The premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was recently moved back by Marvel, but it only delayed it slightly. We still don’t have a trailer for the highly anticipated Doctor Strange sequel, and we might not even get one until Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters. We are still waiting to see another No Way Home trailer, but that even may not be out for a while. That’s where Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is set to appear next, as we already know from the first No Way Home trailer. And that’s also a multiverse story. But the Doctor Strange 2 rumors have been coming in for a long time. It so happens that a massive leak is making the rounds right now, revealing pretty much everything there is to know about the sequel. That includes the identity of Doctor Strange 2’s main villain. Before we can go any further, I’ll remind you that massive spoilers lie ahead.
We're exactly one month away from Black Friday. Of course, you wouldn't know it if you look at all the sales out there right now. It's like Black Friday is already here!
There are so many amazing sales from top retailers going on right now. Amazon's Epic Daily Deals page is packed full of Black Friday quality bargains. Plus, Walmart's early Black Friday sale is unbelievable. On top of all that, there's the Best Buy early Black Friday sale with price guarantees good through November 26th. If a price drops further between now and Black Friday, Best Buy will refund you the difference!
The BGR Deals team sifted through all the big sales out there to find the best of the best. And we've rounded up all the hottest deals right here in this post.
Spotlight deals
Blink Mini
Amazon has a huge sale going on right now on all of its Blink home security cameras. Among the highlights, you'll find that the $70 Blink Indoor is down to $49.99 for this big sale, and the $100 Blink Outdoor is $69.99.
Both of those models are wildly popular and they're both battery-powered with 2-year battery life. But there's an even more popular Blink camera that you should check out.
The Blink Mini home security camera is one of the best-selling home cams on Amazon's whole site. With a retail price of just $35 and great integration with Alexa and Amazon's other devices, it's easy to see why it would be so popular. Head over to Amazon right now and you'll find this fantastic camera on sale for just $24.99 until the end of the week. Definitely load up on them before these Amazon device deals disappear!
Echo Auto
Isn't it annoying that you can't take all your Echo speakers with you on the go? That means you have to leave Alexa at home. At least, that used to be the case.
Thanks to one of Amazon's best Alexa smart devices, I don't have to worry anymore. It's called the Echo Auto, and it's basically an Echo Dot for your car. It gives you hands-free access to all the Alexa skills you love. Plus, it plays Alexa's voice or streaming music through my car's speakers.
This is a must-have for anyone who uses Alexa. And right now, refurbs are on sale right now for just $19.99 instead of $50 if you get a refurb this week. That's a gigantic 60% discount from the full retail price and it's the lowest price we've seen since Prime Day back in June. Don't miss out on this Amazon Echo Auto deal!
Want another great option with an even higher thread count? Check out silky-smooth Danjor Linens 1800 Series bed sheets with 77,000 5-star reviews on sale starting at $19.54!
Amazon has a top-rated Kmouk TV Soundbar on sale for just $47.99 instead of $60
There are so many spectacular Amazon device deals available right now. Of course, that shouldn't really come as much of a surprise. This is Amazon we're talking about, after all. Looking for some examples? We've got plenty. The $80 Echo Show 5 is on sale right now for just $44.99, matching the lowest price ever from Prime Day. You can also pick up a Toshiba 43-inch Fire TV for just $249.99 instead of $300. Even Amazon's Echo Wall Clock has a rare discount today.
Those are all spectacular deals, but there are three particular sales that you really need to check out. The wildly popular Fire TV Stick 4K is only $34.99 if you hurry, and the #1 best-selling Blink Mini home security camera is just $24.99. On top of that, there's been an awesome opportunity to get the Echo Auto that adds hands-free Alexa to any car for just $19.99 if you pick up a refurb. That's the lowest price of all time!
If you want the hottest Amazon devices at the lowest prices, you really need to check out these three Amazon device deals. The only thing to keep in mind is that these deals could end at any moment. That means you should definitely hurry up or you could miss out.
Fire TV Stick 4K
Beginning with the Fire TV Stick 4K, this is the most popular streaming dongle ever from Amazon. It was first released a few years ago and it has been a best-seller ever since. People love the dongle form factor since it's so easy to tuck away behind your TV. That means you don't have to worry about any visible boxes. And if you use an accessory like the $10 fire-Cable Plus, you don't even have to worry about a visible power cord.
$50 is more than fair for the Fire TV Stick 4K, but it's on sale right now for just $34.99. Or, if you're lucky, there's a hidden deal on Amazon that'll save you even more money. Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is just $29.99 right now with the coupon code ADDFTV. That's the lowest price since Prime Day! Terms and conditions do apply, and you can see them right here. They're quite vague, like Amazon's T&C always are, so your best bet is just to try the code and see if it works for you.
The good news is that you can save money even if you aren't eligible for this promotion. As we mentioned, the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K is down to $34.99 right now for everyone!
On top of that, there's another $25 Amazon device deal that you should definitely check out.
Amazon has a huge sale going on right now on all of its Blink home security cameras. The $70 Blink Indoor is down to $49.99 for this big sale, and the $100 Blink Outdoor is $69.99. Both of these models are wildly popular and they're both battery-powered with 2-year battery life. But there's an even more popular Blink camera that you should check out.
The Blink Mini home security camera is one of the best-selling home cams on Amazon's whole site. With a retail price of just $35 and great integration with Alexa and Amazon's other devices, it's easy to see why it would be so popular. Head over to Amazon right now and you'll find this fantastic camera on sale for just $24.99 until the end of the week. Definitely load up on them before these Amazon device deals disappear!
Echo Auto is one of the best Amazon device deals ever
People including myself really only have one problem with all this reliance on Alexa. It's the fact that Alexa isn't readily available once we leave our houses. Or at least, that used to be the case. Thanks to one of Amazon's best Alexa smart devices, I don't have to worry anymore. It's called the Echo Auto, and it's basically an Echo Dot for your car. It gives you hands-free access to all the Alexa skills you love. Plus, it plays Alexa's voice or streaming music through my car's speakers.
This is a must-have for anyone who uses Alexa. And right now, refurbs are on sale right now for just $19.99 instead of $50 if you get a refurb this week. That's a gigantic 60% discount from the full retail price and it's the lowest price we've seen since Prime Day back in June. Don't miss out on this Amazon Echo Auto deal!
Mysterious seeds from China have been shipped to Americans in all 50 states, an investigation discovered.
The recipients got various types of seeds, some of them being harmless, common seeds that one might plant in their garden. Others were harmful to the soil.
The mystery appears to have been a vast scam targeting people whose online accounts have been compromised.
The novel coronavirus pandemic was undoubtedly the biggest and scariest situation of 2020, but it's hardly the strangest thing that happened last year. Thousands of Americans received unsolicited seed packages containing mysterious Chinese seeds last year.
We've seen plenty of reports on the matter since 2020. People detailed their experiences with unexpected deliveries. It turns out the mystery was bigger than anyone thought. But the USDA gave a simple explanation for it. China didn't conduct some sort of carefully orchestrated agricultural scam against the US with the help of nefarious seeds, as some might've believed. But it was still a scam nonetheless.
As 2021 draws to a close, and with it the second full year of the coronavirus pandemic, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci finds himself at the center of multiple controversies. One of which involves reports of experimentation and alleged animal abuse, with a bipartisan group of congressmen demanding answers.
Controversy has, of course, followed Dr. Fauci pretty much from the start of the pandemic. His pronouncements turned him into a favorite target of anti-vaxxers and opponents of masks mandates. One of the two new controversies that Fauci has been dragged into, however, isn't really connected to the pandemic at all. Indeed, it involves questions about Dr. Fauci's division at the National Institutes of Health. And of its reported linkage to the funding of lab experiments in Tunisia that tortured and killed beagle puppies.
There are so many incredible deals available right now on Amazon ahead of Black Friday 2021. As a matter of fact, Amazon kicked off a huge sale packed with "epic deals" on everything you can think of. Looking for some highlights? Apple's insanely popular AirPods Pro are down to $197. You can also save up to $100 on other AirPods models, which is crazy. Amazon's #1 best-selling mattress pillow topper with 40,000 5-star reviews is down to $37.95. There are also shockingly deep discounts on dozens of Amazon devices like Fire TV Sticks and Echo speakers. But there's another deal that anyone and everyone needs to take advantage of right away. Well, anyone and everyone who is eligible, that is.
We're talking about an awesome Amazon gift card promotion that gets you $10 for FREE when you buy a $50 gift card. It works with regular Amazon gift cards and eGift cards alike. What's more, you can just send an eGift card to yourself and you end up getting an extra $10 totally free!
As we mentioned above, there are so many epic deals available right now at Amazon. You can actually see all the best ones right here on Amazon's epic deals page. But you can spend hours digging through those pages without coming across a bargain this good. After all, what's better than free money?!
Here's how it works. All you need to do is head over to the Amazon Gift Card page and choose an amount of $50 or more. Now, here's the important trick. If you want to get a gift card for someone as a present, feel free. But you can also just enter your own email address as the eGift card recipient. That way, you're not spending any money at all! Instead, you're simply loading $50 onto your own Amazon account. With Black Friday right around the corner, you'll definitely be spending that money anyway.
This is the important bit. When you go to pay for your order, enter the coupon code USGIFTCARD21 at checkout. When you do, you'll see a confirmation that the promotion worked. Then, you'll have an extra $10 Amazon credit added to your account within two days.
Amazon's terms and conditions page for this promotion is right here. But we'll save you the suspense and highlight the biggest caveat with this promo. In order to be eligible for this Amazon gift card promotion, it needs to be your first time buying one on Amazon's website. If you've purchased an Amazon gift card in a grocery store or some other physical retailer, you're fine. But if you've ordered a gift card or eGift card from Amazon's site, you're not eligible for this promo.
If you're not eligible for the promotion above, don't worry. There's actually another great Amazon promotion running right now that you might be able to take advantage of.
Have you ever heard of Amazon Reload? If you answered "no," that's actually a good thing. It means you're almost certainly eligible for an awesome Amazon gift card promotion that gets you a $12 credit for free!
First-time reloaders can use Amazon Reload to add $100 or more to their account. When they do, they'll get an extra $12 Amazon credit for free.
Figuring out whether or not you're eligible for this great offer couldn't be easier. Just visit Amazon's terms and conditions page for the Reload promo. If you see a message that says "Sorry, you are not eligible for this promotion," you're out of luck. That means you've used Amazon Reload at some point in the past. But if you see Amazon's terms and conditions instead, you're good to go.
Was that last heading a typo? Can you really get paid $5 just for streaming a movie? Believe it or not, yes, you really can.
Amazon is offering a special limited-time promotion to Prime subscribers. If you're an "eligible customer" (again, there's no clarification as far as what that means), Amazon will give you a $5 credit for streaming something using Prime Video. All you have to do is visit the promo page, click the banner at the top, and stream a video.
Terms and conditions are located at the bottom of the page, but this one is a no-brainer. Just go stream a movie or an episode of your favorite show, and you'll get paid $5!
Are you looking to spend the money you just made with these Amazon Gift Card promotions? Don't worry, you definitely don't need to wait for Black Friday. Amazon's Epic Daily Deals page is already packed full of incredible deals that are definitely as good as anything you'll find around Black Friday.
If you want some examples, we're way ahead of you. To start, insanely popular Blink home security cameras are on sale at deep discounts, with prices starting at just $24.95. The Yeedi k600 robot vacuum is one of the most popular models right now, and it's only $89.99. You can add hands-free Alexa to any car with the Echo Auto while refurbs are on sale for just $19.99. Plus, there's an extremely rare discount right now on the Wyze Cam v3 home security camera with incredible color night vision.
Master & Dynamic has been making waves for some years now. The company is known for building ultra-premium headphones with an emphasis on stunning design and excellent audio quality. Now, however, the company is bringing that experience to the world of gaming, with its first gaming headset -- the Master & Dynamic MG20 gaming headset.
Master & Dynamic has the headphone experience down -- that much is clear. But building great gaming headsets is different. Gaming headsets need to be ultra-comfortable for long gaming sessions. They need to have a decent battery life if they're wireless, like the MG20. And, they need to be able to work with low latency. Does the Master & Dynamic MG20 gaming headset perform, at the high price of $449?
Master & Dynamic has traditionally made great-looking headsets, and the Master & Dynamic MG20 is no exception to that rule. The headset keeps a similar shape to its other pairs of headphones, with the oval ear cup shape and plush ear pads. It does away with the colors schemes though, in favor of an all-black or all-white look. I'm reviewing the black model, and I really like the look of it.
Master & Dynamic MG20 Side Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR
The left ear cup is where you'll get the majority of the controls, with a microphone volume wheel that mutes when pressed, a button to activate or deactivate virtual 7.1 surround sound, and a Bluetooth button, which doubles as a power button. There's also the USB-C port and an input for the microphone, which is removable. On the right ear cup, you'll find the other controls, including the overall volume wheel and a button to control playback. There are a lot of controls to get used to, but it shouldn't take too long to get used to them.
Like other pairs of M&D headphones, the MG20 is clearly built from premium materials. It has a metal frame, with an Alcantara and coated canvas headband. There's plenty of nice padding in the ear pads, with a lambskin covering. It all looks and feels great, plus despite the metal, the headset is pretty lightweight.
Master & Dynamic MG20 Controls Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR
In the box, apart from the headset itself, you'll get a range of accessories. There's a USB-C to 3.5mm cable, which allows you to game in wired mode. And, there's a splitter for microphone and audio inputs on your PC. You'll also get the detachable microphone, and a pop filter for that microphone, a dongle for 2.4GHz low-latency connections, a standard USB-A to USB-C cable, and a nice, premium carry bag. Yeah, it's a lot -- and pretty much everything you'll need.
Master & Dynamic MG20 review: Features and battery
The Master & Dynamic MG20 gaming headset can connect to the M&D Connect app, which allows you to tweak its settings, update firmware, and more. Generally, the app is well-designed and easy to use, and it allows you to tweak settings for the headset that you can make use of during your gaming.
Of course, if you plan on using Bluetooth with other devices, using the app can be a little complicated. The headset only supports connecting through Bluetooth to one device, meaning that you'll have to re-pair with your phone each time you want to use the app. For those that use the dongle or wired connection instead, this won't be a huge deal. But it will matter for those that want to use their headset through Bluetooth with other devices. For example, I ended up pairing it with my Apple TV for private listening in the living room when I wasn't gaming on the PS5.
Through the app, you can tweak the EQ, either using one of the presets, or by creating your own. You can also select when the headset should automatically power off. That's really about it though -- there aren't many other settings to tweak.
Master & Dynamic rates the headset as offering 22 hours of battery. That's not bad at all. It's pretty much on par with many of the other premium gaming headsets out there.
Master & Dynamic MG20 review: Comfort
A great gaming headset needs to remain comfortable, and the Master & Dynamic MG20 headset isn't bad. As mentioned, the headset offers plenty of padding in the ear cups, and a solid amount of padding under the headband. That ensures that you'll be able to wear it for hours on end.
Master & Dynamic MG20 Comfort Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR
Now, while comfortable, the headset doesn't quite reach the heights of the most comfortable headsets. For example, SteelSeries has built an incredible headband system that remains pretty much unrivaled in the gaming headset world. Still, the headset offers a decent clamp and enough padding to remain comfortable for longer gaming sessions.
Master & Dynamic MG20 review: Sound quality
Perhaps the most important thing about the Master & Dynamic MG20 headset is how it sounds, and thankfully, it sounds great. As mentioned, if you don't like the frequency profile out of the box, you can tweak it through the app. But, out of the box, it does sound pretty good.
For starters, the bass response is very good. You'll get deep and powerful bass that sounds natural yet extends nice and low. Kick drums offer a solid thud, while bass guitars and synths were heavy without being muddy.
The mids are well-tuned, and also relatively flat. I appreciate the natural-sounding mids. Thankfully, there was easily enough response to make voices pretty easy to hear.
Master & Dynamic MG20 Top Image source: Christian de Looper for BGR
Easily my favorite thing about the sound quality here was the high-end response. There's a ton of detail and clarity to these headphones, and that makes for an exciting sound profile overall. Cymbals are nice and crisp, while guitars have a nice cut to them. In gaming, it makes for a more immersive experience, as things just sound a little more natural.
The headset supports virtualized 7.1 surround sound, and it sounds fine. It's about on par with other virtual surround tech. I don't often use virtual surround sound tech, but those that like the idea will appreciate the way it sounds here.
The built-in microphone is also fine. It doesn't quite offer as much detail as some might like, and it's probably not the microphone to rely on for things like recording podcasts or videos. But your teammates will easily be able to hear what's going on, which is the most important thing.
Conclusions
The Master & Dynamic MG20 is a solid first gaming headset from one of the best headphone companies of the past few years. It's really a headset that only Master & Dynamic could build. It hits all the most important points of a gaming headset. It has a relatively comfortable fit, and a sound quality that beats out most of the competition. Not all gamers will love the non-RGB-ified look, but the trade-off is that the headset doubles as an excellent daily driver for those who want a headset for more than just their gaming.
Of course, you'll pay a hefty price for those advantages. At $449, the MG20 is ultimately still a luxury headset. Those willing to pay will appreciate the excellent audio quality. But, if you're looking for value-for-money, you should probably keep looking.
The competition
There are a few other options in the premium gaming headset world. It's worth also considering the SteelSeries Arctis Pro headset, though if you want something that works great for day-to-day use, the Arctis Pro probably isn't the way to go.
Ultimately, if you want a headset for gaming and day-to-day use all in one, and are willing to pay this much cash, the Master & Dynamic MG20 is a great option.
Should I buy the Master & Dynamic MG20 gaming headset?
Maybe. The Master & Dynamic MG20 isn't a value-for-money option -- but if you want a versatile, luxury headset, it's worth considering.
A report a few days ago said the next-gen iPhone SE design will deliver a significant upgrade. The 2022 iPhone SE 3 will supposedly feature iPhone 13-grade specs, including the A15 Bionic chip and 5G support. The handset will also look just like the iPhone XR, although Apple will reportedly replace Face ID with a Touch ID sensor embedded in the power button. We told you that the rumor contradicted the most recent iPhone SE 3 reports. Those said Apple would not redesign its next affordable iPhone. An insider known for his accurate predictions about smartphone displays now says the next iPhone SE will be called iPhone SE Plus. But the handset will still look like the current model.
Supply chain chaos has sellers and shoppers on edge, with no relief in sight anytime soon. To better understand how marketers should navigate this unusual holiday shopping season, we spoke with a variety of experts to get tips on what makes for successful holiday e-commerce marketing -- and why planning, implementation, and customer engagement are paramount in these continually changing times.
Amazon heralded its shifting strategies to help sellers expand with new tools during its two-day Accelerate Seller Conference this week. The e-commerce giant announced its growing success with American small and medium-sized businesses empowerment this year, its glowing Sellers Report, and the results of its unique CRM tools for SMBs.
A new fraud ring called Proxy Phantom is using sophisticated credential stuffing attack methods to take over customer accounts for U.S.-based e-commerce merchants. The latest research from digital trust and safety firm Sift demonstrates fraudsters' relentless innovation and reinforces retailers' need to double down on fraud protection as the holiday shopping season rapidly approaches.
For years, affiliate marketers, social media companies, online marketplace platforms, and search engines alike have enjoyed the seemingly ubiquitous tax-free landscape from their digital activities afforded to them by the United States' Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998. However, that could all be changing soon.
Amazon is said to be working on a live audio app that sounds like it will let anyone be the DJ of their own radio show — including music. Project Mic, as the app is currently known, will reportedly focus on the US market at first, though the launch timeline is not clear.
Creators will be able to play songs from the vast Amazon Music library, according to The Verge. Along with music, it seems programming will include pop culture, sports and comedy. Amazon is said to be looking at bringing in celebrities and influencers to host shows. You’ll be able to search for shows by name, topic or music, and it appears Amazon will highlight live content, including trending topics and certain creators.
The presentation showed that in addition to the app, creators will be able to broadcast shows on Amazon Music, Twitch, Audible and Alexa-enabled devices. With the latter, listeners will reportedly get to interact with the shows, even from their car.
The report doesn’t mention whether listeners will need to be Amazon Music subscribers, but given the breadth of platforms on which the shows will be available, that seems unlikely. Engadget has contacted Amazon for more details.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard about Amazon working on such an app. Axiosreported on its existence this summer, but this latest report provides more details about what Project Mic entails.
Twitter, Facebook, Spotify and Discord have all joined the live audio space over the last year after Clubhouse exploded in popularity. Those apps tend to focus on live conversations, though, rather than songs.
Spotify does have a morning show called The Get Up that blends chat and personalized music, and it seems the most likely contender to offer a similar feature to what Amazon has in mind. Elsewhere, Clubhouse recently started offering musicians a high-quality audio option for better livestreamed concerts.
Amazon's internet satellites will be put to work expanding rural broadband coverage. CNBCreports Verizon is teaming with Amazon to improve fixed wireless internet access in rural areas in the US. The alliance will initially concentrate on expanding Verizon's LTE and 5G service using Amazon's Project Kuiper for "backhaul," boosting coverage in areas with little or no high-speed data.
Amazon and Verizon later hope to offer unified internet access for industries worldwide, including smart farms and transportation. For now, they're establishing technical requirements for rural broadband using Project Kuiper antenna tech already in development.
The two didn't provide a timeline for this satellite-augmented service. Amazon recently lined up rocket launches for Project Kuiper, but it doesn't expect to have half its satellites in low Earth orbit until 2026. The full constellation is expected no later than July 2029.
There's an enemy-of-my-enemy aspect to this deal. Amazon and Verizon are racing to compete with SpaceX's rapidly developing Starlink service — they both risk losing customers if Starlink claims too strong a foothold, including corporate clients like Google. All the same, Americans might not mind if this brings fast internet access to more parts of the country. Rural internet coverage is still far from complete, even with the FCC investing billions in 5G — this could fill in the gaps without having to wire as much of the countryside as before.
Adobe has unveiled its latest Photoshop update on desktop and iPad for its Adobe Max 2021 event, and as with the last few versions, the most interesting features are powered by AI. Chief among those is the "Hover Auto-masking Object Selection Tool" that allows you to select a scene object simply by hovering your mouse over it.
The feature is really as simple as that, as Adobe's Sensei AI kicks in to determine the edges of an object and select it automatically with a single click. Adobe has promised that selections made either with the hover or other object selection tools "are now more accurate and preserve more details in the edges of a selection," helping users save time.
Adobe
The tool can detect most but not all objects in a scene, and Adobe said it's constantly improving it to include additional object categories. If an object is not detected or only partially detected, you can drag a marquee over the areas you'd like to select, which is how the tool worked previously.
Along the same lines is another new feature called "mask all objects." Also powered by Sensei AI, it simply scans the scene and automatically selects and masks every object in the scene. It can then create masks or objects without the need to do a lick of tedious masking work.
Adobe
Last year, Adobe introduced Neural Filters that let you do things like smooth skin or make a photo look like a Van Gogh painting. For 2021, it has introduced more of those filters in beta, most notably the Landscape Mixer, Color Transfer and Harmonization. Landscape Mixer can essentially blend multiple landscape to create a new scene with desert elements replacing a seaside coastal scene, for example.
The most useful one, however, sounds like Color Transfer. It lets you take the colors, contrast and other elements from a photo you like and apply it to another photo, or "make this image look like that," as Adobe puts it. That would remove a lot of the tedium or trying to match a photographer's style, or at least give you a starting point toward the look you're aiming for.
Adobe
The last one, the Harmonization neural filter, makes it easier to composite two images. It overlays a foreground image onto a background, while automatically adjusting the hue and luminosity of the foreground image to match. Adobe also improved the existing neural filters, adding more realistic blurs to Depth Blur, while also improving the Superzoom, Style Transfer and Colorize filters.
Other new updates improved gradients, color management and HDR capabilities. Finally, Adobe has improved interoperability between Photoshop and Illustrator, letting you copy vector shapes from Illustrator and paste them into Photoshop, "all while maintaining editable attributes in Photoshop like fill, stroke, blend mode and opacity." And when Photoshop can't maintain editability from Illustrator because it doesn't support a feature, "we try to maintain visual fidelity."
Adobe has announced that it's taken "a major step forward for collaboration" by bringing its Photoshop and Illustrator apps to the web. The idea is not to do let you do complex work from a web page, but allow collaborators to open and view your work from a browser to provide comments and feedback — much as you can with a Google Doc.
It's currently possible to store your work in Adobe's Creative Cloud and let anyone open it from anywhere, but they need to have the desktop or iPad app. Now with Photoshop or Illustrator, your colleagues "can review and add comments right in the browser without having to download apps or have a Creative Cloud subscription," Adobe notes. That means you could show your work directly to ad agency or other clients who don't need or want Adobe's products.
Adobe
On top of the basic collaboration tools, Adobe is preview some basic browser editing tools that would allow you to make "minor tweaks and quick edits" without having to launch the full Illustrator or Photoshop apps. Those include things like selection, minor color correction and more.
Taking a page from Microsoft Teams, Klaxoon and similar apps, Adobe is also launching "Creative Cloud Spaces" that allows creative teams to bring "content, context and people together to one place," according to Adobe. That's essentially a whiteboard available to project members, showing documents, images and whatever else is required.
You can start sharing Photoshop and Illustrator work via the web, for the purpose of commenting and feedback, simply by updating the latest versions of the apps dropping today. If you want to try the basic editing capabilities, they're available via beta for Photoshop (within the Creative Cloud app) or as a private beta for Illustrator. You can request access for the latter here.
It’s been four years since Oura launched its second-generationsmart ring, but the company hasn’t been out of the spotlight in all of that time. Oura rings found themselves on the fingers of a number of high-profile figures and a number of studies used it to determine if wearable technology could predict COVID-19 symptoms. Now, the Finnish company is announcing its third-generation ring with an even greater emphasis on cramming as much hardware into that tiny body as the laws of physics will allow.
The v3 Oura Ring doesn’t look much different compared to its predecessor, and isn’t — at least on the outside. Inside, however, the company has sweated several new components down to fit inside its chassis, including a new optical heart-rate sensor. That unit alone will let the wearable track your heart rate during the day — something it’s only been able to do at night so far. In addition, you’ll also get heart rate tracking during workouts, and even get blood oxygenation readings.
With new improved continuous temperature monitoring, Oura’s makers believe that the new model will be far better at predicting when periods will begin. The company added that you can expect more accurate sleep tracking, although the insights related to that won’t be available until at some point early next year. You’ll also get data about how relaxed and rested you are to better enable you to take some time out as, and when, you need it.
You may have noticed that many wearables companies have pivoted toward getting that sweet, sweet recurring revenue in recent years. Oura is no exception, and for $5.99 a month you can get “daily health insights, personalized recommendations, exclusive audio, educational videos and more.” If you sign up for the membership, you’ll also get a discount on the price of the new ring, which will set you back $299 when it begins shipping at some point in November.
One thing you can definitely say about Amazon’s Kindle: It’s not the kind of device you need to upgrade often, even if you’re an avid reader. I’ve been using the same one since late 2015, and it’s still going strong. But Amazon caught my attention with the 5th-generation Paperwhite. For the first time since the original came out, Amazon increased the display xxxx to 6.8 inches from 6 inches, and it has narrower bezels than before. It also now uses 17 LED backlights (up from only five) and an adjustable “warm light” to reduce eye strain at night. Amazon has also finally switched to USB-C for charging.
Those are some notable new features, but Amazon is also offering a “Signature Edition” (SE) this year, which has 32GB of storage (the standard model only has 8GB), an automatically adjusting backlight, wireless charging and no ads on the lock screen. And it's still waterproof, can play Audible audiobooks over Bluetooth and has tremendous battery life. At $190, it’s not cheap; nor, at $140, is the standard Paperwhite. But, if you’ve been using yours for as long than me (or longer), there’s a lot to like here. It doesn’t radically change the Kindle experience, but does make it a lot nicer.
If you’ve used a Kindle at all in the last decade, you’ll be familiar with the new Paperwhite’s design. Like other e-readers, the Paperwhite is dominated by an E Ink touchscreen that has gentle backlights you can turn on or off and adjust to fit your reading conditions. Like earlier Kindles, the rest of the device is soft-touch plastic that picks up fingerprint grease a little too easily.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Also like the 2018 Paperwhite, the screen here is flush with the front of the device, rather than being slightly recessed like it was on previous models. Coming from an older device, I loved this change. It makes swiping the touchscreen to turn pages much more pleasant, and having the display a little closer to your eyes feels better, too. It’s simply a higher-quality experience – but if you have a 2018 Paperwhite, or the more expensive Kindle Oasis, you know this already.
More significant is the larger screen xxxx. Amazon kept the same 300 pixel-per-inch density here, so the display looks as nice as ever. There’s just more room for your books and navigating the Kindle UI. Between the extra screen space and some changes to the interface, using the device is much more comfortable than it used to be. It is worth knowing that the new Paperwhite is ever so slightly wider and taller — so if you have small hands or already found the Kindle to be a little too large, this might be an issue. But, for me, the larger screen is a massive improvement, and it isn’t diminished in the least by the slightly bigger body.
The screen bezels are also significantly smaller as well. The bottom bezel is on the large side, presumably so you can rest your thumb on it while reading, but the ones on the top, left and right are all very thin. The smaller bezels, larger display and lack of a recessed screen all combine to make this hardware feel more premium than previous Kindle Paperwhite models.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
A less impactful change is the new LED front lighting system. There are 17 individual LEDs that give the Paperwhite its gentle glow that lets you read in poor light, up from five that were in the previous model. That sounds like a big improvement, but I can’t say I notice a major difference. The Old Paperwhite already had a very smooth front lighting system, and it looks great on the new model, too, just not dramatically better.
These LEDs do have a new trick, though: “adjustable warm lighting.” It’s similar to the Night Shift feature Apple added to its products a few years ago; it adjusts the color temperature of the display lighting to a more amber hue. The Kindle’s blighting system never felt too blue to me, and since we’re not dealing with a glowing LCD, they’ve always been less likely to disrupt sleep. But being able to adjust the screen’s color temperature is still handy.
As with other devices, you can set two different color temperatures, one for during the day and a warmer setting for after the sun has gone down. There’s also an automatic schedule that uses location services to automatically and gradually change the color temperature based on sunrise and sunset in your current location.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
I appreciate the multiple ways you can customize the warmth of the Paperwhite’s screen, but it’s also a little confusing. When you pull down the settings shade, you’ll see sliders for both brightness and screen warmth. Then, when you dive into the section where you can set a schedule, there’s another slider to set the warmth for the scheduled time. It took me a bit to realize that one slider covered the warmth outside of the scheduled time and another was only in effect during the schedule.I eventually I got everything sorted out, though. And if you don’t care about scheduling the screen’s color temperature, you can just pick a setting that looks best to you and forget about it.
You’ve been able to set different brightness levels on the Kindle for years now, but the Paperwhite Signature Edition can automatically adjust to the ambient light. Smartphones have had this feature for years, and the more expensive Kindle Oasis has had it for a while, too. Here, it works pretty quickly and reliably. I first manually set the brightness to a comfortable level for the room I was reading in, and then put my trust in the auto brightness feature. I could definitely notice it kicking on in brighter rooms and turning things down in my dimly lit bedroom when I was getting ready to crash for the night. It’s not an essential feature, but it is nice to have.
Come to think of it, “nice to have” describes most of the difference between the standard Kindle Paperwhite and the Signature Edition. The standard version comes with 8GB of storage, versus 32GB in the SE. The SE also has wireless charging, which works quite well – I dropped the Paperwhite on a few Anker chargers I have around the house, and it charged up quickly and reliably. But given how long the device’s battery lasts, most people will be fine charging it with any old USB-C cable once a month or so. (I haven’t mentioned it yet, but the Paperwhite has a battery that lasts weeks, just like all the other Kindles.)
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
The SE also has an ad-free lock screen. The fact that Amazon has long charged a premium to get a device without ads on it that try to sell you more stuff from Amazon is about the most Amazon thing ever. And my desire to not have ads shoved in my face makes the Signature Edition pretty appealing. A $50 price difference is significant – but given the fact that I generally use a Kindle for five years or more, why not get rid of those ads and get a few extra features while I’m at it? Given that the standard Paperwhite without ads is only $30 cheaper than the Signature Edition, this is an upsell that I’d probably go for.
Things like storage capacity, the number of LEDs, wireless charging and so on only really matter in service of one thing: reading. Fortunately, the new Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader I’ve ever used. I’ve never had a big issue with how E Ink screens need to refresh when you turn the page, but the Paperwhite refreshes so quickly and smoothly that this device feels more pleasant to use than my 2015 model.
Beyond the refresh rate, the touchscreen is extremely responsive; I rarely had my taps or swipes go unrecognized. When I use the keyboard to search for books, I just plow ahead and don’t get caught up waiting for a key press to register. There are still times where you need to wait for the screen to catch up, though. That’s mostly when you’re navigating more complex layouts, like the Kindle Store.
In some regards, the new Kindle Paperwhite changes nothing; Amazon has had a stranglehold on the e-reader market for years, and the previous Paperwhite was the device to get. The new Paperwhite is still Amazon’s best e-reader. It’s not as expensive and fancy as the Kindle Oasis, but it offers a far better experience than the basic $90 Kindle. The bigger screen and higher resolution are reasons enough to choose the Paperwhite if you’re anything more than the most casual of readers.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
The other question is whether the $190 “Signature Edition” is worth the $50 premium over the standard model. For most people, the answer is probably no. The two devices are essentially the same in every significant way. Wireless charging is a bonus, but given how infrequently the Paperwhite needs to be charged, it’s not a huge upgrade in convenience. More storage is never a bad thing, but 8GB can still hold literally thousands of books. The extra space is really only important if you use Audible on the Kindle, because audiobooks can quickly eat through your storage.
The auto-adjusting light is probably my favorite of these Signature Edition features. Almost every other display in your life can do that, And having it here makes sense, especially if you power up your Paperwhite in the middle of the night. Plus, it’s hard to overstate what a relief it is to not have to see an ad every time you pick up the device.
Ultimately, if I were buying the Kindle Paperwhite for someone as a gift, I’d probably get the standard edition. If I was buying for myself, I’d get the Signature. But either way, I’d be buying a Kindle Paperwhite. It remains the best e-reader on the market.
At its annual Max conference, Adobe detailed some enhancements that are coming to its Lightroom and Lightroom Classic software suites. To start, the company is introducing a “re-envisioned” set of selective adjustment tools. Set to make their way to all devices where you can access Lightroom and Lightroom Classic, the tools are accessible via a newly added masking button. Much like you can do in Photoshop, they allow you to create multiple masks, including color and luminance ones. In turn, those will allow you to make precise adjustments to specific parts of a photo.
Adobe
Of course, individually masking elements of an image can be time-consuming, and so Adobe is also introducing an AI-powered tool that can automatically detect the select the subject and sky in your photos. In addition to rolling out to Lightroom Classic and Lightroom on Mac and PC, this is coming to select Android and iOS devices. And that’s where Adobe envisions it being the most useful since it should help with editing on a smaller screen.
If you like to start your edits with a preset, a new recommendation engine in Lightroom for Mac, Windows and mobile will suggest ones based on the subject of your photos. The presets will come from the Lightroom community, so you can expect to find “hundreds of thousands,” according to the company. Additionally, Adobe is introducing eight new premium presets, adding to the seven it released previously. Those are available to use in all versions of Lightroom.
Adobe
To make cropping easier on Lightroom for Mac and Windows, Adobe has added the option to select a variety of overlays for different aspect ratios. Some of the options on this front include thirds, golden ratio and diagonal.
Lastly, the company is introducing a new feature in Lightroom for Mac and Windows called Community Remix. It allows you to upload a photo edit and invite other photographers to take it in a different direction. Adobe says it plans to bring Community Remix to other versions of Lightroom in the future.
Adobe says it will begin rolling out all of the above updates starting today. They should become available to everyone by the end of the week. At its Adobe Max conference, the company also detailed updates for Fresco, Photoshop and other apps.
Adobe Fresco has given artists and designers the ability to draw and paint with lifelike digital materials for two years now. Last fall, the company expanded the app to iPhone, but this year the updates are much more robust. With the additions announced today at its annual Adobe Max design conference, the company gives its free-to-use drawing and painting app handy tools that expand how and what artists are able to create.
First, Adobe is adding motion to Fresco. This gives artists and designers the option to add timelines and motion frames to individual layers. The company explains that this allows you to assign specific movement to each element. Adobe says you can also draw paths for objects to follow and the goal is to keep things simple so the concept of motion is approachable for all skill levels.
Next, the company is adding reference layers to Fresco. This should help speed up the process when you need to add color to line art. Once you set the reference layer, you can begin working on a separate layer for fills. Fresco will still recognize the lines on the original layer without applying edits to it. This will work if your reference layer is vector or pixels and keeps your original drawing intact.
Adobe/Kyle Webster
Vector brushes are already available in Fresco, but Adobe is expanding that library to include a new set with "jitter." Basically, these brushes will help you quickly give drawings texture. Lines are still sharp, but there's variation in the stroke for a more naturally drawn look. As always, vector brushes are infinitely scalable and can be combined with pixel brushes in the same Fresco file.
Lastly, Adobe is helping you keep your perspective correct with new guides. Perspective grids will help you keep illustrations looking realistic when it's time to add depth. You can set vanishing points anywhere, even off the the artboard, and lines will snap to the grids as you work. Adobe says this should allow artists and designers to focus more on art and less on the heavy lifting.
Adobe Fresco is free for anyone to use on iPhone, iPad and Windows without a Creative Cloud subscription. There are more tools available if you do pay for Adobe's apps, like access to an expanded library of brushes.
AnandTech Reviews Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max Chips AnandTech reviews the recently unveiled M1 Pro and M1 Max chips : The M1 Pro and M1 Max change the narrative completely -- these designs feel like truly SoCs that have been made with power users in mind, with Apple increasing the
Amazon Brings Alexa To Hospitals and Senior Living Centers An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: After already targeting verticals like hotels and apartment complexes, Amazon announced today it's now rolling out new solutions for healthcare providers and senior living cente
China To Cut Fossil Fuel Use To Below 20% By 2060 China is targeting a clean energy goal of reducing fossil fuel use to below 20% by 2060, according to an official plan published by state media. The Guardian reports: The cabinet document, released on Sunday, follows a pledge by P
Facebook Is Spending At Least $10 Billion This Year On Its Metaverse Division Last week, Facebook announced plans to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union to help build "the metaverse," a futuristic notion for connecting online that uses augmented and virtual reality. We now know how much the company pl
Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit a New High In 2020, Even With Pandemic Lockdowns Despite a world economy that slowed significantly because of COVID-19, the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record last year, putting the goal of slowing the rise of global temperatures "way off tra
Argon Fluoride Laser Could Lead To Practical Fusion Reactors The US Naval Research Laboratory (AFL) is developing an Argon Fluoride (ArF) laser that may one day make fusion power a practical commercial technology. New Atlas reports: The wide-bandwidth ultraviolet laser is designed to have t
Indie Dev Finds That Linux Users Generate More, Better Bug Reports An indie developer has found an interesting observation: Though only 5.8% of his game's buyers were playing on Linux, they generated over 38% of the bug reports. Not because the Linux platform was buggier, either. Only 3 of the ro
Apple is set to announce new hardware today. The company is holding a (virtual) keynote at 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London, 7 PM in Paris). And you’ll be able to watch the event right here as the company is streaming it live.
Rumor has it that the company is set to announce some new Macs. Over the past year, Apple has updated its entry-level computers with new custom-designed M1 chips. And now, the company could bring its own chips to higher-end computers, such as a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, a new Mac Mini and a 27-inch iMac.
Apple could use this opportunity to redesign its laptops from the ground up with new display technologies, a new array of ports and a new form factor in general. But that’s not all. Apple has also been working on an updated version of its entry-level AirPods.
You can watch the livestream directly on this page, as Apple is streaming its conference on YouTube.
If you have an Apple TV, you can open the TV app and look for the ‘Apple Special Event’ section. It lets you stream today’s event and rewatch old ones.
And if you don’t have an Apple TV and don’t want to use YouTube, the company also lets you livestream the event from the Apple Events section on its website. This video feed now works in all major browsers — Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.
To access the data of unsuspecting users, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could take advantage of a universal authentication process that is believed to be secure but may not actually be, cybersecurity experts warned, although encryption is still the preferred method of protecting digital data and Protection of computers - in some cases, the same digital certificates used for internet authentication allow the Chinese regime to infiltrate and wreak havoc on various computer networks, they said.
Digital certificates that verify the identity of a digital entity on the Internet. A digital certificate can be compared to a passport or driver's license, according to Andrew Jenkinson, CEO of cybersecurity company Cybersec Innovation Partners (CIP) and author of the book Stuxnet to Sunburst: 20 Years of Digital Exploitation and Cyber ??Warfare.
"Without it, the person or device you are using may not meet industry standards, and the encryption of critical data could be bypassed so that what should be encrypted remains in plain text," Jenkinson told The Epoch Times Used to Encrypt internal and external communications that prevent a hacker, for example, from intercepting and stealing data. But "fake certificates" or invalid certificates can tamper with any data.
Sense of security, "said Jenkinson. Cybersecurity firm Global Cyber ??Risk LLC said digital certificates are generally issued by trusted CAs and then the same level of trust is passed on to intermediaries However, there are opportunities for a communist entity, malicious actor, or other untrustworthy entity to issue certificates to other "hideous people" who appear trustworthy but are not, he said.
"If you issue a certificate from a trusted authority, you will trust it," said Duren. "But what the issuer could actually do is pass that trust on to someone who shouldn't be trusted. Duren said he would never trust." a Chinese certification authority for this reason, stating that it is aware of a number of companies that have banned Chinese certificates because they were issued to untrustworthy agencies.
Jenkinson said that Chinese certification bodies make up a small portion of the overall industry and the certificates they issue are generally limited to Chinese companies and products.
Prince, a member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance who declined to give his real name, uses his computer at their office in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images).
In 2015, certificates from China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the state agency overseeing domain name registration in China, were challenged. Mozilla revoked CNNIC certificates because it knew of unauthorized digital certificates associated with multiple domains. Both Internet companies opposed CNNIC delegating its authority to issue certificates to an Egyptian company that issued the unauthorized certificates. According to Jenkinson, CNNIC certificates were banned because they had "back doors".
A back door means that [the Chinese certification body] could literally take administrative access and send data back to the mothership, ”he said. Since 2016, Mozilla, Google, Apple and Microsoft have also blocked the Chinese certification authorities WoSign and their subsidiary StartCom due to unacceptable security practices.Vulnerability Despite these bans on Chinese digital certificates in recent years, the CCP has not been deterred and has long-term gambling, Jenkinson said, referring to an alarming discovery by his cybersecurity firm two years ago that it was a multinational consulting firm.
Digital certificates are typically valid for a few years depending on the certification authority, and a renewal is required to keep them valid and keep the data they are supposed to protect secure, he said. "But in 2019, CIP Chinese discovered certificates that had been valid for 999 years," Jenkinson said. His company made this discovery by researching the laptops of a leading global consulting firm.
Jenkinson made the company aware of the vulnerability and offered, "They are either incredibly accommodating or complicit," he said, noting that the company's customers include government agencies.This multi-billion dollar company's failure to fix this problem means hundreds of thousands of people could be exposed to Chinese infiltration through the company's lax safeguards, Jenkinson said. The company engages its customers every time someone uses one of its laptops, he said.
Companies or customers who use the company's services could be held for ransom, they have their intellectual advantages
Sony’s upcoming Sinister Six movie should take some inspiration from Spider-Man: No Way Home and introduce a new version of Miles Morales. Sony has had plans for a Sinister Six film since The Amazing Spider-Man film franchise was in progress. The second film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, ended with a clear setup for the villain team, with the Green Goblin (Harry Osborn) and The Gentleman (Gustav Fiers) equipping allies (and possibly members) of Oscorp with advanced weapons and devices. The plans, unfortunately, never came to fruition, but Sony’s new villain-focused Spider-Man universe, which began with 2018’s Venom, has led to new plans for the iconic team.
Miles Morales - whose comic debut was in 2011’s alternate universe Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man - is his reality’s second web-slinger, taking Peter Parker’s place after his apparent death in a final confrontation with the Green Goblin. Miles and his stories were well-received, quickly growing in popularity among readers, and he made his cinematic debut in 2018’s animated film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As the star of numerous comics, an animated film, and a recent video game, it won’t be long before Miles has his long-awaited live-action debut.
With Sinister Six reportedly being the endgame of Sony’s Spider-Man films, it’s reasonable to assume that the movie will be a crowd-pleasing epic with more than one payoff. Sony will reportedly work alongside Marvel Studios to tie their film in with the MCU, meaning that Tom Holland’s classic Peter Parker Spider-Man may face off against the six villains. Although Spider-Man was often on his own against the six in the comics, the film can easily justify introducing a second Spider-Man to even the odds and give viewers a live-action Miles Morales simultaneously.
Not only is Sony and Marvel Studious working together on the Sinister Six film, but the multiverse will be unleashed in the upcoming No Way Home. While the Miles Morales who appears in the Sony film could be their iteration, he might alternatively be from the MCU, creating a new kind of character dynamic for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, who’s typically mentored by characters like Iron Man or Doctor Strange.
The Sinister Six’s villain roster can be comprised of characters from multiple realities as well. In addition to introducing the first live-action iteration of Miles Morales, the film can bring back actors like Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, and Willem Dafoe for yet another performance. With No Way Home bringing the iconic villains back, Sony could take advantage of their fan-favorite status, adding to the already crowd-pleasing introduction of Miles.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will be the first live-action Spider-Man movie to use the multiverse for crossovers. In addition to bringing back characters from bygone film eras, they’ve also allowed for interaction with Sony’s Spider-Man universe. If Sony intends to make the Sinister Six film their franchise’s endgame, they’d make it an even more effective grand finale by bringing in Miles Morales.
Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Supergirl season 6, episode 15, "Hope For Tomorrow."
The Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow" enhanced the story of the Superman movie Superman 4: The Quest For Peace in every respect. The final movie to star Christopher Reeve as Kal-El of Krypton, Superman 4 is widely considered to be the worst of the classic Superman films. Given that, it would be all but impossible for Supergirl to revamp The Quest For Peace and not improve it, but the episode "Hope For Tomorrow" successfully addressed nearly every common complaint about the movie.
The central storyline of the second half of Supergirl season 6 found Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) competing with the exiled 5th Dimensional Princess Nyxly (Peta Sergeant) for control of seven magical totems, tied to the seven cosmic forces of Hope, Love, Courage, Humanity, Dreams, Destiny and Truth. Each totem required its wielder to pass a test proving their mastery of each force. The Test of Hope in the Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow" proved particularly difficult, as it required the victor to "inspire a hope that burns longer and brighter than the sun." While this might ordinarily have been an easy task for Supergirl, this test came at a time when nuclear war seemed imminent between the nations of Kaznia and Corto Maltese and hope was in short supply.
The story of Superman 4: The Quest For Peace, was likewise based around the fear of nuclear war and Superman acting to end the threat after receiving a letter from a concerned boy. Sadly, the movie did so poorly it sunk any chance of a Superman 5. While the story of Superman 4 made a noble effort to tackle a serious issue, the film suffered from budget cuts and editing issues that eliminated most of the film's more thoughtful moments in favor of recycled flight scenes and nonsensical padding. The Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow" takes most of the story elements from Superman IV and builds upon the base concepts to create something far better.
Roughly halfway through the Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow," Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) asked the same question as the worried boy in Superman 4: The Quest For Peace; why can't Supergirl just take away all the nuclear weapons and throw them into the sun? Kara gave the same basic answer as Superman in the movie, saying that she was "forbidden from interfering in human history." However, Kara further explained to her friend Lena Luthor that human nations needed to be free to determine their own destinies without some all-powerful alien imposing their beliefs on them. Kara also pointed out that even if she could get rid of all the nuclear weapons in the world, it wouldn't solve the conflicts that lead to war. (Ironically, Kara did wind up having to throw several nuclear missiles into the sun before the episode's end.)
This point was driven home by another scene, in which the United States diplomat overseeing the peace talks between Kaznia and Corto Maltese asked J'onn J'onzz (David Harewood) to use his telepathic powers to make the leaders of the two delegations sign a peace treaty. The Martian Manhunter refused, saying that while he was glad to use his powers to pacify the two leaders after Nxyly used the Totem of Courage to make them afraid of looking weak during the negotiations, he refused to directly control their actions. Both of the Supergirl scenes did a far better job of showing why heroes have a responsibility not to use their powers than every speech Superman made regarding that point in Superman 4: The Quest For Peace.
The Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow" featured a subplot that centered around Esme, a foster child adopted by Alex Danvers/Sentinel (Chyler Leigh) and Kelly Olsen/Guardian (Azie Tesfai), and the Super Friends' efforts to help the young girl get acclimated to her new home. A victim of an abusive situation in her previous foster home, Esme was shy and fearful of being sent back to the group home she had been in. Restoring Esme's hope in the future went beyond being a test of Supergirl's ability to inspire hope and became a test for the whole team, as well as a central part of the theme of "Hope For Tomorrow." By contrast, despite being the inspiration of Superman's effort to bring an end to nuclear war in Superman 4: The Quest For Peace, the boy who wrote to Superman disappeared from the movie after Superman took him to the United Nations to hear him speak.
Originally set up as a romantic interest for Kara Danvers in Supergirl season 5, reporter William Dey (Staz Nair) has been one of the more divisive characters created for the Arrowverse, with many fans finding the character annoying and wondering what purpose he served after he and Kara agreed to be just friends in Supergirl season 6. Comparisons could be drawn between William Dey and Lacy Warfield (Mariel Hemingway) whose only purpose in Superman 4: The Quest For Peace was acting as a hostage and pushing an unconvincing love triangle between herself, Lois Lane and Clark Kent. However, the Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow" redeemed William, who was far from a passive figure after being taken captive by Nyxly. Indeed, it was William's quick thinking that enabled the Super Friends to take the Totem of Courage away from Nyxly.
While Superman 4: The Quest For Peace saw legendary actor Gene Hackman return as Lex Luthor, his role in the film was far from extensive. Apart from creating the monstrous Nuclear Man, Luthor had surprisingly little to do with the action of the film and most of his scenes were comedic non-sequiturs. By contrast, the Arrowerse Lex Luthor does not appear on camera in the Supergirl season 6 episode "Hope For Tomorrow," but nevertheless had a major impact on the episode's final scene.
As "Hope For Tomorrow" came to a close, Supergirl elected to throw the Totem of Hope into the sun, knowing that Nxyly needed all seven totems as part of her scheme to defeat Supergirl and the Super Friends. Shortly after Nxyly learned what Supergirl had done, a box fell through a portal in front of her. The box contained a watch and a note from a secret admirer telling her not to "lose hope." When Nyxly put on the watch, it formed one of Lex Luthor's trademark armored Lexo-Skeletons around her, revealing the identity of her mysterious new ally in a clever fashion. It was certainly more subtle than most of Gene Hackman's scenes trolling Superman in Superman 4: The Quest For Peace. This, coupled with the other connections throughout the episode, highlight how Supergirl was able to successfully revitalize the failed film's story arc.
The latest The Flash trailer suggests that Michael Keaton's Batman has a bigger role in the film than many initially assumed. Ezra Miller makes his DCEU return as the Scarlet Speedster after starring in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Directed by Andy Muschietti, The Flash's first trailer was released at DC FanDome 2021, offering a sneak peek at what to expect from the standalone flick.
It's no secret that The Flash was in production limbo for quite some time with a few director changes. But, the movie finally kicked into production in 2021 and is currently filming. Specific plot details are still scant at the moment, although a few pertinent details have been confirmed. That includes the return of Kiersey Clemons as Iris West and the introduction of Sasha Calle as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. Barry Allen is also joined by two Batman variations: the first one being Ben Affleck's and the other one being Michael Keaton's. Obviously there's a lot of excitement surrounding their involvement, but there's heightened anticipation about Keaton's Batman iteration simply because this is the first time he will reprise the superhero role in two decades.
Considering the fact that it's the Flash's solo outing, it was initially unclear how involved Keaton would be in the film. Set photos revealed him back as the Bruce Wayne persona, and the actor's personal interviews confirmed that he's indeed wearing the cape and the cowl again. Still, with very little known about the movie's plot, there were questions about the extent of his appearance. Some argued that it wouldn't be anything more than an extended cameo, with the primary focus on Barry Allen instead. This makes sense since he is the movie's headlining character. However, The Flash's trailer suggests that Batman's role in the film is going to be more prominent than initially perceived; much of the trailer focuses on him, including both versions of the Flash visiting Tim Burton's Wayne Manor and then, his Batcave. It even ends with the tease of the 1989 Batmobile reveal.
Interestingly, despite all the references to Keaton's Caped Crusader, the hero doesn't properly appear in The Flash trailer. Instead, there's only a shot of his iconic cowl looking outside the Batcave. But, the fact that he provides the narration for the majority of the trailer further indicates the extent of his appearance. At one point, it seems like the two Barry Allens and Supergirl recruit him for a mission, and it's safe to say that he at least considers joining his fellow DC heroes in the movie. It's worth noting that The Flash appears to be an adaptation of the Flashpoint storyline from the comics. Barry's time-traveling likely fractured space-time which has had ripple effects in other universes, including that of Supergirl and Keaton's Batman. The voice-over dialog is Bruce Wayne making sense of everything that's happening.
The question now is, how does Affleck's Batman fit into all of this? Based on what's known about The Flash production, the actor didn't start to film his scenes until the middle of principal photography. Some theories suggest that Affleck's Batman dies in the movie, and that it could serve as motivation for Barry's time travel. Furthermore, many are also curious if Affleck's version of the hero will cross paths with Keaton's Caped Crusader. Fans will likely have to wait for the movie's debut to find out.
Robert Pattinson’s Batman takes multiple bullets to the chest in the latest trailer for The Batman, indicating how bulletproof his version of the Batsuit is. Although he lacks superpowers, Batman fights crime in Gotham City with superlative fighting skills, a genius-level intellect, and state-of-the-art gadgetry. A common piece of equipment for live-action Batman adaptations is a Batsuit made of bulletproof material. Not all the Dark Knight's costumes have the same level of protection, so how does Pattinson’s suit compare to the others and the comic source material?
In his first comic book appearances, Batman wore no armor, using a simple, lightweight, and flexible costume with an intimidating appearance instead. One of the earliest uses of an armored Batsuit comes from the first standalone Batman book in 1940, in which the Caped Crusader survives a gunshot wound from The Joker thanks to a layer of armor underneath the main suit. Modern comic iterations of Batman wear fully armored Batsuits, offering significant protection against gunshots; partially inspired by the various film adaptations and their many shout-outs.
In the latest trailer for The Batman, Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit is put to the test multiple times. While fighting a gang of criminals in clown makeup, Batman is shot point-blank with a handgun, but he shrugs this off rather quickly and continues fighting. Later in the trailer, Batman walks towards a group of assault rifle-toting assailants, who pepper him with gunfire. Batman walks through the hail of bullets mostly unimpeded before counterattacking. This indicates that Pattinson’s Batman uses an extremely durable material that can withstand more gunfire than most versions of the Dark Knight.
While Adam West’s Batman wore no armor, Michael Keaton’s iteration in the Tim Burton films had a highly durable suit that could take direct gunshots. However, as shown multiple times in Batman and Batman Returns, while the suit kept gunfire from proving immediately lethal, the force often knocked Batman off his feet and left him winded on some occasions. Pattinson’s gear provides more protection, allowing him to remain in fighting condition even when shot numerous times.
Christian Bale’s first Batsuit in Batman Begins also offered protection from gunshots, though Lucious Fox explicitly advised against taking direct hits. While protective, the suit proved to be too restrictive, so Bale’s Bruce wore a modified` suit in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Bale’s second Batman suit offered far more flexibility, though it was even more vulnerable to gunfire, which Bruce learned firsthand when facing off against Two-Face.
The only live-action Batman iteration whose suit provided similar levels of protection to Pattinson’s is the DCEU Batman. As shown in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck's Batman wears a light and flexible suit that allows him to take gunshots to the head at point-blank range with little impediment. The suit has some vulnerable points, as evidenced by an assailant’s knife puncturing the suit near the shoulder, but this may have been a lightly-armored area for the sake of articulation. Ben Affleck’s Batman armor, like Pattinson’s Batsuit in The Batman, is fully bulletproof, protecting Batman from gun-toting enemies.
Katey Sagal played one of the most important characters in Sons of Anarchy, but what has she done since the show came to an end? In 2008, Kurt Sutter took the audience to a small town in California to meet a motorcycle club and all the drama in their daily lives in the TV series Sons of Anarchy. The series premiered on FX in 2008 and lived on for a total of seven seasons, coming to an end in 2014. Sons of Anarchy got positive reviews throughout its whole run, with most praise going towards the themes it addressed (such as corruption and racism) and the performances of the main cast.
Sons of Anarchy tells the story of Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), VP of the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy in the fictional town of Charming, California. The series kicks off when Jax finds a manifesto written by his late father, John “JT” Teller, one of the founding members of the MC. In it, JT shared his plans and vision for the club, which were very different from those of the current President and Jax’s stepfather, Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman). Reading his father’s ideas and seeing how different the club was, among other events, send Jax on a personal journey that leads him to question his path, role in the club, relationships, family, and more. Sons of Anarchy also introduced the audience to Gemma Teller-Morrow (Katey Sagal), Jax’s mother and the matriarch of the club, who even though wasn’t a member of it, had a lot of influence in it and the town in general, but she was also a very dangerous woman.
Katey Sagal’s role as Gemma in Sons of Anarchy was one of the most praised elements of the series, and she was one of the few characters from the first season who made it to the final one, though not to the series finale, as she was killed by Jax in the second last episode. Gemma Teller has become one of Sagal’s most memorable roles, but it definitely isn’t her most famous one, as she has played a variety of characters before and after Sons of Anarchy. Prior to living in Charming, Sagal did a lot of voice work in film, such as in Recess: School’s Out (playing Mrs. Flo Spinelli) and the Futurama movies, voicing Turanga Leela. In TV, she became known for playing Peggy Bundy in the sitcom Married… with Children from 1987 to 1997, and other notable roles include Edna Hyde in That 70’s Show and Cate S. Hennessy in 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.
While working on Sons of Anarchy, Sagal continued doing voice work, most notably in Futurama, and once the show came to an end, she explored other genres in TV. Sagal played Annora of the Alders in The Bastard Executioner, Penny’s mother in one episode of The Big Bang Theory, and Lanie Schultz in This Is Us. Sagal reprised her role as Gemma in one episode of Mayans M.C, the spinoff series of Sons of Anarchy, and after that, she went on to play Dr. Ingrid Jones in Shameless, Louise Goldufski in The Conners, Teresa Williams in Grand Hotel, and Eleanor Hale in Dead to Me. Her most recent work is in the legal comedy-drama Rebel, inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich, and in which she plays the lead role of Annie “Rebel” Bello. On the big screen, she played Lee Ann in There’s Always Woodstock, Katherine Junk in Pitch Perfect 2, and Louise Pazienza in Bleed for This.
In addition to an incredible acting career that has covered almost every genre, Katey Sagal has a musical career and released her first solo album in 1994, and she also contributed with at least one song per season in Sons of Anarchy. Katey Sagal is a woman of many talents, and while many will always remember her as Gemma Teller-Morrow, it’s definitely worth checking out her other works in both film and TV.
Using a combination of moves and items, players can maximize Pikachu's build in Pokémon Unite. Players will need to fight both wild Pokémon and those on the opposing team to score points and win. As an Attacker Pokémon, a well-built Pikachu can work great for an offensive, ranged strategy.
With 5-on-5 matches between trainers, and wild Pokémon in each stage, a well-rounded, carefully built team will be vital for success. Players just getting started in Pokémon Unite may need to test different skills in order to find the best build. Having a strong offensive Pokémon will help players knock out their opponents and collect their Aeos energy to score points. As Pikachu gains experience, more moves will become available, and it can become a powerful fighter.
Each Pokémon in the game, such as Pikachu or Gengar, has an ideal build. Pikachu is a Ranged Attacker class in Pokémon Unite, so it can deal high damage but has low endurance. Focusing on moves and items that maximize damage and utilize Pikachu's stun abilities will create the best build for this character. Players can also equip items that compliment or increase Pikachu's strengths and damage output.
There are two ways for players to obtain Pikachu in Pokémon Unite: they can either choose it as their first Pokémon upon completing the tutorial or purchase it from the Unite Battle Committee. Pikachu costs 6000 Aeos coins or 345 Aeos gems. Once obtained and leveled up, players can focus on using the right moves and items to capitalize on Pikachu's offensive potential. Pokémon can have two moves active and three items equipped at a time. The best options for Pikachu appear below.
Pikachu's Best Moveset
Thunderbolt: Charge and shoot a bolt of lightning that stuns and damages opponents in the area. Upgrade Thunderbolt to increase the damage dealt.
Electro Ball: Throw an electric orb that damages and stuns enemies in the area of effect. Missing HP will increase damage to opponents. Electro Ball can be upgraded to increase damage.
Buddy Barrier: When using the Unite move, Pikachu and the nearby ally with the lowest HP will gain a shield
Alternative - Float Stone: Increase movement speed when Pikachu isn't in combat
Best Battle Items for Pikachu
X-Attack: Boost the damage of attacks and special attacks
Alternative - Potion: Restore a Pokémon's health.
Using a strong combination of moves and items will help players gather Aeos energy and score points. While using Pikachu, players should focus on dealing as much damage as possible while being aware of their health loss. Since Pikachu is also a Ranged Pokémon, it's recommended that players keep their distance when possible to avoid being knocked out. Pikachu can stay near a Defender Pokémon for extra protection and stun enemies that come within range.
TLDR: This pocket-xxxxd disk serves up incredible audio via its bone-conduction technology, turning almost any surface into a beefy amplifier. Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are fine when you’re plugged in with earbuds. But few of those devices are created with powerful (and prohibitively expensive) external speakers to listen easily without the use of headphones. Even at top volume, it might be enough to satisfy anyone within a 5-foot radius as a temporary listen…but it certainly doesn’t deliver any serious audio fidelity or scope. Rather than toting around big portable Bluetooth speakers to handle those types of listening situations,…
Bitcoin’s journey into mainstream finance has reached another major milestone – and another record price. The cryptocurrency was trading at US$66,975 (£48,456) following the launch of an exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the US which has dramatically increased bitcoin’s exposure to investors. The fund, which opened on October 19, allows investors to speculate on the future value of bitcoin – without actually owning it. It is the first time investors have been able to trade an asset related to bitcoin on the New York Stock Exchange and was preceded by much media attention and hype in financial markets. It began trading…
For decades, people have proclaimed the now-common refrain that “privacy is dead.” I often think back to Scott McNealy, then CEO at Sun Microsystems, claiming in 1999 that “you have zero privacy anyway… get over it.” I wouldn’t go as far as saying that leaders at startups hold such a strong disregard for privacy, but I do find many taking the stance that the world’s strictest data privacy laws don’t apply to them. If you fall into this category, you ought to know that privacy isn’t dead, and a new era of privacy is being quietly ushered in across Europe.…
If there was one positive to come out of the pandemic, it was the realization that watching shows and movies remotely with friends is actually Very Good™. And with the launch of iOS 15.1, Apple’s getting involved. So say hello to SharePlay. The feature was announced as a part of iOS 15 back in June at the company’s WWDC developer conference, but its roll out was delayed. SharePlay is upping the ante compared with other apps that allow remote viewing. Here’s a short list of what you can do with this new feature: Listen to tracks on Apple Music together…
Jeff Bezos apparently wasn’t satisfied with merely flying through space. The world’s second richest person now wants to occupy it. Bezos’ Blue Origin on Monday announced plans to build a commercial space station by the end of the decade. Announcing #OrbitalReef – a commercial space station transforming human space travel and opening access to new markets. Our team developing the premier commercial destination in low Earth orbit: @BlueOrigin @SierraSpaceCo @BoeingSpace @RedwireSpace @ASU https://t.co/PP4wxrfkF3 pic.twitter.com/qJDdYg7BSv — Orbital Reef (@OrbitalReef) October 25, 2021 The Orbital Reef project will be developed in partnership with Sierra Space, a subsidiary of the defense and aerospace…
Flick through a news feed on your phone and you are likely to scroll across an article discussing the heated rivalries of the new space race. Forget the geopolitical struggles of a cold war. This time, it’s Tesla CEO Elon Musk versus Amazon founder Jeff Bezos: the two richest men in the world duking it out over whether SpaceX or Blue Origin, their respective companies, will be the dominant force in the new industry of private space flight. Occasionally, Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic gets a mention too, but the Brit being a relative pauper, and his space plane lacking…
While Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were racing for the Formula 1 title over the weekend, self-driving cars were fighting for the inaugural Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) championship. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) took the chequered flag at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team bagged a cool $1 million after hitting an average speed of 218 km/h on the fabled oval track. The contest was an impressive showcase of self-driving engineering, but it didn’t convince me that AI will soon replace human race car drivers. One reason for my skepticism is that the algorithms didn’t prove they could…
Neuroscientists at Columbia University observed a curious thing. When they asked a group of test subjects to concentrate on a painting of an angel wielding a sword, they found it triggered responses in the subjects’ wrists. Others have reported the sensation of dancing when observing Degas’ Ballerinas. This is due to a process called embodied cognition. When we view a piece of art, our brain mirrors actions depicted on the canvas. Not only can art inspire physical action, it can also stimulate emotion and make the intangible feel tangible. According to eco artist Thijs Biersteker: Context is also important in…
