PlayStation’s first original TV series ‘Powers’ will not make it to a third season

Sony’s plans for original TV shows might be in jeopardy as their first and only original TV series, ‘Powers’ has been halted after the second season. The show inspired by the comic of the same name followed the protagonist Christian Walker played by Sharlto Copley, who was a former superhero and after having his powers taken away, he becomes a detective and specialises in solving cases related to superhumans called ‘Powers’.

Although the show garnered mixed reviews after the first season, it was still renewed for a second one. Each season had 10 episodes.

Showrunner, Brian Michael took to twitter to break the news.

Sony attempted to enter the genre of other players like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon who also provide original content through their platforms. Sony picked up Powers while it was in development at FX in order to distribute it through the PlayStation Network which provides games, music, movies and more through downloads on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Sony TV etc. The first season was available over the company’s streaming service called ‘Crackle’ till May, this year. The Powers comic was initiated through Image Comics and later moved under Marvel’s umbrella. Michael seems still optimistic that it might return on the screen some time and that the series will continue as a comic.

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‘Quake Champions’ gameplay trailer is all set to take you on a rocket jump ride

Quake has been one of the many celebrated first-person shooters (FPS) , multiplayer games ever created. With fast-paced action and team based gameplay, the game provided players with adrenaline pumping team fights, swift shooting and movement experiences and definitely, hell lot of fun!

While a lot of games have been released recently catering to the same genre, fans of this game were absolutely delighted when id Software, the developers of Quake showed off a cinematic trailer of Quake Champions, a character and team based FPS. While only the cinematic was released back then, now as QuakeCon 2016 is underway, the company presented the fans with the first gameplay trailer from the project during the opening ceremony and it is exactly what one would expect it to be.

The trailer starts by displaying excerpts from some of the game’s map and then jumps right into the gameplay. You could feast your eyes upon super fast shooting action with weapons ranging from rifles and rocket launchers to shot guns and lightning guns. And yes, there’s a lot (really a lot) of rocket jumping action!

id Software, studio director, Tim Willits said, “No loadouts, no limit to the amount of guns you can carry,” while further adding, “Time the weapon pickups, or kill your opponents. That’s how you get weapons in a Quake game.”

The game will be initially launched only over PC, but a console version is not out of the question yet. The closed beta of the game would be opening sometime next year and the game would be released eventually the same year (as far as we know).

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Google blends into the Olympic spirit with some fruitful games

With the Olympic cheers gripping the globe, everyone is getting into a sporty mood. As many prominent brands can be seen joining the bandwagon of moulding into the theme of the Olympics 2016 which is being held at Rio de Janerio, Google did not get left behind. The digital giant has come up with some pretty indulging minigames reflecting some of the sports genres of the Olympics.

But there’s a juicy twist in these games. The participants of the games are various fruits and berries. When you click on today’s Google Doodle, it takes you directly to the video and hovering the pointer over it gives you information as where to play.

If you are on your phone, just tapping the Google Doodle logo will take you into the sporty games. Google will be featuring a brand new interactive doodle over the Google app on iOS and Android every day; for the next seven days and they hope you will find these fruits ‘aPEELing’.

We found around seven games wherein one had a strawberry running a race against some other goofy looking fruits, while being chased by a merrily rolling melon; another has a coconut riding a bike; one with a grape sitting on a spider trying to clear the hurdle race through all sides (you’ll know what we mean). You can also play tennis as a pineapple and if you lose, the poor fruit gets sliced, it’s fun though. There’s also an apple and a blueberry game and yes! a swimming lemon too.

Though the graphic of the game is quite simplistic, the cute fruits, clean design with an uncomplicated gameplay can surely be addicting and something to pass your time with.

Clearly, Google is winning at the Olympic themed content. Go fruits!

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Finance Ministry mulling over giving infrastructure status to broadcasting: Naidu

The Finance Ministry is expected to shortly take a decision on giving the status of infrastructure to the broadcasting industry.

Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiaih Naidu told the Rajya Sabha that his Ministry had already forwarded its point of view to the Finance Ministry after examining the issue.

He said that the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) made this demand earlier this year.

The demand was in the Pre-Budget Memorandum for Union Budget 2016-17 requesting for grant of Infrastructure status to Broadcasting Industry.

The Department of Economic Affairs which is the Finance Ministry is considering the matter for an appropriate decision, Naidu said.

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iRealities creates ‘Sheikh Chilli & Friendz’ for Discovery Kids in an animated feature film and episodic series form

“Don’t give kids crap just because they are kids,” asserts iRealities, CEO, Prasad Ajgaonkar as he ventures for the first time in the Indian broadcast space. Indian kids are hungry for quality content, but are we satisfying their hunger? Well, Ajgaonkar aims to stand out from the rest and creates quality animated feature film content for TV, bearing in mind ‘kids’ as the major target audience.

Picking up Mayapuri Group’s Hindi comic magazine Lotpot’s character ‘Sheikh Chilli’, iRealities has tweaked the character and weaved a story for a 90 minute feature film. With Apsons Entertainment as the production company, iRealities has executed the entire project right from scripting, character design, animation production to post production and final creation of the film.

Around 100 artists have worked on this 3D film to complete it in just six months. It has been created in two languages; Hindi and Tamil. “Not only is Sheikh Chilli and Friendz going to be a film but also an episodic series for Discovery Kids. The episodes will have different stories than the film and we have completed the work on the first season. The whole project of Sheikh Chilli and Friendz is about fun. Indian kids need to be exposed to such fun content.” It is left to Discovery Kids to decide when the episodic series will be aired.

Ajgaonkar further adds, “We have worked very cautiously and precisely to shape up and create each character. The character design are all of the feature film level for the big screen; there is absolutely no compromise in terms of quality. We have used hair, fur and minute texturing to bring out the feel of each character in a strong way so that the whole film looks quite distinct then the usual content being broadcast on TV.”

As far as the storyline and script is concerned, there are several primary characters in the film like Sheikh Chilli, talking donkey, genie, witch and her talking broom and many more. The characters are based in the modern world and are well equipped with technology so that kids of this generation can connect to it. The script has been worked and reworked by some eminent writers and filmmakers of the film industry.

iRealities is known to have raised the benchmark for animated feature films in India with their creation of theatrical film Chaar Sahibzaade (2014) which grossed over Rs 50 crore domestically. “With Sheikh Chilli we want to do the same, we want to raise the benchmark for animated content on TV. Our kids are mature and really need some good quality content which grips them completely.” iRealities is known to have taken risks, and now they have ventured into a completely new side of business which is the Indian broadcast space.

“It is my first step in the broadcast space and we are lucky enough to have supportive players to work with. Discovery Kids is a unique broadcaster because their involvement in the animation production is incredible. Apsons Entertainment has also given iRealities the freedom to work with their characters without much of restrictions. So all in all, collaboration is important and we have it all for this project,” concludes Prasad.

Sheikh Chilli and Friendz will broadcast on Discovery Kids on 15 August, 2016 at 10 am. iRealities is currently working on three animated feature films to be released in 2017. One of the projects is the animated film Durga- The Epic and here is the poster of the same.

Durga The Epic

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Review- Yali Dream Creations takes social adversaries in its hand with ‘Rakshak’

A gory blood-stained face of a man in a hood, three beaten boys, a lady with a smile plastered on her face capturing image of this grotesque scene in her smartphone. The picture – quite vivid – instils in your mind as you see the cover art by Marcio Abreu and Prasad Patnaik, for Yali Dream Creations’ latest comic book, A Hero Among Us: Rakshak. The comic publishing house known for The Caravan series has launched Rakshak as a new superhero / vigilante title which will be having three issues of around 72 pages each.

Rakshak-issue1-coverAs suggested by the title Rakshak meaning protector and the cover art, one can imagine what the story would be like. A man who fights against the evils in the society to protect the citizens of the nation. However, what will interest the readers is the storyline. The first issue of the series follows the story of Captain Aditya Shergill and how his life changes in just a matter of moments. These moments include – a jeopardised mission, death of his sister and brother-in-law, a girl in trouble and his love for comic books.

The story kicks in with four militants out on a secret mission to kill jihadis and part of this mission is our protagonist Captain Aditya Shergill. Though an austere military official, he can be observed as a man with a heart and soul. The mission does not go as planned, leading to Shergill losing his hand and returning to his city with a heavy heart and retirement from his service to the nation. On his arrival, he is greeted by his twin sister Trisha, her American husband Ronald and an unhappy, discourteous niece, Saina who soon bonds with him due to their love for comics. Life became easier; however as fate would have it, the happiness didn’t last for long and one night, Shergill loses her sister and brother-in-law. The reason for her death – rape! Blaming himself for his sister’s death and seeing the government’s jurisdiction, Shergill takes upon himself to stand by the weak and defenseless. Thus, the ‘Rakshak’ is born.

The story does sound a bit cliche; however the manner in which the plot unfolds, it manages to get hold of the reader’s attention. We can relate the comic book to the recent incidents taking placing in the country wherein women are being subjected to torture and feel unsafe in their own homeland. Seems like with this comic, writer Shamik Dasgupta wants to tell the young torchbearers of the country, to ‘not just stand and watch, rather take action’ against any atrocities taking place.

Though an intense comic, Dasgupta manages to balance it out with few jovial instances. References of Game of Thrones, Batman, The Flash, Daredevil can be observed in the comic book and yes, our vigilante is a super fan of the Gotham city vigilante, Batman (seems like we know where the comic got inspired from). Maybe in the coming issues we can expect Shergill to dawn a mask or a suit to fight against the growing crime in his city, the capital of the country or should we say, the land of increasing crime, New Delhi. There’s was also a blooming love story which might be reprised in the coming issues.

Supporting the story are the captivating visuals by Pramit Santra and Prasad Patnaik. The action scenes and emotions are well captured by the artists. All in all, though not a fresh concept, Shamik Dasgupta has managed to give a crisp, engaging story and one can definitely give it a read.

Produced by Asvin Srivatsangam and Sanal Govind; story and script by Shamik Dasgupta; inside pencils by Pramit Santra; inside colours, cover art colours, lettering by Prasad Patnaik and cover art by Marcio Abreu, A Hero Among Us: Rakshak is out in the market and can be read by teens and above.

Rakshak inside

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Samsung School of Rio with Jack Whitehall

Samsung Electronics, Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category and Official Team GB Partner, is running School of Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games campaign in the UK. The Samsung School of Rio campaign is designed to enhance the nation’s knowledge and enjoyment of Olympic and Paralympic events, with help from comedian Jack Whitehall. Following the success of Samsung School of Rugby, Jack will once again spend the summer being schooled by sporting heroes, including cyclists Becky James and Sir Bradley Wiggins, rowers Helen Glover and Sir Steve Redgrave, boxers Joe Ward and Katie Taylor, swimmers Ellie Simmonds and Susie Rodgers, equestrian riders Lee Pearson and Natasha Baker. Scripted in partnership with Jack, the campaign content is themed around durability, elegance and stamina; key features of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones. The multi-platform Samsung School of Rio campaign is led by an introductory video, “A New Team”, replacing Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio with Steve Redgrave, and five hero films, used across media channels and supported through retail, digital and social activations. Additional content will include 360-degree virtual reality live interviews with athletes from Team GB’s base in Rio de Janeiro.

Samsung School of Rio - Rowing Jack Whitehall with Helen Glover and Steve Redgrave

#SchoolOfRio Lesson 1: Stamina with Becky James and Sir Bradley Wiggins

“Stamina is an essential component of the successful cyclist’s toolkit. Just ask Sir Bradley Wiggins and Becky James, who have certainly clocked up some serious mileage on two wheels. Time to bring Jack up to speed on the significance of stamina, something we take incredibly seriously when it comes to battery life. The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a larger and more efficient battery than ever before, offering up to an incredible 22 hours talk time. What’s more, both the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge also support wireless charging for greater convenience on the go. Let’s walk and talk.”

#SchoolOfRio Lesson 2: Resilience with Helen Glover and Sir Steve Redgrave

“Rowing is an incredibly tough sport that requires physical and mental resilience to succeed, something Sir Steve Redgrave and Helen Glover have in abundance. But just how much resilience is in Jack’s locker? At least he can rest assured that his Samsung Galaxy S7 edge won’t let him down when tested by the water. In fact, both the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge incorporate beautiful design without compromise on durability thanks to their water and dust resistant build.”

#SchoolOfRio Lesson 3: Protection with Joe Ward and Katie Taylor

“The sweet science teaches the importance of defence as well as attack. Ireland’s Olympic boxers Katie Taylor and Joe Ward offer Jack a masterclass in protection, but not before he works out how exactly to enter a boxing ring. We thought it would be useful to sharpen up our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge defences too. With their Gorilla glass build. Knockout.”

#SchoolOfRio Lesson 4: Resilience with Ellie Simmonds and Susie Rodgers

“Early starts, countless lengths, endless drills. Swimmers endure a gruelling regime to make it to the top of their sport. Ellie Simmonds and Susie Rodgers take time out from their busy schedules to help toughen up Jack. That’ll be a first. Speaking of which, our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are also our first Galaxy phones to feature capless water resistance, so you need not worry if you get a little too close to the edge of the pool.”

#SchoolOfRio Lesson 5: Elegance with Lee Pearson and Natasha Baker

“Dressage represents the highest expression of horse training. Luckily ‘elegance’ is Jack’s middle name, as Lee Pearson and Natasha Baker discover. Sort of. You can at least feel effortless elegance with the latest Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. With its beautiful, innovative rear curved designs and compact dimensions, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge fit comfortably in your hand, while the unique edge screen provides a range of functions, including enriched Apps edge and Task edge.”

Samsung School of Rio - Phones

Russell Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland, commented: “The Samsung School of Rio campaign will tap into the mood of the nation during the biggest sporting event in the world. We know how passionate British and Irish fans are during the Olympic and Paralympic Games and we want to bring fans closer to sport in an authentic, credible and imaginative way. A central brand belief for Samsung is that meaningful progress comes from daring to defy barriers and this is evident in the initiatives that are running across the globe to support Samsung’s Official Partnership with the Olympic and Paralympic Games – we are shining a light on athletes around the world who push the limits of what is possible. We are delighted to have some of the world’s best athletes helping Jack during the campaign.”

Commenting on the campaign, Jack Whitehall said: “The Olympic Games are the ultimate sporting event, bringing together the best athletes in the world and Sir Steve Redgrave to compete for medals. However, many fans don’t know the ins and outs of each event. I’d like to think that watching these films will equip the British public with the knowledge they need to enjoy the Games…and hopefully they won’t be too distracted by my athletic physique in a pair of swimming trunks.”

Olympic Legend Sir Bradley Wiggins added: “I’d love to say Jack was a model pupil and a natural out on the track, but well, he did his best. I thought at one stage we might have needed a pair of stabilisers to get him going but with a bit of coaching we eventually had him up and running. We had a great time filming and I think the public will really enjoy watching the film too, as well as hopefully learn a bit about the intricacies of our sport.”

Samsung School of Rio Credits

The Samsung School of Rio campaign was developed at BBH London by creative director Ewan Paterson, art director Jack Smedley, copywriter George Hackforth-Jones, producer Rachel Hough, assistant producer Sarah Cooper, print producer Marion Thibaudot, strategy director Darius Karbassioun, managing partner Will Nicholls, account director Patrick Farrell, account manager Jimi Saunders, working with Samsung chief marketing officer Russell Taylor.

Filming was shot by director Gabe Turner via Rattling Stick with executive producer Stuart Bentham and director of photography Federico Alfonzo.

Editor was Mark Edinoff at Work Post.

Visual effects and design were produced at The Mill by executive producer Carl Philips, producer Louise Baker, 2D lead artist James Pratt, 2D artists Adam Maynard, David Wishart, Brad Wood, colourist Mick Vincent, and colour assistant Jim Bracher.

Sound was produced at Factory.

Print elements were by photographer Will Morgan.

Gravity Payments Team Surprises CEO, Dan Price, With A Tesla!


Last April, our CEO, Dan Price, surprised all of us when he decided to raise the minimum wage for the entire team to $70,000 and we recently released the early results related to that minimum wage decision, http://www.thegravityof70k.com. A year later, we turned the tables and give him a taste of his own medicine. We pitched in in some small way and bought Dan his dream car – a Tesla. This is just one small piece of what’s happened in the past year.

Bears Come Down to Beach to Swim Amongst Humans in Lake Tahoe


Some bears came down to the beach to swim alongside humans on a hot and sunny day in Lake Tahoe

Original video from Edie Lambert KCRA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCRAEdie/videos/864130480360006/

34 Facts about Olympic History – mental_floss List Show Ep. 431


A weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, Mike shares some of the most important moments in Olympic history.

Subscribe for new episodes of mental_floss every Wednesday!

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