Hasta La Gadget!

Ever since Apple showed off iOS 8 at WWDC 2014 a few weeks back we have been keeping an eye on all the changes and improvements being made in subsequent beta releases. The first beta of iOS 8 was seeded immediately after the announcement. Up till now two betas have been seeded and if a new report is to be believed, the company might now be moving to a three week release cycle for upcoming betas. Apparently the iOS 8 beta 3 release isn’t going to take place until Tuesday, July 8th.

Initially Apple seeds new versions of beta firmware on two-week intervals. Though we have seen the company move to three-week intervals later on in the beta program as work progresses and the software continues to improve.

Look no further than the iOS 7 beta stage from last year. The second and third betas were released in two-week intervals but the fourth one took three weeks to arrive. We even saw this with iOS 6 nearly two years ago when Apple shifted to three-week intervals for the third and fourth iOS 6 betas.

This change of pace would seem to indicate that Apple is nearing completion of its next major iOS update. The public release is expected to take place over the fall, presumably around the time Apple is ready to unveil its new iPhones.

iOS 8 comes with countless new features, many of which are already up and running in the beta releases. Unfortunately beta software is only intended for registered developers so there’s really no legal option for the average joe and jane to try out the firmware prior to its public release.

iOS 8 Beta 3 Release Expected Next Month , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

“The Leftovers” is the hardest kind of show to review. Aspects of it are intriguing and commendable, and among its virtues is a deep commitment to the examination of difficult mental and emotional states. It’s trying, but in this sentence, I’m using that word as a verb.

That said, the adjective “trying” came to mind occasionally as I watched the four episodes that HBO sent for review (the media got the first, second, third and fifth hours). One episode in particular set my teeth on edge, given that it felt like a warmed-over episode of “The Twilight Zone” built on shaky yet predictable character foundations.

That episode and some other elements of the show frankly felt like a slog, but I kept going, and I will continue to do so. “The Leftovers” is somber and often sad, yet it’s also sincere and willing to ask the big questions. “The Leftovers” is interesting television, even if, in the early going, it’s not quite sure of what it wants to be or where it wants to go.

The HBO drama, which is based on a novel by Tom Perrotta (who serves as a producer of the TV show), is the first post-“Lost” TV project of Damon Lindelof. Though I have no interest in re-litigating the island-based battles that occupied a fair number of TV addicts (myself included) for close to a decade, there are any number of thematic and structural elements that recall the ABC drama. In “The Leftovers,” you’ll find a man of faith who is tested, a somewhat self-contained community that serves as a microcosm for the larger world, any number of surreal or inexplicable occurrences, outbursts of violence and primal emotions, characters desperate for connections and a sense of belonging, subsets of outsiders who band together against a hostile world, fractured families, undependable fathers, etc. And they aren’t the primary engine of the show, but there are flashbacks as well.

So if you watched “Lost,” the following sentence will not surprise you. Though “The Leftovers” features excellent performances and top-notch production values, there’s a certain amount of flailing in the four episodes I’ve seen, and that flailing is sometimes papered over with mystical hand-waving and Deep Thoughts that, upon further examination, turn out to be either shallow or tangential at best. And this time around, there’s no Hurley to distract you and make you laugh. Make no mistake: It’s a dark show. This is not even remotely a “Leftovers” plot clue, but tonally, the HBO show leans more toward “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” than, say, “Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,” if you get my “Lost”-ian drift.

The premise of “The Leftovers” is concisely depicted in the first few minutes of the pilot: About two percent of the world’s population simply disappears. Almost immediately, the show jumps ahead three years. The aftereffects of “the departures” are still keenly felt but most people have settled into new and somewhat disjointed but semi-normal lives. “The Leftovers” takes place in the town of Maplewood, New York, where Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) is the sheriff and fighting his own battles with loss and confusion.

Perhaps this summer, an online battle will rage over how quickly or slowly “The Leftovers” doles out answers, and I’m of two minds on that front. We live in a world in which a show like “True Detective,” which never consistently foregrounded its rather ramshackle mythology, and which strongly signaled its primary interest in philosophy and character studies, was ripped apart in certain quarters for not neatly ticking all the plot-resolution boxes. Sure, the finale could have reeked less of flop sweat, but the plot was never the point. “True Detective” used the frames of a crime drama without being all that interested in the “whodunnit” baggage, and, despite its various issues, I loved how committed it was to its distinctive brand of bittersweet bayou metaphysics.

“Fargo,” on the other hand, could have used some “True Detective’s” yearning messiness; the FX show had its moments and some great performances, but during its chilly climax, you could almost sense its reluctance to invoke the fury of the most vociferous message-board police. The clinical “correctness” of “Fargo’s” ending felt hollow and deflating, to me, anyway. When attempting to examine the human condition, I find that neatness can be kind of overrated.

All things considered, Lindelof’s new show is probably damned either way, and frankly, “The Leftovers” trips itself up in both directions. I don’t necessarily need answers, but there are aspects of certain characters’ lives and creeds that, to be honest, don’t make much sense to me. A lot of the life of Maplewood cleric Matt Jamison strikes me as uninspired Locke outtakes, and Christopher Eccleston’s attempt at an American accent for the role doesn’t help.

There’s also a group of characters — members of what some call a cult — who don’t talk as a philosophical and quasi-religious choice, and aspects of that group’s lifestyle and belief system don’t really hang together or remain frustratingly vague. What do Jamison and the cult members believe and why do they believe it? I don’t need to know because I demand answers, but because knowing might help me care about them more, but there are times that the show is too cryptic and oblique.

Yet with the fewest lines of any actors on the show, Ann Dowd and Amy Brenneman, who both play members of the cult, kept me interested in that aspect of the show. As was the case with “Lost,” the casting and the character stories, when they work, often make up for a fair amount of meandering and even wallowing.

Though I haven’t read Perrotta’s book, there’s no doubt that the premise of both versions of “The Leftovers” is very smart. Two percent of the world gone: It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s everything if one of your loved one suddenly disappears, or if the ripple effect of the “departures” tears apart the fabric of your life. Two percent is enough to destabilize people and their belief systems and it’s enough to rattle whole societies, but it’s not as if the workaday business of living simply stopped on the day those people whooshed away. I’m grateful, in other words, that “The Leftovers” didn’t take the easy way out and thrust everyone into a burnt-out apocalypse. It’s harder when life is the same, but it isn’t. It not a sexy title, but the show could well have been called “The Grievers.”

Pain and grief are unstable entities and they play out in unpredictable ways in human beings and in societies. In Maplewood and everywhere else, the randomness and arbitrary nature of life have been turned up a few degrees, and unsurprisingly, people are cracking under the pressure. Or maybe they just think they’re cracking. In the end, the distinction may be academic.

Ultimately, “The Leftovers” depicts a series of personal apocalypses, and it’s an open question as to whether it will be able to spin these individual and community crises into a viable ongoing TV series. So far, it’s not more than the sum of its mournful parts, but it’s making a big effort, and it may get there eventually.

“The Leftovers” debuts 10 p.m. ET Sunday on HBO.

Between babies crying, toddlers running around and endless tasks to be done, parents report their sex lives aren’t as active as they once were. But in a survey of over one thousand parents conducted by Trojan and YourTango.com, many said they’re still doing their best to get the job done. (Or in secret sex-code, take “a time out.”)

@media only screen and (min-width : 500px) {.ethanmobile { display: none; }}

Like Us On Facebook |
Follow Us On Twitter |
Contact HuffPost Parents

The tagline for Season 4 of “Game of Thrones” was “All Men Must Die,” but honestly, that could stand as the motto for the entire series.

For years, fans have been watching some of their favorite characters meet bloody ends at the hands of showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. We know winter is coming, we know death is inevitable, but man are we tired of witnessing some of the best actors on the show get killed off. While these characters died on the show, they still live on in the real world, and having the biggest series on HBO as a bullet-point on your resume can make life after death pretty sweet.

Here’s what all of those poor men and women killed off on “Game of Thrones” are up to now:

Season 1

Sean Bean

You Know Him As: Lord Eddard Stark, the most loyal servant of best friend and former King Robert Baratheon, and the patriarch of House Stark. Ned Stark was a man respected by his peers, loved by his family and pitied by his enemies who rightly believed he was too noble to survive the “Game of Thrones.” (We’re talking about you Littlefinger.) His honor and a public beheading marked the end of his time on the series.

Where To Catch Him Next: Sean Bean is a wonderful British actor who unfortunately dies a lot, at least on the big screen — remember poor Boromir in “Lord of the Rings”? Hopefully his next role, as an undercover spy in TNT’s “Legends” won’t involve getting shot up with arrows or having his head chopped off by prepubescent tyrants. Look for “Legends” when it airs Aug. 13 at 9:00 p.m. on TNT.

Mark Addy

You Know Him As: Boozy Robert Baratheon, the former King of Westeros who spent more time “hunting boars and fucking whores” than he did ruling the Seven Kingdoms. It was the wine and the boars that finally did him in on the show.

Where To Catch Him Next: You might remember Addy from the CBS sitcom “Still Standing,” although we first fell in love with him when he starred as the lovable voice of reason for Heath Ledger in “A Knight’s Tale.” It looks like he’s sticking to TV with a few mini-series in the pipeline including the BBC’s supernatural thriller “Remember Me.”

Harry Lloyd

You Know Him As: The brother nobody would ever wish for, Viserys Targaryen. Demented and sadistically cruel, Viserys was only concerned with taking back what he believed to be his by birthright, namely, all of Westeros, and he didn’t mind selling, beating and threatening his sister to do so. He’s also the reason behind the saying, “be careful what you wish for.”

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: After his turn on “Game of Thrones,” Lloyd headed to the big screen, starring opposite Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady.” Next up for the actor is a movie with Eddie Redmayne titled “The Theory of Everything” about the life of physicist Stephen Hawking and a role in the WGN series “Manhattan” which follows the race to create the world’s first atomic bomb.

Jason Momoa

You Know Him As: The braided warrior and leader of the Dothraki Tribe, Khal Drogo who wed Daenerys Targaryen in Season 1. Though the two had a rocky start to their relationship — being sold into marriage isn’t the best way to win the girl — they eventually fell in love. Unfortunately, not everyone in the tribe was a fan of the future Mother of Dragons and Drogo died after sustaining an injury defending the honor of his sun and stars.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: After starring in the Sundance TV series “The Red Road,” Momoa is donning green tights for his new role as Aquaman in the upcoming “Batman v. Superman” flick from Zack Snyder. The actor joins Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as the king under the sea. He’s also set to play a bigger role in the upcoming “Justice League” film.

Season 2

Gethin Anthony

You Know Him As: The charming, charismatic younger brother of King Robert Baratheon. Renly was too carefree and superficial to ever sit on the Iron Throne, but that didn’t stop him from trying. After King Robert kicked the bucket, Renly made a play for the crown, but thanks to his older brother Stannis and the Red Witch Melisandre, his dreams of ruling Westeros were never realized.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: Anthony may not have made a good king in George R.R. Martin’s world, but he’s set to play a leader of a very different kind in a new series for NBC. The self-dubbed King Renly is gearing up to play cult leader Charles Manson in a 13-episode series from the Peacock Network. The show is set in the ’60s and will follow an LAPD officer as he tracks down one of America’s most deranged and notorious criminals.

Season 3

Richard Madden

You Know Him As: The King in the North and the eldest Stark boy. Robb Stark was set to inherit Winterfell before his father was beheaded and his sisters were taken hostage by the new king. A Stark just doesn’t take those kinds of things lying down so Robb built up an army and crowned himself King in the North. His death should serve as a cautionary tale whenever you’re invited to a wedding in Westeros.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: He might not be a king anymore but he’s still royalty in his next role as Prince Charming in Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic children’s tale, “Cinderella,” set to debut in 2015. Madden also had the leading role in the Discovery Channel’s “Klondike” mini-series which followed the Alaskan Gold Rush in 1890.

Michelle Fairley

You Know Her As: The matriarch of the Stark family and the tough-as-nails advisor to her eldest son, Catelyn Stark. Catelyn was the no-nonsense voice of reason on the show. She obviously cared for her children — save the bastard Jon Snow — and believed in family above all. Honestly, if the men in her family had listened to her advice more often, they’d probably still have their heads attached to their bodies.

Where You’ll Catch Her Next: Fairley had a recurring role on the USA drama “Suits” during its third season. She’s currently playing British terrorist and Jack Bauer’s nemesis in the “24” reboot “24: Live Another Day” which airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. on Fox. She’s also set to star in the Ron Howard directed “Heart of the Sea” with Chris Hemsworth.

Oona Chaplin

You Know Her As: The reason the North lost the war. Talisa was a noblewoman from the Free City of Volantis who we first met as she was sawing her way through a wounded soldier’s leg. She followed Robb Stark and his men, giving medical assistance to the troops before catching the young king’s eye and persuading him to break his word to Lord Walder Frey in order to marry her in a secret ceremony. Remember that warning about weddings in Westeros?

Where You’ll Catch Her Next: Chaplin has appeared in a couple of TV shows and small films including the mini-series “The Crimson Field” that aired on the BBC and followed the lives of medics and patients at a fictional hospital in France during the First World War. She’s set to star in a movie titled “The Longest Ride” with Scott Eastwood, actor/director Clint Eastwood’s son, about a couple whose lives collide with an older man’s as he remembers a lost love after being trapped in the wreckage of a car crash.

Season 4

Jack Gleeson

You Know Him As: The brattiest prepubescent kid to ever sit on the Iron Throne, and generally, the worst person on the entire planet, King Joffrey Baratheon. Honestly, there’s not much good to say about the guy so we won’t waste out breath trying but, it’s safe to say, he won’t be missed in Westeros. Oh, and he definitely should’ve learned a thing or two from Robb Stark when it came to his own nuptials.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: Not on your TV screen. Gleeson confirmed that when his time ended on “Game of Thrones” he’d be retiring from the acting world. He plans to finish school — he’s currently studying philosophy and theology at Dublin’s Trinity College — and continue his charity work with the nonprofit organization Goal, which which helps homeless citizens in Haiti recover from the devastating earthquakes in 2010.

Rose Leslie

You Know Her As: The Wildling woman kissed by fire — and by Jon Snow — who’s quest for vengeance against her former lover led to her death during the battle at the Wall. Before getting a shot to the heart by orphan Ollie, Ygritte was one of the most-valued members of the Wildling clan and proved she had no problem taking care of herself, and Jon Snow when he was captured north of the Wall and forced to play traitor in order to survive. Unfortunately, the old saying proved to be true for Ygritte: she should’ve planned ahead and dug two graves before getting her revenge.

Where You’ll Catch Her Next: Leslie has a couple of projects in the works, including a film titled “Honeymoon” which focuses on a young couple, newly-wed whose honeymoon turns into a horror story after Leslie’s character goes missing and strange things begin to occur.

Pedro Pascal

You Know Him As: Oberyn Martell, the Prince of Dorne who only cares about two things: pleasure and revenge. Oberyn came to King’s Landing looking to pay his debts to the Lannisters after they caused the death of his sister and her children. The smooth-talking royal soon had his chance, after competing as Tyrion’s champion in a trial by combat with The Mountain. Unfortunately for the Red Viper, he fell into a classic trope created by those cheesy mustache-twirling villains in every bad action movie you’ve ever seen: he talked too much. As we watched his head explode between The Mountain’s grubby hands we finally came to the realization we can no longer fall in love with any characters from George R.R. Martin’s tale as he’ll eventually find out and decide to kill them off in the most brutal way possible.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: After his memorable turn on the show, it’s no surprise that Pascal is in high demand. He’s been dusting off his Shakespeare in New York City this summer with “Much Ado About Nothing” as part of the Shakespeare in the Park annual event series. He’s also landed a major role in the upcoming Netflix original drama “Narcos” which follows the criminal exploits of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Sibel Kekilli

You’ll Know Her As: Shae, Tyrion’s former bedmate who gave us one of the most heartbreaking scenes of Season 4 when she testified against her lover on the stand. Though she was a prostitute, both Shae and Tyrion came to genuinely care for each other which is what made her betrayal and death at Tyrion’s own hand even harder to bear.

Where You’ll Catch Her Next: Currently, Kekilli doesn’t have any projects in the pipeline, but if we were to judge by her incredible performance on “Game of Thrones,” that won’t be true for long.

Rory McCann

You’ll Know Him As: Arya Stark’s travel buddy and Joffrey’s former henchman, The Hound. The man also known as Sandor Clegane didn’t win over any fans when he killed the butcher’s boy in Season 1 especially the young Stark girl who later put him on her kill list. Unfortunately for The Hound, Brienne of Tarth also had a bone to pick with the murdering thug and he was killed by her hand and Arya’s merciless exit. At least, we think he was.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: McCann’s next project is a film with Michael Fassbender called “Slow West” scheduled to hit theaters sometime this year. The movie follows a 17-year-old boy on a cross-country journey in search of the woman he loves, while accompanied by mysterious traveler Silas played by Fassbender.

Kate Dickie

You’ll Know Her As: The mentally unstable — and that’s putting it mildly — younger sister of Catelyn Stark and aunt to Sansa Stark. Lysa was always envious of her older sister, especially when it came to the smarmy, manipulating Petyr Baelish. After catching Baelish putting the pediophilic moves on Sansa, Lysa proved love really is an open door — sorry, we had to get a “Frozen” reference in here somehow — and took a long trip to the afterlife courtesy of her new husband.

Where You’ll Catch Her Next: Kate Dickie can be found in the recently released feature film “Filth” starring James McAvoy. She’s also set to star in the romantic drama “The Silent Storm” opposite “Homeland’s” Damian Lewis about a woman residing on a remote Scottish Island with her minister husband and the delinquent who’s sent to live with them.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

You Know Him As: Jojen Reed, ally to Brandon Stark and brother of Meera Reed. Jojen possessed the gift of sight, and led Bran on a journey that took them north of the Wall so that Bran could finally realize his warg abilities and meet the three-eyed raven. Unfortunately, he was killed in an attack during the last episode of Season 4.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: The kid from “Love, Actually” and “Nanny, McPhee” is all grown up — he’s in his twenties now — and starring in the highly anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling YA novel “The Maze Runner.”

Charles Dance

You Know Him As: The most cunning lion of them all. Tywin Lannister ruled his family and Westeros with a stern hand and a ever-present scowl on his face. We doubt he ever truly loved anything or anyone, especially his children, and he had no problem ordering the slaughter of innocent people if it furthered his own cause.

Where You’ll Catch Him Next: Dance is set to star in an Australian mini-series titled “Deadline Gallipoli” with Sam Worthington and Hugh Dancy. The series focuses on the story of Australian and New Zealand troops in the battle of Turkey during World War I. Dance is also attached to the thriller “The Imitation Game” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley about English mathematician Alan Turing which will hit theaters later this year.

Designer Dunja Messer-Jourdain. Photo: Lia Petridis Maiello

Gorgeous women dressed in purple. New York based fashion designer Dunja Messer-Jourdain adds an entire new level of significance to the color that traditionally robed aristocrats and clerics. Her purple creations are luxuriant in a playful, charming and invariably elegant manner. They are traditional in the best sense possible by suggesting timely references to preceding eras while simultaneously putting them into a groundbreaking new context — the Messer-Jourdain context — or better known as the New York City label Amiiee New York.

The purple collection. Photo: Erika Hokanson
How a color can transform into many different meanings by the choice of material is another facet of the versatile designers’ passion for fashion. Silk, leather, feathers, organza and sequins turn her pieces into a collection for women with aspirations and verve. And since curves inspire her, “I like anything round,” she says, her pieces are often designed for women that would fall within the fashion industry’s definition as “curvaceous.” Outside of the fashion industry however, they would probably pass for “normal size” on the consuming end of things.

Dunja Messer-Jourdain had a fashion role model growing up. Her grandfather ran a tailor’s shop and created designs himself. “I often watched him work and my passion for textiles began right there,” the designer remembers. Lacking the ability to draw, she wasn’t admitted to any German university for design, which destroyed her lifelong dream of creating her own fashion. Instead she received a degree in International and Diversity Business Management, which is now putting her ahead of the curve while running her own label.

Her husband Miguel Armando Jourdain helped her significantly turning her dream, passion and talent into a flourishing business in 2012 by creating her label Amiiee New York. “So far I believe I am the only designer worldwide that is creating edgy High Fashion for women with curves. I had my breakthrough with the Purple Collection in 2012/13.”

Garden of Eden. Photo: Erika Hokanson

The current collection “Garden of Eden” shows a line of signature fashion, “The Carrousel”, however marks the designers first excursion into casual evening/office wear. Amiiee is both upscale and extravagant for women who dare the difference. In an interview the German-born New Yorker explains her passions and plans.

What inspires you?

I love different fabrics and materials. I love looking at colors and textures of all sorts and I collect fabrics from all over the world, e.g. Japanese Kimono fabrics. I am inspired by opera, architecture, the ballet and the amazing robes that go with these art forms. I like everything round. A chandelier, beautiful lips, classic cars. I also very much appreciate the drama of music, such as world music, Arabic, Indie, Japanese drums. I feel very lucky to live and work in New York City, because the mixture of cultures and the taste for different forms and bodies are outstanding and a constant inspiration.

What are your preferred materials to work with?

I think that silk feels and looks wonderful, feathers can give certain materials lightness and I also very much like working with leather. I am actually planning on working with latex in the near future, which I have never done before, so these new creations will consist out of a material mix. Despite the image latex often has in fashion, I would love to show the sexy aspect of it and at the same time maintain a certain innocence.

Do you believe in the American Dream and could you define it for me?

Honestly, the American Dream just happened to me. I do have a huge drive and a ridiculous amount of ideas, which helps, I guess. Of course, there are gains and losses, as with everything. But I usually tend to have two new ideas for the one idea that might not work out – and a lot of luck. Germany can be too regulated for what I am trying to accomplish and I think that my career wouldn’t be at the same level as it is here at this point in time. I feel that if you have the ability in the US to make yourself stand out, that alone can be a step towards winning, while in Germany you often need to prove that on paper with a certificate. When I wasn’t accepted into any of the German schools for design for the simple reason that I am not drawing my ideas before they go into production, a lifetime dream was literally shattered for me. I was able to revive this lifetime dream here in the U.S. by filling a niche.

What were the obstacles, the hardship or challenges upon your arrival in New York City?

The fashion world is a bit merciless, as many other industries are. So it is a matter of persistence. It is also quite interesting how people view you over the course of time. When I visit Germany, I am now “the New Yorker.” Here in New York City I tend to be “the European.” That often implies the positive stereotype that I know about style and class. I was overall very positively received when I arrived in New York City, and I couldn’t have had a better mentor for the city than my husband Miguel, a native New Yorker.

What type of woman do you envision wearing your clothes?

I think she might be very feminine, strong, ambitious, broad minded and sensitive. As much as I get emotionally involved in my fashion, I’d love the same for my clients. To me the female body is a canvas I create art work for and with.

Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

I would like to be living on several continents and would love for my brand to be known in many countries. I’d also love to expand my professional experience to working with theaters and cooperating with other companies. Of course, I’d equally like to evolve personally during this process. I also like creating work for others. I believe that is important as it maintains good energy.

“The Carrousel” marks Dunja Messer-Jourdain’s first excursion into casual evening/office wear. Photo: Chad Gayle