- Apple may be a polarizing entity in the tech world, but
when the House That Steve Jobs Built is making its largest acquisition ever,
it’s hard not to take notice. The tech titan is set to acquire headphone maker
and music company Beats Electronics for a reported $3.2 billion The deal is not
done yet, but it is expected to eclipse any previous purchase Apple has made.
Both sides are obviously mum on the rumors, but Beats’ strong grip on the
high-end headphone market would clearly be a coup for a company that makes
multiple portable devices capable of cranking out the tunes. Music mogul Jimmy
Iovine and producer-rapper Dr. Dre co-founded Beats Electronics seven years ago
and have ridden the rising tide of premium headphone love ever since. They
built on their brand earlier this year with the launch of Beats Music, a
premium music-streaming service. The idea of marrying Apple and Beats is funny
in a sense because Dre and Iovine came up with the idea for Beats because they
believed the overall sound quality of music was on the decline as MP3’s and
Apple’s iPod rose. "For convenience and speed, everyone sacrificed
sound," Iovine said a few months ago. "The emotion of the music is
almost unrecognizable to what is recorded in the studio.” For a man who is the
chairman of Interscope/Geffen Records and set out to produce headphones that
offer “as close to the sound I hear in the studio as possible,” this certainly
smacks of selling out. When the original $300 Beats Studio model rolled out in
2008, maybe this moment was inevitable. Celebrities such as LeBron James, Lady
Gaga and Justin Bieber have shilled for Beats’ headphones, portable speakers
and even music-processing technology for cars, computers and smartphones. Not
everyone is a fan of the merger and some critics have mockingly noted that nine
months ago, HTC sold its stake in Beats for $265 million and Apple is now
paying $3 million more to acquire it……….
- It has limped through its first season taking shrapnel
from doubting TV critic, but ABC’s freshman drama “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
is proving tougher to kill than one of its supercharged villains. Its ratings
have been subpar, but the network is not only bringing the show back, but it is
also adding another Marvel-based show to the lineup. ABC has picked up Marvel’s
“Agent Carter” in conjunction with renewing “S.H.I.E.L.D.” and basing its
newest drama off of the Marvel short “One-Shot: Agent Carter.” starring Captain
America’s Hayley Atwell as well as the feature films “Captain America: The
First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The tale of “Agent
Carter” is based on the life of Agent Peggy Carter, living in 1946 and trying
to come to grips with a different world than the one that existed before World
War II struck. Peace has left Carter marginalized when the men return home from
fighting abroad and while working for the covert Strategic Scientific Reserve,
she must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard
Stark, all while trying to navigate life as a single woman in America. At the
same time, Carter must cope with the loss of the love of her life – Steve
Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America. The show will be executive produced by “Reaper”
creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, with writing from “Captain America:
The First Avenger” scribe Steve McFeely. Although the show was officially
green-lit last week, its script was finished more than four months ago. Marvel
can feel proud of having two shows on the ABC schedule next season and revel in
having more vehicles to promote its ongoing assembly line of movies based on
the same characters. As for the renewal of “S.H.I.E.L.D.,” it can give some
thanks for its new life to its faithful DVR-watcher following…………
- American health enthusiasts have suffered some real
setbacks this week. The news has become increasingly negative for their
favorite quirky footwear, the Vibram USA FiveFingers shoes. Vibram has been forced to
admit that it misled customers as to the health benefits of its
"barefoot-style" shoes. The suit stemmed from Vibram’s marketing
claims that its shoes could strengthen feet and prevent running-related
injuries better than traditional running shoes. In general, it is a commonly
held belief in the running world that actual barefoot running sans any shoes is
a more natural and therefore healthier way to run than in fancy, high-priced
shoes. Vibram attempted to capitalize on that school of thought by selling
high-priced, fancy running shoes built around a minimalist theme. As part of
the class-action suit, the company has agreed to a $3.5 million settlement that
will be distributed among runners who bought the shoes after March 21, 2009.
Customers who submit claims could receive from $20 to $50. This won't cover
even half the cost of th $94 shoes for most customers, but at least it’s something
and any leftover money will go to the American Heart Association. As with any
company agreeing to such a settlement, Vibram included a statement in the court
brief in which it steadfastly denies any wrongdoing even though it’s paying
money for doing wrong. “Vibram expressly denied and continues to deny any
wrongdoing alleged in the Actions, and neither admits nor concedes any actual
or potential fault, wrongdoing or liability,” the brief states. It’s a sad
ending for a unique shoe featuring a glove-like design with individual pockets
for each toe…….
- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Thailand's
embattled government has been in a back-alley brawl for months now, but
troubled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's ouster hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm
of her supporters. Hordes of them began streaming into western Bangkok for a
show of force Saturday in response to a renewed push by rival demonstrators to
install an unelected premier. Saturday’s angry assembly came a day after
anti-government protesters — who have been campaigning for six months to remove
Yingluck from office — went ape-sh*t and laid siege to television stations,
encircled state offices and demanded loudly that lawmakers help them install a
non-elected prime minister by Monday. Pro-government activist leader Jatuporn Prompan, who heads the Red Shirts movement
that staged Saturday’s rally, said that "as long as the country's
democracy is not safe, we will be here." It was a bold proclamation and
one that hopefully portends more angry clashes in the near future. Yingluck was
forced from power in a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court and her
exodus only emboldened her opponents. After the decision, opposition members
demanded a "final push" to oust the entire Cabinet and set up an
unelected "people's council" they say would implement still-undefined
reforms to combat corruption and fight money politics. Ironically enough,
voting scheduled for July is not what these folks want, as they believe such
immediate elections would likely be won by the ruling party. In Friday’s riots,
police unleashed tear gas and water cannons to push back hundreds of protesters
who attempted to force their way into the government's security agency. Sadly,
on Saturday Jatuporn said "each side should take care of their own
supporters" and avoid confrontation. Wrong attitude, J. Nothing is ever
going to get burned to the ground that way……….
- The Cleveland Browns simply cannot win. Literally, they
have an impossible time trying to win football games on an annual basis. And
even when it seems like they might win because arguably the most exciting
player in the NFL draft falls into their laps with the 22nd overall pick, they
still can’t win. With the crazed shouts of Browns fans still ringing through
the downtown Cleveland area and kooks with nothing better to do with their
lives lurking at Cleveland Hopkins Airport hoping to catch a glimpse of their
football savior, bad news wasn’t far away. Johnny Manziel might be headed to
Northeast Ohio, but his intended top target might be headed for a one-year
unpaid vacation away from football. Browns
wide receiver Josh Gordon, who led the NFL last season with 1,646 receiving
yards despite missing the first two games of the season due to a suspension for
violating the league’s substance abuse policy, is at it again and he’s
still losing his battle with the hippie lettuce. Gordon is reportedly facing a
one-year ban for a failed drug test several months ago and while he refused
comment on the matter and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did the same, the talented
pass catcher may have hung his team out to dry in spectacular fashion. Making
matters worse, the Browns’ inexplicable draft strategy even after news of the
possible suspension broke has everyone around the situation scratching their
heads. The Browns steadfastly refused to draft a receive in any of the first
six rounds of the draft and general manager Ray Farmer said he would not comment on the Gordon report. "I don't
know the answer to that question," Farmer said. "Whenever we do have
clarity we will express our sentiments then." Whenever he does address the
issue, don’t count on Farmer – or any other member of the team’s hierarchy – to
say what they really think because NFL executives rarely issue statements
containing the words dumbass, ass hat, piece of sh*t and wholly ignorant fool
with no consideration for his team or career……..
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