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'Stranger Things' season three arrives July 4th
While we rang in 2019 on the East Coast, Netflix decided it was time to drop a new detail about one of its most-anticipated series, Stranger Things. An 80s-era rendition of Dick Clark's New Year's Eve broadcast turns Upside Down, revealing a premiere date for the show's third season: July 4th, 2019. Since you've probably seen the show you can expect that celebrations won't go exactly according to plan, while key art and the teaser trailer drop in a "One summer can change everything" tag line. See you on Independence Day!
Recommended Reading: The influence of the 'Super Mario Bros.' soundtrack
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How Video Games Influenced Popular Music by Hua Hsu The New Yorker Andrew Schartmann's new book, Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack, discusses how Nintendo's first dedicated sound designer completely changed music in games. Kondo's iconic music for that title not only provided some of the most memorable tunes of the era, but also influenced gaming and music for many years after. The New Yorker offers a brief glimpse at the book, explaining how Kondo's work changed video game development, too. "As a result of the collaboration behind Super Mario, during which graphics and audio were developed in tandem, games became more of an all-sensory experience," notes Hua Hsu.
Alt-week 7.8.2012: Solar flares, trapping dark matter, and life-sized Lego trees
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. This week we swing by some superhero news, look at how solar panels might shape up in the future, explore a Lego forest and see how to grab dark matter just using some household gold and strands of DNA. Not only that, we discover how the sun likes to celebrate the fourth of July with its own firework display. This is alt-week
More app sales for Mac and iOS over the Independence Day weekend
July 4th is the weekend for fireworks, BBQs, and good times in the United States of America -- not to mention some excellent app sales. Here's a few more: MacGameStore has a big Independence Day sales weekend going on, featuring Mac versions of Civ IV for $14.95, Spore for $9.99, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for $39.95. MacPhun's dropped four apps down to the low price of free for the weekend: Silent Film Director, Cartoonatic, Doodle Cam, and ArtCamera. G5 Entertainment is dropping Romance of Rome, Virtual City, and Supermarket Management down to $.99 on the iPhone, and $2.99 on the iPad. Supermarket Mania 2 is also on sale, for $2.99 on iPhone and $4.99 on the tablet. Flickr HD, one of our Daily Apps, has a dramatic sale this weekend: $0.99 (regularly $4.99). Rockin Ted is another free app to check out. Finally, Steam is having a huge Summer Camp sale this weekend, with dozens of rotating titles going on sale every day. There are a lot of games in there, and a lot of great deals -- keep an eye out for the "SteamPlay" icon, as all of those games work on both Mac and PC. I'm pretty sure most of the sales going up this weekend are out at this point, but we'll keep an eye out for any more going on. We also occasionally tweet out app sales and updates on our Twitter account, so follow us over there if you want up-to-the-minute deals on Mac and iOS software!
Xi3 modular PC reborn as Chrome OS desktop, promises independence from local storage
Chromebooks a tad too mobile for you? Sensing the market is at last ready for Google's web-based OS, Xi3 decided to ship the ChromiumPC, an updated version of the modular, Chrome OS-based desktop it trotted out as a concept last year. The computer (also known as the 5 Series) has a processor module and two I/O ones -- a design whose promise is that installing a different operating system should be as easy as swapping out that first board. And, cheekily, the company expects it to go on sale July 4th, a day when Chromium OS owners can "declare their independence from the built-in obsolescence of other computers." Got that, folks? Your mature operating system and local storage are useless. No word yet on pricing, so here's hoping Chrome OS isn't a moot point or anything by the time we find out. Full PR after the break.
Pyro Spectaculars to use HD-friendly fireworks
There's nothing like oversleeping on a Wednesday, only to realize that all is well thanks to a day we Americans get to celebrate our independence and utter obsession with pyrotechnics. This year, however, you may be better off watching the action from the comfort of your own sofa, particularly if you can tune in to a high-definition broadcast of a Pyro Spectaculars show. The firm will be utilizing a specially formed "HD shell" that's designed to "perform at a lower altitude" and react more cooperatively with cameras. Moreover, the fireworks emit "fuller bursts with more density and deeper colors," which purportedly perform quite admirably when captured in HD. The firm's wares will be used tonight at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and also at Dodger Stadium, and those not in Schwarzenegger's state can catch them at the Macy's New York show as well as in Boston, Seattle, and Houston.
Boom, boom! Happy Fourth of July everyone!
Today's the day Americans celebrate their independence, blow things up, eat lots of grilled food and hang out with friends and family. Some even, believe it or not, ritually drink a little too much this July 4th and get themselves in heaps of trouble. But that's a story for another time. Make today all about sharing time with those around you and if you have nothing planned then hop onto Xbox Live, play some games with friends or just Boom Boom Rocket the day away. It'd be like your own personal fireworks show on your TV without risking second degree burns. From everyone here at Xbox 360 Fanboy, we raise our sparklers to our fellow readers, freedom and those who fight for it. Have a wonderful and event filled July 4th!
Happy Midsummer Fire Festival!
Yup, the festival of flame is appearing in Azeroth starting today through July 5th. There will be bonfires in the cities, new quests to be run, and new rewards to be had (Toasted Smorc is some tasty stuff, and that +44 healing is nice, too). And of course, coming next week around July 4th, the fireworks will fly over Azeroth's cities yet again.I'm kind of excited to see what new stuff there will be to find in Outland-- I especially enjoyed the new Children's Week stuff this year (even though it took long enough to show up), and so I wonder how they celebrate Midsummer Fire in Nagrand or Shattrath. Can you imagine what fireworks would be like in Netherstorm, if they indeed have exhibits up there? Should be cool-- or in this case, hot.Enjoy the Midsummer Fire Festival-- I'll see you out by the bonfires.
