February 8, 2016

Top News Stories –

Power being restored after Storm Imogen hits England and Wales –
More than a thousand properties remain without power after Storm Imogen brought heavy rain and strong winds. South-west England and south and mid-Wales bore the brunt, with rail and ferry services disrupted and some schools closed. Waves of up to 19.1m (63ft) were measured off the Cornish coast, and winds of 70-80mph felt in many areas. Winds of more than 80mph were recorded in many areas, including 81mph on the Isles of Scilly, 84mph in Pembrey Sands, Carmarthenshire, and 96mph at The Needles, off the Isle of Wight. The Met Office said “phenomenal” sea conditions were also measured at several points offshore. Defined as waves of more than 14m (46ft), it is the highest level on the World Meteorological Scale. [BBC]

Thousands flock to ‘malware museum’ –
An online archive of old computer malware has attracted more than 100,000 visitors since it launched four days ago. Some of the software showed an animation or messages. Others invited the infected user to play a game. Many of the viruses were created by “happy hackers” rather than organised criminals, said cybersecurity expert and curator Mikko Hypponen. The malware all dates from the 1980s and 1990s. The versions online have all been stripped of their destructive capabilities, but show the messages they would have displayed within emulator windows. His personal favourite is a virus called Casino, which overwrote a crucial part of the computer’s file system but took a copy of personal files and then offered the user the opportunity to win them back in a game of Jackpot. “Casino was a real problem,” Mr Hypponen, who works at security firm F-Secure, told the BBC. “At the time the advice was, you lose nothing by playing. In the early 1990s very few people had back-ups so you had lost your files anyway.” [BBC]

Video of the Day –

The All-New 2016 Toyota Prius | The Longest Chase #GoPriusGo | Toyota

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February 9, 2016

Top News Stories –

‘Airbnb for sex’ – Entrepreneurs set up KinkBNB for lovers to book guiltless sexcapades –
People who own a Fifty Shades-esque red dungeon of pain, and want to find a use for it when they are on holiday, or who own a honeymoon-worthy castle could now find themselves a lucrative new source of income. KinkBNB is marketing itself as the sex-positive Airbnb – and tenants and renters alike know what they are getting into when they sign up for the site. The Airbnb-style homesharing website now lets lovers book sex-focused getaways without stressing about waking up the next door neighbours or being landed with a hefty damages charge. Its layout is similar to the traditional homesharing site – listing amenities such as washing machines, gardens and swimming pools.
Kink BnB logo

Google boss becomes highest-paid in US –
The chief executive of Google, Sundar Pichai, has been awarded $199m (£138m) in shares, a regulatory filing has revealed. It makes him the highest-paid chief executive in the US.
Mr Pichai became chief executive of the search engine giant following the creation of its parent, Alphabet. The founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have amassed fortunes of $34.6bn and $33.9bn, according to Forbes. Mr Pichai, 43, was awarded 273,328 Alphabet shares on 3 February, worth a total of $199m, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The new award of shares takes Mr Pichai’s total stock value to approximately $650m. [BBC]
Sundar_PichaiSundar Pichai

Video of the Day –

Tongue in a Mouse Trap – The Slow Mo Guys –

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1 #TercaSemTedioClubeSDV #NationalPizzaDay #PancakeDay
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February 10, 2016

Top News Stories –

Gymnast Sophina DeJesus’s hip-hop routine wows the internet –
Video of an American student gymnast has gone viral after she threw in some hip-hop moves during a university competition. Sophina DeJesus’s floor routine has been watched millions of times online. The UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, undergraduate told Pac-12 Sports Report she had “no clue” it would get such a big reaction. “I wanted to think of something to end my senior year with a bang,” she said. Sophina was awarded 9.925 for her routine, despite the crowds cheering for the judges to give her a perfect 10. [BBC Newsbeat] See Video of the Day
Sophina DeJesus NY Times tweetSophina DeJesus NY Times tweet

Video of the Day –

Sophina DeJesus UCLA Floor 2016 vs Utah 9.925

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1 #QuartaCinzaDetremuraSdv #JustinBieberBRITs #ImGoingTheVampsNOTTINGHAM
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February 11, 2016

Top News Stories –

Einstein’s gravitational waves found at last –
One hundred years after Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, scientists have finally spotted these elusive ripples in space-time. In a highly anticipated announcement, physicists with the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) revealed on 11 February that their twin detectors have heard the gravitational ‘ringing’ produced by the collision of two black holes about 400 megaparsecs (1.3 billion light-years) from Earth.“Ladies and gentlemen, we have detected gravitational waves,” David Reitze, the executive director of the LIGO Laboratory, said at a Washington DC press conference. “We did it!” One black hole was about 36 times the mass of the Sun, and the other was about 29 solar masses. As they spiralled inexorably into one another, they merged into a single, more-massive gravitational sink in space-time that weighed 62 solar masses, the LIGO team estimates. [Nature] See Video of the Day
Nature tweet

Star Wars prosecuted over Harrison Ford injury –
The production company behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens is being prosecuted over the incident in which Harrison Ford broke his leg. The actor was struck by a hydraulic metal door on the Pinewood set of the Millennium Falcon in June 2014. The Health And Safety Executive has brought four criminal charges against Foodles Production (UK) Ltd – a subsidiary of Disney. Foodles Production said it was “disappointed” by the HSE’s decision. Following the incident, Ford was airlifted to hospital for surgery. [BBC] Harrison Ford received more than £23 million for his role in the new Star Wars blockbuster and last year crashed his light aircraft for a third time.
Harrison-Ford Harrison Ford

Video of the Day –

LIGO Gravitational Wave Chirp

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February 12, 2016

Top News Stories –

Sir Richard Branson ‘attacked’ by stingray and door on holiday –
Sir Richard Branson had a holiday to remember, for all the wrong reasons, after he was injured by a stingray and then a bullet-proof glass door. The Virgin billionaire said he had been “in the wars” in the Cayman Islands, admitting his holiday “didn’t quite go to plan”. “We were surrounded by stingray, as well as stunning coral reefs and tropical fish,” he wrote in a blog post. “But the rays were feeding all around, and they mistook yours truly for their food. Suddenly I felt a painful sensation on my wrist – they have one heck of a painful kiss! Rays are actually part of the shark family, so I’ve now been kissed by a shark. Getting stung by a ray is meant to bring seven years good luck but it didn’t bring much for Branson who then had an unfortunate run-in with a glass door. “As my anniversary was coming up, I popped into a local jewellery shop to look for a gift for Joan [his wife]. I strolled purposefully into the shop, not noticing there was a glass door in my way. Crash!” he explained. “I hit the glass head first and I got this painful cut above my left eye. It was bullet-proof glass! We quickly set up a makeshift operating theatre, where I was given three stitches. [Daily Telegraph]
Richard Branson tweetRichard Branson tweet

Indonesia wants gay-themed emojis removed –

Indonesia wants social networking sites to remove any emojis representing same-sex couples, it’s reported. One popular messaging app, Line, has already dropped all LGBT-themed emojis, after saying it had received complaints from users. Now the Indonesian government is asking major players like Facebook and WhatsApp to follow suit and remove the icons for users within the country, the Republika newspaper reports. “No social media may show items that smack of LGBT. Because we have our own rules, like religious values and norms, which they must respect,” information ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu is quoted as saying. Homosexuality is legal in Indonesia, but prevailing conservative attitudes in the Muslim-majority country make open discussion of sexuality controversial. Mr Cawidu did not specify what would happen if companies refused to remove the emojis. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

The Speed of Life

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  • 2016 Taiwan earthquake
    • The death toll from the earthquake rises to 94 with 550 people injured, and at least 30 more missing and believed buried in the apartment complex rubble in Tainan. (CNN)
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February 13, 2016

Top News Stories –

Bill Murray hurled fans phones of a rooftop –
Bill Murray is accused of going all Naomi Campbell on some fans who tried to take his photo in the tranquil seaside town of Carmel, CA … and now cops are investigating. Bill was hanging out at the Vesuvio rooftop lounge, a popular watering hole for celebs playing in the annual Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tourney. It’s going on now, and Bill is playing. The owner of the restaurant, Scott Pepe, tells us Bill wasn’t drinking … he just got really pissed when a few patrons got starstruck and took his pic. The fans were pretty obvious, with flashes going off only 10 feet away from Bill, according to Scott. He says Bill got so angry he got up and chucked their phones off the 2nd story rooftop. Police spoke to the star of Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day but decided not to press charges. Instead, the owners of the phones were happy to be compensated. [TMZ]
Bill_Murray_by_Gage_SkidmoreBill Murray

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/12/bill-murray-throws-phones-carmel-restaurant/#ixzz40F2rItkn
This painting is ‘too obscene’ for Facebook –
This image is of the painting Ice Cream which was created in 1964 by one of the world’s first pop artists, Evelyne Axell. It was uploaded last week by the Philadelphia Museum of Art however censors removed it shortly afterwards. The museum says Facebook told them it shows “excessive amounts of skin or suggestive content”. Far from obscene, experts at the museum described the painting as “challenging typical standards by showing women…and their playful characteristics”. [BBC Newsbeat]
Phila Museum of Art tweetPhila Museum of Art tweet

Video of the Day –

InFrame – Zun Lee from InFrame on Vimeo.

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February 14, 2016

Top News Stories –

Baftas 2016: The Revenant rules at Baftas –
Wilderness drama The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has dominated this year’s Baftas. It was named best film while DiCaprio won best actor and Alejandro G Inarritu best director. Apocalyptic action movie Mad Max: Fury Road took four awards: for make-up and hair, editing, costumes and production design. Brie Larson won the best leading actress award for her role as a kidnapped mother in Room. Director Lenny Abrahamson, who picked up the award on her behalf, called her “one of the best actors of her generation.” [BBC]
Leonardo_DiCaprioLeonardo_DiCaprio

Kanye West REALLY wants $1 billion from Mark Zuckerberg –
Kanye West has publicly asked Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1bn (£700m) into Kanye West ideas. He take his money, when he’s a need. Yeah, he’s a trifling friend indeed. In a series of tweets Kanye begs the co-founder of Facebook for help because he doesn’t have “enough resources” to create what he “really can”. It comes after he claimed to have a personal debt of $53m (£36m). Yes, that’s FIFTY THREE MILLION DOLLARS. It’s all because Kanye thinks he can make the world a better place. He also thinks tech companies in San Francisco should donate money to him rather than African school children. [BBC Newsbeat]
Kanye West begging tweet 1

Kanye West begging tweetKanye West begging tweets

Video of the Day –

Simon’s Cat Logic – Love

List of the Day –

Winners of the BAFTA Film Awards 2016

Best film

Winner: The Revenant

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Carol

Spotlight

 

Outstanding British film

Winner: Brooklyn

45 Years

Amy

The Danish Girl

Ex Machina

The Lobster

 

Actor

Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant

Bryan Cranston – Trumbo

Matt Damon – The Martian

Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl

 

Actress

Winner: Brie Larson – Room

Cate Blanchett – Carol

Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn

Maggie Smith – The Lady in the Van

Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl

 

Supporting actor

Winner: Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies

Christian Bale – The Big Short

Benicio del Toro – Sicario

Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation

Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight

 

Supporting actress

Winner: Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs

Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara – Carol

Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina

Julie Walters – Brooklyn

 

Director

Winner: Alejandro G Inarritu – The Revenant

Todd Haynes – Carol

Adam McKay – The Big Short

Ridley Scott – The Martian

Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies

 

Adapted screenplay

Winner: The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

Room

Steve Jobs

 

Original screenplay

Winner: Spotlight

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

The Hateful Eight

Inside Out

 

Animated film

Winner: Inside Out

Minions

Shaun the Sheep Movie

 

Documentary

Winner: Amy

Cartel Land

He Named Me Malala

Listen to Me Marlon

Sherpa

 

Foreign film

Winner: Wild Tales

The Assassin

Force Majeure

Theeb

Timbuktu

 

Cinematography

Winner: The Revenant

Bridge of Spies

Carol

Mad Max: Fury Road

Sicario

 

Costume design

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Brooklyn

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

 

Editing

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

The Martian

The Revenant

 

Make-up and hair

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Brooklyn

Carol

The Danish Girl

The Revenant

 

Music

Winner: The Hateful Eight

Bridge of Spies

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

Production design

Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road

Bridge of Spies

Carol

The Martian

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

Sound

Winner: The Revenant

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

Special effects

Winner: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Ant-Man

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

 

British short animation

Winner: Edmond

Manoman

Prologue

 

British short film

Winner: Operator

Elephant

Mining Poems or Odes

Over

Samuel-613

 

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

Winner: Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director) & Rupert Lloyd (producer) – Theeb

Alex Garland (director) – Ex Machina

Debbie Tucker Green (writer/director) – Second Coming

Sean McAllister (director/producer) & Elhum Shakerifar (producer) – A Syrian Love Story

Stephen Fingleton (writer/director) – The Survivalist

 

Rising Star award

Winner: John Boyega

Taron Egerton

Dakota Johnson

Brie Larson

Bel Powley

 

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