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NelsonG

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  1. The Oscars is the most prestigious movie awards show of the year, one that’s closely followed by hundreds of millions of movie fans around the world. This year’s awards ceremony was no exception. In the U.S. alone, close to 20 million people tuned in to the ABC show on Sunday evening; a four-year record. In today’s connected world, news spreads quickly across other entertainment channels. As always, most interest goes out to the big winners. This weekend, Oppenheimer emerged as the clear victor with five Oscars, including the most prestigious “Best Picture”. Poor Things and The Zone of Interest followed at a respectable distance with two wins each, followed by the rest of the field of single winners, including Barbie, The Zone of Interest, and Killers of the Flower Moon. The Oscar-Effect In the past we have seen that Oscar wins are not just about prestige, they can also increase sales. This was particularly impactful for titles that are sold separately, as opposed to being part of a streaming bundle. On the flip side, the Oscars can also impact piracy rates. This is something we can measure directly, as we did when the Oscar nominations were announced in January. We saw interest in many contenders rise but with Oppenheimer, there was little impact. At the time, we theorized that Oppenheimer was already widely promoted and seen by many millions of people. As a result, the extra attention from the Oscar nomination didn’t move the needle, as it did with ‘smaller’ titles. When we gathered the new piracy data this Monday and Tuesday, we didn’t expect to see a massive boost in piracy activity for Oppenheimer. The fact that high quality pirated copies of the film have been available since November last year only reinforced that assumption. The data show that assumption was incorrect. Oppenheimer Piracy Spikes Post-Oscars Looking through the data we see that Oppenheimer saw a massive 135% increase in downloads on Monday and Tuesday, compared to the same days a week earlier. This made it the second most pirated movie on these days, just behind Damsel which came out on pirate sites a few days ago. This level of interest in a movie that’s been out for months is a rarity. The Oscar win convinced many people who hadn’t seen it yet to finally give it a go. This effect isn’t just limited to pirate sites as Oppenheimer also moved up Apple’s movie rental charts, and probably elsewhere too. While Oppenheimer saw the largest piracy increase, other Oscar winners recorded download spikes as well. Poor Things, for example, saw a healthy 39% increase. Killers of the Flower Moon (30%) saw a healthy double-figure increases too and The Zone of Interest downloads surged 116%, as shown below. Oscar Winners See Piracy Boost Barbie? When Barbie and Oppenheimer premiered in theaters last summer, the term “Barbenheimer” became somewhat of an Internet phenomenon. Today, however, the differences between these box office hits couldn’t be bigger. Although Barbie managed to secure an Oscar in the ‘Best Song’ category, the number of pirate downloads is lower than all other films mentioned here. The piracy volume did spike somewhat compared to last week, but at 28% this boost is rather modest compared to Oppenheimer. All in all, it’s safe to say that after 95 years, the Academy Awards ceremony is as relevant today as it ever was. While people now have the freedom to watch what they want, whenever they want, their free choice continues to be directed by external forces. As with all trends today, the piracy boosts don’t last long. They already started to drop off after a day and will likely be back to normal by the end of the week. — Note: The data used in this article comes from Iknow, which tracks torrent downloads through DHT and PEX. While it may not be able to track all downloads, it’s a substantial sample, which acts as a good proxy for the overall interest on all pirate sites and services. It is worth stressing that this sample only looks at torrent downloads. Views on streaming platforms, direct downloads, and other piracy sources can’t be measured directly. That said, we assume that the trend will be similar there. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
  2. The head of Italian telecoms regulator AGCOM has confirmed that long-promised fines targeting end users of illegal streaming services will be arriving “soon.” Massimiliano Capitanio has long insisted that citizens with an illegal streaming habit are legitimate targets for enforcement, but for those still unaware of that message, another reminder was published today. Communications, Regulated “Perhaps it is not yet clear that penalties of 150 to 5,000 euros will be coming soon, and this, as with all fines, is a step that one would like to avoid but has become necessary, not least because those who do business illegally are making unsuspecting users believe that nothing will happen (user forewarned…),” Capitanio wrote on LinkedIn. Directing this important message toward a mostly business audience, rather than social media platforms more closely associated with the target audience, may not be optimal. However, at a time when public feedback to AGCOM’s anti-piracy plans has become rather energetic, AGCOM’s accounts on platforms including X are gathering dust. While seemingly disinterested in conversation, AGCOM wants its message to be heard loud and clear across Italy, especially when proving the naysayers wrong. One point of particular interest concerns the state’s ability to handle investigations into tens of thousands of illegal stream consumers. Preceded by a football icon (in case anyone had forgotten why all of this began), a new agreement to streamline investigations was revealed. “ Note for those who ‘know it all, fines will never do it’: an agreement was revealed yesterday between [Guardia di Finanza] and the Prosecutor’s Office in Rome to facilitate the identification of users,” Capitanio wrote. Removal of Multiple Authorization Requirements A DDay report provides much needed context. Before conducting an investigation to establish an offense, Guardia di Finanza (a police force under the Ministry of Economy and Finance) would ordinarily seek authorization from the judiciary on a per-person basis. That could prove unwieldy here due to the volume of illegal streamers, so an ‘intervention protocol’ has been put in place. That allows Guardia di Finanza to cross-reference all data in its possession without having to obtain authorization for each person surfaced in its inquiries. DDay reports that income received from fines will go to the Ministry of Justice to assist in the overall fight against piracy and the Ministry of Economy to fund awareness campaigns. Business People Use LinkedIn… While members of the public are fed deterrent messages concerning the consumption of illicit streams, AGCOM has also been putting companies like Google under pressure to do more in the fight against piracy. Public complaints recently led to Google removing an infringing streaming app from Google Play. A positive move, perhaps, but always likely to fuel demands for even more. “The best way to fight #piracy is to fight criminal but also legal (!) associations that make business out of stealing intellectual property and rights of others,” Capitanio noted this morning. These ‘legal associations’ include Google, Apple, and Amazon, whose customers are just regular internet users looking for software to install, in many cases to avoid frequenting pirate sites, as requested. In a comment that could easily backfire, Capitanio effectively suggests that choosing a legal platform is no obstacle to users being fined up to 5,000 euros. Nowhere to Hide “Unfortunately, a necessary, though probably unpopular, step will be to fine #piracy users, users of apps easily downloaded from #Android and #Apple stores but also from #Amazon portals, users of the many sites easily reached by search engines (which still do not cooperate as they should),” the statement reads. “Meanwhile, Spain is also moving in the same direction. A common front in Europe can only do good,” Capitanio added, referencing action by LaLiga in Spain that also makes little sense, and may yet backfire. “Pointing out that Law 93/2023 provides for fines of up to 5,000 euros is not psychological terrorism but sharing useful information,” Capitanio added. “Are subscription prices too high? I clear up misunderstandings. I think so, but it is not my expertise. The solution is certainly not stealing. And maybe the prices are so high also because of the parasites who live off the backs of those who pay regular contracts.” From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
  3. “We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech,” the festival shared in a statementView the full article
  4. Javier Tebas Medrano is the president of LaLiga, Spain’s most prestiguous football league. Medrano’s position makes him the most powerful man in Spanish football and by extension, also one of the most powerful in European football, a market worth an estimated €30 billion. In common with key rivals at the Premier League (England) and Serie A (Italy), Medrano has an IPTV piracy problem to solve. In addition to blocking injunctions already in place, rumors of a crackdown on users of pirate IPTV services persist. A post to X on Monday reignited those rumors. Medrana Posts Partial Court Order to X When Medrano posted part of a court document to X yesterday, some assumed that the much-promised IPTV piracy crackdown had arrived; the post attracted over 1.2m views and prompted a significant amount of misunderstanding. Here we begin with the post (translated from Spanish) and the relevant text as it appears in the order. Medrano refers to a statement from the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (the document embedded in his post and partially shown below) concerning the outcome of legal action by LaLiga following a piracy investigation. According to Medrano, the order will see IP addresses collected by LaLiga “that transmit illegal content” sent to Spanish ISPs [Telefónica, Vodafone, Orange, MásMóvil and Digi]. Under the orders of the court, the ISPs will match those IP addresses to the relevant subscriber accounts. The personal details of those subscribers will then be handed over to LaLiga. Order posted by Medrano (highlights are LaLiga’s) The highlighted potato-quality Spanish text relates to the information the ISPs must hand over. When translated to English it reads as follows: 1) IP address assigned to the user when they accessed the Server that enabled the audiovisual content to be shared unlawfully 2) Name and surname of the holder of the Internet access service contract 3) Postal address of the [internet] line installation and billing details 4) Identification document [NIF, NIE, other] regarding the information of the IP Address of the server to which you have connected, port of the server to which you have connected, and time of the request (GMT+0) What This Case is *Not* About Before tackling the court order itself and comparing that to how LaLiga presents it, some important background. This legal action does not relate to people who watch or subscribe to pirate IPTV services, nor does it have anything to do with people who access illicit streams of LaLiga matches, made available by unlicensed websites. As illustrated in the image to the right, some mainstream Spanish newspapers have opted for the sensational reporting angle that anyone who watches pirated football will receive a fine. There is no evidence to support that claim, but it’s possible from the information made available thus far, that something even more sensational may be underway. Order Issued By Barcelona Court Court: Commercial Court Number 8 of Barcelona Judge: Javier Ramos De La Peña Applicant: La Liga Nacional De Fútbol Profesional (LaLiga) In order for LaLiga to obtain customer information from ISPs, ISPs are sometimes considered ‘no fault’ defendants in these types of applications. Five headline ISP ‘brands’ are involved here, but many more ISPs are listed in the order, including some providing mobile internet access: Orange Espagne Sau, Vodafone Ono Sau, Masmovil Ibercom Sa, Digi Spain Telecom Slu, Telefonica De España Sau, Telefonica Moviles España Sau, Orange España Virtual Slu, Vodafone – Espana Sau In the words of the Judge as presented in his order, the case concerns piracy of content detailed as follows: Specifically, it concerns audiovisual content offered live and with exclusive access to residential customers and public establishments on pay television, with customers of the Movistar Plus+ satellite service being the only ones with access for their exclusive consumption, through a satellite dish, decoder terminal, and customer card. Card-Sharing Piracy It’s alleged that Movistar Plus+ content is being accessed illegally using ‘card-sharing’. In basic terms, legal subscribers to Movistar Plus+ hand over money and in return receive a viewing card. Once placed in an authorized set-top box, these cards enable scrambled satellite signals to be viewed as intended on a TV. Such ‘conditional access’ systems provide access to TV content on the condition that the viewer has subscribed and is using a legitimate viewing card. In card-sharing systems, however, the codes that unlock the encrypted TV signals in connection with a legal viewing card are retransmitted via unauthorized equipment over the internet. Internet users in possession of a suitable non-official set-top box can pay a small subscription fee to an illegal supplier to receive the codes from the legal card. These are streamed continuously over the internet and that decrypts the regular satellite signal usually received. In summary, card-sharing piracy can involve the purchase of a single legal card and the benefit from that card can be shared among any number of additional viewers via the internet. Only codes are sent and received, all audiovisual content is obtained from regular satellite signals. LaLiga’s Claim, Judge’s Conclusion The Judge’s order addresses the two main types of people involved in card-sharing as detailed above: [1] those who purchase a legal viewing card and share the codes to others over the internet in exchange for a fee, and [2] those who pay a fee to access the codes but do not pay anything to Movistar Plus+. ([1]+[2] added for reference) One of the forms of unlawful access is the so-called “Cardsharing,” which uses the protocols “CCCam and IKS,” presupposing the participation in the piracy network, on one hand, of [1] users who paid for conditional access to a satellite connection, offering them on the internet for illicit profit, and, on the other hand, of [2] users who acquire satellite connection equipment enabled to access original card codes without authorization. At this point one of the Judge’s comments gives reason to pause. It references IP addresses and how they can be “detected” to show the IP addresses of servers supplying codes and the IP addresses of users receiving codes. The basic element for identifying connections on the Internet, the IP address, can be detected both to show the identification of servers and the connections of users participating in the piracy platform. If we use a simple downloading analogy, a computer offering a movie for download and a computer offering codes are essentially the same. Anti-piracy companies can easily identify both by simply requesting the movie or subscribing to the card-sharing server and logging what they receive. The same cannot be said of those downloading a movie or receiving codes from a server. If there was a way to positively identify downloaders of pirated content engaged in a client/server arrangement that stood up in court, it would’ve been used by now. Time to break out a hastily-put-together diagram to show why obtaining IP addresses of card-sharing servers is easy, and why obtaining those of customers is not. The satellite top right transmits an encrypted TV signal (everything in red is encrypted) to a legitimate viewing card top left. From there the extracted codes pass through a regular router/modem (with a public-facing IP address that can be “detected”) and onwards to the subscriber’s internet service provider, depicted here as three blue servers. From there they are further distributed via the internet. Directly underneath the ISP’s servers are the internet connections of the card-sharing service’s customers who receive the codes. After passing their routers/modems, those codes are received by their unofficial set-top boxes. In exactly the same way the satellite transmitted encrypted TV signals to the legitimate card, these set-top boxes also receive encrypted signals, also shown in red. However, since these set-top boxes are receiving the codes from a card-sharing server, their output to a TV or similar viewing device (depicted here in purple) is a clear, unencrypted picture. Anti-Piracy Investigators Inside the orange box at the top are anti-piracy investigators. Just like any other customer, they have subscribed to the card-sharing service, which means they have direct access to the server’s IP address, shown here using the orange lines/pointers. Bottom right in a second orange box is a second set of anti-piracy investigators and their job is to identify the IP addresses of those receiving the codes. According to the Judge, the IP addresses of both the server “and the connections of users participating in the piracy platform” can be detected. And herein lies the problem. From the information made available, LaLiga appears to have no idea who these users are. It appears that while LaLiga has the IP addresses of the card-sharing servers, it has no idea of the IP addresses used by those who accessed those servers. That seems to lead to a remarkable conclusion; IP addresses are usually the starting point for most online infringement allegations. Rightsholders match known infringements to IP addresses themselves and then move to ISPs, hoping to match those IP addresses to real-life identities. In this case, LaLiga has the IP addresses of the servers, but has no IP addresses for the users. That necessarily means that no violations have been matched to any user IP addresses. The big question is whether LaLiga has any evidence whatsoever to show that any customer at any ISP has done anything wrong. It doesn’t have their IP addresses, that much is certain. Let’s Go Fishing According to the court documents, the information LaLiga wants the ISPs to hand over can be deduced from information LaLiga has in hand. The information was obtained from card-sharing servers, including IP addresses and ports. Here’s how that’s explained in the order (legal conditions unrelated to technical matters have been removed) La Liga provides in its request the IP addresses and port of the servers, as well as the time of the request, data that has been obtained legitimately. With this starting data, it is possible, after issuing the requirement contained in art. 256.1.11* LEC to the internet service providers listed in the request, to complete the identification of the users of their services participating in the scheme…. That seems to lead to just one conclusion. LaLiga has the IP addresses, port details, and potentially other information related to the card-sharing servers, but may be working on the mere assumption that users of the five ISPs accessed those servers at specific times, but has no evidence to prove it – yet. If that’s actually the case, and there isn’t some extra dimension to this that hasn’t been revealed or is being hidden, LaLiga may be doing something that to our knowledge has never been done before. The court order seems to require the five ISPs to go through their IP address logs – not to identify the names and addresses of subscribers behind known/suspected infringing IP addresses – but to identify infringement itself. When the ISPs match card-sharing server IP addresses with IP addresses that appear in subscribers’ activity logs, that may be the first time that any evidence of potential infringement has been surfaced against any user in this case thus far. There may be other explanations but with veteran file-sharing defense lawyer David Bravo posting memes to X, he may be already counting the money. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
  5. U.S. concerts celebrating 1999’s American Football take place in the fallView the full article
  6. The second act of the megastar’s “three act project,” following Renaissance, is out in MarchView the full article
  7. The Canadian band will play its last concerts at Toronto’s History in NovemberView the full article
  8. Directed by Corbett Jones and Nick Simonite, the visual consists of one unbroken shotView the full article
  9. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s most active anti-piracy coalition, initiating and assisting enforcement efforts around the world. Most anti-piracy actions are focused on streaming sites and services, many of which are located in or operated from Vietnam. ACE previously visited Vietnam and met with government officials to explore potential solutions to address the problem. However, aside from some incidental successes, the problem persists. Earlier this year, rightsholders flagged the Asian country as a ‘haven’ for pirate sites. In a letter to the US Trade Representative, IIPA pointed out several problematic sites and services, including Fmovies, AniWave, 123movies, BestBuyIPTV, 2embed, and Y2mate. Vumoo.to Takedown The above-mentioned sites remain online at the time of writing, but ACE did book a new success this week by taking the popular pirate streaming site Vumoo.to offline. On Sunday, the nameservers of Vumoo.to were updated to ns3.films.org and ns4.films.org, which typically signals ACE taking control. And indeed, the group confirmed to TorrentFreak that Vumoo.to is currently offline following ACE action in Vietnam. Jan van Voorn, MPA’s Chief of Global Content Protection and head of ACE, says the takedown was not assisted by third parties such as domain registries or registrars. ACE worked directly with the operator of the site, who presumably took it offline voluntarily. Vumoo.to first came online in 2016 and built a large audience in the years that followed. With well over 12 million monthly visits, the streaming portal was a sizable target and a key one for ACE. Perpetual Crackdown? How the anti-piracy group tracked down Vumoo’s operator isn’t mentioned, but ACE has been gathering information for years. Through U.S. courts, the group previously obtained DMCA subpoenas requiring the Tonic domain registry and Cloudflare to share all useful info they have on the site. Pirate sites often use false information to register domains, so this information may have led to nothing. However, local connections and OSINT may ultimately have helped to pinpoint the site’s operator. With the ‘takedown’ of Vumoo.to, ACE can chalk up yet another success but whether it will last remains to be seen. Previous Vietnamese actions against sites such as Zoro.to and 2embed had mixed results, as these sites soon came back ‘under new management‘ or in ‘cloned’ versions. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
  10. TL;DR: Stream the 2024 Six Nations for free on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. It's going to be very difficult for 2024 to compete with 2023 when it comes to international rugby. Last year we were treated to an electric Six Nations, a long list of competitive international test matches, and of course, the Rugby World Cup. That's tough to beat. This year is going to be very quiet in comparison, but don't be fooled into thinking the Six Nations is going to be any less competitive. The Six Nations is always fiery, and we're expecting a lot of intense battles between some of the best sides in the world. If you want to watch the 2024 Six Nationsn for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. What is the Six Nations?The Six Nations Championship is an annual international men's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Each team plays every other team once, with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next. The current champions are Ireland. When is the 2024 Six Nations?The 2024 Six Nations Championship is the 130th edition of the competition, but only the 25th since it expanded to become the Six Nations Championship in 2000. This year's competition will take place from Feb. 2 to March 16. How to watch the 2024 Six Nations for freeYou can watch every game from the Six Nations for free on the BBC or ITV. You can also live stream every fixture for free on BBC iPlayer or ITVX. BBC iPlayer and ITVX are both geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone from around the world can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These popular tools can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in the UK. This quick and easy action makes it look like you're connecting from the UK, so you can stream on BBC iPlayer and ITVX from anywhere in the world. Unblock BBC iPlayer and ITVX by following these simple steps: Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN) Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more) Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK Visit BBC iPlayer or ITVX Stream the 2024 Six Nations for free Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to BBC iPlayer or ITVX without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to stream most of the 2024 Six Nations before recovering your investment. 2024 Six Nations scheduleOnce you have established access to the 2024 Six Nations for free, you'll want to make note of the fixture schedule and broadcasting partner for each game: Feb. 2 — France vs. Ireland (8 p.m. GMT on ITV) Feb. 3 — Italy vs. England (2:15 p.m. GMT on ITV) Feb. 3 — Wales vs. Scotland (4:45 p.m. GMT on BBC) Feb. 10 — Scotland vs. France (2:15 p.m. GMT on BBC) Feb. 10 — England vs. Wales (4:45 p.m. GMT on ITV) Feb. 11 — Ireland vs. Italy (3 p.m. GMT GMT on ITV) Feb. 24 — Ireland vs. Wales (2:15 p.m. GMT on ITV) Feb. 24 — Scotland vs. England (4:45 p.m. GMT on BBC) Feb. 25 — France vs. Italy (3 p.m. GMT on ITV) March 9 — Italy vs. Scotland (2:15 p.m. GMT on ITV) March 9 — England vs. Ireland (4:45 p.m. GMT on ITV) March 10 — Wales vs. France (3 p.m. GMT on BBC) March 16 — Wales vs. Italy (2:15 p.m. GMT on BBC) March 16 — Ireland vs. Scotland (4:45 p.m. GMT on ITV) March 16 — France vs. England (8 p.m. GMT on ITV) Keep these dates in mind and clear your schedule. It's the only thing that really matters at this time of year. What is the best VPN for streaming sport?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream sport for free, for a number of reasons: Servers in 94 countries including the UK Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure Fast connection speeds Up to five simultaneous connections 30-day money-back guarantee A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Watch the 2024 Six Nations for free with ExpressVPN. View the full article
  11. UPDATE: Mar. 12, 2024, 11:00 a.m. UTC This article has been updated with the latest streaming and digital release information, as well as additional Oscars info. In a year full of exceptional cinema, 10 films stood out enough to snag Oscar nominations for Best Picture. Narrowing the best movies of the year down to only 10 was something we found virtually impossible, so it's no surprise there are some snubs this year. Regardless, the ones who managed to nab a nomination are definitely worth a watch, including Best Picture winner Oppenheimer. SEE ALSO: All the winners from the 2024 Oscars If you'd like to get up to date on the best films of the year (at least by the Academy's standards), we've rounded up the best ways to watch all 10. Queue 'em up for a truly outstanding movie marathon. American FictionPart family drama and part showbiz satire, Cord Jefferson's directorial debut hits all the right notes. It features a star-studded cast that boasts Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, John Ortiz, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. Brown. American Fiction was nominated for five Oscars, with Cord Jefferson winning the gold for Best Adapted Screenplay. What's it about?"Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk Ellison, a Black novelist with an upper-middle-class background who is battling on both the personal and professional fronts. At home, his family is reeling from a huge loss. At work, his prose isn't staying within the narrow expectations white editors (and audiences) have for Black stories, so his latest novel is gathering dust. Fed up, Monk plays to the racist stereotypes of drugs, crime, and bad dads in a bombastic new book. What begins as a joke swiftly snowballs into a hit that pushes the vexed intellectual into a snarling alter ego from the streets." — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor Read Mashable's review of American Fiction. How to watch it: Buy on digital Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Prime Video Buy on digital $19.99 to purchase Watch Now Still in select theaters across the country, American Fiction is now available at digital retailers like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV, so you can add it to your digital library. It will also be available to rent as of March 8 — just ahead of the Oscars. It's currently $19.99 to buy the 4K or UHD version. Anatomy of a FallA courthouse drama from French director Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall is a dissection of a troubled marriage. It stars Sandra Hüller as German novelist Sandra, Samuel Theis as dead husband Samuel, Milo Machado Graner as the couple's blind adolescent son, Daniel, and Swann Arlaud as Sandra's attorney, Vincent. Anatomy of a Fall was nominated for five Oscars, with Triet and Arthur Harari taking home Best Original Screenplay. What's it about?"A man lies dead in the snow below his family's chalet. Did he fall? Did he jump? Or did his wife Sandra (Sandra Hüller) push him? The answer to these questions is far from Anatomy of a Fall's main focus. (Indeed, if you want a clear response, you'll be disappointed.) But there's so much more to this movie — and to Sandra's marriage — than just wanting to know, "Did she do it?" Triet examines Sandra's relationship with her husband through the lens of her trial, taking into account everything from warring egos to infidelity to the pressure of language barriers." — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter Read Mashable's review of Anatomy of a Fall. How to watch it: Buy or rent on digital Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Rent or buy on digital $5.99 to rent, $14.99 to purchase Watch Now Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Stream it on Hulu beginning March 22 Starting at $7.99 per month Watch Now Released earlier this month, you can now rent or buy Anatomy of a Fall on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or Vudu. Rentals give you 30 days to start watching and 48 hours to finish once you start. This film is about two and a half hours long, so if you don't see yourself finishing it within that period, you're better off purchasing it instead. While it won't allow you to watch before the Oscars ceremony on March 10, Anatomy of a Fall also just got an official streaming release date (finally) — you can stream the film on Hulu starting March 22. A basic monthly Hulu plan with ads will run you $7.99 per month after a 30-day free trial. If you wish to cut out the ads, it'll cost you $17.99 per month. BarbieWhat's there to say about Barbie that hasn't been said? Greta Gerwig's summer blockbuster broke box office records, made us all obsessed with the color pink, and essentially became the American monoculture of the moment. For months, we all lived in a Barbie world, so it's no shock the film found its way into the Best Picture category along with seven other nominations. Billie Eilish's existential song "What Was I Made For," won Best Original song; Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" was also nominated, and the performance was everything. What's it about?"In Barbieland, Barbies are doctors, lawyers, construction workers, Pulitzer prize winners, and the president. Every day is perfect, beginning with a great night's sleep and a charming morning routine of costume change and heart-shaped waffle and every night ends with a massive dance party, followed by a 'girls' night'— no Kens allowed. (While Barbies do anything and everything, Kens 'beach.') But all of this seeming perfection begins to unravel when Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie) asks abruptly, mid-choreographed group-dance number, 'Do you guys ever think about dying?' Soon, her sleep isn't so restful. Her breakfast is burnt. Her perfectly arched feet go flat. She seeks counsel from 'Weird Barbie' (a perfectly cast Kate McKinnon), who tells her that the girl playing with her in the Real World is in crisis, and it's up to Barbie to go there and help her. Ken (Gosling) will come along for the ride, whether Barbie likes it or not." — K.P. Read Mashable's review of Barbie. How to watch it: Stream it on Max Opens in a new window Credit: Max Stream it on Max Starting at $9.99 per month Watch Now Barbie hit streaming on Dec. 15 after its dominating box office run. Since Warner Bros. is the film's distributor, it only makes sense that the film is streaming on Max (which is owned by Warner Bros.). Max plans start at $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (save 17%). The HoldoversRich storytelling, a powerful cast, and a future Christmas classic, Alexander Payne's The Holdovers was nominated for five Oscars, with Da'Vine Joy Randolph taking home Best Supporting Actress. It stars Paul Giamatti, Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa. What's it about?"With the Christmas break fast approaching, the prickly Professor Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is vexed but unsurprised when he's assigned to play babysitter to the holdovers — students not going home to their families over the two-week academic vacation. This cranky crew includes Angus (Dominic Sessa), a 15-year-old with a sharp mind and a self-destructive streak. Cooking for the lot is long-time cafeteria manager Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who's enduring her first holiday alone since her 19-year-old son (and recent Barton grad) died in the Vietnam War. Here is a stage well set for culture clash, as well as bursts of emotion and explorations of privilege. A triple-hander, Hemingson's script shifts its focus from Hunham to Angus to Mary and back again, revealing first the facades of intellectual superiority, cockiness, and resilience they put forth to others. But steadily, private moments and forced interactions over an emotionally charged time give way to revelations of tragic backstories, shameful secrets, and, ultimately, vulnerability." — K.P. Read Mashable's review of The Holdovers. How to watch: Stream it on Peacock Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Stream it on Peacock Starting at $5.99 per month Watch Now Released nationwide in November, The Holdovers suitably hit streaming around Christmas time. One of the most affordable flicks to stream online, you can watch The Holdovers over on Peacock with a Premium subscription for only $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Don't want to deal with ads interrupting your watch party? You'll have to dish out $11.99 per month ($119.99 per year) instead. Killers of the Flower MoonWhile some overly hyped films tend to disappoint, Killers of the Flower Moon is definitely not one of them. It comes as no surprise that Scorsese's compelling and courageous film about America's painful history of corruption and white supremacy would earn a Best Picture nomination. But with 10 nominations, Killers of the Flower Moon shockingly went home without one Oscar. What's it about?"Based on David Grann's non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, Scorsese's film focuses on the marriage between regal Osage heiress Mollie Burkhart (a riveting Lily Gladstone) and her gold-digging husband Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio). Their romance is swiftly but solidly established, making for all the horrors that happen around it to be all the more harrowing. Scorsese is frank in the film's violence, but by way of an inventive epilogue that includes a deeply personal touch, he strives to give a clear focus to how this tragedy speaks to America today." — K.P. Read Mashable's review of Killers of the Flower Moon. How to watch it: Stream on Apple TV+ Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Stream it on Apple TV+ 7-day free trial, then $9.99 per month Watch Now After a long wait, Killers of the Flower Moon finally graced us with its streaming presence on Apple TV+ earlier this month. Apple TV+ is no longer one of the most affordable streaming services, as its monthly cost jumped from $6.99 to $9.99. However, there are plenty of ways to score a free trial. Try it for seven days through the app itself or for up to three months via Best Buy. MaestroNominated for seven Oscars, the latest masterpiece of Bradley Cooper — who directed, co-wrote, produced, and stars in the film — Maestro is a gorgeous biopic of Leonard Bernstein. It earned more mixed reviews than most on this list of flicks, but the emotional love story, which also stars Carey Mulligan, still managed to get a nod from the Academy. What's it about?"Bradley Cooper's sophomore effort is about the life of Leonard Bernstein, the famous New York composer and conductor, who Cooper also plays. While it traces his artistic journey, the film’s main focus is on Bernstein's marriage to Chilean-Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), from their rocky romance to their family life to Bernstein’s affair with several men over the years. Maestro begins, however, with an elderly Bernstein looking back on their time together after Montealegre’s death from cancer, framing the film’s events in the form of memory." — Siddhant Adlakha, Film Critic Read Mashable's review of Maestro. How to watch it: Stream it on Netflix Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix Stream it on Netflix Starting at $6.99 per month Watch Now Originally premiering at the Venice International Film Festival and hitting select theaters in fall of 2023, the story of Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre began streaming on Netflix late in December. The cheapest Netflix subscription will cost you $6.99 per month, but alas, you'll have to endure some ads along the way. If you don't want to deal with ads, the price jumps up to $15.49 per month instead. OppenheimerBarbie's box office accomplice, Oppenheimer is the latest flick for Best Director winner Christopher Nolan devotees to marvel over — and it actually took home Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Entertainment reporter Belen Edwards called it "part tragedy, part horror movie," that's ultimately unforgettable. It's stacked with a highly impressive cast, including Best Actor winner Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Best Supporting Actor winner Robert Downey Jr. as shoe salesman turned political powerhouse Lewis Strauss, as well as Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, David Krumholtz, and plenty of others. Oppenheimer took home seven Academy Awards in total with Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Cinematography rounding out the stash. What's it about?"As screenwriter and director, Nolan has adapted Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin's non-fiction book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer into a historical epic that centers on the adult life of the "father of the atomic bomb." Cillian Murphy, who has previously worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight trilogy, Dunkirk, and Inception, stars as Oppenheimer, the Jewish-American theoretical physicist who led the U.S. government's secret Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons." — K.P. Read Mashable's review of Oppenheimer. How to watch it: Stream it on Peacock Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Stream it on Peacock Starting at $5.99 per month Watch Now Oppenheimer is officially available to stream on Peacock as of Feb. 16. A Peacock Premium subscription will only run you $5.99 per month and allows you to watch a whole lot more than just Oppenheimer. If you prefer not to sign up for another streaming service, it's also available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV for $5.99 or $19.99, respectively. Past LivesNominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, writer/director Celine Song's debut feature has been on our mind's since its theatrical release in June. We were thrilled to learn it lived up to the hype from its Sundance debut. In fact, in the initial review, Film Editor Kristy Puchko dubbed it "one of the very best films of 2023." It stars a radiant Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro. What's it about?"Greta Lee, who also appears in such buzzy 2023 gems as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Problemista, stars as Nora, a Korean-American playwright who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart from Seoul (Teo Yoo) over a couple of heady days in New York City. Long walks and long talks scratch at the scab of what could have been, as the two share an exciting chemistry. But life is complicated — specifically, Nora is already married to the rumpled but charming Arthur (John Magaro). So, will these long-lost lovers reignite their would-be romance? Or will they have to wait for another life?" — K.P. Read Mashable's review of Past Lives. How to watch it: Stream it on Paramount + with Showtime Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ / Showtime Paramount+ with Showtime 7-day free trial, then $11.99 per month Watch Now Past Lives is the last A24 film to be released on Paramount+ with Showtime. With A24s new deal, future releases will head to Max instead. If you want to stream it, Paramount+ with Showtime is only $11.99 per month after a free seven-day trial. Max without ads, on the other hand, would run you $15.99 and has no free trial. You can also rent or purchase the film through digital retailers like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or Vudu. It'll cost you $5.99 to rent or $19.99 to purchase. Just remember, with rentals, you have 30 days to start watching and 48 hours to finish once you start. Poor ThingsA Frankenstein-ish masterpiece, Poor Things was one of our most anticipated movies of the year. And thankfully, it didn't disappoint, earning itself an Oscar nod for Best Picture as well as 10 other categories. Poor Things took home four awards including Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design. Plus, for what it's worth, we dubbed it our top film of 2023. Poor Things was written by Tony McNamara, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and features a lovable cast including Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott. What's it about?"Based on Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel of the same name, Poor Things' resurrected corpse is the beguiling Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), who has a grown woman's body, a child's mind, and a ravenous desire to know the world. This makes her more than a mad scientist/father figure (Willem Dafoe) can handle. So, off she goes on a globe-trekking fling with a devil-may-care — but hot-as-hell — rogue, played by Mark Ruffalo with a winsome gusto." — K.P. Read Mashable's review of Poor Things. How to watch it: Stream it on Hulu Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Stream it on Hulu beginning March 7 Starting at $7.99 per month Watch Now Poor Things debuted at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on Sept.1, and was released in U.S. theaters on Dec. 8. Three months later, almost to the day, Poor Things is set to make its streaming debut on Hulu (beginning March 7). Hulu subscriptions start at $7.99 per month with ads or $17.99 per month without ads after a free 30-day trial period. You can also purchase a digital version of the film on retailers like Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Vudu as of Feb. 27. The Zone of InterestOne of the most unsettling films on the list of nominees, A24'sThe Zone of Interest pairs a "violent soundscape" with "domestic normalcy." Directed by Jonathan Glazer, the chilling flick stars Sandra Hüller (who also stars in Anatomy of a Fall), Christian Friedel, Freya Kreutzkam, Ralph Herforth, Max Beck and Ralf Zillmann. The Zone of Interest was nominated for five Academy Awards and took home the gold for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound. What's it about?"Based on Martin Amis's 2014 novel, The Zone of Interest makes you a deeply uncomfortable guest in the well-appointed home of the longest-serving Auschwitz commandant, Rudolf Höss (an impeccable Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (an unnerving performance by Anatomy of a Fall star Sandra Hüller), and their children. Just beyond the Höss family's lush garden wall lies Auschwitz itself, where over 1.1 million men, women, and children — about one million of which were Jewish — were murdered." — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor Read Mashable's review of The Zone of Interest. How to watch it: Buy it on digital Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Buy it on digital $19.99 to purchase Watch Now Similarly, The Zone of Interest is still in select theaters nationwide and was just released on digital. You can purchase it on digital retailers like Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Vudu for just $19.99. It will be available to rent and stream at a later date. View the full article
  12. Apple Car may never happen, but that doesn't mean the company didn't develop some impressive tech while the project was still alive. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple had developed an incredibly mighty chip to power the Apple Car. In a Q&A session on Monday, Gurman said that the chip was nearly finished, and was "equal to about four M2 Ultras combined." The M2 Ultra is the chip that's inside the Mac Pro and the most powerful configuration of the Mac Studio. It has, at most, a 24-core CPU, a 76-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine, with support for up to 192GB RAM. Modern cars do require very powerful silicon; for example, the Tesla FSD (Full Self-Driving) chip has 12 ARM CPUs inside and a total of 6 billion transistors. But if Gurman's info is correct, Apple's chip probably would have dwarfed that, as a single M2 Ultra chip has 134 billion transistors. Apple was rumored to be building an autonomous car for a decade, spending billions, before reportedly killing off the project and focusing on Apple CarPlay instead. SEE ALSO: Apple Car: Leaked design info reveals it would've been a minivan Gurman also shared a few other tidbits related to Apple's now-abandoned Apple Car project, as well as the company's ongoing CarPlay efforts. For example, he doesn't think that Apple will sell or license the tech developed for the Apple Car project, though "there’s a good chunk of material that could be reused for the company’s own future products." As for CarPlay, Gurman thinks Apple is "all-in on the new CarPlay," which runs through the iPhone, but going forward, he thinks that "Apple really should embed its own software and hardware into cars themselves," something that Google has already done with Android Automotive. View the full article
  13. Yeah, I said it. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the MacBook Pro of gaming laptops. But the difference is that the battery life is much worse (as one would expect from any gaming laptop). And, throwing some playful shade to MacBooks, you can actually game to your heart's desire on it with your favorite envelope-pushing triple-A titles. Plus, the ROG Zephyrus G14 is surprisingly light. When I first picked it up, I was expecting a lot of heft — only to be met a shocking featherweight design. However, thin-and-light gaming laptops face one major hurdle: heat. Although the ROG Zephyrus G14 struggles to overcome this, it delivers a decent gaming experience at a practical price point. SEE ALSO: M3 MacBook Air vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Which Mac is best for you? Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 priceThe Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is $1,599 via Best Buy. This is the cheapest configuration you can get (the same configuration I tested for this review) — and it comes with the following specs: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU 16GB of RAM 1TB of SSD storage 120Hz, 14-inch display with 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution Windows 11 Home If you want more RAM and better graphics — 32GB of memory and a 4070 GPU, to be exact — you can upgrade to the $1,999 model. Opens in a new window Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) Get Deal What I like about Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 The ROG Zephyrus G14 is perfect for those who want to bring a respectable, MacBook Pro-esque laptop to the office — before gaming at night with a beastly gaming rig. MacBook-like designFrom the dual speaker grilles flanking the keyboard to the "Platinum White" chassis, it's no wonder the ROG Zephyrus G14 is the MacBook Pro of gaming laptops. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable The ROG Zephyrus G14 is wrapped in a sturdy, solid CNC aluminum unibody chassis along with a silvery hue and rounded corners that is quite MacBook-esque. Hell, it even weighs as much as a MacBook Pro, too. For example, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro weighs 3.4 pounds, which is only slightly heavier than the 3.3-pound ROG Zephyrus G14. Adding more credence to my MacBook Pro-esque claim, the ROG Zephyrus G14 is 0.62 inches thick; the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro is 0.61 inches thick. However, what differentiates the ROG Zephyrus G14 from the MacBook world is the giant slash design on the lid that has programmable LED lighting (you can play with it via the pre-installed Armoury Crate app). Nice variety of portsOne thing that's not very MacBook, in a good way, is the ROG Zephyrus G14's wide variety of ports. On the left side, you'll find a USB4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headset jack. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable On the right side, you'll find a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, another USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, and a microSD card slot (a nod to you creators out there). No, there isn't a Thunderbolt 4 port on this laptop. (This is an AMD-based laptop, so due to licensing hindrances regarding Intel, USB4 is the best you'll get.) Decent OLED displayI watched the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer on YouTube to test the ROG Zephyrus G14's 14-inch, 3K (2560 x 1440-pixel resolution) display. The picture was crisp, almost too crisp, as I watched Ryan Reynold's character prance around the screen with reptilian-like pockmarks and scaly, unsightly skin. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable The colors are and textures are rich, too, showing off Deadpool's forest-green jacket and the vivid Hawaiian shirt, filled with tropical designs on it, underneath it. While playing Cyberpunk 2077, I marveled at the sheen that emanated from robo-secretary with a gold-plated face. However, as you'll find in the "What I Don't Like" section, the screen does have a notable flaw. Awesome keyboard layoutHave you ever experienced a moment in which you're quickly trying to find the mute button, but as it's sandwiched between a row of other keys, you find yourself scrambling to press it? Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable The ROG Zephyrus G14 rectifies this issue by isolating the mute button, the volume up/down keys, and the pre-installed Armoury Crate app (for quick assess to gaming settings), placing the four keys above the function row. In the words of Agnes from Despicable Me, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14's keyboard is so clicky I'm going to die! These aren't keys. These are mini trampolines built for my fingers, allowing them to jump from symbol to symbol with graceful ease. Yes, this gaming laptop features RGB backlighting, but keep in mind that it's not per-key RGB backlighting. In other words, if you change the RGB backlighting (which you can do via the pre-installed Armoury Crate app), it will affect the whole keyboard. You can't make per-key adjustments. Surprisingly good audioThe ROG Zephyrus G14's will never come close to the honeyed sound of a MacBook Pro, but it's not half bad. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable I fired up Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things" on Spotify. His gritty, moody voice sounded crisp, full, and well-rounded on the G14's stereo speaker system, which features a double-tweeter and dual-subwoofer setup. It's sufficiently loud, too, at max volume. Gaming laptops typically have so-so audio. After all, most gamers grab one of the best gaming headsets to pair with their gaming laptops. However, Asus doesn't make that assumption with its consumers, which is a breath of fresh air. Impressive performanceWe tested the ROG Zephyrus G14 with the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark and it blew past 100 frames with ease. See our performance section to see how well it handled one of the most graphics-intensive PC games. What's 'eh' about the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14There's no way around it. The internals inside a gaming laptop are quite powerful, which produces a lot of heat. An excellent thigh warmerOne way to circumvent heat issues is to find a way to exhaust hot air away from commonly touched areas. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable However, while running Cyberpunk 2077, it seems like most of the heat escapes from the ROG Zephyrus' G14 underside. This can be an issue if you want to use it on your lap. However, if you plan on placing the Asus gaming laptop on a desk or table, you should be fine. On the plus side, the ROG Zephyrus G14 will make for an excellent source of heat during the thick of winter; it can double as a thigh warmer for sure. Battery life is OKYes, I know that battery life on a gaming laptop isn't all that great. However, compared to the other gaming laptops I've tested, the ROG Zephyrus G14 isn't the worst, but it's definitely not the best either. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable While it beats the gaming laptops that couldn't last more than an hour, the Asus gaming rig struggled to catch up with more power-efficient rivals. Check out the battery life section for our results. What I dislike about the ROG Zephyrus G14As someone who travels a lot and often sits next to bright windows, one of my biggest pet peeves is a dim screen. I wouldn't say the ROG Zephyrus G14 is "dim," but it could stand to be brighter. Display could be brighterAsus claims that the ROG Zephyrus G14 has 500-nit display, which should be sufficient, but it looks slightly dimmer than expected. Credit: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 While navigating darker scenes in Cyberpunk 2077 or moody Netflix shows, I found myself reaching for the brightness button — only to find that I've already reached max brightness. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 battery lifeWe tested the ROG Zephyrus G14's battery life with PCMark 10's gaming battery life test. It lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes. Compare this to the HP Victus, for example, which survived for 1 hour and 56 minutes, nearly two hours. For what it's worth, the HP Victus we tested has the same GPU as the ROG Zephyrus G14 (i.e., Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU). Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Geekbench 6 and other performance scoresPacked with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS chip and an Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, here are the numbers we got from running Cyberpunk 2077 (High preset, 1080p). 102 frames per second Compare this to the HP Victus, which has an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. With the same settings, it delivered 95 frames per second. On the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, we ran Geekbench 6, which tests for processor prowess. It delivered a multi-core score of 12,170. For reference, this beats the M3 chip inside the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which delivered a score of 11,998 on the same benchmark. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 webcamWebcams on most general-purpose laptops stink, but on gaming laptops, they're even worse. The ROG Zephyrus G14 is no exception. Equipped with 1080p webcam, the shooter looks hazy, unclear, and muddy. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 webcam sample Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable On the plus side, it's an IR camera, which means it supports face unlock for Windows Hello logins. Is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 worth it?The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is worth it if you want a sleek, thin-and-light gaming laptop that can be disguised as a laptop for work by day — while unleashing its true, beastly powers by night for triple-A gaming. However, it's worth noting that its rival, the HP Victus, is currently less than $1,000. It packs the same Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU and plays Cyberpunk 2077 at an average of 95 frames per second, which is only slightly behind the ROG Zephyrus G14's 102 frames-per-second score. Still, the ROG Zephyrus G14 undeniably has the better chassis, with a MacBook Pro-esque, premium design. Its $1,599 price tag gets you an uptick in performance, a slim, featherweight design, top-notch speakers, and an awesome keyboard. What's not to love? Opens in a new window Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) Get Deal View the full article
  14. TL;DR: As of March 12, you can level up your IT knowledge with this CompTIA cybersecurity course bundle on sale for $39.99 (reg. $156) for a limited time. It's not a secret that we do almost everything online these days. From paying bills to applying for jobs, work, homework, and more, our lives are decidedly digital. So it only makes sense that protecting online efforts is a booming field. According to Fordham News, there are more jobs available in the field of cybersecurity than there are people to fill them. That means if you're looking to make the move into the profession, it's a good time to get in. If you are looking for a low-commitment way to begin that journey, the 2024 CompTIA Cybersecurity Certification Training Bundle is on sale for just $39.99 (reg. $156) for a limited time. With four courses that aim to get you ready to take and pass the CompTIA exams, you'll have over 88 hours of instructional content at your fingertips to dig into as your schedule allows. For instance, the CompTIA CySA+ course gets you ready for the exam through instruction that shows you how to scrutinize and react to anomalies in networks, use automation, safeguard software, and hunt for threats, among other real-world actions. Other courses get you ready for the PenTest+, CASP+, and Security+ CompTIA exams. Take the first steps to further your career in IT with this comprehensive bundle. Get the 2024 CompTIA Cybersecurity Certification Training Bundle while it's on sale for $39.99 (reg. $156) for a limited time. StackSocial prices subject to change. Opens in a new window Credit: Idunova The Complete 2024 CompTIA Cyber Security Certification Training Bundle $39.99 at the Mashable Shop $156.00 Save $116.01 Get Deal View the full article
  15. TL;DR: Through March 17, get this Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro bundle for $79.97 and save 80%. We are all looking for ways to streamline our lives. If you need to upgrade your computer, All-in-One Microsoft Office Pro 2021 lifetime license for Windows and Windows 11 Pro Bundle is on sale for $79.97, which is hundreds less than the combined regular prices. This bundle can give lagging computers a shining new upgrade. Windows 11 Pro and Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021 were made to work together seamlessly, which means the flow should be optimal. Office doesn't come with recurring fees or monthly payments like Microsoft 365 does. You pay once, and you don't have to pay again. The Windows 11 Pro is the latest OS from Windows, with a bunch of updates. It has updated security enhancements like BitLocker encryption, Microsoft Information Protection integration, biometrics login, and more. There have also been updates to Windows Studio Effects, as well as touchscreen capabilities. You also get updates going forward. Microsoft Office Professional Plus for Windows is a lifetime license for one PC with instant delivery and download. It allows you to utilize Microsoft's most popular apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and more. Transform the way you work, create, and collaborate with this powerful combination of essential productivity tools and the latest operating system. Grab the Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro bundle for a one-time payment of $79.97 when you order by March 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT. StackSocial prices subject to change. Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The All-in-One Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle $79.97 at the Mashable Shop $418.99 Save $339.02 Get Deal View the full article
  16. TL;DR: Through March 17, save hundreds on OneAir Elite Plan and get it for just $79.97 — the best price online. Discover savings on fights, hotels, rental cars, and more. With spring just a few days away, it’s already time to start booking your summer travel plans. However, with a recent Squaremouth report sharing record levels of travel spending, you might run into some wallet-related hassles. If you want to get more bang for your travel bucks, you might want to try OneAir. It’s an AI-powered travel app that helps you find better prices on airfare, hotels, activities, and more. You can even start with the lowest-on-web price for a lifetime subscription right here, just $79.97 (reg. $790) through March 17. Unlock a lifetime of travel savings with OneAirOneAir thinks you could save up to 40%-90% on flights from your home airports, and getting started is super simple. Just add up to ten departing locations and any specific destinations you want to visit, and OneAir’s AI engine will scan and track millions of fares in real-time to alert you with some of the greatest deals on economy, premium, business, and first-class flights. Unlike other travel deal finders, OneAir allows you to book flights right on the iOS, Android, or web app without being redirected to other sites. Plus, every listed price you see is all-inclusive with no additional costs or fees. Your new one-stop shop for vacation planningAfter finding a discounted flight, you can use OneAir to explore deals on hotels and resorts, rental cars, and activities. You could find up to 60% off a place to stay and get a wholesale price on seeing the sights, visiting theme parks, or dining around town. OneAir also provides 24/7 support for any stage of planning your trip. Unlike the AI-powered deal finder, the support is from real people. Book your summer travel plans for less with a OneAir Elite Plan lifetime subscription for $79.97 (reg. $790) until March 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed. StackSocial prices subject to change. Opens in a new window Credit: OneAir OneAir Elite Plan: Lifetime Subscription (Save Big on Flights, Hotels & More) $79.97 at the Mashable Shop $790.00 Save $710.03 Get Deal View the full article
  17. TL;DR: Through March 17, this refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny Core desktop has 256GB SSD and is just $189.99 (reg. $349). Of course, we know how convenient portable computers can be. But, sometimes, a powerful desktop setup is really what you need. If you need to outfit your home office with a setup to keep up with your daily grind and evening gaming sessions, a refurbished desktop could save you some money while providing the services you need. This refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny Core desktop is on sale for $189.99 and has excellent specs that might fit the bill. While it may be a refurbished 2015 model, it comes with a grade "A" refurbished rating. This means that it should arrive to you in near-mint condition with minimal, if any, cosmetic marks. With 16GB RAM and a powerful 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-6400T processor, you'll be able to multitask with ease. And the 256GB SSD allows you to store a lot locally without having to rely on the cloud or a separate external drive. This tiny desktop doesn't take up much room, so it could be an asset if you have a small space. It comes with Windows 10 Pro, which can easily integrate with other Microsoft software. It also includes a keyboard, mouse, Wi-Fi dongle, and AC adapter. This refurbished Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny Core desktop has 256GB SSD and is just $189.99 (reg. $349) for a limited time. StackSocial prices subject to change. Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Core i5-6500T, 16GB RAM 256GB SSD - Black (Refurbished) $189.99 at the Mashable Shop $349.99 Save $160.00 Get Deal View the full article
  18. NASA has proposed sci-fi plans to potentially shut down a supervolcano — should one show signs of an imminent eruption. But such a geologic scheme might not ever be necessary. In new research from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University, scientists found that the most powerful scale of eruption — which emits a mind-boggling amount of material into the atmosphere — would probably not plunge Earth into a deep, cold volcanic winter. Indeed, the prodigious gasses and ash blasted into the sky by a "super-eruption," which erupts over 240 cubic miles (1,000 cubic kilometers) of magma, would inevitably block some sunlight and have a cooling impact. It just likely wouldn't be devastating to life globally, according to this latest research. "The relatively modest temperature changes we found most compatible with the evidence could explain why no single super-eruption has produced firm evidence of global-scale catastrophe for humans or ecosystems," Zachary McGraw, the study's lead author and a researcher at NASA GISS and Columbia University, said in a statement. The research was recently published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Climate. SEE ALSO: Why so many volcanoes seem to be erupting right now For reference, the infamous 1980 U.S. eruption of Mount St. Helens — which was so potent that it completely blacked out sunlight in Spokane, Washington, located 250 miles away — released 0.67 cubic miles of volcanic rock. While impressive, that's a pittance compared to a super-eruption. Of course, it's (thankfully) impossible for earth scientists to analyze a recent super-eruption. They are rare. The last such event happened over 22,000 years ago at Taupo in modern-day New Zealand. Yellowstone, in the U.S., is widely known for its super-eruption abilities, too: Some Yellowstone eruptions over the past few million years created layers of volcanic lava rock over 1,300 feet (400 meters) thick. How a volcano super-eruption will impact EarthLacking direct observation of such a blast, scientists use computers to simulate how the mega-event would impact our planet. The key ingredient in prolonged volcanic cooling isn't ash, which is actually tiny fragments of volcanic rock: It's sulfur dioxide gas from volcanoes that condenses into liquid sulfate particles. Once high in the sky in Earth's stratosphere (some six to 30 miles up), sulfur dioxide reacts with atmospheric molecules to produce droplets that can linger for a year or more. And when sunlight hits these droplets, energy is reflected back into space, depriving our planet of substantial amounts of sunlight. NASA's research simulated how this gas, ejected into the stratosphere during a super-eruption, would impact temperatures on Earth's surface. A visualization showing the scale of different eruptions. The orange circles show super-eruptions; the Mount St. Helens eruption is a small green circle on the left. Credit: USGS The two expansive regions within the dotted lines show where ash beds formed from two super-eruptions from the Yellowstone Plateau region over the past few million years. Credit: USGS Dramatic cooling could devastate crops, plant life, and many ecosystems. Yet the simulations showed that although some cooling would occur, it wouldn't stoke temperature changes much more than the largest eruptions in modern history. "Generally, you always think about volcanoes cooling. But this study says there's a limit to that," Valentina Aquila, an atmospheric scientist at American University who researches the impacts of volcanism, told Mashable. Aquila had no role in the new super-eruption research. There's a limit to the cooling because a super-eruption will blast an enormous volume of particles into the atmosphere. But once there, they amass together. Crucially, the larger particles are less efficient at reflecting sunlight compared to smaller particles — because there's less surface area for sunlight to reflect off of, Aquila explained. What's more, the larger droplets fall more quickly from the sky. But that's not all. The sulfur particles also trap heat radiating off Earth — similar to the greenhouse gasses currently driving climate change. So while some solar radiation is being blocked, radiation emanating from our planet is also being absorbed, which causes a temporary warming effect. "You get these two counteracting effects," McGraw told Mashable. In 1991, the dramatic Mount Pinatubo eruption (not nearly a super-eruption) ejected some 15 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, driving global temperatures down by around half a degree Fahrenheit (some 0.3 degrees Celsius) for two years. This research suggests that an eruption hundreds of times bigger may temporarily cause some 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) of cooling. Of course, the impacts of a super-eruption would still be devastating regionally. "A super-eruption would cause massive problems near the eruption site," McGraw said. Around Yellowstone, parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho would get pummeled with extremely hot flows of rock, ash, and gas, called pyroclastic flows, the U.S Geologic survey explained. Mass evacuations would be needed to avoid massive casualties. Closer to the eruption, day would turn to night. Ashfall would spread over a huge swathe of the U.S. "A super-eruption would cause massive problems near the eruption site." But humanity would not be imperiled. "We can be confident of this because there have been two massive explosions while humans were present on Earth, and both of these were actually larger than Yellowstone's most recent cataclysmic eruption," the Geologic Survey said. "These eruptions were from Toba, Indonesia, about 74,000 years ago and from Taupo, New Zealand, about 26,500 years ago." Volcanologists don't see any imminent super-eruptions on the horizon. But, thankfully, the volcanoes will show signs well before the event. We'll have plenty of warning. This story has been updated with more information about super-eruptions. View the full article
  19. Quick links for watching 'Invincible' Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video: BEST FOR NEW USERS Amazon Prime trial free for 30 days, then $14.99 per month Get Deal BEST FOR STUDENTS Amazon Prime Student 6-month free trial, then $69 per year Get Deal BEST FOR EVERYONE ELSE Amazon Prime Video $8.99 per month Get Deal It's been a long time coming, but the second half of Invincible Season 2 has finally arrived. After the brilliantly bloody first season, fans eagerly awaited another installment of the animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman's comics. In November, the first four episodes of Season 2 (Part 1) were released, leaving fans hanging for the last four until further notice. Well, here's your notice: Season 2, Part 2 starts streaming on March 14. Season 2 picks up with rookie superhero Mark Grayson (aka Invincible) reeling in the wake of his father Nolan's (aka Omni-Man's) betrayal. Mark focuses on rebuilding his life — and finishing high school — in the face of more training, new threats, and inevitably, more bloodshed. Considering the comic spanned from January 2003 to February 2018 with nearly 150 issues, there's plenty of source material to draw from for Season 2 and beyond. Judging by the trailer, the second half of the season promises plenty more carnage. Here's a glimpse: When is Invincible Season 2 coming out?Invincible seasons 2 and 3 were greenlit back in April 2021, but delays largely due to COVID shutdowns caused a bit of a struggle in getting the next installments out to fans. Nearly three years after the first season debuted, Season 2, Part 1 dropped last year. The final four episodes promised to arrive in early 2024, and that exact date has finally been announced. Audiences can tune into Invincible Season 2, Part 2 starting on Thursday, March 14. New episodes drop weekly until the finale on April 4. What streaming service is Invincible on?Sorry, Netflix users. Invincible is a Prime Video original series, thus it can only be watched on Amazon's streaming service. If you're already an Amazon Prime subscriber, you're good to go — just sign into your account, navigate to Prime Video and the first episode of Season 2, Part 2 will be waiting for you starting March 14. If not, we've got you covered with the best ways to save money on a subscription. Can I get Amazon Prime Video for free?The million-dollar question we all want the answer to: how can you watch Invincible Season 2 for free? I'm happy to tell you that there is a way. But unfortunately, you can only take advantage of it if you haven't been a Prime user in over a year (or ever). Otherwise, you can score a discounted subscription if you're a student (or still have access to a .edu email address) or simply subscribe to Prime Video only (not a full Prime subscription) to save some money. We've unraveled all the details for you below. Best for newbies: Amazon Prime free trial Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Prime membership trial Free 30-day trial, then $14.99 per month Get Deal In a time where free trials are disappearing left and right, it's refreshing to know that Amazon still offers a 30-day trial of its Prime membership to new and returning users. If you've never subscribed to Prime in the past or you canceled or paused your membership over a year ago, you can take advantage of the free month of service. You'll get all of the Prime perks a paid member gets for those 30 days — including access to Prime Video to watch Invincible seasons 1 and 2 — despite not paying a cent. Just be sure to cancel your trial before the 30 days are up if you want to avoid charges. Best for students: Amazon Prime Student Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Prime Student 6-month free trial, then $69 per year Get Deal Students with an active .edu email address can score the mother of all deals on Prime by subscribing to an Amazon Prime Student account. You'll get your first six months completely free, which gives you access to not only Prime Video, but also plenty of other goodies like free food delivery through GrubHub+, a free three-month trial of Calm, discounted Amazon Music and Kindle subscriptions, as well as the usual Prime perks. After your six free months, it'll only cost you $69/year (reg. $139/year) — that's 50% in savings — so long as you keep your student status. Cancel any time. The best part about the six-month trial is that you'll be able to watch parts 1 and 2 of Invincible Season 2 for free. Best for everyone else: Prime Video only Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Prime Video subscription $8.99 per month Get Deal What most people probably don't realize is that you can subscribe to Prime Video without subscribing to Amazon Prime. For those who aren't eligible for the free trial, this is your best bet for saving some money and watching Invincible Season 2. Rather than paying $14.99/month for Prime, you can sign up for a month of Prime Video only for just $8.99. That saves you $6 per month, which definitely adds up. Plus, you can cancel at any time with no commitment. This won't necessarily save you money, but it'll keep you from wasting it once the season is over. View the full article
  20. The Cleveland singer, guitarist, and songwriter was behind power-pop hits like “Hungry Eyes” and “Go All the Way”View the full article
  21. The guitarists release their collaborative All Gist in April via Paradise of BachelorsView the full article
  22. “The need for a ceasefire is beyond urgent,” the musician wrote in a note to accompany I Won​’​t Let Go of Your Hand. “Permanent Ceasefire Now!”View the full article
  23. Early 2023, Brazil’s National Film Agency (Ancine) and local telecoms regulator Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) announced a new anti-piracy partnership. In isolation that was nothing out of the ordinary but just a couple of months earlier, ANCINE had announced a “reformulation” of its anti-piracy work. Specifically, it would “move away” from combating the distribution of pirate set-top boxes and similar work aimed at protecting the movie and TV sector. “The understanding is that there would be an overlap in responsibilities with the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL),” ANCINE explained, adding that it would be combating copyright violations of Brazilian works on digital platforms instead. Despite overlapping responsibilities, ANCINE still took part in the March 2023 wave of Operation 404. The agency’s logo did not appear alongside those of the MPA and ACE on the banners celebrating the next wave a few months later, however. Concerns Over Comments in Brazil In its submission to the USTR’s 2024 Special 301 Review, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), which counts the MPA among its members, raised concerns over the situation in Brazil. Following the public hearing last month, the USTR asked IIPA to provide additional detail on why “recent positions vocalized by the Ministry of Culture and ANCINE officials concerning the protection of copyright” were seen as an issue. ANCINE’s focus on the protection of domestic content is a problem, IIPA informed the USTR. “This statement is troubling because it implies that ANCINE prioritizes the protection of domestic works and will not take actions to ensure the adequate and effective protection of works owned by U.S. rights holders, raising questions regarding Brazil’s international obligations,” the response notes, briefly, with almost no context. To summarize IIPA’s submission, Brazil received praise for taking down 868 websites and applications, for taking action in eight states against live sports piracy, for deploying site-blocking injunctions, and for carrying out search and seizure raids and arresting pirates. Ultimately, however, “several long-standing normative and legislative concerns warrant keeping Brazil on the Watch List,” the IIPA wrote. So did Brazil suddenly become uncooperative overnight for no reason? Not exactly; in fact, deeper cooperation with the MPA played a significant role in the decision to prioritize local content protection. ANCINE’s Special Agreement With the MPA In April 2021, ANCINE announced it had signed “technical cooperation agreements to intensify the fight against piracy of audiovisual content.” This involved gaining access to automated systems to help it fight piracy more effectively. One of those agreements (pdf) would apparently cement a partnership between ANCINE and the Motion Picture Association Latin America (MPA-AL), which represents Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. in the region. At the time, ANCINE was clear that the deal meant it would gain access to automated systems that would allow it to “monitor irregularities” related to online advertising in connection with piracy-related products. There was never any real mystery about what it hoped to achieve. Civil Servants Demand Access to Agreement When reading a grand press release, people may reasonably conclude that grand moves are underway. They may even start to suspect that even bigger things are going on. Beginning around September 2022, more than a year after the ANCINE announcement, ASPAC (Associação dos Servidores Públicos da ANCINE) an association of civil servants connected to ANCINE, sent questions to the cinema regulator seeking information concerning its agreement with the MPA. ASPAC also filed an access to information request through which it hoped to obtain “copies of all documents involving the MPA and the use of the Ether platform.” Among other details, ASPAC expressed deep concern that the deal with the MPA prioritized the protection of foreign movies over those created in Brazil. EtherCity Anti-Piracy Services EtherCity is an entity that “provides services, advanced automation solutions, and business intelligence for brand protection and anti-piracy operations.” Founded in 2018, EtherCity claims to be based in São Paulo, Brazil, and currently lists the MPA, ACE (Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment) and ANCINE as clients. Ether appears to be one of its anti-piracy platforms. EtherCity’s website reveals a client list that goes way beyond the world’s most powerful movie studio association and the world’s most powerful anti-piracy coalition. Both ANCINE and Brazil telecoms regulator ANATEL are listed as clients alongside the likes of Prime Video, Discovery Plus, Netflix, Sky, Paramount Plus, HBO Max, Hulu, Roku, Warner, ESPN, Fox, and the list goes on. EtherCity data has been cited in ACE reports (pdf) and EtherCity reports on ACE anti-piracy action have concluded how effective that’s been against LATAM-focused pirate sites. The São Paulo operation is also mentioned in annual reports published by the local CNPC anti-piracy program in Brazil. EtherCity has been involved in efforts (pdf) to delist pirate TV box ads from Google and Meta platforms, and mentioned in respect of proposed subsidies for reverse engineering pirate set-top boxes in 2021. ASPAC Opposes ANCINE/MPA Deal ASPAC made several allegations concerning the ANCINE/MPA deal, including that the software in use at EtherCity was developed by the MPA. Furthermore, ASPAC claimed that since the software was designed to protect the interests of MPA members, ANCINE’s use of the software meant that Brazil’s cinema regulator was working in defense of Hollywood and against its rivals’ products. Crucially, that included Brazilian films that receive no MPA protection, ASPAC claimed. ASPAC further alleged that the deal should’ve been published in the Diário Oficial da União, the official journal of the federal government of Brazil. Instead, it had to resort to a freedom of information request to find out what had been agreed. The letter was signed by ASPAC’s president; it called for a public consultation and an investigation into who was responsible for a deal that “does not comply with the minimum legal requirements and ends up distorting the very purpose of public policy.” MPA: We Don’t Interfere, Anti-Piracy Work is Normal In a statement to local publication Metropoles, Andressa Pappas, Director of Government Relations at the Motion Picture Association, said that support for copyright everywhere is effectively what the MPA is best known for. “Supporting content protection and anti-piracy measures has always been one of MPA’s global key actions. As trusted advisors to authorities around the world, the MPA provides several tools, such as technical expertise and research, as it aims to defend a better scenario for audiovisual and copyright, including in Brazil,” Pappas said. The MPA further added that it “does not interfere and has no impact on decisions taken within the scope of public administration” since it “respects the autonomy of public bodies and entities in Brazil.” No Serious Issues Found, Damage Already Done It was later revealed that ANCINE’s access to the Ether system would allow it to identify problematic ads related to set-top boxes and instances of copyright infringement on websites. The agreement allowed ANCINE to use that data for enforcement purposes, including against infringers directly and in support of site-blocking measures. ANCINE could use the system or not, there were no strict requirements. Some issues did remain, however. The agreement was considered confidential and that ran counter to a requirement for transparency. Criticism from ASPAC held that by using a platform provided by the MPA and designed to protect its own content, ANCINE had effectively delegated its supervisory powers to the MPA. That subsequently led to ANCINE announcing the previously-mentioned “reformulation” of its anti-piracy work and its move away from targeting pirate set-top boxes. ANCINE’s Anti-Piracy Coordinator, Eduardo Luiz Perfeito Carneiro, was dismissed, and his replacement was given a new title to reflect the new image and direction of ANCINE. Carlos Chelfo, Copyright Protection Coordinator at ANCINE, was instructed to review work with the MPA to ensure that, moving forward, the protection of Brazilian content would always take priority. The deal itself was terminated. And that’s why Brazil is causing such concern for the IIPA in the United States, and what prompted its comment to the USTR: “This statement is troubling because it implies that ANCINE prioritizes the protection of domestic works and will not take actions to ensure the adequate and effective protection of works owned by U.S. rights holders, raising questions regarding Brazil’s international obligations.” IIPA to USTR – 2024 Special 301 Review In isolation, it might sound that Brazil suddenly became uncooperative for no reason. With context, it simply shows both countries putting their own interests first. How the that will be viewed at the USTR and reflected in the Special 301 Report will be revealed in just a few weeks. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
  24. The grindcore band issued a statement commemorating Harrison, who played samples, noise, and other sound design: “You are etched into the bedrock of our lives”View the full article
  25. The boundary-pushing singer’s debut book “celebrates female empowerment and shines a light on the global music scene,” says publisher ScribnerView the full article
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