It’s no secret that most magazines are struggling to retain, never mind increase their readership. The medium isn’t dead, far from it, but the ever-growing competition online is forcing publishers to rethink what they print. The latest strategy is, u…
Today on In Case You Missed It: The Airobotics drone system can autonomously launch UAVs and perform basic maintenance, like swapping out batteries. Researchers designed a device that agitates bubbles in the blood to get more chemotherapy into the…
While mainstream manufacturers of Chromebooks happen to be pretty large conglomerates by themselves, such as Samsung’s range of Chromebooks to date, this does not mean that there are no other competitors around, never mind that they are pretty small in stature compared to the likes of the South Korean giant. Having said that, China’s CTL has just announced their NL61 model, which happens to be the latest addition to a line of CTL NL6 Chromebooks that was first introduced to the masses way back in 2014. Through the years, CTL has updated the original model in order to meet the changing demands of the digital classroom, and this time around, the CTL Rugged Education Chromebook NL61 is set to spice things up.
Following an earlier model’s function, which was the NL6B that came with a 180-degree hinge that allowed the Chromebook to lie flat, so too, will the CTL Rugged Education Chromebook NL61 come with a similar feature. Not only that, it will also be accompanied by a convenient carry handle as well as a 360-degree rotating camera. In addition, the NL61 will also boast of a more powerful processor as opposed to its predecessor, which results in approximately 14 hours of battery life.
As for the rest of the hardware specifications that accompany the CTL NL61, they would include a 11.6” non-glare panel, the Intel N3160 Quad Core Processor (Intel Braswell), 4GB of DDR1600 RAM, 32GB of internal memory, Intel 3265 AC Wireless (AC 2×2), a couple of USB 3.0 ports, an improved rugged design and easy teardown, and is all set to ship to the masses some time later this July with an asking price of $239.00 a pop. Seems to be priced at an affordable point for students, as well as for educational institutions that would like to make the jump aboard the Chromebook bandwagon.
Press Release
[ CTL Rugged Education Chromebook NL61 announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
It was speculated that due to the teasers that Xiaomi had put out that the company could be planning on unveiling a smart bicycle, and sure enough it looks like the speculation was right as Xiaomi has officially announced the Mi QiCYCLE folding electric bicycle that does come with several “smart” features.
First of all this is an electric bicycle, meaning that there will be some assistance provided when you pedal, as opposed to regular bikes where it is 100% your effort. It will feature a 250W, 36V “high speed motor”, although it doesn’t exactly say how fast the bike will be able to travel at when in use.
It will also come with a li-ion battery provided by Panasonic that will allow users to travel up to 45km on a single charge. There is a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub, a companion smartphone app, and there is an IDbike Torque Measurement Method that can measure how much torque you are applying, which in turn will allow the bike to better determine how much power to output.
It is foldable and will weigh 14.5kg. There are also stats that it can track like speed, distance, power, dynamic power, and calories consumed. It will cost cost RMB2,999 which is actually relatively affordable. It’s an interesting development for the company who has primarily been known for creating smartphones. There is no word on whether the Mi QiCYCLE will be arriving in the US, but for now we can just safely assume that it won’t.
Xiaomi Unveils The Mi QiCYCLE Folding Electric Bike , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
So we’ve seen Motorola launch new Moto G handsets, and we’ve also seen them launch the Moto Z handsets. Now since Motorola said that the Moto Zs won’t be replacing the Moto X, we can only imagine that we will be treated to new Moto X handsets at some point, but what about the Moto E range?
Turns out that there could be some changes there. Recently photos of the Lenovo Vibe C2 have leaked online and according to the rumors, it has been suggested that the Vibe C2 will actually be replacing the Moto E lineup as Motorola’s most affordable handset range. Given that Lenovo owns Motorola, we guess this doesn’t really come as a surprise.
According to the rumors, the Vibe C2 will feature a 5-inch 720p HD display and under the hood, a MediaTek MT6734P chipset can be found. There will be 1GB of RAM accompanying the phone along with 16GB of storage, a 8/5MP camera combo, a 2,750mAh battery, and the usual assortment of connectivity options.
Based on these specs, it certainly doesn’t look like the Vibe C2 will be positioned to compete against the likes of the new Moto G and Moto Z handsets, but could it be replacing the Moto E? Take it with a grain of salt, but how many of you guys would actually miss the Moto E if the rumors are true?
Lenovo Vibe C2 Leaked, Rumored To Be The Moto E’s 2016 Replacement , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
So far reviews of the OnePlus 3 have been fairly positive. After all you do get what you pay for, and what you get is a value for money handset with mostly high-end specs that you would expect from the likes of Samsung and LG. In fact in some areas like its RAM, OnePlus 3 even beats out the competition by offering a whopping 6GB of it.
However it seems that despite having so much RAM, it seems that the phone does not use it properly which has led to complaints about the handset’s poor RAM management. The good news is that OnePlus has acknowledged the issue and has promised that they will be addressing the memory management problems in an upcoming update.
In case you’re hearing about this for the first time, it seems that despite the generous 6GB of RAM, the OnePlus 3 is actually having some issues with memory management where it would kick apps out of its memory, meaning that if you close an app and launch it again later, it would have to launch as if it were a fresh launch which in some cases will lead to longer waiting times.
That being said, the bad news is that the update will only be heading out to review units for for feedback before being pushed as an OTA to other OnePlus 3 users later on. However if you can’t wait so long, the folks at XDA have published a potential solution that you can try at your own risk.
OnePlus 3 RAM Fix Will Come In A Later Update , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
It’s been an awful period. Too many horrific deaths in Orlando, a child dragged off from his parents by a gator, and this morning my friend Alan died.
Two of those things were horrible, one was sort of beautiful. Alan had breast cancer; yes it happens to men. We knew he was dying and were able to visit him last night to say goodbye. He’s my husband’s friend of 51 years; they’ve pretty much shared almost an entire lifetime.
We were able to hold his hand and speak about the things that matter — love, shared experiences, stories of fond memories and more. Mostly, we got to say goodbye. He was 67 and dying well before his time but his death, while sad, was peaceful and not the horror we think death always is. Why? Because we were able to say goodbye, to thank him for a life of love and friendship, to face together the inevitable, to finish what we started a lifetime ago, to welcome the relief of grief because when someone you love is sick, death is a relief. We talked about how in the end, we are only the stories we leave behind so we assured Alan, a writer, that he left myriad stories we will tell for the rest of our lives.
We got the call this morning that he had died and we were able to feel the grief and the sadness and mostly the beauty of the last moments we were lucky enough to share as the last friends to see him. I will be forever grateful for that.
Goodbye. Good. Bye. We wish you well on the other side; we hope your leaving is a good one. In many ways it’s a hopeful sentiment for the survivors to take with them as they move on to live without the one they love.
I was struck as I watched the loved ones on the news this week after the Orlando massacre. The main thing many of them talked about was the last communication with the person who died — the last text, the last phone call, the last post on FB, the last hug, the last touch. They talked about how much it hurt to find out too late that it was the last communication. I realized most of them just wanted at least that — to have the chance to say goodbye, a true and loving goodbye.
Maybe it’s not too late. If you have someone you love who is ill with a terminal prognosis, don’t wait for the call to come telling you their time is almost up. Say your goodbyes when you can. Don’t fear it’ll hasten death, it can’t.
If you’ve lost someone and never had the chance to say goodbye, as I did when my mother died, say it now, aloud. State whatever it is you feel and send it out into the universe or the heavens or wherever it goes when it leaves your lip. You never know who can hear you and you’ll feel better for it.
When I get off the phone with my daughters or when I leave them, I’ve made it a practice to say, “I love you,” most of the time. After this week I think I’ll change that from most of the time to every time.
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
So, as another season of my life comes to a close and the realization of turning 60 on my next birthday hits me and the sadness and grief of those lost dreams and hopes seem to keep playing in my mind to the point of … AWWWW HELL! LIFE IS GOOD!
HA!! See, I know you thought this was going to be another one of those, woe is me, my husband left, I have no children, and I’m turning 60, sad stories. But it’s not! Yes, I was devastated when my husband told me he wanted a divorce. Yes, I thought I would never get through the sad, nauseous feeling of what do I do now that I’m not going to have that “Happily ever after” marriage every young girl dreams of and yes, I’m tired of seeing that sad look on people’s faces when you tell them “…well I’m going through my second divorce and no I don’t have any children” (that one ALWAYS gets them). But the cloud has lifted and the nausea is gone away and I’m in a NEW season. You see, I belong to a secret group of women over 50, no children, my own money, home, business, I’m happy and I still look damn good, group. I call us “The SOCIETY!” There are many of us out there but it’s not easy to get in (in fact it’s harder than pledging a sorority)! But we do exist and it’s time to speak out to let other women know about the benefits of being one of “US.” So I have slipped on my Manolo’s, had a mani/pedi and dubbed myself this year’s voice for “The SOCIETY.”
OK. Jokes aside. This has not been a good few years for me. But in all the turmoil and many other losses (which I won’t mention because this IS a feel good piece) I have come out on the other side stronger, better and more focused than ever. I have discovered the importance of God, the universe, friends, family and pets. My breakup and divorce have not made me bitter. And turning 60 has not, I repeat, HAS NOT suddenly turned me into an old prude! I still LOOOOVVVE MEN! There’s nothing sexier than a confident good man who’s not looking for a mother figure or a 20-year-old hottie. So on top of divorce, business loss, turning 60 , etc., I have the other realness of still wanting companionship, love, lust, sex, romance … I could go on and on! Thus … the reason for this piece.
We often get caught up in the negative aspects of aging and society doesn’t help!. We feel the very real pain of not knowing what to expect “at our age” especially when you don’t feel or look the way they say you’re “supposed” to. On top of that, separating from someone you love and thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with can actually feel like a death. Add aging and menopause to the mix and look out! But now that my grief has subsided, and being the true romantic that I am, I realize there’s a chance to experience a whole new world of “FIRSTS”! HOW EXCITING IS THAT?! A first glance. A first date. A first kiss. A first … need I say more?!
Now, yes I read Mr. Harvey’s wonderful book “Act like a Lady, Think like a Man” and while I learned a few good tips of how men might think, there were still some missing thoughts for me as a newly single, grown woman almost 60! I’m not looking for a father for my kids, I don’t have baby daddy drama and I know that if I decide I’m going to share “the Cookie” the world won’t stop spinning if you don’t call me the next day. Hell, I MIGHT NOT CALL YOU! If you are a father I know your children come first and I’m good with that. If you have baby mama drama … that’s between the two of you. I do thank Mr. Harvey for reminding me that I don’t have to be in control ALL. THE. TIME. I do want to be treated like a Lady (that’s how I was raised). But as a spokesperson for ” The SOCIETY” I wanted to let all the ladies over 50, got my own money, house, business, no husband or kids, know that… It’s OK.
Not many men and/or women over 50 (almost 60) get a chance to experience the thrill of the “Firsts” again. I’m talking about the real “Firsts” not just the “for tonight” firsts. I’m talking about the stomach flutter, heart pounding, when will I see you again, oooooh girl there he is … FIRST! The, I can still smell his cologne, is he looking at me, I can’t even look at him no more, FIRST! The gurrrrrl guess how old he is (I happen to adore younger men … yes I said it!) The wow I didn’t know that was still in working order, FIRST! THE I CAN’T BELIEVE I REMEMBERED HOW TO DO THAT, FIRST! (sorry … I got carried away)
Anyhoo, I’m here as a reminder that there’s a light on the other side. If nothing else, the thought of feeling that sensation again should help GET you to the other side. We in “The SOCIETY” are proud and strong and ready for the FIRSTS!… AGAIN!
So come on August 7, 2016, (my 60th Birthday) I’M READY FOR SOME FIRSTS!!
Join us!
Stay Fierce!
Brenda Braxton
Actress
Writer
Entrepreneur
Member of “THE SOCIETY”
Share your “First over 50” experience with me! What are you looking forward to doing that you never thought you would do “AT YOUR AGE” What does your YOUR Act 2 look like?
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
This week Apolitical is not reporting on anything. Instead, shocked and angered by the killing of British MP Jo Cox, a public servant and our friend, we want to talk to our readers about the broken trust that allowed this outrage to take place.
Leaving aside speculation about the individual responsible, it is apparent to everyone that politicians and government can rarely have been so generally disparaged as they are today. The latest Ipsos Mori poll on trustworthy professions in the UK found that there is none the public thinks more prone to lying than politicians.
It found that only 21% think they can be trusted to tell the truth. That means that four out of five people think they cannot. The second-bottom category is ‘Government Ministers’, closely followed by estate agents and journalists.
In the US, the most recent Gallup poll found that only 8% of Americans – fewer than one in ten – consider the ethical standards of congressmen and women to be ‘high’ or ‘very high’.
Yet all we hear and know about Jo Cox shows that she was dedicated to the common good, determined in advancing the causes of her constituents and serious about that most undervalued of virtues: public service.
How can these two things – this public mistrust and personal devotion – sit together? Was Jo simply an exception? Well, yes, she was exceptional, she was extraordinary, but she was not unique.
Every day of every week, we at Apolitical speak to public servants like her: people with commitment, talent and integrity. But these people are not presented to the public. Instead, politicians and civil servants, the ‘mandarins’, ‘bureaucrats’ and – in that depersonalising phrase – the ‘dead hand of government’ are ceaselessly lambasted and denigrated in the media of both right and left, and, as many commentators have pointed out in the past week, if you keep injecting poison into the body politic, eventually it well get sick.
It has got particularly unhealthy in relation to the debate about Britain’s possible exit from the European Union. Toxic contributions to an already inflammatory topic have brought out some of the darkest and most fervently held opinions in British society. But politicians were not more trusted before this debate began. The poll figures for last year are no higher.
We at Apolitical believe that the breakdown of public trust in government stems from a failure to personalise the vast machinery of the state, to see that the people in the local councils, in the ministries or in parliament are simply that: people, some of them bad and selfish and self-aggrandising, many of them good.
Things are less bad for civil servants than elected politicians. The Ipsos Mori poll found that 59% of the public believed they would tell the truth. They are accused less of mendacity than of incompetence, lethargy and pedantic attachment to pointless rules.
We believe that this is in large part because the public have no idea what government does. The undeniable opacity of government leads people to think of it as a machine, then to be furious if it malfunctions. They think of there being 440,000 civil servants in the UK, rather than 440,000 people who make sure that hospitals have medicines, schools have teachers and we have the freedoms and privileges that are so familiar they have become invisible.
We do not want to suggest that there are no reasons for the public to be angry or unhappy about the way our countries are run. Effective government is tightly focussed on the concerns and opinions of citizens, not on an assumption that the state knows best. Jo herself was killed on the steps of her constituency surgery, where she had come to talk to the people she represented.
But nothing could be less helpful than to continue to hold the people addressing those problems in such low esteem. If we continue to demoralise our public servants in this way, we risk turning accusation into reality by discouraging good people from entering government.
So what is to be done? One of the finest responses to Jo’s murder was the Twitter hashtag #ThankYourMP, with which Britons thanked their representatives. As citizens, we need to find a means of thanking and celebrating all our public servants, not just the ones who are elected.
In our journalism, we need to extend our idea of how we hold government to account. It is of course crucial to our democracy that we do so by pointing out government’s flaws and failures, and the scandals, wastes and inefficiencies that undeniably exist.
But journalism can also hold government to account by showing what is possible, by highlighting the best work and the people behind it. The old dictum says that ‘happiness writes white’, but the Solutions Journalism movement shows that we can write probing, clear-eyed pieces about what’s working. We do not need to lionise or flatter to give public servants recognition when it is due.
In our politics, the most obvious response comes from Jo’s own work. She was a leader in bringing more women into the public sphere, and was working with one of our co-founders on ways of convincing a broader spectrum of people to serve by running for public office, and so bring the people in government and the people outside it closer together.
And 1,500 parliamentarians from 40 countries have signed a pledge to uphold her memory, saying in a joint statement, ‘Let this be a turning point for us all. Beyond politics and parties, we must as societies stand together to stem the poisonous rising tide of fear and hate that breeds division and extremism.’
The slogan adopted at yesterday’s memorial to Jo was #moreincommon, referring to what she said in her maiden speech in parliament: “While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”
We as citizens need to realise that we have far more in common not just with one another but with our public servants. Our society has to grasp that those in government are just like the rest of us, imperfect, stressed, commuting, eating sandwiches for lunch, spending too much time on their phones and getting tired in the evenings after work, but engaged in a daily effort to improve our lives.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Dear internet,
Anthony Hopkins is not happy. And it’s all your fault.
But to find out where everything broke bad, we have to go back a few years …
In 2013, over two blissful weeks, Anthony Hopkins supposedly binge-watched all of “Breaking Bad” with his wife. Overcome with emotion, as we all were, the actor wrote Bryan Cranston a letter calling his portrayal of Walter White the “best acting” he’s ever seen. Hopkins’ letter included a variety of other flattering phrases, too. Among the highlights:
I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.
But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning.
(“You’re goddamn right,” said Bryan Cranston Heisenberg somewhere … probably.)
If you haven’t read it yet, you can check out the full letter here. But, actually, it’s highly likely you already have. It didn’t take long to go viral.
After hearing about the letter, another “Breaking Bad” actor reportedly posted it online. The internet then ate it up like fava beans with a nice chianti, and Mr. Hopkins’ reaction is summed up here:
“Yeah, of course I wrote him, but I didn’t expect it to go viral,” Hopkins told The Huffington Post, lamenting the attention the letter received.
“Some other actor, I don’t know who he was, but Bryan must’ve told somebody about the letter and showed it. And somebody, some stupid guy, put it on the internet,” he said. “And now I didn’t ask for it. I just wrote this personal letter to Bryan … I didn’t want it to be known publicly, but that’s what happens today. You can’t open your mouth before it goes on the internet or whatever you have, on Twitter or Facebook.”
“I keep my mouth shut from now on. I don’t write letters to people,” Hopkins added.
Anthony Hopkins right now:
The situation is a little sad.
The letter is a work of art for “Breaking Bad” fans, but it’s unfortunate that it got out without Hopkins’ permission. It’s also unfortunate that this caused Hopkins to stop writing letters. If he truly doesn’t want the attention, though, perhaps that’s for best.
It’s doubtful that a simple text message of, “Yo, Bry-Bry, ‘Breaking Bad’ was sick,” would’ve caused as much commotion.
(Though, if Anthony Hopkins texted “Yo Bry-Bry,” that’d probably be a story, too. Right, Leo?)
On the bright side, Hopkins doesn’t need to regret his recent actions on screen. The actor’s new film adaptation of “The Dresser,” which you can see on Starz, has received tons of praise from fans and critics alike.
Hopkins told us “The Dresser” is “the best thing” he’s been involved with in many years. Perhaps Cranston will even send him a letter about it. Just don’t be offended when you don’t get a response, Mr. White.
You’re the one who knocks. Mr. Hopkins is the one who says, “Go away!”
Anyway, internet. If another Anthony Hopkins letter gets out, just keep it to yourself.
Sincerely,
Bill, HuffPost Entertainment Editor
P.S. Did you read that letter, though?
Dear Mister Cranston.
I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.
I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.
I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!
Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.
I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.
But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department – casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.
From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.
If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone – Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada – everyone – everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless.
Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.
You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.
That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.
Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.
Best regards
Tony Hopkins.
I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in journalism, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really (except for Taco Bell).
But this letter is spectacular – absolutely stunning.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
