Month: May 2022

HBO Max is bringing back an iconic TV show

CompuScoop Staff May 22, 2022 3

For several generations of people, the Care Bears are icons of warmth, love, and symbols on one’s belly that indicate your inner self. Although they were first created in 1981 by illustrator Elena Kucharik as a nakedly commercial grab for greeting cards, they swiftly managed to find a new life as avatars of good vibes in culture. Although it is easy (and fun!) to make fun of the Care Bears as a kind of saccharine pop culture element that has not aged well, it is an undeniable fact that they have stuck around far longer than their Garbage Pail peers. Currently, they are popular enough that HBO Max has ordered six new 22-minute Care Bears: Unlock The Magic specials, according to Deadline.

The Care Bears have pretty much existed in every medium of pop culture since they were first created, but animated cartoons are where they have been able to best express their modus operandi of love, self-respect, and bellies. Since 2019, the latest iteration of the franchise has aired as Care Bears: Unlock the Magic; it first aired on the Warner Bros-owned Boomerang Network as well as the Cartoon Network. HBO Max began airing the program in 2021 and appears to be ready to become the new home of the group of colorful, magical bears for the foreseeable future.

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic most prominently features Cheer Bear, Good Luck Bear, Funshine Bear, Share Bear, and that cantankerous fellow Grumpy Bear as they have adventures through the land of the Silver Lining because children’s entertainment does not need to be subtle. They are frequently opposed by a group of entities collectively known as The Bad Crowd, led by the arrogant, self-centered Bluster. The Care Bears generally combat The Bad Crowd through their innate goodness, sense of sharing and caring, and the power of courage and friendship. Again, while it is easy to cynically make fun of this kind of thing, the Care Bears actually teach some valuable lessons for growing children.

The Care Bears are a pretty big get for HBO Max, as a universally recognized intellectual property for developing children. The streaming content market has never been as competitive as it currently is, and the dominant platforms are doing everything they can to fill available niches. As Disney+ has a built-in advantage when it comes to children’s entertainment, it makes sense that HBO Max would try to maximize their ownership of the Care Bears to the broadest possible audience.

Via: Giant Freaking Robot

Developer’s Tip: Working with JSON? Need a place to test your Xcode project? Read this!

Dan Uff May 20, 2022 0

If you're like me, then you have been learning how to work with a remote JSON file within a Xcode project. You need a way to not only consume the file, but to also make sure that you get information from a JSON remote server without using live data.

There is a web site called JSON Placeholder (https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com) which allows one to make sure that a Swift, SwiftUI or even Obj-C code is working properly before trying the code on live data.

The website offers dummy data to consume inside a tableView or ListView. The site is available 24/7/365 and can be seen here.

Audi adds Apple Music to a wide range of its models

Dan Uff May 19, 2022 0

Audi is integrating Apple Music, a premium music streaming subscription service, directly into select models. Adding Apple Music into the infotainment system gives users the ability to access their subscription directly and intuitively from the Multi-Media Interface (MMI) screen using in-car internet data. This seamless integration allows Apple Music subscribers to find their favorite music and discover even more new music.

The new Apple Music integration allows customers to access their personal Apple Music account directly from the Audi infotainment system, with no bluetooth or USB required. After linking an active subscription to the vehicle, Apple Music subscribers can access Apple Music’s full catalog of 90 million songs, and tens of thousands of playlists, including hundreds of new mood and activity playlists, personalized mixes, and genre stations – all ad-free.

“Integrating Apple Music into the Audio infotainment system marks the next step in the collaboration between Audi and Apple,” said Christiane Zorn, Head of Product Marketing at Audi, in a statement. “For our customers, it means that we are offering them direct access to their own personalized listening experience. This is our understanding of a premium digital in-car experience. At Audi we are systematically driving the digitalization of the vehicle and we are convinced that the interior is increasingly developing into a third living space.”

Over-the-air updates also available for vehicles already on the road

The Apple Music integration will be included in nearly all Audi vehicles in Europe, North America and Japan starting with the 2022 model year. The integration will be conveniently rolled out to vehicles already on the road via an automatic over-the-air update.

To activate Apple Music, customers simply need to open the app in their Audi’s infotainment system and follow the on-screen instructions to log in with the Apple ID they use for Apple Music. To finish the setup process, they simply need to enter a verification code that is sent to their phone. For Audi owners in Europe, cellular data streaming costs incurred are conveniently billed via a data package available from Cubic-Telekom. The first three gigabytes are free of charge. Audi vehicles also come with Apple CarPlay support. Drivers can connect their iPhone wirelessly (or via USB) and get directions optimized for traffic, make calls, send and receive messages and listen to music simply by tapping the touchscreen display or using Siri voice control.

Apple Music turns an Audi into a concert hall on wheels

Thanks to the integration of Apple Music, the vehicle not only becomes a hub for streaming entertainment, but also a concert hall on wheels thanks to its sophisticated audio architecture ‒ and the passengers feel like they’re sitting right in the middle of it all. This is because Audi creates a tailor-made acoustic experience for each model, and digital signal processing delivers a well-balanced sound. For example, the signals from the speakers can be controlled with an individual time offset and thus reach the listener simultaneously. Sound design goes even further to create the ultimate acoustic experience. This is where the Audi sound developers adjust the frequency response to create the typical, but still subjective, Audi sound. Audi has been working with Bang & Olufsen in this context for many years, which has resulted in the development of some exceptional sound systems, such as the B&O Premium Sound System with 3D sound in the Audi e-tron GT1. Here, 16 speakers including 3D sound speakers, a center speaker, and a subwoofer deliver impressive audio.

How to Scan a QR Code with an iPhone’s Camera

Dan Uff May 19, 2022 0

Lately, when you're watching a TV Commercial, they're starting to show what is known as a QR Code. A QR Code is a special code that can either have more information about a product or service. But recently, they also may have an URL to a related web site.

Your iPhone OR iPad has the ability to read and decode these Codes with the help of your camera.

Here's how: