Netflix will stream CW shows a week after their season finale
Last month, rumors began circulating that those CW shows that were streaming on Hulu would make it to Netflix a lot faster. Well, those reports were accurate as the streaming service and the CBS and Warner Brothers network made the deal official today. Starting with the upcoming 2016-2017 broadcast season, the decidedly comic-heavy slate of Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and more will debut on Netflix as complete seasons eight days after the show’s finale airs. And yes, the just-aired seasons that wrapped up recently will be available as well.
Hulu only offers the five most recent episodes of current CW seasons anyway, so if you’re not able to watch live or at least follow along, you’ll only have to wait a week to binge on entire seasons. The deal also includes new shows that are set to debut on the CW this year: Frequency, No Tomorrow and Riverdale. Previous seasons of the CW’s shows were already available on Netflix, but like series from other networks/studios, they typically took months to arrive on the streaming service. At least now you won’t have to wait nearly as long to find out what Oliver Queen and Barry Allen have been up to recently.
Source: Netflix (PR Newswire)
Ashley Madison is currently under investigation by the FTC
Infamous infidelity website Ashley Madison is now under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, according to a report from Reuters.
It’s been almost a year since the website was hacked, exposing sensitive information that identified users of the social media site. Now a new CEO and president are being brought on to revamp the Ashley Madison site as it is currently known, but the user data that appeared on the dark web isn’t the reason for said investigation: it’s the fact that Ashley Madison apparently used “fembots” to up the amount of female users actually registered on the site.
Rob Segal, who’s taking over from former CEO Noel Biderman, is looking to work with a “cyber security team” to wrap up any loose ends that may still exist after the data breach that occurred, adding that he’s “truly sorry” for the pain these hacks caused users.
Ashley Madison seems to desire to clean up its act, but there are still some decidedly dirty things likely going on, which the FTC looks to get to the bottom of.
Via: Gizmodo
Researchers want to block HIV with a ‘therapeutic’ virus
Despite the best efforts to date, a vaccine for HIV remains beyond our reach. It seems every time researchers get close, the virus mutates to stay a step ahead, creating a biological arms race. But a team of scientists at the University of Texas believe they may have found a way to hobble HIV and drastically reduce its virulence. They want to infect susceptible cells with a “good” virus first, one that will effectively immunize them against HIV.
This isn’t the first time that researchers have leveraged non-traditional methods to infer immunity. In 1997, a pair of teams tried using virii to target and kill HIV-infected cells. Other groups have toyed with using a secondary virus to suppress HIV’s reproduction rates. Researchers have even attempted to confer immunity at the cellular level via stem cells.
UT integrative biologist Matthew Paff and his team hope to use genetic engineering to dynamically suppress HIV — that is, prevent its transmission across an entire system. As a proof of concept, they’re using colonies of E. coli as the model system and a pair of bacteriophages as stand-ins for HIV and the protective virus. Specifically, the team is using an RNA phage as its lethal virus. It damages the bacteria’s RNA and is highly lethal. A filamentous phage acts as the therapeutic virus as it only damages the bacteria’s pilus, an appendage used to transfer genetic material and often co-oped by virii as a means of infection.
The idea is to infect the bacteria colonies first with the therapeutic virus, which damages their pilia and prevents them from accepting new genetic material, before exposing them to the lethal virus. In their experiments, the UT researchers found that populations inoculated with the therapeutic virus first remained fairly stable in the face of the deadly RNA phages. On the other hand, populations given the lethal virus first saw their numbers plummet by two orders of magnitudes.
As it stands now, this is by no means a viable treatment for HIV in people. This test merely shows that using a therapeutic virus as an interference mechanism is possible and fairly practical. The next step is to transfer this method to the human model, though that will take some time.
“It is too early to identify the actual agents that might be used in an application against a human chronic infection such as HIV, and even if such transmissible agents were known, regulatory issues might thwart implementation in the near future,” the team wrote in its study, which was recently published in the open-access journal PeerJ. “Our suggested approach is thus futuristic, but it is only a few steps from current practices.”
Via: Real Clear Science
Source: Peer J
Verizon plans are about to get more expensive, report says
Verizon is preparing to roll out new wireless plans with more data, but they’ll come at a higher price, CNET says. The reported changes break down as follows:
- The new “S” plan is $35 a month for 2GB (originally $30 for 1GB)
- “M” is $50 a month for 4GB (originally $45 for 3GB)
- “L” is $70 a month for 8GB (originally $60 for 6GB)
- “XL” is $90 a month for 16GB (originally $80 for 12GB)
- “XXL” is $110 a month for 24GB (originally $100 for 18GB)
This is all part of a rumored overhaul coming to Verizon’s wireless program. According to an image spotted by The Consumerist last week, Verizon will launch a “Carryover Data” program that enables customers to rollover unused gigs into the next month. Plus, Verizon will reportedly roll out a “Safety Mode” that removes overage fees but throttles customers’ internet speeds the moment they eclipse their allotted data usage. Safety Mode will be free for XL and XXL plans, while it’ll cost an extra $5 per month for S, M and L plans, according to the image.
XL and XXL customers may also see calls and messages to Canada and Mexico join their domestic allowances for free, with calls from the US to these countries available at no extra charge.
Verizon has hinted that it will unveil new programs later this week. The company is increasingly competing with Sprint and T-Mobile, two carriers that recently received strong customer satisfaction ratings, as recorded by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Plus, last month Sprint poached Verizon’s famed “Can you hear me now?” actor for a series of commercials ridiculing his former employer. Ouch.
We’ve reached out to Verizon for clarification on its plans and will update this story as we hear back.
Source: CNET
New York speeds up access to its train ticket mobile app
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority initially promised that smartphone-friendly train ticketing would roll out by the end of 2016, but (unlike some trains) it’s ahead of schedule. Governor Cuomo has revealed that the MTA eTix app will be available to all Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers by the end of the summer. The rollout will happen in phases. You can already buy tickets for LIRR’s Port Washington Branch and the Metro-North Hudson line. By August 22nd, there should be a “full system wide implementation” on both railways — you usually won’t have to worry about carrying physical tickets as long as you have an Android phone or iPhone.
The approach won’t be completely seamless. You’ll have to wait until next year to use a single app and account for trips that involve switching to and from New York City’s buses and subways. However, eTix could still be a huge convenience if you like to travel across southern New York state… or just hate carrying easily-lost pieces of paper.
Source: Governor Cuomo
Korg adds ’80s arcade game sounds to its iOS synth app
Korg’s Gadget app for iOS has been providing access to and arsenal of synthesizer and drum machine sounds since 2014. With the latest update though, the company has added a new instrument that cranks up the nostalgia machine. Korg worked with Bandai Namco for the Kamata: an ’80s-inspired synth that’s based on those chiptune noises you remember from the likes of Pac-Man and Galaga. The Kamata virtual instrument even comes with an ’80s look to the UI to complete the experience.
If you’re unfamiliar, Korg’s Gadget app offers sequencer and mixing tools as well, so you can create full tracks with the library of tones the $20 app carries with it. The new Kamata synth, along with Gladstone and Madrid drum and bass add-ons, will set you back a few more dollars as an in-app purchases. All three of those are available now inside the main Gadget app, and for a short preview of the audio, watch the launch trailer down below.
Via: Fact Magazine, Synthtopia
Source: iTunes
Blizzard sues an ‘Overwatch’ cheat developer
Blizzard has about as much interest in stamping out cheaters as you do, and it’s willing to go to court to keep things clean. The company has filed a US lawsuit against Bossland, a German developer whose Watchover Tyrant app is designed solely to help unscrupulous Overwatch players. The software allegedly violates copyright law, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention measures. More importantly, Blizzard claims that Watchover hurts both legitimate players and the bottom line. The developer may be losing “tens of millions of dollars” in sales to gamers put off by the thought that cheaters are running rampant.
Whether or not the software did that much financial damage, there’s no question that Bossland is aware of what it’s doing: in response to an earlier Blizzard crackdown, it swore that it would make Watchover harder to detect. You don’t do that unless you know your product is “unlawful,” Blizzard argues.
The real debate may be over jurisdiction. Bossland insists that the US has no authority over a company that supposedly has no connection to the country, and that Blizzard could easily have sued 5 years ago over previous cheat software. Blizzard would likely beg to differ, though — Watchover is directly affecting an American game producer, and it’s not clear that Bossland is doing anything to stop US sales.
Via: Destructoid
Source: TorrentFreak
iPhone 7 to Start at 32GB of Storage, Replacing 16GB Base Model
In a wide-ranging commentary piece about why now is a bad time to buy a new iPhone, The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that the iPhone 7 will start with 32GB of storage, replacing the infamous 16GB base tier offered since the iPhone 5.
The new iPhones are expected to have more storage for those photos. Instead of 16GB as a starting point for the entry-level iPhone, the new starting point will be 32GB, according to a person familiar with Apple’s iPhone plans. Hallelujah! I’ve long said that keeping the 16GB iPhone was just a ploy for Apple to get people to buy the 64GB model—for $100 extra.
The bump from 16GB to 32GB of entry-level storage has already been widely rumored by multiple Asian sources connected with Apple’s supply chain, but confirmation from The Wall Street Journal makes the claim much more credible.
Two of the three storage options for iPhone 7 will likely be 32GB and 128GB, while multiple sources have said that at least the larger Plus-sized 5.5-inch model will be available with 256GB of storage. It is unclear if the 4.7-inch model will also have a 256GB storage option. The current storage options for both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus include 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB.
The Wall Street Journal previously confirmed that the iPhone 7 will have a thinner iPhone 6s-like design with no headphone jack and improved waterproofing. Other rumored features include a faster Apple A10 processor, repositioned antenna bands, faster LTE and Wi-Fi, and camera improvements, possibly including a dual-lens camera (and 3GB of RAM) exclusive to the 5.5-inch model.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: wsj.com
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Inateck’s ultra slim 4-port USB hub: Great for small spaces (Review)
Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like we have enough USB ports on our laptops and PCs. We do have lots of USB devices like thumb drives and the other countless accessories that we charge. If you’re in the market for a USB hub for your computing device then you should take a look at Inateck’s Ultra Slim 4-Port USB Hub.
Review
Inateck has a large portfolio of great products to choose from and this one couldn’t get any simpler. As the name implies, Inateck’s hub gives you four extra ports for any laptop or pc and provides 5Gbps of data transfer speed, depending on your device’s capabilities.
This portable hub measures in at almost four inches long and is not even one inch thick. Needless to say, this thing is small. I have a small work space where I do my writing. I barely have enough room for a mouse at my workspace. Since the Inateck hub is not so big and clunky, I don’t have to worry about my limited space.
As a kid, I never really understood voltage and the like. Frankly, I was curious and would experiment by attaching different adapters to my devices, and the next thing I would smell is something burning due to being fed to much voltage. Since this has the built-in overvoltage protection I don’t have to worry about my curious kid doing the same things and ruining all the expensive gadgets I own as an adult.
The final thing I want to talk about with Inateck’s Hub is compatibility. You can attach any USB 1.1, 2 or 3 devices to any USB 2.0 or 3.0 capable PC or laptop. The 5Gbps data I talked about works on any USB 3.0 devices. So keep that in mind when using this hub.
Summary
With the excess of USB ports we need, it’s essential that we make sure the adapters we use are compatible with the devices we hook them up too. It’s important to make sure you’re not getting some knock off product that can cause damage. I’m confident Inateck’s Ultra Slim 4-Port USB Hub will do the job for you safely.
Buy Inateck’s Ultra Slim 4-Port USB Hub
NBA LIVE Mobile: Basketball in your pocket (Review)
The confetti has fallen, the fans have celebrated and the NBA Finals are over. The Cavs have been crowned champion and now that it’s all over what do you do next? Well, I’ll give you one option. Head over to the Play Store and register for the new NBA LIVE Mobile app. The fast-paced NBA action in the palm of your hands is sure to get you ready for next season.
Developer: Electronic Arts
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
Getting started
Like all apps, the first thing you have to do is go through a set-up process. This includes setting your age, login preference, username and favorite team. Afterwards, you go through the tutorial that includes teaching you how to shoot, pass, you know the basics. And of course, they will walk you through the app itself. After all, that you’re ready to play.
Game Play
NBA LIVE Mobile isn’t too far off from another EA game called Madden NFL Mobile in terms of gameplay. While I won’t go into great depths explaining all the ins and outs, I’m going to give you the brief overview of how to get started in building your dynasty.
You are given four modes of play that include live events, head-to-head, season, and leagues. In order to play these modes, you have to build a team. You are given starter packs of players in which to play. These players have divided up automatically into different lineups based on different skills.
When playing a game of any kind you will choose which lineup you want to use unless otherwise noted. Some games require certain lineups for the challenge presented. Once you buy new player cards the are inserted into the appropriate lineups.
Let’s touch on the different modes of play. Live events consist of your season games and various skill challenges that help you improve your skills. Some may be locked until you reach the appropriate skill level. Head-to-head games show all the people who are playing those games. You may challenge anyone to match-up.
NBA LIVE has an interesting take on head-to-head. Each player takes control of a quarter. Meaning, if you start a game with an opponent, you play the first and third quarter vs the other team’s AI team, and they take the 2nd and 4th quarter vs your AI. With this style of gameplay, there is less chance of lagging and ruining a game which makes it more enjoyable.
Playing a season is not much different than playing a season on traditional consoles. The exception being you don’t play as many games and each quarter last two minutes. But you do play the finals, but I couldn’t tell you what that’s like since I’m not very good. That means you’ll need to play and tweet me the experience. That’s a joke of course, except the part where I suck at the game.
Finally, the last mode of gameplay is leagues. There are already a number of leagues that you can join or for 5,000 coins you can create a league. I would suggest joining a league to start.
You should also note that all events cost you stamina to play. You start off with 15 stamina and with each level you gain, you gain the ability to have more at one time. So after level ten you may be able to have 16 stamina instead of 15. After you use your stamina up it replenishes after a certain amount of time, or you can buy more with in-app purchases.
Controls
Controls are a short area to go over but let’s get through it quickly. At the bottom left you’re going to have your “joystick” to move your player around. Over on the right, it’s broken into two categories, offense and defense. Offense consist of pass, drive (sprint) and shoot while defense has two controls, guard, and block. Going through the tutorial will explain how to use these.
Here is a quick tip they don’t tell you that I learned while playing. When you hold down the guard button while on defense, letting go of the button and tapping it will help your player steal the ball.
Everything else
To acquire all the extras, head over to the store and purchase various random player packs. You can use real money, or money you’ve earned by leveling up after games or beating certain challenges. The better you play, the more experience you get and faster you level up. If you want a specific player or want to get rid of excess players you can use the auction section. This is the feature they have that I didn’t even know I wanted but makes perfect sense.
Review
EA has certainly stepped up its game with this amazing pocket version of basketball. The graphics are very smooth showing no signs of lag or hiccups. You can only do so much with graphics on mobile, but the movements and look of the players are exactly how they should be and not all, for a lack of a better word, janky.
I personally believe where most games like this fail are the controls. Developers seem to forget no matter how much you want it to be, it’s just isn’t a normal control pad. EA stepped up and made the controls the right way for mobile. Don’t think you’re going to get the same experience as a Playstation, after all, it’s still a phone.
1 of 9
Summary
NBA LIVE Mobile is an overall fun game to pick up and play. It’s simple enough for a novice to understand yet elegant enough for a seasoned gamer to enjoy on the go. I don’t normally see these games translating to mobile this smoothly.
It is still in beta but expected to come out this week. So head on over and preregister to get notified when it releases.
Preregister at the Play Store
AIVAnet 