Alan Moore’s Electricomics promises to reinvent the medium, but not too much
If you’ve seen V for Vendetta, Watchmen or even The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you’ve encountered the work of Alan Moore. He’s one of the comic industry’s most prolific and influential authors, and now he’s trying to take the medium into the modern era. Moore is building a digital comics app designed to serve as both comic itself and a collection of open-source tools for creating the next generation of digital comics. The project, due for launch in early next year, is called Electricomics — but don’t expect books published on the platform to be animated or overly interactive: Moore insists that adding digital effects to comics won’t make them better.
“It’s a very well developed technology and it’s very difficult to add to or reproduce comics in a more elegant way,” Moore tells The Guardian, speaking of the comics medium as it exists today as its own ‘technology.’ When Electricomics launches, it’ll include a 32-page collection of stories showcasing what comics can be in a digital medium, and Moore wants to keep it simple. “Avoiding whistles and bells would be one of the first tenets that digital comics should try to stick to,” he says, explaining that the gimmick of animated effects doesn’t necessarily convey a scene better than still art.
Although Moore wants to keep the comics medium unsullied by the temptations of new technology, he admits we can do more with digital comics than we’re doing now. Still, he admits he’s not exactly an expert in the medium’s digital offerings as they exist today. “I’ve got absolutely no idea because I don’t have any online capacity,” he said. Moore told The Guardian that he doesn’t have any “devices or tablets,” and that he doesn’t keep up with the comics scene these days. Even so, he wants Electricomics’ tools to give creators the same flexibility as paper while opening the medium to the new possibilities. He also hopes the platform will make the medium more appealing to today’s youth.
“Kids avoid these things like the plague,” he told The Guardian, teasing the industry’s tendency to pander to adults that grew up reading comics. “Why would a 13-year old bother reading a comic book when they have these different devices and the comics are being made not for them, but for 40 to 60 year-olds?” Moore hopes the app will give new creators a chance to break away form the superhero comics too, accusing the mainstream genre of being uncreative and dated. “Nothing lasts forever.” Unfortunately, we won’t know if Moore’s digital comics vision will pay off until 2015. Check out The Guardian for the full interview.
[Image Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy]
Source: The Guardian, Electricomics
Samsung Galaxy Tab S press renders give away some dimensions and nifty Features
With Samsung‘s Tab into Color event right around the corner, it’s no surprise to see that Samsung Galaxy Tab S press renders have leaked out to give us a better idea of what the tablet devices are going to look like. According to the renders, at least one of the Tab S tablets is going to weight 465g and will measure just 6.6mm thick; for reference, the self proclaimed thinnest tablet in the world, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet measures only marginally thinner at 6.4mm. The Tab S tablets look like they’re also going to incorporate a fingerprint scanner much like the Samsung Galaxy S5 did in the home button.
Software-wise, the Tab S tablets look like they are going to incorporate the same remote desktop tools available on the Note Pro and Tab Pro devices. Additionally, there appears to be a function that will allow you to sync your presumably Samsung smartphone to your Tab S and receive any calls to your phone on your tablet.
The Tab S is expected to have 8.4-inch and 10.5-inch variants, both with a resolution of 2560×1600, powered by an octacore Exynos 5420 processor, 3GB RAM, and 32GB storage with microSD slot. They will also have a 2.1MP front camera with a 8MP rear camera and be running Android 4.4.2. There should be plenty more details about prices and availability at the Tab into Color event on June 12th in New York City, however it’s expected that the devices be available for preorders following the event.
Are you interested in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S devices? How do you think the Galaxy Tab S tablets look? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: SamMobile
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Korean protester spreads democracy’s message by baloon and flashdrive
As funny as the idea of a video game starring Kim Jong Un might be, how North Korea treats its people isn’t exactly a laughing matter. As a child of officials who were part of the North Korea’s Workers Party, Park Sang Hak didn’t have much to worry about. His family was part of the country’s elite and wondering where their next meal would come from wasn’t part of daily routine. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, however, when Hak saw the government starving its people he was overcome with guilt, and he defected to South Korea. As a direct result, two of Hak’s uncles were arrested as political criminals by North Korea’s State Security Department and executed as political enemies. He responded by putting a technological spin on South’s previous form of protest: sending propaganda pamphlets north by balloon. His version entailed floating DVDs and USB flash drives containing, among other things, videos about Samsung and Hyundai — evidence of the south’s economic prosperity under democracy.
Despite repeated death threats, he continues on — even sending DVDs with a rap video showing the deceased former leader Kim Il Sung as a transvestite in heels and a bustier, and as a portly Elvis wannabe.
While Park’s efforts to fight the power are valiant, he’s still at the mercy of Mother Nature. One launch of his balloons wound up in Seoul due to strong southern winds, and critics say that the airborne messages don’t often make it beyond the demilitarized zone because of wind patterns. Park remains steadfast in his mission, though, saying that hundreds of the some 27,000 defectors in South Korea have told him they’ve seen his materials. While that might not seem like many in the grand scheme of things, it’s enough to keep him pressing on. Be sure to check out his full story in the source links.
[Image credit: Associated Press]
Filed under: Samsung
Via: Telegraph
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek (1), (2)
Android 4.4.3 OTA update for the Motorola Moto G Captured
With every passing day, more devices are being updated to the latest software update available to Android, Android 4.4.3. Nexus and Motorola devices are typically the first beneficiaries of new software and this latest update is no different. The Android 4.4.3 OTA update for the Motorola Moto G has just been captured by XDA Senior Member, SamsungAdmire (ironic name noted), and is slightly larger at 169MB than the OTA updates that we’ve seen for the Nexus 7, which only come in at around 70MB. This is no doubt due to some Motorola “bloat”, however you can expect the OTA updates for other manufacturers to be even bigger. If you’re interested in giving the update a go, you can download it at the XDA forum page here.
For the OTA update to work on your Moto G, you must have stock recovery and be very close to stock conditions. It’s also important to note that the update in question was captured on a U.S. GSM device, which could make it unworkable with the global GSM devices, though that much is unconfirmed so far. It may also be possible to flash the Android 4.4.2 image of the U.S. GSM Moto G in order to make the update work. If anybody tries this method and is successful, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Have you tried Android 4.4.3 yet? What fixes are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below.
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Floata for Twitter helps you get your tweeting fix while in any App
The floating notifications, Chat Head-like functionality that we have seen in Facebook Messenger has been a very unique and desirable feature to see in apps, most recently being used to great effect in Chris Lacy’s Link Bubble app which allows you to load web pages in the background while scrolling through another app. Floata for Twitter is taking that same convenience and applying it to Twitter, letting you Tweet from within whatever app you are currently using.
As you would expect, Floata gives you access to a little Twitter “Chat Head” which stays persistently on top of whatever app is currently running (in its current iteration, including even games). It’s not without its bugs and downsides however, like being restricted to text only tweets and the “Chat Head” not being terribly manoeuvrable. It’s still early days, however, and with a few more features and more fixes, Floata is likely going to be a tweeter’s best friend. And probably the best thing about Floata is that it is compatible with Android devices from Gingerbread and up (i.e. 2.3+), allowing almost everyone the chance to give the app a try.
If you’re interested in giving Floata for Twitter a try, you can download it now from the Google Play Store (links are below).
Source: XDA
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Spider-Man Unlimited is an new endless runner game coming soon to Android
Gameloft has a great track record of churning out officially licensed games, and its latest foray is going to be in partnership with Marvel to make Spider-Man Unlimited. The game is said to be coming soon to iOS, Windows Phone and Android for free in September, which for Gameloft still means a great game experience (albeit laden with the temptation of in-app purchases at every corner). Spider-Man Unlimited will take the format of an endless runner game, much the same as runaway (no pun intended) favourite in this genre, Temple Run, and actually makes a lot of sense given how Spider-Man actually gets around. Take a look at Gameloft’s announcement trailer for the game:
Spider-Man Unlimited looks to be unrelated to the recent The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie (which already has a dedicated Gameloft game) and looks to be an episodic game that will incorporate loosely appropriated stories and villains from the comic book lore, as well as various Spider-Man costumes, which can no doubt be unlocked (or bought) through the game. Whether the store will be derived from the actual comics, “Spider-Man Unlimited”, remains to be seen, but this definitely looks like a game for the Marvel comic book fans, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on Gameloft’s announcements in the near future.
What do you think about Spider-Man Unlimited? Are you interested in playing when it is released? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments.
Source: YouTube
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Apple reportedly snaps up social maps app Spotsetter
Last year, Apple bought a string of companies in an effort to better its rather unpopular Maps app, and it looks like Cupertino isn’t quite done yet. According to TechCrunch, the company has also snapped up social maps app Spotsetter in a deal that’s a lot less low-key that its Beats acquisition. Apple reportedly bought the company not only for its technology, but also for its two founders: former Google Maps engineer Stephen Tse and ex-Siemens consultant and FitFiend CTO Johnny Lee. Spotsetter, if you’ve never heard of it before, shows your friends’ recommendations and trusted reviews of various establishments overlayed on a map. Also, you can use it to search for particular locations and see if your friends have been there, or to read reviews about them.
So, yes, it serves the same purpose as Foursquare — in fact, it’s one of Spotsetter’s data sources, along with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and quite a large number of online review sites. Apple hasn’t confirmed anything thus far (though Lee already announced the company’s closure a few days ago), but we don’t see the app on either the App Store or Google Play anymore. If the deal is true, Spotsetter’s features will likely be integrated into Apple’s Maps app, along with technologies from WiFiSlam, Locationary, Embark, HopStop and Broadmap.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: BusinessInsider
Source: TechCrunch
Razer’s CEO is sorry for ‘screwing up on anticipating demand,’ wants to do better
If you pre-ordered Razer’s new 14-inch Blade laptop the day it was announced, there’s a good chance you still don’t have it. Frustrated? Don’t worry — your voice has already been heard; Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan says he’s sorry. “We suck at this,” he said in a heartfelt Facebook post today. “I suck at this.” Unfortunately, Razer has made a habit of underestimating customer demand, and Min’s team is struggling to find a solution that won’t keep customers waiting. “We’ve tried different things,” he said. “We’ve tried doubling / tripling / quadrupling manufacturing capacity, we’ve ramped back to phasing in launches by geography… we’ve pushed back launch dates, and still we end up disappointing our customers.”
Frustrated, Tan admitted that this isn’t the first time he’s apologized for this. “Every time we launch a new product, demand just far outstrips the supply.” Naturally, the young CEO wants Razer’s launches to be smooth, and pledges to continue to tweak and change the company’s distribution plans for future product launches. How, exactly, he plans to do this isn’t clear, but it sounds like he’ll be trying something new soon: “We’ll have more news on this shortly,” he concluded. “Which of course also means we will be shipping something new very soon.”
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Filed under: Gaming
Via: Slashgear
Source: Facebook
Hubble’s latest deep field imagery is the most colorful picture of the universe we’ve ever taken
Want to feel amazed, isolated and inspired all a the same time? Look to the stars. Form here on Earth, space seems like and endless empty void — but anybody familiar with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope know things look a bit more lively from orbit. For the last decade, the orbiting machinery has been snapping photos of deep space, giving us stunning views of stars and galaxies far beyond our reach. This week NASA released the telescope’s most recent composite image: the Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2014 (pictured above). It’s gorgeous, stunning and a tad overwhelming. NASA says it’s also made up of the most colorful deep space images ever captured.
Like the deep field images before it, this latest picture is actually a composite of shots taken from 2003 through 2012 (previous composites ended at 2009). These images were used to study star birth in deep space, filtered through Hubble’s near-infrared capabilities. Still, researchers wanted more, and have imbued the telescope’s latest imagery with ultraviolet light data, creating the vibrant display of stars you see above. It’s more than just a gorgeous view, however — images like are important to NASA’s plans for the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble’s successor. Hungry for more details? Check out the full resolution image at Hubblesite at the source link below, or check out the underlying video.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation
Source: Hubblesite, NASA
IBM’s Watt-sun: great at solar forecasts, useless at Jeopardy
Pop quiz: if you worked on a research project at IBM that dealt with chewing on large amounts of data to predict how efficient solar power arrays could be, what would you call it? If you said “Watt-sun,” you’d be on a roll. Tongues may have been planted firmly in cheeks when the name suggestions started flying, but Watt-sun is no joke. It’s a solar forecasting platform that continually mashes up data from scads of sources — from existing models to satellite views to cloud cover imagery captured by cameras lashed to poles — to try and predict much sunlight solar panels will actually be able to suck up.
Why does that matter? Well, if you were a power company fleshing out your part of the power grid with solar cells, you’d want to know how much juice to expect from them. Factors like weather and the intricacies of the sun’s path across the sky make forecasting tricky, but Watt-sun project manager Hendrik Hamann told Gigaom that Watt-sun is about 35% better at its predictions than the next best thing. Watt-sun’s been tested in about a dozen solar sites around the country and if it’s a good as its creators say, it could be a big help for a country struggling to wean itself off dirtier forms of energy. Alas, the team behind the project doesn’t plan to turn Watt-sun into an actual product — here’s hoping they change their minds.
[Image credit: Flickr/Michael Mees]
Source: Gigaom
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