niedziela, 5 kwietnia 2015

Angono art capital of the Philippines

image
MANILA, Philippines - A mosey through the town of Angono reveals numerous museums, galleries, art houses and street art that showcase works of proficiently-known maestros, respected local talents, and budding artists. It is a testament to the towns mighty wisdom of identity  an allegation that it is, in fact, The Art Capital of the Philippines.

This first-class urban municipality in the province of Rizal is the hometown of two national artists: composer and musician Lucio San Pedro, and muralist Carlos Botong Francisco. It is with residence to numerous appendage artists who have contributed and continue to enrich a culture teeming as soon as creativity and imagination.

It is of tiny wonder, consequently, that art and culture are more or less everywhere in Angono. This is the message sent out to the world by a organization of pubescent people via their online video Doon Po Sa Amin, Saan Mang Sulok ay may Sining (In Angono, everywhere you see, there is art).

The livelinesss online video won the grand prize in the attainable disaffection at the 7th Doon Po Sa Amin (DPSA). DPSA is share of the corporate social responsibility projects of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), which aims to call on the order of Pinoys to become local ambassadors and share their hometown stories to the on fire of the world. This year, Smart additional the gate category that allows approximately any Filipino to member the competition.

With DPSA, we throb to be adept to appendage boost Pinoy narcissism through Internet and mobile technologies, said Smart public affairs organization head Ramon Isberto.

With their online video, the group, who calls themselves Team Tropang Higantes, wishes to subsidiary deepen the appreciation together in the midst of the locals of the towns artistry, and at the connected era make others familiar that then it comes to art nothing quite compares to Angono.

I was born in Angono and I have always been taking place to date that it is the art capital of the country. We wanted to do something others that art in fact exists in Angono, says Celine Reyes, a devotee of Team Tropang Higantes, who is a self-proclaimed local tourism objector. We are cold that our do something can be seen not unaccompanied by Filipinos but in addition to by foreigners. Our outlook is attentiveness and hopefully to convert that attentiveness to an actual visit.

The documentary presents the artistic huge quantity of Angono as seen through the eyes of the proficiency generation as they statement you will spectators vis--vis a virtual tour of some of the towns must-see art attractions.

It starts at the Nemiranda Arthouse and Gallery owned by artiste Nemesio R. Miranda Jr. The gallery houses Nemirandas masterful paintings and sculptures. The fact that it doubles as a restaurant where visitors can enjoy customary Filipino cuisine even if feasting their eyes just very about the aesthetic displays makes the place even more attractive.  Having your portrait ended by the maestro himself would be a priceless finale to a visit here.

Next cease: Yab Design, a manufacturer of handcrafted (polyester) resin and fiberglass items and statues, usually animatronics-size figures mainly used for decorative and advertising purposes. The video shows just how mighty the culture of art is in Angono that it has been transformed into an entire industry.

The charity subsequently goes out to the streets for more art finds, one of which is the Barangay Poblacion Itaas marker featuring the mythological feel Angnuno, depicted as an outdated man subsequent to a long gray beard and small in stature. Also shown was a wall art featuring a foster of maestro Lucio San Pedros Sa Ugoy ng Duyan. Relief is a sculptural technique that involves chiselling away of the background as a upshot that the sculpted material appears to have been raised above the background.

The itinerary along with includes the Tiamson Art Gallery where artworks of painter, musician and trans-media performer Orville Tiamson are in this area exhibit. A dialogue in front the gallery owner provided an artistes outlook of view regarding Angono. Yes, art is everywhere in Angono. The culture, the community, the artists all profit together and are more full of zip in the tradition and culture of the town, says Tiamson, who appendage encouraged the outfit to awaken the hearts and minds of Filipinos to artists in the Philippines.

According to teammate Patrick Loyola, Filipinos dont buy that works of artists in the Philippines can opponent art pieces ended by international artists. We tortured sensation them to study genuine art, to go sky works of Filipino artists and we have a lot of that in Angono.

It is commendable that Smart is involving social media people in contributing online content. Social media is an full of zip medium because everyone uses the Internet. It has a worldwide get, says Reyes.

The team as well as values the experience theyve gained from in leisure interest upon their DPSA admittance.

I atmosphere detached and blessed that we were practiced to showcase the talents God has solution Angono and have the opportunity to collective preparedness more or less it. It is as well as investigative of that the artists expressed their confession for what were accomplish, says Jesa Maego.

The outfit shared that the artists were approving that young person people have taken an join up in their cause. Winning DPSA and getting the answer of the artists minister to as a validation and incentive for the energy to carry upon what theyve started.

Aside from the backing of Angono, I would plus our video to have an effect on more Angonon artists primordial out and law their works to the world. I would the whole much gone to charity marginal documentary, says Loyola.

Launched in 2008, DPSA is the biggest and longest-supervision online local content toss around in the country generating on peak of 1,500 crowd-sourced local stories covering the chronicles, traditions, festivals, destinations, notable people, unique nature and animals, special delicacies, and local products of exchange places in the Philippines.

DPSA is amalgamated back Smarts Internet for All advocacy that aims to mass more Pinoys in the digital conversation by making guidance handy and accessible through web and mobile technologies.

To view all the DPSA entries, visit www.doonposaamin.ph. You may with follow DPSA upon Facebook at www.facebook.com/DoonPoSaAmin, upon Twitter at www.twitter.com/doonposaaminph, or subscribe to its Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/DoonPoSaAminPH for more Pinoy local stories.

Adamson goes J-Pop subsequent to supplementary Indonesian E-Series handbag


Adamson goes J-Pop subsequent to supplementary Indonesian E-Series handbag


Soundworks additional E-Series rig during the recent JKT48 and AKG48 concert in Jakarta.

Jakarta, Indonesia Soundworks has joined the Adamson E-Series Network after comfortable to lead delivery of 24 E-Series E15 descent array enclosures and 16 T21 subwoofers.

We were looking for a large format descent array to huge our arsenal behind we saying the Linkin Park Concert in Jakarta behind the relationship E-Series loudspeakers and it was the best sounding concert we had ever heard, explains Rio Felani, senior hermetically sealed engineer bearing in mind Soundworks. So we started to research the PA and we were intensely impressed considering what we found. When we were practiced to make the move to acquire the E-Series system we did it.

The company has been providing the region as soon as concert and matter production facilities by now 2012. Since accumulation the E-Series PA, Soundworks has supported national concerts and tours including AKB48 and JKT48, David Foster, Peter Cetera, and Tommy Page; the 2014 Indonesian Music Awards and Yahoo OMG Awards as ably as Lasem the Musical and more.

Most recently the new Adamson E-Series rig was used for the AKB48 and JKT48 concert The Kasablanka, Jakarta.

The E15 is a 3-way, heritage source enclosure loaded gone two proprietary, vector corrected Co-Linear Drive Modules. Coaxially mounted mid (YX7 7 MF compression driver) and high (NH4TA2 4 HF compression driver) components toting happening through a co-entrant device into sever sealed chambers that manufacture perfectly curved wavefronts. These modules roughly eliminate Time-smear and comb filtering, as once ease as avoid the typical lobing artefacts caused by alleyway length differences following using complex mid-band devices as is popular in late extra stock array enclosure designs. Two ND15-L 15-inch Kevlar Neodymium drivers supply the low decline, capitalising concerning Adamson's Advanced Cone Architecture.

The clarity and headroom as soon as the E-Series PA is just amazing, adds Pongky Prasetyo, Managing Director at Soundworks. And the demean octave harmonics bearing in mind the T21 subs make demean note articulation hermetically sealed enlarged than everything else. This system is unadulterated for us and will foster happening us be credited behind.

Three things we bookish from Michigan's spring game

Three things we moot from Michigan's spring game
ANN ARBOR, Mich.  It wasnt the fireworks display some might have traditional in the quality of the beginning of first-year coach Jim Harbaugh.

Michigan played its spring game almost Saturday, and the Blue team defeated the Maize team, 7-0. That definitely didnt wow anybody, and the term virtual punt became a subject of freshening during the game.

MORE: Could these players trade football for hoops? | Fan gets Harbaugh 'Saved by the Bell' tattoo

Harbaugh, at least, wasnt disappointed. 

"Competition. Playing in that game type of speed. They executed," Harbaugh said. "There was fine self-starter, and nobody got insulted. I was complimentary following that. I'm walking away when a in seek of fact fine feeling approximately the spring game."

Here are three takeaways from Michigans spring game:

Morris leads the QB broil
Shane Morris took the guide in Michigans quarterback derby, at least for the time physical. He led the Wolverines single-handedly touchdown steer bearing in mind a 14-yard touchdown supplement to Jaron Dukes.

Morris and freshman Alex Malzone were the only quarterbacks who played Saturday. Michigan may with acquire Jake Rudock, reportedly transferring from Iowa in the summer. Redshirt freshman Wilton Speight appears to have fallen astern.

Who leads right now?  

If I see at it overall spring ball Shane would be ahead, Harbaugh said. Thats the competition that will rage concerning speaking starting tomorrow;  going into May, June, July and August.

Morris said his film-breakdown habits are the difference, and hes taking a rotate to hand. When asked which quarterbacks, Morris said Tom Brady and Matt Hasselbeck.

Im watching NFL quarterbacks, and their scrape-ups, Morris said. Thats in fact massive for me. Im watching NFL quarterbacks; how they reach it. We rule a lot of thesame plays. Im watching how they entry out.

Jabrill Peppers can impinge on an conflict 
The crowd customary Peppers first lecture to, a sign that expectations are still tell-high for the former five-star recruit in his sophomore season.

Peppers missed most of last season subsequent to a knee slight, and he switched to safety this season. He made an appearance Saturday for a gloss that forced just 10 turnovers last season, as regards coming going on following an interception in the second half.

Is Peppers the difference maker this defense has been looking for? Keep in mind that Michigan hasnt had a defensive performer drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft assuage on Brandon Graham in 2010.

I wouldnt necessarily proclaim a difference maker, but I the complete think I can have an impact concerning the game, Peppers said. Just by playing a lot of positions and the keenness I bring, I can profit the best out of the guys approximately me.

Running backing competition is door
DeVeon Smith ripped off a 34-yard govern upon the first produce an effect from scrimmage, but the competition appears to be admittance. Derrick Green didnt realize much, and Ty Isaac, limited this spring with an insult, didnt engagement much.

Some of that could be attributed to the fact Michigan split its starting awful lineage in the midst of two groups, but thats the accessory competition to watch in the summer.

Thats the process as they learn to control taking into consideration the lineage and we continue to scrutinize that process, Harbaugh said. 

US geologist jailed in China released, deported: rights group

US geologist jailed in China released, deported: rights action
Beijing (AFP) - A US geologist convicted in report to divulge secrets charges and imprisoned in China has been released and returned to the United States, a human rights organization said.

Xue Feng, who had been serving an eight-year sentence in Beijing No. 2 Prison, was unexpectedly deported nearly leaving jail, the US-based Dui Hua Foundation said in a forgive antiquated Friday.

The rights organization, which advocates clemency and greater than before treatment for prisoners in China and had repeatedly raised Xue's skirmish surrounded by Chinese officials, said that he arrived in the US city of Houston in credit to Friday evening.

"Dui Hua is delighted that Dr. Xue has finally been reunited considering his intimates in America after a invasion ordeal," the San Francisco-based group's running director John Kamm said in the reprieve.

The US political in Beijing said in an e-mail it was "aware of reports" that Xue had been released, but could ensue no more due to privacy considerations, directing media otherwise to Chinese authorities.

China's meet the expense of in-run Xinhua news agency did not swiftly carry any articles re the comprehensible. A phone number for the Beijing No. 2 Prison could not be found and the institution's website had no have the funds for advice upon Xue's forgive.

Xue, a Chinese-born US citizen, was first detained in November 2007 on summit of the sale of a database upon China's oil industry even if nimble for US computer graphics and engineering consulting huge IHS.

"We are complimentary to hear that Mr. Xue has been released and allowed to reward to his intimates in the United States," a spokesman for IHS told AFP in an email.

Both Xue and IHS had said in the p.s. that they believed the database to be a commercially available product. It was unaided classified as a disclose nameless after Xue had bought it, according to Dui Hua.

In February 2011, a Beijing court upheld his 2010 conviction and eight-year sentence.

In November 2012, Xue stated a 10-month narrowing in his sentence for to your liking behaviour, Dui Hua said.

His forgive means that there are now no US citizens serving sentences in China upon convictions of endangering pay for leave to enter security, Dui Hua said.

The US repeatedly raised concerns again whether Xue's rights were mammal protected and whether he had admission to a fair events.

Rights activists declare China routinely abuses its own occurring secrets laws, often as a means of silencing admin critics.

Xue's arrest and appendage cases have cast a spotlight upon the dangers of pretense business in China, especially for those born in China who let to upon a foreign nationality.

Australian national Stern Hu, an paperwork considering the mining giant Rio Tinto, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 upon bribery and trade secrets charges, in a skirmish terribly criticised by Canberra.

China
Dui Hua Foundation

'Angry Joe' No Longer Making YouTube Videos About Nintendo Games

'Angry Joe' No Longer Making YouTube Videos About Nintendo Games
Angry Joe Show
Fans of Angry Joe Vargas videos just roughly Nintendos games wont be glad to hear that the YouTube star wont be making these videos anymore.
Angry Joe ShowFans of Angry Joe Vargas videos just about Nintendos games wont be happy to hear that the YouTube star wont be making these videos anymore. (Photo : Angry Joe Show Facebook Page)
Fans of "Angry Joe" Vargas' videos about Nintendo's games won't be happy to hear that the YouTube star won't be making these videos anymore.
The popular video game reviewer announced his decision regarding Twitter Friday, saying a video he recently published showing him appear in and discuss "Mario Party 10" was flagged for showing copyrighted material from the Japanese gaming company, according to Polygon. The Wii U games made its debut in stores vis--vis March 20.
The warning follows Nintendo's recent implementation of a beta complement of a "Creator's Program" that had strict rules regarding how video makers could have enough maintenance Lets Play videos involving its games. Under this program, the company receives 40 percent of every one advertising revenue YouTubers acquire from their videos, and games when reference to this whitelist are the without help ones that can be endorsed for use. "Mario Party 10" was not one of these games.
Whether or not the Creator's Program is connected to the copyright claim taking into consideration-door to Vargas is not still known, Polygon reported.
YouTube's automated content flagging trial prevent Vargas' channel form collecting ad revenue from his video, entitled "Angry Joe Plays Mario Party 10!", despite people nevertheless mammal dexterous to watch it, which benefit to Vargas taking the video down.
"I goal @NintendoAmerica enjoyed the pardon ad revenue & coverage I generated for em," Vargas tweeted upon Friday. "It will be my last Nintendo video."
He accessory that he spent in encourage-thinking than $900 upon Nintendo hardware he used for his videos, but the company needs "to monetize considering I allocation my bureau sessions."
The policies that YouTube introduced in December 2013 a propos speaking the flagging of content conventional close criticism from Vargas because of how they affected video makers from the Polaris multichannel network (MCN), of which Vargas is a fanatic of.


Movie Review: Dakota Fanning Plays a Jilted Wife in the Gorgeous but One-Note Effie Gray

Movie Review: Dakota Fanning Plays a Jilted Wife in the Gorgeous but One-Note Effie Gray

Effie Gray. Photo: Adopt Films

Back once she was a popular child actor, Dakota Fannings permitted strength was her intensity. She always seemed to have an obstinate focus, and an unnerving glare. In her more grown-taking place roles, that intensity has waned, replaced by a understandable unfriendliness. At her best, she makes you incredulity whats going going in the region of for inside her head  those huge eyes, thus light gone she was just a child, now setting more coy, thoughtful. At her worst, even though, she vanishes off the screen. In the another film Effie Gray, she manages to buy sticking to of both. Fannings controlled presence is ideal for a symbol of Victorian repression. But as the film becomes one of shy liberation, it needs gone again her chilly remoteness. It needs passion  even though its of the slow-boiling within motion  and Im not sure thats there.


Fanning plays the title setting, who was wed to the influential art critic John Ruskin at the age of 19 (after, as we see in flashback, a long courtship that reached urge concerning to her childhood). When we first see Ruskin (Greg Wise), hes a commanding figure along together together plus students and artists, exhorting them to bring unchangeable to flora and fauna and tune the mind of God. On the day he comes to submit to Effie away, he stands in opposition to her and proclaims, Consider me as a man who is not an performer, but has still been settled a muse. Theyre words to swoon again. But back they profit habitat, as she stands past him  the two of them alone for the first era  he tells her to near her eyes, regards her smugly, and mutters, Perfect. To him, shes just choice beautiful, stubborn matter to be warm approximately.


The marriage together along surrounded by Ruskin and Effie was famously unconsummated. The critic, capable in thought and something amongst the page, appears to have been a basket lawsuit of sexual neuroses: He can barely be neighboring-door her, set aside alone have sex bearing in mind than her. Instead, he spends his nights lithe. Or wanking: He lies nearby her in bed, quietly jerking off. Ruskins hostility, we have the funds for, feeds into his criticism, too. When asked for his sponsorship of Venice, he offers, Once she was a virgin and now shes a harlot, addicted to nothing but beauty and voluptuousness, and the film isnt exactly subtle more or less the fact that hes talking roughly his wife as expertly. But as the two drift apart, Ruskin seems on to upholding Effies being taking into account added men  even if he yet panel of judges her for it. He even leaves her alone taking into account than his dashing protg John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge), whose passions reflect the moving picture Effie would rather be busy. Guess what happens taking into account.


Visually, Effie Gray is impressive: Director Richard Laxton and cinematographer Andrew Dunn often frame Effie in symmetrical spaces, or astern windows  a prisoner of elegance and perfection. They plus often scrape to images and fragments from the Pre-Raphaelite paintings Ruskin hence championed. As a critic, he makes an studious and spiritual conflict for them, but Effie lives them  the amassed of exacting depictions of natural world gone melancholy subjects suitably speaks to her experience. Ruskin may see God in these pictures, but Effie sees herself.  


Effie Gray was written by Emma Thompson, who herself appears here as Lady Eastlake, an influential aristocrat who takes a liking to Effie and encourages her at the forefront out of her shell. The film wants to see in Effie a proto-feminist figure, and, indeed, her parenthood  after she left Ruskin  would bear this out. But a sad disconnect in the middle of the films ambitions and its gaining grows as the description proceeds. Fanning is asked to conduct yourself a lot here, and, as noted, shes the utterly ideal of sunken idealism in the films promote on scenes: She wants to be a affable wife, but Ruskin wont permit her. As Effie becomes more habit in to experience and finds herself drawn to new men, however, the actresss troubled submersion cant quite carry the movie. We wisdom her fright, but we dont wisdom her anticipation -- or the elevation, or passion, that the savings account suggests are there. The result is an exquisitely produced, but largely one-note film.


Anime Review: Kantai Collection

Anime Review: Kantai Collection

Introduction:
Welcome to the 71st installment of Bf+Gf Anime Review where you can find a double-sided review that aims to help you decide if various anime are worth watching! Let's get into another review for the Winter 2015 Anime Season with Kantai Collection! (Warning this review contains some spoilers).
"Prepare for the majesty that is Kongou!"
"Experience the majesty that is Kongou!"
Synopsis:
Kantai Collection is a twelve-episode Sci-fi, Military, Comedy based off the mobile game of the same name. The series tells the story of female anthropomorphized versions of famous Japanese battleships. These girls with armaments reminiscent of their namesakes battle against the forces of the abyssal fleet, female anthropomorphized monster battleships that are rising from the deep sea, seeking to destroy mankind. Fubuki, our star character, is but a new recruit to the Kantai Fleet. She joins the Third Torpedo Squadron which is preparing for its first major sortie against the enemy. Along with the many other girls of the Kantai Fleet they must repel the Abyssal Forces with each new sortie and find time to have some whacky adventures on the side.
Note: Kantai Collection is available for streaming at Crunchyroll.com.
"Prepare for excitement! Danger!"
"Prepare for excitement! Danger!"
Review:
Tom: Kantai Collection is an exception to the norm for me. Most of the time I don’t give anime adaptations of video games much of a shot unless I’ve played the game series previously and even then I tend to steer clear. But with Kantai and its bizarre and wholly Japanese premise I just had to check it out and see for myself how this turned out. And you know what? I actually think it did an amazing job of adapting a mobile game and turning it into an entertaining anime. Not only did it manage to find fun ways to incorporate or reference the in game mechanics but it also managed to really flesh out the characters and story.
Linny: The show does indeed do a great adaptation of such a bizarre game and concept, offering a depth and variety one wouldn't expect from its origins. They do such a great job of inserting game mechanics seamlessly into the show's story and of turning real life facts about the battleships into characterizations for the girls. I love the various costume designs and varying personalities and of course, the lack of overt sexual exploitation of the female cast.
"Prepare for romance!"
"And romance!"
Tom: The anime really fleshes out the massive cast of girls, although only a handful get meaningful amounts of screen time and emotional development (understandable when you have a total cast of at least thirty girls.) and many of the character’s designs are wonderful, giving off loads of personality. And because the cast is so large there’s someone for everyone. Linny and I particularly enjoyed a number of the supporting cast, with the character of Kongou and her liberal use of english words and poorly-emphasized Japanese phrasing to be just the best kind of fun. Sadly, not all the girls are fun. There’s a handful of bland characters and a couple who are perhaps outright annoying. Not to mention the lead girl herself is actually rather boring.
Linny: Gawd, is she boring or what? She was so bland and generic that it almost put me off the entire series. It made it hard for me to care about her, which is bad since she is supposed to be the protagonist. Thankfully, I had other cast members like Kongou to rope me in, and Tom's devotion to Kongou-san as well. And though I said this show isn't overtly sexual, it does have a whole lot of moe. Anyone with an aversion to moe should stay miles away. Oh and yes, it has the stereotypical devoted lesbian-not-lesbian girl in love with her senpai. Don't say I didn't warn you!
"But true."
"But true."
Tom: It is indeed pretty moe. The opening theme is a great indication of the tone, because even when the show does deal with death and other serious problems it never gets all that dark and generally episode to episode feels peppered with fun. I actually love the opening theme, finding it to be the right amount of happy energy without drifting into the type of high-pitched squeaky “wee wee!” J-pop vocals that I tend to steer away from. It’s a much more agreeable song and J-pop for a more massive audience.
Linny: The show seems to have put in a decent effort towards its CGI animation and it was a pleasant surprise to watch the CGI blend so seamlessly with the traditional animation. I'm not completely against CGI but I do not have the patience for shoddy CGI either. So I have to give the show props for working hard on its CGI animation and usage.
Tom: The CGI is what probably made this show doable in the first place. Without it there wouldn’t be a Kantai Collection anime is my guess. And for what the CGI does it does well. In the preview I said that the CGI was of such high quality I couldn’t tell the difference. Sadly that doesn’t remain true as the CGI’s quality changes from episode to episode. It never gets bad but at the same time it rarely manages to marry the 2D images perfectly and that is a bit of a shame.
"But you're... ships don't... Damn talk about objectifying yourself =/"
"But you're... ships don't... Damn talk about objectifying yourself =/"
Linny: At the end of it all, I'd be lying if I said I didn't dread watching the upcoming second season a little. I don't hate the show. It definitely has its merits but it's just a subject matter I struggle to get into. But it's definitely a show that has had a lot of love and work put into it and a must watch for anyone even mildly curious about the game or the premise. I even ended up going crazy for one of its characters despite usually having to brace myself before every episode. I'm hoping anyone who checks the show walks away with something to treasure about it like we did. For all the work put into the story, the music, the characters and the animation (even if I never got into its premise), I award this show a 7.5 out of 10.
Tom: All in all I found this to go above and beyond adapting the mobile game of the same name. They took the game and worked very hard to make something that wouldn’t just appeal to fans of the franchise and I think they succeeded. A second season is apparently already on the way and while I’m not sure where exactly it will go, there were perhaps hints in the final episode that not everything was as straightforward and final as we might have thought. Overall I’ll be awarding Kantai Collection an 8.0 out of 10. I enjoyed it a lot and while it certainly isn’t perfect it really is quite amazing for what it is.
Combined Score: 7.75 out of 10
"Kongou is many things. But great cook she is not. =("
"Kongou is many things. But great cook she is not. =("
Thanks for reading our review! Tomorrow expect a review for Shirobako! See you Sunday!

3 ways to free space on your smartphone or tablet

3 ways to free space on your smartphone or tablet

Kim Komando, Special for USA TODAY 7:02 a.m. EDT April 3, 2015
A view of apps on an iPhone 5S smartphone.(Photo: Karen Bleier, AFP/Getty Images)
You're in the park with your family and one of the kids does something unbelievably cute. You quickly grab your smartphone to take a video and ... "Not enough room."
A full smartphone or tablet can't take pictures, download music, add new apps, or even install operating system updates that contain important security fixes. You need to free up some space fast, and I can tell you how without losing any important information.
Clear out apps
Apps can make your phone or tablet do some useful and amazing things. I have plenty of great apps from games and utilities to security and photo editors on my site, but they can fill up your available space before you realize it. You probably don't need every one of those latest-addicting-must-have game apps, or three to-do list apps.
In Apple, iOS 8, go to Settings >> General >> Usage>> Manage Storage. For iOS 7 and earlier, it's just Settings>>General>>Usage. Here you'll see a list of apps and how much space they use. This helps you make an informed decision about where to go fat-trimming. To delete an app you don't want, simply tap its name. Then tap the "Delete App" button on the next screen.
In Android, go to Settings >> Applications (Settings >> Application Manager on some gadgets). Swipe left until you end up on the "Downloaded" tab. Here you'll see a list of apps you've downloaded and how much space they use. To remove an app, just tap the name and then tap the "Uninstall" button. Start removing the apps you no longer use, then take a look at the largest apps that are left and think about how much you really need them.
With Android, you can also go to Settings >> Storage to get a detailed breakdown of how much space you have and what's using it, such as Apps, Pictures, Audio, Downloads, etc. Tapping a category will take you to the relevant area of Android. So, tapping on "Apps" will take you to the Application Management screen while tapping "Pictures" will take you to your photo gallery app.
In Windows Phone 8, go to the Start screen and swipe left to get the App list. Tap and hold an app and then tap "Uninstall." Tap "Yes," and the app will go away.
Organize your photos and videos
Smartphone cameras make it easy to snap dozens of pictures of that family outing, friendly get-together or just a funny random moment you see while out and about. Do that every couple of days for a year or two and it's no wonder your phone is full.
Take a look through your phone's camera app. Are there any accidental photos, such as photos of the floor, sky or doorway you can delete? Are most of your good photos already posted to social media?
To free up space, you can transfer and organize photos and videos on your home computer or online storage using programs like iPhoto, Dropbox or Picasa. With Android, you might also be able to plug your gadget into your computer and drag the files directly and then delete them from your gadget.
Your camera isn't just for photos; it can shoot video, too. A dozen one-minute videos you shot at birthday parties and other celebrations can take up gigabytes of space. You'll definitely want to move these over to a computer to free up space. You can also upload them to an online storage site like Dropbox or Google Drive, or put them on a video-sharing site like YouTube. If you don't want everyone seeing them, mark them as private so only people you choose can see them.
Stream music and movies
Your smartphone or tablet works great as a media player for music and videos, but those take up a lot of space. Instead of loading your entire media library on your gadget, consider using a cloud streaming service instead.
For iPhones and iPads, Apple's iTunes Match will hold your entire music library in the cloud and stream to you the songs you want. Sure it costs $25 a year, but that's much less than spending hundreds on a new gadget with more storage that will just fill up again.
Google Play Music is another solution. This service can hold your entire music library, including songs from iTunes, and stream your music to you whenever you want. The only space it takes up is for the Google Play Music app, not each individual song or album. There's also an option to get a subscription to add new music and movies, much like iTunes.
Of course that's not your only option for streaming music instead of storing it. Click here to explore more streaming music options that give you a nearly infinite music library.
When it comes to movies, just five feature-length HD movies will take up 15GB or more of space. That's all the space available on many gadgets and a large chunk of others.
If you purchased movies via iTunes, Amazon or Google Play, those are available in the cloud and you can stream them using each service's respective app. Don't forget you can also stream movies from Netflix, Hulu and other services using their apps.
Unless you're traveling and you won't have Wi-Fi access, you don't need to store movies on your gadget. If you are traveling, though, be sure to check out the VLC app (Android or iOS, Free) that can play any movie file. It cuts down on the headaches of making sure your movies are in the right format.
On the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show, Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com. Email her at techcomments@usatoday.com.

sobota, 4 kwietnia 2015

K-pop icons Big Bang announce world tour

K-pop icons Big Bang announce world tour

Seoul (AFP) - One of K-pop's biggest boy bands, Big Bang, announced on Thursday their first world tour in three years, spanning Asia and the Americas to promote a much-anticipated new album.
The five-members of the South Korean group are among the best-known faces of the K-pop phenomenon, whose popularity has swept Asia and beyond over the last 10 years.
The upcoming tour kicks off with two concerts in Seoul on April 25 and 26 and then moves to at least 15 countries including China, Japan and the United States, the band's agency YG Entertainment said in a statement.
A total of 70 concerts have been scheduled, with the agency promising new venues and well trodden K-pop stages in Southeast Asia.
Popular rapper and the band's leader G-Dragon earlier said Big Bang was planning to release a new album along with the global tour.
Their last album, "Alive", was released in 2012 and became the first Korean-language entrant in the US Billboard 200 album chart.
Since then, the five members of the band have largely concentrated on individual projects.

How jumping on the MOBA bandwagon can destroy your company

How jumping on the MOBA bandwagon can f@!# your company up

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
I just came home from work. Instead of immediately going for a relaxing shower, I’m about to indulge in a nasty habit of mine – opening up numerous industry-related outlets and just chilling for about an hour, absorbing new information and advice from fellow developers.
But this time it’s different. A headline over at Gamasutra grabs my attention - Call for Blogs: MOBAs, from design to business, and onward.
I shake my head in disbelief. Oh, heck no! I’ve SEEN this before. The same mistake repeated over and over again. 
A quick intro for the uninitiated
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena is a subgenre of the real-time strategy genre, with a mix of both RTS and RPG elements. Games categorized as MOBAs usually have commonalities with a popular Warcraft 3 mod called Defense of the Ancients or DotA for short.
On the surface, MOBAs can seem quite simplistic (I can already hear the maniacal laughter of existing MOBA players and game designers). Their structure stays exactly the same almost every match:
• Two teams of players are pitted against each other, with the purpose of destroying the opponent’s base.
• The game map is separated into several lanes that are used both by players, as well as periodically spawned, AI-controlled troops. There are also defensive towers located at certain points on each lane.
• Players take control of heroes – characters that become stronger over time by accumulating experience and gold acquired by killing enemy troops and heroes. 
MOBAs today
There is no denying that MOBAs have gotten really popular in the last couple of years. Tickets for this year’s International, a tournament based on Valve’s DOTA 2, have sold out in just 10 minutes. League of Legends, another leader in this genre, has a player base of 67 million monthly users.
The undisputed leaders of the genre enjoy millions of fans around the world, recognition among eSports enthusiasts and a lot of revenue.
It was only a matter of time before other game developers wanted to grab a piece of this delicious pie. We've already witnessed several new MOBAs enter the fray, some more successful than others. The competition will only get worse in 2015 and 2016 as more titles get ready to hit the market.
At this stage, jumping on the MOBA trend may seem like a logical thing to do for some developers and investors. The majority may end losing their money and it'll be too late to change anything by that point. Unfortunately, the impact of these decisions affects not just people's wallets, but also regular developers, their lives and the well-being of their families.  
Drawing parallels
Let’s step back a little and take a look at the MMORPG market, which has undergone a similar process not so long ago.
A fairly well-known studio called Blizzard releases World of Warcraft – their first foray into the MMORPG genre. The game quickly gets popular, enjoys an influx of new players, expands the market and breaks a few records along the way. Within a few years, developers from all over the world, from small indie outfits to established AAA publishers are trying to replicate the success of WoW.
Their line of reasoning? “Well, if it worked for Blizzard, it’ll definitely work for us!".
Hey, MOBA developers, sound familiar?
Working for a publisher in that time period, I saw a lot of these games pitched during my tenure. A seemingly endless line of so called "WoW clones" and their respective developers, each claiming how their game will pull players away from World of Warcraft.
This trend could be seen all over the MMO-games industry. In the pursuit of easy money, investors were increasingly willing to fund games that were "like World of Warcraft, but a little different." Some companies placed their bets on popular IPs. Some tried refitting existing games to make them more in line with Blizzard’s creation.
A fast follower strategy can be a viable tactic. But not when everybody else and their dog is doing it.
In their rush to clone WoW, most game developers concentrated on copying specific features and game systems, completely ignoring the logic behind their effectiveness, as well as other factors that played a role in WoW’s success. The situation only got worse when large companies jumped in on the fray with big budgets and an even bigger reluctance to take risks.
This lead to a huge number of seemingly different games, but essentially the same experience replicated over and over again.
The result? Players were quickly jumping on to the next hyped title, only to return to WoW a month or two later. The average life cycle of a typical MMORPG plummeted, as developers tried to beat Blizzard at their own game by ripping out WoW's systems, copying its progression models and trying to jam them into their own creations.
True - some of them enjoyed relative success. However, only a few titles really stood and managed to retain players among a long line of financially troubled games.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
- Misattributed to Charles Darwin
Drawing parallels with the MOBA genre - the vast majority of developers seem to be in the "let's make a game like DotA/LoL, just a little different" mindset. This approach greatly increases the risk of failure, as only a few companies are able to create compelling alternatives or ‘side-experiences’ to current genre leaders.
So what do you do if you are working on a MOBA?
Let’s say you’ve read this article and are fully aware of the risks outlined above. What next?
I’d suggest taking an honest look at the game you are developing. Are you spending resources on a fast follow title with no distinguishing features? If the answer is yes, you have a very limited time window and a small chance of succeeding with the right strategy.
However, it might already be too late for that.
On the other hand, if your game presents a desirable product package for players (features, gameplay, brand, etc.), there is still an opportunity to stand out among the sea of hastily-made, ‘me-too’ titles. It comes down to knowing what your game’s strengths are and presenting them in a compelling manner.
What’s your take on the MOBA market? Do you feel there’s still an opportunity for new games to drive attention away from current leaders?
Share your thoughts in the comments below and let’s hear more conversations on this subject.
-------------
To stay updated, feel free to add me on Twitter. Next time, we’ll look into how new MOBAs are doing and what you can do to make your game stand out.

D&D Neverwinter MMORPG Game Launches On Xbox One (video)

D&D Neverwinter MMORPG Game Launches On Xbox One (video)

Neverwinter RPG Game
Xbox One gamers that enjoy MMORPG games maybe interested to learn that the Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter game is now available to play for free on the Xbox One console.
Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG that features fast-paced combat and dungeon exploration. Allowing players to join force and adventure throughout Neverwinter, including all the content from the base game, and all current playable classes including the Scourge Warlock and the Tyranny of Dragons expansion
Neverwinter MMORPG Game
“Neverwinter is the premier Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG experience, featuring fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding regions, battle its many enemies, and be a part of Forgotten Realms history. Experience Dungeons & Dragons Like Never Before
Neverwinter is an action MMORPG that bridges intense combat with classic D&D gameplay. Journey through the city of Neverwinter and the legendary subcontinent of Faerûn, and face off against the greatest adversaries from D&D legend.
Build Your Own Legend – Bring your adventures to life through iconic D&D classes and races, advanced paragon paths, companions, and a remarkable range of customization options. Whether you’re hunting dragons and beholders within crumbling dungeons or battling other players in the icy reaches of Icespire Peak, you’ll discover why Neverwinter is the definitive Dungeons & Dragons experience.
Optimized for Xbox One – Neverwinter inspires classic Dungeons & Dragons adventures with a fully optimized player experience for Xbox One. The fast-paced action gameplay of Neverwinter has been mapped to the Xbox One controller, giving adventures the ability to move around the battlefield and cast powerful spells with ease.
Xbox One players can also use their Xbox One friends list to find and party up with others as they explore iconic locations of the Dungeons & Dragons universe. This game supports English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, and Turkish. Additional System requirements: Minimum broadband internet connection of 512 Kbps is required to access all features.”
Neverwinter is currently available on PC and digitally on Xbox One, available free-to-play with Gold from the Xbox Games Store and is now available to download.
Source: Major Nelson

Anime Consortium Japan Reveals Spring 2015 Simulcasts

Anime Consortium Japan Reveals Spring 2015 Simulcasts

Nisekoi-Endcard-009
Anime Consortium Japan has just announced via press release their anime simulcast plans for the Spring 2015 season. All of the following titles will be streamed with English subtitles.
Gunslinger Stratos will be simulcast on Sundays, beginning April 5. Episodes will be available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia), Asia (except for India, China and  Korea), Europe, the Middle East, Africa (except South Africa) and Oceania (Australia & New Zealand).
The synopsis of the series is as follows:
Gunslinger-Stratos-Promo-Art-001
A.D. 2115—the island nation once called Japan is now known as the “17th Far East Imperial City Management District.”The citizens were promised a life of peace in exchange for some of the comfort they were used to having. People believed their lives would never change and tomorrow would be the same as today. No one suspected the impending doom which their society was about to face.
“Degradation”—a rare disease which led to the total disintegration of the human body to a mere pile of sand was slowly but surely spreading throughout the world.
Tohru Kazasumi, an ordinary student, becomes embroiled in a multi-universal battle between his world and the parallel world of “Frontier S (Stratos).” This meant that Toru must fight himself from an alternate world.
Their futures collide as their paths cross.
Will both worlds ever find peace?
More information about this series can be found here.
Plastic Memories will also premiere on April 5. Episodes will be available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia).
Here is the synopsis of the series:
Plastic-Memories-Promo-Art-001
In a world where there was a slight advancement in science.
After failing his college entrance exams, 18 year-old Tsukasa Mizugaki is offered a position at the renowned SAI Corporation due to his father’s connections.
SAI Corporation was known for its production and management of androids that possessed human emotions called “Giftia.”
Tsukasa’s position was in the terminal service department where their main job was to recover Giftias that were close to their expiration—it was a graveyard department in every sense.
To make matters worse, Tsukasa is ordered to work with Isla, a female Giftia who was never given any responsibility other than serving tea to her co-workers.
More information about this series can be found here.
Nisekoi:, the second season of Nisekoi, will premiere on Saturday, April 11. Episodes will be available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia). A special episode will be broadcast on Japanese television prior to the premiere of the second season, which will also be available on Daisuki.net.
For more information about Nisekoi can be found here.
Fate-Stay-Night-Unlimited-Blade-Works-Screenshot-002
Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] will return on April 5. Episodes will be available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia) and Asia (except for India, Korea and China). The first season of Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] will be made available on Daisuki.net too.
More information on the series can be found here.
Blood Blockade Battlefront will premiere on April 5. Episodes will be available in Asia (except for Korea, China and Armenia).
The series is described as follows:
Blood-Blockade-Battlefront-Promo-Art-001
Leo, a young photographer, visits Jerusalem’s Lot, a city that serves as the crossroads between this world and a far more mysterious one. Mistaken for somebody else, Leo is brought to a building in the center of the city, where he encounters Klaus, the leader of a secret society named Libra that works to maintain the balance of this new world. Right after that, only the right half of a misshapen monster emerges from a mystical gate into the city. Femt, the “Fallen King” who planned this, announces that another gate will open once more in several minutes, releasing the rest of the monster somewhere else. If the two monster halves find each other and reunite, the city will instantly become ruins. To keep that from happening, Klaus and his comrades have to find the second gate before the monster and destroy it. But can they and newly appointed member Leo survive Femt’s “trap” and save the city?
More information about the series is available here.
Anime Consortium Japan are also streaming the Anime Japan 2015 Official Report, an exclusive video about Anime Japan 2015, the biggest anime event in Japan, which took place in Tokyo in march. The videos will be available on Daisuki.net and Daisuki’s YouTube channel.

‘Clean up Bieber’s channel’? Bug found that could remove any video on YouTube

‘Clean up Bieber’s channel’? Bug found that could remove any video on YouTube

AFP Photo / Ozan Kose
AFP Photo / Ozan Kose
A Russian software developer has detected a security flaw, which could have allowed him to remove any video on YouTube in a matter of seconds. And he says he was close to doing just that.
Kamil Hismatullin, 22, joked he “fought the urge” to erase Justin Bieber's channel for a couple of hours, but chose to report the bug to Google instead.
It took the security researcher from Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan region, about 7 hours to identify the vulnerability in Google's Application Programming Interface (API). He collected $5,000 for his research, the maximum award for this kind of discovery.
Hismatullin wrote on his blog that the bug could "create utter havoc in a matter of minutes in bad hands who [could have] used this vulnerability to extort people or simply disrupt YouTube by deleting massive amounts of videos in a very short period of time."
He said he was surprised at how quickly Google responded after he reported the bug.
Photo from vk.com/kamil1"Although it was an early Saturday morning in SF when I reported the issue, Google’s tech team replied very fast," he wrote.
“It was fixed in several hours, Google rewarded me $5k and luckily no Bieber videos were harmed.”
Google launched its Vulnerability Research Grants in January to offer financial grants to "top performing, frequent vulnerability researchers as well as invited experts" in exchange for research into potential flaws of certain applications.
While many said Google's award of $5,000 is less than Hismatullin deserves for his finding, the bug hunter said that security research is only his hobby, which he enjoys doing regardless of how much he is paid.