairs up with Jake (Shia LeBeouf), the scraggly veteran of the group, striking up a strange romance as they wander. American Honey is a lovely film, presenting a grimy, yet dazzling vision of the American heartland.

Watch now on:

Amazon Prime

13 Reasons Why season 1

A controversial adaptation of a young adult novel, 13 Reasons Why opens on Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette), a teenager mourning the suicide of his friend Hannah (Katherine Langford). Clay receives a box of audiotapes recorded by Hannah, in which she tells stories of 13 people whom she blames for her suicide. Listening to the tapes, Clay peers into the world of physical and social dangers that drove a teenage girl to take her own life. The show has drawn some criticism for its voyeuristic look at depression and sexual assault, but the story’s brutally frank presentation of its subject matter, and the unique story structure, make it a compelling drama.

Watch now on:

Netflix

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Located in Cleveland, Ohio, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is a monument to popular music. Every year, the Hall of Fame inducts a new list of iconic performers in a lavish ceremony. Despite the name, the Hall of Fame features artists from a variety of popular genres: Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Donna Summer, and N.W.A. are just some of the many diverse artists to join the roster. This year’s inductees include rock bands Pearl Jam, Yes, Journey, and Electric Light Orchestra; folk icon Joan Baez; and legendary rapper Tupac. The ceremony includes live performances from Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, and Snoop Dogg, as well as from the inductees. Pearl Jam alone, whose heavy riffs and energetic performances have made the band one of the most popular acts of all time, should make it worth watching.

Watch on:

HBO

  • Five shows and movies to stream this week: ‘Crashing,’ ‘Gimme Danger,’ and more
  • Five shows and movies to stream this week: ‘Legion,’ ‘Girls,’ and more
  • Five shows and movies to stream this week: ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,’ ‘Crimson Peak,’ and more




Digital Trends

via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/mG1NBn

April 29, 2017 at 12:52PM
0 Comments

Mark Zuckerberg Invited Himself to Dinner With Random Strangers in Ohio

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2oKliHf

Mark Zuckerberg Invited Himself to Dinner With Random Strangers in Ohio

http://ift.tt/2oK8O25

Photo: Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook

On a typical, bipartisan Friday night in Ohio, Mark Zuckerberg did a totally normal human thing that anyone definitely not awkwardly going about testing the waters for a major political run would: he had dinner with a family, who didn’t know him or that he was coming, at their house.

Advertisement

The Youngstown Vindicator reported on Saturday that the Newton Falls family only knew they were to receive a “mystery guest,” and were pleased when it turned out to be the founder of Facebook in a slate-colored t-shirt.

This sort of thing will probably keep happening (I mean, aside from the fact that everyone already does it), because, in January, Zuckerberg challenged Zuckerberg to meet people in every state and talk to them about the future.

Advertisement

Zuckerberg reportedly instructed his staff to only pick families of Democrats who’d voted for Trump for him to drop in on unannounced. One of the Ohio family members, Daniel Moore, told the Vindicator that Zuckerberg acted like, “a very cool guy,” who is, “taking steps to do a lot of very positive things with his money.”

This reminds me of the time, on Thursday, when Zuckerberg announced that he’d conversed with a group of auto-workers at a Ford assembly plant in Detroit who perform 10 hours of physical labor a day, doing the same thing again and again, and love it, but they could really use more shoes! And less capitalism.

Very excited for Facebook.gov.





Digital Trends

via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com

April 29, 2017 at 11:51AM
0 Comments

Oh God Disney's Avatar Ride Sings Now

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 


Oh God, Disney's Avatar Ride Sings Now

http://ift.tt/2oKk1jh

GIF

Ever wondered what sailing down the River Styx would be like? Taking a boat into a scary and unknown world, only to be greeted by a terrifying figure signaling your impending fate? Thanks, Disney!

Advertisement

Disney Parks has unveiled the latest look at the Na’vi Shaman of Songs, a character we saw in that creepy announcement video last year. She is said to be the highlight of the Na’vi River Journey ride at Animal Kingdom’s new World of Avatar. But in case you thought you knew everything about what this proto-Westworld creation, you know nothing, Jake Sully. Because she sings.

Hear that? Do you recognize that melody? It’s a siren luring you to the rocks. It’s the gaggle of Instagram models tempting loads of rich kids to spend $12,000 for a glorified refugee camp. She is powerful, she is unforgiving, and she is the harbinger of your doom. You just don’t know it yet. Here’s a longer, more detailed look at the character, courtesy of Inside the Magic. Watch as she engulfs your soul and spits out your bones.

I’m scared.

[Comic Book Resources]





Digital Trends

via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com

April 29, 2017 at 11:21AM
0 Comments

Hackers Leak New Episodes of Orange Is the New Black and Claim More Leaks to Come

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2oKqRFq

Hackers Leak New Episodes of Orange Is the New Black and Claim More Leaks to Come

http://ift.tt/2pt9qqg

Photo: Netflix

Netflix bingers received a weekend surprise when they woke up this morning to find the first ten episodes of the new season of Orange Is the New Black have allegedly been leaked to torrent networks. A hacker group has claimed responsibility and they say it only occurred because Netflix refused to pay a ransom. The group also claims to have more shows from other networks.

TheDarkOverlord has claimed responsibility for the leak. Speaking with TorrentFreak, the hacking group claims that a post-production company engaged in negotiations to prevent the release of one of its most high-profile shows months ahead of schedule. Payment never materialized and the group made good on its threats.

Advertisement

Advertisement

According to TorrentFreak:

In information sent to TF, the group says that sometime during the closing months of 2016, it gained access to the systems of Larson Studios, an ADR (additional dialogue recorded) studio, based in Hollywood

...

“After we had a copy of their data safely in our possession, we asked that we be paid a small fee in exchange for non-disclosure. We approached them on the Eve of their Christmas,” a member of the group previously told us over an encrypted channel.

TDO reportedly showed off a copy of the contract that Larson Studios signed but they say a payment of 50 bitcoins (about $68,000) was never received. “A late fee was levied and they still didn’t hold up their end of the agreement,” TDO claims. First, the group tweeted a warning. Then it tweeted a link to the first episode. Just after 2am this morning, it tweeted a link to the rest of the dump. It’s unclear if there are more episodes that TDO may be hanging onto in order to demand more money now that they have Netflix’s attention. But the group insists it has more content from other networks and if that’s true, negotiations might go fairly easy.

Larson Studios, the company that was allegedly hacked, works on some big name shows. Looking at its website, projects include New Girl, Documentary Now, Fargo, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. An unnamed source tells Variety that one of the programs that could be leaked is the second season of Ron Howard’s Nat Geo show, Breakthrough.

Sponsored

Depending on what other properties the hackers have their hands on, this could turn into one of the biggest hacks Hollywood has ever faced. A show like Breakthrough may not be particularly harmed by a torrent leak but Orange Is the New Black tends to attract a younger, web-savvy crowd. If they want to torrent the new season, many will do so without blinking an eye. That’s a big problem for Netflix considering that just a couple of weeks ago, the streaming giant told shareholders that it didn’t meet its growth projections because it didn’t have any major original content releases. With new seasons of House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black lined up for this quarter, growth was expected to level out.

The Associated Press notes that rumors about the hack have been swirling for months and reporters spoke with TDO back in February. A spokesperson reportedly told the AP that they had decided not to release the material because “no one really (cares) about unreleased movies and TV show episodes.” That may have been a tongue-in-cheek response or maybe they thought they were getting paid at the time.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Gizmodo reached out to Netflix and here’s its official statement:

We are aware of the situation. A production vendor used by several major TV studios had its security compromised and the appropriate law enforcement authorities are involved.

If TheDarkOverlord gets busted, the Orange Is the New Black-related headlines will write themselves.

[TorrentFreak, Variety, Associated Press]





Digital Trends

via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com

April 29, 2017 at 10:27AM
0 Comments

The Magic in Sleight Makes Up for an Otherwise Familiar Tale

4/29/2017

0 Comments

 
http://ift.tt/2qgNBNh

The Magic in Sleight Makes Up for an Otherwise Familiar Tale

http://ift.tt/2psqlci

Jacob Latimore is the start of Sleight. All Images: Blumhouse

The marketing for Sleight includes a quote calling the film “Chronicle meets Iron Man.” Watching it, that comparison kind of makes sense, but it also sets up an unrealistic expectation versus what Sleight actually is.

Advertisement

Co-written and directed by newcomer J.D. Dillard, Sleight is the story of a science wiz named Bo (Jacob Latimore), a kid who should be in school but is forced to be the primary caretaker for his little sister Tina (Storm Reid). He does that in two ways—street magic and selling drugs—which also happen to be perfect metaphors for the duality of Sleight.

When Sleight is about magic, it earns those lofty comparisons. The on-screen tricks are wonderful and a perfect showcase for Latimore’s swagger. Every time we see that side of Bo, his happy-go-lucky side, the movie becomes something greater than itself. It feels fresh, new and exciting. The problem is the magic is very much secondary to everything else in the movie. Mainly, the story of Bo’s struggles with his sister and drug dealer. This drama, which makes up the bulk of the movie, simply isn’t nearly as entertaining or impactful.

Advertisement

More than it is about magic, Sleight is really about a boy forced to become a man way too soon. Bo should be enjoying the benefits of his top-notch brain but, instead, he’s hustling and breaking the law. Latimore and Reid have great chemistry as brother and sister and that relationship grounds the movie in a sad reality, a reality that’s only tolerable for Bo through blossoming relationship with Holly (Seychelle Gabriel). She’s a welcome bright spot considering, most of the time, he’s just getting sucked deeper and deeper into the drug world led by Angelo (Dule Hill).

Bo shows down with Angelo in Sleight.

Those three stories: Bo and his sister, girlfriend, and boss, keep Sleight afloat. Unfortunately, they all feel relatively familiar. We’ve seen so many movies about sad, unfortunate circumstances like these and Sleight doesn’t do much to add to that conversation. It’s a perfectly well-acted and well-written storyline that feels like drawn-out filler between the fun stuff

By the end though, Dillard and co-writer Alex Theurer bring the magic and reality together in a way that makes any trepidations you felt about the rest of the movie mostly melt away. The climax is that “Chronicle meets Iron Man” you were hoping for from the first frames of the film. It’s just a shame that they couldn’t find more ways to cohesively blend those two elements more throughout the film.

Sponsored

Sleight is a strong feature debut for Dillard with great moments that tend to pick up the more humdrum bulk of the film. It’s definitely uneven, but the glorious, jaw-dropping climax is worth the price of admission alone.

Sleight is now in theaters.





Digital Trends

via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com

April 29, 2017 at 09:15AM
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    CPU News
    Intel News
    Processors
    Technology News

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Social Media News
    • SEO Marketing News
    • Digital Trends News
    • Photography News
    • Mobile Marketing
    • Business News
    • Gadget News
    • Printing News
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe