Movie Tickets $3 This Saturday: How to Snag the National Cinema Day Deal
Movie Tickets $3 This Saturday: How to Snag the National Cinema Day Deal
Saturday, Sept. 3, just might be the best possible day to catch a new movie in theaters. In celebration of National Cinema Day, movie tickets will cost just $3. The discount will be available at more than 3,000 theaters, according to an announcement from The Cinema Foundation, a nonprofit group with the National Association of Theater Owners.
The new special day dedicated to the cinema honors a summer of record-breaking moviegoing, thanks to films such as Top Gun: Maverick, Minions: Rise of Gru, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Jurassic World Dominion.
"After this summer's record-breaking return to cinemas, we wanted to do something to celebrate moviegoing," said Jackie Brenneman, Cinema Foundation president. "We're doing it by offering a 'thank you' to the moviegoers that made this summer happen, and by offering an extra enticement for those who haven't made it back yet."
National Cinema Day and its $3 movie tickets come as MoviePass is set to relaunch its credit-based movie theater subscription service on Labor Day. Here's how to find a theater near you offering discounted movie tickets on Sept. 3.
Which theaters are participating?
Major chains, including AMC and Regal Cinemas, are among the many theaters participating in the one-day event. Tickets for every showing, in every format, will be discounted at those participating locations.
How to find out if your nearest theater will have $3 tickets
You can find which theaters near you offer the discount on the National Cinema Day website. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the page where it says "Find Cinemas" and type in your city or zip code. Your town should show up as an option, and once you click it, a theater option will appear if it's available in your area.
Note that taxes and other fees aren't included in the $3 price.
Biden to Invoke Defense Production Act to Fast-Track EV Battery Production
Biden to Invoke Defense Production Act to Fast-Track EV Battery Production
President Joe Biden is set to invoke the Defense Production Act to encourage the production of materials necessary for the construction of electric vehicles, the White House announced Thursday. But that's not all. Biden also authorized the release of a portion of the US strategic oil reserve to help alleviate prices at the gas pump.
The DPA was signed into law by President Harry Truman during the Korean War to allow the US government to set priorities for the production of goods and materials, ostensibly for national security. Invoking it gives the Biden administration more authority to push its EV adoption agenda without Congress getting in the way.
"Specifically, the DPA will be authorized to support the production and processing of minerals and materials used for large capacity batteries -- such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese -- and the Department of Defense will implement this authority using strong environmental, labor, community, and tribal consultation standards," the White House said. "The President is also reviewing potential further uses of DPA -- in addition to minerals and materials -- to secure safer, cleaner, and more resilient energy for America."
The DPA is the next big step in the Biden administration's EV agenda, and it could make a significant difference in determining how fast the transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles happens. The government has already pledged to spend $5 billion on a new national EV charging network, and Biden has also said the bulk of the federal vehicle fleet will go electric sooner rather than later.
In addition to reducing the US' greenhouse gas emissions, all of these things will have the added benefit of reducing our energy dependence on foreign countries, which would be a benefit to national security.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE review: A special edition that feels ordinary
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE review: A special edition that feels ordinary
Intel heralded the arrival of the "ultraportable gaming laptop" at CES 2021, rolling out a trio of low-power 11th-gen H series processors intended for systems prioritizing portability and battery life above raw performance, promising workday-long battery life and thin, businesslike designs.
The $1,400 Acer Predator Triton 300 SE uses the Intel Core i7-11375H, a "special edition" -- "SE," get it? -- of its 35-watt i7-11370H sibling. It supports Intel Turbo Boost 3.0, which potentially allows the CPU to attain a peak single-core frequency of 5GHz compared to 4.8GHz for the not-so-special part. That's all great on paper, but ultimately, while it's a solid Triton gaming laptop with nicer looks than the rest of its family, you don't gain any noticeable advantages from the special CPU.
While it definitely has a sleeker, more businesslike design than the more powerful models, it's not nearly as bizzy as, say, the 13-inch Asus ROG Flow X13 two-in-one or Razer Blade Stealth 13. It's not nearly as "ultraportable" either -- while the performance of the smaller models lags the Triton, they will more than likely also get upgraded to 11th-gen CPUs and the new GeForce RTX 3050 that was just announced, so it's just a matter of time.
Like
Relatively light
Can open 180 degrees
Some nice design touches
Don't Like
Doesn't use Nvidia Advanced Optimus
Single-channel memory
Can't change performance modes unless there's at least 40% battery and it's plugged in
The Predator Triton line sits in the enthusiast middle of Acer's gaming laptops, between the entry-level Nitro series and the more aggressively game-focused Helios models. So it makes sense that the Triton line would be Acer's choice for the quad-core, low-power CPU.
Acer's offering only a single model of the $1,400 Triton 300 SE (approximately £1,290 or AU$2,340 if you convert from euros). It comes with 16GB RAM (upgradeable to 24GB), a GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q graphics processor, a 512GB SSD and a 144Hz 14-inch 1080p display with a 100% Adobe RGB color gamut. It includes many of the 11th-gen perks, including a USB-C and Thunderbolt 4 connector and Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. There's also a full-size HDMI 2.1 connection. But it's missing some features as well, such as Wi-Fi 6E.
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1
Operating system
Microsoft Windows Home (2H20)
Weight
3.8lbs (1.7kg)
The configuration is pretty much the only one it could offer. Strip it down more and it makes less sense, bump it up and it probably wouldn't fit into the power or thermal requirements of the design. To me, the SE model seems like a trial balloon to see if there's a market for a laptop built around the i7-11375H and other low-core-count 35w CPUs.
The newest non-SE Triton 300 models slated to ship in July don't have the SE's pretty silver finish. They have the same 15-inch black chassis as the models from earlier this year, with much better gaming specs that include up to the new eight-core 11th-gen i7 CPUs, GeForce RTX 3070 and 32GB RAM, with 360Hz 1080p or 165Hz QHD displays. Those start at $1,699. There's also a new 17-inch model coming in July.
Thin, yes, but not ultrathin.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Though it doesn't look much like a Razer at first glance, the Triton 300 SE has the same thick, uniform, slab-like shape of one, albeit with far more detailing, such as extensive vents and surface colors and textures. Those include a brushed silver lid and accents that switch between blue and red depending upon the viewing angle and lighting.
I like the way the bottom screen bezel turns the reflection of the keyboard backlight into an abstract rainbow. The screen can tilt back flat; even if you never plan to use it at such an oblique angle, it still means it can tilt back far enough to accommodate most situations, such as (ahem) lying in bed with the laptop perched against your bent knees.
The Triton has a decent set of connections for a 14-inch laptop: a full-size HDMI, two USB-A, one USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 and a combo audio jack.
Lori Grunin/CNET
The keyboard is decent for both typing and gaming, with good travel and a mechanical-sounding click. There are dedicated Turbo and PredatorSense buttons, with media keys down the right side, and a touchpad disable function key for gaming. It lacks per-key RGB lighting, but has three zones to configure and the backlight shines brightly through the keycaps.
Nothing about the 720p webcam stands out -- it's the usual ho-hum camera you find on so many midrange laptops -- and it lacks an IR camera for use with Windows Hello login. There is a fingerprint reader on the smallish touchpad, though.
It's hard to capture the laptop's attractive shade of warm silver and textured finish. One of the notable touches is the highlight color on the hinge, which switches between blue and red depending upon the angle.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Does the low-power CPU matter?
The laptop has four performance modes: quiet, default, extreme and turbo. Turbo cranks it up to the most power, overclocking both the CPU and GPU and spinning the fans up to a jet engine. But it doesn't seem to push performance significantly beyond the standard mode, which automatically adjusts (within a cap) clock frequencies and power consumption.
Generally, the laptop's performance is solid. Given the positioning of the CPU, you'd expect it to be all about battery life, but at 7 to 8 hours on default balanced settings, it's hardly outstanding. You can extend it to 9 or 10 hours by dialing back the settings to maximize battery life, and it can certainly handle a full workday, but that's not atypical for mainstream gaming laptops anymore.
The CPU has only four cores compared with eight in the 11th-gen H series i7 and even the six-core i5 -- Intel had to drop some cores to fit the chip into a smaller space. There's always some tradeoff for laptop shrinkage. The Turbo Boost-enabled 5GHz single-core speed isn't much of a selling point either. I couldn't get a single core to hit more than 4.3GHz. I think the system's performance is hampered by limitations like the single-channel memory. It's just not worth sacrificing the cores from a six-core, 35-watt part like a Core i5.
It's decent for unplugged gaming, another selling point, provided it's not something that needs to push the system to the max for good frame rates. For instance, Hades repeatedly slaughtered me at more than 100 frames per second (and frequently more than 140fps) both on and off battery, and without draining it too quickly. You'll generally be able to get better than 60fps in 1080p on GPU-intensive games out of the RTX 3060.
The Triton's hinge allows it to open 180 degrees, a rarity among gaming laptops.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Unfortunately, the system doesn't use Nvidia's Advanced Optimus, which lets you force a switch between the discrete GPU and integrated CPU for the display. You can use Windows' graphics settings to assign specific applications to use the discrete GPU, but there's no wholesale way to force it.
Another drawback is you can't change modes while on battery or if the battery level is less than 40%. Not being able to drop down to quiet after sitting down in a meeting, for example, is especially annoying, though you can go into the custom settings and set the fans to slower speeds. And it might be a bug, but the laptop ignored Windows' setting for "do nothing" on closing the lid, which may be an issue for some people.
I have no serious complaints about the Predator Triton 300 SE. It's a good, well-designed intermediate-size laptop for the money to balance your working and gaming lives. But much of what Acer did here could be applied to the standard Triton 300 models; despite the new CPU, the SE just isn't as special as it seems.
Geekbench 5 (multicore)
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)
Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Cinebench R20 CPU (multicore)
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)
Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Cinebench R20 CPU (single core)
Dell G5 15 Special Edition (2020)
Razer Blade 15 Advanced (early 2021)
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Streaming video playback battery drain test (minutes)
'The Flash' and 'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' Release Dates Delayed to 2023
'The Flash' and 'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' Release Dates Delayed to 2023
Warner Bros. has delayed multiple upcoming movies, with DC's The Flash now slated to be released on June 23, 2023, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on March 17, 2023. The delays follow The Rock announcing that Black Adam is being moved from July to October 2022.
The Flash was originally set to be released on Nov. 4, followed by the Aquaman sequel on Dec. 16, 2022.
Read also:The Batman Movies Ranked: From Robert Pattinson's Batman to 'The Dark Knight'
A sizzle reel in February showed off new footage from The Flash and Aquaman 2, providing a first glimpse of some of the newest characters hitting the big screen.
The new footage from The Flash sees the character asked why he's fighting to save this timeline and universe if he could be anywhere, at any time. The Flash is set to star two Flashes, with Ezra Miller appearing to play alternate reality versions of the character after his debut in the Justice League movies.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see Jason Momoa return as the title character and star alongside Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Also delayed by Warner Bros. on Wednesday are DC League of Super-Pets, which moves from May 20 to July 29, 2022; and Wonka, which moves from March 17, 2023, to Dec. 15, 2023. One film is actually coming closer than expected: Shazam: Fury of the Gods moves up from summer 2023 to Dec. 16, 2022.
Best MicroSD Card Deals: Get $192 Off a SanDisk 512GB Extreme, $16 Off Topesel and More
Best MicroSD Card Deals: Get $192 Off a SanDisk 512GB Extreme, $16 Off Topesel and More
Not too long ago, even the biggest and most expensive memory cards could only handle a few gigabytes of data. Things have come a long way since then, and these days you can fit an entire terabyte of storage into a chip that's smaller than the tip of your finger. And you can pick up packs of smaller-capacity cards for a dime a dozen.
As you can probably infer from the name, microSD cards are an even smaller version of the standard SD cards used by most digital cameras. They're primarily used in phones and tablets, where size is a major factor, and it never hurts to have a few extras on hand. And right now, you'll find plenty of these tiny memory cards on sale with big discounts. We've rounded up some of the best deals on microSD cards out there below, and we'll continue to update this page as offers come and go. Be sure to check back often to make sure you're getting the best price available.
Read more: How to Choose the Right MicroSD Card for Your Android
SanDisk
SanDisk's Extreme series is built to withstand harsh conditions, so they're ideal if you're looking for a memory card for your GoPro or another action camera. This card is resistant to water, shock, extreme temperatures and even X-rays. Beyond its durability, this card boasts some impressive specs. It has read speeds of up to 160 megabytes per second, and write speeds of up to 90MBps for fast shooting, plus a respectable 512GB of storage. This is one of the best overall values you'll find out there at the moment.
SanDisk
If durability is your No. 1 priority, this is the best deal for you. The Extreme Plus, like the Extreme, is resistant to shock, water, temperature and X-rays, so there's no need to worry about leaving it in your airport carry-on. It also boasts an impressive read speed of up to 170MBps, and a write speed of up to 90MBps, to save you time while transferring files.
Topesel
Considering how many devices can be improved with a microSD, there's a good chance you'll want to pick up more than one. Right now at Walmart, you can get this five-pack of 16GB Topesel cards at just $4.38 per card. True, 16GB isn't a lot of storage in this day and age, but that's still enough to hold about 600 pictures or about two hours of HD video.
SanDisk
The SanDisk Ultra is a less expensive alternative to the more rugged Extreme series listed above. It boasts read and transfer speeds of up to 120MBps and can capture and store full HD video.
SanDisk
Sometimes it makes more sense to invest in a single microSD card that you can reuse over and over, rather than several different cards. This 256GB SanDisk is designed for maximum longevity, and can record and re-record for up to 120,000 hours. It's also fairly durable with protection against extremes, water, shock, and x-rays, and boasts read speeds of up to 100MBps.
Samsung
This Samsung microSD only has half the storage capacity of the 512GB SanDisk Extreme listed above, but it also costs less than half the price, and is more durable. This 256GB chip is protected against water, shock, drops and temperatures, as well as magnets and X-rays. It's designed to capture 4K UHD video and boasts transfer speeds of up to 130MBps.
Antiwordle Turns Wordle Around, Rewards You for Guessing Wrong
Antiwordle Turns Wordle Around, Rewards You for Guessing Wrong
In a world where Wordle failures can get you right in the feelings, sometimes you need a guaranteed win. For me, that's Antiwordle, a don't-guess-the-five-letter-word game. It questions the very idea of what it means to lose.
Antiwordle sounds mind-boggling until you actually play it. It looks a lot like classic Wordle, the daily word-guessing game that's swept the internet. But the idea is to not guess the right word so you make as many attempts as possible while avoiding the correct answer.
There are rules in place that make the goal challenging. If you guess a letter that's not in the word, that letter is grayed out and unusable. A correct letter in the wrong location turns yellow and must be used in the next guess. A correct letter in the right spot turns red and must be used in that location in the next guess. Antiwordle is constantly herding you toward the right word. It's your job to resist.
You play against the game, and you also play against yourself, trying to top your number of guesses to set a new personal best. So far, my best score is eight guesses. A quick survey of Twitter chatter shows some people make it into double-digit guesses, which gives me something to aspire to.
What does it mean to lose Antiwordle? Perhaps you would accidentally guess the word of the day right off the bat. But is that really losing? That would be a matter of luck that has nothing to do with your level of vocabulary prowess.
In my book, the act of playing Antiwordle is a win. It exercises a part of my brain that's adjacent to, but different from, how I think about the straight-up Wordle games. There's a creative flair required to play it. I still love all the Wordle clones, but Antiwordle is an oasis that's earned its spot in my daily word-game schedule.
BTS taking a break: Band plans 'official extended period of rest'
BTS taking a break: Band plans 'official extended period of rest'
Hugely popular South Korean band BTS is taking a break. In a statement issued Sunday, the group's management team, Big Hit Music, said members are planning an "official extended period of rest" after an exhausting 2020 and 2021.
"This period of rest will provide the members of BTS, who have tirelessly committed themselves to their activities, a chance to get re-inspired and recharge with creative energy," the statement read. "It will also be the first time for them since their debut to spend the holiday season with their families."
But the statement gave fans something to look forward to.
"During their period of rest, BTS will be focusing on preparing for the concert and release of the new album that will mark the beginning of a 'new chapter,'" the statement read.
In September, the group spoke at the United Nations in New York, and also shared a new video of their song Permission to Dance, which was filmed at the UN. They were introduced there by South Korea's President Moon Jae In.
The group's second English-language single, Butter, ruled Billboard's songs of summer chart for 2021.
