Castlevania series coming this year to Netflix

As Netflix has revealed the lineup of their 2017 shows, one show in particular should catch the attention of gamers everywhere – it involves a very famous vampire and the family of vampire hunters that is its sworn enemy.

Apart from the official announcement stating “Castlevania Season 1, Part 1 Coming to Netflix in 2017,” not much else is known officially. There are a few instances that lead to a few details regarding its inception, reports Gizmodo.

Earlier on, it was reported on an episode of Nick Animation that Adventure Time creator Frederator Networks and producer Adi Shankar, the guy behind the gritty Power Ranger short back in 2015, had been developing a then-unnamed video game project. Below is a transcript of Seibert’s words as per Slashfilm:

“We have a project right now that we’re doing that needs to go unnamed, based on one of the most world-famous video games of the last 30 years, that we’ve had in our shop for 12 years without being able to get it started. But there were great characters and a great story, and eventually we got it going.”

Adi Shankar also posted something on social media last year about a Castlevania series that he will be working on with Seibert.

Connecting all the dots together, it does seem that this upcoming Castlevania show on Netflix is the previously-alluded to Seibert-Shanker collaboration. Another report from The Globe and Mail state that Warren Ellis did the writing for the show’s first season.

As of now, everything is still under speculation, but the fact that Netflix has a Castlevania show in the pipeline for 2017 should be enough to get the fans hyped. Alfred Bayle

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Elon Musk plays Overwatch, but who does he main?

Elon Musk is more popularly known these days as the guy who wants to bring people to Mars. But in his down time (something difficult to imagine, what with several companies under his belt), he likes to play Overwatch, and will recommend it in a heartbeat.

Musk recently sat down for an interview with Y Combinator and it was here that the interviewer Sam Altman asked for game recommendations. Without missing a beat, Musk recommended Overwatch, reports Gizmodo.

The Gizmodo team then attempted to reach out to Musk and ask him which character he often uses when playing online. He responds to the message with “It’s too embarrassing :).”

In the game of Overwatch, there are just a handful of characters that are shamed by the community when used as a main. One of which is Bastion.

Of course there was no confirmation from Musk’s end but Bastion is a fairly sound, educated guess.

Watch the clip below for the brief exchange. Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

Samsung Note 7 explodes, causes A$1,800 worth of damages

It’s been going around the internet that Samsung’s well-received Galaxy Note 7 is suffering from a major battery issue, as there have been reported cases of devices exploding or catching fire. Unfortunately for one Australian man, the news seems to have slipped by him.

The Australian man went Reddit under the handle “Crushader” to share his unfortunate tale, reports Gizmodo.

“My brand new Note7 exploded this morning while I was still asleep, it was plugged in and charging,” he said. “Phone completely fried, I can’t eject the SIM tray to retrieved [sic] my SIM or the SD card. I was using original charger and cable if you are wondering. Charred the hotel room bed sheet and the carpet when I whacked it down to the floor, burnt one of my finger [sic] while doing that too.”

The hotel where he was staying charged him A$1,800 for the damages in the man’s hotel room. Thankfully, his trip to a Samsung store got him a Samsung J1 loaner unit while he waits for a replacement device as well as a free pass for the hotel since Samsung was more than willing to foot the bill. This was also the first known incident in Australia concerning the Note 7’s battery defect.

Apart from Crushader’s case, Samsung also vowed to take care of customers who have already bought a Note 7.

A massive recall is already underway and one can only imagine the effect of this major setback for Samsung, considering the company was already making good profits from the success of the Galaxy S7.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

After conservative meet, Zuckerberg says Facebook open to ‘all ideas’

SAN FRANCISCO—Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday that conservatives are an important part of the social network after a meeting aimed at defusing concerns it is politically biased.

“We’ve built Facebook to be a platform for all ideas,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page after a meeting at the company’s California headquarters to discuss allegations in a news article that Facebook was suppressing conservative voices in its “trending” news stories.

“Our community’s success depends on everyone feeling comfortable sharing anything they want. It doesn’t make sense for our mission or our business to suppress political content or prevent anyone from seeing what matters most to them.”

Zuckerberg called the meeting after technology news outlet Gizmodo last week reported allegations that Facebook was deliberately omitting articles with conservative viewpoints from a sidebar that lists popular stories.

Facebook has denied the allegations, reportedly made by a former employee, while promising to investigate.

“The reality is, conservatives and Republicans have always been an important part of Facebook,” Zuckerberg wrote after Wednesday’s meeting.

“Donald Trump has more fans on Facebook than any other presidential candidate. And Fox News drives more interactions on its Facebook page than any other news outlet in the world. It’s not even close.”

He added that he recognizes that “many conservatives don’t trust that our platform surfaces content without a political bias” and noted that “I wanted to hear their concerns personally and have an open conversation about how we can build trust. I want to do everything I can to make sure our teams uphold the integrity of our products.”

The meeting was scheduled to include political commentator Glenn Beck and talk show host Dana Perino.

Others invited included Zac Moffatt, a political consultant who worked for former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney; Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute; and Barry Bennett, an advisor to presumptive Republican presidential candidate Trump.

CNN conservative commentator S.E. Cupp, another attendee, tweeted after the gathering, “Very productive meeting at @Facebook with Mark and team. Strong commitments to address issues, as well as to work together on common goals.”

Zuckerberg’s post elicited more than 17,000 “likes” shortly after the message appeared but some questioned the allegations.

“Frankly, I do not know where they got this perception” of bias, wrote Loni Reeder.

“I have more Republican/Trump nauseating propaganda floating across my page (unwanted propaganda, I might add!) than I do of nominees Clinton and Sanders. It’s MY perception that they simply wanted to find a way to further inflate their pathetic agenda and to get some additional undeserved press.”

source: technology.inquirer.net

Internet browser Opera launches free built-in VPN for secure surfing

Internet users usually dodge firewalls and conceal an IP address by installing third-party softwares to ensure privacy while surfing.

Now, a browser offers premium and secure internet browsing.

Opera, an internet browser, has invented a developer version of its desktop web browser with a built-in Virtual Private Network (VPN) support. A user can simply flick a virtual switch to enjoy 256-bit encrypted connection that hampers third party sites or government agencies to obstruct internet content a user cannot access and insulate the users’ connection details, according to a report by tech sites Gizmodo and Engadget.

Opera wrote in a blog post, “We are the first major browser maker to integrate an unlimited and free VPN or virtual private network. Now, you don’t have to download VPN extensions or pay for VPN subscriptions to access blocked websites and to shield your browsing when on public Wi-Fi.”

VPN complicates government and third parties to monitor data by directing users’ internet traffic to other countries through servers.

Currently, users of Canada, Germany, and the United States can utilize unlimited amount of data with the built-in VPN. The built-in VPN feature is available for Windows and OS X.

Opera envisions to launch the feature in other countries in the next few months. Gianna Francesca Catolico, INQUIRER.net

source: technology.inquirer.net

Google Play Movies, TV now available on iOS devices

Good news for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users: you can now access content from Google Play Movies and TV.

This was the latest service Google has made available for Apple device users, tech site Gizmodo reported.

"This is significant not just because it brings Google's formidable library of content to iOS, but because of the capabilities it finally bestows upon iPhone-using Chromecasters," Gizmodo said.

It added this was the latest Google service to be readied for iOS after Google Play Books and Google Play Music.

Until now, iPhone users who had Chromecast could watch Netflix and Hulu Plus, but could not quite access more recent movie content.

Google Play Movies and TV has a catalog comparable to Amazon Video On Demand or Apple's iTunes, Gizmodo noted.

"Google Play Movies and TV brings in rentable and purchasable streaming movies to iOS, and often for cheaper. This can then be streamed directly to the TV via Chromecast," it said.

However, Gizmodo said a user still cannot buy any content through the app itself due to Apple's App Store restrictions.

Also, it said video will only play in standard definition (SD) when viewing on the phone, compared to the full HD experience if one plays through Chromecast.

Users will also be limited to streaming over Wi-Fi and may not save content for later, offline viewing. — KDM, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com