Tuesday, September 30, 2014

NEWS: GUN NUT SHOOTS DOWN DRONE

While there are many people in this country who strongly believe the Constitution entitles them to own any sort of weapon they want, they don't seem to feel quite so strongly about a hobbyist's right to own and operate a drone. Here, in beautiful Lower Township, New Jersey, a man apparently became so distressed by the presence of a drone flying in his general vicinity that he decided the most reasonable course of action would be to retrieve his shotgun and get all "Duck Hunt" on it. Unfortunately for him, law enforcement officers generally have at least some degree of common sense and therefore could not agree with his position, leading to his arrest. Look, I certainly don't want people flying drones onto my property and shooting video of what I may or may not be doing at my computer, but I am also not overly thrilled with the idea that there are paranoid nut jobs whose first instinct is to shoot at anything even remotely suspicious living anywhere near me. At the very least, it could make it very challenging for Amazon to get packages to me whenever they start delivering things this way. FULL STORY: CAPE MAY COUNTY HERALD

NEWS: MICROSOFT SKIPS 9, REVEALS WINDOWS 10

In a move that surprised no one, today Microsoft announced the latest iteration of Windows. In a move that did come as a bit more of a surprise, they also announced that they were continuing the tradition of screwy counting they began with the Xbox One, by naming their new OS Windows 10. Why they elected to do this is unclear, but ultimately of little importance. What is important is the return of the Start Menu, now merged with the "live tile" experience of W8's Start Screen, along with many other additional features. It will be available for testing beginning tomorrow, and will be out to retail by late 2015. FULL STORY: PC GAMER

READ: INVESTING DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HARD (OR EXPENSIVE)

A lot of people don't put money aside for retirement simply because they don't think they can afford to do so, or because they think it is too complicated to get involved. Luckily, a lot of new apps and services have been debuting lately that aim to make things considerably less daunting for the average person, like Acorns, which automatically rounds up purchases for you and sends the extra change to an investment account. FULL STORY: SAVE10FIRST

LISTEN: PRINCE "ART OFFICIAL AGE"

Who knew that getting back onto the same major label he so desperately wanted off of years ago would help Prince to get some of his creative mojo back again? After a string of independently released albums that were mediocre at best, he has returned to Warner Bros Records with the sort of record we had been waiting for him to make. The smart blend of classic R&B sounds with some of the modern electronic experimentation he had become known for in the 80's is a refreshing return to form for the artist. It may not rank amongst his all-time best releases, but it is certainly the best of his 21'st century output.

WATCH: "INHERENT VICE" TRAILER

While director P.T. Anderson has yet to have made a bad movie in my opinion, has last 2 films ("The Master", "There Will Be Blood") have been somewhat more subdued, so it would be nice to see him return to the sort of sprawling, batshit-crazy dramas that helped him establish his name ("Boogie Nights", "Magnolia"). Luckily for me, based on the trailer, it looks like his latest project may be exactly what I'm looking for.

NEWS: NETFLIX MAKING MOVIES (AGAIN)

The internet is abuzz with news that Netflix, following the success it's had with original series like "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black", is now getting into the original movie business. Of course, the internet seems to be forgetting that the company has tried this before, under the name Red Envelope Entertainment, which met with only limited success before being abandoned (the most notable film released by the company is probably the Romanian abortion drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"). Nevertheless, at least they are getting back into the movie business in a big way, with their first effort being a co-production with The Weinstein Company of a sequel to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". It has been a long time since the original film was released, and director Ang Lee is not returning, but the first one was so good, it's hard not to be at least a little excited for this. FULL STORY: DEADLINE

Monday, September 29, 2014

READ: RACIST FOOTBALL TEAM'S FANS DON'T LIKE TO BE CALLED OUT ON RACISM

In a turn of events that should surprise no one, it turns out that fans of the Washington Redskins who feel that their team's blatantly racist name is just fine as it is, don't especially like being called out on that position. A segment on "The Daily Show" that aired last week featured a panel of said fans, who when being confronted by a panel of Native Americans say they felt threatened and feared for their safety, although the footage seen thus far doesn't do much to support these claims. More upsetting however is that there was apparently more video shot in which some of the Native American participants went to a tailgate event outside of FedEx Field, with one wearing the t-shirt in the photo, and were treated with such hostility that the program decided against using the footage in the piece (it is a comedy show after all and it doesn't sound like what transpired was very funny). The footage has not been released as of yet, but the first hand account is upsetting enough on its own. FULL STORY: MISSOULA INDEPENDENT

WATCH: AMY'S BAKING COMPANY STRIKES AGAIN

As anyone who recalls having seen the most infamous episode of Gordon Ramsey's "Kitchen Nightmares" ever filmed already knows, the owners of Amy's Baking Company are completely fucking insane. As such, this recent footage of one of the owners chasing a customer into the street whilst brandishing what appears to be a knife (they claim it's actually a pen) should come as no surprise. I honestly have no idea how these people manage to stay in business, but at least it provides for entertaining moments like this.

NEWS: WINDOWS 9 MIGHT BE FREE FOR OWNERS OF 8

In a move that has been rumored for a while now, it appears as though Microsoft will be automatically upgrading users of Windows 8 to Windows 9 when it releases next Spring. This is a very unusual move for the company, which has always charged for new versions of its OS, but would probably make for good PR after the somewhat disappointing reaction to W8. FULL STORY: PC GAMER

Sunday, September 28, 2014

WATCH: GREAT 1812 OVERTURE PERFORMANCE

This performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" comes from a recent "Battle of the Bands" show in Chicago, which featured the Chicago Sinfonietta and Mucca Plaza. I don't know what the rest of the concert was like, but if it was anyway near as entertaining as this clip suggests, it was likely a great time. [Tip: Click on the "HD" icon in the video for best viewing experience]


Saturday, September 27, 2014

WATCH: #BENDGATE? NOT SO MUCH

I'm hardly the first person to go out of my way to support Apple, as the only product I've bought of theirs in years is stock, preferring to use Windows or Android in my personal life. That being said, while the story of the new iPhone models being extremely susceptible to bending was certainly interesting on a variety of levels, it seemed pretty unlikely that Apple would be allowing such a shoddy product out onto the marketplace. It is not surprising then that Consumer Reports testing has shown that, as usual, the media got itself wrapped up in a story without bothering to check facts and ended up blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

NEWS: SECRET TAPES OF NEW YORK FED LEAKED

In case you didn't already suspect that the nation's biggest banks had their supposed government regulators firmly in their pockets, some proof of this widely held belief being true has come out today. Secret recordings taken by a fired employee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York have been given to the press, and a confidential report is also receiving the attention it should have when first released. It's a disheartening story, but it needs to be told. It's certainly more deserving of our attention than what our presidents happen to be carrying when saluting the people who are supposed to be saluting them. FULL STORY: PROPUBLICA

NEWS: MICROSOFT ANNOUNCING NEW WINDOWS ON TUESDAY

Windows 8 certainly did not receive the sort of positive reception that Microsoft was undoubtedly hoping for. As a result, the company is eager to move along to the next iteration of their popular OS, and is expected to announce it this coming Tuesday. What it will be called and what will be different will be revealed then, but in the meantime there are leaked images all over the web, and speculation abounds. FULL STORY: THE VERGE

READ: SHOULD AMERICA BE DEPORTING VETS?

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise that there are undocumented immigrants serving in the US military. It also probably shouldn't be a surprise to learn that the military provides a path to citizenship for those that do. What is surprising, and very saddening, is that after getting these people to serve our country in wars around the world, they can still find themselves being deported. Even after gaining a green card. FULL STORY: AL JAZEERA AMERICA

WATCH: BILL MAHER POINTS OUT JUST HOW HYPOCRITICAL WE CAN BE

I can't really think of anything to describe this video that would be better than what is in the article at Mediaite already, so you may as well just head over there and check it out for yourself. Suffice it to say that Bill Maher does bring up some very valid points (as usual) and is likely to make some people uncomfortable (as usual). FULL STORY: MEDIAITE

BUY: ANOVA ONE SOUS VIDE MACHINE ON SALE

Sure, you probably don't need a sous vide machine, but if you've ever watched a season of "Top Chef" you probably want one. And there isn't a more affordable and convenient way to get one than the devices currently on offer from Anova. Even better still, is that their most popular machine, the Anova One is currently $30 off at Amazon, so hurry! You know you want it! FULL STORY: ANOVA CULINARY

READ: WHY DO MEN GET MORNING WOOD?

As anyone will tell you, often the first thing one has to attend to upon waking is a trip to the toilet for #1. As any man will tell you, a certain part of our anatomy can often make this far more challenging than usual. Of course there are a number of reasons why guys tend to wake up with an erection, but that still doesn't make it less annoying when you need to pee. FULL STORY: IFLSCIENCE!

PLAY: CITIES SKYLINES TRAILER 2

I certainly don't hate the recent "SimCity" reboot nearly as much as some people do. In fact, I really did have quite a bit of fun playing around with it, although there are some pretty obvious shortcomings, namely the pretty severely limited city sizes. As a result, like many others I would really like to see something come along to take its place, and hopefully this could be just what we all are looking for. The trailers look promising so far, but we won't know for sure until the game comes out, and that is still a ways off yet.

WATCH: DOG TAKES ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

Yes, I know, you're probably sick to death of seeing people pour water on their heads, but it is for a good cause, and this one isn't a person doing it, but a very cute dog. Best of all, the dog actually does it to itself, which is pretty amazing. And entertaining. And adorable.

LISTEN: APHEX TWIN "SYRO"

It's been a long time since we've had any proper new releases from Aphex Twin (real name Richard D. James), but finally, after more than a decade, he has given us "Syro". Combining the best elements of all his previous work, this is easily the best electronic record of the year so far, and it proves that even though many acts have been influenced by his style in the years since his last album, no one does it better than he does.
 

NEWS:DIVERSITY IS PAYING OFF FOR ABC

ABC has probably been the most consistently diverse network on TV for a while now, but it is really going all out with the idea this year, and so far it seems to be paying off pretty well for the network. New shows "How To Get Away With Murder" and "Black-ish" are both ratings stand-outs this year. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they're both pretty good too. FULL STORY: VOX