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https://madamenoire.com/1166450/toni-braxton-challenge/

Yesterday, legendary producer Babyface announced that his “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack special would take place this upcoming Sunday, May 24.

After he shared the good news, he gave a tutorial on how to sing like Toni Braxton. He did so by holding water in his mouth to get that not-so-clear sound she is known for making.

Afterward, Tamar Braxton, Toni’s younger sister, joined in on the fun. Being that she grew up around her sister, she was able to mimic her tone and bass perfectly. She told us that the trick was cutting off the words before the end of a sentence.

With those two as guides, the Toni Braxton challenge was born.

Check out some of the hilarious impersonations on the following pages.

https://nerdist.com/article/global-warming-video-earth-4-degrees/

It’s hard to say what the exact effects of climate change will be by the end of the 21st century, but that hasn’t stopped people from theorizing. In this recent video from YouTuber, RealLifeLore, for example, we’re treated to a glimpse of what would happen to Earth if the average global temperature rose by 4 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. And the prophecy is (expectedly) terrible for many, while enormously beneficial for some.

RealLifeLore, the YouTube channel dedicated to answering “questions that you’ve never asked,” recently posted the extremely speculative climate change video. The video’s narrator, Joseph Pisenti—who also runs the channel—notes that the speculations made in the video are based on those outlined in the book, Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization.

Connectography is a book on the “global network revolution” that may take place over the next 80 or so years, written by geopolitical advisor and international relations expert, Parag Khanna. If you want to hear more about Khanna’s theories regarding how “the map of the world” is going to change by the year 2100, check out the author’s TED Talk below.

As far as the predictions in the video, they basically boil down to this: Everything’s going to become a desert. Except for narrow strips of land closer to the planet’s poles. Which, according to the assumptions made in the video, could mean that Canada, Russia, the Nordic countries, and Greenland all become the 22nd century’s top superpowers. Although Alaska would apparently go a long way in helping the U.S. stay relevant.

The video notes that with a 4°C rise in average global temperature, every continent would be home to a massive dessert, with Africa “effectively [becoming] an entire desert continent.” The video also notes that unthinkable large migrations of people will need to take place in attempts to relocate to livable areas of the world. China, for example, is theorized to become almost entirely uninhabitable desert, displacing roughly 1.4 billion people.

The desert areas (brown, yellow) that would result from 4°C warming. RealLifeLore

There are, of course, an endless number of questions the climate model elicits in regards to the inevitable geopolitical ramifications of global warming. For example, how countries would interact with each other as the world warms; i.e. which ones, if any, would go to war with each other? The core assumption that Earth could warm by 4°C by 2100 may also be inaccurate. Especially taking into consideration the fact that new technologies may mitigate the effects of climate change catalyzed by humanity.

What do you think about this video of what Earth would look like if it were 4°C warmer? Is this the kind of future you think is coming, or is this theory way off? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Feature image: RealLifeLore

The post What Earth May Look Like with Global Warming of 4°C  appeared first on Nerdist.

https://www.themarysue.com/clark-gregg-apple-macbook-air-webcam-tweet/

Actor Clark Gregg, also known as the MCU’s Agent Phil Coulson, tweeted out a rather searing indictment of the new MacBook Air that speaks to a common frustration where Apple’s pricey computers are concerned.

Gregg directed his tweeting ire at Apple because a brand-new MacBook Air he’d purchased for his soon-to-be-graduating-high-school kid came with what he termed an “awful” webcam. When you consider the price point, everything should be top of the line and up to date. The 2020 MacBook Air starts at $999 with 256GB storage, but even the $1299 512GB Air doesn’t come with an upgraded camera from the $999 model. The 720p cameras that these computers sport are decade-old tech at this point.

Dear @Apple
Hi. Big fan for 30+ years.
I stuck even when you bugged up the iphones to get us to buy new ones (lame) But I just bought my nearly high school graduate a new MacBook Air to use for what will probably be zoom university in the fall and the web cam is awful. Why?

— Clark Gregg (@clarkgregg) May 19, 2020

Mere months ago, webcams wouldn’t have been such a huge concern, although it’s not wrong to expect a pretty snazzy webcam when you’re shelling out enough money to purchase a used car on a new computer. These days, however, webcams are more important than ever before—video conferences are how we do work and socialize, and Gregg’s kid is headed to what he terms “Zoom university” in the fall. If everything from attending classes, giving presentations, and making new friends will revolve around a webcam, finding a subpar one on a brand-new, super-expensive computer is definitely frustrating.

As for Apple’s new MacBook Pro, well, those range from $1299-$1799 for the 13-inch and $2399-2799 for the 16-inch. At those prices its webcam better come packaged with an award-winning Hollywood cinematographer who frames me in soft lighting every time I open up FaceTime. Alas, this isn’t so. As CNET points out, both the new Airs and Pros have “left us with the 720p FaceTime HD camera, which is a 1.2-megapixel webcam (with 1,280×720-pixel resolution) that badly lags behind the front-facing cameras on our smartphones.” They note that it’s “disappointing that Apple chose to leave its newest Mac with such outdated technology,” but it’s not exactly a shock.

BTW. This was my SECOND Mac. The PowerBook 100 Respect your customers @Apple or you will end up as outdated as this machine. pic.twitter.com/HIXoxg3eU5

— Clark Gregg (@clarkgregg) May 19, 2020

Apple’s current line of computers are so far above my price range that I haven’t had the recourse to own a new model in quite some time. The truth is that I’ve often felt like I’ve dodged a bullet. Complaints have poured in about the newer MacBooks for years, especially their keyboards, which users bemoan for being nightmarishly bad. (When you start typing “Apple MacBook keyboard” into the search bar, it helpfully auto-suggests “not working” as the first result.)

While the new 2020 MacBooks are said to correct this issue (by abandoning the hated “butterfly keyboard” entirely), it took Apple five years to finally fix the keyboard problem. This despite knowing full well that the keyboards were faulty and prone to sticking and breaking, and hearing plenty of feedback on the matter. Five. Years.

As The Verge explained earlier in May with the 13-inch MacBook Pro announcement:

“After five years of applying bandages to the butterfly keyboard, Apple has switched over its entire laptop line to the scissor-switch-based Magic Keyboard in the span of six months.

Switching the entire product lineup over to a new keyboard in the span of six months is impressive, but the decision to finally do so came far too late. Apple obstinately stuck with this keyboard design for much too long, hurting its image and causing wholly unnecessary hassle and cost for its customers […] the whole butterfly keyboard saga has been a huge reputation hit for Apple.”

It’s hard to imagine many companies getting away with a wonky product in what’s supposed to be their specialty—design—for five years and still have customers willing to shell out so much money for the latest models. But customers have been willing to forgive Apple for quite a lot over the years; Gregg’s invocation of how Apple purposefully slowed down some old iPhone models is testament to that.

Not good when Agent Coulson calls you out.

— Alicia #CoulsonLives #ClarkGreggUniversity (@Philinda_AoS) May 19, 2020

YESSSSS!! finally somebody with some weight said it 😩…💥💥

— Austin Crute (@AustinCrute) May 19, 2020

The keyboard issue was a simmering problem that now appears mostly fixed by the switch to the “Magic Keyboard.” Yet Gregg’s Tweet highlights further dissatisfaction that not only Apple will have to take into account. Webcams, an often-overlooked area when buying a computer, are now vital technology, and their quality will be much more closely scrutinized.

Some replies in Gregg’s thread suggested that anyone looking for a peak-performing webcam fix for a new Apple MacBook can purchase an additional peripheral. You know, with all that extra money you have left after shelling out upwards of a thousand dollars on a laptop computer. And that’s if you can find one—good webcams have been selling like hotcakes (the $200 one linked below, which doesn’t even work with Airs, ships in 8-10 weeks).

in the meantime you are apparently welcome to purchase a $200 peripheral https://t.co/bBAAo6hWHz

— *yodeling intensifies* (@Sedna_51) May 19, 2020

While there’s long been an almost religious warfare online between fans of different systems, Gregg’s Tweet speaks to frustration from those who are staunch Apple supporters but have found it increasingly difficult to understand or justify the company’s decisions and their astronomical pricing.

Sorry, A reply from them will cost you $79.99 and you need to agree to the terms & conditions first

— Dave Meggison (@Cupidstunt1980) May 19, 2020

(image: Marvel Studios)

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http://www.thenerdelement.com/2020/05/17/snowpiercer-even-muddled-morality-cant-derail-high-speed-fun/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=snowpiercer-even-muddled-morality-cant-derail-high-speed-fun

Snowpiercer: Even Muddled Morality Can’t Derail High-Speed Fun

By Désirée Guzzetta

Note: The review below is based on viewing the entire series and contains mild broad spoilers for the first few episodes.

After spending a few years in development hell, the eagerly awaited Snowpiercer finally debuts on TNT on May 17, 2020. Boasting a stellar cast, including Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Grammy and Tony Award-winning actor Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), the show is often a rollicking romp through cultural and class divides, tackling morality as well. The morality, however, is a bit muddled and the tone of the series inconsistent.

Based on Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s 2013 film of the same name—which in turn was based on the 1982 French graphic novel, Le Transperceneige, by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette—the TV version “reboots” the continuity of the film, taking place much earlier in the eponymous train’s journey than the events of the movie version (see the official timeline here.

As in the film, the series opens in an ice age apocalypse as Snowpiercer, a train we’re repeatedly reminded is 1,001 cars long, is ready to leave on its journey perpetually circumnavigating the globe with its passengers who will soon be the last living people on earth. All paid passengers are aboard, but the train is besieged by a desperate mob, some of whom force their way onto the train and are subsequently forced to live in the tail section because they are effectively stowaways. These people become known as “Tailies.”

Snowpiercer is divided by class; the closer to the engine, the better the accommodations and treatment. First is the most opulent (rich), followed by Second (middle class, including the train’s doctors), Third (the working class), and the Tailies (the poor). In between the Tailies and the other classes are cars with ocean fish, various agriculture and farming cars, and even an entertainment venue called the Night Car. The train’s staff is also divided by class; Hospitality is in charge, while the Brakemen provide upper-level security/policing and the Jackboots provide the army. Tailies are put to work by force; they are dragged and decontaminated for jobs in Sanitation and other “menial” tasks. They live in poor conditions and they get to clean up the waste of the upper classes.

It’s no wonder they want to rebel. Led by Andre Layton (Diggs) and Pike (The Walking Dead’s Steven Ogg), the Tailies prepare to fight their way to the Engine Eternal and take over the train. With nearly 1,000 cars between them and their freedom, it’s a very daunting task.

Other stars include Alison Wright (The Americans) as Melanie’s Hospitality subordinate, Ruth; Mike O’Malley (The Good Place) as Roche; Kerry O’Malley as Lilah Folger; Annalise Basso as Lilah’s daughter, LJ; Mickey Sumner as Bess Till; and Susan Park as Jinju Seong.

Connelly plays Melanie Cavill, the head of Hospitality who is known as “the voice of the train.” Melanie makes all the announcements each morning, makes sure the upper-class passengers are happy, and literally makes sure the train runs.

When a mutilated body is discovered, Melanie pulls Layton (Diggs), the only homicide detective on the train, from the tail section to help solve the crime. What starts as a murder mystery soon turns into an examination of class, culture, power, religion, survival, and morality as Layton moves about the cars and learns that the levels of corruption and disruption go deeper than he previously believed.

While the initial mystery is solved rather quickly, the other layers Layton uncovers propel the story forward and keep the series from becoming stuck in a formula (a mundane murder mystery would have been a total waste of the futuristic trappings). The closer Layton gets to the truth about Snowpiercer, the more danger he creates for himself and everyone he loves.

It’s a lot of thematic material to cram into one show, and when the moral calculus of the characters’ motivations gets messy, the message gets a little muddled. The tone of the show is not wholly consistent, either. Characters sometimes do or say things that seem more plot-driven than anything we’ve seen from them, making their morality less a personality flaw or virtue and more a moment for whichever writer provided the script to make a point.

However, whether by design or happenstance, there are plenty of moments reminiscent of our current circumstances that make the show worth a watch. For instance, the super-rich Folgers exemplify the pitfalls of capitulating to an oligarchy, while the Jackboots are aptly named. Cultural divides are embodied in small details, such as the American passengers tiring of being “body-shamed” by the Swedish passengers because they won’t go into the sauna nude. Trappings of religion abound as well—referring to the front as The Engine Eternal, the worship of the mysterious Mr. Wilford—and are also reminiscent of what’s happening in the U.S. today.

Even the characters’ reaction to disease—everyone putting on masks and immediately disinfecting surfaces—seems heightened because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even if in-world, it makes perfect sense: Snowpiercer is a closed ecosystem and one errant sneeze could conceivably wipe out what’s left of humanity. That people are chipped by which class they belong in (chips allowing access to the right cars) also seems less fantastical now than when the trope first appeared in science fiction.

In addition to the stars of the show, the new iteration has quite a pedigree behind the scenes; along with Bong, other executive producers include Park Chan-wook (2016’s The Handmaiden), Scott Derrickson (2012’s Sinister and 2016’s Doctor Strange), and Graeme Manson (writer on Orphan Black), who also has creator and writer’s credits on the show. Directors of the episodes include James Hawes (Black Mirror) and Frederick E.O. Toye (who directed the “See How They Fly” episode of HBO’s Watchmen mini-series). Legrand, Lob, and Rochette are credited writers, along with Manson, on the pilot episode.

Music is provided by the prolific Bear McCreary; his theme song alone is worth tuning in for. The special effects are okay as far as television goes, but the sets are great and abound with little details to immerse you in the train’s world. The music by Bear McCreary is also excellent. One other nice touch for continuity is having almost every episode starting with one of the characters narrating part of what happened in their lives before the climate calamity, giving some insight into life on the train for the different classes and setting up the theme for that episode.

While Snowpiercer isn’t ground-breaking, it does have fun with its premise and attempts to probe deep into the human psyche to drive its drama. It doesn’t necessarily succeed in everything it tries to do, but it does have a catchy premise and an already-announced second season going for it, as well as some good, gory battles. If its morality was only a bit clearer, it would be a straight-up thrill ride. It’s still a fun trip, though.

For more on Snowpiercer (the TV show), see: https://www.tntdrama.com/snowpiercer

The post Snowpiercer: Even Muddled Morality Can’t Derail High-Speed Fun appeared first on The Nerd Element.