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BTS dance lessons are coming to Apple Fitness+
Get ready for a Dynamite workout with moves that are smooth like Butter.
Google AI can tell you how close your voice is to Freddie Mercury's
Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the most well-known rock songs in the western world, and has been watched more than a billion times on YouTube alone. It's likely that pretty much everyone has had at least one crack at aping singer Freddie Mercury's unique vocal delivery. Now, Google, Queen and UMG have teamed up to build the FreddieMeter, an system to determine how close you can get to Mercury's voice.
Recommended Reading: The smartwatch EKG
Smartwatches are changing the purpose of the EKG Andrew Bomback and Michelle Au, The Atlantic Devices like the Apple Watch and other wearables now offer access to an EKG on your wrist. What was once reserved for a hospital or doctor's office can now be worn every day. Well, a version of it at least. The Atlantic discusses the limits of the smartwatch EKG, including exactly how helpful it is for most people and what it can't tell you.
Queen guitarist Brian May wrote a song for NASA's historic flyby
Queen guitarist Brian May hasn't been shy about his fondness for astronomy (he does have a doctorate in astrophysics), and he's making that patently clear as 2019 kicks off. The artist has written a song to mark NASA's historic flypast of Ultima Thule, appropriately titled "New Horizons (Ultima Thule Mix)." As he explained in a presentation, the tune is an "anthem to the human endeavor" -- it pays tribute to our species' insatiable curiosity about the universe.
RuPaul's biographical series will stream on Hulu
2017 has been very good to RuPaul. The ninth season of Drag Race notched eight Emmy nods, including for Reality Competition Host which he won last year. RuPaul's streak continued on Wednesday as Hulu announced that it has optioned Queen, a fictionalized half-hour dramedy chronicling his rise to fame, to be produced by JJ Abrams' Bad Robot.
'Asteroid Day' is a good time to learn about the threat of space rocks
On June 30th, 1908, more than 770 square miles of remote Russian forest were obliterated from the face of the Earth when a relatively small meteor, estimated at only around 400 feet across, unleashed 15 megatons of energy above the Stony Tunguska River. One hundred and nine years later, humanity knows precious little more about the dangers that lurk within our solar system than we did in 1908. But a recently founded "global day of education" aims to bring the existential threat that space rocks pose to the forefront of our collective consciousness.
Tech Hunters: the first TV set Britain fell in love with
Televisions might be cheap and plentiful now, but in the 1930s, they were almost exclusively reserved for the middle class. The BBC was the only broadcaster in town and a lucky, elite few were able to watch the Coronation of King George VI and British Movietone News cinema newsreels inside their homes. Then, the second World War broke out and transmissions stopped over fears that TV signals would aid German bombers. It wasn't until the 50s that TV became popular again, with royal events setting the benchmark. Following the death of King George VI in 1952, a young Elizabeth II took the throne and was coronated a year later. The Queen's coronation became a defining time for television in the UK, and a lot of it was due to the availability of the Bush TV22. The black-and-white Bush TV22 launched with a 9-inch screen and cost £35, which is roughly £800 in today's money. It was cheaper and more portable than its bigger hardwood rivals at the time, with art-deco stylings that are now revered by British designers. When the royal family agreed to let the BBC inside Westminster Abbey to broadcast the Queen's coronation in June 1953, it led to a huge boom in television set sales. More often than not, it was the Bush TV22 that people brought home. In this episode of Tech Hunters, Julia Hardy travels to Norwich to find the TV that changed viewing habits in the UK forever. Rob Howard shows Julia round the cathode ray set was a design classic that ushered in the era of television.
Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is now a virtual reality music video
We've all heard the dramatic faux-opera that is Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody -- but have you ever wondered what a song like that might look like? The folks at Google did. In a new collaboration with Queen and Enosis VR, artists and developers at Google have created The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience -- a virtual reality experiment created to take viewers on "a journey through frontman Freddie Mercury's subconscious mind." That's a fancy way of saying they turned the iconic song into a 360-degree virtual reality music video.
Drone owner gets a Royal telling off for flying near Windsor Castle
If you're a drone enthusiast living in the UK, heed this advice: Don't fly anywhere near land owned by the British Monarchy. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are already banned from Royal Parks and now, a pilot has been told off for flying within 50 metres of Windsor Castle. The Queen was visiting the royal residence when a tourist flew his drone nearby, breaking rules set out by the Civil Aviation Authority. Police officers quickly stepped in and explained the legislation to the pilot -- the Metropolitan Police Service says "no further action" was necessary, but reports suggest he was also asked to delete his footage. As consumer drones become more prevalent, we suspect incidents like this will happen more often -- if you want to make sure you're never caught out, be sure to read our guide first.
Netflix's first UK original is about the Queen and it's coming in 2016
It's been rumored for months, but Netflix has finally confirmed that it's working on its first original TV series from the UK. Given its origins, it should come as no surprise that the show is about none other than the Queen, exploring her relationships with some of Britain's most infamous Prime Ministers. Whether this heralds a future of possible UK-specific shows on the weather and crumpets remains to be seen, but what we do know is that it's called The Crown and will be based on a West End play called The Audience. It'll premiere as a 10-episode mini-season in 2016 and while the cast is still a closely guarded secret, Netflix revealed that Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) is directing, Andy Harries (The Queen) is producing and Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) is one of the show's writers. Given their combined experience with royalty-themed movies, not to mention the six Academy Award nominations shared between them, it's fair to say this trio have a pretty good shot of delivering something you'll want to binge-watch with a fresh cup of tea.
Higgs boson pioneers are knighted by the Queen
Two UK scientists connected to the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 have been awarded one of Britain's highest honors. As part of the Queen's Birthday Honours, professors Tom Kibble and Tejinder Virdee were knighted for their roles in helping find the elusive "god" particle, although they did so in very different ways. Kibble is widely revered for his co-discovery of the Higgs mechanism in the mid-1960s, which helped explain why the particles have mass. Virdee, on the other hand, played a crucial role in developing the concept of CERN's particle-detecting Compact Muon Solenoid (or CMS) in 1990. Decades later, scientists at CERN detected the Higgs boson using CMS and another detector, ATLAS.
UK plans to lock up cyberattackers for life
The Queen's speech is that moment when the government asks an 88-year-old to read out its legislative agenda for the forthcoming year. This time out, Her Majesty has got hackers in her royal sights, with harsh punishments promised for anyone caught messing around in someone else's code. Life sentences will be handed out for cyber attackers who steal industrial secrets, cause death, injury or compromise national security. Unfortunately, the broadly written law also suggests that scanning for vulnerabilities would be treated with similar scorn, which has gotten some security analysts hot under the collar. Governments implementing laws about technology without asking some experts first? Color us surprised.
Netflix's first show from the UK could be a £100m drama about the Queen
Netflix is going big on original programming: House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black are proof of that. However, no such content has so far come out of the UK. That could be about to change, after the streaming giant reportedly beat both the BBC and ITV to secure a new 20 episode biopic of the Queen, corgis and all. According to Broadcast Now, Netflix is on the verge of finalising a £100 million deal for the series, titled The Crown, which will centre on the Queen's "ascent to the throne at the age of 26, to the present day."
UK pardons computing pioneer Alan Turing
Campaigners have spent years demanding that the UK exonerate computing legend Alan Turing, and they're finally getting their wish. Queen Elizabeth II has just used her royal prerogative to pardon Turing, 61 years after an indecency conviction that many now see as unjust. The criminal charge shouldn't overshadow Turing's vital cryptoanalysis work during World War II, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said when explaining the move. The pardon is a purely symbolic gesture, but an important one all the same -- it acknowledges that the conviction cut short the career of a man who defended his country, broke ground in artificial intelligence and formalized computing concepts like algorithms.
Rock Band Weekly: Iron Maiden, Queen, Great White, Avenged Sevenfold
As was the case a couple weeks back, every new track available for the Rock Band music store next week is a song off Harmonix's Rock Band Blitz. Reminder: All 25 tracks from the $15 Rock Band Blitz are compatible with Rock Band with purchase.
Queen's Christmas Message to reportedly air in 3D, project the royal presence further (update: not entirely first)
Loyal subjects of the United Kingdom who also embrace the cutting edge of TV may get an extra treat this year. Queen Elizabeth II has reportedly recorded her annual Christmas Message in 3D, supposedly becoming the first member of the British Royal Family to embrace the video format after Prince William turned it down for his wedding. We'll naturally need 3D glasses to catch all the nuances if it happens, although the extra dimension wouldn't be exclusive to the producers at BSkyB who captured it: both the BBC and ITV should supposedly have access as well. While donning funny-looking eyewear for a speech isn't usually our first choice for entertainment, we'll make an exception for Her Majesty if Buckingham Palace confirms the 3D broadcast. Besides, it may be the perfect test of a new 3D TV waiting under the tree. Update: Thanks to reader Steve, we now know that claims of this being the Queen's first sojourn into 3D weren't right. While it would certainly be the first Christmas Message in 3D, we've learned that a CBC TV crew only just got to shoot in 3D earlier this year. Technically, the very first 3D footage of Queen Elizabeth II was recorded on her coronation in 1953, but it wasn't discovered and processed until just recently.
Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 is fit for a queen -- The Queen, in fact
The Queen always keeps up with the latest technology, and today she'll try to squeeze a Galaxy Note 10.1 into her handbag. The tablet represents a "digital time-capsule," and will be loaded with multimedia clippings -- submitted by people from all over the world -- detailing history during her reign. A total of 60 video, audio and text entries were selected from 80,000 (150GB-worth), but all of that data will eventually be added to an online archive called the "Diamond (re)Collection." The project was orchestrated by The Royal Commonwealth Society, which briefly considered using an iPad, but ultimately decided Samsung's slate was the more regal (even if it is less cool). It leaves us wondering -- will the next Royal Decree be signed with an S-Pen?
Angry Birds go Ga Ga for Mercury to celebrate Freddie For A Day
'Freddie For A Day' is an annual event held on Freddie Mercury's birthday, tomorrow, to celebrate the former Queen frontman and raise money for the AIDS charity set up in his name. Angry Birds creator Rovio gets in on the act this year by releasing the above specially created animation. We've got to hand it to Rovio: the late, great Mr. Mercury makes a dynamite Angry Bird.Freddie For A Day festivities continue throughout the week – although, Londoners, you've just missed out on glamming up The Savoy for a day. Luckily, there are still plenty of other ways to celebrate the rock legend and donate to a very worthy cause.
RuneScape throwing the Queen a royal celebration on June 2nd
Royalty is coming to RuneScape on June 2nd, as Jagex is celebrating the Queen of England's Diamond Jubilee (that's 60 years on the throne, if you're wondering). Players in the game will be invited to join in a massive block party that will include sampling British cuisine, solving clues, petting the Queen's Corgis, and collecting numerous treasures scattered throughout the Royal city of Varrock. There's even a giant Queen Black Dragon to be defeated, but be warned: She's one of the toughest mobs in the game. This celebration is partially in response to the honor (honour) that the Queen gave the studio in April of this year, as Jagex was granted the Queen's Award for Innovation in Enterprise. "We thought it was only appropriate to return our appreciation and admiration by immortalising the Queen's monumental 60-year achievement by providing an online platform for hundreds of millions of people around the world to come together," said CEO Mark Gerhard. "Friends and family will share in the fun and celebrations of this very special day celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, by hosting what may be the first, but certainly will be the world's largest, virtual street party." If you're wondering if the Queen will be there, well, Jagex did extend an invitation. You can watch the Jubilee Celebration trailer after the jump. [Source: Jagex press release]
Apple lead designer Jonathan Ive knighted for the New Year, how's your 2012 looking?
Apple Senior VP Jonathan (or Jony) Ive has been credited with fueling the company's resurgence alongside Steve Jobs with products like the iMac, iPhone and iPad, and for these successes has been made a Knight Commander of the British Empire as a part of the New Year's Honour's List. Aside from having a much better NYE celebration than yours, he'll be tapped on the shoulders by the Queen's sword and that will forever be Sir Jony to you, commoner (we'll see if he can make it through the ceremony without suggesting some tweaks for better balance and usability -- you can see his passion above as he eats an invisible sandwich pontificates about new iMacs). It's a bump up from his previous title of Commander of the British Empire and keeps the cycle going, as he released a statement appreciating the benefit of a "wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making". [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
