Total Pageviews

Sunday, 22 December 2019

An ode to your phone's most undersung feature - CNET

Your phone's camera, battery life and screen brightness don't just come from the sensors, battery and pixels.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2MkziBn
via IFTTT

Best phones of 2019 - CNET

Hand-picked by CNET editors, these are the best phones right now.

from CNET https://ift.tt/36YnMmY
via IFTTT

Scathing Report Puts Secret FISA Court Into The Spotlight. Will Congress Act?

The federal courthouse in Washington D.C. that houses the secret court overseeing U.S. surveillance. A scathing report has sparked discussion about potential reform.

Critics inside and outside officialdom are calling for, at very least, the FBI to validate its practices in requesting surveillance. Will congressional action follow?

(Image credit: Susan Walsh/AP)



from Technology : NPR https://ift.tt/373Yl3v
via IFTTT

Online bulletin board inventor Randy Suess dies at 74


via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/34PHorU

Best gifts for 10-year-old girls in 2019: 10-, 11- and 12-year-old gifts for Christmas - CNET

Whether she's a daughter, a sister, a cousin or a friend, finding a gift for the tween girl in your life can be difficult, but with our list of best gifts for 10-year-old girls you're sure to find something perfect.

from CNET https://ift.tt/34NbtIs
via IFTTT

The robots trying to spread Christmas cheer

Karaoke and coffee are among the bots' offerings at Bloomingdale's in New York.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/36X6ypT
via IFTTT

Best tablets for the holidays: Surface Pro, iPad, Galaxy or Fire - CNET

There are fewer than ever, but here are your top options.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2Sglprv
via IFTTT

Boeing Starliner Landing: What You Need to Know

The new ride to orbit built for NASA is returning to Earth early after problems during its first trip to space on Friday.

from NYT > Technology https://ift.tt/36WpaGG
via IFTTT

Best gifts for tween boys in 2019: 10-, 11- and 12-year-old gifts for Christmas - CNET

Whether he's a son, a brother, a cousin or a friend, finding a gift for the tweenager in your life can be difficult. Let us help you find the perfect gift.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2PLYYsz
via IFTTT

The best vitamin subscription services for a healthy 2019 - CNET

You can now purchase vitamins that support your health based on your goals, allergies and even blood type.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2tCpsUI
via IFTTT

Best portable chargers and power banks for iPhone: Mophie, MyCharge and more - CNET

Looking for a pocket-size power bank for charging your iPhone on the go? Here are some top picks.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2sa5fFu
via IFTTT

Best Star Wars gifts for new or old-school fans in 2019 - CNET

The perfect Star Wars gift can be hard to find, but we've done some of the hard work with our line up of best gifts for Star Wars fans these holidays.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2PJsEGJ
via IFTTT

Best affordable gifts for gearheads and car lovers in 2019 - Roadshow

Here's a diverse range of stuff for the gearheads in your life, and each gift costs less than $100.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2ZilOeG
via IFTTT

NBC's Peacock streaming service might include live video


via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/34HOmPP

Best camera gear and cameras in 2019: Canon, Nikon and more - CNET

Help your favorite shutterbug step up their photography game with this selection of best camera gear and cameras for the holiday season.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2s1dK5S
via IFTTT

The best treadmills of 2019: NordicTrack, Nautilus, Peloton and more - CNET

I spent three months testing treadmills so you don't have to.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2J4naCB
via IFTTT

Last minute gifts for Mom: Christmas gift ideas for current, first time and expecting moms - CNET

Want something unique and useful? We've got Mom covered.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2Mk5KUc
via IFTTT

Best TV gifts for the holidays - CNET

A big TV might not fit under the tree, but it's still one helluva gift.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2K3BTOY
via IFTTT

Valiant's superheroes will get multi-platform video games


via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2tINPAj

ANGROC 49Ft LED Outdoor Waterproof String Light,150W RF Wireless Remote Control Dimmer,16(15+1Spare) 1.5W Dimmable Edison S14 Vintage lamp Bulb,Heavy Duty Patio Lighting for Garden Backyard - CNET

ANGROC 49Ft LED Outdoor Waterproof String Light,150W RF Wireless Remote Control Dimmer,16(15+1Spare) 1.5W Dimmable Edison S14 Vintage lamp Bulb,Heavy Duty Patio Lighting for Garden Backyard

from CNET Smart Home https://ift.tt/2SgF0rJ
via IFTTT

FBI program helps companies fool hackers with 'decoy data'


via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2EKjDHf

Here’s What You Should Know About Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’

A character breakdown of Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's 'The Witcher.' (Photo Credit: James Minchin / Netflix)

The day has finally arrived: Netflix’s original series The Witcher is available for you to binge in its entirety just in time for the weekend. The series stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher (more on that in a sec) at the heart of this new, action-packed fantasy series.

Based on the fantasy stories and novels of author Andrzej Sapkowski, Netflix’s The Witcher follows Geralt on his adventures through a medieval-adjacent land known as the Continent, a place where monsters and magical creatures living alongside humans. Soon, Geralt discovers his fate is entwined with two other important characters: Princess Ciri of Cintra (Freya Allan) and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra).

If you’ve already started watching The Witcher or you want to make sure you’re fully prepped before you watch, make sure you keep reading to find out as much as possible about Geralt of Rivia. There is so much more to know about this character that will help make your Witcher binge all the more fun to watch.

What Is a Witcher?

Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes / Netflix

Being a Witcher is deeply integral to Geralt’s identity in the world of The Witcher (the series is literally named after him, folks). It seems like Geralt was always destined to become a Witcher, as he’s the son of a powerful sorceress, Visenna, and a warrior named Korin. Geralt’s mother left young Geralt at the School of the Wolf at a place known as Kaer Morhen.

The process of becoming a Witcher is incredibly rigorous — to the point it can be life-threatening — with trainees put through physical, mental, spiritual, and magical trials. Future Witchers drinking alchemical compounds and mutagens to enhance various aspects of their physical and mental being and going through combat training — physical and magical — in order to become strong enough to battle the various monsters inhabiting the Continent.

Witchers emerge from their training bearing both physical trademarks of their kind, like white hair, as well as new abilities including increased speed, strength, longer life, quick reflexes and healing, and increased resistance to disease.

Geralt’s Entire Life Has Been Dedicated to Becoming a Witcher

Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes / Netflix

Geralt’s mother, Visenna, left him at the School of the Wolf when he was a child. He showed a preternatural ability for connecting to magic and nonhuman creatures, excelling at a variety of trials early on in his training while aided by these abilities.

As a young boy, Geralt proved himself worthy of being pushed to his limits to when he succeeded in the Trial of Forest Eyes. There, Geralt was blindfolded, tied to a tree, and ordered to return to the School of the Wolf by the next morning. Geralt succeeded and he was able to get help from a forest elf during the trial. His success earned him notice and he was put through extra trials to encourage mutations and push him to his training limits because, in part, the Trial of Forest Eyes showed he had the seeds of a potentially great Witcher.

Since leaving the School of the Wolf, Geralt has become a renowned bounty hunter and monster hunter because of his heightened abilities gained through taking in alchemical potions and mutagens and surviving them when other Witchers likely wouldn’t have.

He’s Known by a Sinister Nickname: The Butcher of Blaviken

Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes / Netflix

Even if Geralt is a bit of a softie on the inside, he’s extremely tough on the outside. Over the course of his life, he’s earned his reputation as a fierce killer and skilled warrior. Thanks to Sapkowski’s books, we become more and more familiar with Geralt as a Witcher because many stories are dedicated to the different missions he goes on.

One particularly notable event which has followed Geralt throughout his life is the one which happened in the village of Blaviken, where the Witcher emerged with the moniker “The Butcher of Blaviken.”

Geralt earned the nickname after arriving in the town of Blaviken and finding himself quickly pulled into a dispute between an exiled princess-turned-criminal named Renfri and a sorcerer named Stregobor. When Geralt learned of Renfri’s plan to have her gang members murder the Blaviken townsfolk in order to provoke Stregobor into a fight, Geralt intervened and killed Renfri’s gang himself before anyone was harmed.

The citizens of Blaviken never learned of the specifics of the incident and instead only saw Geralt emerge from his well-intentioned killing spree believing him to just be a wanton murderer. Even though the name “The Butcher of Blaviken” does, in part, speak to Geralt’s fierce warrior side, it also represents his softer, humanitarian side, too.

Geralt Has Complicated Relationships With Ciri and Yennefer

Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes / Netflix

Oh boy, Geralt’s respective relationships with the two main female characters in the Witcher saga, Ciri and Yennefer, are complex AF.

In the case of Ciri, Geralt was always destined to assume a father figure/adoptive father role to the young princess of Cintra. Before Ciri was born, Geralt saved her father, Duny, from harm. After the incident, Geralt invoked what is known in The Witcher as the Law of Surprise, which essentially promises something deeply important from one man to another if the former is saved by the latter.

In many cases — and in the case of Geralt and Ciri — this means one man’s firstborn is promised to another. For Geralt and Ciri, this isn’t romantic, but rather proves to be a fruitful pseudo-familial relationship where Ciri finds Geralt after losing her family and ends up being trained and protected by Geralt.

As for Yennefer, well, Geralt has a supremely complex and intense relationship with the all-powerful sorceress. Yennefer is one of the most powerful women in The Witcher and, as such, finds herself entwined with Geralt throughout the novels and the Witcher video games.

The two have a relationship best characterized as “on-again, off-again.” The pair first met while Geralt was traveling with a bard named Dandelion and the two men encountered a djinn (a.k.a. genie). Yennefer intervened but initially threw magic at Geralt believing he was an enemy. Eventually, she realized this wasn’t so and they began a romantic relationship.

There Are Some Mystical Aspects to Geralt

Photo Credit: James Minchin / Netflix

Geralt’s relationship to the mystical runs deep and it makes him all the more enigmatic. It’s not just his white hair or the fact that he’s nearly 100 years old (two physical elements manifested through the magical work of Witchers), but also his many nicknames.

While humans have nicknamed him based on some of his more grim exploits (see above), Geralt also has mythical names related to his upbringing. With nonhumans and other beings he encounters, Geralt is referred to as “Gwynbleidd” or “White Wolf.”

In the world of The Witcher, the nickname comes from the language of the fictional Aen Seidhe elves. However, if you have an eye (or ear) for languages, you may notice “Gwynbleidd” looks like Welsh — and you’re not wrong. As it happens, the Welsh phrasing for “white wolf” is “Blaidd Gwyn.”

The Witcher Season 1 is now available to watch on Netflix.

More on Geek.com:



from Geek.com https://ift.tt/34LEF2L
via IFTTT

Watch Boeing's Starliner attempt a landing starting at 6:45AM ET


via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/37379q3