Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 100
August 9, 2017
Game of Thrones: Littlefinger’s Terrified Reaction to Bran, Explained
For seven seasons, he’s been rarely unruffled and always the smooth operator. But now, we’re finally starting to see some cracks in the long con game of Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish. Sansa’s persistent (and not very gentle) rebuffs all season have done nothing to stop the scheming player from lurking, smirking, and waiting to make his move. Unfortunately for Littlefinger’s strategy, there are also two new Stark players on the board—each of whom have reason and opportunity to take him out of the game once and for all. Littlefinger’s conversation with Bran was unsettling, but it might actually be Arya who has better reason to destroy him.
If you’re not a Littlefinger obsessive (or haven’t listened to the “Chaos Is A Ladder” theme on the Season 3 soundtrack), it’s possible that Bran Stark’s coded message to Baelish flew right over your head. So let’s quickly break it down. This line, “chaos is a ladder,” is a reference to a private conversation Littlefinger had with Varys back in Season 3. It basically sums up Baelish’s entire life philosophy: sew the seeds of mischief, violence, and misunderstanding, then use the confusion to climb up the social/power ladder.
But Bran getting a bead on Baelish’s mercenary ways isn’t the most dangerous thing to Littlefinger. Sansa knows exactly what kind of grasping opportunist he is, so this knowledge won’t come as a shock to her. Besides, Bran very clearly doesn’t always understand the fuller meaning of the things he sees or says. But Littlefinger’s reaction (played beautifully by Aidan Gillen) likely involved a few quick calculations as to what else Bran might know.
In that same “chaos is a ladder” conversation, Baelish also admitted a few damning things to Varys. Specifically, he ghoulishly admitted—even gloated—to giving the prostitute Ros over to Joffrey. We all know how that turned out. He also implied that he wouldn’t be stuck with Lyssa Arryn for long. Then again, Sansa knows Littlefinger killed her aunt.
Crucially, however, Sansa thinks Littlefinger killed her aunt for her. Which he kind of did. But in that “chaos” speech—when Littlefinger was essentially monologuing like a Bond villain—he also admitted to Varys that he had ruined the Spider’s rather benevolent plans to marry Sansa to Loras Tyrell and protect her from all the things that came next. (Face it: a sham marriage to a nice, rich, gay man like Loras would have been a lemon cake compared to what Sansa had to later endure.) In other words, Littlefinger tips his hand here that his crush on Catelyn’s little dopplegänger Sansa doesn’t mean he always has her best interests at heart.
Still, Bran doesn’t necessarily know what he’s saying here. (It’s fascinating that Baelish insists on calling him “Brandon,” which was the name of Ned’s brother and the man who nearly killed Littlefinger for the love of Catelyn Stark.) But Arya may pose an even deadlier threat. She’s clearly unhappy to have Littlefinger in Winterfell, a fact she doesn’t even attempt to disguise.
Remember: the last time Arya Stark saw Littlefinger wasn’t at King’s Landing. It was at Harrenhal in Season 2. While acting as cupbearer for Lord Tywin, Arya witnessed an exchange between the Lannister and Lord Baelish. First of all, Littlefinger tried to dress up his “chaos is a ladder” philosophy in a shiny new dress for Tywin, telling him “a moment of chaos affords opportunities.” Tywin, bless him, immediately smacked this down: “You say that as if you’re the first man alive to think it,” he sneers at Littlefinger. “Yes, crisis is an opportunity. What other brilliant insights have you brought me today?”
More pertinently, Arya overheard Tywin and Littlefinger plotting the downfall of her brother Robb Stark (and Stannis Baratheon). And Littlefinger knows Arya overheard him. According to Aidan Gillen, Baelish recognized the disguised Arya in that scene and decided, strategically, not to say anything to blow her cover.
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6 reasons fall is the best time to travel
But did you know that fall is also one of the best times of the year for travel?
With fewer crowds, lower prices, and an abundance of festivals, here are all the reasons why you should be packing your bags this fall.
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The weather is mild
Bring out those sweaters because fall weather is perfect for exploring, whether it’s a city or a national park. Not too hot, yet not too cold either, you can explore to your heart’s content in a comfortable climate. You won’t have to worry about breaking a sweat, and you also won’t have to jam bulky sweaters and coats in your suitcase. A true win-win.
Travel is cheaper
For travelers on a budget, fall is one of the cheapest times of the year to travel. Technically the “off-season,” both airfare and hotels are generally cheaper in the fall than in the summer or during the holidays.
If you’re willing to take a risk, Caribbean travel is especially cheap thanks to the hurricane or rainy season.
Popular destinations are less crowded
Traveling in the fall means avoiding summer crowds, as kids are back in school and many spend their vacation days on summer travel. That means you can forget about making dinner reservations, waiting in lines, or elbowing your way through hordes of other tourists to snap a pic of a popular attraction.
The foliage is stunning
Fall is a beautiful time to travel thanks to the changing leaves. Rent a cabin in the mountains, take a road trip, or stay in a charming village where you can oglebright shades of red, yellow, and orange.
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A lot of great festivals take place
Fall sees a lot of epic festivals around the world, like Oktoberfest, Diwali, London Fashion Week, Halloween, and Dia de los Muertos.
The seasonal food is amazing
Fall cuisine is a category all its own. Peak season for apples, pears, squash, and sweet potatoes, fall might be the best time of the year to wine and dine. Whether you’re getting outdoorsy and going apple picking, or noshing on seasonal dishes at a restaurant, your taste buds are sure to love fall.
Source:
http://www.thisisinsider.com/benefits-of-fall-travel-2017-8#the-seasonal-food-is-amazing-6
Alkaline water: Is this newly trendy water better than the rest?
To be precise, alkaline water or water that has been “alkalized” refers to water with a higher pH than tap water. The pH scale, which measures how acidic or basic something is, runs from zero to 14, with seven being the neutral point. Anything below seven is considered acidic, while anything above seven in basic. Most tap water has a pH of 7.
Alkaline water typically has a pH greater than that of tap water. Water is alkalized through an agent – calcium or magnesium for instance – bringing its pH up to 8 or 8.5, according to Self Magazine. Bottled water brands like Essentia and Evamor are considered alkaline waters.
Health benefits of drinking alkaline water
The benefits of drinking alkaline water vary depending on who you ask. According to the Mayo Clinic, some studies suggest regularly drinking alkaline water can help slow bone loss. Other studies suggest alkaline water can help ease acid reflux woes due to its higher pH levels. The most straighforward benefit of alkaline water, however, is its super hydrating quality, which brands like Essentia and Evamor promote on their websites.
Possible dangers of alkaline water
Although some doctors and experts sing the praises of alkaline waters, others are wary. Registered dietitian Alyse Levine argues in Shape Magazine that the studies of alkaline water are largely inconclusive or incomplete. Levine notes that clinical studies simply don’t exist to support many of the claims made.
Moreover, depending on your current health, drinking alkaline water could prove to have negative effects on your body. For people with kidney disease, higher levels of alkalinity could prove disastrous, according to the Nephron Information Center.
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‘Game of Thrones’: An Overview of Arya Stark’s New Weapon
Entering season seven, virtually every Game of Thrones fan expected to see Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) return home to Winterfell. It was only a matter of when she would arrive back in the North, not if, no matter how hard the premiere episode worked to convince you otherwise.
What wasn’t expected was the return of another instrumental player not seen in Winterfell since the first season: the Valyrian dagger that almost killed Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) shortly after he was pushed from high above by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
For those who don’t remember the weapon, a brief history: Bran was nearly assassinated with this dagger while he was bed-ridden and comatose following his “accident.” The would-be killer brandished the blade in Bran’s bedroom, and would have pulled off the crime — not to mention the added homicide of Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) — if not for Summer ripping the man’s throat out just in time to save the day. Much was made about the fact that the weapon was made from Valyrian steel, a material we know is all-too-precious in the world of Game of Thrones, and clearly came to the deceased criminal from someone with resources. During a trip to King’s Landing, Catelyn learned the weapon originally belonged to Littlefinger (Aiden Gillan), but he lost it in a bet against Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), seemingly implicating the Imp in the assassination plot. Shortly thereafter, Catelyn found Tyrion by chance on the Kingsroad, made a citizen’s arrest, and ignited the violent events that have reverberated throughout Thrones ever since.
“That very dagger is what started the War for the Five Kings,” Littlefinger tells Bran in “The Spoils of War,” as he hands the weapon over to the young lord. “In a way, that dagger made you who you are today.”
Very quickly, Bran makes it clear that he doesn’t care too much about the dagger. His powers extend further than the reach of a single blade. But it’s a very useful instrument in the hands of Arya Stark, now that she’s returned to the North just in time for the White Walkers’ arrival. The young wolf’s future has been somewhat unclear since she returned to the Seven Kingdoms. Would she resume her quest for vengeance against the people remaining on her list? Would she instead rededicate herself to House Stark, as her final words at the House of Black and White indicated? For now, we know where she stands, and for now, she has one of the few weapons that can actually do damage against the Night King and his minions: Valyrian steel, one of the few White Walker weaknesses alongside dragonglass and, one hopes, dragon fire.
In short: Arya has a Valyrian weapon, which means Arya is going to kill at least one White Walker before all is said and done. It is known, and it is groovy.
Helen Sloan/HBO
But will Arya’s new weapon find some other victims before or in addition to the Army of the Dead? We have already speculated that Arya might kill Melisandre (Carice van Houten) some day, given the Red Woman’s prophecy in season three that the two of them would meet again some day, combined with her recent assertion that she’s destined to die in Westeros, but is currently heading to Volantis for the time being. Perhaps it would be a crueler irony for Melisandre to experience some sort of fiery death, but the idea of her dying at the edge of a blade forged from Valyrian steel, long associated with fire and dragon magic, packs an ironic punch as well.
Another likely candidate on the board: Littlefinger. It was his dagger originally, by his own assertion, and there are some who speculate he was the one who sent the assassin to kill Bran in the first place. In the books, Tyrion comes to believe that Joffrey (Jack Gleason) was the one who put out the hit on Bran, having had access to the weapon. The show never made much out of this, however, and given that the show often streamlines events from the books — and given that we’re in the homestretch of the series, where time is even more precious than dragonglass — it’s not a stretch to imagine a future scene in which Littlefinger is implicated for the crime, especially in light of all the other atrocities he’s committed in the past.
Then again, if the show decides to veer in the direction of the books, perhaps it will come to light that Joffrey was indeed responsible for the attempt on Bran Stark’s life — or, in another twist of fate, his mother Cersei (Lena Headey) could be the one who put those violent wheels in motion, finishing the job where her brother failed. In both scenarios, one can imagine Arya returning to King’s Landing after all, and attempting to settle the score with the same weapon that started this entire war. One way or another, then, the Valyrian dagger would return to House Lannister, arguably exactly where it belongs.
Source:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-arya-starks-new-weapon-details-1027602
Justice League Promo Art Offers Best Look at Mera’s Costume
A clearer look at Mera’s (Amber Heard) iconic Atlantean costume has been revealed thanks to a new merchandise art box for Justice League. With just a little over three months away from it hitting theaters, the DC Extended Universe’s first ensemble blockbuster has started rolling out tied-in promo materials to further hype up fans for the upcoming film. This in turn gives fans new and closer shots of the superheroes appearing in the movie, including Aquaman’s (Jason Momoa) love interest.
Despite being more in focus in the James Wan-directed solo Aquaman film set to see the light of day in December 2018, we’ll first get a snippet of Arthur Curry’s underwater home world in Justice League. While we won’t go in-depth with Atlantis in the movie – but just get our initial introduction to the people closest to him including the queen of the undersea nation herself, Mera – it is a great way to tie in various properties in the DCEU to capitalize on the shared universe concept. Further, with the events of Justice League supposedly having an impact on what will go down in Aquaman, the infusion of Atlantean concept and characters beforehand makes it an easier transition with more cohesive storytelling.
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On top of Mera, other recent reveals via a similar situation include Batman’s (Ben Affleck) new cowl and a full profile of the-yet-to-be-seen Superman (Henry Cavill) in any of the trailers for Justice League. It is expected that as the film’s release date nears, more marketing materials will be rolled out for the fans, giving us further information on what we can expect from the much-anticipated blockbuster.
Official narrative news for both Justice League and Aquaman are still rather thin at this point. The ensemble film, which hits theaters in a few months this November, is still busy with ongoing reshoots spearheaded by Batgirl director and writer Joss Whedon following original helmer Zack Snyder’s abrupt departure from the project due to personal tragedy. Latest intel gathered points out to filming supposedly taking place around the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Momoa’s standalone is still in the thick of principal photography in Australia. Several set pieces have been spotted being erected including the pivotal Amnesty Bay Lighthouse.
Source:
http://screenrant.com/justice-league-photo-mera-costume-detail/
Amazon’s Delivery Drones Could Scan Your House to Sell You More Products
Amazon’s ambitions to build a fleet of self-flying delivery drones will have an interesting side-effect: They will create unimaginable quantities of data.
Aerial footage, mapping data, flight patterns, number-crunching analysis, and more — autonomous vehicles produce vast reams of data, and drones are no different. And Amazon is already thinking about how it can turn that to its advantage.
In a filing for a patent granted on Tuesday, the Seattle-based online retail giant lays out how “captured data may be received by a computer system and properties about a destination for the delivery may be identified by analyzing the data. A recommendation may be generated based at least in part on the identified properties.”
In plain English? Amazon’s drones could analyse customers’ homes as they make deliveries, and then try and sell them products and services based on what they “see.”
One example Amazon gives is that it could recommend a roof-repair service if a customer’s roof looks faulty:
“For example, the one or more service provider computers may analyze the data and identify that the roof of the location is in disrepair and in need of service. Subsequently, the one or more service provider computers may generate and provide a recommendation to the customer informing them of the identified property and offering an item or service that is appropriate for the identified property (e.g., a roof repair service recommendation).”
In another, it suggests it could recognise if a customers’ trees are dying, and then recommend them an arborist or fertiliser:
“The unmanned aerial vehicle may capture video data that includes brown and dying trees located near the user’s home. The service provider computers may utilize image and/or video recognition techniques and software to identify that the trees require service (e.g., services that can be provided by an arborist). The service provider computers may, in response to identifying that the trees near the user’s home are dying, generate and provide a recommendation to the user that includes information about arborist services or items such as fertilizers that can help the user’s trees.”
These recommendations — or adverts, depending on how you look at them — could be delivered by email, text message, or a notification on Amazon, the patent suggests.
There are clear privacy concerns about Amazon analyzing your backyard for potential retail opportunities — though the patent suggests it would be opt-in, and only capture and analyse this data with the consent of the customer. “It may capture data such as video data or audio data as requested by the property owner associated with the delivery location,” it says.
Amazon’s plans for drone deliveries are still a long way from commercial reality. It is testing the tech in the UK, and has conducted some very early trials, but it will be years until ordinary people can order a product and get it delivered by drone.
But the patent serves as a reminder that convenience sometimes comes at the expense of privacy, and drone-powered future may offer unprecedented opportunities for surveillance.
Source:
https://www.inc.com/business-insider/amazon-drone-patent-deliveries-scan-your-house.html
How Netflix can spawn a Marvel-style Millarworld superhero universe
Netflix has grand ambitions for Millarworld, the Scottish comic book company it acquired this week. The aim is to repeat Disney’s success with Marvel, where the creator of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy has become a launchpad for multibillion-dollar film franchises.
Here are four ways in which Netflix can make a global success of Millarworld properties, a job made tougher as the deal does not include founder Mark Millar’s best-known properties: Kick-Ass and Kingsman.
1. Create a superhero universe
The latest trend in Hollywood is to create a “universe” from a group of characters. Disney has the Avengers ensemble, which includes characters such as Captain America, Thor and Iron Man – who also have their own standalone films. This is not about flogging a concept through a series of sequels but building up a series of characters that can flit across multiple films (and probably TV series in the case of Netflix). Warner Brothers is tapping into this approach by expanding its DC Comics heroes – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman – into a universe under the Justice League banner. Universal is developing its so-called “dark universe” of monster films ranging from The Mummy, the Invisible Man, and Dracula to vampire hunter Van Helsing.
Millarworld has so far developed 18 character franchises. Three of these – Wanted, Kick-Ass and Kingsman – have so far made the successful jump to the big screen grossing about $1bn (£770m) at the box office. However, Kingsman and Kick-Ass are licensed to other producers. Netflix releases films in cinemas but its main business is streaming content to subscribers so it referred to TV series and kids’ shows as well as films.
Netflix is banking on Millarworld introducing viewers to a new universe of hitherto unknown worlds – with franchises including Jupiter’s Legacy about a dysfunctional superhero family, a gifted petrol station worker called Huck and Duke McQueen, “a space age hero who may be a little past his prime” – that will become household names.
Like Disney’s Avengers, Millar says the “vast tapestry of characters and superteams” all tie together, which Netflix will convert into a range of TV and film projects for its more than 100m global subscribers.
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2. Ensure Millarworld’s output has international appeal
Disney had the luxury of building the Marvel hit factory selectively from a world of 5,000 characters, many of whom were not seen worthy of development when the company was acquired for $4bn in 2009. Millarworld is a smaller canvas.
Millarworld’s creations are not well known cinematically on the global stage and it is superbrands such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Avengers that have driven more than $12bn in box office takings alone for Disney.
Well-established brand characters are still no guarantee of success. Ryan Reynold’s Green Lantern, made by Warner Bros, and The Fantastic Four, made by 20th Century Fox, both flopped.
Even Millar’s biggest hit has struggled to make it to maintain its momentum.Matthew Vaughan, director of the hit adaptation of Kick-Ass, said that the sequel “lost a few fans”.
3. Talent retention and character development
Mark Millar operates Millarworld as something of a collective of creators but the name above the door is his – he and his wife, Lucy, jointly own the Glasgow-based company. Netflix chiefs have heaped praise on Millar calling him “as close as you can get to a modern-day Stan Lee”, the Marvel executive and legendary creator of some of the biggest superheroes in print and film including Spiderman, Iron Man, X-Men, Hulk and Thor.
Millar has proven he has the Marvel midas touch, after an eight-year stint at the business. While there, he developed the comic books and story arcs that inspired the Avengers film, Captain America: Civil War and the recent Wolverine movie, Logan.
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