Tag Archive for: marcus bronzy
UK Spaceship station
The UK spaceship station, soon may become a reality. May’s government has a goal to become the first spaceport in Europe.
Recently it took a very small step to from a dream to a reality. A bill that was introduced a year ago called ‘Draft Spaceflight Bill’ has rebranded ‘Space Industry Bill is going to receive royal assent into UK law. All this bill does is cover things like insurance and safety commitments. Booo! Health and safety! Basically all this bill does is lay the groundwork so the real work and business can begin. Boring bills but they’re necessary. Though there’s no end date before we can shoot ourselves into outer space, 2020 is said to be the time to suit up.
The government are stating that 1/4 of all telecoms satellites are built (we’re going to need to talk to you up there) in the UK. The government are hoping that the UK will become a “one-stop shop” for the private space travel industry. While this sounds super cool and nothing that us normal folk will ever be able to experience. The introduction of Spaceports or UK spaceship station as we like to call them. Will help grant opportunities to researchers and public sectors to use the satellite data. Along with machine learning tech to support roll outs of charging points for electronic cars.
There are quite a few potential UK Spaceship stations under consideration, if it does go ahead, the UK will be the first in Europe. The European Space agency does have it’s own spaceship station. However, it’s cheating because it’s in the South American country of French Guiana.
The UK’s space dreams don’t end with just UK Spaceship stations. The Uk are also set to become the worlds first commercial astronaut training ground. With construction set to start this year.
UK spaceship station: Problems
Everything isn’t all roses and galaxies though. The Space Industry Bill has a €60million liability cap. Shoot a satellite up in the sky. It all goes tits up and crashes back down to earth. The government are only going to give you 60M to clean up your mess.
The government are hoping that this will help the UK space industry grow. But. Not so fast. Signs that it’s infact shrinking. British companies are reportedly being excluded from work within the European Space Agency. Not being kicked out the ESA, but Brexit is looming. So who knows.
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Annihilation Movie
Annihilation is another Netflix great. This time, it’s a movie rather than a tv show, yet Netflix are proving once again, that streaming has a huge and profitable future.
Annihilation is a female led sci-fi film that is based on a book by Jeff VanderMeers best selling Southern Reach Trilogy. It’s written and directed by Alex Garland, who’s film credits include Ex Machina and 28 Days Later. The film stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Issac.
The film follows a group of military scientists who venture out into a mysterious quarantine zone. However, what they find there isn’t exactly what they expected and soon find themselves in a world full of mutilating landscapes and creatures.
Reception
The movie has no theatrical release and was released internationally through Netflix on March 12th 2018 However it still hit the cinemas in the US and Canada for a short theatrical release on February 23rd 2018. The rest of the world though saw the film on Netflix after Paramount sold the rights in December. However that is not an indication of what the movie is like. Twitter are absolutely loving it:
Make no mistake, #Annihilation is a new sci-fi classic. Brilliant, thrilling, and provocative, it has as much metaphoric depth as it does narrative tension. I’m floored. pic.twitter.com/o2taDg2Z7L
— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) February 8, 2018
Just saw #Annihilation, and damn, it’s gorgeous. Beautifully done, riveting and smart. Going to need to process this one for a while, and I want to see it again! pic.twitter.com/rFl5cnacon
— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) February 8, 2018
#ANNIHILATION: This is the type of sci-if we always say we want to see. Bold, challenging, singular, visually dazzling. Would not be the least bit surprised to see it hailed as a masterpiece (and it might actually be one).
— Ben Pearson (@benpears) February 8, 2018
The film has also registered a high score with film critics. Hitting a 87% on the tomatometer on famous film critic website RottenTomatoes. With the websites critiques consensus giving Annihilation tonnes of praise for its visuals and ambitious yet impressive themes. However one thing of note was that this movie stays with you long after the end credits roll!
To watch Annihilation download Netflix by clicking here Apple / Android
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Anker Bluetooth Earphones
Funk Butcher recently got a brand new set of headphones from Anker. He feels that match and can beat the big boys over at Beats. All for a small fee of £15 compared to £129!
Anker Bluetooth Earphones Features
The Anker Bluetooth headphones have a range of features like I:
- SoundBuds Slim
The Lightweight Earbuds that Defy Sweat and Rain - High-Fidelity Audio
6mm drivers deliver crisp, clear music to your ears via a smooth, skip-free connection. - Built For Active Lifestyles
SoundBuds Slim are designed to be slimline and light (15g), while offering serious performance. Magnetically attach together when not in use, or tuck away into the travel pouch. - Customizable Fit
3-size EarTips and InEar-Hooks provide a sturdy, comfortable hold. Cable measures 55cm for universal fit and no annoying tangles. Adjust your cable length with the FitClip, or affix to your clothing for extra security via the Shirt Clip. - Water Resistant
IPX4 nano coating ensures complete defence against sweat, or rain. Push yourself to your limit during workouts and SoundBuds Slim will handle your audio effortlessly. - Listen Longer
Play for up to 7 hours; longer than most earphones on the market. Bluetooth 4.1 ensures a connection range of up to 33 ft, compatible with the iPhone 7 or any Bluetooth device. - Intuitive Control
In-built microphone (with CVC Noise Suppression) and 3-button remote enable you to manage more conveniently – from skipping a song, to answering a call without touching your phone. - Note:
SoundBuds Slim cannot be recharged by most portable chargers because a minimum output current lower than 100mA (0.1A) is required. Recharging via wall charger, car charger or computer USB port is recommended.
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Click here to purchase your own!
VAR to be used at the World Cup
Whether you like it or you hate it, Football is going to see a technological revolution in the next few years. VAR (Video Assistant Referees) have just been approved by FIFA to be used in this summers World Cup in Russia. If you are unawares of what VAR Technology is. Here is some information to get you up to speed.
What is VAR?
The tool, much like hawk eye in cricket and rugby, is used to help referees make calls that are dubious. A referee on the field of play can call on his VAR to help make a decision that he is unaware of. Then he will speak to a team of trained referees in a television center style box sometimes hundreds of miles away. Whereby they have access to many different angles of a replay. This can be sped up or slowed down as they wish to help make the correct decision.
The tool helps referees make the right call on goals, penalties, offsides or even penalisation of a player. In theory this will help decisions easier for the ref and help the right outcome of a match. Therefore, the correct team will proceed to the next round.
VAR Criticism
This is HUGE for the technology as there has been some ups and downs in recent trials around the UK. The main criticism of it being that it takes too long for a decision to be made. There is no communication between the fans and the officials nor between officials and players. Unlike Rugby where you can hear almost every word a referee says, you don’t hear anything.
That being said, the speed of the game should largely be unaffected as VAR’s only come out when there are huge errors or serious missed incidents. Most of the time it’s down to the referee on the pitch to make the call on his own.
Whether VAR is going to be a huge success at the World Cup is anyone’s guess. But it’s a huge sign of how serious FIFA is taking this technology.
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Ready Player One – The MOVIE!
We got an advanced screening of Ready Player One this week and we were really excited to go see it!
However, for those wondering, the movie is released on March 29th and we thought that it was…….well you got to listen to the show to find out! As we’re telling you about the movie before it’s out. You’re probably wondering about spoilers. Therefore it’s best to note that we won’t spoil anything! So it’s safe to keep reading!
Ready Player One is a science fiction movie, which is produced and directed by the great Steven Spielberg. It’s written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline, which is based on Cline’s 2011 book of the same name. The movie is riddled with pop culture references from all decades! (1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s and 2010’s) Consequently any film goers of all ages will enjoy this film’s nostalgia fest. So, during the film, there are references that are sometimes subtle to a lot of people’s favourite comic, movie and even gaming favourites. From The A-Team, Mad Max, The Iron Giant to Robocop, Jurassic Park and Microsoft’s heavyweight game, Halo!
Ready Player One: Plot
Please see the summary of Ready Player One from Warner Bros below:
In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Who left his immense fortune and total control of the Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends-aka the High Five. Are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.
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Twitter video becoming like Snapchat?
Twitter are said to be working on a Snapchat style video sharing tool. Twitter video is about to get very interesting in the next few months if the latest rumour is true. The social media platform are said to be working on a new way to make sharing videos on it’s platform easier.
Three sources have told CNBC that a Snapchat like camera-centric feature is in the works and may follow the same life that Snapchat’s snapmap works. So, for those unaware’s Snapchat’s Snapmap allows you to scroll around the map of the world and zoom into certain areas to see what’s going on in the world. Within this feature there is a huge focus on popular events.
According to CNBC’s sources, Twitter’s version of this would utilise the already popular Twitter moments feature that is already built into the social media platform. The location data on popular photo’s and videos would merge with the Twitter moments. Therefore creating a much broader collection of data and information surrounding important events.
Twitter Video: Growth
Most notably this new feature would allow Twitter to grow on the growth that it’s had recently. By implementing this new Twitter video discovery feature, it will attract advertisers to the brand. Sponsored content among user created content will help Twitter. The social media platform will grow, as well as promoting impact in the wider world.
While this seems as though the feature is at the very early stages of development. We’re rather excited by what the future holds for Twitter video. As especially since the growth of live content on Twitter, as shown by Twitter’s focus on livestreaming news content.
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To download Twitter please click here Apple / Android
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Profit: Twitter grew, what’s next?
It has taken them 12 years but Twitter finally turned a profit. In what seems crazy, (Twitter never turning a profit a remaining alive) they’ve profited! The social media giant posted their Q4 earnings recently and posted that they grew 2% from year to date. For the number nerds out there they company was in the green $91M for the quarter on a reported $732m revenue.
A lot of the growth is down to targeted advertising. The click-through rate of Twitter’s targeted ads hasa largely improved. Thus pushing Twitter into the green. Consequently the ads have worked so successfully due to machine learning advancements.
Profit & Growth
Twitter has also seen a rise in growth! Globally at least. Whilst the revenue was down 8% in the US, it grew to an impressive 17% for the rest of the world. Most notably a 34% increase in Japan!
However, user growth has seemed to have plateaued a bit. Ever since the company went public in 2013 there has been nominal increase in user growth. Twitter had 218M users in 2013; the total now? 330M the same as Q3 and only a 4% gain year on year. (Twitter grew by 0 users in one WHOLE quarter!?)
Shares grew due to Twitter turning a profit too! The shares reached a high of $34 per share, which was a 20% hike!
We don’t think Twitter is going anywhere soon, plus with the giant turning a profit, only good is going to come. There seems to be a lot of innovation coming from Twitter, as shown by the recent Local News investment from Twitter. Hopefully this will help get people chatting more on Twitter, as it’s a really good platform to get all your news from!
What do you think this will do to Twitter?
Let us know by getting in touch via our social platforms! @howtokillanhour
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Trump Wants Space Force
Are we about to become a Star Wars movie? Well, maybe we will. Kinda. President Trump has recently stated that he wishes to create a branch of the armed services to operate in space. Yes you read correctly. A military force to work in space. Coining it ‘Space Force’
Trump says that space is a "war fighting domain" and proposes a military "space force." pic.twitter.com/759ENLaIYj
— Jack Smith IV (@JackSmithIV) March 13, 2018
Apparently President Trump was joking stating
‘I said, maybe we need a new force, we’ll call it the Space Force,’ and I was not really serious. Then I said, ‘What a great idea,’ maybe we’ll have to do that.”
Though whether President Trump was still joking is another matter.
However when Engadget reached out to the Whitehouse for clarification, the White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said to them:
“The President announced America’s new National Strategy for Space includes the recognition of space as a ‘warfighting domain.’ The National Space Council’s mission reflects President Trump’s priority to protect the security, commercial, and scientific benefits of space for the American people. We look forward to continuing the conversation on how to best ensure lasting U.S. leadership and success in space.”
Space Force
Engadget reporting that even though this sounds silly. There already is a space force of some kind. The Air Force has a Space Command division that oversees the US military operations in space. Engadget also report that the Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coates stated in 2017 “Both [China and Russia] will continue to pursue a full range of anti satellite (ASAT) weapons as a means to reduce US military effectiveness.”
So it doesn’t sound as cool as Star Wars battle in outer space with laser guns. There is some form of Space Force around right now. However it seems as though it’s more geared toward the protection of the USA from above. Utilising rockets one would assume to blow up other rockets that are potentially heading towards the USA. Which makes a lot of sense really, the distance between space and a rocket is a lot less than a rocket from earth aimed upwards!
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