Netflix, chill and learn English with Fleex’s clever subtitles
Movies and TV shows can be useful tools to learn a new language. The actors might be speaking in an unfamiliar tongue, but with a decent set of subtitles you can follow along and begin to recognise specific words and phrases. Fleex — a service for people who want to learn English — takes this to the next level by subtly switching and, eventually, removing the subtitles as your comprehension improves. Better yet, the service is now compatible with Netflix, meaning you can naturally learn the language while watching House of Cards, Daredevil and Stranger Things.
First, you’ll need to sign up for an account and download the Fleex Chrome extension. Then, while you’re watching a stream on Netflix.com, you can hit the toolbar icon to trigger Fleex’s tweaked video player. There are three difficulty settings — Standard, which is identical to regular Netflix, Dual, which shows both subtitle languages simultaneously, and Mixed, which intuitively switches between the two. Select the latter and Fleex will show you English subtitles for “easier” scenes and your preferred language for trickier bits. The balance will then change as you improve, switching more of the subtitles to English and eventually turning them off altogether.
At any point you can pause the video and review the various subtitle options. It’s a simple, but effective study tool — and if you’re really stuck, you can click on a specific word to see a dictionary-style translation and definition. As an English speaker, I just wish it worked in reverse — I would be curious to see if a service like this can improve my Japanese.
Apple Music for Android Surpasses 10 Million Downloads
Apple Music for Android today surpassed 10 million downloads on the Google Play store, nearly ten months after it was released on the platform. Specifically, the app’s total number of installs is now between 10 million and 50 million, up from between 5 million and 10 million, as of some point in the past day.
Apple Music expanded to Android in November 2015, around four months after the streaming music service debuted on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The app, which is no longer in beta as of August, has a similar design and features as its iOS counterpart, including the same three-month trial and prices.
Apple’s streaming music service had 15 million paying subscribers as of WWDC 2016 in June. Industry leader Spotify, by comparison, had 30 million paying subscribers at around the same time period. On iOS 10, Apple has completely revamped the app with improved organization and a new design centered upon bold, large text.
Apple Music for Android is available as a free download on Google Play for devices running Android 4.3 or later.
Tags: Android, Google Play, Apple Music
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‘Duke Nukem 3D’ re-release adds new levels from the original team
If Duke Nukem Forever convinced you that cheesy one-liners, bad puns and juvenile action-hero humor is best left in the 90s, you’re in luck. Gearbox Software just announced that it’s bringing back the original Duke Nukem 3D in a special 20th Anniversary Edition World Tour that packs in 8 new levels, a ton of freshly recorded voice lines and a modest graphics update. Even better, all this new content was designed by much of the 1996 classic’s original team.
In addition to the original game, Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour (what a mouthful) features a new episode created by Allen Blum and Richard “Levelord” Gray (two level designers from the original game), new music from original composer Lee Jackson and a ton of fresh “duke talk” from voice actor Jon St. John. Not good enough? Okay there’s a little more. The game’s 20th anniversary release will also feature a 2.5D option that gives the graphics a modest update. The game’s 2D sprite look isn’t going anywhere, but the actual level environment will use real 3D rendered graphics instead of the pseudo-3D effect the original game used. Even that is only an option, though. Gearbox promises the original 1996 graphics experience will be available to purists.
The whole experience will set Duke fans back $20 when it launches on October 11th. That a pretty steep price increase from when the game could be had on Steam for about $4 — but at least there’s a ton of new content. It’s not just for PC gamers either: Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour will be available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Source: Gearbox Software
AMD ships its extra-efficient 7th-generation processors in PCs
While Intel is busy revamping its laptop processors, AMD is focused on the desktop side of personal computing. The chip designer has started shipping its 7th-generation A-series processors in desktop PCs, starting with machines from HP and Lenovo. The CPUs are based around as many as four Excavator cores, rather than the coveted Zen cores you’ve heard about lately, but that should still get you a lot of performance per watt. If you believe AMD, its 35- and 65-watt processors deliver the kind of speed that previously took over 90 watts — the A12-9800 is about as fast in a general computing benchmark (PCMark) as Intel’s Core i5-6500, and roughly twice as fast in graphics (3DMark) if you’re relying on integrated video.
As you might guess from the testing, visual performance plays a big role. On top of a newer DirectX 12-friendly graphics architecture, the new processors tout native video decoding for 4K video in both H.264 and H.265 formats, taking a large load off of your system while you’re watching Ultra HD movies.
The efficiency angle is a familiar one for AMD, and not surprising given that it’s the company’s main advantage. You’re still looking at higher-end Intel Core i5 and i7 chips if you’re focused on raw performance in a desktop. With that said, this may be worthwhile if you want a glimpse at AMD’s future. The 7th-gen A-series is the first processor line based on AMD’s new AM4 platform and the interfaces that come with it, including support for USB 3.1 and NVMe solid-state drives. At least some of the technology you see here will carry on for multiple hardware generations.
Via: VentureBeat
Source: AMD (1), (2)
LG V20 liveblog: Join us from San Francisco at 9pm ET Sept 6!
What does LG have in store for us at its V20 launch event?
LG has already told us a lot about its upcoming phone, the V20, including that it will be the first new phone to run Android 7.0 Nougat). We also know that it will include a Quad DAC for incredible audio performance, along with branding collaboration with famous audio outfit, B&O. And, based on the most recent leaks, it will likely herald the return of LG’s Second Display ticker.
All the goodness kicks off at 6pm PT / 9pm ET from beautiful Pier 27 at San Francisco’s Embarcadero.
Bookmark this page and we’ll see you then!
LG V20
- Google gives us a good look at the V20’s interface
- The V20 will have a secondary display ticker
- A Quad DAC will improve the V20’s audio output
- LG V20 could be modular like the G5
Google might be readying a successor to the Nexus 7 tablet
Android tablets over the years have typically been hit or miss, but Google found a place in the crowded market with the Nexus 7, particularly the 2013 model. The combo of a low price, great display, solid hardware and a form factor that stood out as distinctly different than the iPad made it a winner. But it was discontinued well over a year ago, with no direct replacement in sight. That might change this fall: Evan Blass claims that a 7-inch Huawei 7P tablet is being manufactured for Google and will be released before the end of the year.
Google’s Huawei-built 7-inch tablet, with 4GB RAM, on track for release before the end of the year.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 5, 2016
Blass, who has successfully predicted the launch of many gadgets in his day, said the tablet would include 4GB of RAM — but didn’t include any other specs or any photos or renders. There hasn’t been much other buzz around this tablet; Tech Times noted a similar rumor way back in December, and Huawei filed a trademark for the 7P earlier this year. A theoretical Nexus 7P would follow the current naming scheme with Google’s Nexus phones. But with massive phones becoming more and more commonplace, the market for smaller tablets (like the older Nexus 7) appears to have shrank significantly.
Also, it’s not clear that the next phones Google releases will be branded “Nexus” at all. Recent rumors point out that the next Google phones might feature the Pixel brand, which has thus far been reserved for high-end Chromebooks and an Android tablet. Google’s only Android tablet for sale now is the Pixel C, so it’s starting to seem possible that all of the company’s home-made hardware will be grouped under the Pixel brand going forward. In any event, we should know more soon — Google is rumored to be holding an event to show off its latest hardware on October 4th.
Via: The Verge
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
Russian YouTuber imprisoned for playing ‘Pokémon Go’ in a church
A Russian YouTuber has been imprisoned and could be looking at some serious jail time, all for catching a Poliwag in a church and posting footage of it online. As the Guardian reports, Ruslan Sokolovsky’s video has been viewed over 900,000 times since it was posted on August 11th and begins with Sokolovsky addressing news reports warning Pokémon Go players that their hobby could get them locked up if they played the game in church.
“I decided to just catch some Pokémon in church because, why not?” Sokolovsky says, before the cartoon theme song plays. “I believe it’s both safe and not prohibited by law. Let’s go.”
After the video was posted to YouTube, Police began investigating Sokolovsky, whose channel has some 300,000 subscribers and a history of criticizing the Russian church. In a statement released last Saturday, the investigation committee said the 21-year-old had been charged with “inciting hatred and offending religious sensibilities” and would be detained for two months, noting that the penalty could be as high as five years in prison. As the Guardian and the Verge have also noted, the statute Sokolovsky allegedly violated was the same Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code that landed members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot in jail for several years back in 2012.
2 criminal articles & up to 5 years in jail
for catching fucking pokemons in a church#FreeSokolovsky pic.twitter.com/enTl2UnNRL
— Pussy Riot (@pussyrrriot) September 3, 2016
Apparently seeing the parallel, the band joined in on the #FreeSokolovsky hashtag. Meanwhile, other Russian fans and activists, including a member of Russia’s Progress party have planned Pokéwalks to the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg to protest Sokolovsky’s arrest.
While many cities and countries have had their issues with Pokémon, Russia’s relationship with the blockbuster game might be the most contentious. Niantic has not officially released the game in Russia (although that apparently hasn’t stopped anyone from playing), and the Russian government has made it known that they believe the game might be tied to foreign intelligence services.
Although the Russian government’s chief of the religious affairs committee Jaroslav Nilov doubted that using a smartphone in church counts as an insult, a spokesperson for the Russian Orthodox Church claimed Sokolovsky is a “well-known” blogger who “who works in the style of Charlie Hebdo.” For now, Sokolovsky has been detained on a two month sentence and according to the AP he has already filed an appeal.
Source: The Guardian, Associated Press
Carbon nanotube transistors promise faster, leaner processors
The computing industry sees carbon nanotube transistors as something of a Holy Grail. They promise not just faster performance and lower power consumption than silicon, but a way to prevent the stagnation of processor technology and the death of Moore’s Law. However, their real-world speed has always lagged behind conventional technology… until now, that is. University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have created what they say are the first carbon nanotube transistors to outpace modern silicon.
The trick was to find a way to find almost entirely pure carbon nanotubes, eliminating more of the imperfections that would limit their semiconducting traits. Scientists had to assemble the nanotubes on a wafer using an exact order and spacing through polymers, and cook the resulting arrays in a vacuum over to remove an insulating layer between the nanotubes and the electrodes needed for the transistor. The end product manages a current 1.9 times higher than in silicon.
There’s plenty of refinement left before you see carbon nanotubes in practical chips. The team still has to adapt its current product to the geometry of a conventional silicon transistor, and it has to scale the technology in a way that would work for mass production. If the university manages to pull this off, though, the breakthrough could have a very tangible impact on just about every device you use. You could expect more raw number-crunching power, of course, but you’d also get longer battery life and faster wireless data. In short: it might be a brief glimpse of the future of computing.
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nintendo issues DMCA takedown for hundreds of fan games
Whenever we see a high quality fan-game using a major gaming company’s IP, we always think the same thing: it’s only a matter of time. For hundreds of Nintendo fan projects, that time has come. Today, the Japanese gaming giant issued DMCA takedown requests for over 500 fan-games — including AM2R: a lovingly crafted Metroid II remake that recently launched after 8 years of development.
Most of the effected games were hosted on Game Jolt: a community where indie developers upload and share their projects for free. The library is filled with homages to other games — like Old Man’s Sky, Duck Nukum and, of course, hundreds of Mario, Zelda and Pokémon fan-games. Nintendo’s takedown notice named over 500 titles that violated its copyright, and all of them have been taken down.
Despite not being part of Game Jolt’s library, AM2R was issued a DCMA takedown, too. “There will be no more AM2R updates,” developer Milton Guasti wrote on his blog, “and no more releases under any platform.” This is the second and final blow for Guasti, who had been quietly updating the game despite a takedown request issued earlier this year. Nintendo’s within its right to put a lid on these fan projects, of course — but it’s always a bummer to see passionate fan works snuffed out with all the fanfare of a legal notice.
Via: Polygon
Source: Game Jolt
What’s on your HDTV: ‘The Iron Giant,’ ‘Atlanta,’ ‘XCOM 2,’ ‘Startup’
This week there will be a number of 9/11 retrospectives, as we remember the day of the attack on its 15th anniversary. CNN and the History Channel will air specials Sunday night, while the NFL Network will focus on the day during the season premiere of The Timeline. All of that will occur as the NFL season begins this week, with a matchup between the Broncos and Panthers Thursday night.
This week The Iron Giant Ultimate Collection arrives on Blu-ray, while gamers can dig into XCOM 2 on PS4 and Xbox One. On TV, we’re looking at FX where it will premiere two highly-anticipated series from Donald Glover and Pamela Adlon. Glover’s Atlanta debuts Tuesday while Adlon’s Better Things arrives Thursday night. Meanwhile, on Crackle you can check out the full first season of its new series Startup. Finally, for devoted Karate Kid fans, Sony is releasing the second third movies individually as part of its manufacturing-on-demand Blu-ray series. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- The Iron Giant (Signature Edition / Ultimate Collection)
- Star Trek 50th Anniversary TV and Movie Collection
- American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson
- Now You See Me 2 (4K)
- Money Monster
- Supernatural (S11)
- Road House (Collector’s Edition)
- The Flash (S2)
- Equals
- The Next Karate Kid
- The Karate Kid III
- XCom 2 (PS4, XboxOne)
- Just Sing (PS4, Xbox One)
- Sky Force Anniversary (PS3/PS4)
- Beyond Flesh and Blood (PS4, Xbox One)
- The Tomorrow Children (PS4 – Early access)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Salvation DLC (PS4)
- Dogos (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
- Awesomenauts Assemble! (Xbox One)
- The Elder Scroll Online: Gold Edition (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Monday
- So You Think You Can Dance, Fox, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- X Factor UK, Axs, 8PM
- American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
- Rizzoli & Isles (series finale), TNT, 9PM
- Harley and the Davidsons (premiere), Discovery, 9PM
- The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Mary + Jane (series premiere), MTV, 10PM
- Catfish, MTV, 10PM
- Cheer Squad, Freeform, 10PM
- Adventure Capitalists, CNBC, 10PM
- Major Crimes, TNT, 10PM
- Mistresses, ABC, 10PM
- Loosely Exactly Nicole (series premiere), MTV, 10:30PM
Tuesday
- Difficult People (season finale), Hulu, 3AM
- Startup (S1), Crackle, 3AM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
- 60 Minutes Sports, Showtime, 8PM
- WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
- From Dusk till Dawn (season premiere), El Rey, 9PM
- Forged in Fire, History, 9PM
- MadTV, CW, 9PM
- Zoo (season finale), CBS, 9PM
- Black Market, Viceland, 10PM
- Atlanta (series premiere), FX, 10PM
- Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the LA Rams (season finale), HBO, 10PM
- Better Late than Never, NBC, 10PM
- Adam Ruins Everything, TruTV, 10PM
- One Shot, BET, 10PM
Wednesday
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us, CW, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Unsung: Martha Wash, TV One, 8PM
- American Gothic (season finale), CBS, 9PM
- Suits, USA, 9PM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 9PM
- Dating Naked, VH1, 9PM
- Dual Survival, Discovery, 9PM
- Whose Line is it Anyway?, CW, 9PM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 9PM
- You’re the Worst, FXX, 10PM
- Catfish, MTV, 10PM
- Mr. Robot, USA, 10PM
- Tyrant (season finale), FX, 10PM
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls, NBC, 10PM
- Weediquette, Viceland, 10PM
- Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons, HBO, 10PM
- American Gothic, CBS, 10PM
- Gaycation (season premiere), Viceland, 10:30P<
- Unlocking the Truth, MTV, 11PM
Thursday
- Panthers/Broncos, NBC, 8:30PM
- Beauty and the Beast, CW, 9PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 9PM
- Better Things (series premiere), FX, 10PM
- Queen of the South, USA, 10PM
Friday
- One Mississippi (series premiere), Amazon Prime, 3AM
- Stand Up to Cancer ABC/CBS/Fox/NBC, 8PM
- The Timeline (season premiere), NFL Network, 8PM
- Masters of Illusion, CW, 8PM
- 10th Annual ACM Honors, CBS, 9PM
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us, CW, 9PM
- Martin Lawrence Doin’ Time: Uncut, Showtime, 9PM
- Dark Matter, Syfy, 10 & 11PM
- Quarry (series premiere), Cinemax, 10PM
- The Eric Andre Show, Cartoon Network, 12AM
- The Half Hour: Aparna Nancherla/Nate Fernald, Comedy Central, 12AM
Saturday
- Virginia Tech/Tennessee college football, ABC, 8PM
- Girl in the Box, Lifetime, 8PM
- Aquarius (season finale), NBC, 9PM
- Jeff Ross Roasts Cops, Comedy Central, 11PM
Sunday
- Patriots/Cardinals Sunday Night Football, NBC, 8:20PM
- Celebrity Family Feud (season finale), ABC, 8PM
- The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, Showtime, 8PM
- 9/11: 15 Years Later, CNN, 8PM
- 102 Minutes That Changed America: 15th Anniversary Edition, History, 8PM
- Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 8PM
- Son of Zorn, Fox, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Churchill’s Secret, PBS, 8PM
- Braindead (season finale),CBS, 9PM
- The 2017 Miss America Competition, ABC, 9PM
- Fear the Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
- Ray Donovan, Showtime, 9PM
- The Last Ship (season finale), TNT, 9PM
- Masters of Sex (season premiere), Showtime, 10PM
- Ballers, HBO, 10PM
- The Strain, FX, 10PM
- Vice Principals, HBO, 10:30PM
- Motive, USA, 11PM
- Geeking Out, AMC, 11:59PM
(All times listed are ET)
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