Upgrade your photo game from amateur to pro with our 16 top photography tips

The Rule of Thirds, Sunny 16, and always shooting in RAW. The books are full of photography tips — some essential, others downright constrictive. But the photography tricks that border on life-changing often aren’t the ones picked up in books and blogs, but from years of shooting and trial and error.

To get the most effective pointers, we went directly to the folks who use them day-in and day-out: professional working photographers. Most pros like to assemble a field kit that includes some basic supplies and accessories that they always bring with them on location. And most remember where they came from, along with the little tricks that took them up the skill ladder.

More: Photo editing apps you can get for free

We spoke with three pros — Caio Guatelli, Adrian Henson, and Scott Mead — to share their tried-and-true tips and a quick breakdown of the inexpensive gear they’ve used the most over the years. In addition, we added some of our own tried-and-true tips into the mix.

The takeaway: A pricey camera with more megapixels doesn’t make you a better photographer — just one who dabbles in higher resolution. But there’s more to photography gear than a good camera and a lens. In fact, some of the best pieces of photography gear aren’t specific to photography at all — and aren’t very expensive, either.

Gaffer’s tape is the photographer’s duct tape, but better

Gaffer’s tape offers infinite uses in the photography world. It can be used to hold backdrops in place, modify lights, hold flash gels, and attach lights to small props, just to name a few. And unlike duct tape, it doesn’t leave a sticky residue, meaning you can actually stick it on your pricey camera.

To get some effective pointers, we went straight to professional working photographers.

“One of my most consistent uses [for Gaffer’s tape] is to cover the switches on my lenses,” says Adrian Henson, who photographs everything from senior portraits to commercial work. “Camera manufacturers have gotten much better about making switches on lenses with a low profile, but there are still plenty of lenses that have raised switches. I cover these with a small piece of gaffer’s tape so that they can’t inadvertently be switched away from your desired setting. Shooting a session with the lens set to manual focus when you thought it was in auto can be disastrous.”

Velcro the remote shutter release

A remote shutter release is a must when shooting from a tripod, says Scott Mead, a landscape and nature photographer based in Maui, Hawaii. But fumbling for a dangling cable or wireless remote can mean the difference between getting or losing a shot when the light is changing fast. “By attaching a piece of industrial strength Velcro to the top of a tripod leg and the back of the remote, you’ll always know where your remote is, and it’ll be close at hand.”

Invest in gels and a good organizer

Henson often uses colored gels on his flashes. He will buy a few of the Rosco Cinegel Swatchbooks, for about $8 apiece, so that he has every color imaginable.

“The problem is that once you disassemble the swatchbook, the gels are impossible to keep up with. So to manage my gels, I write the color code on the gels with a fine point Sharpie and then use a business card organizer to store, protect, and organize them. I also pre-cut bits of gaffer’s tape to the size I use when attaching the gels to my speedlight [flashes] and stick it all over the outside of the organizer. This system ensures that I always have the gel color I want and the tape I need to attach it.”

Less is more

Photographers who shoot in dangerous or active situations have to sometimes move quickly, meaning their equipment must be light and easy to carry. Caio Guatelli recommends trying to figure out what you’re going to use during your shoot in advance, and to make a concise choice of lenses and other equipment. The Brazilian-born photographer specializes in shooting high-speed sports, namely Formula One racing and track and field. “I usually choose two lenses, a 35-mm and a telephoto zoom of 70-200mm. If the frame doesn’t fit the subject, I move backward or use a naturally-cropped frame. If the subject is too far for my lenses, I try to accept it at the size it appears, or simply wait for something better to shoot.”

Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 18 of 2013: 50 thousand demonstrators occupied the most important places of Sao Paulo city. (photo: Caio Guatelli)

Keeping things at level ground

“When shooting on uneven terrain, it’s sometimes difficult to optically set a level horizon,” Mead says. “Acratech makes a neat Double Axis Spirit Level that slides into the hot shoe of your camera, making leveling your camera an easy task.”

It’s all about the apps

Sometimes, the best photography accessory is already in your pocket — a smartphone. However, this isn’t because of the built-in camera, but rather the apps.

Most pros like to assemble a field kit.

“There’s a plethora of photography apps available for Apple and Android devices, but there’s one that’s a must for every nature photographer: The Photographer’s Ephemeris,” Mead says. “With its sun and moon calendar working with Google Maps, it gives photographers satellite views of their location, with overlays of the sun and moon’s path anywhere in the world. It’s a must for setting up a shoot, when getting to the site a day early to scout the location isn’t possible.”

Take a load off

Early in his career, Henson realized how terrible wearing a camera around his neck made him feel, even after a short period of time. “When I began shooting weddings my gear got larger, heavier, and more abundant. One day after a wedding, my back was killing me and I felt horrible. That night I took my camera straps off and never put them back. It took some adjusting to and I have to think ahead and manage my gear better, but it was the best move I ever made.”

As a solution, he acquired a Spider camera holster belt. “It is a fantastic alternative to traditional camera straps. Mine holds two cameras, and I can wear it all day with both cameras on it and still feel great when we wrap up at the end of the session. Most days I just hand hold my camera, but when I need to carry two or need a place to put one when I am not shooting, a camera belt is definitely the way to go. Whatever you do, though, get that load off of your shoulders. Your back will thank you.”

Check out our hands-on review of Spider’s latest product, the SpiderLight.

Keeping the elements out

Mead says shooting from a boat poses a few challenges, especially when it comes to keeping your camera dry. “There are a lot of waterproof camera sleeves available, but they’re pricy, and many nylon versions cover vital controls. Luckily, a couple affordable options are available. Op/Tech USA makes a clear, 18-inch rain sleeve with a drawstring lens opening that easily accommodates pro DSLRs with a 100-400mm lens. Considering you get two per pack for about six bucks, it’s a great deal.”

“In a pinch, you can also use clear wastebasket bags. Just poke a hole in the bottom with your finger, and gently stretch the plastic to accommodate the end of the lens for a 15-cent solution,” Mead adds.

Learn to embrace the histogram

Histograms put every pixel in the image on a graph, and looking at that chart is one of the best ways to determine if your exposure is off. The idea is to watch the peaks and avoid cutting off any of the rises and falls on the edges. If those pixels clip off on the left edge, the image is too dark. On the right? Too light. Of course, the histogram is for a proper exposure, so it doesn’t work for trying to intentionally over or underexpose an image to create a certain mood. That said, the histogram will tell you if you’re exposure is so far off that you can’t recover details in post. Check out our quick guide.

Resist the temptation to check the LCD screen every time

Checking a resulting shot on your camera’s LCD screen is an impulsive reaction, but this behavior can betray you, says Guatelli. Besides potentially missing a peak moment by glancing at the screen too often, the habit can also be misleading.

More: So you got a new camera, here’s what to do next

“Most outdoor photography is shot in lighting conditions where the camera’s screen doesn’t faithfully represent the tonal details, especially in the image’s shadows. Reflections on the camera’s screen or the surrounding lights or darkness can create the sensation of incorrect exposure. The photographer is betrayed by the misrepresentation of the shot and instantly adjusts the controls to make the scene lighter, exposing the image more than necessary.”

Ametista do Sul, RS, Brazil, 28/02/2008, 09h08: Searching for amethyst, a semiprecious stone, miners dig tunnels through the mountains in southern Brazil. (photo: Caio Guatelli)

He recommends using a photometer while in spot-metering mode. “Choose the lighter side of the scene to set the metering. If you don’t have spot-metering mode, try underexposing by 2/3 and don’t follow your camera’s screen results. Wait to check it at your computer, inside a low-light room. The correct exposure gives the photograph more saturated color, better contrast, and has much more room to be processed, although an image like this almost doesn’t need any manipulation.”

Enable flashing highlights

The histogram can be tricky to learn, but most cameras have a highlight feature that will let you know if you’ve overexposed the image by flashing any areas that are overexposed. Photographers sometimes affectionally call this “the blinkies,” and the setting is usually located in the playback menu, though the exact location may vary with different camera models.

“I always want as much detail as possible in my images, and this requires that the exposure be as bright as possible without blowing the highlights,” Henson says. “While the histogram is useful information, I find that the flashing highlight feature in almost all cameras is more useful for attaining maximum detail in my shots.”

“I will generally push my exposures right to the point where the highlights start to flash, then back off my exposure 1/3 of a stop for my final shot,” Henson adds. “This creates a file with the most information possible for the scene at hand.”

Change your color settings

Getting good color is about more than achieving good white balance. Digital cameras will actually let you set a color profile, which adjusts the tones in an image to your personal taste and saves you a considerable amount of time in post processing. Most cameras will have a number of presets, too, such as standard and vivid, as well as several customization options.

“Before you start shooting, you can change the factory configurations of your camera,” Guatelli says. “Set your camera’s contrast, sharpness, saturation, and tonal adjustments. It’s almost the same thing that old-school photographers used to do when choosing a specific kind of film. Some used to have richer reds, others had more contrast, and others were grainy. Each situation requires a different set of contrast, saturation, etc. Getting used to it can push your creative possibilities.”

Flash has a manual mode, too

Most new photographers learn manual modes on their way to becoming more seasoned enthusiasts. But often too many call themselves “natural light photographers,” not because of the nature of natural light, but because they don’t actually know how to use flash. Flash doesn’t always result in harsh shadows and that obvious flash look. When shooting with flash in manual mode, you can match the light in the scene to make subjects pop, and the untrained eye won’t be able to tell you even used a flash. A manually-set flash is essential for mastering tricky lighting –like sunny days and backlit subjects — and represents the next step after mastering exposure basics.

Flash doesn’t always result in harsh shadows and that obvious flash look.

Unlike learning manual exposure, there’s no meter to guide you, but with some experimentation, manual flash can be an incredible tool. Even the pop-up flash on more advanced cameras has a manual mode, which means you don’t need to invest in a hot shoe. If you happen to have a hot shoe, however, adding a flash diffuser will also help.

Vary your composition

Guatelli says that varying the composition is key, even when shooting action like sports. Using a different focal length, adding a foreground element, adjusting your position, and changing your height by kneeling or finding a higher vantage point help leads to a more interesting album — and a wider selection of single shots to choose from. “Perhaps try to change the distance to include the detail that can balance the composition,” he says. “If the field depth is shallow, try to shoot with unfocused elements that are close to the camera and not just with those that are in the background.”

Think about the entire frame

Selecting the subject is an important (and obvious) step when taking photos, but checking the rest of the frame before you shoot is just as important. By considering the entire image before you shoot, you can eliminate distractions, often just by moving your feet. At the same time, thinking about more than just your subject can also help you to fill your frame with useful information that can enhance the overall image, or provide useful details. “Don’t fix your eyes on the subject or at the center of the image. Think before shooting, move your eyes through the edges of the rectangle and move the camera,” Guatelli suggests.

Port-au-Prince, HAITI, 20/03/2011: Street basketball game beside ruins of a church. (photo: Caio Guatelli)

Learn patience, but don’t shy away from creating your own moment

While genres like photojournalism and street photography require you to wait for the right moment, sometimes, it’s also the photographer’s job to create the moment. Imagine working as a wedding photographer and the bride is a bundle of nerves — waiting isn’t going to do anything but intensify those nerves. Portrait photographers sometimes have to help create the right moments by telling a joke or a personal story to get the right reaction. This often settles the nerves that may come with being in front of the camera.

There’s a time to follow advice and a time to experiment on your own

Learning from seasoned pros helps budding photographers jump start their work. Talking with a veteran sports photographer before shooting your first game, for example, often makes the difference between getting the shots and spending too much time on trial and error. However, there’s also a time for experimentation. Take the time to find your own style — and even your own tricks.

This article was originally published March 17, 2014. It has been updated on March 6, 2017 with additional tips.

IDC: Detachable tablets are leading the way to stronger PC sales

Why it matters to you

The PC market’s continued recovery means that vendors will be likely to keep making really cool machines.

The PC market has seen a few years of declining sales, leading some pundits to predict that Apple’s “post-PC” world was underway. The iPad’s initially strong sales seemed to confirm the idea that consumption tablets would eventually dominate the industry at the PC’s expense.

More recent data, however, suggests that PCs are recovering, and that tablets like the iPad are falling by the wayside. The most recent IDC data supports both of those positions, with detachable tablets leading the way to stronger than expected PC sales through 2021.

More: iPad sales may be slowing but Microsoft’s Surface business is booming

The weakest PC segment, according to IDC’s forecast, will be the desktop, data center, and workstation market, which will see sales decline by 2.8 percent between 2016 and 2021. That’s less of a decline than in past years, however, based in part on a stronger market than expected in 2016.

IDC Worldwide

Meanwhile, traditional notebook sales were stronger in 2016, based at least in part on continued Windows 10 adoption and growth in the ultraportable and premium markets. IDC expects notebook sales to grow by 0.7 percent between 2016 and 2021, which would be a much rosier picture than past forecasts.

Slate tablets like the iPad will continue their decline, however, falling 6.5 percent through 2021. The primary competitive device is the detachable tablet, which provides a more robust productivity experience. According to IDC, detachable tablets will grow a whopping 21.2 percent between 2016 and 2021, which bodes well for the growing number of Windows 10 2-in-1 machines hitting the market.

As IDC senior research analyst Jitesh Ubrani puts it, “Consumers are just starting to graduate from old, consumption-based, slate tablets to a more productive detachable tablet. At the same time, the benefit of having a thin, touch-sensitive, productivity-based machine is shining light on the traditional PC category, causing vendors and consumers to focus on more premium devices in the Convertible and Ultraslim space.”

These latest numbers help dispel the notion that PCs are becoming irrelevant in the face of mobile devices like consumption tablets and smartphones. It seems that productivity remains important, and that an increasing number of users recognize that PCs are the real productivity devices.

94-year-old inventor of lithium-ion batteries develops safer, more efficient glass battery

Why it matters to you

New battery technology may make it possible for electric cars to rival their gas-guzzling cousins in cost and convenience.

John B. Goodenough, an emeritus professor at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, pioneered the lithium-ion battery technology that is now the industry standard, and now the 94-year-old is ready to push the envelope on battery innovation again. Goodenough along with senior research fellow Maria Helena Braga, lead a team of researchers who have developed a  low-cost all-solid-state battery that is safer and more efficient than existing lithium-ion technology.

The new battery uses a sodium- or lithium-coated glass electrolyte that has three times the storage capacity of a lithium ion battery. It also charges in minutes instead of hours and operates in both frigid and hot weather (from -20 to 60 degrees centigrade). Early tests suggest the battery is capable of at least 1,200 charge-discharge cycles, significantly more charging cycles than a comparable lithium-ion battery. And best of all, the glass-based electrolyte will not form the dendrites that plague lithium-ion battery technology. The dendrites accumulate as part of the standard charging and recharging cycle and eventually cause a short circuit that often results in a smoldering or burning battery.

More: With 4,000mAh battery, Energizer Energy E550LTE should keep going and going

Goodenough believes this battery technology could be the breakthrough that brings the electric car into the mainstream. “Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough said in a statement published by the University of Texas as Austin. This same battery technology could also be used to store energy in both solar and wind-power systems.

Goodenough and his team have succeeded in developing the glass-based anode, and are now working on the cathode portion of the battery technology. Currently, the team is troubleshooting the cathode issue with encouraging results in small-scale tests using jelly-roll cells. The goal is to produce large-scale cells eventually and then move the technology over to manufacturers who will develop it commercially.

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Google’s AI-powered translator works with three more languages

Google wants language translation to sound more natural. Last year, it began moving away from phrase-based machine translation and created an AI-powered system called Google Neural Machine Translation (GNMT). Now, the company says it’s expanding GNMT to Hindi, Russian and Vietnamese.

GNMT produces higher quality translations than its phrase-based counterparts because it considers the entire sentence instead of breaking it up. It takes each character and compares it to those that come before and after. This is important to deciphering languages like Mandarin Chinese, for example, where words can mean different things based on which characters they’re paired with.

Google began using neural machine translation with Mandarin Chinese last year, then expanded support to include English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Turkish. Around one-third of the world’s population speaks these languages, TechCrunch notes, and they make up more than 35 percent of all Google Translate queries. Eventually, Google plans to use neural machine translation for all 103 languages in the app.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google Blog

MIT finds an easy way to control robots with your brain

A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) wanted robots to be a more natural extension of our bodies. See, you’d usually have to issue vocal or very specific mental commands to control machines. But the method the CSAIL team developed works simply by reading your brain and detecting if you’ve noticed an error as the robot performs its tasks.

You’d have to wear an EEG cap for the technique to work, since CSAIL’s system needs to be able to read and record your brain activity. The machine-learning algorithms it created then classifies brain waves within 10 to 30 milliseconds, focusing on detecting “error-related potentials” or ErrPs. These are signals your brain generates when you spot a mistake. If you disagree with a robot’s decision to, say, place a can of paint in a basket marked “wire,” the system picks up on the ErrPs in your thoughts to correct the machine’s course of action.

CSAIL Director Daniela Rus explains:

“As you watch the robot, all you have to do is mentally agree or disagree with what it is doing. You don’t have to train yourself to think in a certain way — the machine adapts to you, and not the other way around.”

The team can also continue enhancing the system until it’s able to handle more complex multiple-choice tasks, since ErrPs get stronger the bigger error is. Rus and her team believe the method would give us a greater ability to “supervise factory robots, driverless cars and other technologies we haven’t even invented yet.” To test their method, the scientists used a machine with two hands and a tablet face named “Baxter” from Rethink Robotics. You can watch them demo their system in the video below:

Source: MIT CSAIL (1), (2)

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 has the codename… wait for it… ‘Great’

Despite the fiasco surrounding its Galaxy Note 7, Samsung has no plans to scrap the Note line.

In fact, according to SamMobile, which has a great track record when it comes to leaking Samsung mobile news, Samsung wants to hit out of the park with the next Note. It’s thought to be called Galaxy Note 8 and is currently going by the codename “Great”. Yeah. Seriously. So make no mistake: the Galaxy Note 8 will be something extraordinary. It has to be to make up for last year’s explosive battery drama.

• RIP Samsung Galaxy Note 7: A eulogy for a great but flawed friend

Interestingly, SamMobile also said that Samsung is working on a refurbished Note 7 for the South Korean market. Just take this all with a bit of skepticism, though, because like most rumours, nothing is for sure until Samsung confirms it. Samsung has pretty much confirmed the release of a Note 8, however, after it announced an upgrade scheme in South Korea. The scheme allowed anyone who bought a Note 7 to get a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge for half price, after which they would be able to upgrade to the S8 or Note 8 when they were released in 2017.

Check out Pocket-lint’s rumour round-up for more details about the upcoming Galaxy Note 8. Oh, and for those of you interested in this sort of stuff, SamMobile also found out the Galaxy Note 8 will carry the model number SM-N950F. Cool.

Twitch goes full Facebook

Twitch is starting to look a lot like Facebook or Twitter. Following the addition of private messaging and live update tools, today Twitch unveiled Pulse, the next step in the site’s transformation into a full-on social networking service. Pulse allows Twitch streamers and users to post updates that show up on one newsfeed-style page, including stream clips, YouTube videos, links, photos and written messages.

Pulse builds off of the Channel Feed feature that Twitch rolled out in beta form in March, allowing streamers to post updates to their own pages. Pulse collects these messages in one spot, so fans don’t have to visit specific pages to see a curated feed of all the latest streaming news. Channel Feed will officially roll out to all streamers in mid-March.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/206671646?color=e5e3e8

Most folks signed into Twitch should see the new Pulse feed on the front page starting today, though the service will take a few weeks to show up on every user’s account. Streamers can post updates via the Broadcaster Dashboard or Channel Feed, while viewers can react and post messages themselves directly from the Pulse front page. Of course, editors and moderators are able to delete posts and comments made on their channels.

At first, all posts will appear on the front page in chronological order, though Twitch says it’s working to organize the Pulse feed according to relevance.

“Our goal is to connect viewers with the content that they’re most likely interested in,” Twitch says. “Going forward, we will be working to determine the best way of surfacing posts to do just that.”

Facebook isn’t the only service that Twitch is emulating recently — it’s also taking a few lessons from Steam. This spring, Twitch plans to launch its own video game marketplace, allowing viewers to buy certain games directly from their favorite streamer’s video. Twitch says “dozens” of games will participate in the store’s launch, including titles from Telltale Games, Ubisoft, Digital Extremes, Hi-Rez Studios, tinyBuild and Paradox Interactive.

Source: Twitch

What’s on TV: ‘Ghost Recon,’ ‘Love,’ ‘The Americans’

This week’s big game release is the latest entry in the Ghost Recon series. This time the adventuring is in an open world, but if you ask us, Wildlands loses some of the stealth and teamwork that made games like GRAW so great. We’re also welcoming back FX’s The Americans, and the second season of Love on Netflix. This week we also have the season finales of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Man Seeking Woman on FXX. Other options for gamers include NieR: Automata on PS4, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on Xbox One / PC. 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

• Pulse
• Jackie
• That 70s Show (Complete series)
• Super Bowl LI Champions
• 45 Years (Criterion)
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (Xbox One, PS4)
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Xbox One, PC)
• Lego Worlds (PC, Xbox One, PS4)
• NieR: Automata (PS4)
• Unearthing Mars (PSVR)
• Loot Rascals (PS4, PC)
• Darknet (PSVR)
• Disc Jam (PS4 – free w/ PlayStation Plus)
• Verdun (Xbox One)
• 2Dark (PS4, Xbox One)
• Table Top Racing: World Tour (Xbox One)
• Clicker Heroes (Xbox One, PS4)

Monday

• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• 24: Legacy, Fox, 8PM
• The Bachelor, ABC, 8PM
• Supergirl, CW, 8PM
• Shadowhunters (spring finale), Freeform, 8PM
• The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the silk Road Ensemble, HBO, 8PM
• The Breaks, VH1, 9PM
• Superior Donuts, CBS, 9PM
• The Bachelor, ABC, 9PM
• Cold Case Files, A&E, 9PM
• Jane the Virgin, CW, 9PM
• APB, Fox, 9PM
• Chris Webber’s Full Court Pranks, TruTV, 10PM
• Bates Motel, A&E, 10PM
• Taken, NBC, 10PM
• Humans, AMC, 10PM

Tuesday

• Amy Schumer: The Leather Special, Netflix, 3AM
• The Mindy Project, Hulu, 3AM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• The Flash, CW, 8PM
• Fresh Off the Boat, ABC, 8PM
• The Game of Dating, TV One, 8PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• The American Housewife, ABC, 8:30PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 9PM
• Switched at Birth, Freeform, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• Outsiders, WGN, 9PM
• The Real O’Neals, ABC, 9:30PM
• The Americans (season premiere), FX, 10PM
• The Partner (series premiere), CNBC, 10PM
• People Icons (series premiere), ABC, 10PM
• The Detour, TBS, 10PM
• Stranded with a Million Dollars, MTV, 10PM
• Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
• Imposters, Bravo, 10PM
• Teachers, TV Land, 10PM
• Detroiters, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Throwing Shade, TV Land, 10:30PM

Wednesday

• The Path, Hulu, 3AM
• Catfish, MTV, 8PM
• The Goldbergs, ABC, 8PM
• Lethal Weapon, Fox, 8PM
• Survivor (season premiere), CBS, 8PM
• Speechless, ABC, 8:30PM
• Chicago PD, NBC, 9PM
• The 100, CW, 9PM
• Are You the One?, MTV, 9PM
• The Magicians, Syfy, 9PM
• Star, Fox, 9PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9PM
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (season finale), FXX, 10PM
• Designated Survivor (spring premiere), ABC, 10PM
• Chicago Justice, NBC, 10PM
• Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (season premiereO, CBS, 10PM
• The Expanse, Syfy, 10PM
• Legion, FX, 10PM
• The Quad, BET, 10PM
• Suits, USA, 10PM
• Time: The Kalief Browder Story, Spike TV, 10PM
• Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
• Man Seeking Woman (season finale), FXX, 10:30PM
• Jeff & Some Aliens, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Ripper Street (season premiere), BBC America, 11PM

Thursday

• Supernatural, CW, 8PM
• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
• The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• The Great Indoors, CBS, 8:30PM
• Powerless, NBC, 8:30PM
• Riverdale, CW, 9PM
• Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
• Kicking & Screaming (series premiere), Fox, 9PM
• Mom, CBS, 9PM
• Scandal, ABC, 9PM
• Life in Pieces, CBS, 9:30PM
• The Catch (season premiere), ABC, 10PM
• The Blacklist: Redemption, NBC, 10PM
• Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 10PM
• Baskets, FX, 10PM
• Colony, USA, 10PM
• The Blacklist, NBC, 10PM
• Portlandia (season finale), IFC, 10PM
• Nirvanna the Band the Show, Viceland, 10PM
• Training Day, CBS, 10PM
• Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM

Friday

• Hand of God (S2), Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Burning Sands, Netflix, 3AM
• One More Time (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Buddy Thunderstruck (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Love (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• The Vampire Diaries (series finale), CW, 9PM
• Grimm, NBC, 8PM
• Macgyver, CBS, 8PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 8PM
• Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
• Sleepy Hollow, Fox, 9PM
• Vice, HBO, 11PM

Saturday

• The Wrong Student, Lifetime, 8PM
• The 2017 Kids Choice Awards
• Ransom, CBS, 8PM
• Planet Earth II: Deserts, BBC America, 9PM
• Samurai Jack (season premiere), Cartoon Network, 11PM
• Saturday Night Live: Scarlett Johansson / Lorde, NBC, 11:30PM

Sunday

• The Good Fight, CBS All Access, 3AM
• Top Gear (season premiere), BBC America, 8PM
• Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8PM
• The Missing, Starz, 8PM
• Making History, Fox, 8:30PM
• Time After Time, ABC 9PM
• Big Little Lies, HBO, 9PM
• NCIS: LA, CBS, 9PM
• The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
• Black Sails, Starz, 9PM
• Homeland, Showtime, 9PM
• American Crime (season premiere), ABC, 10PM
• Feud: Bette and Joan , FX, 10PM
• Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
• Billions, Showtime, 10PM
• Trapped, Viceland, 10PM
• Girls, HBO, 10PM
• Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
• Crashing, HBO, 10:30PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM

Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7

What comes after the number five? Seven, apparently, if you’re Samsung. The South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy Note 7 was a highly anticipated Galaxy Note 5 successor, but fast became the focus of a massive recall after it experienced issues with exploding batteries. Samsung officially declared an end to the Note 7 in early October — although new rumors suggest the phone could be making a reappearance.

“For the benefit of consumers’ safety, we stopped sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 and have consequently decided to stop production,” Samsung told Digital Trends in a statement.

More: Hot potato! How to ditch your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 before it explodes

If you have a Galaxy Note 7, please return it immediately to the place where you purchased it. You are entitled to a full refund or an exchange for a replacement device of equal value, as per the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall. Please see our full guide on how to return your Note 7 here. The guide also includes recommendations of which device to buy instead.

Samsung could introduce a refurbished Galaxy Note 7 in South Korea

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 may not be totally dead just yet. According to recent reports from SamMobile, Samsung may introduce a refurbished Galaxy Note 7 in South Korea — a device that could carry the model number SM-N935.

The news is interesting, and the move will certainly put Samsung under a lot of scrutiny. At Samsung’s Mobile World Congress event, the keynote was interrupted by Greenpeace protesters who said Samsung should recycle components used in the Galaxy Note 7 — a wish that could now be met.

Samsung recalls the Galaxy Note 7 and stops production

The Galaxy Note 7 may have enjoyed some initial success thanks to rave reviews, but it’s as good as dead. One recall is bad enough, but after several reports of replacement units catching fire, Samsung had no choice but to temporarily halt production of the Note 7. Before the company halted production, all major U.S. carriers stopped selling the device. Samsung has officially ended sales of the Note 7.

“We are temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note 7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters,” a Samsung representative tells Digital Trends. “We recognize that carrier partners have stopped sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 in response to reports of heat damage issues, and we respect their decision.”

Because production was “temporarily” stopped, it’s possible we may see it manufacturing the Note 7 at a later date once all issues have been resolved. Whether anyone will buy one at that point is another question.

“We are working diligently with authorities and third party experts and will share findings when we have completed the investigation,” the representative said. “Even though there are a limited number of reports, we want to reassure customers that we are taking every report seriously. If we determine a product safety issue exists, Samsung will take immediate steps approved by the CPSC to resolve the situation.”

Specs and OS

It’s unlikely the Note 7 will bounce back, but here’s everything you need to know about the device itself.

The Note 7 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow — and Samsung initially said that it will attempt to push out the upcoming Android 7.0 Nougat update within two to three months of its release. That’s not happening, thanks to the recall.

TouchWiz, Samsung’s Android-skin, is also present as an overlay on Android Marshmallow on the Note 7. This time, there are some changes that make the User Interface look more modern.

More: Checkmate, Apple: Why Google’s Pixel is a genius move for Android

While the 5.7-inch Note 7 isn’t much larger than the 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 Edge, it still manages to add an additional 12 grams of weight bringing it up to 169g — that’s 3 grams lighter than the iPhone 6S Plus. The slightly larger Super AMOLED screen, however, maintains the same Quad HD resolution at 2,560 by 1,440 pixels as the S7 Edge. The Note 7’s screen has the same Edge panels as the S7 Edge, so you can add app shortcuts, contacts, and more.

The device is also powered by the same quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB RAM as the S7 Edge. It’s packed with 64GB of internal storage, but if you need more space the MicroSD card lets you add up to 256GB of additional storage.

That hardware isn’t consistent across regions, though. In August, a Samsung executive confirmed that a variant of the Galaxy Note 7 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage would launch in China later this year. “It is true that we are reviewing the rollout of a new tablet with 128 gigabyte built-in memory in China because Chinese companies are aggressively doing marketing with high-capacity memory,” Koh Dong-jin, head of Samsung’s mobile division, told the Korea Herald. “We will accept diverse opinions from various regions and also consider whether that move will disappoint Korean consumers.” Samsung was mum on pricing, but rumor has it the device will could be priced significantly higher than the 64GB Note 7 — potentially $916.

Overall, the non-Chinese version’s specs match the S7 Edge, and that continues with the camera — the Note 7 has the same 12-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization, and the selfie camera is packed with 5-megapixels. You’ll also get the normal suit of additional sensors like NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy, and it naturally supports Samsung Pay.

More: Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Note 7

The Note 7 only has a 3,500mAh battery — 100mAh smaller than the S7 Edge, but it is 500mAh more than the previous Note device. Still, the reason why could lie in the charging port as the Note 7 is Samsung’s first, flagship smartphone that features a USB Type-C port. Type-C ports are reversible, and offer faster charging and data transfer. The slightly reduced battery-size is likely offset with faster charging, but we’ll have to wait until we can further test the device to see if the difference is minimal. You’ll also be able to wirelessly charge the Note 7.

Samsung’s phablet may be one of the first smartphones to utilize Gorilla Glass 5 — it’s the latest generation of glass from Corning that’s meant to survive drops from 1.6 meters, or 5.25 feet, about 80 percent of the time. That’s good news, especially on an all-glass phone.

A refined design

Samsung’s Galaxy Note devices have always shared a design theme with its flagship brothers — and this year is no different. The Note 7 plays off the design elements of the Galaxy S7 Edge, notably the popular curved edges of the screen. You’ll find the power, volume, and home buttons in the same place as the S7 Edge. However, the Note 7 is much more comfortable to hold, thanks to its two pieces of identical curved glass and a slimmer metal frame along the edges.

More: Hands on: Samsung Gear VR (2016)

The phablet’s 5.7-inch size mimics its predecessor, and you’ll also find the familiar S Pen which now comes in matching colors. The new blue color is unorthodox and cool in a world filled with gold, silver, and black phones.

If you live in Japan, however, the design will be a little different — it will be brandless. Unlike the rest of the world, where the phone has a very prominently displayed logo, the Japanese edition of the device is brand-free. And it looks stunning.

Samsung hasn’t said exactly why it has removed branding from the Japanese edition of the devices, however a report from CNET speculates that it could have something to do with the tense relations between Japan and South Korea, where Samsung is based.

S Pen, iris scanner, and accessories

The most unique feature that comes equipped with the Galaxy Note 7 is the S Pen. But the stylus only adds a few new features with Samsung’s latest offering– new Air Command functions, for example, lets users hover over text to magnify or translate it. The Korean company is also adding a “unified” app called Samsung Notes where you’ll be able to create handwritten notes, draw, and edit memos all in one place. When you select the brush tool in Notes, the colors will blend as if they were oil paint, making the digital painting experience more realistic on the Note 7.

The pen itself has a slightly smaller 0.7mm tip, which makes writing feel more natural, and Samsung says it also has improved pressure sensitivity. The stylus is also IP68-rated, so you can take it under up to a meter of water for 30 minutes alongside the Galaxy Note 7 in case you wanted to do some sketching at the pool.

More: Reuters to produce VR news content with Samsung Gear 360 cameras

Now here’s where the Note 7 gets a little more interesting. If you thought fingerprint scanners just started to catch on, you may be seeing a flourish in iris scanners soon. That’s right, the Note 7 is one of the first flagship smartphones to come packed with an iris scanner. It’s certainly not a first, but it’s not even the first from Samsung itself — no, that title is held by the Samsung Tab Iris.

So the Note 7 packs a fingerprint scanner and an iris scanner, and Samsung says both can be used interchangeably. You’ll be able to authenticate Samsung Pay purchases with the iris scanner, the company says, and developers will be able to optimize their apps to use the iris scanner, though that may take a while.

If you’re still concerned about your security, Samsung’s Knox security platform keeps all the data safe, but the Note 7 also comes with Secure Folder. It’s a folder on the device that “has an extra layer of authentication to keep private and personal information safe.”

We don’t recommend purchasing a Galaxy Note 7. One recall is bad enough, but with reports of replacement units catching fire, the smartphone is not safe to own. We’ll keep you updated if Samsung is looking to halt production indefinitely, and if a second recall is enacted.

This article was originally published in August 2016. Updated on 03-06-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news that Samsung could reintroduce refurbished phone in South Korea.

Groundbreaking new oleophilic sponge soaks up oil spills at a blistering pace

Why it matters to you

Cleaning up oil spills is a messy job, but this new sponge-like material could make things infinitely easier.

Cleaning up oil spills is never a fun job, but a new material just might make it easier. Thanks to Seth Darling and his colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, we have a new tool at our disposal when it comes to our environmentally damaging messes. It’s a material capable of not only absorbing up to 90 times its own weight in oil, but also being wrung out much like a sponge and reused time and time again.

It’s the recyclability of the new material that makes it so special. While most commercial solutions can clean up a mess, they can’t be put back into action once they’ve been used. Today’s so-called sorbents, which absorb oil, are a one-and-done type of solution — once they’ve been employed in an oil spill, they and the oil they’ve collected are discarded and normally incinerated. Needless to say, this isn’t the most sustainable way of going about things.

More: Iceland is drilling a giant hole, not for oil, but for geothermal energy

But Darling’s sponge-like device could be a game-changer. The material, which Darling describes as a “foam,” is made of polyurethane or polyimide plastics and coated with “oil-loving” silane molecules, which means that they soak up oil particularly well. Not so well that the oil can’t ultimately be squeezed out of the sponge, of course, but well enough to attract the oil in the first place.

Already, the Argonne National Laboratory team has begun testing its technology. “We made a lot of the foam, and then these pieces of foam were placed inside mesh bags – basically laundry bags, with sewn channels to house the foam,” Darling told New Scientist. The researchers then hung these mesh bags from a bridge atop a large pool that has been designed for oil spill simulations. These sponges were then dragged behind a pipe leaking crude oil, and then judged for their ability to not only clean up the mess, but to be wrung out and reused over the course of many days.

“Our treated foams did way better than either the untreated foam that we brought or the commercial sorbent,” Darling said. But don’t get too excited yet — a test in a controlled environment is still quite different from a test in open, rough ocean water. But Darling has high hopes. “In an ideal world, you would have warehoused collections of this foam sitting near wherever there are offshore operations… or where there’s a lot of shipping traffic, or right on rigs… ready to go when the spill happens,” he said.

But we’ll just have to wait and see if this comes to fruition.