STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

FOR SALE: MCDONNELL F4H-1F PHANTOM II – THE ONLY PRIVATELY OWNED F-4 PHANTOM CAPABLE OF FLIGHT

This is the only privately owned F-4 Phantom II capable of flight in the world, and it’s currently for sale. The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II is one of the most beloved jet fighters of all time, its speed and power were record breaking when it was released in the late 1950s and it continued breaking records well into the 1960s.

The F-4 Phantom II is capable of speeds in excess of Mach 2.2 (1,485+ mph), it has seating for two, a range of 1,750 miles, a ceiling of 56,100 ft, and power is provided by twin 17,900-pound-thrust General Electric J79-GE-17 jet engines. It can be equipped with 15,983 pounds of weapons including air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground missiles, and a 20 mm nose-mounted M-61 Vulcan cannon.

The two most famous records broken by the Phantom II are likely Operation Top Flight, and Operation Sageburner.

Top Flight was an altitude record that was set at over 98,000 ft on the 6th of December 1959 by Commander Lawrence E. Flint Jr.; he accelerated his aircraft to Mach 2.5 at 47,000 ft then climbed to 90,000 ft at a 45° angle. The engines can’t breathe much higher than this so he shut them off and glided using momentum to 98,557 ft before beginning a dead stick descent. Commander Flint Jr. re-sparked the engines at 70,000 ft and returned to base with his record.

Operation Sageburner remains famous among military pilots due to the sheer insanity of it. On the 28th of August 1961 an F4H-1F Phantom II averaged 902.714 mph (Mach 1.17) over a 3 mile long course flying below 125 ft (38.1 meters) at all times. The first man to attempt this was Commander J.L. Felsman, he was killed due to a pitch damper failure which caused his aircraft to disintegrate in the air.

There are few supersonic aircraft to choose from if you’re a private, non-military buyer so this F-4 is likely to attract no small amount of interest. It does have a price tag of $3,950,000 USD which is going to filter out 99% of buyers including me and probably you too, but if we’re honest with ourselves we could never have afforded the maintenance anyway.

The airframe is listed as having 461 hrs TTSN and 0 time since restoration – which is currently 80-85% completed. The aircraft comes with General Electric J-79-8 upgraded to -15, there are three engines currently at Aero Turbine awaiting overhaul and two additional engines in California as spares. The ejection seats are Martin Baker Mk 7 units with new crew parachutes and survival kits, with pyro charges available.

The F-4 has been under restoration to airworthy condition for the past 10 years by Aircraft Restoration Services LLC at the French Valley Airport, CA. It’s now ready for a new owner to take over the project and have the restoration completed, leaving them with the only privately-owned, airworthy F-4 Phantom II in the world.

If you’d like to read more about this aircraft or enquire about buying it you can click here to visit the listing on Platinum Fighter Sales. While you’re there you might want to take a look through the other aircraft they have for sale, it’s quite the collection.

[MIKA27]

‘See’ Trailer Reveals a Blind Jason Momoa Leading an Epic Apple TV+ Series

With each passing day seeming to confirm Apple TV+ is not, in fact, an elaborate prank, the latest streaming service has started rolling out footage of its original series slate. Next up is See, which stars Jason Momoa as Baba Voss, a tribal leader navigating a post-apocalyptic world in which a mysterious illness has left all of humanity blind. When it’s revealed that Baba Voss—an incredible name, just FYI—and his wife Maghra (Hera Hilmar) have birthed twins with the gift of sight, they must protect the children at all costs from a desperate queen (Sylvia Hoeks) who wants them destroyed.

This looks like an intriguing, if just a little self-serious return to big-scale fantasy for Mamoa, who broke out in Game of Thrones and later led Warner Bros. to its first billion-dollar-plus DC Comics hit with Aquaman. At one point he blows a big giant war horn while covered in forest mud, which is like everything you’d want from a Jason Momoa character. Emmy-winner Alfre Woodard is also along for the ride as Paris, Baba Voss’ “spiritual leader.”

See premieres November 1 on the Apple TV app with an Apple TV+ subscription.

[MIKA27]

Some Of Akihabara's Most Expensive Games

Yesterday, I hit the streets of Akihabara. I wasn’t looking for the best deals, but the most expensive games I could find.

No doubt there are other expensive games and hardware, but here are the pricest ones I found at Beep, Mandarake Complex, Retro Game Camp, Super Potato, and Surugaya Specialty Store (note: Friends was closed today).

The rap on Akihabara has long been that it’s expensive, and the prices here seem to be running high. The quality of the games and boxes did look top-notch.

At Super Potato, one of the rarer Japanese Mega Drive games Maximum Carnage is going for 598,000 yen ($8104). The price of this game has gone up. Kotaku first spotted it at Super Potato in 2008 for a mere $US950 ($1,385). What a steal! I wonder if it’s the exact same copy.

Also at Super Potato, Metal Slug X is priced at 698,000 yen ($9421) and Sengoku 3 is 498,000 yen ($6722).

Here is the part of the article in which we marvel at expensive Neo Geo games.

Several of these Neo Geo games cost between $US1,000 ($1,457) and $US2,000 ($2,915) at Surugaya Specialty Store. Blazing Star is a cool 598,000 yen ($8104).

At Mandarake Complex, more Neo Geo games costing two thousand dollars, three thousand dollars, and up.

Shoot-’em-up Eliminate Down is one of the Mega Drive’s rarer titles and has been climbing in value over the past few years. Retro Game Camp has it for 150,000 yen ($2032).

The same shop also has Magical Pop’n, a game that is often faked. It’s priced at 140,000 yen ($1897).

2nd Super Robot Wars isn’t *that* old of a game. It was released in 2004, but its Famicom Mini Game Boy Advance version (pictured) was a bonus to those who purchased Super Robot Taisen GC. It was limited to only 2,000 copies. Retro Game Camp is asking 100,000 yen ($1355).

Karaoke Studio was a karaoke game Bandai developed for the Famicom. It was released in 1987 and for the in-box version, Mandarake wants 120,000 yen ($1626).

Both Pachinko (priced at 250,000 yen or $US2,330 ($3,396)) and Space Slalom (priced at 120,000 yen or $US1,118 ($1,629)) were for Sega’s early hardware SC-3000 and the SG-1000.

While this is hardware and not a game per se, it is expensive. You are looking at the PC Engine LT, the portable version of the PC Engine. The hardware has been overhauled, and the asking price at Beep is 598,000 yen or $8104 — plus tax.

Surely, there are more pricey treasures to be unearthed in Akihabara.

[MIKA27]

Water Vapour Detected In The Atmosphere Of A Potentially Habitable Super-Earth

For the first time ever, astronomers have detected water vapour in the atmosphere of a rocky exoplanet. Intriguingly, the planet is in the so-called habitable zone of its star, making it one of the most promising places in the galaxy to look for signs of extraterrestrial life.

Located 110 light-years away, planet K2-18b was discovered by the Kepler Space Observatory in 2015. Preliminary scans of the exoplanet suggested it was a super-Earth, that is, a rocky planet larger than Earth, and that it featured an atmosphere. These observations, plus the fact that K2-18b is parked inside the habitable zone — the sweet spot in a star system where water could persist in liquid form — warranted further study.

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, a team from University College London performed a spectrographic survey of K2-18b’s atmosphere, resulting in the detection of a distinctive water signature. Details of this important discovery are published today in Nature.

“It’s the first detection of water vapour in a planet that’s not a gas giant, UCL astronomer Angaelos Tsiaras, a co-author of the new study, proclaimed at a press teleconference held yesterday. “This is the first detection of its kind — a planet orbiting within the habitable zone — and the only [terrestrial] planet we know outside of our solar system that... has water in it,” he said, adding: “It’s the best candidate for habitability that we know right now.”

Water vapour has been detected in exoplanets before, but only in gas giants. There’s a slim possibility that K2-18b is an ice giant, similar to Neptune or Uranus, but the greater likelihood is that it’s a super-Earth.

Astronomers can only see this exoplanet’s upper atmosphere, but it’s twice the size and has eight times mass than Earth. Importantly, its density is similar to the density of Mars, which is three-times that of a typical gas giant. This leads scientists to conclude that K2-18b is probably terrestrial in nature, featuring a solid, rocky core.

K2-18b orbits a dim red dwarf, and it takes just 33 days for the planet to complete a single orbit of its host star. At such a close proximity, it might not sound like K2-18b is inside the habitable zone, but because red dwarfs emit low levels of radiation, their habitable zones are much nearer compared to systems like ours. K2-18b receives about as much radiation as Earth, and it features temperatures comparable to what we experience here, noted the researchers at the press conference.

Sadly, exoplanets in orbit around red dwarfs are considered poor candidates for habitability, owing to the propensity of this group of stars to produce tremendously powerful and frequent solar flares. As Tsiaras pointed out at the press conference, conditions on K2-18b are likely “more hostile” compared to Earth.

Hubble observations resulted in a distinct water signal, but the UCL researchers weren’t certain about the amount of water packed into the atmosphere of K2-18b, or whether liquid water exists at the surface. Using a series of models, the scientists showed that the atmosphere of K2-18b could contain as little as 0.01 per cent water or as much as 50 per cent.

That’s obviously a huge discrepancy.

The reason for this unusually wide range, explained study co-author Giovanna Tinetti in response to a Gizmodo question on the matter, is that Hubble was only able to detect the spectrographic water signal, and that “it’s not easy to quantify the amount of water compared to other molecules.” But the water signal is “very strong,” said Tinetti at the press conference, “regardless of the quantity.” Future research will focus on narrowing down this large variance, she said.

An interesting characteristic of super-Earths is that most of them are likely to be water worlds—terrestrial planets covered entirely by a deep global ocean.

When Gizmodo asked Tinetti about the potential for K2-18b to be a water world, she said it’s a “good possibility,” given the results of the models, but the current data can neither confirm nor rule out this scenario.

Li Zeng, a planetary scientist at Harvard University not involved with the new study, said the results came as “no surprise,” as he expects many exoplanets similar in size to K2-18b to have water “as a major constituent of their bulk interiors,” he told Gizmodo in an email.

The new research, he said, is consistent with his own work. Earlier this year, Li and he colleagues presented evidence showing that super-Earth water worlds are likely to feature oceans that are hundreds — and even thousands — of kilometres deep.

In addition to water, Hubble also detected traces of hydrogen, an observation that intrigued Tom Louden, a physicist at the University of Warwick and an expert on exoplanetary atmospheres.

Louden said the results of the new paper “are certainly exciting,” and “quite significant in determining the evolutionary history of exoplanet atmospheres.” At the same time, however, the new findings could represent a blow to the planet’s potential to foster life, said Louden, who’s not affiliated with the new research.

“The results suggest that the planet K2-18b has kept some, or perhaps all, of its ‘primary atmosphere’ of hydrogen and helium which the planet [collected] during its formation,” said Louden in an email to Gizmodo. “This indicates that the radiation from the star has not been too fierce or efficient in stripping away its atmosphere, which might be good news for the many Earth-like planets we expect to exist around stars of this type, since it might mean that their atmospheres can remain stable.”

At the same time, this news is potentially bad for habitability. If “most planets are born with a large atmosphere of hydrogen and helium that they can’t get rid of, it might make it more difficult for complex life to develop — we simply don’t know enough at this stage,” he said.

During the press conference, Ingo Waldmann discussed how the presence of primordial gases on K2-18b could impact the planet’s ability to foster life.

“Hydrogen atmospheres can be habitable,” he said, saying there’s no reason to suggest this is not the case based on theoretical models. Our biases about habitability, he noted, are currently very “Earth-centric,” which is reasonable given that Earth is the only habitable planet we know of. Accordingly, Waldmann said future research should investigate habitability in the context of hydrogen-rich atmospheres.

Clearly, K2-18b presents a mixed bag in terms of its capacity to host life. Like Earth, it has a temperate climate, a rocky core, and water. On the downside, K2-18b is in orbit around a potentially hostile red dwarf and its atmosphere is packed with primordial gasses — not to mention its large size and mass compared to Earth, an unknown variable as far as habitability is concerned.

This exoplanet is a fantastic and tantalising subject for future research, but one thing remains abundantly clear: The search for a truly Earth-like planet continues.

[MIKA27]

Audi’s AI-Powered 310-Mile All-Electric 4×4 Has 5 Headlight Drones

When we heard that Audi was creating an electric off-road vehicle, we knew that it was going to exceed the industry’s expectations. The manufacturer is well-known for its futuristic design principles, with vehicles like the A3, E-Tron, and TT boasting some of the most interesting silhouettes, and capabilities, around. Now, they’ve fully revealed the anticipated off-roader — an all-electric romper known as the AI:TRAIL Quattro.

The AI:TRAIL Quattro is a futuristic example that’s sure to define the company’s vehicles, moving forward. Not only is it powered by four wheel-bound electric motors — offering 320 kilowatts of power, and over 737 lb-ft of torque to help it traverse any terrain you’ll be able to throw at it — but it also features electronically-coordinated driving stability and traction control. That means that it forgoes differentials, locks, and even a multi-speed transmission. Because the outfit has painstakingly calculated that the AI:TRAIL’s lithium-ion battery is capable of 248 to 310 miles per charge, they’ve limited the vehicle’s road-faring speed to just 80.8 miles-per-hour, noting both safety and power consumption as primary concerns. It also boasts a number of automated systems and even has a set of five, triangular, rotorless drones that act as headlights and can fly around the vehicle, attach to the roof rack, and/or dock on conductive charging elements when they’re low on power. If you’re looking for an in-depth dive into the company’s newest electric vehicle, head to Audi’s website.

[MIKA27]

NOMOS & Dieter Rams Unveil An Autobahn-Inspired Bauhaus Watch

NOMOS Glashütte is no stranger to minimalist design; after all, the company has built its reputation off of designer Deiter Rams’ commitment to the lauded Bauhaus style. It’s also no secret that the brand is overtly proud of its German heritage. To honor one of the greatest examples of German innovation, the Autobahn, NOMOS has revealed the Autobahn Neomatik 41 Date — a beautifully-realized example that personifies the elements of speed and acceleration.

The NOMOS Glashütte Autobahn Neomatik 41 Date brings a number of interesting traits to the table for watch aficionados, including a white silver-plated silhouette, an elongated day/date window, and a SuperLuminova ring that follows the watch’s hour typography as it circles the dial. The Neomatik’s galvanized dial is protected by an anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal, allowing the platform’s in-house caliber DUW 6101 movement to provide years of accurate, precise timekeeping. On the exterior, a minimalistic winged clasp and textile strap round out the impeccable watch, providing yet another iconic example of NOMOS’ commitment to unwavering style. The Autobahn Neomatik 41 Date is available now via the company’s website for $4,800.

[MIKA27]

The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS Is A Vibrant 469HP All-Electric Ride

With its sleek design and glowing parts, you’d think this futuristic machine looks like it came straight out of the sci-fi classic Tron. The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS is a luxury ride with timeless elegance and advanced performance, paving the way for the German automobile manufacturer’s future.

Powered by electric motors at the front and rear axles, as well as a battery integrated into the car’s floor, the Vision EQS provides top-tier performance. It provides the driver with a 469-horsepower out[out and 560 lb-ft of torque, allowing you to shoot to 60mph in under 4.5 seconds. You can recharge the battery to 80% power in under 20 minutes, and drive around for up to 435 miles on a full charge with the 100 kWh battery capacity. The vehicle is also a work of are with its sweeping lines, glowing grille, and a continuous 360° illuminated strip that separates the black and silver colorways. The grille alone is packing 940 LEDs and the bodywork has 229 three-point star LEDs. When you zip through the night in this ride, you’ll be a glowing blur that lights up the darkness similar to a Light Cycle. You can find the Vision EQS at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, starting September 12.

 

[MIKA27]

The Ultimate Whisky Collection

Rarely does one man’s passion result in such an illustrious array of spirits. But that’s exactly what one anonymous Scotch lover has done. In what amounts to almost $5 million worth of liquid gold, this collection of rare whiskys will go up for auction on September 27th. Dubbed “the most valuable collection of scotch whisky ever to be offered at auction”, the carefully curated selection of 467 bottles and 9 casks includes such rarities as a 1926 The Macallan 60 Year Old (worth about half a mil), a 50 year Old Springbank 1919 (about $170K), and an astounding 178 bottles of The Macallan Find and Rare series ($2.7 million). The unnamed collector assembled them over the course of two decades, and is now offering them up to one very wealthy and very fortunate winning bidder. The mere fact that all of these remain unopened is simply unfathomable.

[MIKA27]

TAG HEUER X THE HOUR GLASS MONACO WATCH

It's the 40th anniversary of The Hour Glass and the 50th anniversary of the Monaco — which makes it the perfect model for this celebratory collab. In keeping with the theme, the dial is a champagne-like beige opaline hue, set under a domed, beveled sapphire crystal. Its black PVD steel case references the Dark Lord Monaco and is tied in via the black tips on the polished steel hour and minute hands, black minute track, black-framed date window, and black vintage Heuer logo with "MONACO AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH" text. Limited to just 50 examples, it's finished with a perforated black calfskin strap with a black PVD steel folding clasp. $6,095

[MIKA27]

New ‘Ford v Ferrari’ Trailer Teases One of the Best Films of the Year

20th Century Fox (via Walt Disney Studios) has released a new trailer for Logan and Walk the Line filmmaker James Mangold’s highly anticipated new film Ford v Ferrari. The story is set against the backdrop of 1966’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France and follows maverick American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), who is tasked by Ford out to build a revolutionary car that would allow Ford to challenge Ferrari, with Christian Bale playing fearless yet dangerous British racer Ken Miles, who gets behind the wheel of the new Ford racing vehicle.

Shelby and Miles were dispatched by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca themselves to build an entirely new vehicle from scratch that could finally defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. A film based on these events has been in the works for years (back in 2013, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were going to star for director Joseph Kosinski), and while Ford v Ferrari was initially slated for release this summer, Fox pushed the film back to this fall to better position it for an awards run.

That was a smart move. I caught the film at TIFF and it’s a tremendous and wonderfully entertaining piece of commercial filmmaking from Mangold. This is a racing drama made on an expert level, and if the performances from Bale and Damon don’t put the movie square in the Oscar race, the film itself will. It’s also crowdpleasing as all heck, and I expect it’ll be a pretty big box office success when it hits theaters. Take your dad—I promise he’ll love it, and you probably will too.

This trailer does a nice job of showcasing the fast pace of the film, which is important considering it’s over two hours long and yet it flies by. If you like this trailer, you’ll like the movie.

Ferrari opens in theaters on November 15th.

[MIKA27]

Maker’s Mark Unveils Their First Nationally-Available Limited Bourbon

If you’re one of the many who appreciate a glass of finely-tailored bourbon, the Maker’s Mark namesake might be one of the most recognizable words in your vocabulary. Not only have the company’s famed spirits been in production for over six decades — becoming an industry staple since their introduction in 1954 — but they’ve also become synonymous with coveted, limited-edition releases. Now, the illustrious brand is releasing its first-ever nationally-available expression, dubbed the Wood Finishing Series 2019 Limited Release: Stave Profile RC6.

The company’s newest Stave Profile RC6 packs quite the punch, even for a bourbon’s high-strung standards. It boasts an otherworldly cask strength of 108.2 proof, awarding the spirit with a substantial 54.1-percent alcohol by volume. This comes courtesy of a unique aging process that utilizes proprietary American oak staves to trigger the bourbon’s hidden profiles, including a tonal range of ripened fruits and baking spices. In effect, the company is able to explore a vast realm of innovative practices, helping them to unlock the spirit’s robust characteristics. The limited-edition Stave Profile RC6 joins both the Maker’s Mark 46 and Maker’s Mark Private Select under the Wood Finishing Series namesake and will be available in late September for around $60.

[MIKA27]

These Bulletproof Carbon Fiber 999HP Hyper SUVs Are Unstoppable

When the company compares its rides to the devil, you know that you’re in for a hellish treat with sinister power. The Ramsmobile X-Segment vehicles are rides fit for the Dark Knight if he turned into a villain.

There are four trims available for this incredible four-wheel monster, including the Ascetic, Devil, God’s Creation, and the Ramsider. The RM-X2 multi-purpose hypercar has up to 27.5 inches of road clearance and an insane 999 horsepower, so you can leave trails of fire as you zoom by, leaving bystanders quivering in their boots. There are a variety of features available across the four trims, including a continuous tank-like track, carbon-fiber body, 40-inch all-terrain tires, and B6 or B7 bulletproof armor. You can also choose between a 6.2-liter LT5 V8 from the C7 Corvette ZR1 or a 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8. And there’s also word that the RM-X2 can float, in case you want to scare people at sea as well. Get behind the wheel of this monster for $999,999.

[MIKA27]

The Man Behind Mr. Robot Is Bringing Battlestar Galactica Back

All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again. Because literally, that’s what they’re doing, they’re rebooting Battlestar Galactica again.

Deadline reports that NBC Universal has tapped Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail to headline a reboot of the beloved sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica for its newly unveiled streaming service. Which is called Peacock.

Yes, really.

Anyway, so far not much is known about the reboot, other than Esmail’s involvement and that it’s now happening. NBC Universal has a long history with the series—about the last remnants of humanity on the run from a sinister, overwhelmingly powerful race of robots called the Cylons — of course, having produced Glen A. Larson’s original in 1978, which ran for just one season on ABC, and then produced Ronald D. Moore’s beloved reboot, which aired on Syfy from 2004 to 2009.

But I guess, in this age of streaming wars, every company around looking to make their own platform is returning to past successes in the hopes of making it new again for streaming.

In the sci-fi realm Disney has Star Wars, CBS of course has Star Trek, Apple now has Jason Momoa. And now, NBC has Battlestar again.

In the wake of this news, Esmail took to Twitter to clarify his show is not a remake of the 2004 series, or seemingly even the 1978 version. Instead, it is a “new story within the mythology”:

 

Quote

 

Sam Esmail

 

✔@samesmail

BSG fans, this will NOT be a remake of the amazing series @RonDMoore launched because... why mess with perfection? Instead, we’ll explore a new story within the mythology while staying true to the spirit of Battlestar. So say we all!

 

 

What this actually means is unclear. Is it set in the same universe as the 2004 reboot? Is it a prequel like Caprica? Somehow a continuation to what was a pretty definitive end, whether you loved or hated it? We’ll have to wait and see.

Peacock is set to launch in the U.S. in April 2020.

[MIKA27]

Paul Rudd Plots To Murder Paul Rudd In The First Trailer For Netflix Series Living With Yourself

We’ve known Paul Rudd was going to play a guy forced to face off with himself for over a year, but the first trailer for Netflix series Living With Yourself is finally here — and it looks like the existential black comedy void that’s been gaping within us since we finished Russian Doll is finally going to be filled.

The set-up for Living With Yourself — which was created and written by Daily Show alum Timothy Greenberg, and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) — is made perfectly clear in the new trailer, which has just landed.

Rudd plays Miles, a guy who’s having a rough time at work, at home, and just in general, so he takes himself to an unusual sort of health spa that promises to transform him into a new, improved version of himself.

And it works! But of course, there’s a complication: The old, crappier version of Miles still exists, and he’s furious about being replaced.

How will they solve the problem of Two Miles, One Life? And how will this show convince us that too many clones of Paul Rudd is actually a bad thing?

Living With Yourself, which runs for eight episodes, hits Netflix on October 18

[MIKA27]

The First Trailer For In The Shadow Of The Moon Injects A Gritty Serial Killer Tale With A Sci-Fi Twist

Just seeing “directed by Jim Mickle” is enough to sell me on a movie — the indie filmmaker is the guy behind genre-bending films like vampire road movie Stake Land; cannibal-family saga We Are What We Are; and neo-noir crime drama Cold in July. His latest is coming to Netflix, and it looks like it could be his best yet.

It’s called In the Shadow of the Moon; it stars Dexter’s Michael C. Hall, who was also in Cold in July, along with Logan’s Boyd Holbrook and The Last Man on Earth’s Cleopatra Coleman. It’s a serial-killer tale... but this being Mickle (the screenplay is by Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock), you just know there are going to be some unusual elements in the mix.

“You have no idea what’s coming,” indeed! She definitely looks to be some kind of time traveller, and the impending apocalypse gets a shout-out, so there’s a lot more to this story than a cop with an excellent mustache haunted by the killer that got away.

In the Shadow of the Moon arrives on Netflix September 27 after its Fantastic Fest premiere later this week.

[Ken Gargett]

34 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

The Man Behind Mr. Robot Is Bringing Battlestar Galactica Back

All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again. Because literally, that’s what they’re doing, they’re rebooting Battlestar Galactica again.

Deadline reports that NBC Universal has tapped Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail to headline a reboot of the beloved sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica for its newly unveiled streaming service. Which is called Peacock.

Yes, really.

Anyway, so far not much is known about the reboot, other than Esmail’s involvement and that it’s now happening. NBC Universal has a long history with the series—about the last remnants of humanity on the run from a sinister, overwhelmingly powerful race of robots called the Cylons — of course, having produced Glen A. Larson’s original in 1978, which ran for just one season on ABC, and then produced Ronald D. Moore’s beloved reboot, which aired on Syfy from 2004 to 2009.

But I guess, in this age of streaming wars, every company around looking to make their own platform is returning to past successes in the hopes of making it new again for streaming.

In the sci-fi realm Disney has Star Wars, CBS of course has Star Trek, Apple now has Jason Momoa. And now, NBC has Battlestar again.

In the wake of this news, Esmail took to Twitter to clarify his show is not a remake of the 2004 series, or seemingly even the 1978 version. Instead, it is a “new story within the mythology”:

 

 

What this actually means is unclear. Is it set in the same universe as the 2004 reboot? Is it a prequel like Caprica? Somehow a continuation to what was a pretty definitive end, whether you loved or hated it? We’ll have to wait and see.

Peacock is set to launch in the U.S. in April 2020.

i didn't watch the first series and only got to see a bit of the next series but i do have it on dvd and have been meaning to watch. how the hell can we be doing it yet again? 

better hurry up and watch the second reincarnation. 

[MIKA27]

Joker Watches the World Burn in Official IMAX Poster

The Clown Prince of Crime lives up to his chaotic mantra in a stunning brand new IMAX poster for Joker. Debuting in 1940, the character was intended to be a one-off villain. Following an intervention from editors, however, The Joker ultimately survived, and has since endured throughout the decades, emerging as Batman's most iconic nemesis. As such, the character has been adapted multiple times across a variety of mediums. Though most notably voiced by Mark Hamill in animation and video games, he's been played to critical acclaim on the big screen by both Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. The latter even went on to win a posthumous Oscar for his performance. He was most recently played, to lesser success, by Jared Leto in 2016's Suicide Squad.

Following the underwhelming reception experienced by Justice League, DC and Warner Bros. have shifted back toward more standalone projects. Thus far, the results have been largely successful, with Shazam! earning positive reviews and a solo Aquaman outing going on to dominate at the box office. Directed by Todd Phillips, Joker will mark the furthest step in that direction yet. Set in 1981 Gotham City, the film with have no ties whatsoever to any of the DCEU movies of the last decade. Equally, the film is expected to predate Batman altogether and won't adhere directly to any comic book storylines. Despite initial skepticism from fans, audiences have been largely won over by the recent trailers. Critics, meanwhile, have hailed the film a dark masterpiece.

Phillips' film tells the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) - a struggling stand-up comedian who, after a lifetime of being abused and downtrodden, finds himself developing a new persona and spiraling into madness. Released by IMAX, a new poster displays the iconic character in all his deranged glory. Dressed in the same suit and self-applied make-up depicted elsewhere in the film's marketing, Phoenix's Joker poses contently in front of a burning and graffiti-strewn car as an army of cheering clowns lurk in the background. The full, seemingly handpainted poster can be seen above.

[MIKA27]

3 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

i didn't watch the first series and only got to see a bit of the next series but i do have it on dvd and have been meaning to watch. how the hell can we be doing it yet again? 

better hurry up and watch the second reincarnation. 

I really loved the second reincarnation. Simply brilliant.

The only thing I really started disliking (No spoilers) was the way it started swaying so heavily into religion toward the last season. But otherwise, you got to watch it Ken.  

[Ken Gargett]

Just now, MIKA27 said:

I really loved the second reincarnation. Simply brilliant.

The only thing I really started disliking (No spoilers) was the way it started swaying so heavily into religion toward the last season. But otherwise, you got to watch it Ken.  

will do. 

[MIKA27]

The Grotesque Dissection Of Annie Chapman, Jack The Ripper’s Second Victim

In 1888, London was terror-struck by the grotesque murders of Jack the Ripper, who was shortly about to claim his next-victim: 47-year-old prostitute Annie Chapman.

September 1888, the Whitechapel district of London found itself in the midst of a blood-curdling series of homicides. Five prostitutes were not only slashed to death but utterly mutilated with their organs removed. Indeed, as written by The New York Times in September 1888, “The murders are certainly the most ghastly and mysterious known to English police history.”

But on the night that young sex worker Annie Chapman went out to get her nightly wage, the murderer, Jack the Ripper, had not yet risen to infamy. The 47-year-old woman thus did not know the danger that awaited her.

Annie Chapman’s Misfortune

A portrait of Annie Chapman, taken in 1869.

In the late 1800s, the women of London had few opportunities. They could get married or live in poverty. Annie Chapman chose the former, and lived with her husband, John, a coachman. However, after their youngest daughter, Emily, died of meningitis at the age of 12, the couple fell into troubled times and separated in 1884.

Chapman consequently moved to Whitechapel where she lived in various lodging houses. Her husband sent her ten shillings a week and she earned money doing crochet-work and selling flowers. But when her husband died, Chapman turned to sex work in order to ensure that she had a warm place to sleep every night.

By 1888 Chapman was living at Crossingham’s Lodging House on 35 Dorset Street, along with approximately 300 other people. Here, she paid eightpence for a bed and was known by the manager as “inoffensive” though she was consumptive and often sickly. She was stout, hardy, and was potentially suffering from both TB and syphilis.

While staying at 35 Dorse, Chapman garnered two regular customers, Harry the Hawker, and a man named Ted Stanley.

On Sept. 8, 1888, she left the house sometime after one a.m. She told the manager to save her a bed as she went out to earn sufficient funds. “I’ll soon be back,” she said.

But she wouldn’t be.

The Last Sightings Of Annie Chapman

A photograph of Annie Chapman, taken at the mortuary after her death.

Chapman was spotted later with a man at 29 Hanbury Street around 5:30 a.m. The voyeur heard the man ask Chapman “Will you?” to which she replied “Yes.”

Then around 5:45 a.m., Albert Cadosch, who was living at 27 Hanbury Street, walked into his backyard. As he passed the fence that separated his house from that of 29 Hanbury Street, he heard a woman say, “No!” He heard something fall against the fence but thought nothing of it. He went on with his regular routine.

Chapman had most likely met her murderer only minutes before the attack, thinking he was a potential customer. She might’ve led him through a passageway in a lodging house filled with sleeping people into the backyard, where the two could complete their transaction alone.

However, much to her terror, the man instead took hold of her and brutally cut her throat from ear to ear, before mutilating her body. Then, he escaped into the night without raising even an ounce of suspicion.

A little before 6 a.m., John Davis, a carman who lived in the lodging house with his family, found Chapman’s mutilated corpse.

An illustration of the mysterious Whitechapel murderer, published in 1888.

Davis cried out to the men waiting outside and they immediately ran to the Commercial Street Police Station.

“I could see that the woman was dead,” said James Kent, one of the witnesses. “She had some kind of handkerchief around her throat, which seemed soaked in blood. The face and hands were besmeared with blood, as if she had struggled.”

The news of Chapman’s death spread rapidly and as Inspector Joseph Chandler arrived, so did an excited crowd. As Echo magazine reported, “The excitement has, as we say, been intense. The terror is extreme. The house and the mortuary were besieged by people, and it is said that during part of Saturday people flocked in great numbers to see the blood-stained spot in the yard, paying a penny each.”

The Horrific Details

Dr. Phillips examines the body of Annie Chapman in a press drawing for 1888’s The Illustrated Police News.

Dr. George Bagster Phillips arrived on the scene at approximately 6:30 a.m. He reported that Annie Chapman’s throat had been cut so severely that her head was barely still attached to her body.

Her abdomen had also been cut and laid open. As Phillips said, “The small intestines and other portions were lying on the right side of the body on the ground above the right shoulder, but attached. There was a large quantity of blood, with a part of the stomach above the left shoulder.”

Chapman’s uterus and two-thirds of her bladder had been removed. Since no trace of these organs was found, the killer was assumed to have taken them with him. These cuts were very clean suggesting that the person who made them was experienced. Her other nearby organs had been carefully avoided.

All of this had been done in a pitch-black morning in under 30 minutes.

As the doctor reported in his inquest, “Obviously the work was that of an expert — of one, at least, who had such knowledge of anatomical or pathological examinations as to be enabled to secure the pelvic organs with one sweep of the knife.”

The Foreman later reported, “I was asked by the police whether a photograph of the deceased’s eye would be of any use; but I gave it as my opinion that a photograph of the eye would be useless in this case.”

This suggestion most likely has to do with an old belief that a person’s eye recorded their last sight before death. It was a practice that had been used as an attempt to catch killers in times past, but clearly, was of no use in catching Jack the Ripper.

On Sept. 14, 1888, a hearse supplied by the Hanbury Street Undertaker drove to the Whitechapel Mortuary to pick up Annie Chapman’s body. She was taken to the City of London Cemetery in Forest Gate, London where she was lowered into grave 78, square 148.

No mourning coaches followed the hearse. As The Daily Telegraph reported, “The funeral of Annie Chapman took place early yesterday morning, the utmost secrecy having been observed, and none but the undertaker, police, and relatives of the deceased knew anything about the arrangements.”

Sadly, Chapman’s grave no longer exists, as it has since been buried over.

The London Police’s Search For Suspects

A newspaper broadsheet posted after Annie Chapman’s death, referring to her killer as the Whitechapel murderer.

Chapman’s was the second murder of this brutality in Whitechapel. Citizens were consequently starting to panic and police were put under increasing pressure to find the man involved.

Before long, a man known as “Leather Apron” was arrested. He was believed to carry around a knife and mistreat sex workers.

An alleged witness from the night of Chapman’s murder indicated this man, whose real name was John Pizer, out of a lineup. But after further investigation, he was released.

A cartoon depicting the police’s inability to find the fiendish Whitechapel murderer.

On Sunday night, another “suspicious-looking individual” named William Pigott was arrested. One of his hands had a bite mark, which Pigott said came from a woman who he had tried to help during the early hours of the morning in Whitechapel on Sept. 8. He also had spots of blood on the clothes he was carrying.

Several witnesses were called in, but none were able to identify him out of a lineup. The doctor pronounced him as a lunatic. It’s been suggested that he was later moved to an asylum.

With no other leads, the backyard of 29 Hanbury Street was cleaned up and the crowds dispersed. Panic was subdued, that is until the police received their most haunting clue yet.

This time, from the Whitechapel murderer himself.

Enter Jack The Ripper

The letter mailed to the London police by the Whitechapel murderer.

The week following Chapman’s murder, the London police station received a letter in red ink. It read:

Quote

 

“Dear Boss,

I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they won’t fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits…I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I can’t use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha ha …”

 

The letter was addressed to “Boss” and signed by Jack the Ripper.

t was signed, “Yours truly Jack the Ripper. Don’t mind me giving the trade name.”

Although this letter can still not be proven to be authentic, its contents have provoked nightmares and curiosity for over a century now.

Annie Chapman’s last sight was the face of one of the most famous serial killers in human history. But today, the rest of us are left to wonder: Who even was he?

[MIKA27]

First ‘In the Tall Grass’ Trailer Reveals Netflix’s Twisted Stephen King Adaptation

Netflix has released the first trailer for the upcoming horror film In the Tall Grass, and it looks delightfully insane. Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali (Splice), the film is based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill and follows a brother and sister who venture into a vast field of tall grass when they hear a young boy’s cry for help. Once inside, they encounter others (along with strange oddities), and all find themselves unable to leave.

This trailer is downright creepy, which is in keeping with the source material. Indeed, King and Hill’s novella goes to some wild places, and reports suggest the film will not be pulling any punches. I’m curious to see how this works as a feature film—does the same-looking location get tired, and does the pacing sag as a result?—but Netflix is pretty smart in releasing a bevy of new horror content all throughout the month of October.

In the Tall Grass will be released on Netflix on October 4th.

[MIKA27]

The Monster Suite Is Inspired By Guillermo Del Toro’s Chilling Movies

Guillermo Del Toro is known for crafting beautiful nightmares on celluloid, immersing his audience in dark fairy tales filled with monsters and magic. If you’re a fan of his horror and fantasy films, you’ll want to stay at The Monster Suite at the Museo de las Artes at the University of Guadalajara.

Inspired by the creatures of the Oscar-winning director’s fantastical worlds, the suite is filled with eerie props and decor — including a possibly-possessed porcelain doll, creepy creature arms protruding from the wall, and an unknown aquatic beast floating in a vessel in the corner of the room. Your stay in the hair-raising suite comes with an exclusive nighttime tour of the En Casa Con Mis Monstruos exhibit, featuring more than 900 installations from Del Toro’s films. If you’re obsessed with Halloween, this the best place to kick off the spooky month. The sinister suite is available for three nights: October 3, 4, and 5.

[MIKA27]

Mercedes-Benz Transforms The First Modern Car Into An All-Electric Ride

In 1901, the Mercedes 35 PS impressed onlookers at Race Week in Nice, dominating the competition and introducing the world to the first modern car. The legendary German car company created the Vision Mercedes Simplex to recall the pivotal 35 PS, blending heritage features and future technology, symbolizing a transition to a new era of automobile design.

The Simplex is a luxury aerodynamic two-seater with a radiator featuring a rose gold frame and large lens-shaped Black Panel 3D display that informs you about the status of the vehicle. Although it’s not meant to be driven, it’s housing four electric motors inside its fixed hubs of the outboard wheels. The one-of-a-kind ride also has leather details, filament taillights across the azure blue bench seat frame, and a steering column and hyper analog instrument panel taking cues from motorcycle designs. Not to mention the furniture-inspired bench seat features hand-made Chesterfield quilting, complementing the two-tone white and black color combination of the vehicle. The ride is a homage to the legacy of Mercedes-Benz, as well as a taste of things to come.

[MIKA27]

‘Treasures in the Trash’ Short Film

In 1981, Nelson Molina was hired by New York City as a sanitation worker. Through his three decade plus tenure that lasted through 2015, Molina would collect items of interest from the trash on his router in East Harlem. This collection of items grew to include over 45,000 unique pieces that were all cataloged and organized to create an unofficial museum of sorts dubbed Treasures in the Trash on the second floor of the M11 garage. Nicolas Heller is a filmmaker that created a short film with the same name–Treasures in the Trash–that chronicles the creation collection of books, video games, toys, art, ephemera and everything else that would become part of the museum. The collection isn’t currently open to the public because it’s part of an active garage, but they hope to get a proper space for it with the help of the film you’re about to watch. Learn more at The Foundation of New York’s Strongest.

[MIKA27]

Tesla May Have Already Crushed Porsche's EV Nürburgring Time

The race for the fastest electric sedan around the Nürburgring maybe just got a hell of a lot more interesting. In August, Porsche’s first foray into EVs, the Taycan Turbo S, nailed a 7:42 lap time, winning the crown for quickest four-door electric around the storied track. Then Elon Musk and Tesla showed up. Now what we’re hearing from the ’Ring is a Model S may have pulled a very unofficial 7:23 lap done by hand timing, which if true and can be repeated (or beaten) for the official lap will blow Porsche out of the water.

Or off the graffiti-covered tarmac, in this case.

This unofficial time comes from two places: veteran ’Ring spy shooter Stefan Bauldauf, who took those photos above, and Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. Both timed the lap by hand.

From AMuS’ story, including who was behind the wheel, and pardon the somewhat clunky Google translation:

Quote

At the wheel: Thomas Mutsch, VLN driver and proven Nordschleife expert who already sat behind the wheel during the testing of the SCG 003 project of the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. The driver squad is complemented by Andreas Simonsen, who races in the VLN for the Porsche Team Huber with a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with start number 80. So he brings a lot of Nordschleife experience. Third driver is the Swede Carl Rydquist.

A nearly 20 second quicker time on the ’Ring is, of course, completely bonkers, especially for a manufacturer that has not been part of the track’s industry pool and has not done official testing here before.

Two big questions arise from this report. First, what car was Tesla using here?

If this time was set by a regular, off-the-shelf Model S P100D, that’s mind-blowing. But if it was a new type of Model S, a prototype for the supposedly upcoming three-motor P100D+, that’s a slightly different story, as that car isn’t out yet. (But if so, it’s a guarantee that car should be absurdly fast.) The car Auto Motor und Sport photographed was wearing a P100D+ badge. Take that as you will for right now.

The other big unknown has to do with tires.

We initially saw photos of one car with Michelin Sport Cup 2 R tires, and those are not an option on any Model S from the factory. Now we hear the car (or cars) are using Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport RS tires, the most extreme race-focused but road legal tires Goodyear makes.

A Porsche spokesman tells me the Taycan Turbo S record car ran stock, production 21-inch summer tires, which would’ve been either Goodyear Eagle F1s or Pirelli P-Zeros.

The last time we asked Tesla about any of this, we were told it wasn’t releasing any new information yet.

There’s a lot we still don’t know here, least of all the official time. As Jalopnik contributor, race car driver and Nürburgring expert (and part-time ‘Ring resident) Robb Holland wrote last week, we went into this eager to see what Tesla could do, but with a good deal of concerns over safety, experience and truly understanding what a ’Ring record run entails.

After all, Musk didn’t initially tell the track what was happening, and it seemed like the runs would happen during industry pool sessions. But if Tesla’s blown past Porsche on the first attempt, then it deserves all the credit in the world. Holland, like us, is awaiting more details on the official time, the specs on the car and what tires were used.

Auto Motor und Sport says Tesla will be at the ’Ring for the next three weeks, and that official lap attempts may happen on Wednesday and Saturday. I’m eager to see what happens next.