Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 64
October 22, 2017
October 19, 2017
Jared Leto dedicated to bringing fans the third Tron 3 movie!
Inexplicably the planned sequel to director Joseph Kosinski‘s 2010 hit sequel Tron Legacy was canceled before production could begin in 2015. It was believed the sequel would continue immediately on from the closing moments of Tron Legacy in which Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) brought ISO Quorra (Olivia Wilde) into the real world, possibly showing elements of the Grid within our world. It was reported in 2015 that for reasons unknown that Disney had decided to cancel production on a third Tron movie in favor of developing other properties, but in 2016 former Disney development executive Brigham Taylor hinted that plans for a third movie were not dead, which was later confirmed by actor Hedlund and director Kosinski. More recently THR reported that Disney is reportedly still considering a new Tron movie, which is rumored to be a reboot of the franchise with Jared Leto attached to star as a new character named Ares. Speaking recently in an interview with Collider about his latest movie Blade Runner 2049 American actor Leto spoke briefly about the untitled Tron movie…
“It was a huge movie for me as well and I do think there’s so much potential in that world, there so much left to be said. I’m absolutely game to try to help in any way that I can bring that to life… It’s something that we’re in discussions about and very much looking forward to bringing to reality. It’s very early days though.”
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While it seems Leto is still attached to and seemingly dedicated to the project, sadly it also appears that the project has yet to be even seriously considered by Disney and greenlit for production, taking into account that there has still been no true explanation as to why the aforementioned planned sequel was dropped by Disney just before it was to begin production. Considering the franchises popularity and its prolific stature in geek culture it seems perplexing that Disney is not more invested in expanding the universe. As for Kosinski, following the critical success of Only the Brave, and his forthcoming Top Gun: Maverick in 2019, should he direct the next Tron movie, it wouldn’t be until 2020 at the earliest.
Conceptually the planned premise for the third Tron movie would have been something fresh and original with virtually generated entities able to become flesh and bone, nevermind the dynamics this would have created both on a personal level for Quorra, but also on a philosophical level for characters such as Clu and Tron. Then of course if such a movie was to be made the visuals alone could have been award-worthy. It’s a shame then that the only Light Cycles we will probably get to see ripping up the tarmac of a ‘real’ street will be in Steven Spielberg‘s forthcoming Ready Payer One (pictured above), which you’ll be able to get 50% off on Movie tickets from CouponsMonk for.
Read more: http://www.scified.com/news/jared-leto-dedicated-bringing-fans-third-tron-movie#ixzz4vyyoRr4y
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Game of Thrones Actor, Audiobook Narrator Roy Dotrice Dead at 94
Roy Dotrice, who played Game of Thrones‘ pyromancer Hallyne, has died, EW.com reports. He was 94.
Appearing in two Season 2 episodes, Dotrice portrayed one of the men charged with creating King’s Landing’s stores of wildfire. He helped inform audiences about what Mad King Aerys did with the substance, and Hallyne also was involved in Tyrion’s plan to use wildfire at the Battle of Blackwater.
Dotrice also was the voice behind all of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire audiobooks. Performing that duty for the first novel, A Game of Thrones, earned him a Guinness World Record for the most characters (223!) voiced by a single actor in an audiobook.
The British actor also appeared in several other TV series, including Beauty and the Beast, Angel (in which he kinda played Wesley’s father), Just Shoot Me, Touched by an Angel and Picket Fences.
Source:
Game of Thrones Actor, Audiobook Narrator Roy Dotrice Dead at 94
Facebook is now testing paywalls and subscriptions for Instant Articles
A few months ago we reported that Facebook may begin testing paywalls and subscriptions for Instant Articles beginning in October. Well now it’s October, and surprise – Facebook has started testing subscription support for instant articles!
Here’s how it will work: Facebook will start with two paywalled options for publishers to choose from:
The first option is a metered model where everyone gets to read 10 free stories per month before needing to subscribe. The second is a freemium model where the publishers choose which articles to lock.
When someone who isn’t a subscriber hits one of these paywalls, they will be promoted to subscribe for full access to the publishers’ content.
One really interesting aspect – if you want to purchase a subscription Facebook will direct you to the publisher’s website to complete the transaction, meaning they process the payment directly and can keep 100% of the revenue and transaction data. The subscriptions will then also include access to the publisher’s full site, and existing subscribers can also authenticate within Instant Articles so they can get full access without paying twice.
Redirecting users away from Facebook to complete a transaction is a huge win for publishers. But not everyone is happy with the arrangement. Notably, Recode reportsthat Apple is balking at the subscription signup flow, saying it violates the company’s rules about subscriptions sold inside apps. Right now Apple gets up to 30% of all subscriptions sold inside 3rd-party iOS apps, so Facebook’s current signup method would strip them of this revenue.
For this reason the feature isn’t launching yet on Apple – only Android, which doesn’t have any restrictions on how subscriptions can be sold. There’s no timeline for when a deal could be made with Apple, with Facebook only saying that “this initial test will roll out on Android devices first , and we hope to expand it soon.”
Facebook says many of their partner publishers identified subscriptions as a top priority, and especially requested the ability to maintain control over pricing, offers, and all the revenue generated from each subscription.
Source:
Facebook is now testing paywalls and subscriptions for Instant Articles
‘Defenders’ Ranks Among Netflix’s Most Binge-Watched Shows
The old way of watching television shows is being replaced by the wide world of binging. Sites like Netflix and Hulu have made it easy for audiences to consume shows in a weekend if they so please, and it seems plenty of people did just that for Marvel’s The Defenders.
Thanks to a new report, Netflix has confirmed its latest Marvel series managed to charm fans when it dropped. The site released its list of most binge-watched original series, and The Defenders came in at third place.
The superhero miniseries pulled ahead of some major competitors to steal third place. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life managed to come in on top with Fuller House trailing behind it, but shows like The Ranch and even Orange Is The New Black failed to take over Daredevil’s new posse.
You can check out the study’s full list of binge-friendly shows below:
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Fuller House
Marvel’s The Defenders
The Seven Deadly Sins
The Ranch
Santa Clarita Diet
Trailer Park Boys
F is for Family
Orange Is the New Black
Stranger Things
Friends from College
Atypical
Grace and Frankie
Wet Hot American Summer
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
House of Cards
Love
GLOW
Chewing Gum
Master of None
According to Netflix, The Defenders really shined in one market; The site says Korea took a liking to the series the country had the most binge-watchers eyeing The Defenders than any other country. When it comes to the U.S., it seems Netflix subscribers are sending that kind of love to House of Cards.
Source:
http://comicbook.com/marvel/2017/10/18/the-defenders-netflix-binge-watch/
October 18, 2017
How to Edit a Book: Your Ultimate 21-Part Checklist
Yes, a professional editor can determine all this with a quick read of the first two to three pages.
If you find yourself saying, “But they didn’t even get to the good stuff,” then you need to put the good stuff earlier in your manuscript.
So today, I want to zero in on tight writing and self-editing.
Author Francine Prose says:
For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what’s superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, or especially cut, is essential. It’s satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp.
If you’re ready to learn how to edit a book, here’s what you need to do:
The Ultimate Checklist for Editing a Book
1. Develop a thick skin.
Or at least to pretend to. It’s not easy. But we writers need to listen to our editors—even if that means listening to ourselves!
2. Avoid throat-clearing.
This is a literary term for a story or chapter that finally begins after a page or two of scene setting and background. Get on with it.
3. Choose the normal word over the obtuse.
When you’re tempted to show off your vocabulary or a fancy turn of phrase, think reader-first and keep your content king. Don’t intrude. Get out of the way of your message.
4. Omit needless words.
A rule that follows its own advice. This should be the hallmark of every writer.
5. Avoid subtle redundancies.
“She nodded her head in agreement.” Those last four words could be deleted. What else would she nod but her head? And when she nods, we need not be told she’s in agreement.
“He clapped his hands.” What else would he clap?
“She shrugged her shoulders.” What else?
“He blinked his eyes.” Same question.
“They heard the sound of a train whistle.” The sound of could be deleted.
6. Avoid the words up and down…
…unless they’re really needed. He rigged [up] the device. She sat [down] on the couch.
7. Usually delete the word that.
Use it only for clarity.
8. Give the reader credit.
Once you’ve established something, you don’t need to repeat it.
Example: “They walked through the open door and sat down across from each other in chairs.”
If they walked in and sat, we can assume the door was open, the direction was down, and—unless told otherwise—there were chairs. So you can write: “They walked in and sat across from each other.”
And avoid quotation marks around words used in another context, as if the reader wouldn’t “get it” otherwise. (Notice how subtly insulting that is.)
9. Avoid telling what’s not happening.
“He didn’t respond.”
“She didn’t say anything.”
“The crowded room never got quiet.”
If you don’t say these things happened, we’ll assume they didn’t.
10. Avoid being an adjectival maniac.
Good writing is a thing of strong nouns and verbs, not adjectives. Use them sparingly.
Novelist and editor Sol Stein says one plus one equals one-half (1+1=1/2), meaning the power of your words is diminished by not picking just the better one. “He proved a scrappy, active fighter,” is more powerful if you settle on the stronger of those two adjectives. Less is more. Which would you choose?
11. Avoid hedging verbs…
…like smiled slightly, almost laughed, frowned a bit, etc.
12. Avoid the term literally—when you mean figuratively.
“I literally died when I heard that.” R.I.P.
“My eyes literally fell out of my head.” There’s a story I’d like to read.
“I was literally climbing the walls.” You have a future in horror films.
13. Avoid too much stage direction.
You don’t need to tell every action of every character in each scene, what they’re doing with each hand, etc.
14. Maintain a single Point of View (POV) for every scene.
Failing to do so is one of the most common errors beginning writers make. Amateurs often defend themselves against this criticism by citing classics by famous authors who violated this. Times change. Readers’ tastes change. This is the rule for today, and it’s true of what sells.
15. Avoid clichés.
And not just words and phrases. There are also clichéd situations, like starting your story with the main character waking to an alarm clock; having a character describe herself while looking in a full-length mirror; having future love interests literally bump into each other upon first meeting, etc.
16. Resist the urge to explain (RUE).
Marian was mad. She pounded the table. “George, you’re going to drive me crazy,” she said, angrily.
“You can do it!” George encouraged said.
17. Show, don’t tell.
If Marian pounds the table and chooses those words, we don’t need to be told she’s mad. If George says she can do it, we know he was encouraging.
18. Avoid mannerisms of attribution.
People say things; they don’t wheeze, gasp, sigh, laugh, grunt, snort, reply, retort, exclaim, or declare them.
John dropped onto the couch. “I’m beat.”
Not: John was exhausted. He dropped onto the couch and exclaimed tiredly, “I’m beat.”
“I hate you,” Jill said, narrowing her eyes.
Not: “I hate you,” Jill blurted ferociously.
Sometimes people whisper or shout or mumble, but let your choice of words imply whether they are grumbling, etc. If it’s important that they sigh or laugh, separate the action from the dialogue:
Jim sighed. “I just can’t take any more,” he said. [Usually you can even drop the attribution he said if you have described his action first. We know who’s speaking.]
19. Specifics add the ring of truth.
Yes, even to fiction.
20. Avoid similar character names.
In fact, avoid even the same first initials.
21. Avoid mannerisms of punctuation, typestyles, and sizes.
“He…was…DEAD!” doesn’t make a character any more dramatically expired than “He was dead.”
Source:
https://www.jerryjenkins.com/self-editing/
Amazon’s invasion of Kohl’s has begun
Starting today, Kohl’s is officially getting in bed with Amazon.
The discount department store is starting to accept returns of Amazon orders at 10 of what will eventually be 82 of its Chicago and Los Angeles stores. Kohl’s has also begun unveiling mini Amazon shops in some its locations, where customers will be able to try out and purchase gadgets like the Amazon Echo and Kindle.
The tie-ups, which were first announced last month, give Amazon added distribution for its growing portfolio of consumer gadgets as well as a free return option for its customers that don’t want to deal with the hassle of packing and shipping orders they don’t want.
For Kohl’s, the moves amount to a risky bet that the additional customer traffic resulting from the deal will outweigh the downside of strengthening Amazon, which has increasingly become a threat to every mid-market and low-price department store.
In an interview with Fortune, Kohl’s soon-to-be CEO Michelle Gass defended the move. “We’re going through one of, if not the, most transformational times in retail, and we have to really think differently,” she said. “The retail market is big so there is plenty of room for Amazon and Kohl’s to co-exist.”
But as Amazon continues to get more aggressive in Kohl’s core business of apparel sales — both through the creation of its own brands and deals with others like Nike — it’s fair to wonder how long a peaceful co-existence will be a reality.
It’s also fair to wonder whether there’s any thinking on Kohl’s part that the partnerships could turn into proof points in a pitch to Amazon on buying the chain.
Source:
https://www.recode.net/2017/10/18/16496098/amazon-invasion-kohl
Google Results Now Include Your Local Library’s Ebooks
Google just made free legal ebooks much easier to find. Search for a book, and in the info bar on the right, under the buying options, Google lists local public libraries that have the ebook. (On mobile, tap the “Get Book” tab.) If you’re a library member, you can borrow it right away, right on your device. It feels like magic. Here, try it with Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend.
This function has been a long time coming. People have been searching for free ebooks for years, enough that Google usually autosuggests “PDF” after any search for a book title. (Search for a TV show and it adds “streaming free.”) That’s probably one reason Google recently added this legal option.
Here are some differences: The library bought its ebook legally, so you’re supporting the author. That alone is a great reason to go legal. Now that stealing books is so easy, the publishing industry relies on readers to do the right thing.
That means putting up with some limitations, of course. You can only borrow the book for a couple of weeks at a time (though many systems let you renew).
And depending on your library’s collection, you might be able to load it on your Kindle or in iBooks, or you might need to use a proprietary app. These apps vary wildly in quality; Libby is sometimes even better than the Kindle app, while NYC’s SimplyE is awkward and buggy. Even within the same library system, different books might require different apps.
Source:
https://lifehacker.com/google-results-now-include-your-local-librarys-ebooks-1819619447
Death toll from San Diego hepatitis A outbreak rises to 19; more than 500 cases confirmed
San Diego’s hepatitis A outbreak added another death Tuesday, pushing the total to 19 as the number of confirmed cases passed 500.
Updated numbers released by the county Health and Human Services Agency come as a massive effort around vaccination, sanitation and public education continues to try and stop the largest surge of the viral disease since the vaccine for hepatitis A was approved in the late 1990s.
With last week’s total number of cases at 490, the latest reported increase to 507 may make it seem as if the outbreak continues to grow, but, because of the way that the public health department is tallying the outbreak, it is difficult to say whether that’s the case.
Last week, in a report to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, said that her department had 47 cases under investigation. Those cases don’t get added to the outbreak totals until testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta confirms that they were caused by the same strains of hepatitis A that have caused other outbreak cases.
Source:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-hepatitis-outbreak-20171017-story.html
