WonderCon programming is go

The programming slate for WonderCon, being held March 16-18, has been announced:FridaySaturdaySunday
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[Source: The Beat]

Timeline: Ventress Collectibles

With Asajj Ventress returning to The Clone Wars tonight, we thought we’d dust off and update this collectibles story from last year about the galaxy’s deadliest (and sultriest) Sith assassin…With Ventress’s first televised appearance taking place on November 14, 2003 during an episode of the original Clone Wars animated micro-series, the character’s look and story [...]
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[Source: The Official Star Wars Blog]

Smash Spoilers: What’s Coming Next

Official descriptions for the "Let's Be Bad" and "Chemistry" episodes of NBC's Smash
Read More...
[Source: KSiteTV]

The Strategy Of Being Needed

I spent last week in snow-plow position, trailing my 4-year-old daughter down ski slopes. On the lift rides up, while singing songs with mispronounced words (Frosty the Snowman has a “bucky” nose, by the way, instead of a button), my thoughts drifted to a struggle that occupies me today. I am negotiating a series of license agreements for my “Outthink the Competition” IP and I want to make sure I don’t get taken for a ride.

I bet you have faced a similar challenge. You’ve created something and you want to get it out into the world, but you also want to make money from it. How can you avoid following the path of countless artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs who have enriched our lives but failed to enrich themselves in the process?

In the mid-1600s, Balthasar Gracian, Spain’s answer to Niccolo Machiavelli, pointed to this fundamental strategic question when he wrote, “The wise man would rather see men needing him than thanking him...He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well, and the orange once sucked falls from the golden platter into the waste-basket.” 

If we study history’s most successful companies, we find their success often rests on the fact that they played their hands well; they were loved AND needed, but rarely just loved. At a time when everyone was either building computers or software, Microsoft offered an operating system that allowed the two to communicate with each other. At a time when the tech gurus thought search was a commoditized, low-margin business, Google helped them out by convincing Yahoo and AltaVista to outsource the search business to them.

This week a good friend of mine, Vik Venkatraman, is launching a company that could end up on the right side of the “loved v. needed” equation. On its surface, Clothes Horse looks like a simple solution. You want to buy a piece of clothing but are not sure what size to buy. Every brand adopts slightly different norms. For example, you may wear a medium in Tommy Hilfiger and a ...

[Source: Fast Company]

Bill Gates’ Statement on Spain’s International Aid Commitment

Spain’s announcement that it will resume vital foreign aid contributions is an act of political leadership and real solidarity with the world’s poor, Bill Gates said today.
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[Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]

Comic Book Bites: David Morrissey cast in The Walking Dead, William Fichtner joins The Lone Ranger

CABLE network AMC has confirmed reports that David Morrissey (above) is to play the Governor in the third season of The Walking Dead.

It's Morrissey's American TV debut and will see him join fellow British actor Andrew Lincoln, who recently spoke about how he has adapted to the demands of life in the USA and maintaining a convincing accent. Morrissey's previous appearances include The Reaping, Basic Instinct 2, Centurion and Doctor Who.

The Governor is a twisted antagonist who serves as the leader of a small settlement called Woodbury and his inclusion is a big hint that the zombie show is moving at a faster pace than the comic book on which it's based. AMC also revealed that the next season is to have an extended run of 16 episodes.

There's also casting news from Disney, with William Fichtner (right) riding onto the set of The Lone Ranger to play the new bad guy, after country singer and actor Dwight Yoakam stepped down over 'scheduling issues.'

He will play Butch Cavendish, the central adversary of Armie Hammer's title character and Johnny Depp's Tonto. Fichtner's credits include Armagaddon, Black Hawk Down and as a bank manager in The Dark Knight, as well as the TV shows Invasion and Prison Break.

Giving direction is Pirates of the Caribbean's Gore Verbinski, with the retelling set for release on May 31, 2013, in the US and UK.

Read More...
[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Politics, Religion and the Tea Party

As the race for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2012 elections heats up, Fault Lines follows the Iowa campaign trail to investigate the underlying forces shaping candidates.What role does religion play in the US presidential elections? With the 2012 campaign season in full swing, Republicans are

Watch now...

[Source: Top Documentary Films]

Once Upon A Time Episode 15 “Red Handed” Images – Spoilers!

Images from the March 11 episode of Once Upon A Time, titled Red Handed
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[Source: KSiteTV]

Livestrong Sporting Park Creates Games Within The Game For Sports Fans

MLS club Sporting Kansas City knows not every one of its matches will be an instant classic. That doesn't mean it can't still keep fans entertained.

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Just a few years ago, Asim Pasha was a top executive at a medical technology firm. Today, his office is a skybox. As the chief information officer for Sporting Kansas City, he sits amid a cluster of computer terminals watching the action unfold in Livestrong Sporting Park. But he's not looking at the field. To help fans connect in real time, Pasha has created games within the game: a series of mobile apps and social-networking options that boost team spirit--and drive more ticket and merch sales.

"It's all about making sure a fan has an enjoyable experience, regardless of what happens in the game," explains Joe Favorito, a sports-marketing consultant and professor at Columbia University. Do that and fans will...

[Source: Fast Company]

Documentary - Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012 - Trailer

Exclusive feature-length presentation showcasing this year's Oscar Award nominees for Best Documentary Short Film - The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the CivilRights Movement, Saving Face, and Incident in New Baghdad.
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[Source: Latest Movie Trailers]

Fire leaves Costa cruise ship adrift, coast guard says

A cruise ship of the Costa Cruises line is adrift off the coast of the Seychelles after a fire in its engine room, the Italian coast guard said Monday.

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[Source: CNN.com - Travel]

Fast Talk: How This "Sneakerhead" Built A Major Online Magazine

Meet Kevin Ma, whose website Hypebeast began as a sneaker blog, but now gets up to 3 million visitors per month.

Kevin Ma is the founder and editor of Hypebeast, an online magazine covering fashion, culture, design, and many other topics. Ma runs the site with his staff out of their Hong Kong office, and his stamp of approval (read: a feature on Hypebeast) can help make or break an underground or indie brand trying to catch the attention of influencers or even savvy mainstream consumers. Fast Company spoke with Ma to learn the proper usage of the words "sneakerhead," "deadstock," and "hypebeast."

What is Hypebeast?

It’s a site I created in 2005. It just started off as a blog. There was a big sneaker culture going on worldwide. A lot of people were collecting sneakers, limited edition sneakers. People were actually lining up, and in New York at a store called Staple there were riots by kids who wanted to buy sneakers. I was a sneakerhead myself, lining up to pick out the latest limited edition shoe. I started the site talking just about sneakers. Eventually I started talking about different subjects, all connected to the sneaker world, like hip-hop, streetwear, fashion, skateboarding. Now we’re discussing more aspects of culture, including arts, high fashion, and design.

And what is a "hypebeast"?

“Hypebeast” is a term commonly used amongst our culture. People call [someone] a hypebeast if he’s interested in certain topics in this culture: sneakers, fashion, arts, music.

This is a term used in Hong Kong?

No one uses it in Hong Kong. It’s a U.S. thing.

I guess I don’t get out enough.

If you go to areas like SoHo....

I live in New York, and you live in Hong Kong, but you know New York slang better than I do.

It’s just a very niche culture...

Teach me how to use the word “hypebeast.”

In the very beginning, kids on these message boards would say, “You’re such a hypebeast,” and it meant you would buy into the hype without thinking what the product was about. It was kind of a negative ...

[Source: Fast Company]

Pray for Japan - Trailer

On March 11, 2011, Japan's Tohoku coastal region was destroyed by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami that followed. PRAY FOR JAPAN takes place in the devastated region of Ishinomaki, Miyagi - the largest coastal city in Tohoku with a population of over 160,000 people. Filmmaker Stu Levy - an American living in Japan - filmed the tsunami aftermath during his trips to Tohoku as a volunteer and over a period of 6 weeks, captured over 50 hours of footage. PRAY FOR JAPAN focuses on four key perspectives of the tragedy - School, Shelter, Family, and Volunteers. With each perspective we meet victims who faced significant obstacles and fought to overcome them. Through these four vantage points, the audience is able to understand the vast ramifications of this large-scale natural disaster - and the battle these real-life heroes fought on behalf of their loved ones and their hometown.
Read More...
[Source: Latest Movie Trailers]

The Right to Roam

Unwanted, marginalised, defiant – the Roma people have become the target of governments across Europe. In France and Italy they have been thrown out in their thousands – accused of illegally overstaying their welcome and blamed for increases in crime. They say that in their countries of

Watch now...

[Source: Top Documentary Films]

The FP - Trailer

In a dystopian future, a relentless turf war rages. Two rival gangs feud for control of rural wasteland Frazier Park ('The FP') in the deadly arena of competitive dance-fight video game "Beat-Beat Revelation." After hometown hero BTRO is slain on the dance platform by thug leader L Dubba E, his protege younger brother JTRO (Jason Trost) goes into isolation, vowing never to duel again. One year later, The FP is in ruins, and JTRO must find the courage to return and restore order in a ruthless battle for revenge that can only leave one man dancing. From the producers of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and featuring narration by James Remar (THE WARRIORS), THE FP is a fury of fierce footwork, triumphant montages and neon street wear that Moviefone calls "a rare ready-made cult hit."
Read More...
[Source: Latest Movie Trailers]

Cancer sequencing project identifies potential approaches to combat aggressive leukemia

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project discovers genetic connection linking two cancers that is likely to expand treatments for patients who currently have poor prognoses. (Dr. Charles Mullighan)
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[Source: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Latest News]

Webcam Glam: 3 Easy Tricks To Look Polished On Video Chats

More than 300 billion total calling minutes take place annually on Skype; 50% of those calls are video conversations. Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer revealed this stat at CES last month while discussing the Internet software's ongoing success internationally.

While the technology continues to improve, users are slow to learn how to make video calls look good. While not all of us have Oprah's Skype Guest Kit, which reportedly includes a state-of-the art laptop, desk-sized tripod, and prepaid return shipping label, there are some simple things the average business person can do to take online video chats to the next level.

Buying a USB-powered microphone is an obvious first step (along with using an Ethernet connection versus Wi-Fi) to increase your computer conversation quality, but it's time to think beyond that. With many employers relying on video chat software to keep employees connected, individuals using webcams to produce expert how-to videos, and television broadcasters depending on this technology to beam guests in from all over the world, it's no longer just good enough to be happy that your connection works.

Here are three simple tips (along with some convincing before and afters to seal the deal) to improve your webcam video picture.

1.  Look up, not down.  I can't tell you how many people we interview for Fast Company's Work Flow series who are staring directly down at their web camera, nose hairs and all. In other words, no matter how technical they are, most webcam users forget that your eye line matters. If you're looking down at your camera, the person you're calling is looking up at you. In other words, it's not an attractive view. Set your computer (if you're on a laptop) on a few books so that you're looking slightly up at the web camera. Not only will this tip make your image look better--and slim down that double ...

[Source: Fast Company]

Fox Changes Plans & Moves Touch, House & Bones On The Schedule

Bones is moving to Mondays, House ends in May, and other changes have been planned by FOX for this Spring
Read More...
[Source: KSiteTV]

Future comics? Valiant unveils first talking comic book cover

Well, looks like this Valiant relaunch is going to go places we've never gone before. The first issue of X-O Manowar will have a QR Voice Variant -- "the world's first QR code-augmented, talking comic book cover!" Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic supplies the art. On Wednesday, a preview poster will be shipped to local comic shops so you can preview the technology, which involves a QR code, a smart phone and a steady hand.
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[Source: The Beat]

How I Became an Elephant - Trailer

How I Became an Elephant is one girl's journey to inspire a movement. When Juliette West set out on a quest to educate herself she got far more than she bargained for. Now she is angry. Her anger is driven by love; love for all that is natural and free. How I Became an Elephant follows this innocent fourteen year-old girl from suburban California on her quest to save the world's largest land mammals; a quest that takes her halfway across the globe and face to face with the giants she aims to save.
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[Source: Latest Movie Trailers]

Marvel teams with Fetch for pet geek garb

As cat people, we're not really sold on on the whole "dress your pets" humiliation tool, however for those who like to dress their doggie, Marvel and Fetch are introducing a line of Marvel-themed pet attire called cool pets. The line of toys, apparel and accessories will be available at your local PetSmart.
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[Source: The Beat]

Hawaii for beach haters

If you're a beach hater, don't dismiss Hawaii just yet: there's plenty to do on the islands where you'll never have to step foot on sand.

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[Source: CNN.com - Travel]

Robin actor Burt Ward from Batman TV series gets his own comic

BURT WARD, who played Batman's sidekick Robin in the 60s TV series and its spin-off movie, is returning to the comics world that spawned his iconic Boy Wonder.

Ward, now aged 66, will appear in a new miniseries from Bluewater Productions that "showcases his superhero legacy and his post-acting passion for pet rescue."

The project is a spin-off from his former co-star's own comic book, The Mis-Adventures of Adam West.

Burt Ward, Boy Wonder will appear first as a free issue during Free Comic Book Day this May and then as a full four-issue mini-series in summer. It's described as "a campy take on Ward's fictional post-Batman life."

The premise follows the actor as he returns to superhero status, this time with his own canine sidekicks as they travel though time fighting villains.

Ward said: "I am excited about working with Bluewater Productions to create a comic book based upon my crimefighting adventures as Robin, the Boy Wonder.

"I am even more excited about incorporating my superhero adventures with my amazing rescued Gentle Giant and Little Giant canine kids who are also dedicated to fighting heinous villains."

Written by Emmy-nominated filmmaker and humour writer Darren Garnick, Burt Ward, Boy Wonder aims to capture the carefree spirit of the old Saturday morning cartoons as well as the kitschy humour of the 1960s Batman series.

Garnick said: "There's certainly room under the Comics Big Tent for everyone, but I see no need for infusing depressing, angst-filled themes into superhero stories - which seems to be the case with many contemporary incarnations of the characters.

"I embrace the BAM! and POW! of a good old-fashioned choreographed fist-fight over a terrorist car bomb."

As well as the Adam West title, Bluewater publishes The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar, a miniseries featuring the actress who played Catwoman in the first two seasons of the 60s show. (Eartha Kitt stepped in for the third and final season and Lee Meriwethe...

Read More...
[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Hop to it for leap year travel deals

An extra day once every four years doesn't really give travelers much more time to play, but it's an excuse for the hospitality industry to create special Leap Year travel offers. (Each year is actually 365 days plus about 6 hours. An additional day is added to the calendar every four years to keep the calendar in sync with the seasonal year.)

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[Source: CNN.com - Travel]

3 out of 7 presidential candidates say they'd let zombies vote

3 out of 7 presidential candidates say they'd let zombies vote
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[Source: Blastr Atom Feed]

"I just want things to work properly"

That's a direct quote from British industrial designer James Dyson, the inventor of those really cool vacuum cleaners with the ball and no bags.

I have to give a shout out to James for starting the James Dyson Foundation and for his dedication to supporting student education in design and engineering. The foundation website is full of valuable resources. Photo of James Dyson courtesy of Dyson Company

...

Read Full Post

[Source: About.com]

Webcam Glam: 3 Easy Ways To Look Polished On Video Chats

More than 300 billion total calling minutes take place annually on Skype; 50% of those calls are video conversations. Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer revealed this stat at CES last month while discussing the Internet software's ongoing success internationally.

While the technology continues to improve, users are slow to learn how to make video calls look good. While not all of us have Oprah's Skype Guest Kit, which reportedly includes a state-of-the art laptop, desk-sized tripod, and prepaid return shipping label, there are some simple things the average business person can do to take online video chats to the next level.

Buying a USB-powered microphone is an obvious first step (along with using an Ethernet connection versus Wi-Fi) to increase your computer conversation quality, but it's time to think beyond that. With many employers relying on video chat software to keep employees connected, individuals using webcams to produce expert how-to videos, and television broadcasters depending on this technology to beam guests in from all over the world, it's no longer just good enough to be happy that your connection works.

Here are three simple tips (along with some convincing before and afters to seal the deal) to improve your webcam video picture.

1.  Look up, not down.  I can't tell you how many people we interview for Fast Company's Work Flow series who are staring directly down at their web camera, nose hairs and all. In other words, no matter how technical they are, most webcam users forget that your eye line matters. If you're looking down at your camera, the person you're calling is looking up at you. In other words, it's not an attractive view. Set your computer (if you're on a laptop) on a few books so that you're looking slightly up at the web camera. Not only will this tip make your image look better--and slim down that double ...

[Source: Fast Company]

X-Men Magneto star Michael Fassbender on his 'crazy' rise to fame and the fuss over his nudity in Shame

ALTHOUGH not among the nominations for tonight's Oscars, Michael Fassbender says he is determined to enjoy every moment of his success and has described his rise to fame as "crazy."

Over the past couple of years, the Irish-German actor has showed a fondness for dynamic but complicated characters from Lt Archie Hicox in Inglourious Basterds, to Magneto in X-Men: First Class and Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre.

And 2012 is proving no different. Following Steve McQueen's sex addiction drama Shame, Fassbender appeared in Steven Soderbergh's espionage thriller Haywire, and then David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, in which he plays Carl Jung opposite Viggo Mortensen's Sigmund Freud.

Beyond that, he'll star in Ridley Scott's Alien-inspired Prometheus before reuniting with McQueen for a third time on Twelve Years A Slave, alongside Brad Pitt. And then there's another X-Men adventure in the pipeline along with a film featuring Irish mythological hero Cuchulainn.

Fassbender says he feels he's finally having a 'moment' and is determined to enjoy it, while ensuring it's not fleeting.

"I don't want to spend too much time thinking about the things I've done, or linger in the past. I can find that depressing," he said. "The main thing is thinking about what I can do next and making sure I do a good job."

He adds: "This whole experience is crazy. When I decided this was what I wanted to do, this was the situation I dreamed about being in. It's nuts."

The 34-year-old is certainly putting his heart into it. A staunch supporter of method acting, Michael Fassbender dropped to just nine stone to play Bobby Sands in the 2008 biopic of the IRA terrorist's hunger strike.

The film, Hunger, was feted at festivals across the world and placed Fassbender firmly on the map. But while he endured physical extremes for that movie, the 34-year-old reveals that Shame was mentally distressing.

"I had to lose weight for Hunger, but I had a timetable to stick to. So it was...

Read More...
[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Darling! The Pieter-Dirk Uys Story

Controversial South African political satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys allows writer/director Julian Shaw into his previously off-limits inner world. The result is a startling document of Pieter’s work educating school children about their country’s greatest threat, HIV/AIDS, and an unforgettable portrait of the power of individual will. Entertainer, female

Watch now...

[Source: Top Documentary Films]

Animation - Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012 - Trailer

Exclusive feature-length presentation showcasing this year's Oscar Award nominees for Best Animated Short Film - Dimanche/Sunday, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, A Morning Stroll, and Wild Life. Includes Bonus Animated Shorts: Amazonia, The HybridUnion, Nullarbor, and Skylight.
Read More...
[Source: Latest Movie Trailers]

The Strategy Of Being Needed

I spent last week in snow-plow position, trailing my 4-year-old daughter down ski slopes. On the lift rides up, while singing songs with mispronounced words (Frosty the Snowman has a “bucky” nose, by the way, instead of a button), my thoughts drifted to a struggle that occupies me today. I am negotiating a series of license agreements for my “Outthink the Competition” IP and I want to make sure I don’t get taken for a ride.

I bet you have faced a similar challenge. You’ve created something and you want to get it out into the world, but you also want to make money from it. How can you avoid following the path of countless artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs who have enriched our lives but failed to enrich themselves in the process?

In the mid-1600s, Balthasar Gracian, Spain’s answer to Niccolo Machiavelli, pointed to this fundamental strategic question when he wrote, “The wise man would rather see men needing him than thanking him...He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well, and the orange once sucked falls from the golden platter into the waste-basket.” 

If we study history’s most successful companies, we find their success often rests on the fact that they played their hands well; they were loved AND needed, but rarely just loved. At a time when everyone was either building computers or software, Microsoft offered an operating system that allowed the two to communicate with each other. At a time when the tech gurus thought search was a commoditized, low-margin business, Google helped them out by convincing Yahoo and AltaVista to outsource the search business to them.

This week a good friend of mine, Vik Venkatraman, is launching a company that could end up on the right side of the “loved v. needed” equation. On its surface, Clothes Horse looks like a simple solution. You want to buy a piece of clothing but are not sure what size to buy. Every brand adopts slightly different norms. For example, you may wear a medium in Tommy Hilfiger and a ...

[Source: Fast Company]

Doctor Who filming starts, new picture shows Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in last series together

FILMING is now under way in Cardiff for the seventh series of Doctor Who, which will see the dramatic exits of companions Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (played by Arthur Darvill)

The trio were pictured on set in front of the TARDIS as work began in Cardiff on their last series together.

You can check out the picture in its entirety below. Click on either the teaser image above or the full image below to open up a larger view.

Smith said: "It's thrilling and exciting to be back and working with two of my closest friends."

Gillan added: "It's just brilliant to be back on the TARDIS with Matt and Arthur for our craziest adventures yet."

Rory and Amy have been with the BBC1 show since Smith took over as the 11th Doctor in 2010.

The BBC said their final storyline together - part of a 14-episode series - would be a "rollercoaster voyage".

Showrunner Steven Moffatt promised a "heartbreaking" departure for Amy and Rory, with Gillan saying she wants the character to "go on a high" and "get what she wants".

She added that she wants to make it a final farewell without coming back for any cameo appearances in future.

Guest stars for the forthcoming episodes - which will see new foes and old villains returning - include David Bradley, Rupert Graves and Mark Williams.

The new series will air in the autumn.

Read More...
[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Africa’s Emerging Seed Industry Gets $56 Million Boost to Increase Food Crops

NAIROBI, Kenya -- The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) received today $56 million in funding from the foundation to help more smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa increase productivity and address poverty and hunger.
Read More...
[Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]

Jason Statham takes on the criminal underworld in UK trailer for Safe

KNOWN for his adrenaline-fuelled (and in some cases electrically charged) performances in such films as Transporter, Crank, Death Race, The Mechanic and The Expendables, action-man Jason Stathan leaps into his next role in the upcoming crime thriller Safe.

A new trailer for the film has been sent to us and is embedded below, as well as being in the video channel on the right of the page.

Statham stars as ex-Government agent Luke Wright who, over the course of one harrowing night, tears a swathe through New York City's corrupt underworld in order to save a young girl's life and redeem his own.

Lionsgate promises it's "packed with spectacular action sequences and bone-crunching fights", and seeing as it stars Statham, we're inclined to believe that description.

Producers include Lawrence Bender, who was previously involved with Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds.

It's written and directed by Boaz Yakin, whose previous work includes the 2008 war drama Death in Love. Yakin was a producer on Hostel and Hostel: Part II, a screenwriter on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and is a writer and producer on upcoming magician heist thriller Now You See Me.

Interestingly, Boaz was once in line to direct a Batman Beyond film that never went ahead. It evolved into Batman: Year One and was then set to be directed by Darren Aronofsky, before that in turn was abandoned. Christopher Nolan came on board and the concept became Batman Begins, the first film in his Dark Knight saga.

Safe explodes into UK cinemas on May 4.

Read More...
[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Project 10:10:10 – Pill or Perception?

This is a balanced and thought-provoking documentary about the connection between the mind and body, and how we can take a much more direct approach to managing our health and our world generally. It begins with the premise that we have more power over our lives than

Watch now...

[Source: Top Documentary Films]

Fast Talk: How Truthy Maps Influence On Twitter

Meet Fil Menczer, the Twitterologist behind the political meme-analyzing site, Truthy. Yes, the name was inspired by Stephen Colbert.

Fil Menczer has quite a title. He is “a Professor of Informatics and Computer Science and the Director of the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research at the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing.” For our purposes, though, he’s a leading Twitterologist, as the creator of the Stephen Colbert-inspired Truthy, a site that tracks how memes--often, specious political memes--spread on Twitter. Fast Company caught up with Menczer on the occasion of an update of the Truthy site, which is now more user-friendly.

FAST COMPANY: What was Truthy originally?

FIL MENCZER: Truthy was born mainly to look at “astroturfing,” or the abuse of social media to give the impression that there is a grassroots campaign where in fact there isn’t. After the 2010 elections were over, we used a lot of the data we collected to start asking questions about how information propagates in social media. Can we find regularities in these patterns? Can we understand the mechanisms that underlie these shapes?

And how has Truthy recently changed?

We got funded by a National Science Foundation grant to make Truthy into a public tool, something citizens can use. For example, reporters like yourself can access the data we have and really interact with the data to get a better handle on what we’re observing. We designed this in collaboration with the School of Journalism here.

So walk me through what we can learn about a given meme, say the hashtag #mitt2012.

We have access to a sample of Twitter’s data called the garden hose. It’s about a 5-8% sample, we think. When you search #mitt2012 on our site, you get data from our database regarding all the tweets that included that hashtag. For all those tweets, every one has a user that generated it. Then it may have been retweeted by some other users; when that happens, we connect those two nodes. Some nodes are sma...

[Source: Fast Company]