Month: March 2019

Hanelle Culpepper To Make Trek History Directing Picard Series

CompuScoop Staff March 2, 2019 0

Hanelle Culpepper is going where no woman has gone before. Culpepper will direct the opening two episodes of the upcoming untitled Star Trek/Jean-Luc Picard series from CBS All Access, making her the first female director to launch a new Star Trek series in the franchise’s 53-year history.

To date, Culpepper has directed two Star Trek: Discovery episodes, season one’s “Vaulting Ambition” and the upcoming tenth episode of season two. One of the top episodic directors working today, she most recently directed multiple episodes of Counterpart and Shooter, as well as AMC’s forthcoming show, NOS4A2. Her many other credits include How to Get Away with Murder, Gotham, Criminal Minds, and American Crime. Culpepper got her start by assisting Academy Award-winning screenwriter Callie Khouri on her directorial debut, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. She followed that experience by participating in AFI's Directing Workshop for Women, where she quickly found her vision and voice behind the camera.

“Hanelle is a gifted and dynamic filmmaker whose directorial choices are always deeply rooted in character,” said Alex Kurtzman, Discovery’s co-creator, executive producer and showrunner. “I’ve been a fan of her work since she started with us on Discovery, and she’s the perfect person to re-introduce the beloved character of Picard to longtime fans and new viewers alike. We’re thrilled she’s joining our Trek family on this next adventure.”

The new, untitled Star Trek series will feature Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard, which he played for seven seasons on Star Trek: Next Generation. The new series will follow this iconic character in the next chapter of his life and will air exclusively on CBS All Access in the United States. The series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, James Duff, Heather Kadin, Akiva Goldsman, Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth will serve as executive producers.

Via: StarTrek.com

Report: Star Trek Picard Spinoff gets first character breakdowns

CompuScoop Staff March 1, 2019 1

[Comic Book Resources]: Very little has been revealed about the upcoming CBS All-Access Star Trek spinoff series focused on Captain Jean-Luc Picard. However, new casting breakdowns reportedly reveal the show's characters and hint at what the series will bring in its 10-episode first season.

The report, which comes from That Hashtag Show, reveals that the destruction of the Romulan Empire in the Prime Timeline -- in which the series is set -- will weigh heavily on Patrick Stewart's Picard. Additionally, the story will picks up 20 years after the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which has also been indicated by previous reports.

In addition to Picard, the series will feature seven characters: Connie, Lawrence, Starton, Dr. Smith, K'Bar, Indira and Alana. Connie is described as an African-American woman in her early 30s. She lost her husband and has a death warrant on her head from her home planet. She is also a mercenary pilot. Lawrence is also in his 30s and is described as someone with a "dodgy moral compass." The character, who is a thief, will pilot the ship Picard takes on his mission. The breakdown hints that he might not be trustworthy. Starton is "terrified of space" and specializes in "positronic brains." He is interested in the research part of Picard's mission. He is, like his three compatriots, in his early 30s. Lawrence and Starton are said to be of "any ethnicity."

The other four characters are described as follows. Dr. Smith is a hologram who helps the crew and is programmed to constantly learn but never to become "too self-aware." He may be an upgrade to the series' Emergency Medical Holograms. Another character is K'Bar, a 17-year-old Romulan martial artist who is extremely devoted to Picard. The final two characters are Indira, a smart but socially inept woman in her early 20s, and Alana, a former intelligence officer with an abusive personality in her mid-40s to 5os. Alana, Indira and Dr. Smith are described as being of "any ethnicity," while that isn't specified for K'Bar.

As the series progresses, there may be more characters and more casting breakdowns may surface, giving more of an indication of what to expect from the series. Still, these breakdowns seem to confirm Picard will no longer be a part of Starfleet when the show starts.

 Siri Shortcuts boost health & fitness routines

Dan Uff March 1, 2019 0

Starting and maintaining health and fitness routines gets even easier as more apps offer Siri Shortcuts, joining the thousands that have integrated shortcuts since their introduction with iOS 12.

Using powerful on-device intelligence, Siri Shortcuts help people get things done faster across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod, AirPods and CarPlay, allowing them to easily access and use their favorite apps with just a tap or by asking Siri.

Track Performance and Enhance Training

New Siri Shortcuts provide performance stats in real time and help make training easier. Skiers hitting the slopes this season can use Siri Shortcuts on the Snoww app to start a run (just say, “Hey Siri, let’s ski!”) and get information about the speed, elevation drops and distance traveled by simply raising their wrist to trigger Siri on Apple Watch (“Hey Siri, how was my run?”).

In HomeCourt’s latest update, users can ask Siri to start a dribble workout on iPad or iPhone. And with the Nike Run Club app, runners can use Siri to start a run and get proactive suggestions based on running habits.

Monitor Vitals

Third-party health devices are integrating Siri Shortcuts into their apps for easier data retrieval and control, whether at home or on the go.

The QardioArm smart blood pressure monitor now lets users ask Siri to remotely check in on family members. For example, people who care for an aging parent can ask, “Hey Siri, what’s mom’s blood pressure?” and get that information wherever they are, right on their iPhone or Apple Watch.

With the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, people with diabetes can better track and manage blood glucose levels by simply asking Siri, “What’s my glucose level?”

Build Healthy Habits

Whether watching your diet, getting enough sleep, breaking a bad habit or remembering to take medications and vitamins, Siri Shortcuts help keep track while on the go with any Apple device. With apps like Streaks, WaterMinder and Yazio, users can track daily habits and see how long they can keep them going by asking Siri to log almost any type of activity, such as hydration, exercise, flossing, sugar and caffeine intake, even walking the dog.

With AutoSleep, Siri Shortcuts track sleep quality with Apple Watch or iPhone, providing information when asked about hours slept, quality of sleep, deep sleep, updates on reaching a sleep goal, latest bedtime and more.

Personalize Routines With the Shortcuts App

For those who want to go further in customizing a full fitness routine using Siri, the Shortcuts app allows users to build their own multi-step shortcuts that include actions from multiple apps to create powerful automations. For example, users can create a shortcut telling Siri, “Heading to the gym.” Upon arrival, start the workout with an app like Nike Run Club, cue a workout playlist and enable Do Not Disturb until leaving the gym. A how-to for using the Shortcuts app can be found at support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts.

Based on how customers use their devices, Siri will suggest simple, useful shortcuts right when needed on the Lock screen or in Search. Additionally, users can look for the “Add to Siri” button in the apps they use, or go to Settings > Siri & Search > All Shortcuts to see which apps offer shortcuts and to set a personal phrase to run them with.

Rumor: Apple to introduce AirPods 2 on March 29th, 2019

CompuScoop Staff March 1, 2019 0

“Rumors of a spring launch for Apple’s next-generation AirPods have been coming in over recent weeks, and today a report is claiming we can expect an AirPods 2 announcement as soon as this month, although at this point we’re treating the source with a fair amount of skepticism,” Tim Hardwick reports for MacRumors.

“The rumor comes from Spanish blog Applesfera, which suggests Apple plans to replace its current generation AirPods with new models on March 29,” Hardwick reports. “The blog cites a source said to be familiar with Apple’s plans, and backs up the claim with reference to a screenshot supposedly taken from Apple’s stock management software that shows the original AirPods reaching their ‘end of life cycle’ on March 28.”

“It would be remiss not to mention the other rumor that appeared the same day. Noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) received separate info, also from an unverified source, suggesting Apple will launch a wireless AirPods Charging Case in the near future, but AirPods 2 won’t launch until the fall,” Hardwick reports. “Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in October that a new version of the AirPods would launch late in the fourth quarter of 2018 or early in the first quarter of 2019, and he later clarified that he expects new wireless AirPods in the first half of 2019.”

Read more in the full article here.