Sainsbury’s is stocking vinyl records in 171 supermarkets

Vinyl is back, and it seems like it’s here to stay. More than two million LPs were sold in the UK during 2015, up from 1.3 million the year prior. The steady growth since 2007 — when the medium faced near extinction with 205,000 sales — has encouraged retailers like Tesco to restock the old format in some of their stores. Sainsbury’s is the latest to join the movement, putting 18 different records in 171 supermarkets across the country. The analog collection is mostly classics like The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, although there’s also one contemporary release — the overwhelmingly popular 25 by Adele.

If you’re new to the vinyl revival, Sainsbury’s is also selling a Crosley Cruiser turntable for £80. It comes in a briefcase-style shell, which should appeal to hipster listeners that prioritize looks over sound quality.

Sainsbury’s says it’s serious about the nostalgic format. Pete Selby, head of music and books for the company, said: “We don’t see this as a novelty gifting fad but a complimentary part of our existing music offer with a long term future in our stores. Vinyl is definitely experiencing a revival with demand growing stronger year-on-year. It is our aim to make the vinyl experience easy and pleasurable for our customers who are ready to re-engage with a format that resonates with them on an emotional level.”

Today’s launch means that Sainsbury’s is now one of the largest vinyl retailers in the UK. Few companies can match 171 stores on the high street — Tesco, for comparison, is only stocking the format in 40 locations. Sainsbury’s, however, operates over 1,200 supermarkets, so while this is a grand gesture, you might be hard pushed to find a local stockist.

Here’s a breakdown of everything Sainsbury’s is now selling:

Via: Music Week

Animation software used by Studio Ghibli will soon be free

You may not have heard of Toonz animation software, but you’ve no doubt seen work it was used in: Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away and Tale of the Princess Kaguya (above), or the animated series Futurama. Now, the Toonz Ghibli Edition used by legendary Japanese filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki is going open-source, making it free to use by studios and novice animators alike. The deal came after Japanese publisher Dwango acquired the software from Italian developer Digital Video. It’s now focusing on customization and training, but will still sell a premium version to companies “at a very competitive price.”

Studio Ghibli’s imaging director Atsushi Okui says, “we are happy to hear that this open-source version contains the Ghibli Edition. We hope that many people inside and outside of the animation industry will utilize this software for their work.” Toonz, which debuted way back in 1993, is used to convert hand-drawn and rasterized art into vector graphics. From there, it can be animated in 2D by creating “skeletons” for characters, providing a similar animation workflow to 3D projects.

The open-source announcement means that a production-ready version of the software, which used to run thousands of dollars, is now free for aspiring editors. Studio Ghibli says it first chose the app in 1995 for Princess Mononoke “to combine hand-drawn animation with the digitally painted ones seamlessly … in order to continue producing theater-quality animation without addition stress.” It takes considerable effort to learn software as deep as Toonz, but now that it’s free, it’ll be easier for aspiring animators to become the next Miyazaki or Takahata. It will be presented officially at Anime Japan in Tokyo, which starts on March 26th.

Via: Cartoon Brew

Source: Toonz

Engadget UK giveaway: win a smart heating system courtesy of Heat Genius

Of all the ways to educate your boiler, Heat Genius offers some of the most comprehensive smart heating systems around. From remote temperature and hot water control to radiator and underfloor heating zones, the options go far beyond the simple connected thermostat. And this week, it’s thanks to Heat Genius we’re giving away a complete smart heating system, including boiler controller, up to four radiator and four underfloor controllers, a hub to get the whole system online and, of course, installation. That’s over £1000 of smart heating kit, depending on your configuration at home, so whether you’re more interested in seeing out this winter or preparing for the next, you can enter our giveaway up to three times via the widget below. Give the rules a quick scan first, though, if you would.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
• Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Heat Genius smart heating system plus installation, including up to four (4) radiator and up to four (4) underfloor zones, depending on home heating configuration.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Heat Genius and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honour warranties, exchanges or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until March 25th at 11:59PM GMT. Good luck!

Source: Heat Genius

iMessage Security Flaw Allows Researchers to Decrypt Images

A flaw in Apple’s encryption systems has been found that enables an attacker to decrypt photos and videos sent over its iMessage instant messenger service.

According to The Washington Post, the security hole in Apple’s code was exploited by a group of Johns Hopkins University researchers, led by computer science professor Matthew D. Green.

Green reportedly alerted Apple to the problem last year after he read an Apple security guide describing an encryption process that struck him as weak. When a few months passed and the flaw remained, Green and his graduate students decided to mount an attack to show that they could break the encryption of photos and videos sent over iMessage.

The team succeeded by writing software that mimicked an Apple server and hijacked the encrypted transmission of the targeted phone. The transmission contained a link to a photo stored in Apple’s iCloud server as well as a 64-digit key to decrypt the photo.

While the students could not see the key’s digits, they guessed them by a repetitive process of changing a digit or a letter in the key and sending it back to the target phone. Each time they guessed a digit correctly, the phone accepted it. The phone was probed in this way thousands of times until the team guessed the correct key and was able to retrieve the photo from Apple’s server.

Apple said that it partially fixed the problem last fall when it released iOS 9, and will fully address the issue through security improvements in iOS 9.3, which is expected to be released this week. The company’s statement read:

Apple works hard to make our software more secure with every release. We appreciate the team of researchers that identified this bug and brought it to our attention so we could patch the vulnerability. Security requires constant dedication and we’re grateful to have a community of developers and researchers who help us stay ahead.

The news comes amid Apple’s ongoing legal battle with the FBI in connection with the iPhone at the center of the San Bernadino shooter investigation. The FBI has requested help from Apple to unlock the phone, but the company has so far refused.

The FBI wants to access data stored on the iPhone in question, whereas the Johns Hopkins research focused on the interception of data transmitted between devices. However, Green believes that his team’s work highlights the inherent security risks of the FBI’s demands in the California case.

“Even Apple, with all their skills — and they have terrific cryptographers — wasn’t able to quite get this right,” Green told the newspaper. “So it scares me that we’re having this conversation about adding backdoors to encryption when we can’t even get basic encryption right.”

Apple will face off against the FBI in court on Tuesday, one day after the company’s March 21 event that will see the debut of the 4-inch iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. MacRumors will post a direct link to Apple’s media event once it becomes available.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: iMessage, Encryption
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Apple Store Goes Down Ahead of Today’s ‘Let Us Loop You In’ Event

Apple’s online storefront has been taken offline this morning, less than six hours prior to the company’s upcoming “Let Us Loop You In” media event at its Cupertino campus, where Tim Cook’s executive team is expected to announce the new 4-inch iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and Apple Watch updates.

Apple’s special event starts at 10 a.m. Pacific with a live stream (spoiler free) available on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV. MacRumors will also have full coverage of the event, with a live blog on our front page and updates in 140 characters or less through our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter.

We’ll also have specific coverage of today’s announcements in separate news stories, and our community forums are a great place for readers to discuss the announcements before, during, and after the event. Be sure to keep tabs on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch sections for the latest discussions.
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MacBook Charger Teardown Highlights Counterfeit Dangers

Manufacturers of counterfeit Apple products often go to great lengths to make their knock-offs look genuine, which brings the added risk of concealing potentially dangerous flaws in substituted electrical components.

We’ve covered efforts to lure consumers to purchase cheaper counterfeit iPhone and iPad chargers before, courtesy of Ken Shirrif’s technology blog. Now, a new post on Shirrif’s site offers a detailed teardown and analysis of the differences between a counterfeit MacBook charger and a genuine unit, providing a great example of how cosmetic similarities can hide major safety defects.

A counterfeit MagSafe 45W charger (left) and a genuine 60W charger (right).
Shirrif notes that counterfeit chargers he’s examined in the past have usually had external flaws that give them away, but that this latest MacBook charger knock-off almost had even him fooled.

The exterior text on this charger was correct, no “Designed by Abble” or “Designed by California”. It had a metal ground pin, which fakes often exclude. It had the embossed Apple logo on the case. The charger isn’t suspiciously lightweight. Since I’ve written about these errors in fake chargers before, I half wonder if the builders learned from my previous articles.

Only when Shirrif cracks open the charger are the differences laid bare. A real Apple charger is packed full of complex circuitry, but the counterfeit contains a fairly low density board that uses a simpler power supply with a dangerously small isolation gap between the AC input and the low-voltage output.

Shirrif also identifies a distinct lack of insulation tape between the two voltages on the circuit board, a metal grounding pin not connected to anything, and a fluctuating power output. See his post for the full comparison.

Three years ago, a Chinese woman was electrocuted by a counterfeit charger while charging her iPhone, highlighting the significant dangers these products pose to consumers. Users who suspect they have a counterfeit charger can take part in Apple’s third-party charger takeback program to safely dispose of the adapters.
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Panasonic shows how its robotic suits ease your burden

If you ask Panasonic, the future is full of wearable robotic assistants… lots of them. The Japanese tech giant has posted a video highlighting all the exoskeletons and service robots it’s working on, and it’s clear that the company wants to bring bionics to just about every facet of life. The Assist Suit (shown above) and Ninja respectively boost your lower back and legs, helping you lift heavy warehouse boxes or climb steep mountains. The Power Loader (directly inspired by Aliens), meanwhile, should help during construction work and disasters.

Some of what’s in the video is more about restoring lost mobility than improving what you already have. The Self-Reliance Support Robot helps the elderly move from bed to other tasks, like going to the restroom. Resyone, meanwhile, transforms from a bed into a reclining wheelchair.

Is Panasonic’s clip optimistic? Probably. These machines still tend to be expensive and limited (Assist Suit lasts for a maximum 8 hours, for example), so you probably won’t see them very often in warehouses or retirement homes. Having said this, the sheer range of devices suggests that they could be widespread before too long.

Source: Panasonic (YouTube), (BusinessWire)

Dara O Briain to host gaming show ‘Go 8 Bit’ on Dave

British broadcasters have always struggled to create high quality TV shows about video games. Aside from Charlie Brooker’s Gameswipe, few programmes have done the medium justice. Just look at the response to GTA docudrama The Gamechangers. Still, every so often a production company will take another crack at the idea. The latest attempt is Go 8 Bit, a game show presented by comedian Dara Ó Briain (who is also doing the Robot Wars reboot) and video game journalist Ellie Gibson. The first series will air on Dave this Autumn and consist of six 60-minute episodes.

Go 8 Bit is based on a live show that shares the same name in Edinburgh. It’s a simple format, challenging two teams to five rounds of “increasingly competitive, hilarious gaming contests.” These will range from nostalgic arcade classics (think Pong, Pac-Man and Street Fighter II) to modern masterpieces like Grand Theft Auto V. In addition, Dave is teasing “larger-than-life game-inspired physical challenges,” no doubt imitating game shows like A Question of Sport in the UK. A Splatoon-style paintball match, perhaps? How about a race with Mario Kart-themed power-ups?

The team captains will be Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon, a pair of comedians with a genuine passion for video games. They created and performed the original concept in Scotland, and will be partnered with a celebrity guest in each of the new episodes. Combined, they should create a healthy mix of star power and video game authenticity. That will be crucial in order to build a show that feels both genuine for gamers and interesting enough to pull in a broad, mainstream TV audience.

The commission follows a renewed interest in video games from mainstream broadcasters. Both Sky and the BBC are dabbling in eSports coverage, while Radio 1 preps a new gaming show hosted by presenter and YouTuber Julia Hardy. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get a show this year that feels true to the culture of gaming? We’ve got our fingers crossed.

Via: MCV

Source: UKTV

Pre-order an LG G5 from AT&T and get a second one for free

AT&T has kicked off pre-orders for the LG G5, with the phone slated to launch April 1 in the U.S. You can pick up the handset for $23 per month over 30 months through AT&T’s Next 24 plan, or purchase one for $688 outright. AT&T also offers a second handset for free, provided it is purchased on AT&T Next and activated on a new line.

The carrier will reimburse the cost of the second handset by providing $695 in bill credit over the course of 30 months. You’re still on the hook for sales tax and activation fee for both phones. Interested? Head to AT&T from the link below to get started.

See at AT&T

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

How you will become Batman is revealed by Telltale Games

Telltale is now a household name for gamers with titles like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Fables all showing how great its character-story based gaming can be. Now it’s moving onto Batman.

Telltale announced last year it would be creating a Batman game but had only just begun to release details.

The Batman Telltale game will, like the maker’s other titles, focus on the character and his story. For this reason you’ll be playing as Bruce Wayne as much as you will be as Batman. The decisions you make in Wayne’s life will affect the outcome of the game and the choices you have to make as Batman. You’ll even have the choice of dealing with issues as Wayne or as Batman.

The character can be developed as either one of “redemption” or one of “corruption”.

The style is described as modern day with a gritty feel and “R-rated film” darkness. It also won’t be going for realism like the recent films, in favour of the fantastic world of the comics.

Telltale says the comic book art of the last 75 years will be brought to life. Villains and other characters featured are not mentioned although it’s been made clear that Robin and Nightwing won’t appear.

The Telltale Batman game is set to arrive this summer.

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