Apple Music Unveils 'Sessions,' Exclusive Performances By Big Names
Apple Music Unveils 'Sessions,' Exclusive Performances By Big Names
Apple Music is debuting Apple Music Sessions, which are exclusive live releases of performances by big artists. Not only are these sessions recorded in spatial audio, they are also accompanied by live performance videos.
The Apple Music Sessions are recorded in Apple Music Studios all around the world, with the series kicking off in Nashville.
The first two sessions available to subscribers feature country music stars Carrie Underwood and Tenille Townes. Underwood and Townes each performed a mix of their biggest hits and covers of their favorite songs.
Both stars praised the experience, with Underwood saying, "We had a lot of fun reimagining these big, visual songs and presenting them in a different way."
Apple Music subscribers will also be able to hear sessions from stars like Ronnie Dunn and Ingrid Andress in the coming weeks. Apple has indicated that it intends to expand Apple Music Sessions to other popular genres, too.
Update your iPhone: Apple releases security patch for an active exploit
Update your iPhone: Apple releases security patch for an active exploit
Apple just released an update for iOS and iPadOS 15.0.2, which fixes a security bug on Apple devices. Notably, Apple says that the bug "may have been actively exploited," which means you should update your device right now.
Monday's update fixes a memory corruption issue that might have allowed some apps to "execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges," according to Apple's support page. Translation? Hackers could use the vulnerability to take over your iPhone or iPad. Updating your device should close the vulnerability.
This is Apple's second security update in a month, following September's Pegasus spyware-related update.
'Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith' Sends Rey's Parents on an Unforgettable Journey
'Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith' Sends Rey's Parents on an Unforgettable Journey
Cast your mind back, if you will, to the joyous era of Star Wars fandom that followed the release of sequel trilogy opener The Force Awakens in 2015. It felt like everyone was dying to know about mysterious new hero Rey's parents and what kinds of adventures Luke Skywalker had been on in the decades since the original trilogy.
The sight of Luke Skywalker wielding his green lightsaber on the cover of Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith is ludicrously exciting, and Adam Christopher's novel lives up to its potential.
Penguin Random House
Star Wars suddenly mattered again; the excitement was glorious and the storytelling possibilities seemed endless. The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker (the second and third movies in the sequel trilogy) answered some of the mysteries with varying degrees of success, but didn't dive quite as deeply as many fans would've liked.
Adam Christopher 's novel Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, which comes out in print, digital and audiobook form on Tuesday, is the deep dive I've wanted since 2015. Taking place 17 years after Return of the Jedi (and 13 years prior to The Force Awakens), we're introduced to Rey's parents as they flee across the galaxy with their young daughter. The couple were seen briefly in a flashback in The Rise of Skywalker, but this is their first major appearance. Their names are revealed almost immediately, but we won't spoil their names in this review since Christopher builds up to them beautifully.
Unable to trust anyone with the agents of the resurrected Emperor Palpatine hot on their trail, the trio's situation feels desperate. Given the glimpses we got of Rey's parents in The Rise of Skywalker, this plot thread has a sense of dark inevitability. That doesn't stop Christopher from infusing these characters with emotional depth; you'll find yourself wholly invested in their quest for safe haven despite knowing how it ends.
The novel offers answers about Rey's parents, after our brief time with them in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Lucasfilm
The family has a glimmer of hope in Luke Skywalker, whose efforts to train the next generation of Jedi Knights are hampered by his visions of a sinister presence at the edge of the galaxy. This novel presents the original trilogy hero in his glorious prime -- exactly how many fans wanted him to appear in the sequels -- but Christopher deftly drops hints of the emotional state he's reached by the time of The Last Jedi.
He's joined by fellow classic hero Lando Calrissian, who's in bad shape due to his stalled search for his kidnapped daughter. This vulnerable state allows Christopher to explore the smooth gambler's inner life to an unprecedented degree; it draws from the cocky young man seen in prequel spinoff Solo, the self-assured hustler of the original trilogy and the haunted older warrior we met in The Rise of Skywalker.
Lando, seen in The Rise of Skywalker, goes on an epic emotional journey.
Lucasfilm
Luke and Lando's mission to save Rey's family is complicated by nasty assassin Ochi of Bestoon (another character who made a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in The Rise of Skywalker), who's been tasked by members of a Sith cult with hunting down the parents and child. He's a loathsome but compelling presence and grows increasingly unhinged as the tale progresses.
Ochi's story here cleverly picks up plot threads from writer Greg Pak's recent Darth Vader comics, but Christopher includes enough detail that those shouldn't be considered required reading before diving into this book.
Rounding out the villainous side is a mysterious warrior empowered by the dark side of the Force. This side of the story leans into creepy arcane Sith lore and proves to be the novel's most fascinating element. It gets surprisingly dark and weird, and hopefully hints at avenues that Star Wars will explore in future.
Ochi of Bestoon has a tiny role in The Rise of Skywalker, but we learn all about him in Shadow of the Sith.
Lucasfilm
Once our heroes and villains cross paths, Christopher's cinematic writing shines in some epic action sequences that will delight those wanting to see the extent of Luke's power. The author sets him up with a worthy adversary, and it's fun to see the threat escalate to a level reminiscent of the old Legends continuity stories.
However, at 496 pages, Shadow of the Sith loses steam a few times. An extended sequence on a mining space station comes to an epic conclusion, but there's a little too much jumping between characters and wandering around before getting to it.
One extended cameo from a baddy seen in The Rise of Skywalker also feels extraneous to the main narrative thrust even if they're fun to spend time with. Thankfully, the other cameos are better judged, fitting nicely into the story and staying exactly as long as they're needed.
Despite these minor issues, Adam Christopher's Shadow of the Sith is the best kind of Star Wars novel and acts as an essential link between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. It explores ambiguous aspects of the movies cleverly, tying up loose ends and adding emotional resonance while opening up a bunch of exciting new storytelling possibilities. After more than half a decade, the mystery of Rey's parents is solved in style.
YouTube TV Adds 2 Spanish-Language Subscription Plans
YouTube TV Adds 2 Spanish-Language Subscription Plans
Cord-cutters have some new options in the world of live TV streaming. In a blog post shared on Tuesday, YouTube TV announced the expansion of its Spanish-language offerings with two new plans. Subscribers can now opt for the Spanish Plan or Spanish Plus.
With the standalone Spanish Plan, people can sign up to watch TV shows and films that air solely in Spanish. The plan costs $35 per month and features content from networks such as Fox Deportes, ESPN Deportes, Cine Latino, Discovery en Español, EstrellaTV, Nat Geo Mundo, Cine Sony and Cine Mexicano. Viewers aren't required to have a basic YouTube TV account to sign up for this service. In honor of the launch, people can receive a discounted rate of $25 a month for the first six months.
The Spanish Plus option is an add-on for YouTube TV members who want to include Spanish-language content in their lineup. It runs $15 a month and provides access to more than 25 channels. For a limited time, Spanish Plus is available for $10 a month for new users. After six months, the price increases to $15.
YouTube TV's base plan offers more than 85 live channels and costs $65 a month. The streaming service also includes DVR in its basic package, and it's CNET's Editors' Choice for live TV. Though the platform previously added Spanish-language networks like Telemundo, Univision and Universo to its base package, the addition of these new subscription plans has been on the horizon. For a full list of channels available for the Spanish Plan and Spanish Plus, visit this YouTube TV support page.
BMW Is Testing a New Quad-Motor M xDrive Electric Powertrain
BMW Is Testing a New Quad-Motor M xDrive Electric Powertrain
BMW announced Wednesday that it is developing and testing a new M xDrive four-wheel drive system with four electric motors -- one for each wheel -- using a modified BMW i4 M50 four-door coupe as the test bed.
The compact size of electric motors makes dual-motor setups -- one for each axle -- fairly commonplace among premium and high-performance electric vehicles. Three-motor setups are more rare, but can be found on certain Audi E-Tron, GMC Hummer EV and Tesla Model S models. Ford even built a seven-motor, gymkhana-spec Mustang Mach-E 1400 that still has me scratching my head. However, BMW's four-motor system is noteworthy not just because it ups the motor quantity ante, but also because it all fits inside a sedan.
The i4 M50 chassis is normally a dual-motor affair, so BMW has modified the body with wide wheel arches to fit twice as many electric motors inline with the specifically manufactured, high-performance front and rear axles. The prototype's front suspension and the EV's cooling hardware have both been adapted from BMW M3/M4 components and also required modification. BMW hasn't released specs for the motors themselves, but the standard i4 M50 outputs a combined, rear-biased 536 horsepower from its two motors, so presumably the prototype is packing more than that -- though probably not twice as much.
The primary benefit of the new system is control. A central control unit reads road conditions, pedal position, steering angle, G-forces and more. It can send precisely the right amount of torque "via a multi-plate clutch and differentials to the four motors" and onward to each contact patch with millisecond-precise variability.
That bit with the clutches and diffs is odd -- you'd think that dedicating a motor to each wheel would do away with the need for such hardware. We'll have to wait for BMW to tease out more info to learn exactly how they're being used.
BMW says that this "extremely precise, extremely variable" M xDrive four-wheel drive system allows for an unprecedented level of agility, with highly flexible torque vectoring keeping understeer in check and boosting control right up to the grip limit. The system also reaps benefits in low-traction conditions. The automaker states that the sensitive application of drive torque without latency permits significantly higher cornering speeds, even on rain-soaked or snow-covered roads.
And because each motor can also function as a regenerative braking generator, the prototype is able to feed electricity back to the battery right up to the limits of dynamic driving, which should at least help to preserve some range and keep the performance party rocking.
Testing has only just begun on the concept, following virtual and then bench testing, so it may be some time before we see an electric BMW M car powered by M xDrive four-wheel drive. BMW's M performance division turns 50 this year and is looking toward electrification as the future of high-performance driving, beginning with the dual-motor i4 M50 and iX M60 -- which both hit the road earlier this year -- and the i7 M70 electric luxury sedan, expected next year.
Here's Who Needs a Monkeypox Vaccine, and What We Know About It
Here's Who Needs a Monkeypox Vaccine, and What We Know About It
What's happening
The monkeypox vaccine is available to people at higher risk of getting the disease, but supply has been limited. To stretch out more doses, the US is starting to administer the vaccine in a slightly different way that requires a smaller dose.
Why it matters
Vaccination is an important tool to slow the monkeypox outbreak happening in the US and other countries. Access to vaccines is crucial for people most at risk.
What it means for you
Some men who have sex with men are eligible for the vaccine, as are other people who may've been exposed to monkeypox.
The vaccine Jynneos is being given out a little differently now in some places. If you're eligible for a monkeypox vaccine, you might be getting a shot under a top layer of skin, instead of deeper into your arm. That's because the US Food and Drug Administration authorized intradermal injection for the monkeypox vaccine this month, which is an effort to increase the US supply of vaccine up to five times since intradermal injection requires a much smaller dose than one given subcutaneously.
Also called "dose-sparing," intradermal types of injections aren't new to health care. But the change in medical guidance on how the monkeypox vaccine can be administered reflects a shortage of Jynneos that's plagued the vaccine rollout since it began. Health officials have touted a national stockpile of vaccines that work against monkeypox as well as smallpox, but getting them out to states and into the arms of people who need them has been a challenge.
According to a report from The New York Times, a hurdle in the monkeypox vaccine rollout (besides limited supply of Jynneos) is that the federal system being used to move vaccines to states and cities is different from the system local health officials are used to, which is run by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is already linked to state databases. The current system states are using for the monkeypox vaccine is made for mass vaccine rollouts where every person would need a vaccine (like a smallpox bioterrorism event), and it's been difficult in some states for local health officials to track their orders or get to the site where the doses have been delivered, the Times reports.
But federal health officials are confident in the new intradermal vaccination method, which they say gives an immune response similar to that of the traditional method. But it still requires two doses, about 28 days apart. One-dose priority policies for the vaccine, which could potentially delay a second dose, have been put in place in cities like San Francisco and New York City, which make up a large portion of the country's monkeypox cases.
Here's what we know about monkeypox vaccination.
Read more: Monkeypox: What to Know About Variants, Symptoms and More
Who can get a monkeypox vaccine?
Exact criteria for who should get a monkeypox vaccine depend on the city or state people live in and how widespread the outbreak is there, but men who have sex with men and who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last two weeks are eligible in cities like New York. That's because gay and bisexual men are currently at higher risk in the outbreak, though anyone with close contact to monkeypox can get the disease. You may also be eligible if you were recently exposed to someone with monkeypox.
According to the CDC, you meet the criteria for a monkeypox vaccine if:
You're a contact of someone who has monkeypox or you were identified as possibly exposed via contact tracing.
You had a sexual partner within the last two weeks who has monkeypox.
You've had multiple sexual partners in the last two weeks in an area with a high number of monkeypox cases.
You are a lab or health care worker who's around orthopox viruses, including in animals.
If you think you qualify for a vaccine or were exposed to monkeypox, contact your local health department or doctor's office to find an appointment in your area. You can also book an appointment for the vaccine online, a process that'll walk you through the eligibility criteria. Here is New York City's vaccine appointment website. You can make an appointment and find a vaccine in San Francisco by calling one of the city's clinics or visiting its drop-in location.
Colematt/Getty Images
What is intradermal vaccination?
Intradermal vaccination is a method that injects the vaccine under a more shallow layer of skin, typically on the inner side of the forearm. This should produce a "noticeable pale elevation of the skin," according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Counties including Los Angeles county and Fulton county in Georgia (where Atlanta is) have already transitioned to intradermal injections, according to the White House.
Most vaccines we get these days go either into the muscle in our arm (intramuscular injection) or into the fatty tissue under our skin (subcutaneous injection), like Jynneos has been given so far. Subcutaneous injection of Jynneos is the only authorized method of vaccination for people younger than 18. If you get the monkeypox vaccine intradermally, you'll still need two doses.
When the FDA authorized the new vaccine method, the agency referenced a study published in 2015 that found that a smallpox vaccine given intradermally gave a similar immune response in people compared to the vaccine given subcutaneously.
What are the monkeypox vaccines?
The US has two vaccines in its national stockpile that work against monkeypox. Jynneos is currently being given out to people before an exposure, as well as after an exposure, as it's a newer vaccine that's safe for most people.
Jynneos (made by Bavarian Nordic) is a new-generation vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for monkeypox and smallpox. It's a two-dose vaccine, with each shot given about four weeks apart. It uses a weakened virus and is approved for adults 18 and older who are at high risk of getting monkeypox or smallpox.
Because of limited supply, it's likely you'll only be able to book an appointment for the first dose for the time being. In New York City, for example, health officials say you'll be contacted if you received a first dose about the second dose in the coming weeks.
Side effects of Jynneos may include typical temporary vaccine side effects, including headache, chills and fatigue. There can also be some pain and swelling around the injection site, which can result in what some are reporting as a temporary swollen lump around the injection site.
ACAM2000 is a second-generation smallpox vaccine that also works against monkeypox. According to the CDC, ACAM2000 is a derivative of Dryvax, which helped eradicate smallpox. (The two diseases are closely related and both caused by orthopoxviruses, which makes this possible.) If necessary, the US Department of Health and Human Services said it's also prepared to ship out the ACAM2000 vaccine, which is in greater supply than Jynneos but remains a second choice in the monkeypox response because it has a side effect profile that isn't safe for certain people.
ACAM2000 is administered differently than the typical vaccine shot we're used to, including intradermal injection. It's given by dipping a needle into a vaccine solution which will then be "pricked" several times on the upper arm. It will cause a localized infection (a "pox"), prompting an immune response.
While ACAM2000 doesn't cause smallpox, it contains live vaccina virus, which isn't suitable for everyone. It could be unsafe for immunocompromised people, pregnant folks and those with certain heart or skin diseases, like eczema.
Smallpox was declared eliminated from the world in 1980. The US stopped routine vaccination against it in 1972, though some health care workers or people who work in labs may have had the vaccine. Historically, according to the CDC, smallpox vaccines were 95% effective against infection and protect you for about three to five years, and after that protection starts to wane.
Because of this, it's possible people born before the early 1970s who got the smallpox vaccine might have some cross-protective immunity against monkeypox, according to the WHO, but there is "little immunity" to younger people living in non-endemic countries because they've had no exposure to a similar virus.
Read more:Monkeypox: What Gay and Bisexual Men Need to Know
A smallpox vaccine scar. People born before the mid-1970s might have such a scar. Jynneos, a newer-generation monkeypox and smallpox vaccine, is not the same type of vaccine as the one used to eradicate smallpox and doesn't leave a scar.
Picture Alliance/Getty Images
How effective are the vaccines against monkeypox? How long do they take to work?
Giving Jynneos within four days of a monkeypox exposure is the best option for stopping the onset of the disease, according to the CDC. If it's given four to 14 days after an exposure, the CDC says, Jynneos may not prevent monkeypox but will likely reduce the severity of symptoms. However, this information was published when Jynneos was given only the "standard" way (subcutaneous injection).
The CDC says that the Jynneos vaccine takes two weeks (14 days) after the second dose for immunity to build, and that ACAM2000 takes four weeks for maximum immunity. Though many people are receiving only the first dose of Jynneos at this time, early research suggests that one dose will still offer some protection, at least for a shorter period of time.
Because the US outbreak of monkeypox is so new, there's no data yet on exactly how effective the vaccines will be in the current situation, according to the CDC.
You should still self-isolate if you develop symptoms of monkeypox after getting vaccinated, such as a rash.
A computer image of a monkeypox virus.
Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images
Why does the US have a stockpile of monkeypox vaccines?
The US has a stockpile of Jynneos and ACAM2000 on hand not because the country was worried about an outbreak of monkeypox (which has been endemic in some African countries for years), but in case smallpox becomes a public threat again. Smallpox was declared eliminated in the 1980s, and the last natural outbreak in the US happened in 1949. But smallpox is usually much more severe than monkeypox, and officials worry it could be used as biological warfare.
"The stockpile was created in the event of a biological weapons attack on the United States with smallpox," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said. In this event, health officials would not be rationing vaccines or using only the newer-generation vaccine, according to Adalja.
"If there was a smallpox attack, we would be using whatever vaccines we have to be able to deal with it," he added.
Why is there a monkeypox vaccine supply issue?
The supply of Jynneos, the newer vaccine specifically approved to prevent monkeypox, has been in particularly short supply.
Officials who spoke to The New York Times said the supply issue is partly because the government waited too long to ask Bavarian Nordic, which makes Jynneos, to bottle and fill the vaccine order the US had already purchased.
Another report by the Times alleges that the US national stockpile of monkeypox and smallpox vaccines dwindled because the government never replaced the expired doses and instead put money into technology that would extend their shelf life. Part of the reason for this was that the government created the stockpile not for monkeypox but for smallpox, which is a more contagious and often more serious disease officials fear could be used in biological warfare against the US.
The US Department of Health and Human Services didn't respond to a request for comment on the reports.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2022: Start Times, How to Watch, Final Card and Peacock
WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2022: Start Times, How to Watch, Final Card and Peacock
In many ways WrestleMania is the finale of the wrestling year, but in another sense it's the start of a new season. (Read our liveblog of WrestleMania Backlash here.) Most of the big WrestleMania matches were the beginning to feuds, not their ending. WrestleMania Backlash, then, is exactly what it sounds like: The sequel to several big bouts from WrestleMania 38.
Cody Rhodes versus Seth Rollins. AJ Styles versus Edge. Omos versus Bobby Lashley. Charlotte Flair versus Ronda Rousey.
Rhodes' match with Rollins was the best on either night of WrestleMania, so that's one worth getting excited over. Styles and Edge was good, but not the classic we know they're capable of. Hopefully they nail it this time around. The biggest rematch takes the WrestleMania clash between Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair, then adds an "I Quit" stipulation on top. To win the SmackDown Women's Championship, Rousey's going to have to make Flair utter those ignominious words.
The main event of the evening isn't a rematch, but rather charts a course to a revived rivalry. Raw Tag Champions RK-Bro will team with Drew McIntyre to take on the three-man team of Universal Champion Roman Reigns and SmackDown Tag Champs The Usos. Surprisingly, none of the titles are on the line, but it points to a future Universal Championship match between Reigns and McIntyre.
Start times
WWE WrestleMania Backlash takes place at Providence, Rhode Island's Dunkin' Donuts Center on May 8. For those without a live ticket, both nights start at 5p.m. PT/8 p.m ET. Grappling fans across the pond will have to stay up late, as the shows start at 1 a.m. UK time. In Australia, WrestleMania Backlash begins at 10 a.m. AEST on Monday.
Match card
Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton and Riddle.
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins.
SmackDown Women's Championship I Quit match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey.
Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss.
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos.
AJ Styles vs. Edge.
How to watch: Peacock, WWE Network
As you probably know by now, Peacock is the new home of WWE's pay-per-views. The WWE Network has, in essence, migrated to NBC's Peacock streaming service, and that's where you'll go to watch WrestleMania Backlash. Peacock has three tiers: Free, Premium and Premium Plus. To watch WWE content, you'll need a Premium subscription. The good news is that'll set you back $5 a month, less than the $10 for WWE Network.
If you're outside of the US, you'll watch WrestleMania Backlash on the WWE Network as usual.
