‘Castlevania’ is getting a Netflix animated series

Vampire-themed shows are a dime a dozen, but you might have a better-than-usual reason to care about this one. Producer Adi Shankar (of Dredd and The Grey fame) has revealed that he’s working on a Castlevania animated series for Netflix, with a first season due in 2017 and a second due the following year. Not only that, but you may be familiar with some of the contributors. Warren Ellis (from the Red graphic novel and numerous comic book imprints) is writing, while Adventure Time’s Kevin Kolde is also involved.

Details like the plot or voice cast aren’t available, although Shankar has dribbled out a few hints in the past. In 2016, he suggested that his in-progress show would be “dark, satirical” and “flip the vampire sub-genre on its head.” Ellis even talked about writing a show (then titled Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse, based on Castlevania III) back in 2006.

Shankar isn’t shy about drumming up hype, at least. he’s vowing that the series will be the “western world’s first good video game adaptation.” That’s a tall order when even the most promising adaptations have fallen short. Look at it this way, though: it’s not the highest bar to clear, and producing for Netflix gives the Castlevania team the kind of creative freedom it might not have if it had to conform to the length and subject matter limitations that you often see with conventional movies and TV.

Via: Glixel

Source: Adi Shankar (Facebook)

‘NBA 2K eLeague’ eSports squads will be owned by NBA teams

In 2018, the NBA will team up with Take Two (maker of the NBA 2K videogame series) for a groundbreaking eSports league. That’s because this time, the actual NBA franchises will own eSports teams competing for the championship, similar to the way teams can own, or even share, Development League squads. There’s no word on which teams will be the first ones to own virtual teams in the “NBA 2K eLeague.” Each one will feature five human players and the plan is to eventually have one for each of the league’s 30 teams.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told the Wall Street Journal that it won’t require competitors to travel, since the internet “gives us enormous flexibility to find the best players.” We don’t know when or how tryouts will take place, but each player will participate as a custom-created avatar. Expect to see a heavy dose of promotion for the eSports matchups during regular NBA broadcasts, as NBA commissioner Adam Silver also told the Journal that coverage should include both online and television broadcasts.

The NBA & Take-Two are announcing a partnership forming the #NBA2KeLeague – the first competitive gaming league of its kind! pic.twitter.com/UqcSyKsnam

— NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2017

BIG NEWS: @NBA & Take-Two announce #NBA2KeLeague! The 1st competitive gaming league of its kind anchored around a professional sports league pic.twitter.com/KtqwGaKnsE

— NBA 2K 2K17 (@NBA2K) February 9, 2017

Source: NBA (Twitter), NBA 2K (Twitter)

Intel pumping $7B into Arizona plant, with goal of building ‘most advanced’ processors

Why it matters to you

Embroiled in a race to maintain its position as a market leader, Intel is investing $7 billion in an Arizona plant that will produce the “most advanced semiconductor process technology used in the world.”

Intel will invest $7 billion in a semiconductor factory in Chandler, Arizona, where it will build its next generation of processors.

CEO Brian Krzanich made the announcement on Wednesday alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The existing plant, named Fab 42, will take three to four years to complete, and will be “the most advanced semiconductor factory in the world,” according to Intel. It will be the company’s third factory in Arizona, and will employ up to 3,000 people.

More: Intel’s Core i7-7700K CPU reached 7.3GHz using liquid nitrogen and liquid helium

If those construction goals go according to plan, Fab 42 will be the location where Intel builds and develops its highly anticipated 7nm chips, which Intel has called the “most advanced semiconductor process technology used in the world.”

Intel is in a race to maintain its position as a market leader for processors. Ryzen, the new processors from AMD, one of Intel’s chief competitors, is hot on the chipmaker’s heels, according to recent leaks. This fiercer competition will force Intel, as well as Nvidia, to react by improving the performance of their chips or even cutting costs. Just this week, reports surfaced that Intel will be rolling out updates for its Kaby Lake processors, as well as reducing costs in response to Ryzen.

The eventual construction of this new production facility is poised to make an impact even further into the future. It will be a vital move for Intel if it hopes to get a leg up on competition by getting a 7nm processor to market as soon as possible.

“Intel’s business continues to grow, and investment in manufacturing capacity and [research and development] ensures that the pace of Moore’s law continues to march on, fueling technology innovations the world loves and depends on,” Krzanich said in a press release.

Speculation regarding the announcement in conjunction with Trump had been simmering for a few weeks. Krzanich said announcing the deal at the White House was a sign of support for the “tax and regulatory policies that we see the administration pushing forward.”

Reuters reports that discussions in the Oval Office focused solely on the plant — the fact that Intel had joined a legal case against Trump’s travel ban did not come up.

“America has a unique combination of talent, a vibrant business environment, and access to global markets, which has enabled U.S. companies like Intel to foster economic growth and innovation,” Krzanich added. “Our factories support jobs — high-wage, high-tech manufacturing jobs that are the economic engines of the states where they are located.”

NEC’s new 34-inch curved display offers high resolution and solid color

Why it matters to you

Anyone looking for a larger curved display with solid color support and high resolution should consider NEC’s 34-inch EX341R.

A few trends are dominating PC displays lately, including curved screens, higher resolutions, technologies aimed at reducing eye fatigue, and high dynamic range (HDR). NEC has announced a new monitor that fits all but one of those trends.

The MultiSync EX341R is a new 34-inch ultrawide SVA display aimed at the commercial market that features a curved panel and ultra-narrow 1.55mm bezels on three sides. The display’s curvature measures out at 1,800R, one of the “tightest curvatures on the market” according to NEC and featuring full 178-degree vertical and 178-degree horizontal viewing angles. Resolution is pegged at 3,440 x 1,440 in a 21:9 aspect ratio.

More: Rise of HDR and 4K on display in the top 5 monitors at CES 2017

In terms of colors, the EX341R supports 77.5 percent of the NTSC color gamut and 99.5 percent of sRGB, and factory calibration and uniformity correction combine with NEC’s optional SpectraViewII software to ensure uniform and accurate colors. Meanwhile, the company’s ColorSync technology works with DisplayPort daisy-chaining to ensure that multiple monitor configurations maintain consistent colors across each display.

“Our new MultiSync EX341R curved display delivers cutting-edge technology with one of the tightest curvatures in the market for business, finance, command & control users, and others who need an immersive environment to do their jobs,” said Art Marshall, NEC’s senior product manager for Desktop Displays. “The ultra-wide workspace is crucial for power users who work in multiple spreadsheets or web development, and the factory color calibration is ideal for video and online photo editors.”

Other features of the EX341R include a “human presence sensor” that can turn the display off when a user isn’t present, and Low Blue Light Content and Flicker-Free certification from international service group TUV Rheinland aimed at reducing eye fatigue. Connectivity is provided by two HDMI ports, four USB 3.0 ports, and DisplayPort 1.2 input and output, while the USB hub incorporates NEC’s DisplaySync Pro technology to control two computers with a single keyboard and mouse.

The EX341R-SV-BK bundle that includes the monitor and SpectraViewII software retails for $1,149, while the EX341R-BK display by itself is priced at $999. Both are available this month from NEC retailers, and they come with a 3-year parts and labor warranty.

Trump’s Nordstrom tweet isn’t illegal, but it’s still a problem

When Donald Trump became president of the United States, many thought his off-the-cuff tweeting days were over. Surely he would adopt the seriousness of his new role as leader of the free world and apply more discretion over what he says on social media. It seems, however, that he hasn’t. In the past month, he has used Twitter as a platform to shout down federal judges, complain about Saturday Night Live and launch endless attacks on the media. On Wednesday morning, the President once again took to Twitter to air his grievances, but this time, he took aim at Nordstrom. He said:

“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”

My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017

Many of the responses to this tweet mentioned how weird it seemed for Trump to be talking about his daughter’s clothing line, which seems rather inconsequential when compared to matters of government. What’s even weirder is that the @POTUS account retweeted it, meaning that either he or someone on his team wanted that message spread far and wide.

Some also thought the tweet represented a conflict of interest, because it looks as if he’s using his power for the financial benefit of his family. And indeed, if you look at the US Office of Government Ethics guidelines for the Executive Branch, it clearly states that “an employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity [.]”

The problem, however, is that the President is exempt from this rule. “If he was any other person in the government, it would be a clear violation,” said Jon D. Michaels, a professor at UCLA’s School of Law. “Because he’s attempting to use his position to influence the financial well-being of his family.” But as laid out in federal statute Title 18 US Code Section 202, the President and Vice President aren’t subject to the same rule. They’re not considered officers or employees of the government.

Well, why aren’t they? There are a couple of reasons. “One explanation is that there are certain times where the president needs discretion to act in a way that we wouldn’t accept from a lower-level official,” said Michaels.

But what’s more likely is that until now, it just wasn’t necessary for the law to apply to the president. “Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have to dig around for these statutes, because the president knows that all eyes are on him at all times. He’s going to presumably behave in a way that steers clear of such conflict.”

Obviously, however, we live in different times now. “This is new,” Michaels said. Previous presidents never saw the need or desire to take advantage of this exemption. “Largely as a manner of practice and custom, presidents have steered clear of it.” Plus, Michaels pointed out that one of the reasons presidents never did this is because it would have severe political cost, possibly alienating potential voters.

Additionally, the tweet doesn’t make clear the President’s intent. Does he plan to lead a boycott against Nordstrom? Is he planning some kind of regulatory repercussion? It’s not clear that he’s going that far, thus avoiding any potential legal issues, said Michaels.

The President is still subject to a few conflict-of-interest laws of course, such as the emoluments clause that prevents him from accepting presents from foreign governments without Congressional consent. There are also laws that require financial disclosures and anti-nepotism laws that prevent family members from gaining positions of power. But the president has so far skirted most of these issues.

“This administration is essentially getting as close as possible to violating a lot of laws, but never actually stepping past it,” said Michaels. “The more he does, the more he pushes these lines […] the more people will push back. The poll numbers are very low for a president in his first 100 days.”

It’s culturally and politically problematic.

But even if it isn’t illegal, the whole thing still doesn’t look good. “It has all the appearances of serious impropriety,” said Michaels. “It’s not law, but it is much more about the pitfalls of maintaining the legitimacy and impartiality of the office of the president. It’s culturally and politically problematic.”

“While the president directly calling out brands for alleged unfairness towards his daughter and her brand is completely in character for him, it’s not in line with what we expect the president of the United States to be concerned about or focusing his time on,” said Chris Allieri, founder and principal of Mulberry & Astor, a marketing and communications consultancy.

“Imagine if the judges had tweeted back at Trump when he called them out,” said Michaels. “We wouldn’t want that. It would be completely debasing the judiciary. One of the reasons judges command our respect is because they’re careful when they speak.”

“Take a look at who he targets,” he said, pointing out that Trump mostly attacks people who can’t fight back. “Judges can’t fight back. Bureaucracy can’t fight back. Military can’t fight back. They’re sworn to stay out of politics. He’s not being respectful of their limitations and their space.”

“I think that by engaging in this sort of petty, hyper-personalized public discussion, he further weakens his ability to lead a very divided nation,” said Allieri. “He has built a brand on plain-talking attacks, high on timeliness and bravado and low on accuracy, diplomacy, or tact.”

Tesla may start pilot production of the Model 3 on February 20

We have good news for anyone anxiously waiting for delivery of a Tesla Model 3. Reuters reports that Tesla will start pilot production of its cheapest model on February 20. The news outlet cites anonymous sources who are “familiar with the matter,” and points out that Tesla could potentially announce this production when fourth-quarter earnings are released. That’s rather fortuitous timing, if true.

Keep in mind that any cars built in this test phase won’t reach consumers since they will be built to test the production line. It’s also possible that February 20 is a target date that could be missed – something of which Tesla has a history. Plus, as Reuters points out, some final design changes or supplier issues that Tesla can’t directly control could delay test production.

However, it’s also not completely unbelievable that Tesla could be at this point in Model 3 development. It has begun mass production of the battery that will be featured in the Model 3 at the Gigafactory. And if everything went according to plan, it should have had the design for the Model 3 nailed down several months ago, barring any final design changes. Regardless, we will likely know whether Tesla starts production in a couple of weeks.

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Source: Reuters

NASA figured out how to make Venus-resistant electronics

There’s a reason why we’re focused on colonizing Mars rather than Venus: the latter is absolutely inhospitable. Its atmosphere is 96 percent carbon dioxide and in terms of pressure, 92 times stronger than Earth’s. That’s not counting the fact that the planet is the hottest in our solar system. Needless to say, getting a computer to work on Venus’ surface is a challenge. But NASA scientists might have cracked what it takes to keep electronics functioning on the sulfuric planet.

Prior to this, any such equipment would require “pressure vessels and/or cooling systems” to keep sensitive electronics safe. Scientists from NASA’s Glenn Research Center tossed an oscillator into the Glenn Extreme Environments Rig, cranked the machine up to Venus-levels of heat and pressure and waited to see what happened. How’d it fare? Pretty well. The interconnect wires, when combined with silicon carbide chips and protected by ceramics, withstood the harsh elements with aplomb. Some 521 hours later, the oscillator was removed.

When you consider the previous record of survival on Venus’ surface was two hours and seven minutes on the Soviet craft Venera 13 in 1982, this is even more impressive. All told, this should dramatically increase the amount of data we can glean about the planet’s caustic environment, and help supplement NASA’s plan for airship cities floating above Venus.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: AIP Advances

Transform your desktop into a concert hall with these computer speakers

Sadly, the built-in speakers lining your laptop or monitor are rarely worthy of praise. With those chintzy stock speakers, you’re missing out on all the nuance that goes into the creation of your favorite songs, film scores, and, of course, Overwatch taunts. So a quality speaker system is essential if you want to make the most of your media.

More: The best headphones you can buy

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of our favorite speakers for your PC. We can’t guarantee they’ll make Bastion’s fanfare any less infuriating, but at least it will sound better.

The Best

Aperion Allaire ($400)

The Allaire offers the most complete combination of high-end sound quality, versatility, and connectivity in the genre. With Bluetooth, a digital optical input, an analog input, a subwoofer output, and a USB port for charging devices, the Allaire is suitable for almost any installation. It includes a 1-inch dome tweeter and a 4-inch woven fiberglass woofer. However, what really sells us on this set is its outstanding sound quality, which offers rich bass response, pure midrange details, and pristine treble. For a desktop that often doubles as an entertainment center, there is no better choice at this price point.

Read our full review

Buy them now from:

Aperion Audio

Sony Xperia X Series 2017 rumors and news

Why it matters to you

Sony’s newest smartphones will likely feature great cameras at reasonable price points.

It’s that time again: After just about a year of smartphones large, compact, and every size in-between, Sony is gearing up to make two midrange additions to a familiar series. Rumor has it that a new Xperia X and Xperia XA are right around the corner, and the details have already begun to leak in earnest.

Here’s everything we know about the Xperia X and Xperia XA.

Sony Xperia XA 2017

While the Sony Xperia XA won’t be as high powered as the Xperia X, it’s still shaping up to be quite a nice device, especially depending on its price point.

Design

The design of the Xperia X remains a mystery, for now, but we do have a few looks at the Xperia XA. The most recent look comes from a leak that was picked up by Android Headlines, and it pretty much confirms previous leaks of the phone that we’ve seen, including that it looks like the device will be made out of metal. Check out the images for yourself below.

Previously, a rendering of the Xperia XA leaked on Chinese website Eprice in early 2017.

The image in question shows a smartphone very much in line with the outgoing Xperia XA. The new Xperia XA will apparently retain the series’ signature ultrathin bezels, slightly curved edges, and flat, simple look. It’ll have a volume rocker and power button in the same accented style as last year’s Xperia XA, and familiar flat plates on the top and bottom.

The renders revealed a number of potential color options, including red, purple, and blue. Assuming the new models’ pricing remains in line with last year’s entries, the Xperia XA and Xperia X will cost around $280 and $550, respectively.

Specs

The Xperia XA reportedly boasts a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a potential bump from 2GB of RAM to 3GB. Sony is expected to stick with a MediaTek processor this time around, same as last year’s Xperia XA. And if the screen resolution doesn’t change, it’ll likely sport a 720p panel.

Sony Xperia X 2017

The Sony Xperia X could end up as quite a nice device if leaks are to be believed. We’ve heard quite a bit about the new Sony Xperia X so far.

Specs

Specifications for the Xperia X leaked in January on benchmarking app AnTuTu under the code name G3221. Assuming they haven’t been doctored, Sony’s second midrange follow-up will sport a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) screen and a MediaTek Helio P20 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. It’ll have up to 64GB of internal storage, and launch running Android 7.0 Nougat.

For the sake of comparison, last year’s Xperia X featured a Snapdragon 650 processor, along with 3GB of RAM, and either 32 or 64GB of storage.

It’s too early to say what sort of imaging tech the Xperia XA will be packing, but leaks suggest the Xperia X’s cameras are largely in line with its predecessor.

The Xperia X is expected to boast a 16MP front camera and 23MP rear camera.

Last year’s model marked the debut of Sony’s Exmor RS sensor (1/2.3-inches on the rear and 1/3-inch on the front) and predictive hybrid autofocus, the latter of which helped the handset lock focus on moving subjects.

Release date and price

If history is any indication, Sony will likely unveil the new Xperia X at next month’s 2017 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It was the venue the company chose to debut last year’s Xperia X, alongside the Xperia X Performance and Xperia XA, and the company’s Mobile division has announced a press conference for February 27, during the convention’s media day.

Pricing and availability details will come later. Last year, Sony waited until the annual Computex convention in Taiwan in Junee to launch the new Xperia phones unlocked via online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video, and Reagan Wireless.

Updated on 02-08-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added newly leaked images from Android Headlines.

Want mood music that matches the weather? Try Climatune from Spotify

Why it matters to you

The weather invariably affects your mood, so it ought to affect your music preferences, too. Now you can get those preferences in a playlist from Climatune.

Don’t you want to hear Justin Bieber sing about all those times you rained on his parade on days when it’s raining? Spotify understands, and while it already has a playlist for a rainy day, it’s now upping its game with a new partnership with AccuWeather. Meet Climatune, a new project that understands just how much your mood and your music tastes are affected by the weather.

Meant to give music fans “insights into how the weather around them affects the music they listen to every day,” this new site hopes to provide the soundtrack to every climate. In order to compile these weather-specific playlists, Spotify and AccuWeather poured over some 85 billion anonymized streams in over 900 cities nationwide, and found, perhaps not surprisingly, that sunny days generally lead to happier and higher-energy music listening, whereas rainy days elicit acoustic, sad sounds. Snowy days, curiously enough, are a recipe for instrumental music.

More: Want the perfect pair of headphones? Aiaiai uses your Spotify data to build them

Not everyone, however, is affected by different weather patterns in the same way. For example, those in New York City and Philadelphia seem most adversely affected by what’s happening outside, as they substantially change their music listening habits when it rains to more morose tunes. Conversely, Chicagoans stream happier music, perhaps to combat the feeling of blues that come along with a grey day. Similarly, Miami and Seattle listeners tend to listen to more energetic music on cloudy days, whereas those in San Francisco put a sad song on when the sun’s not out.

“There is a clear connection between what’s in the skies and what’s on users’ play queues,” said Spotify data researcher, Ian Anderson. “For almost all of the major cities around the world that we studied, sunny days translate to higher streams of happier-sounding music,” he added. “Sunny weather has an even bigger impact in Europe.”

Ultimately, all this information has led to the Climatune service, which will pinpoint your geographic location and put together a list of 30 tracks to best reflect your mood and that of the weather. So if you’re on a sunny beach in Miami, you’ll get a very different playlist than you would on a snowy day at the base of the Himalayas.

You can check out the dedicated Climatune site for yourself here.