Tech Trends to Look Forward to in 2016
As 2015 winds down, let’s take a look forward at the technology trends we can expect to see in 2016. In many ways, 2015 didn’t see many groundbreaking innovations but companies are laying the foundation of what’s to come.
Here are the tech trends you can look forward to seeing in 2016.
Mobile payments finally began taking off in 2015 and we’ll likely see much wider adoption in 2016. Beyond the convenience of paying for purchases with your phone, mobile payments add a layer of security with tokenization. In short, tokenization replaces your actual credit card number with a throwaway number that can’t be reused. This mean even if hackers got ahold of that token, it’ll be useless to them.
What Is the Force Awakens’ Daisy Ridley’s Next Film?
Daisy Ridley will voice the lead character in the North American release of the Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday.
Only Yesterday, which came out in Japan in 1991, will release on January 1 at New York's IFC Center, with a wider release coming in February.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ridley said she believes the beloved Japanese film has endured because the central question that drives the main character, "how do you make your dreams come true?" is something which "feels exactly right."
"The human stories are so human" in the Ghibli films, Ridley said, even when the films are "fantastical."
Gamer Keeps System on For 20 Years to Keep Saved Game
Twitter user Wanikun left his Super Famicom (the Japanese name for the Super Nintendo) on for over two decades to preserve his save data for Japanese game Umihara Kawase.
ちなみに、20年以上SFCの電源を入れっぱなしにしてある初代 #海腹川背 は、稼働時間は 18万時間を突破しているものと思われます。 電源落とすとリプレイデータは消失します。たぶん pic.twitter.com/6ZJfLi997x
— Wanikun (@UMIHARAKawase) September 30, 2015
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Batcave Revealed
The iconic Batcave will indeed be featured Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but until now its appearance in Zack Snyder's superhero film has remained shrouded in mystery.
Fortunately, that ends today, as EW has a pair of exclusive images showcasing the Dark Knight's iconic lair. See Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne and Jeremy Irons' Alfred working away in the Bat's secret hideout below.
In addition to the photo above, EW revealed concept art of the Batcave, which can be seen on their site.
Kristen Bell to (Vocally) Guest on iZombie
There will be a Veronica Mars reunion on an upcoming episode of CW's iZombie — well, sort of. Kristen Bell is lending her voice to the eleventh episode of the second season: "Fifty Shades of Grey Matter." EW broke the news, noting the episode will air on January 26, though it hasn't been announced exactly how her voice will be involved.
Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars.
New Phantasy Star Online Anime on the Way
Sentai Filmworks has acquired the licensing rights to Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation.
According to the company's announcement, the show will release as part of its winter 2016 anime lineup, and will tell an original story based on SEGA's popular role-playing game Phantasy Star Online 2.
The series will tell the story of PSO2 player Itsuki Tachibana and follow "the challenges he faces both in and outside of the game." Keiichiro Kawaguchi is directing the show, with Mitsutaka Hirota helming the script and composition.
Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation will debut in Japan next month and will be made available via "select digital outlets." A home video version is being planned as well, and will release sometime in the future.
Can You Really Be Allergic to Wi-Fi?
Can you really be allergic to wi-fi? The condition is sometimes called electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), and the symptoms range from fatigue and physical pain to rashes and eye discomfort.
The discussion of electromagnetic hypersensitivity came back into public consciousness after a 15 year old girl from the UK committed suicide, with her mother citing a rare wi-fi allergy as the cause. Though her family had taken wi-fi out of their home, the signals at school were keeping her ill, her mother says.
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity is disputed, though scientists don't question the reality of the sufferer's symptoms—the symptoms are just not that of a wi-fi allergy. Researches say that these symptoms are usually "very generalized, meaning they could have many causes," and the World Health Organization notes that "EHS is not a medical diagnosis."
Unsettling Mule Robot Too Loud to Fight Alongside Marines
Boston Dynamic's robotic mule is unfit for military service at this time, the Marines announced. Under a contract with the Pentagon's research unit Defense Advanced Research Projects Agancy, Google's Boston Dynamics created the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) to carry loads over 400 pounds for Marine troops. Take a look in the video below.
LS3 began field-testing in the summer of 2014 at Rim of the Pacific, which is reported by Military.com as "the largest military exercise in the Pacific region." The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab put the robotic mule to the test, demonstrating its ability to "respond to commands and cross rugged ground."
Report: Halloween Movie Rights Up for Grabs
Dimension Films has reportedly lost the rights to Halloween.
According to Bloody Disgusting, the iconic horror series is currently up for grabs, as The Weinstein Company relinquishes its 20-year ownership of Michael Meyers' fear-inducing film franchise.
The outlet also reports that Miramax has decided to start over with its work on the series' next installment, with Malek Akkad steering the ship. Currently, Miramax is believed to be on the hunt for a new owner for the franchise, as well as a new distributor.
If the rights to Halloween are indeed up for grabs, where would you like to see the series land? If Paramount or New Line were to pick up the franchise, a potential crossover with Friday the 13th or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre may one day become a reality.
11 Great TV Fight Scenes From 2015
Warning: Spoilers for shows like Hannibal, Game of Thrones, The Flash, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Banshee, Into the Badlands, and more.
[UPDATE: Some may note we upped our list from 10 entries to 11. While we can't include every single notable fight scene from 2015, we realized we had overlooked a cool Arrow sequence from a recent episode that we'd initially meant to include. Let us know your favorite TV fight scenes of the year in the comments!
Holy cow, 2015 was no slouch in the action department! The Era of "Peak TV" meant more superhero shows, more kung fu, and more overall badassery for your viewing pleasure. Marvel gave us a gritty and complex Daredevil series filled with amazing stunts, AMC went full wire-work choreography with Into the Badlands, Jon Snow faced down a vicious White Walker, Will Graham and Dr. Lecter teamed up to take down a monster, and - well - so much more!