What’s on TV: ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘MST3K’ and ‘Hidden Figures’

Tonight Better Call Saul returns for its third season on AMC, and brings a familiar face for Breaking Bad fans. Gamers can look forward to Yooka-Laylee, while Hidden Figures makes it Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray debut. Netflix is ready to premiere its reborn version of Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as the latest Adam Sandler flick and a new season of Chelsea Handler’s talk show. Finally, on BBC America we have a brand new season of Doctor Who. 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

• Hidden Figures (4K)
• La La Land (VOD)
• Monster Trucks
• Lion
• The Bye Bye Man
• Silicon Valley (S3)
• Veep (S5)
• Daughters of the Dust
• Tristan & Isolde
• The Crucible
• How to Steal a Million
• Yooka-Laylee (PS4, PC, Xbox One)
• StarBlood Arena (PS4)
• Stardew Valley Collector’s Edition (PS4, Xbox One)
• Crawl (Xbox One, PS4)
• Cosmic Star Heroine (PS4)
• Aaero (Xbox One, PS4)
• The Sexy Brutale (PS4, Xbox One)

Monday

• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• 24: Legacy, Fox, 8PM
• Dancing With The Stars, ABC, 8PM
• Kevin Can Wait, CBS, 8PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• Young & Hungry, Freeform, 8PM
• Man with a Plan, CBS, 8:30PM
• Baby Daddy, Freeform, 8:30PM
• APB, Fox, 9PM
• The Twins, Freeform, 9PM
• Better Call Saul (season premiere), AMC, 10PM
• American Dad (spring premiere), TBS, 10PM
• Rock and a Hard Place, HBO, 10PM
• Scorpion, CBS, 10PM
• The Breaks (season finale), VH1, 10PM
• Bates Motel, A&E, 10PM
• Taken, NBC, 10PM
• Quantico, ABC, 10PM
• Angie Tribeca (season premiere), TBS, 10:30PM
• Talking Saul, AMC, 11PM

Tuesday

• Dimension 404, Hulu, 3AM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• The Flash, CW, 8PM
• The Manns, TV One, 8PM
• Brooklyn Nine-nine (spring premiere), Fox, 8PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• The Fosters (season finale), Freeform, 8PM
• The Middle, ABC, 8PM
• The Mick, Fox, 8:30PM
• American Housewife, ABC, 830PM
• Deadliest Catch (season premiere), Discovery, 9PM
• iZombie, CW, 9PM
• Prison Break, Fox, 9PM
• Fresh off the Boat, BC, 9PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 9PM
• Switched at Birth, Freeform, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• Outsiders, WGN, 9PM
• Trial & Error, NBC, 9 & 9:30PM
• Imaginary Mary, ABC, 9:30PM
• The Americans, FX, 10PM
• The Partner, CNBC, 10PM
• Rebel, BET, 10PM
• The Detour, TBS, 10PM
• Cosplay Melee, Syfy, 10PM
• Stranded with a Million Dollars, MTV, 10PM
• Tosh.0 (spring finale), Comedy Central, 10PM
• Imposters, Bravo, 10PM
• Detroiters (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Wednesday

• The Path, Hulu, 3AM
• Harlots, Hulu, 3AM
• Shots Fired, Fox, 8PM
• Blindspot, NBC, 8PM
• Catfish, MTV, 8PM
• The Goldbergs, ABC, 8PM
• Arrow, CW, 8PM
• Survivor, CBS, 8PM
• Speechless, ABC, 8:30PM
• Are You the One: All Star Challenge, MTV, 9PM
• Empire, Fox, 9PM
• Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
• Law & Order, NBC, 9PM
• The 100, CW, 9PM
• The Magicians, Syfy, 9PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9PM
• Archer, FXX, 10PM
• The Comedy Jam, Comedy Central, 10PM
• Designated Survivor, ABC, 10PM
• Chicago Justice, NBC, 10PM
• Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, CBS, 10PM
• The Expanse, Syfy, 10PM
• Nobodies, TV Land, 10PM
• The Quad, BET, 10PM
• Suits, USA, 10PM
• Ripper Street, BBC America, 11PM

Thursday

• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
• The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
• Supernatural, CW, 8PM
• Trial & Error, NBC, 8PM
• Powerless, NBC, 8:30PM
• The Great Indoors, CBS, 8:30PM
• Riverdale, CW, 9PM
• Mom, CBS, 9PM
• Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
• Kicking & Screaming, Fox, 9PM
• Scandal, ABC, 9PM
• Life in Pieces, CBS, 9:30PM
• The Amazing Race, CBS, 10PM
• The Catch, ABC, 10PM
• The Blacklist: Redemption, NBC, 10PM
• Dark Net, Showtime, 10PM

Friday

• Chelsea (season premiere), Netflix, 3AM
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (S1), Netflix, 3AM
• Sandy Wexler, Netflix, 3AM
• Fortitude (S2), Amazon Prime, 3AM
• Tangled: The Series, Disney, 7:30PM
• Macgyver (season finale), CBS, 8PM
• The Originals, CW, 8PM
• First Dates, NBC, 8PM
• Toy Box, ABC, 8PM
• You the Jury, Fox, 9PM
• Disgraced, Showtime, 9PM
• Tattoo Age, Viceland, 9PM
• Vice, HBO, 11PM
• Animals., HBO, 11:30PM

Saturday

• Slam, Netflix, 3AM
• Ransom (season finale), CBS, 8PM
• Doctor Who (season premiere), BBC America, 9PM
• Training Day, CBS, 9PM
• The Son, AMC, 9PM
• Class (series premiere), BBC America, 10:10PM
• Saturday Night Live: Jimmy Fallon / Harry Styles, 11:30PM

Sunday

• Bahrain F1 GP, NBC Sports, 10:30AM
• The Good Fight (season finale), CBS All Access, 3AM
• White Princess (series premiere), Starz, 8PM
• The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, Showtime, 8PM
• Top Gear, BBC America, 8PM
• Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8PM
• Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the music of the Bee Gees, CBS, 8PM
• Sunday Night Baseball: Cardinals/Yankees, ESPN, 8PM
• Making History, Fox, 8:30PM
• Guerrilla, Showtime, 9PM
• The Leftovers (season premiere), Showtime, 9PM
• Home Fires, PBS, 9PM
• Family Guy, Fox, 9PM
• Time After Time, ABC 9PM
• Madam Secretary, CBS, 9PM
• The Last Man on Earth, Fox, 9:30PM
• Into the Badlands, AMC, 10PM
• American Crime, ABC, 10PM
• Feud: Bette and Joan , FX, 10PM
• Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
• Billions, Showtime, 10PM
• Trapped, Viceland, 10PM
• Girls (series finale), HBO, 10PM
• Veep (season premiere), HBO, 10:30PM
• Talking with Chris Hardwick, AMC, 11PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM

Yuneec adds livestreaming to its remote control drone app

Yuneec diverted from its earlier higher-end drones to release a more affordable model last fall, the Breeze. For bundling a 4K camera and several flight modes into a $500 package, we guessed it would make it an ideal elaborate selfie machine. But now it’s getting an update that lets users stream footage live on Facebook, YouTube and other services.

It’s not the first drone system to get the capability, as DJI upgraded its Go app last May to give its Phantom and Inspire models livestreaming ability. Likewise, the Breeze’s Cam App is getting an update that will let users broadcast in 720p on the big two livestreaming platforms along with any others compatible with Real-Time Messaging Protocol.

Consumer-facing drones livestreaming footage is certainly becoming a thing, and even Chinese internet giant Tencent promised to make one last October. But it won’t just be live feeds from recreational events like Coachella — users will probably broadcast protests and other big things that benefit from aerial angles. From Antonio Perkins’ tragic homicide last summer to the recently-livestreamed sexual assault, some criminal cases are being decided due to audiences unexpectedly bearing witness to awful events. It’s probably a matter of time before live drone footage plays crucial part in documenting and instantly sharing momentous events.

Source: Yuneec (Facebook)

‘SculptrVR’ brings ‘Minecraft’-style creation to Google Daydream

When Google’s Daydream headset came out, we praised it for its comfortable construction, but noted its bare game library. Little by little, the platform is adding experiences, even if many are ports that have already had successful runs on other VR platforms. Today, Daydream got its own version of SculptrVR, a Minecraft-like world-building sandbox game that had previously been released for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

SculptrVR is now out on @googlevr Daydream, and it supports cross-play with PC! So many voxels!https://t.co/AXRJy5Dnpl pic.twitter.com/UyuWAStj0x

— SculptrVR (@SculptrVR) March 31, 2017

It’s great news if you’re sad that Minecraft hasn’t come to Daydream yet and want to play with your VR-owning PC friends. That might be due to the mobile platform’s controller, fans have speculated, which isn’t nearly as agile as those on other VR platforms, like Oculus Rift’s Touch. It’s a shame, since creative experiences flourish in virtual reality — just look at Google’s Tilt Brush, which has gotten multiple ports and updates. In any case, download SculptrVR from the Google Play store here.

Via: Twitter

Source: Google Play Store

Scientists have figured out the physics behind massive rogue waves in the ocean

Why it matters to you

Freakish Draupner waves in the ocean can be devastating to those who get in their way. These scientists have worked out the math that could help us predict them.

Mathematicians and physicists who use their expertise to work out the science behind killer waves sounds a bit the kind of “movie scientist” job that could only exist in a Roland Emmerich blockbuster.

In fact, figuring out the math behind a particular type of freakish rogue wave, called the Draupner wave, is exactly what a team of scientists from the U.K., Australia, Belgium, and Italy has done in a new research project — which may just save lives one day.

“Forecasting rogue waves in the ocean is challenging and still an open mathematical and physical problem,” Dr. Davide Proment, a physicist from the U.K.’s University of East Anglia, who is a co-author on the paper, told Digital Trends. “There are some mathematical models that have let us make several improvements in the last few decades, but a full understanding of the mechanisms leading to rogue waves formation is still missing.”

Fortunately, they are here to help. Not only have they worked out the physics behind the problem in a way that could help us predict said waves, they have shown that they can be re-created in a laboratory wave machine.

More: Mathematician suggests firing deep-ocean sound waves could stop tsunamis 

Creating scaled-down waves in a wave machine isn’t new (heck, you probably did it in the bath as a kid!), but what is unique about this research is that the waves were able to be re-created in an annular tank using circular wind patterns. This is different to the mechanical paddles that are normally used to re-create waves in this setting. Such wind conditions are thankfully rare in the real world but do exist in places like Antarctica.

“To generate the waves we blew a constant wind and studied the growth and evolution of the waves during a two-hour time period,” Proment continued. “This type of measurement would be impossible in normal flume facilities. We measured the wave spectrum and studied its evolution over time. We also studied the probability of occurrence of waves higher than a certain value to understand how rogue waves, particularly high and steep compared to average waves, are likely to occur.”

It’s still early in the research process, but similar findings could one day allow us to take precautionary measures by predicting when such giant rogue may strike.

As for using the calculations to create a weaponized wave creator? You need some giant windmakers but we guess it’s theoretically possible. Which puts us firmly back in Roland Emmerich land.

Some rumors emerge about Intel’s Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors

Why it matters to you

If you’re planning a new high-performance Intel-based desktop PC, then here is when you can expect the latest and greatest CPUs.

Intel’s latest CPUs have made their way successfully to a new generation of mobile PCs, including a variety of 2-in-1s and traditional notebooks. Now, the company continues to inch closer to bringing improved performance and capabilities to desktop PCs.

On Monday, Intel’s top desktop processors include those using the Broadwell-E architecture, such as the Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. That will be changing with the release of Skylake-X and other products and there is now at least a rumor of when exactly that might occur, The Tech Report reported.

More: Intel’s own documents spoil the desktop Kaby Lake, 200-series chipset surprise

Specifically, Bench Life uncovered some leaked information that appears to show off a range of possible released dates for Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X, the latter of which would represent seventh-generation high-performance desktop CPUs. According to the leak, Skylake-X will arrive at the end of June or beginning of July, a bit earlier than the August release that was previously expected. Kaby Lake-X would arrive during roughly the same timeframe.

In addition, Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X will both support the LGA 20166 socket and the X299 chipset, which also has not been officially announced. Skylake-X should offer between six and 10 cores at 140 watts, with support for quad-channel DDR4 and up to 44 lanes of PCI Express 3.0. While Kaby Lake-X will likely be pulled from the mainstream line, with quad-core CPUs up to 112 watts supporting dual-channel RAM and 16 lanes of PCIe.

Other specifications include up to 10 ports of USB 3.0 and eight SATA Gen3. The new X-series chipset will also support DMI 3.0 x4.

As usual, this information amounts to little more than rumors at this point, although the specifications do seem more official than the timelines. In any event, anyone looking to build a new high-performance desktop PC will have something to think about beyond AMD’s latest Ryzen chips, at least if they’re not in too much of a hurry to get building.

Japan has plans to drill through the earth’s crust and reach the mantle

Why it matters to you

Drilling down to the Earth’s mantle will reveal more about Earth’s origins and may even help us predict volcanos, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Few things get us more excited than audacious research projects which also sound like potential blackmail plots from an old James Bond movie.

Fortunately, a new venture from the scientists at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) hits both checkpoints with flying colors.

It is planning to be the first firm in history to successfully drill down into Earth’s mantle, referring to the molten rock center that lurks just beneath the planet’s outer crust. To put that in perspective, the mantle makes up around 80 percent of Earth’s entire mass.

Should all go according to plan, the researchers will find out more about the formation of our planet and the materials which form the mantle, which are still unknown to us. On top of that, the project may also help us (or the Japanese government, at least) better predict natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanos.

More: Researchers plan to create superhard materials using insane amounts of pressure

At present, there are three different potential drilling sites in the running, all under the Pacific Ocean. One possible site is off the coast of Hawaii, another off of Costa Rica, and the third near Mexico. The drilling itself will be carried out by super advanced drilling vessel, the Chikyu. Using it, the plan is to start drilling 2.5 miles down on the ocean floor, before boring a further 3.7 miles straight down to reach the mantle.

“It’s the biggest drilling ship of our science area, so the drilling capability is three times longer, or deeper, than … previous [vessels],” researcher Natsue Abe, who works for JAMSTEC, told CNN.

There is still a while to wait, however, since the project isn’t expected to commence until around 2030. Prior to that, the researchers need to work out a few technical details they will face, as well as raising 60 billion yen (about $540 million) estimated as the project’s cost.

Maybe a Kickstarter would help?

Google Home’s latest feature lets everyone easily access their data

Google Home is about to get a lot more useful for the entire family.

A new update to the Google Home app is alerting people that “multiple users are now supported”. Except, the message appears to be popping up by accident, because the functionality isn’t yet available, and Google hasn’t yet confirmed support is coming. You can see the message in the app’s Discover tab, which tells users that everyone in their house can now get a “personalised experience” from Google Home.

One of the annoying things about most smart speakers is that they primarily work with a single account. All the services and integrations are tied to one person, which is cumbersome when you consider smart speakers sit in the house and are frequently used by everyone who is coming and going. Multi-user functionality is clearly needed for users who want to access their own email, music, and preferences.

• Google Home Express shopping: How to buy items using just your voice

Last month, Android Police first noticed clues in the Google Home app that suggested Google is about to add multi-user support. The code also had references to a device being able to recognise your voice. That means Google’s devices may one day identify who’s speaking, rather than require users to manually switch accounts. Time recently claimed Amazon is working on letting Alexa distinguish voices as well.

• Amazon’s Alexa may soon get Voice ID for recognising different voices

We’ve contacted Google about this change to the Home app and will update if and when we hear more. We’ll probably learn all about the feature at Google I/O in May.

The Verge/Google

San Francisco airport can now record all visitors’ license plates

When you drive to the airport, you expect a certain amount of tracking, if just from security cameras. However, San Francisco International Airport might be taking things a step too far. The travel hub recently received approval from the Airport Commission to collect the license plate info for everyone who uses its roads and garages, storing that data for over 4 years. It’s ostensibly meant for collecting revenue from parking and commercial drivers like taxis, but SFO has permission to release that info to both local law enforcement and the FBI.

Needless to say, that’s raising eyebrows among privacy advocates. The ACLU’s Matt Cagle warns KQED that the airport could become a “honeypot” for police wanting to collect information about anyone paying a visit, whether or not they’re suspected of committing a crime. Also, it’s not clear why SFO needs to preserve all that license plate data for so long. If there isn’t reason to hold on to plate info (whether for crime reports or long-term parking), shouldn’t it be erased within a matter of days?

In theory, this is legal: the airport implemented its new policy in response to a law that required public disclosure and security measures for license plate data collection. The very act of scooping up license plates is theoretically legal, then. The question is whether or not SFO is managing that info in a responsible way, and it’s not clear that this is the case. About 53 million passengers go through the airport every year, and many of them drive to get there. While this could help catch car thieves and terrorists, it could also help less scrupulous authorities track the movements of activists and other innocents.

Via: SFist

Source: KQED News

Sling TV’s $5 Cloud DVR arrives on Android and Roku

Sling TV’s Cloud DVR feature is slowly becoming available for more subscribers. Now folks who use Android and Roku devices to stream live TV can pay $5 extra a month to store 50 hours of video on Sling’s servers for anywhere/anytime viewing — half as many hours that beta testers had access to in November. Of course, the Cloud DVR tools (like rewinding and skipping commercials) aren’t available across every channel, which puts a damper on having them in the first place. And it even calls the entire feature’s name into question, to be honest.

If you aren’t a fan of how Sling cuts its jib, similar functionality is also available on PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV. Albeit, each has its own set of caveats to deal with so it’s up to you to decide what’s important.

Roku and Android users, come and get it! TV on your terms is here – control how & when you watch with Cloud DVR. https://t.co/9eVm3aKGqp pic.twitter.com/FF4TRBvCch

— Sling TV (@Sling) April 10, 2017

Source: Sling TV

AMD buys wireless VR startup Nitero

AMD is a company best-known for its computer processors and graphics cards. Now, it wants to help build the next generation of virtual reality headsets. Today, it announced it’s acquired intellectual property and key engineering talent from Austin-based startup Nitero, a company that builds 60GHz wireless chips for VR and AR.

We’ve seen others in the industry trying to cut the wires on VR headsets, like the Oculus Santa Cruz prototype. It’s also a big focus for HTC, whose TPCast Vive adapter will be available globally later this year for $249.

Nitero’s tech promises low-latency performance in room-scale VR environments, which means there won’t be much delay between a person’s movements and what they see in the display. Low latency is very important for a good VR experience — too much of it can cause headaches and nausea. And eliminating the need for wired headsets could solve another issue that’s plaguing current-gen VR — clunky, obtrusive wires. “Unwieldy headset cables remain a significant barrier to drive widespread adoption of VR,” Mark Papermaster, AMD chief technology officer and senior vice president, said in a press release.

“Our newly acquired wireless VR technology is focused on solving this challenge,” he added, “and is another example of AMD making long-term technology investments to develop high-performance computing and graphics technologies that can create more immersive computing experiences.”

Via: UploadVR

Source: AMD