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

[MIKA27]

This Retro-Styled MP3 Music Player Doubles As A Hi-Fi Bluetooth Amplifier

In the years that followed the release of Apple’s original iPod in October of 2001, the global MP3 player market became a multi-million dollar industry, though the rise of the now-ubiquitous smartphone has resulted in a marked decline of mobile digital audio players. A new Kickstarter project is aiming to alter that trend, however, in the form of the Shanling Q1, a retro-styled, pocket-sized, portable high-fidelity music player.

Available in a variety of bright colors and sold with a matching silicone protective case, the Q1’s design was inspired by mid-century Americana visual themes. Measuring only 2.95” at its widest point, the gadget is surprisingly durable — sporting a zinc alloy construction, 7H tempered glass over its full-color 2.7” touchscreen, chrome hardware buttons, and an analog jog volume wheel. Thanks to a potent USB-C rechargeable battery, the Q1 offers up to 21 hours of playback time. Instead of going with the built-in memory storage route, the Shanling team instead opted to bestow the Q1 with a Micro SD slot capable of accommodating cards up to 2TBs. Best of all, the Q1 can be connected to computers, smartphones, Bluetooth speakers, and other smart devices to serve as a high-fidelity Bluetooth amplifier. Slated to begin shipping in early 2020, the Q1’s Kickstarter camping is currently offering a 25% off early bird special for $89, or $169 for the Shanling Q1 Portable Hi-Fi Music Player and Shanling Bluetooth Earphone bundle.

[MIKA27]

Baker’s 13-Year Single Barrel Spirit Is A 107 Proof Limited-Edition Bourbon

A long-time member of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection created by none other than 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe and named after Beam’s grandson, Baker’s Bourbon has always been lauded and sought-after. However, it just got a bit more desirable with its first-ever limited-edition offering, Baker’s 13-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon.

While this offering shares the same mash recipe as its 7-year counterpart, this one has an additional 6 years of barrel aging and is bottled at 107 proof (53.5% ABV). According to the distiller, that means this older expression boasts “noticeably richer notes of oak and toasted nut.” On top of a bigger, bolder flavor profile, this whiskey also comes in a premium gift box, metallic labeling, and a metal neck charm. Baker’s 13-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon has an MSRP of $100.

[MIKA27]

Chinampa Houseboat

If you love the idea of living on the water, you need to check out this gorgeous houseboat. Currently docked at a residential mooring in Haggerston, East London, this beautiful one-bedroomed 58ft widebeam canal boat has been designed by its current owners (who work in landscaping and fashion). Named Chinampa Houseboat, the beautiful vessel is not only solar-powered, but it boasts a spectacular interior design made up of reclaimed furniture and retro pieces. The floating abode is heated by a Webasto high-performance water heating system and calorifier, and has radiators throughout. Its 4x 130w solar panels allow for 100-percent off-grid living.

 

[MIKA27]

A New Bloodshot Trailer Introduces The Super Soldiers Vin Diesel's Gonna Have To Fight

The latest trailer for Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot introduces other super soldiers who have been given a second chance thanks to Rising Spirit Technologies. Will Nano-Baby Robots Boy have to face off against some of his friends in his quest for vengeance against the company that’s been manipulating him?

The international trailer is here for Bloodshot, Sony’s first Valiant Comics adaptation that took years to finally come to fruition. It’s about a soldier named Ray Garrison (played by Diesel) who’s brought back to life and infused with nanobots that look like the aliens from Independence Day, which have made him super strong and can repair any injury. RST uses Garrison to assassinate targets, erasing and altering his memories to think that each time he’s killing the person who murdered the love of his life.

Once Garrison learns of their deception, he goes on the offensive and seeks revenge against RST and the people who’ve been controlling him. However, he’s going to have some other super-soldiers to contend with—played by Toby Kebbel, Sam Heughan, Eliza Gonzalez, and others. Will they also see the error of RST’s ways and join Garrison’s side? Hard to say. Well, except for that guy with Extendo Arms—pretty sure Garrison’s gonna kill him.

But even if all of Garrison’s allies turn against him, I’m sure he won’t be alone forever. After all, Sony’s got a living vampire in the wings just begging for a multi-comics-company crossover...

Bloodshot comes out on March 5 in Australia, having been pushed back slightly from its original release date of February 21

[MIKA27]

Morbius' First Trailer Is Here And Jared Leto Is Dripping With Blood

Wild as it is to believe, Sony really meant what it said when the studio announced its plans to move forward with a movie about Morbius, Marvel Comics’ most famous vampire who isn’t Blade. While Morbius might not have been the Spider-Man villain one would expect to make it to the big screen so quickly, it’s definitely happening, and there’s finally a trailer to prove it.

Though many comics fans likely know Morbius’ tragic backstory, chances are that most of the general moviegoing public is unfamiliar with the blood-sucking character, and so the trailer opens with the basics about Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius. After years of battling a blood disease, the scientist develops a treatment he believes will cure him, but things take a turn for the worst when his experimental serum instead leaves him transformed into a being with many of the same traits as a vampire.

Because of Morbius’ newly-developed monstrous appearance and his thirst for blood, it isn’t long before most of the world turns on him, and he becomes the target of FBI agents Simon Stroud (Tyrese Gibson) and Alberto Rodriguez (Al Madrigal). But when Morbius’ friend Loxias Crown (Matt Smith) goes through a similar transformation and resolves to use his powers to wreak havoc, Morbius realises that monster or not, he’s the one person capable of saving the people he loves and, perhaps, the world.

Morbius is directed by Daniel Espinosa and also stars Good Omens’ Adria Arjona. It hits U.S. theatres on July 31, but is currently undated in Australia.

[MIKA27]

How gaming PCs are competing with the PS5 and Xbox Series X

Alienware’s Concept UFO marries the Nintendo Switch’s portability and modular controller design with more powerful internal components.

CES 2020 saw smaller, more modular and console-inspired PC gaming hardware.

Every January, PC gaming companies get a full week during CES to show us the latest and greatest in new processors, graphics cards, monitors, and everything else that’s been cooking for the last year or longer. Normally, the PC industry gets to do this without its console counterpart encroaching on its turf. It’s a place for discussions about totally unfettered gaming performance and the kinds of ludicrous hardware you could buy if money was no concern. But this year is a bit different.

A new console generation from Microsoft and Sony is arriving later this year, and that shift is poised to change everything about the gaming landscape whether you play in front of a TV or your computer monitor. New consoles will mean a huge step up in the production values game developers can squeeze out of baseline hardware.

And because most games today are developed both for console and PC simultaneously, that means the overall performance bar is going to take a big leap this fall. Games are going to look better than ever, no matter where you play them. It also means PC owners can look forward to upgrading their rigs to take advantage of a much higher performance ceiling in the years to come.

But that situation has also cast a long shadow over this year’s PC gaming announcements at CES. The industry is somewhat stuck in a kind of technical purgatory until the new console generation lands. That way, we can measure performance against current graphics chips — and then against a meaningful new generation of GPUs coming next year.

It’s clear even at CES that Microsoft and Sony’s new hardware are the most talked-about gaming news on everyone’s minds. Sony showed up to its annual press conference in Las Vegas with a tiny morsel of gaming news — the official PS5 logo — that nonetheless generated a ton of buzz. And AMD made the mistake of using a fake render of the Xbox Series X during its CES presentation, leading to a wave of press coverage over something as minor as the port selection on the back of the box.

That doesn’t mean the PC gaming industry is taking a back seat at CES. Instead, we’re actually seeing an interesting trend where companies like Alienware, Razer, and others are acknowledging the benefits of consoles and trying to tempt traditional console-only consumers over to the PC platform. In years prior, this would mean touting all the performance benefits you get with a gaming PC. But with new consoles on the horizon that are inching closer to becoming full-fledged computers, we’re seeing PC manufacturers try to offer the benefits of both worlds in a single package.

For the last seven years, the PC has been unequivocally the best and most performant platform out there. The new consoles were basically outdated by a run-of-the-mill gaming PC as soon as they launched in 2013, and even the mid-cycle refreshes in the form of the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro were well outpaced by Nvidia’s Turing architecture that was introduced in 2018. But in the years since, we’ve seen the console industry innovate with regard to portability, like with the Nintendo Switch, and cross-platform play and subscription services.

The PC and console ecosystems have never been closer than they are today, and it’s never been easier to jump between the two. If you’re a Microsoft fan, you can just pay $15 a month to get hundreds of games playable across your Xbox One and your PC, making it sensible to own both if you want both a big screen, controller-ready setup and a more performance-geared mouse-and-keyboard one. That was a pipe dream when the Xbox One first launched.

At CES 2020, we’re seeing the PC gaming industry acknowledge this new reality, and try to develop products that cater to the audience that may eventually want to own devices that can do everything and appeal to all audiences. Alienware arrived with its Concept UFO prototype, a powerful Nintendo Switch-like handheld that aims to let you play PC games on the go. Both Intel and Razer came to CES with fascinating small form factor NUC PCs that try to bring the accessibility and size of consoles to something that can be easily upgraded to meet your needs.

The latest iteration of Origin’s Big O crams an entire PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One S inside a standard gaming PC tower, albeit a gigantic one. It’s the best of both worlds, literally in the same box.

PC gaming manufacturer Origin came back to the show with a new version of its Big O rig that stuffs either a PS4 Pro or Xbox One S inside the same case as a gaming PC. It’s the best of both worlds in the most literal sense.

How many consumers will actually buy any of these products? Probably very few. But CES has always been a place where PC manufacturers can show off experimental prototypes that are more of a signal of where a company thinks the industry is going rather than what it thinks might sell right here and now. It’s also these ideas that do occasionally transition into more marketable and feasible products down the line. Before the NUC-based Razer Tomahawk modular PC announced this week, there was the company’s Project Christine experimental version of the same idea first shown six years ago.

This doesn’t mean Alienware, Razer, and other big-name PC makers necessarily want to convert console gamers, although I’m sure neither company would complain if you bought one of their pricey prebuilt towers or gaming laptops. But it is a realization that there’s a growing market of consumers who have traditionally owned consoles and may be looking to upgrade that box sitting under their TV. What better way to do that than to remind them that the world of PC gaming is much more than just gigantic, ugly tower PCs that cost a fortune and can be complicated and cumbersome to maintain?

Intel’s NUC 9 Extreme, also referred to as the Ghost Canyon, is a modular, small form factor PC that lets you upgrade its various parts as easily as you can slide in a new GPU on a traditional model.

It may be the case that the new console generation keeps its hold on the existing PlayStation and Xbox fans. After all, owning a PS4 or Xbox One now is probably the most likely sign you’ll be buying the respective upgrade come this holiday season. But that outcome used to be a predictable one, with the rare exception being a switch to the competing console platform. Nowadays, it feels more likely that a console owner might be willing to take the plunge into PC gaming, just as a lifelong PC gamer might actually pick up the PS5 or Xbox Series X if the rumored specs are indeed as high as they seem.

The PC and gaming accessory manufacturers, better than most companies, know that this convergence will only continue to accelerate. We’re living in an industry where the differences between the gaming platforms you play on are largely insignificant outside the restrictions these platform owners place on their customers and the exclusive games they finance to keep diehard fans committed to the brand.

At CES, it’s apparent PC gaming isn’t going to be taking big leaps anytime soon, at least not until the new consoles come out. It’s not the right time, but updates on the horizon — like Intel’s new discrete graphics chip and the renewed processor war between the chipmaker and its rival AMD — could seriously shake up the laptop market and, in turn, the whole PC gaming landscape.

In the meantime, we’re seeing evidence of the kind of market we might see five years from now when consoles are even more like PCs and vice versa. It may not sound like something a gaming enthusiast with a multithousand-dollar rig is looking for right now. But a handheld PC-level machine with the form factor of the Nintendo Switch, like Alienware’s Concept UFO, is the kind of innovation that could, many iterations down the line, truly marry the best of both platforms in one device. And it’s those big swings that make CES a place where you can still peek around the corner and glimpse an exciting future.

[MIKA27]

‘Guns Akimbo’ Trailer Sees Daniel Radcliffe in a Pantsless Deathmatch with Samara Weaving

Madman Films has released the first trailer for Guns Akimbo, the genuinely insane-looking action-comedy in which Daniel Radcliffe gets chased around an illegal deathmatch by a gothed-out Samara Weaving. Oh, and Daniel Radcliffe has guns bolted to his hands and is not wearing pants for a good portion of the footage. There is no discernible difference between doing cocaine and watching this trailer but I can guarantee the trailer is cheaper.

Here are the actual plot details of Guns Akimbo, for the uninitiated: Radcliffe stars as Miles, an extremely online game developer who runs afoul of the maniacal mastermind behind the underground fight club known as Skizm. Forced against his will into the live-streamed fight for his life, Miles must avoid the game’s number one killer, Nix (Weaving).

Check out the trailer below. Written and directed by Jason Lei Howden (Deathgasm), Guns Akimbo opens in limited release on February 28.

[MIKA27]

Sennheiser & Continental Created A ‘Speakerless’ Hi-Fi Car Stereo

While car stereos have evolved quite a bit over the years, especially in regards to incorporating new amenities like wireless connectivity and more, they still hinge on a pretty traditional piece of tech: speakers. However, the folks at Continental have joined forces with the audiophiles at Sennheiser to truly revolutionize how vehicular sound systems function.

Technically still in its conceptual stages, this impressive bit of tech doesn’t have a name, but it was exhibited during this year’s CES — meaning there’s enough potential here that the two companies want to show it off, which is promising. And that makes what it does all the more impressive. You see, this system combines patented AMBEO 3D audio technology from Sennheiser with Continental’s Ac2ated sound system to create completely “speakerless” audio. You can think of it kind of like bone-conducting headphones or how stringed instruments use their bodies as resonation chambers, in that the technology utilizes select specially-crafted surfaces around the interior of the car and vibrates them to produce “breathtaking 3D sound reproduction” that’s simply impossible to manage with traditional speakers. It also helps cut down on weight by up to 90% when compared to traditional speaker systems, making it perfectly suited to modern vehicles and sensibilities. It remains to be seen where the two brands take this technology from here.

[Fuzz]

4 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

A New Bloodshot Trailer Introduces The Super Soldiers Vin Diesel's Gonna Have To Fight

The latest trailer for Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot introduces other super soldiers who have been given a second chance thanks to Rising Spirit Technologies. Will Nano-Baby Robots Boy have to face off against some of his friends in his quest for vengeance against the company that’s been manipulating him?

The international trailer is here for Bloodshot, Sony’s first Valiant Comics adaptation that took years to finally come to fruition. It’s about a soldier named Ray Garrison (played by Diesel) who’s brought back to life and infused with nanobots that look like the aliens from Independence Day, which have made him super strong and can repair any injury. RST uses Garrison to assassinate targets, erasing and altering his memories to think that each time he’s killing the person who murdered the love of his life.

Once Garrison learns of their deception, he goes on the offensive and seeks revenge against RST and the people who’ve been controlling him. However, he’s going to have some other super-soldiers to contend with—played by Toby Kebbel, Sam Heughan, Eliza Gonzalez, and others. Will they also see the error of RST’s ways and join Garrison’s side? Hard to say. Well, except for that guy with Extendo Arms—pretty sure Garrison’s gonna kill him.

But even if all of Garrison’s allies turn against him, I’m sure he won’t be alone forever. After all, Sony’s got a living vampire in the wings just begging for a multi-comics-company crossover...

Bloodshot comes out on March 5 in Australia, having been pushed back slightly from its original release date of February 21

Oh, please. Not Morbius. Anything but Morbius.

 

Edit: Aww geez. I didn't scroll down before posting.

[MIKA27]

18 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Oh, please. Not Morbius. Anything but Morbius.

 

Edit: Aww geez. I didn't scroll down before posting.

Morbius seems like a good character to make a movie on, didn't he create Blade?

BUT... Jared Leto.... F**K NO!

[Fuzz]

5 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

Morbius seems liharacter to make a movie on, didn't he create Blade?

BUT... Jared Leto.... F**K NO!

Oh hell no! Blade was created when his mother was drained by Deacon Frost during childbirth. That passed on some vampiric abilities to the baby. Morbius, on the other hand, tried to cure his rare blood condition using vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy. Blade did encounter Morbius at a later date, but he didn't stake him when he should have. Morbius is a D list character at best.

With so many other deserving Marvel characters, we go back to vampires. Always vampires.

[MIKA27]

Just now, Fuzz said:

Oh hell no! Blade was created when his mother was drained by Deacon Frost during childbirth. That passed on some vampiric abilities to the baby. Morbius, on the other hand, tried to cure his rare blood condition using vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy. Blade did encounter Morbius at a later date, but he didn't stake him when he should have. Morbius is a D list character at best.

With so many other deserving Marvel characters, we go back to vampires. Always vampires.

But I like Vampires.... just not Leto!

[MIKA27]

Firefighters Save Australia's Endangered 'Dinosaur Trees' From Raging Bushfires

The Wollemi Pines in Australia are like nothing else in the world. These so-called “dinosaur trees” live in northwest Sydney, and they were extremely close to being burned over and lost forever. In a rare victory among all the Very Sad News coming out of the Australian bushfires, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service managed to save these centuries-old trees.

These trees are survivors from the era of dinosaurs. Freaking dinosaurs! And they only live in one valley in Australia. That’s it. As bushfires approached, there was no way firefighters were going to let them kill the trees off. The New South Wales government announced on Wednesday that they conducted a secret operation to save the trees, noting that it required preparations such as dropping flame retardant and building irrigation systems to keep the forest area moist.

Then, once the fire neared the one-of-a-kind trees, helicopters poured water from above onto the fire’s edge. Some trees did wind up charred, but the dino trees were largely spared.

“Wollemi National Park is the only place in the world where these trees are found in the wild and, with less than 200 left, we knew we needed to do everything we could to save them,” Environment Minister Matt Kean, said in a statement. “The pines, which prior to 1994 were thought to be extinct and whose location is kept secret to prevent contamination, benefited from an unprecedented environmental protection mission.”

Saving these trees is a bright spot in an otherwise pretty bleak fire season. Roughly 26.4 million acres have burned across Australia, creating a host of problems for humans and forests alike. It’s likely some places have been permanently altered by the flames.

An estimated 1.25 billion animals have perished in the fires. A third of Kangaroo Island—home to unique ecosystems and species—has burned over. And trees that are sacred to the Aboriginal people known as scarred trees have likely been lost, breaking a connection with past generations. So the survival of these old-arse trees is something to celebrate.

Climate change is driving extreme heat in Australia, which is contributing to this outburst of fires. As the world continues to warm, the continent will face even more threats from out-of-control flames. This is one battle the Wollemi Pines have won in a war that’s only beginning.

[MIKA27]

LG's First Truly Wireless Earbuds Come With A Bacteria-Killing UV Light

Just in the last year, we’ve seen a bunch of big names announcer their first truly wireless earbuds including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and more. And now it’s LG’s turn to give it a try with its new Tone Free earbuds.

While LG’s $US200 ($290) Tone Free may have got a bit lost in the post-CES shuffle, they do have one feature not found on any of its competitors: a disinfecting UV light built into the Tone Free’s charging case that’s designed to kill bacteria, including staph and E. coli, which could potentially protect you from a nasty infection. (LG says on its website that it conducted “independent testing” in October that found its UVnano technology reduced bacteria “on tip of the earbud closest to the ear canal.”)

On their own, the Tone Free buds should last about six hours on a single charge, with another 21 hours of juice stashed in their included charging case, which should be good for more than three additional full charges, according to LG. And like a lot of competing earbuds, the Tone Free sport a touch-sensitive side panel that allows you to skip tracks, adjust volume, and even summon the Google Assistant with a couple of simple gestures. The Tone Free also have an IPX4 rating for water-resistance, so they should be fine in the rain or at the gym.

And as for their audio, the Tone Free have been tuned by Meridian to deliver distortion-free high-res sound, while also featuring a composite diaphragm made from multiple materials including both metal and plastic to ensure that treble and bass notes sound crisp.

Interestingly, LG says the Tone Free are semi-open earbuds, unlike a lot of more closed-back earbuds such as Samsung’s Galaxy Buds, the Amazon Echo Buds, and others. Unfortunately, the Tone Free’s semi-open design means LG’s buds also don’t support active noise-cancelling (ANC). This could be an issue for LG because around $US200 ($290) or $US250 ($362) is when you start seeing more high-end earbuds offer ANC as you get on Apple’s $US250 ($362) AirPods Pro.

When you run low on juice, the Tone Free support fast charging that should give the earbuds an extra hour of music playback after just five minutes of charging. Also, automatic ear detection allows the buds to pause on their own when you take them out, which saves your spot and helps extend battery life at the same time.

All told, I’ve got to give LG credit for spicing up the category with the UV light perk—a feature no other company is really offering—but I fear the Tone Free may get stuck in a hard place between more affordable earbuds without ANC and fancier, more expensive earbuds that do support ANC like the AirPods Pro and Sony’s WF-1000XM3.

[Fuzz]

5 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

But I like Vampires.... just not Leto!

Vampires SUCK! And I do not mean that literally!!!

There are plenty of other characters that Sony could tap into: Moon Knight, Silver Sable, Black Cat, She-Hulk, hell, go for Gwenpool!!

[MIKA27]

1 minute ago, Fuzz said:

Vampires SUCK! And I do not mean that literally!!!

There are plenty of other characters that Sony could tap into: Moon Knight, Silver Sable, Black Cat, She-Hulk, hell, go for Gwenpool!!

I honestly don't see any of those characters making any significant movies that rival or even par with the previous 10 years of Marvel movies.

The past 10 year characters have been the "Top" of the marvel food chain. I think people in general are getting over the whole comic book movies. I love Comics, always will, but even I'm getting over it all. Who knows...? Planet Hulk?

[MIKA27]

Andy Muschietti’s The Howling Remake Could Revive The Werewolf Movie

IT and IT Chapter Two director Andy Muschietti is set to helm a remake of The Howling for Netflix, and it could serve to revive the werewolf genre.

IT and IT Chapter Two director Andy Muschietti is set to helm a remake of The Howling for Netflix, and it could serve to revive the werewolf genre. While werewolves are one of the most iconic monsters in the history of fiction, for whatever reason, they've never seemed to take off on the big screen in the way other archetypal creatures like vampires, ghosts, and demons have. While there are some truly great werewolf movies, the number is surprisingly small, with way more terrible ones out there.

As fate would have it, two of the most beloved werewolf films of all time arrived in the same year, 1981. The first of those was The Howling, an adaptation of Gary Brander's novel of the same name, directed by Joe Dante. The other was An American Werewolf in London, directed by John Landis. The biggest differences between the two films were that American Werewolf was a comedic horror story while The Howling wasn't, and that American Werewolf had a considerably larger budget, enabling it to have more breathtaking transformation effects. Still, both films are considered top tier when it comes to werewolf cinema.

A remake of An American Werewolf in London has been threatened more than once, but never gotten off the ground. Just recently, it was announced that Andy Muschietti will direct a Howling remake for Netflix. Some horror fans are excited for Muschietti's take, while others wish Netflix would leave the classic tale alone. If done well though, this remake could be the shot in the arm cinematic werewolves need.

While IT and IT Chapter Two weren't perfect films, their success has basically written Andy Muschietti's ticket as a director for the time being. In the IT movies, Muschietti proved he could handle and re-adapt a classic horror story for modern audiences, and do it with style and substance. He's also onboard to direct DC's The Flash movie and an Attack on Titan adaptation, but Muschietti's Howling remake may prove to be his most important project

It's been a long time since Hollywood made an A-level werewolf movie, with the last instance being Universal's Wolf Man remake in 2010. Lycanthropes are badly in need of a cinematic revival, and Muschietti could be just the man to make that happen. While the final product will go to Netflix instead of theaters, nowadays Netflix original movies get viewership many theatrical films would kill for, and is becoming just as prestigious a venue as any other. One need only look at The Irishman for proof.

As a side effect, if Muschietti succeeds in restoring the prestige of werewolf films, he'll also restore the formerly good name of The Howling itself, which has been horrifically damaged by the onslaught of terrible sequels made since 1981. No less than seven Howling sequels have been released, and every last one of them sucked, cementing The Howling as one of the most disappointing franchises in horror history. The Howling series is so bad that Hellraiser's sequels look upon it with pity. For now, it's unclear if Muschietti's Howling will remake the original movie directly or instead re-adapt the novel, but either way could work, if done right. It's time for werewolves to howl at the box office once again.

MIKA: YES!!

I loved THE HOWLING. The sequels sucked big time, but the first one was brilliant.

[Fuzz]

15 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

I honestly don't see any of those characters making any significant movies that rival or even par with the previous 10 years of Marvel movies.

The past 10 year characters have been the "Top" of the marvel food chain. I think people in general are getting over the whole comic book movies. I love Comics, always will, but even I'm getting over it all. Who knows...? Planet Hulk?

Sony want to tie in characters to their Spiderverse, so they can have a Iron Man/Avengers/Guardians franchise. Black Cat and Silver Sable would be the best choices, especially Black Cat.

[MIKA27]

Fargo – Season 4: Official Trailer

If, for whatever reason, you stopped watching the Fargo TV Show on FX, it’s time to binge-watch the previous episodes and get caught up because Season 4 is set to bring the house down. With an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Timothy Olyphant, the latest iteration of the popular and recently renewed series is set to be best yet. It isn’t slated to premiere until midway through April of this year, but you can watch the most recent trailer for the latest installment right here.

[MIKA27]

‘The Pulp Magazine Archive’ Has 75 Years of Pulp Magazines You Can Read for Free

There are plenty of websites that we consider indispensable.

The non-profit digital library that everyone knows as the Internet Archive is most definitely one of them. Whether you’re looking through one of their 400+ billion archived web pages, 25,000+ Digitized 78rpm Records, or the other pieces of software, movies or books, you could literally spending the rest of your life reading content on the site.

Now you also have access to 75 years of classic pulp magazines with The Pulp Magazine Archive. With more than 13,000 different pieces in the archive ranging from Amazing Stories and Fangoria, to Dirty Pictures and Weird Tales, there’s something weird, racy, interesting or downright scandalous for everyone. What’s more, they didn’t spare any expense because each of the scans is of a quality so high you’ll find it hard to believe that most of them are older than you are.

 

[MIKA27]

Not Bot, Not Beast: Scientists Create First Ever Living, Programmable Organism

A remarkable combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and biology has produced the world’s first “living robots”.

This week, a research team of roboticists and scientists published their recipe for making a new lifeform called xenobots from stem cells. The term “xeno” comes from the frog cells (Xenopus laevis) used to make them.

One of the researchers described the creation as “neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal”, but a “new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism”.

Xenobots are less than 1mm long and made of 500-1000 living cells. They have various simple shapes, including some with squat “legs”. They can propel themselves in linear or circular directions, join together to act collectively, and move small objects. Using their own cellular energy, they can live up to 10 days.

While these “reconfigurable biomachines” could vastly improve human, animal, and environmental health, they raise legal and ethical concerns.

Strange new ‘creature’

To make xenobots, the research team used a supercomputer to test thousands of random designs of simple living things that could perform certain tasks.

The computer was programmed with an AI “evolutionary algorithm” to predict which organisms would likely display useful tasks, such as moving towards a target.

After the selection of the most promising designs, the scientists attempted to replicate the virtual models with frog skin or heart cells, which were manually joined using microsurgery tools. The heart cells in these bespoke assemblies contract and relax, giving the organisms motion.

The creation of xenobots is groundbreaking.

Despite being described as “programmable living robots”, they are actually completely organic and made of living tissue. The term “robot” has been used because xenobots can be configured into different forms and shapes, and “programmed” to target certain objects – which they then unwittingly seek.

They can also repair themselves after being damaged.

Possible applications

Xenobots may have great value.

Some speculate they could be used to clean our polluted oceans by collecting microplastics.

Similarly, they may be used to enter confined or dangerous areas to scavenge toxins or radioactive materials.

Xenobots designed with carefully shaped “pouches” might be able to carry drugs into human bodies.

Future versions may be built from a patient’s own cells to repair tissue or target cancers. Being biodegradable, xenobots would have an edge on technologies made of plastic or metal.

Further development of biological “robots” could accelerate our understanding of living and robotic systems. Life is incredibly complex, so manipulating living things could reveal some of life’s mysteries — and improve our use of AI.

Legal and ethical questions

Conversely, xenobots raise legal and ethical concerns. In the same way they could help target cancers, they could also be used to hijack life functions for malevolent purposes.

Some argue artificially making living things is unnatural, hubristic, or involves “playing God”.

A more compelling concern is that of unintended or malicious use, as we have seen with technologies in fields including nuclear physics, chemistry, biology and AI.

For instance, xenobots might be used for hostile biological purposes prohibited under international law.

More advanced future xenobots, especially ones that live longer and reproduce, could potentially “malfunction” and go rogue, and out-compete other species.

For complex tasks, xenobots may need sensory and nervous systems, possibly resulting in their sentience. A sentient programmed organism would raise additional ethical questions. Last year, the revival of a disembodied pig brain elicited concerns about different species’ suffering.

Managing risks

The xenobot’s creators have rightly acknowledged the need for discussion around the ethics of their creation.

The 2018 scandal over using CRISPR (which allows the introduction of genes into an organism) may provide an instructive lesson here. While the experiment’s goal was to reduce the susceptibility of twin baby girls to HIV-AIDS, associated risks caused ethical dismay. The scientist in question is in prison.

When CRISPR became widely available, some experts called for a moratorium on heritable genome editing. Others argued the benefits outweighed the risks.

While each new technology should be considered impartially and based on its merits, giving life to xenobots raises certain significant questions:

Should xenobots have biological kill-switches in case they go rogue?
Who should decide who can access and control them?
What if “homemade” xenobots become possible? Should there be a moratorium until regulatory frameworks are established? How much regulation is required?

Lessons learned in the past from advances in other areas of science could help manage future risks, while reaping the possible benefits.

Long road here, long road ahead

The creation of xenobots had various biological and robotic precedents. Genetic engineering has created genetically modified mice that become fluorescent in UV light.

Designer microbes can produce drugs and food ingredients that may eventually replace animal agriculture.

In 2012, scientists created an artificial jellyfish called a “medusoid” from rat cells.

Robotics is also flourishing.

Nanobots can monitor people’s blood sugar levels and may eventually be able to clear clogged arteries.

Robots can incorporate living matter, which we witnessed when engineers and biologists created a sting-ray robot powered by light-activated cells.

In the coming years, we are sure to see more creations like xenobots that evoke both wonder and due concern. And when we do, it is important we remain both open-minded and critical.The Conversation
Simon Coghlan, Senior Research Fellow in Digital Ethics, School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne and Kobi Leins, Senior Research Fellow in Digital Ethics, University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

[MIKA27]

‘Spenser Confidential’ Trailer Finds Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg Back in Boston

 

[MIKA27]

Michael Myers Actor Got Advice From A Real Killer For Halloween 2018

In an interview, actor James Jude Courtney talks about how he got tips from a real-life killer for his role as Michael Myers in 2018's Halloween.

It's not uncommon for actors to go to peculiar lengths for to get inspired for their characters, but James Jude Courtney admitted to getting tips from a real killer for his portrayal of Michael Myers in 2018's Halloween. The successful entry grossed over $250 million worldwide and received a 79% critic rating from Rotten Tomatoes. 

The Blumhouse-produced Halloween ignores the existence of the seven follow-up films after the 1978 original and serves as a direct sequel. Set 40 years after the events of the original, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is still in the nightmare, unable to return to a normal life, even though Michael has been imprisoned. However, while he's being transferred to another facility, the bus crashes and he escapes. Laurie sees this as the best chance to stop him once and for all. In addition to Curtis reprising her role as Laurie, the cast is rounded out by Judy Greer as her daughter, Andi Matichak as her granddaughter, and Will Patton as Officer Hawkins. 

James Jude Courtney is a new face behind the mask of Michael Myers. The actor opened in an interview about where he got the inspiration to portray the iconic killer.

James Jude Courtney Was Taught To Be A Killer By A Killer

This role wasn't the first time James Jude Courtney has portrayed the Boogeyman. He played a child-killing demon in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a hitman in 1993's The Hit List, making him familiar with being the bad guy. However, in an interview with Vanity Fair, he explained that his inspiration for Michael Myers came advice from a real-life hitman.

In the interview, he details an account where he met an ex-hitman through a mutual acquaintance. The man served his time in the Northwest and wanted someone to write a story about his life, so he eventually moved in with Courtney, shortly after leaving a safe home. During that time, the two went to see a screening of a movie Courtney was in called The Hit List. When it was over, the man informed him, “Jimmy, it’s a really nice movie, but that’s not how you kill people.” After further explanation, Courtney developed what would later be applied to his performance as Michael Myers. The actor's take away from the experience was unique, and he stated, "There’s a stealth efficiency to the way an actual trained killer works. Movies tend to dilute that quality with dramatic pauses and dialogue, which a true predator would never waste time doing. That efficiency is what I took to the part of Michael Myers."

While Courtney wasn't sitting in a prison and interviewing serial killers à la Mindhunter, there's still something deeply unsettling about getting tips from someone who used to kill people. Then again, there's only so much you can do with a character that doesn't speak and wears a mask, so inspiration is likely happily received from any source. It's also a role that has been played by several others over the course of the franchise, so there are big shoes to fill. There are shots of the film that have Michael standing still for dramatic effect and to pay homage to earlier entries. However, with the efficiency he took to his part, there is a fluidity to his movements that make for an effective madman. James Jude Courtney will return as Michael Myers in Halloween Kills later this year. The saga will officially come to an end with Halloween Ends, which is expected to drop in 2021.

[MIKA27]

When Burning Whiskey Flooded Dublin’s Streets, 13 Died Drinking Flaming Booze Out Of Their Boots

Flaming whiskey ran through Dublin's Liberties district in 1875 after a liquor warehouse caught fire. Though the blaze nearly burned the city down, the only people who died were those that drank too much flaming booze.

The Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875, one of the most destructive blazes in the city’s history, saw burning alcohol pouring through the streets of the Liberties, Dublin’s central district, in a quickly spreading inferno.

The Dublin Fire Brigade was helpless as water would only spread the fire more quickly, and they were reduced to using sand and manure to try to rivers of burning booze from spreading deeper into the city.

True to their worst stereotype, some hard-nosed Dubliners even tried drinking up the free-flowing booze right out of the gutter — fire be damned. In the end, casualties ranged between four and 13, with immense property damage creating a pretty alarming hellscape in Ireland’s capital city in what has to be the most Irish fire ever to occur.

Irish Drinking Culture

The Irish are famous for many things: their literary contributions, the Irish Land War, and the violent quest for independence from British colonial rule just to name a few. The remarkable little island birthed incredible figures from George Bernard Shaw and William Butler Yeats to Bobby Sands, Sinéad O’Connor, and Michael Collins.

Unfortunately, the island has also nurtured a reputation for hazardous alcohol consumption that’s only recently begun to turn around. According to The Irish Examiner, a 2018 survey found that 74 percent of citizens believe drinking excessively is “just a part of Irish culture.”

The quiet streets and undamaged facade of today’s Ardee Bar and Lounge would have you think twice that there was once a river of fire and panicking pigs flooding the neighborhood.

The research surveyed 1,000 adults and posited that 73 percent of hazardous drinkers are male, with nearly half of them aged under 34. On the other hand, these deeply instilled habits are slowly changing for the better.

According to The Guardian, alcohol consumption fell by a quarter from 2005 to 2019 — from 14.2 liters of pure alcohol per person to 10.9 liters. A 2016 survey by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs showed a stark drop in underage drinking, as well.

In the 1800s, of course, physical wellbeing wasn’t as prioritized as having a raucously good time and getting munted. The Dublin Whiskey Fire in 1875 was certainly evidence of that, as numerous onlookers sidelined the dangers of the blaze for the chances of gulping up some cost-free whiskey.

The Dublin Whiskey Fire Of 1875

According to Atlas Obscura, it remains largely unclear just how the 1800 puncheons of whiskey and £2,000 worth of malt — equal to about £232,000 today — caught fire. What we do know is that the liquor immediately streamed through the streets entirely ablaze, panicking animals and city folk alike.

William Smith, one of the victims of the June 18, 1875 incident, was only 21 years old when he died. According to The Irish Times, the unmarried laborer and his friend John McGrane met on Bow Street around 10 p.m. when they heard about a terrifying fire enveloping the Liberties.

Naturally, the curious young friends thought it worth a look.

Earlier that day, all 5,000 barrels of whiskey and other spirits at Malone’s malt house were checked and accounted for. At 8 p.m., however, the alarm was raised. The fire rapidly spread, bursting open wooden casks of liquor which subsequently led to a burning river in the streets.

When Smith and McGrane arrived, the stream was two feet wide and six inches deep — and was over 400 meters down on one side of Mill Street. With livestock being commonplace within the city at that time, the sound of squealing, terrified pigs running away made the sight all the more unnerving. The overwhelmed Dublin Fire Brigade, meanwhile, used walls of horse manure to contain the blaze.

Aftermath And Legacy Of The Dublin Whiskey Fire

As The Irish Times reported on June 21, 1875, “caps, porringers, and other vessels” were in huge demand to scoop up the free-flowing liquor. The paper also reported that “some fellows were observed to take off their boots and use them as drinking cups.”

Quote

“Crowds of people assembled, and took off their hats and boots to collect the whiskey, which ran in streams along the streets…Two corn-porters, named Healy and M’Nulty, were found in a lane off Cork-street, lying insensible, with their boots off, which they had evidently used to collect the liquor. There are many other persons in the hospital who are suffering from the same cause.” — The Illustrated London Times

As a result, eight comatose Dubliners were hauled to Meath Hospital while 12 were sent to Jervis Street Hospital, three to Stevens’ Hospital, and one to Mercer’s.

None of the 13 fatalities that night died as a result of the flames or smoke inhalation — it was alcohol poisoning that did them in. McGrane seemed to have gotten away with his life, while Smith was one of the unlucky baker’s dozen who died.

Today, the Ardee Lounge and Bar sits on the historical spot in Dublin.

With a progressive drinking culture that’s been changing for the better, it’s safe to say none would perish from alcohol during an inferno these days — no matter how much of God’s sweet nectar was barreling through the streets.

[MIKA27]

You Can Now Bottle Your Own Dewars 40-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Founded in the late 1800s by John Dewar & Sons, LTD, Aberfeldy Distillery is a much-celebrated single malt purveyor located in central Scotland on the River Tay. Though the distillery is lauded for its 12, 18, and 21-year-old Whiskys — the latter of which was awarded three golds, a double gold, and two bronze medals between 2007 and 2012 alone — Aberfeldy is now poised to release a limited batch of its oldest and most coveted whisky: an ultra-rare and exclusive 40-year-old Highland Single Malt Scotch.

This unique opportunity arose when Aberfeldy’s malt master stumbled upon a trio of long-forgotten casks of the four-decade-old spirit. And on top of deciding to make the three barrels available to the public, the Scottish distillery is opting to give discerning drinkers a memorable, hands-on experience in the form of getting to fill their own bottles, by hand, straight from the cask, on-site at the distillery. Additionally, Aberfeldy is giving customers the option to simply have the Scotch delivered, as well. Each of the three casks — #5029, #5030, and #5031 — was filled in August of 1978 and all boast their own unique notes and flavors. Collectively, the casks contain 391 bottles worth of the 40-year-old single malts, which have been priced at $3,255.