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Beyond Blue – Ocean Exploration

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Beyond Blue looks like a fantastic ocean adventure game. It’s set against the near future backdrop of Earth’s oceans. Beyond Blue will offer scientific support of real world exploration and outreach initiative, Ocean X, embracing it’s minimally invasive exploration techniques.

Beyond Blue will tell the story of a crew of scientists, led by oceanographers Mirai and Andre. They are keen to test their Ocean Sense Network. This holds the power to literally shine a light on the unexplored depths of the ocean.

The game will also focus on the Western Pacific ocean amid a large multispecies gathering of cetaceans and other creatures. You will play as Mirai to use the technology to better understand the urgent threats that our oceans face. Beyond Blue will also feature never before seen footage licensed from BBC Studios’ Blue Planet II. Furthermore it will help to expand upon the game’s story, educating players on the social and emotional lives of whales.

Beyond Blue Development Team Says….

“We are extremely excited to share Beyond Blue with everyone,”

“We have taken care to craft a visual and audio experience that immerses players in the beauty of the ocean and the amazing creatures that inhabit it, while hopefully doing so with some interpretation and artistry.”

“Players will explore diverse environments ranging from a sun-dappled, oasis-like atoll down through the gauzy blue ‘twilight’ zone where only the faintest amount of light reaches to the midnight of the abyssal zone, where rarely seen creatures produce their own light in an environment otherwise devoid of light.” Michael Angst, CEO, E-Line Media, Creative Director for Beyond Blue.

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New Mac Pro

The NEW Mac Pro – Apple gives us what we want!

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The Mac Pro has finally arrived and despite the mammoth computing company getting a roasting online for it’s cheese grater look. It’s the insides that make all the difference. It’s the Mac Pro we’ve all been waiting for. The interior is structured for modularity, designed to be upgraded any time a consumer wants. Bringing with it huge flexibility in terms of how much power a consumer wants and needs at the time of purchase. While still being able to upgrade if they needed to going forward.

28 Cores. That’s what the Mac Pro will be capable of. 28cores of new Intel Xeon Processors. It’s going to be powered by 300W and heavy duty cooling. Therefore allowing it to be fun to it’s fullest capabilities at all times, without the worry of it over heating. Not too sure if I’d want to do that for too long though! Maximum RAM is a HUGE one and something that we are very very impressed by, it’s a number we didn’t even think was possible too! So, what is it? 1.5TB of RAM. Yes you read that correctly. 1.5 TERABYTES! It’s able to do this with six-channel memory across 12 DIMM slots.

Furthermore there are 8 PCI Express slots, while 4 of them are double wide to allow larger expansion cards. Other connectivity features are 2 USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 slots. There are also 2 USB-A slots on the rear and 2 USB C /Thunderbolt 3 slots on the top of the machine.

While that’s not all either! Apple are launching a custom expansion module. They’re calling it an MPX Module. So, you connect it via a dedicated Thunderbolt 3 slot, which Apple have built into the motherboard. Consequently this delivers additional power and high spped connectivity to components.

So what is a MPX Module?

The MPX Module is a giant quad-wide PCIe card which houses 2 graphics cards. It has it’s own dedicated heat sink and has a custom Thunderbolt connector to hook into the computer. So, this isn’t some ProSumer device. This device is built for your production houses, but it pays to dream! Don’t believe us? Well Apple will also sell an optional “Afterburner” dedicated video editing card. This video editing card uses FPGA to process up to 6billion pixels per second. Again. This device is a beast.

The power supply maxes out at 1.4kw. There’s 3 large fans at the front which sit behind an aluminium grille. This will provide air to the components and the sysyem at a rate of 300cubic feet per minute. Worried it is going to sound like it’s going to take off? Apple says the device remains quiet. Impressive.

Apple also sell the Mac Pro with optional wheels, if you want to move it easily.

Releasing this autumn it comes with a hefty price tag. $5,999. That’s a base line. So the maxed out device could be astronomical! Base model is a 32GB of memory, an octa-core Intel Xeon CPU, Radeon Pro 580X graphics card and 256GB SSD.

Apple also announced a high grade monitor too, a 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR, which is priced at $4999. It comes without a stand though, which is priced at $999.

So taking all that into account. We can but dream about these devices. Production Houses, you’re being spoilt. They look sooooo goood!

(The Verge)

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Apple March 25th Streaming

Apple March 25th Streaming Event – Surprise?

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The Apple March 25th Streaming Event which many believe to be the birth of a long awaited video service. Which will be of a streaming service of some sort. However it may not be the typical Netflix type of subscription video service. But something else entirely different.

If rumours are to be believed it may be an enhanced version of the iTunes store and associated Tv app for the iPhone/iPad. The event is said to be more of an update to an already established service than the birth of a new one. The new updated platform will hold all of Apple’s Originals and the iTunes transactional video on demand service (movies, tv shows). Furthermore it will aggregate a broad range of third party tv and OTT video services. So things like HBO and of Showtime.

Strategy

The new service will not be available to non-Apple devices. But Apple is also opening iTunes video content for viewing on non Apple devices via Airplay 2, on third party smart Tv’s. Apple make more money via third party services than it does selling movies and tv shows through iTunes. According to Ovum, iTunes global market share fell from 70% in 2011 to 22% in 2018! Yet it’s share in global retail OTT video revenue share it’s increased from 5% in 2016 to 10% in 2018.

It appears like Apple’s aim would be to get people back into iTunes. With the help from their Apple Originals videos. According to Ovum, the Originals service will also be free to Apple device owners, the content may also be already pre installed in the new app! Consequently once people are using iTunes, Apple will encourage users to browse their TVOD service and to sign up for the third party streaming services.

Apple will look to take all the best bits from Netflix/Amazon and incorporate them into their service. For example the high end productions from Netflix (Apple Originals) aggregation of third-party services (such as Amazon Prime Channels) and the curation of the TVOD service (Amazon). With Apple’s closed wall ecosystem and a 600million Apple device user base and what you’d expect to be a user friendly interface, Apple may be in a strong position.

The Future

According to Ovum, hybrid services that the one Apple is rumoured to be launching will take 33% of subscription market share by 2023. While Netflix’s global market share will stabilise around the 20% mark and Amazon’s will slightly increase to 12%.

Apple look to be placing their bets on rather than building a rival to Netflix. To reimagine TV while incorporating the best of Netflix. It seems as though Apple will move into this strategy in to the 2020’s. With a TV world whereby consumers can build their own entertainment package from multiple on-demand services and linear channel services. Plus AVOD where it charges consumers a subscription for access while also carrying advertising. While 2010’s belonged to Netflix and streaming the forthcoming years may look very different.

Figure 1: Netflix, Amazon and other services in the USA, 2018-2023 (in millions)

 Apple March Event Streaming

Source: Ovum

Raging Justice

Raging Justice – Be prepared for a nostalgia rush!

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Raging Justice is back and it’s coming to the modern consoles and getting a HUGE update!

From MakinGames, an independent studio comprised of old school Rare Studio veterans. The new version of Raging Justice plays a lot of homage to the original. It’s nostalgic and has a lot of 8-bit sounds to take a user back into the arcades where you put money into a machine to play for a until the sun went down.

For those unaware of what Raging Justice is, you take on hordes and hordes of thugs. (Much like Horde modes on Call of Duty or Gears of War) Once you get to the end of the level, you as a user will be tasked of whether or not to arrest the thugs or to destroy them. Are you a bad cop or a good cop?

Depending on what you choose throughout the game will determine what ending you get once you complete it.

Raging Justice: Features

There are a range of different things at your disposal to complete levels, such as a range of weapons. These aren’t just guns, pick stool and throw it at your foes. Choose a baseball bat to knock some blocks off or even use the deadly pigeon! Furthermore, there is even a range of vehicles you can jump on to run down your enemies. Not just a regular vehicle either. Jump on a tractor or a lawnmower to run them down. Furthermore, you’ll be untouchable but if the vehicle runs extremely low on health you better jump out buddy as no one is saving you!

We don’t know about you but we’re very excited for this game!

Raging Justice will be released in 2018 and feature on Mac, PC, PS4, Switch and XBox One

To listen to the guys discussing this on the podcast please click here! We have since played this game and reviewed it on the show which you can listen to here! (Link LIVE from May 31st)

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SetApp

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SetApp allows Mac users easy access to stellar apps, so they can focus on doing the job, not looking for the tools.

We’re over a hundred geeks who made popular apps like CleanMyMac and Gemini, and Setapp is our boldest project so far. The idea behind it is simple: here at MacPaw we love Mac, because it’s elegant, sleek, and swift, so we set out to create an app store experience that’s all of these things.
All for $9.99 – hundreds of Apps worth a whole lot more for just a subscription fee of $9.99!
Find out more here!
To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!
Picture of Marcus Bronzy from the How To Kill An Hour Podcast

Episode 151 – Retro Boomin

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Mac Hack!

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Credit: BluGraphic

Credit: BluGraphic

Well it looks like Pandoras Box can be opened! Nothing is sacred anymore!

Malware that holds you to ransom has successfully targeted Macs for the first time.

KeRangers Malware was hidden in a version of a BitTorrent Client Called Transmission – which has since had its developers’ certificate revoked. Which means infected software if downloaded prevents it from being installed if people downloaded it.

Mac’s have historically been locked down and since it is so secure been incredibly hard for hackers to write Malware code for it – and historically not many people had macs so weren’t targeted – but as macs get more popular that will soon change according to Greg Day, Palo Alto Networks’ chief security officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa

So dont go downloading Walking Dead off of Bit Torrent, stream or buy that like everyone else!