Security Updates for Windows 8 to Cease After January 12
Windows 8 users will need to upgrade to a more recent version of the operating system, as Microsoft will no longer support Win 8 after tomorrow, January 12.
Normally, Microsoft would support a version of Windows for 10 years following its initial launch, but as ZDNet explains, Windows 8 is in a unique position due to the existence of Windows 8.1. 8.1 is being treated as a Service Pack instead of a new OS, and MS only provides two years' worth of security updates to those that choose to operate without it.
Fortunately, people can upgrade to either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 for free, and upgrading to the former extends support to January 2023. Alternatively, after the last round of updates coming tomorrow, they can continue to use the OS at their own risk.
The 100: New Season 3 Trailer Shows Peace, Promises War
"Our people believe this is real peace. Try not to screw that up."
Wanna bet the peace gets screwed up?
Check out this brand new Season 3 trailer - from E! News - for The CW's The 100, which premieres January 21st at 9/8c.
The Sky Crew is in the midst of a shaky truce with The Grounders, Clarke is being hunted by just about everything that walks or crawls, Jasper's in torment - it's a Future Earth party like only The 100 can provide!
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/Showrenity.
Researchers Create Battery That Deactivates Before Getting Too Hot
Batteries are used in a lot of the technology and toys we use everyday, and the more they're used, the hotter they can get. But what if these batteries could turn themselves off before they got too hot and exploded?
Well, a group of researchers at Stanford University have created such a battery, which they claim is the first lithium-ion battery to have this ability.
In the above video, you can see that a simple LED and hot-air gun were used in testing and showed that everything worked as intended.
The group attached a battery to a special polyethylene film that reacts to heat, then filled it with spiky nickel particles that conduct electricity when they come into contact with one another. At a normal temperature, electricity is generated as it's supposed to, but when a higher temperature is reached, or when the team heated it up to above 160° F (70° C), the film expands, causing the nickel particles to separate and interrupting the flow of electricity.
The Witcher 3 Among WGA Best Story Nominees
The Writers Guilds of America has announced its nominees "for outstanding achievement in writing for videogames during 2015."
Their list of games up for best story of 2015 include Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Pillars of Eternity, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
If you're curious about certain omissions, it's worth noting that nominated games actually include releases from December 1 of 2014 to November 30 of last year. So, if your favorite end-of-year entry from 2015 didn't make it you'll just have to wait until next year.
In addition, credited writers (a full list of which can be found for each nominee on the WGA website) only include those who were WGA members when their script was submitted.
Doctor Who Series 2 Funko Toys Revealed
Funko has revealed its second wave of Doctor Who Pop! vinyl figures. This round features the Ninth Doctor and his dutiful companions, "Captain" Jack Harness and Rose Taylor.
Also releasing in this series are the Doctor's wife, River Song, and a scary alien-humanoid of The Silence. We'll also see Sarah Jame Smith, a companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors. The Doctor's K-9 companion is available as a GameStop exclusive.
The rest of the figures will first be available at Hot Topic, then, the world. Funko Pop!'s Doctor Who figures will show up in stores in February.
Funko Pop! vinyl toys retail for $10.
Alienation Delayed
The release date for Housemarque's upcoming game Alienation has been pushed back to March 23.
The new date comes from Twitter, where the developer responded to a fan who asked when the game was officially coming out.
@BiggCMan it's been moved to March 23rd, is the UK store still displaying the older date?
— Housemarque (@Housemarque) January 9, 2016
It was originally believed that Alienation would release on March 2, as the PlayStation store in several regions including the UK displayed the early March date.
Supergirl Tackles Alan Moore Adaptation, Adds Smallville Alum
Supergirl is going to be adapting the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comic "For the Man Who Has Everything" in an upcoming episode.
Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg announced the news at a Supergirl presentation for the Television Critics Association. Calling the story "one of my favorite comic books," Kreisberg revealed that the series is doing an adaptation of Superman arc but with Supergirl.
The episode will be called "For the Girl Who Has Everything," and will begin with Kara waking up back on Krypton with no idea of how she got there. "For the Girl Who Has Everything" will be episode 13.
Kreisberg said he's been pitching doing this adaptation since he started on Supergirl, but the reason it's coming at a time in the season is it's a time "where Kara is feeling very lost and feeling very alone and very detaching from the people in her life." "When she is granted this it's a wonderful life moment ... there's actually a reason for her to want it to be true, because it's much more palatable and easy for her to be there," he said.
The Walking Dead Hits #150 Landmark This Week
We all want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.
Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!
By writer Robert Kirkman & artist Charlie Adlard | Image Comics
The Walking Dead has hit an impressive milestone that rarely any other comic book, whether independent or from the Big Two, can manage to reach. Things have been heating up leading into this issue, and given how Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard love to flip our world upside down on these big issues, we’re approaching this one with lots of excitement but also a big heap of dread. The events of Issue #100 still give us nightmares…
Creed 2 Reportedly Coming November 2017
MGM is aiming to release a Creed sequel in November, 2017.
While the date isn't finalized, MGM CEO Gary Barber told Variety that's the current plan for the sequel. Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, came out November 25 in the United States and has grossed over $105 million domestically.
Stallone won Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes for reprising his role as Rocky Balboa in Creed. He's also already revealed a couple of possible storylines for the sequel.
Boyega: Episode 8 ‘Much Darker’, Finn ‘More Physical’
John Boyega, the actor who plays Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has dropped a couple of hints at what to expect from Episode VIII.
In an interview with Vogue, Boyega gave a little more detail on the tone and physicality of the next film.
He called the Rian Johnson-directed sequel "much darker," but said that he and co-star Daisy Ridley (Rey) are very excited for it. He also implied that his character of Finn will be a little more action-oriented next time, saying it "will be much more physical so I might be in the gym a bit more."
Boyega's comments about a darker second installment echoes the original trilogy, in which Empire Strikes Back is the dark middle chapter. Director J.J. Abrams recently addressed criticism that Force Awakens is too similar to A New Hope, saying he wanted a "tried and true" mythology and saying that those tropes were around long before Star Wars.