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Animous

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  1. The build-up to the new NBA season has been dominated by the debate over whether players should be vaccinated against coronavirus. Some NBA players say they will not be jabbed or have refused to confirm their vaccination status, while LeBron James was "very sceptical" before deciding to get the jab. NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have backed the league's stance. Even Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez had his say on the matter in parliament. With the 2021-22 season set to tip off on Tuesday, the vaccination rate among NBA players is about 95% and the debate has centred on one man - Kyrie Irving. Because of local vaccine rules, the Brooklyn Nets star cannot play or practise with the team in New York until he has had at least one shot, ruling him out of home games. Now the Nets have ruled him out altogether, meaning the NBA returns with one of its biggest stars sidelined indefinitely, and sacrificing about $15.6m (£11.5m). What happened with Kyrie Irving? Since coming into the league as the number one draft pick in 2011, Irving has not just won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), he's become an activist, a philanthropist and one of six vice-presidents of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). The 29-year-old, who is of African American and Native American heritage, also admits to becoming a "big conspiracy theorist". He once apologised for saying the earth is flat and this year has been sharing microchip claims about the Moderna vaccine on social media. BBC Reality Check: No, your Covid Vaccine isn't magnetic Irving: Unvaccinated Nets star 'doing what's best for me' Mandates for all NBA team staff, coaches and referees to be vaccinated have been passed, but the NBPA is refusing to accept one for the players. However, last month New York and San Francisco passed local vaccine mandates for all those entering indoor entertainment and performing arts venues. This month, Los Angeles followed suit. Those markets feature five NBA teams, including Brooklyn, so Irving was set to miss home games. He was going to be hit in the pocket too. The NBPA did agree to a reduction in pay of about 1% of an unvaccinated player's salary for each game they miss. For Irving, that's about $380,000 (£279,000), and with 41 home games in the regular season, that would total about $15.6m (£11.5m) for the whole season. Speculation turned to how the Nets, expected to be championship-contenders after recruiting the star trio of Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden, would manage having their starting point guard as a part-time player. They reacted by saying the seven-time All-Star won't be selected at all "until he is eligible to be a full participant". In the same statement, Brooklyn's general manager Sean Marks added: "Kyrie has made a personal choice and we respect his individual right to choose." Why are some NBA players still unvaccinated? Andrew Wiggins was selected as the number one draft pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014 Speaking on Instagram Live on Wednesday, Irving said: "Do what's best for you, but I am not an advocate for either side. I am doing what's best for me. "I know the consequences here, and if it means that I'm judged and demonised for that, that's just what it is, that's the role I play." Andrew Wiggins was another of the vaccine 'holdouts' subject to local vaccine mandates as his team, the Golden State Warriors, are based in San Francisco. The 26-year-old had a request for a religious exemption rejected by the NBA. A week later Wiggins had the jab but said he felt "forced to", adding: "It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run and in 10 years I'm still healthy." Wiggins has vaccine after exemption denied Isaac becomes first NBA player not to kneel for anthem since restart Washington Wizards' three-time All-Star Bradley Beal has said he is unvaccinated for "personal reasons", adding: "You can still get Covid and still pass it along if vaccinated, so..." The following day the 28-year-old said he was "still considering getting the vaccine. I'm not sitting up here advocating that you shouldn't get it". The Denver Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr said "there's a chance you could have a bad reaction to the vaccine, I don't feel comfortable", while Orlando Magic's Jonathan Isaac said he is "not anti-vax" and referred to natural immunity. He, Porter and Beal have all recovered from bouts of coronavirus. "I'm not ashamed to say that I'm uncomfortable with taking the vaccine at this time," said Isaac, 24. "I understand that the vaccine would help if you have Covid, you'll be able to have less symptoms from contracting it. But with me having Covid in the past and having antibodies, with my current age group and physical fitness level, it's not necessarily a fear of mine." What else has been said? New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has told Irving to "get vaccinated. Your fans want to see you, we all want you back", while Donald Trump Jr tweeted that Irving had "just sacrificed more than [Colin] Kaepernick ever did!" Another Republican, Texas senator Ted Cruz, tweeted that he "stands with Kyrie Irving" and the NBA's other unvaccinated players. Michael Jordan said that he's a "firm believer in science" and is in "total unison with the league". Fellow Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar was part of an information campaign by the NBA, encouraging Americans to get vaccinated. The six-time NBA champion also told Rolling Stone: "There is no room for players who are willing to risk the health and lives of their team-mates, the staff and the fans simply because they are unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation or do the necessary research." After initial hesitancy, Los Angeles Lakers star James said he researched the vaccine before deciding "it was best suited for me and my family and my friends. But as far as speaking for everybody and what they want to do, that's not my job." Giannis Antetokounmpo, last season's Finals MVP as the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA title, has also confirmed he's been vaccinated, saying: "I did what was best for me and my family to stay protected." Giannis Antetokounmpo: The making of 'The Greek Freak' What are the rules for unvaccinated players? After training camps started, the vaccination rate among NBA players rose from 90% to 95%, leaving about 30 still to get the jab across the league's 30 teams. That compares to 64.7% for the whole of the US population. Visiting players are exempt from the local vaccine mandates so any still unvaccinated can play away games in New York, San Francisco or LA. However, according to NBA protocols, they must have daily testing before entering a team facility or interacting with players and coaches. Vaccinated players are only tested if they show symptoms or are a close contact of a positive case. Unvaccinated players could even be given jail time when visiting Canada to play the Toronto Raptors. According to Canada's Quarantine Act, they must take a Covid test when arriving in the country and will only be permitted to leave their hotel room for team activities. Anyone breaking the rules can face up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 (£443,275) in fines. As for Irving, while he'll still be paid for Brooklyn's games on the road this season, he'll forfeit his salary for home games. He could also have missed out on a contract extension worth $186m (£136m). The Nets may now look to trade him, but how will rival teams feel about his vaccination status? Irving insists he won't be retiring though. "I'm not leaving this game like this," he said. "There's still so much more work to do."
  2. Police in Kenya have arrested the husband of record-breaking long-distance runner Agnes Tirop who was stabbed to death at her home. Emmanuel Rotich, who was detained in the coastal city of Mombasa, will face charges once investigations are completed, an official said. Ms Tirop, 25, was found dead on Wednesday in the western town of Iten, a training centre for top athletes. She had finished fourth in this year's Tokyo Olympic 5,000m final. In 2019, she had won the 10,000m bronze at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Her husband is in custody after being arrested "while fleeing", George Kinoti, the director of criminal investigations, told AFP news agency Tributes have been pouring in for Ms Tirop from fellow athletes. "She was an amazing young girl who was really working hard to be one of the top athletes in the world," Julius Yego, Kenya's former athletics captain, told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme. "She wanted to be the best and it was only a few weeks ago that she broke the world record for the 10km. Her successful career was still being crafted but unfortunately, someone decided the whole story cannot be written." During her career, Ms Tirop had success as both a junior - winning 5,000m bronze at world championships in 2012 and 2014 - and as a senior, winning the World Cross Country championships in 2015. At the World Athletics Championships in 2017 and 2019, she won bronze in the 10,000m before finishing 0.75 seconds outside the medal places at the Tokyo Games two months ago. Last month, she set a new world record of 30 minutes and one second, in Germany, for the 10km road race. On Thursday, Athletics Kenya - the country's governing body - suspended all athletics competition for two weeks as a mark of respect for Ms Tirop. "We just lost a great talent. She was such a strong woman and committed to what she was doing," said Mr Yego. Asked how he would remember her, the Olympic javelin silver medallist replied: "A young lady who was so peaceful, so humble, always smiling." "You would never know when she was sad or angry," he said, adding she had been incredibly "focussed on her training and her career". "We had a difficult day yesterday - it is still shocking. When you check on social media or TV, it is the sad news of Agnes. We are still collecting ourselves." IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption,Hellen Obiri (right) beat compatriot Agnes Tirop in the Tokyo Olympics 5,000m final On Wednesday, both the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, and his counterpart at the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, spoke about the loss of Ms Tirop. Former double Olympic champion Coe described her as "one of the world's best female distance runners over the past six years". "Athletics has lost one of its brightest young stars in the most tragic circumstances," he added. "This is a terrible blow to the entire athletics community, but especially to her family, her friends and Athletics Kenya. "I send them all our most heartfelt condolences." Mr Bach hailed Ms Tirop as an inspiration in a post on Twitter. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter Last month, Tirop set the 10km road race world record at the headquarters of her sponsors Adidas in Germany, with the sportswear giants also posting their condolences on social media. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter Related Topics Kenya Africa sport Top Stories Bloodshed in Beirut after gunfire erupts at protest At least six die as protesters come under fire, in some of Lebanon's worst violence in years. 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  3. Teenage midfielder Pedri has agreed a contract extension with Barcelona which includes a 1bn euro (£846m) release clause, the club has announced. The 18-year-old's new deal will run until 30 June 2026 and he is expected to officially sign it on Friday. Pedri joined Barcelona from Las Palmas in August 2020 and played 53 times for them last season - the most of any player at the club. He was also part of the Spain squad that reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals. The billion dollar Pedri question - listen to BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues podcast Spain boss Luis Enrique started him for each of his side's games at the tournament as he impressed on the international stage. Pedri's exploits resulted in him being included in Uefa's team of the tournament. The teenager also helped Spain win Olympic silver in the summer after they were beaten by Brazil in the final. Pedri has made four appearances for a struggling Barcelona this season, with the club seventh in the Spanish top flight and bottom of their Champions League group. 'One of the symbols of the future' - analysis Guillem Balague, Spanish football expert on BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues podcast What a marketing tool the release clause is - that even we are talking about it. Karim Benzema also has a billion euro release clause at Real Madrid. That is partly what it is, and also a sign of trust from both parties, from the player that he wants to stay and from Barcelona that they want him to stay. Pedri had interest from other clubs, he is not the highest-paid player, but he gets paid more [now] than he did. It is the club he supports, this is his dream - even though Real Madrid could have had him. He went on trial with Real but he was very unlucky, they thought he was too short and he ended up at Las Palmas. He is now one of the symbols of the new Barcelona. They hope to sign Ansu Fati on a longer contract next - although his agent Jorge Mendes is making that difficult - and Gavi. They want a picture of the three youngsters saying "This is where we are going, follow us".
  4. In the centre of a small east London park, just a stone's throw from Leyton Orient's stadium, is a statue of a man with arms outstretched, his left foot raised delicately on tiptoes. The football at his boots makes his profession clear, but the posture could be that of a dancer - perhaps even a trapeze artist. Balletic is one word frequently used to describe Laurie Cunningham, an electric winger who glided effortlessly across the boggy pitches of the 1970s, swaying past defenders with poise and purpose. Cunningham was the first Briton to join Real Madrid, and one of the very first black players to represent England. He was often subjected to racist abuse. Those who recall seeing him play talk with a whispered air about greatness. Spain's former manager Vincente del Bosque, Cunningham's team-mate at Madrid, described him as "the Cristiano Ronaldo of his era". And yet he might have achieved so much more. Cunningham was an other-worldly talent whose brilliance was checked by injuries and bad luck. He was a pioneer for black footballers who rarely saw himself as a role model. He was a man who moved in extraordinary ways, whose life was sadly cut short by a tragic accident. Raised in north London by Jamaica-born parents, Cunningham is often described as being quiet and introverted off the pitch, in contrast to his flamboyant footballing style and love of dancing. After joining youth side Highgate North Hill in 1968, he quickly established himself as a tremendous talent, but also a boy of grit who could take the agricultural challenges slung his way. Arsenal showed interest and Cunningham was given a trial, followed by a schoolboy contract in 1970. But the Gunners played a rigid 'give and go' style that left little room for Cunningham's buccaneering gallops. It had just won them the double. He was released in 1972 with the note: 'Not the right material.' Cunningham's prospects hung in the balance. He was picked up by Leyton Orient - then in the second tier, and known just as Orient. His debut came, at the age of 18, on 3 August 1974 in a pre-season friendly against West Ham. "We lost the game 1-0," recalls one Orient fan, "but he just ran and ran and ran, dribbling all over Upton Park. He was already a phenomenon." Cunningham stood out off the pitch too; he was a lover of dancing, fashion, painting, architecture and wine. Much of his time away from the game was spent on the dance floor, honing carefully choreographed moves in venues such as Crackers and the Tottenham Royal multiple times a week. He was a man who moved at his own speed, which could range from the lackadaisical - he was frequently fined by Orient for being late - to the turbo-charged. It was rumoured he'd pay the fines with prize money from dancing contests. Three years with Orient yielded 75 appearances, 15 goals and a transfer to West Bromwich Albion. There, his talent shone like never before - in often appalling circumstances. Another photo from Orient in 1975 - Cunningham dressed to impress If racism in football still rears its ugly head today, it's incomparable to what was seen in British stadiums in the 1970s. Bananas, coins and even ball-bearings were hurled at those with black skin. They were regular targets of verbal and physical abuse. In the vast majority of cases, it went entirely unpunished. Brendon Batson, Cunningham's team-mate at WBA, explained how the National Front would be waiting for them at away games, where they'd arrive with no security and would be spat on. Cunningham was regularly the best player on the pitch, a fact that would enrage the abusers even further. He played his game, often slaloming through half the opposing team before bursting the net. "Defenders like myself were really just there to kick people mostly," says Viv Anderson, who in 1978 became the first black player to win a senior England cap. "The flair players, like Laurie, got the most stick." On 27 April 1977, Cunningham pulled on the white shirt of England himself, in an Under-21s friendly against Scotland at Bramall Lane - a game won 1-0 thanks to his goal. He'd go on to play six times for the senior England side. But his real breakthrough season came in 1978-79, alongside Batson and Cyrille Regis in a scintillating Baggies team that only fell away from title contention in the final weeks of the season to finish third. This was not the first time three black players had played together in British football, but Batson, Cunningham and Regis were the first to regularly do so. They became known as 'the Three Degrees' - a term coined by manager Ron Atkinson in reference to the popular American soul group.
  5. Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling says he would be open to playing abroad if he does not get more game time at Etihad Stadium. The England international, whose contract runs out in 2023, said he had dreamed "from a young age" of playing abroad. "If there was the opportunity to go somewhere else, I would be open to it," Sterling, 26, said. "At this moment in time, football is the most important thing to me." "I have always had something that maybe one day I would love to play abroad and see how I meet that challenge." Sterling has started one Premier League game since the opening weekend of the season, although he was in Pep Guardiola's side for the Champions League group stage defeat by Paris St-Germain on 28 September. The arrival of England team-mate Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m has increased competition for forward places at City, although the absence of Ferran Torres for at least a month with a fractured foot does reduce Guardiola's options. Sterling joined City from Liverpool in 2015 and has won the Premier League three times, the FA Cup once and the EFL Cup four times. "I am not someone who complains," he said, speaking at the FT Business of Sport US summit. "I have not tried to make it a bigger deal than it is. I am just raring to go, play football and score regularly." However, it is understood Sterling will not think about signing a new deal until he is playing regularly again, which does raise the possibility of fulfilling a lifelong ambition to play overseas. 'Racism not taken seriously enough' Sterling told the event in London that he had stepped back from speaking about racism in public to concentrate on trying to "achieve more action within the limits of what I can do". The Manchester City and England winger has been targeted in the past and in the summer had to support team-mates Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka after they were racially abused after missing penalties during July's Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy at Wembley. "If it was comments about something else, it would be taken a lot more seriously," he said. "Racist abuse I don't feel, is taken as seriously as other topics. "It is something that we are still talking about and it is still happening." Reflecting on the reaction to the Italy loss, Sterling added: "My main concern was the well-being of my team-mates and making sure they were all right. "No-one likes to miss a penalty. To have the belief to step up when millions are watching and then to be racially abused afterwards, it is disappointing."
  6. Olympic champion Michael Johnson says sports stars of his generation were "lulled to sleep in the 90s" when it came to tackling social injustices and racial inequalities. The American sprinter and BBC athletics pundit was reflecting on the rise of athlete activism for the BBC Radio 5 Live's 'All About...' podcast series. With more professional sportsmen and women using their profile and platforms to challenge inequality and discrimination and campaign for change, this summer the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was moved to relax its rules on protesting at the Tokyo Games. Johnson has made a podcast series on the subject of athlete protests called Defiance and told the BBC: "This series has made me think - if I was an athlete today, when this fight is ongoing and it's brought to our doorstep - would I risk it all? Raven Saunders: Olympic shot putter who took a stand in Tokyo Colin Kaepernick: How the NFL made its U-turn Marcus Rashford: Feeding Britain's Children - inside his campaign to tackle child hunger "In the 1990s it was a very different time to what we're living in now. We weren't fighting for those things then, the fight didn't exist, it probably should have. "We were lulled to sleep with the idea that we were in a good place - our parents fought for these rights that we have now and civil rights and we thought we were in a good place. Now we see, we weren't, we should've been fighting." Black History Month: 'We were lulled to sleep' in the 90s - Michael Johnson Johnson cites former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick - who hasn't played in the NFL since he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest against racial injustice in the US - as one of many athletes who have exercised their right to protest and faced consequences, but wonders whether he would have done the same. Listen to the full Radio 5 Live podcast with Michael Johnson From Trayvon Martin to Colin Kaepernick: The story of Black Lives Matter protest in sport Johnson added: "It's not an easy choice. It's easy for me not being an athlete now to say 'absolutely I would do it'. But I've spoken to many of these athletes and you hear them talking about death threats and losing contracts and concerns for family members and it makes you really think about whether or not you would." When US Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised her fist on the podium at the Pan-American Games in 2019 to draw attention to racial injustices, she received a 12-month probation from Team USA bosses. Johnson expressed his support for Berry's right to peacefully protest - but received a backlash on social media. "It happens quite often where these figures are pushing back against a societal wrong, become hated and are met with vitriolic responses from different corners of their own country and ultimately many years later are celebrated for what they have done. "The question is whether that will happen with Kaepernick and Berry. "How he [Kaepernick] is viewed 30 years from now will be determined by how successful we are in keeping his issue in the public debate and creating change around this subject." Since Kaepernick's protests more athletes around the world have used their sports as stages to protest against injustices, which Johnson admits is a "risk". He added: "I am far from that 54-year-old that says 'this generation don't know what they're talking about' - they absolutely do. They're pushing back on things that need to be pushed on. "We were that generation of 'suck it up and grind it out' - we lost a lot of great athletes to that attitude but this generation have figured out that's not the right way to do it." Johnson says that while it takes a lot of focus to succeed as a professional athlete, it is possible to also stand up for the things that you believe in. "You need to have things that distract you from thinking about your sport 24/7," he said. "It's important to have things to think about that are bigger than you, that aren't about you. "I was fortunate to figure out early on that the desire to win was important to me but never so important to me that I would sacrifice my family, my sanity or my happiness." Listen to 5 Live Sport All About Michael Johnson from 19:00 BST on Wednesday, 13 October
  7. Jurassic Park actress Ariana Richards has hinted at a potential return to the franchise's next title, Jurassic World: Dominion. Richards, who played Lex Murphy in the Spielberg classic, as well as briefly in its sequel, The Lost World, stepped back from acting to focus on a successful art career. Despite leaving her acting career behind, Richards' role in Jurassic Park was well-received, earning her several award nominations and wins. Jurassic World: Dominion is the sixth title in the franchise and the third to star Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as leads. While little is known about Dominion, it will follow the dramatic events of Fallen Kingdom, where dinosaurs have accidentally been unleashed onto the mainland US. While a T-Rex made its way to US shores briefly during the closing scenes of The Lost World, it looks likely that Dominion will explore the idea of dinosaurs and humans living in close proximity to each other further. Solidifying the potential events of Dominion is 2019 short, Battle at Big Rock, a follow-up to Fallen Kingdom, which sees escapee dinosaurs terrorizing a family of campers. RELATED: Jurassic Park: How The Book Killed Off Dr. Henry Wu (& Why The Movie Didn't) During a look back at her career for the Celebrity Catch Up podcast, Richards was asked if she would be returning to the franchise. Despite not admitting any potential scenes of her as an adult Lex Murphy, she also didn't deny the potential for a return, saying "Now that is something I wouldn’t be able to comment on." Further adding to the speculation, she admitted she would consider returning to acting "If the right project comes along." If Richards were to return to the franchise, she'd be joining the likes of Sam Neill and Laura Dern, who have also confirmed their appearances in Dominion. Unlike Jeff Goldblum's cameo at the end of Fallen Kingdom, it's confirmed that the veteran actors (including Goldblum) will receive significant roles in last of the Jurassic World trilogy. While Goldblum's minimal screen time in Fallen Kingdom was disappointing, the return of so many members of the original cast in fuller roles for Dominion is exciting news, only heightened by the potential appearance of Richards. Jurassic World: Dominion will bring the World trilogy to an end in June 2022, but the future of the franchise is yet to be determined. Producer Frank Marshall insists that the latest film will be the "start of a new era," so it's unlikely Dominion will be the finale in the franchise's long history. Regardless of future outings, Jurassic Park has remained the only successful dinosaur franchise in cinema history, and Dominion so far looks like an exciting way to round out the franchise.
  8. Eternals will answer some big questions about the MCU’s Celestials, according to the film’s producer. Directed by Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao, Eternals stars an ensemble cast that includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. Eternals is scheduled to release in theaters on November 5, 2021. While the main story of Eternals will focus on the eponymous team of superpowered humanoid beings and their bitter rivals, the monstrous Deviants, there will also be a lot of lore added about the Celestials. The ancient race of giant godlike spacefarers has been mentioned and glimpsed at different points throughout the MCU – most notably in the Guardians of the Galaxy films – but they’ll be front and center in Eternals as they created both the Eternals and the Deviants. The Celestials are a huge piece of the Marvel Comics universe, and they could play an equally large role in the story of Phase 4 of the MCU. RELATED: Every MCU Movie Releasing After What If…? (& When) During a set visit attended by Screen Rant, Eternals producer Nate Moore revealed that the film will answer four big questions about the MCU Celestials – what their role was in the creation of the universe, how they’re different from each other, what their ultimate objective is, and what the exact nature of their connection to the Eternals is. Answering those questions will mean adding a ton of new lore to the MCU, fleshing out the ancient history of the universe and setting up some massive plotlines for the future. Read Moore’s full quote below. “The notion of diving into the history of these space gods, what is their role to play in the creation of life across the galaxy, how are they different, what is their endgame? All things that we will learn in the film. We'll also learn the connection between the Eternals and the Celestials.” So far, the MCU Phase 4 has been all about building out the Marvel universe, rather than a particular overarching story. The establishment of the multiverse, the additions of many new characters, and now the reintroduction of the Celestials are all expanding the scope of the franchise in new and exciting ways. And with Kang the Conqueror becoming a primary antagonist going forward, the future of the MCU looks like it could feature some exciting crossovers. It should also be interesting to see how closely the MCU Celestials mirror those of the Marvel comics. From what’s been shown of them in the franchise so far, they seem pretty similar, but the story of Eternals could introduce some big changes. The MCU’s Celestials have been closely tied to the Infinity Stones, and in the comics, they’re responsible for the creation of the mutant x-gene. That means that Eternals could lay the foundation for the X-Men to join the MCU, but only time will tell.
  9. Marvel didn't initially realize how popular the Black Panther supporting cast would be. Black Panther was released in 2018 and starred the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther in the lead. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film would go on to become a massive success, raking in $1.3 billion worldwide, making it one of Marvel's most successful films. The film also introduced a number of new characters to the MCU, including Danai Gurira's Okoye and Letitia Wright's Shuri, who both appeared again in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger was another major character introduced to the franchise. Although his character was killed at the end of the film, Jordan recently reprised the role in Marvel's What If...? series. In the series, Killmonger betrays Tony Stark and takes on a very different role than he did in Black Panther, giving him an entirely different arc, but still within the attributes of his character. RELATED:Black Panther 2 Shouldn't Have A Villain (Because It Can't Beat Killmonger) While on the set of Eternals, Screen Rant was there with other venues to talk about the new film, where producer Nate Moore revealed that Marvel didn't realize that the supporting cast of Black Panther would be as popular as they became. Moore elaborates that once they became as popular as they did, it led to the characters making their way into Avengers. He says that the audience feedback in that regard helped decide where they would go with them. Read what Moore said below: "When we made [Black] Panther, we didn't realize Okoye or Shuri would be as popular as they were. Well, then, all of a sudden you're like well, we're making Avengers, wouldn't it be cool if Okoye and Shuri were in this film as well. So to some degree, there is a little bit of audience feedback where we go." Boseman passed away in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. His last appearances as Black Panther were in Avengers: Endgame and Marvel's What If...?, in which he supplied the voice for the character. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently in production, and it's unclear what direction the sequel will go in terms of filling the lead character's role (if at all). Marvel has said they won't be recasting T'Challa, so it serves to believe that it will be a new or returning character that will pick up the mantle. In the comics, Shuri eventually becomes Black Panther, so that's always possible for the sequel. That said, the MCU has always taken its own direction, while paying homage to the comic roots, so it's possible that it could be just about any character. The popularity of Okoye and Shuri is huge, but Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya's W'Kabi and Winston Duke's M'Baku are also impressive characters that could potentially take on the mantle of Black Panther or simply be featured in other MCU films. Regardless of who takes on the Black Panther mantle, the supporting cast is firmly established enough to help usher in the next era in Wakanda and beyond.
  10. Aaron Sorkin reveals that his upcoming Lucille Ball biopic, Being the Ricardos, has a total of four musical numbers. Known for his quick-witted characters and ping-pong dialogue, Sorkin is the inimitable screenwriter behind the Emmy Award-winning series The West Wing and the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network. He made his directorial debut in 2017 with Molly's Game and followed that up last year with another critical darling in The Trial of the Chicago 7. Now, Sorkin has opted for a Lucille Ball biopic for his third film as a writer/director. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem headline the cast of Being the Ricardos as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the married couple who created and starred together as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in the classic sitcom I Love Lucy. The film takes place over the course of one week of production on the show as a looming crisis threatens the couple's careers and marriage. Being the Ricardos also stars J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda and William Frawley and Vivian Vance, the actors known for playing Fred and Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy. RELATED: Every Aaron Sorkin Movie Ranked From Worst To Best Now, Aaron Sorkin is revealing some additional details about his upcoming film in an interview with Turner Classic Movies (via EW). After host Ben Mankiewicz asked about an unexpected challenge he faced while making Being the Ricardos, Sorkin revealed that there are four musical numbers in the film, which the director has never attempted before. Read what Sorkin had to say below: There are four musical numbers in the film, and that's something I'd never done before, but we had a great musical director, great choreographer. The musical numbers are organic. It's not La La Land. It's rehearsals for Too Many Girls. It's at Ciro's where Desi and his orchestra are playing, that kind of thing. Music has played a prominent role in both Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's lives, as well as Sorkin's, which is perhaps part of the reason why he wanted to tell their story on screen. Before creating their hit sitcom, Ball was a showgirl and Arnaz a famous bandleader and musician. The couple actually met during rehearsals for the 1940 musical Too Many Girls which Sorkin says will be one of the musical numbers recreated for his film, along with one at Ciro's Nightclub where Arnaz frequently performed. I Love Lucy also featured plenty of musical numbers, some of which will likely find their way into Being the Ricardos. Sorkin, on the other hand, studied musical theater in college before writing his breakthrough play, A Few Good Men, which he eventually adapted into the 1992 film starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. Though his roots are in musical theater, Sorkin has never directed a musical number before on the stage or screen, so it will be interesting to see how he fares when Being the Ricardos premieres this December.
  11. Stellan Skarsgård wants his Dune co-star, Dave Bautista, to the join him in the cast of Mamma Mia! 3 whenever the highly anticipated sequel begins production. The first Mamma Mia! movie released in 2008 as a direct adaptation of the popular broadway jukebox musical of the same name, based on the classic songs of the iconic Swedish pop group, ABBA. Its star-studded cast and catchy tunes proved to be a smash hit with audiences worldwide, allowing the film to gross more than ten times its initial production budget of $52 million USD. The original cast reprised their roles a decade later in the follow-up, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which was also a critical and commercial success. In the films, Skarsgård plays Bill Anderson – one of Sophie Sheridan's (Amanda Seyfried) three possible fathers (alongside Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth) that she invites to her Greek taverna for her wedding. The identity of Sophie's biological father is never revealed throughout the course of the two movies, with the three men instead agreeing to each be "a third" of Sophie's father. Skarsgård, Brosnan, and Firth all reprise their roles in the sequel in a smaller capacity to make room for the flashback-heavy sequences. RELATED: Where Was Mamma Mia Filmed? All Locations In Greece Skarsgård and Bautista recently sat down with Screen Rant to discuss the their work on Denis Villeneuve's upcoming sci-fi epic, Dune. In the midst of the interview, Mamma Mia! became the topic of discussion with Skarsgård saying that he hopes to reprise his role in the sequel. The actor went on to say that he hopes Bautista will join the sequel's cast, joking that he "want[s] to dance with David on an island in Greece." Check out the actors' full comments below: Stellan Skarsgård: I wish I could say. It took 10 years between Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! 2 - if it's going to take another 10 years, then I'll be dead. I'm worried we might not get there. But if they call, I will say yes immediately, because the experience of doing those two films was fantastic. Dave Bautista: It's not going to be ten years. I guarantee you that people are on the phone; they've been anticipating this. And there is such a search for good entertainment, with all the new outlets that are constantly in search of media. I think there have been phone calls made, and Stellan will get a phone call when he gets home. Stellan Skarsgård: Yeah, and hopefully you'll be in it, Dave. We talked about that. I want to dance with David on an island in Greece. Judy Craymer, producer of the original stage production, recently confirmed that a third movie is in development. She also confirmed that ABBA's newly released songs would appear in Mamma Mia! 3. With most of the cast enthusiastic to return, all the pieces are in place for the sequel to come to fruition. Unfortunately, the film is currently undergoing delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully Mamma Mia! 3 will release sooner than the ten-year window separating the first two films. Another decade may make the choreography-heavy movie difficult to film for older members of the cast, as Skarsgård himself states. Regardless, the final film of the trilogy will no doubt be a sentimental sendoff for the Sheridan family.
  12. The Eternals' Sprite does not have a high opinion on humanity confirms star Lia McHugh. Eternals is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a massive epic spanning 7000 years of history that sees the group of advanced aliens protecting the planet Earth from the emergence, a cosmic disaster brought forth by the events of Avengers: Endgame. The film is set to redefine the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with anticipation high as the film is already outperforming Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in advanced ticket sales. Eternals features a wide variety of characters, and one interestingly present in a lot of the trailer is Lia McHugh as Sprite. Sprite may appear as a child, but she is as old as the rest of the Eternals, and is forever young. She also has the ability to cast illusions. Sprite is present in the London sequence in the trailer when it appears Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington) discovers that Sersi (Gemma Chan) is an Eternal. She also appears to be present while the Eternals are reuniting various members like encountering Thena (Angelina Jolie) and Gilgamesh (Don Lee). While McHugh may not be one of the major names like Angelina Jolie or Salma Hayek, it appears the character is a very important part of the ensemble. RELATED: Eternals' Origin Changes Open The Door For MCU Greek Gods Screen Rant and other publications were invited to the set of Eternals at Pinewood Studio in January 2020, on the last day of filming. McHugh revealed that her character Sprite doesn't care for humans, despite the Eternals' job being to protect and watch over humanity. The Eternals' long life and advanced technology makes Sprite view humans as childish, an interesting contrast for her character who is portrayed by a child. McHugh said: "Sprite thinks humans are kind of stupid. [LAUGHTER] I mean, she thinks they're really dumb and they don't know things. They're really not advanced at all. And yeah. Like, the Eternals obviously are way more advanced because they're gods. And so they-- I see humans as very small and stupid." Sprite's lack of care for humans is interesting as the trailer showcases Sprite using her magic to cast illusions for an audience of humans for entertainment. While the original read could be playful, Sprite could also be the MCU inspiration for how humans come up with trickster characters like Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream and Peter Pan. McHugh has previously mentioned how her character Sprite feels frustrated being stuck as a child in the modern world, which could further complicate her relationship with humanity. This all may play out and set up a plot point from the comics. In Neil Gaiman's 2006 Eternals mini-series, Sprite was revealed to be the main villain of the story having wiped the Eternals' minds. Angelina Jolie's Thena is confirmed to suffer from memory loss, a possible suggestion of Sprite's villainous comic book turn. While the trailers for Eternals have teased the threat of the Deviants and the Celestials, the lack of a clear antagonist in the marketing suggests that one of the Eternals may turn on their own, and given Sprite's lack of care for humanity, she may be less willing to fight to defend them from a comic apocalypse and may be revealed as the true villain.
  13. Avengers: Endgame director, Joe Russo, recently shared his thoughts on Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit, and what it says about the current state of studios. Responsible for two of the five highest-grossing films of all time, Joe and his brother, Anthony, are longterm collaborators with Disney/Marvel. Aside from making big-budget superhero films for the House of Mouse, the Russo Brothers also directed Netflix's Cherry (2021), and served as producers on the action-thriller film, Extraction (2020). Earlier this year, Johansson shocked moviegoers when it was revealed that the 36-year-old actor was suing Disney over the simultaneous release of Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+. She blasted the company for sacrificing the movie's box office success, accusing Disney of breaching her contract and depriving her of potential backend payments. The legal battle quickly turned sour, causing people to wonder if Jungle Cruise stars, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt, would follow suit. However, it was confirmed late last month that Johansson and Disney settled the lawsuit over Black Widow, though the terms of the deal were not disclosed. RELATED:How ScarJo's Black Widow Lawsuit Changed Disney (& Hollywood) While speaking with Variety, Russo weighed in on the legal battle between Disney and Johansson. The director, who has worked with Disney on several projects including Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, said it was "unfortunate" that the lawsuit spilled out into public domain. He went on to describe the incident as "indicative of significant change" in the industry, saying that corporations are panicking due to the longterm consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Russo's full quote can be read below: "Corporations are panicking at the moment, because I think that half the studios are going to disappear in the next 5-10 years, and the game has changed dramatically. There are content producers who can outspend any studio, and it’s just a rounding error for them, because they’re $1 trillion companies. We’ve never seen that before in the business.” It's no secret that the COVID-19 outbreak has had a devastating effect on the theatrical model. While it seems like the global box office is starting to return to semi-normalcy, 2021 numbers are still nowhere close to 2019 in-person ticket sales. Surprisingly, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to 2018's Venom, is the unexpected winner of the pandemic era box office thus far. In its first weekend, Venom: Let There Be Carnage opened to a massive $90.1 million at the domestic box office—a pandemic record. With the highly anticipated sci-fi epic, Dune, and Marvel's Eternals arriving in the coming weeks, big-budget fall blockbusters might just be the thing that brings moviegoers back to theaters. However, with the potential IATSE strike and the ongoing pandemic, studios shouldn't be too optimistic for a full recovery just yet. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max continue to grow their subscriber base, and Russo's prediction that content producers will overtake studios seems more than likely. The changing landscape of the industry has, and will likely continue to throw the theatrical model out of whack. It comes as no surprise that studios are panicking, as their survival seems in jeopardy now more than ever before.
  14. Daisy Ridley has revealed that she still regularly texts Jodie Comer, who portrayed Rey's mother in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Star Wars came back in a big way when Disney got their hands on the franchise. Starting with 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney sought to continue the Skywalker saga. In doing so, they put together a cast of up-and-coming actors, featuring Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and of course, Ridley. Ridley played the part of Rey, a force-sensitive orphan looking for her place in the universe. From the moment Rey was introduced, her parentage became a point of much discussion. After The Force Awakens, many assumed Rey would have a familial link to one of the franchise's central heroes, like Luke, Leia, or Han, as the film left it as a dangling question to be answered in a later movie. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the next film in the series, saw an answer delivered via Kylo Ren, who stated that Rey's parents were merely junk traders who sold Rey off for drinking money. This answer ignited a deep hatred from a large portion of the fanbase who had invested in the character with hope for something more grandiose. When Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker followed in 2019, the junk trader explanation was proven to be false (or retconned due to backlash), revealing Rey to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious. Rey's parents were only featured briefly in the film, yet still made an impact for giving fans a far better answer than the previous movie. RELATED: Rise Of Skywalker: Why Rey Didn't Turn Anakin's Lightsaber Yellow Recently, Ridley spoke with Grazia to promote her new podcast thriller Zoetrope. During the interview, Ridley was asked about leaving Star Wars behind after all these years. She quickly mentioned how sad it was to walk away from Star Wars, complete with copious amounts of tears on her part when they all parted ways. Still, Ridley said she keeps in touch with a lot of the cast and crew. One name she mentioned was Jodie Comer, with whom she regularly exchanges texts. Check out Ridley's comments below: "My god I was so sad. I spent a lot of time crying, I really felt like I was grieving something. They were my people for so many years! John [Boyega] and I met when we were both twenty-one, we were so young. We started this thing together in our early twenties and now I’m twenty-nine. But we all keep in touch, even though John is the busiest man in the world. I went for breakfast with Kathy Kennedy the other day which was so nice. Jodie [Comer] and I text all the time. It was such a wonderful experience." Both Ridley and Comer entered the Star Wars universe as relative unknowns. Ridley had a few minor TV roles and short films on her resume. Comer had quite a few substantial roles under her belt when appearing in The Rise of Skywalker, yet she was mainly known for her work on Killing Eve. Now, Ridley has appeared in films like Murder on the Orient Express and Chaos Walking, with Comer recently appearing alongside Ryan Reynolds in the smash hit, Free Guy. Ridley currently has The Marsh King's Daughter in post-production, while Comer can next be seen alongside Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and fellow Star Wars alum Adam Driver in The Last Duel. While there is nothing new about actors staying in touch after a film wraps, Ridley and Comer didn't really share any screen time in The Rise of Skywalker. Their characters share a unique bond, but Comer's appearance in the movie was brief, with a younger actress, not Ridley, playing Rey. Rey's parents aren't even given names as Comer is credited as Rey's Mother and Billy Howle as Rey's Father. However, it would seem as though it was enough for Ridley and Comer to strike up a lasting friendship. As for Star Wars, Rey's journey looks to have ended for the time being, but the character could always return.
  15. Denis Villeneuve's Dune will release on HBO Max streaming one day earlier than expected, potentially hurting the film's theatrical performance. Based on the acclaimed sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert, Dune tells the story of the desert planet Arakis and the political power struggles fought over its supply of Spice. The film features a star-studded ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. For all of 2021, Warner Bros. has been releasing all of its biggest films for streaming on HBO Max at the same time as their theatrical premieres, drawing some harsh criticisms from directors and other industry figures. Villeneuve himself has said that Dune will be best enjoyed in a movie theater, and that he disagrees with Warner’s approach to its recent feature releases. However, due to safety concerns during the covid-19 pandemic, the hybrid release model has also had its share of supporters. RELATED: Dune Trailer Breakdown: 25 Story & Character Reveals Previously, it was believed that Dune would release on HBO on October 22 – the Friday the film was scheduled to premiere in North America. However, per Decider, the film will actually start streaming one day earlier, at 6:00 pm EDT on October 21. That means that the early Thursday evening showings that blockbusters have become accustomed to in recent years won’t even occur before the HBO Max release, making Dune’s streaming release truly simultaneous with its theatrical debut. How greatly this change will affect Dune’s box office performance remains to be seen, but Thursday showings are a huge part of most movies’ opening weekend ticket sales. Giving viewers the option to stream as early as Thursday evening could drag even more potential audience members out of cinemas and encourage them to instead view the film at home on HBO Max instead. To those concerned about public gatherings during the ongoing pandemic, that’s great news, but Villeneuve probably isn’t too happy about it. Even with the moved up streaming premiere date, however, Dune looks set to be a huge hit in theaters, and the extra numbers it does for HBO Max won’t hurt either. The film has received very positive reviews from its international premieres, and plenty of people will still want to see the story of Dune play out on the big screen, regardless of the streaming option. Plus, with Villeneuve already planning additional films, Dune will likely have plenty of time in the cinematic spotlight, even well after its initial release.
  16. That's the draw of a VPN: You get all those benefits just by installing a simple web client on your device and making sure it's active before starting any other web or cloud session. But if your home has multiple devices, especially if you think some of them might be running connected software that starts before you've even had a chance to activate your VPN, something more constant might be required. That's when you opt for installing a VPN client on your wireless router. With a VPN client on your router, anyone using your local network to browse the web or access a cloud service will automatically be using the VPN because they can't get out to the internet without jumping through that always-on hoop. Many Kinds of VPN Routers Today, while some routers support connecting to VPN services via OpenVPN or the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), you probably won't find this feature on most consumer-oriented routers. It's also not a lightweight chore to configure. Some of the more expensive routers will support VPNs using those features, especially if the manufacturer is looking to sell them into small businesses as well as homes. There are also a few (though growing) number of VPN providers who've taken on the task of making sure you can install their VPN client on a router's firmware (more on that below). But those clients usually aren't universal, so you'll need a router from the VPN provider's compatibility list. While that's great, you're probably happy with your current router and dropping the bucks for a whole new router just to get a VPN client might not be an attractive option. This leaves you to hunt for an alternative firmware that'll support either OpenVPN or your chosen VPN provider's client. The most popular of these is DD-WRT, though another option is Tomato if you have a Broadcom-based router. DD-WRT is the more mature of the two and works on many routers, both old and new. You can check to see if your particular router is supported here. Alternatively, you can turn an old x86 PC into a router by adding an extra network port via an expansion card and then installing DD-WRT on that. This does take a bit of additional work, but if you've got the chops, it's a great way of building yourself a highly customizable and very capable router without much added cost. Most folks, however, will stick to installing DD-WRT on their compatible router, which is not only what it's intended to do, but also a great way to update and expand your networking capabilities. The only downside of using your router this way is that you can void your warranty, or worse, render the router completely inoperable if things go very wrong. The best way to avoid this is to make sure your aiming to install DD-WRT on a router that's not only supported (check that link above), but has been supported for a good long while, too. The longer your router's been supported, the smoother the firmware install will go since the development team will have had lots of time to smooth out any kinks. You should also find a support forum with users familiar with both your router and DD-WRT. Some router manufacturers have such forums off their support pages, but more often you'll find them in independent web locations, such as the main DD-WRT website or Reddit. Once you've got those resources in place, we've put instructions on how to get started upgrading your router below. To write this article, I performed an upgrade on three routers. Two of them carried the Linksys brand, namely the LAPAC1200 AC1200 Dual Band Access Point and the WRT1200AC v2. While the upgrade on the LAPAC1200 failed, probably due to the fact that it's not a full-fledged router, the process worked fine on the WRT1200AC. For grins, I decided to do another installation on an old, generic Windows PC that I outfitted with two gigabit network interface cards (NICs). That process also went fine, and while it's certainly bulkier than the WRT1200AC, it's still the faster of the two. Getting to Your Router Configuration Every router is a little bit different, but most Linksys routers follow a similar pattern when it comes to login and making changes to the configuration. That process is also similar to what you'll find on most other router brands, too, so it's a good example for this article. The first thing to do is figure out what your router's Internet Protocol (IP) address is. To do this on Microsoft Windows 10, click the Start menu and type in Command Prompt and click Enter. Then type in ipconfig and click Enter again. You should see the same thing as in the screen shot below, though with different address numbers. Your router's IP address will be listed as the Default Gateway. Here, that's 192.168.13.1. Next, open your browser and type in your router's IP address as the URL (http:\\192.168.13.1). That'll get you to a login prompt for your router's administration console. If you've never changed the username and password for your router, then looking up your router model on the Linksys website should lead you to a support page where the default credentials are listed. If it's not Linksys, then just find your original installation instructions from when you first installed the router and the default credentials will be there. If that document is long gone, then head over to your router maker's website and find the instructions for setting your router back to factory defaults. The default credentials should be there, too. If that doesn't work, you'll need to call your router's support line and ask. Once you get access to the router's administrator functions, you'll want to find the console that allows a firmware update. Generally, this will be found under the Administration tab. For specific instructions for Linksys routers, check here. Other router vendors will have similar instructions available off their support pages. Downloading and Installing DD-WRT This step is arguably the most important piece since you can potentially "brick" (that is, render inoperable) your router if anything goes wrong. This could happen due to incompatibility on the software side or simply because you suffer a power outage at a particularly critical step of the update process. I'm not trying to scare you off here, and the vast majority of DD-WRT installs run just fine, but the reality is that something bad could actually happen to the router, so please do exercise caution. Navigate to this page and enter your router's model name. You'll get a list of potential candidates. Pick the one that matches your router's brand and model number, and then download the bin file. Now, from the Firmware Update screen, upload the bin file and wait. If everything worked the way it should have, then you will have a router that's running DD0-WRT and is therefore compatible with OpenVPN. If things go south and your router decides that you aren't on speaking terms anymore, do not panic. That happened to me when I tried upgrading the Linksys LAPAC1200 Access Point. Just do what I did: Go to this page and follow the instructions exactly. With any luck, you'll get back to a good starting place to try again. RECOMMENDED BY OUR EDITORS How to Set Up and Use a VPN What Is a VPN, and Why You Need One The Best VPN Services for 2021 Once everything lights up the way it's supposed to, the default IP address of a new DD-WRT install is http://192.168.1.1. Again, enter that address into your PC's web browser as a URL, and you'll see a screen that prompts you to reset the default username and password. After that step, you can move on to the basics of your new router's configuration process. For business users and those with more advanced network requirements, DD-WRT offers a lot of advanced possibilities, so running through everything is beyond the scope of this article. But for most home and small business implementations, you will need to set the connection type for your wide area network (WAN), which really means your Internet provider. Generally speaking, this will usually be found under the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), so if you aren't sure, that's a good place to start. Setting Up The VPN Client First get your router talking to the Internet on one side and your local area network on the other. Then set up any more advanced network settings you need, such as Quality of Service (QoS) or access controls. Only once the router is fully humming should you consider installing your VPN client. To do that, you will need to navigate to the VPN tab under Services. From there, check the Enable Bubble next to "Start Open VPN Client." At this point, there is no single set of instructions to make this work. The settings will be completely unique to the VPN provider. However, there are ready-made instructions for setting up your VPN client on DD-WRT for several of PCMag's top VPN players. For example, NordVPN has DD-WRT setup instructions here, and Private Internet Access VPN has the same thing for its VPN here. Some VPN brands will want to install their own software, some will want to use OpenVPN. Just follow the instructions for your VPN brand, and you'll be right on track. Check Your Handiwork DD-WRT has a nice Status tab with a VPN section that will show you if you're connected and everything worked as anticipated. If you want to go the extra mile, then you can check your IP by typing "What is my IP?" into Google. You should get something back that's different than what you started with since you'll be surfing to Google from your VPN vendor's server rather than your PC if your VPN is working properly. If that happens, great job! You can now browse the web with more anonymity on all of your connected devices. Top VPNs to Protect Data and Online Privacy For more detailed information on the wide variety of VPN services out there, check out our buying guide to the best VPNs. While not all of those we reviewed have clients aimed at router installation, some of the top all-around performers are...
  17. It's tough to exist without a smartphone these days, and with so much of our life contained inside these tiny devices, we don't want them running out of juice at an inopportune time. In our tests, the iPhone 12 Pro Max offered more than 15 hours of battery life, but what if you have an older model that may not last as long? Apple's $29 battery-replacement program is long gone, but you can still pay $49 to $69 to swap in a new one, depending on which model iPhone you have. If you'd prefer to eke out a few more months without paying for a new battery (or iPhone), though, here are some things to try. 0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0% 00:00 00:00 Best Practices to Live By Before we get into the short-term ways to boost your battery life, it's important to know what you can do to help your battery withstand the test of time. We've debunked a few of the myths around phone batteries, but here's what the Responsible Battery Coalition has to say: Avoid temperature extremes, both high and low, when using or storing lithium-ion batteries. Minimize the amount of time a battery spends at either 100% or 0% charge, as both extremely high and low “states of charge” stress batteries. Avoid “fast-chargers,” that, while convenient, also degrade lithium-ion batteries more quickly than standard charging. There are settings that can be changed and features you can toggle off to save energy. Here is what you can do right now to boost your iPhone's battery life, and hopefully make it through the day without having to plug in. Activate Low Power Mode One of your strongest weapons against battery drain is Low Power Mode. With it enabled, your phone only performs the most essential of tasks, so background activities like downloads and mail fetching are disabled. Low Power Mode will automatically kick in when the battery falls below 20%, but you can also activate it manually to keep your phone going for longer (though it will only work if your phone's battery is below 80%). Head over to Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode and toggle it on. When activated, the battery icon in the top-right corner will turn yellow. Adjust Screen Brightness Smartphone displays are bigger and brighter these days, but those crisp screens keeping you awake at night are murder on your battery life. The good news is you can easily dim them. First, activate auto-brightness. Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Auto-Brightness and toggle it on. Your phone will adjust its brightness based on your current lighting situation. If you have enough light to see, the screen will turn itself down to save battery. You can also manually adjust brightness levels in Settings > Display & Brightness, by using the the slider bar. A slider is also accessible via the Control Center; press lightly on the brightness icon and move the slider up or down. Turn Off Location Services Location services are helpful for apps like Google Maps or Yelp, but those GPS pings can wear down a battery quick. Turn off location services completely via Settings > Privacy > Location Services and your phone will stop feeding location data to these services. This, however, will make a number of useful apps stop working. Your weather app won't know where you are for the latest forecast, and you won't be able to ask Google for directions based on your current location. Apple allows you to customize how most apps use location data: Never, While Using the App, or Always. Select While Using the App for Google Maps, for example, and the app will only ping your location when you open it, not in the background, draining battery.
  18. The music streaming market has become increasingly competitive over the years. While Spotify and Apple Music have been duking it out for paid subscribers, Amazon's own service provides an intriguing alternative, especially if you're a Prime member. Amazon Prime subscribers get free access to Prime Music's 2 million songs, but for $7.99 a month (or $79 a year), Amazon Music Unlimited provides access to 70 million songs, and lossless audio for no extra charge. It helps that Amazon makes it easy to stream Amazon Music through an Alexa-enabled speaker. Unsurprisingly, Amazon Prime Music is the default streaming option on Amazon's range of voice-activated devices. Whether you have Unlimited or Prime Music, you can enjoy a rich selection from Amazon's own music catalog. Amazon Music users have the added benefit of cross-platform listening. There are apps for mobile and desktop, but you can just as easily listen on the web or connected devices. Below we'll look at some tips and tricks for the service, wherever you happen to be listening. Download and Listen Offline Amazon Music offers the ability to download songs to your mobile device or desktop for offline playback. Find the song, album, or playlist you want to download, tap the ellipsis icon next to the track, then tap download. From the mobile app, you can also long-press a selection and select Download from the pop-up menu. Users of the desktop app can also drag a selection and dump it into the right-hand side panel under the Download section. To customize your downloads, open Settings in the app, and select Download Settings (Android, desktop) or Download Audio Quality (iOS) to download only on Wi-Fi or switch between standard files for best quality or compressed files to save space. Under the Music Management section in the desktop app, you can also change where offline music is saved on your computer. Automatically Add Purchased Music When you buy new music from Amazon, do you want it to be automatically added to Amazon Music? If so, go into the app's Settings and turn on the option for Auto-download Amazon Music purchases (iOS) or Automatic Downloads (Android) to ensure that any songs you buy (even if they were bought before you had the app) makes it into Amazon Music. If you keep this option off, you can manually refresh your music catalog whenever you want. Just head to Settings and tap Refresh My Music at the bottom. Amazon Music will refresh all the music attached to your Amazon account and add whatever is missing from the app. Keep It Clean Some of us love to scream sing the dirty stuff, but perhaps you have kids in the house or want to keep things clean at a family gathering. With Amazon Music, you can block the swear words. Go to Settings and select Block Explicit Songs in any of the apps. If you're using Amazon Music on the web, click your profile name, then select Block Explicit Songs. Sing Along Just as Amazon Prime Video has an X-Ray mode providing behind-the-scenes insight on TV and movies, the music player adds its own details with facts, credits, and lyrics. In the mobile app, tap the X-Ray bottom at the bottom of the screen to get additional information and credits for the song or album. If the service has available lyrics for the song, you can tap the bottom section of the album art to follow along. For those using a computer, tap the Lyrics button under the current song to start following along. (Note that not all songs will have lyrics, and if you're listening offline, lyrics won't show up.) Alexa, Play Amazon Music This being an Amazon service, you can tap into the Alexa voice assistant to control Amazon Music from afar. Tap the Alexa button on the bottom right of the mobile app. If this is your first time using it, you will have to grant permission for the service to access your microphone. The next time you tap the Alexa button, or say "Alexa," the voice assistant is ready to listen for your voice query. To turn off this active-listening feature, open Settings and tap Hands-free with Alexa to turn it on and off. What's That Song? There's a lot you can do with the Alexa voice assistant, but if you're listening to music on an Alexa-enabled device and you don't know a song, ask "what's playing right now?" or "who sings this song?" If you feel like you hear a lot of songs you don't recognize, enable a feature called Song ID. Say "Alexa, turn on Song ID" and Alexa will announce the title of the song and the artist. If it starts to get annoying, disable it at any time by saying "Alexa, turn off Song ID." Play in the Car On a road trip or just commuting to work? Amazon Music plays nicely with your car in order to provide hands-free playback. Open them mobile app, tap the settings gear in the top-right corner, then select Car Mode. This will turn the app into a pared-down version that can work with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or Echo Auto. While in Car Mode, you can choose from personalized playlists and radio stations, recently played songs, and other top albums. For search, you would turn to Alexa by either tapping the button on the screen or using your voice. When you're done with Car Mode, tap the car icon in the top left, then tap Exit. If you get directions from Waze, open Settings and tap Enable Waze integration to listen to music inside the navigation app or get turn-by-turn directions from the music app. Set a Sleep Timer Drifting off to your favorite tunes can be calming. But if you don't want the music playing all night long, set a sleep timer. Head to Settings > Sleep Timer on iOS or Android, where you can have the app play music for 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Manage Connected Devices Amazon allows you to connect up to 10 different devices to an account. Manage which ones have access via amazon.com/music/settings. But keep in mind that devices can only be connected to one account at a time and you must wait 30 days before you can deauthorize a device and replace it with a new one, which is Amazon's annoying way of making sure you're not giving access to all your friends.
  19. Apple supports custom fonts in certain supported mobile apps across iOS and iPadOS, but the process for grabbing the right fonts and font libraries, then determining which apps allow them, can be clumsy and challenging. Still, it’s worth the effort if you're a font geek. Your device comes with several built-in system fonts in apps like Mail and Safari. Look for the Aa icon while writing an email or searching the internet, and you can change the default font. Starting with iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 in 2019, Apple added a built-in font manager to easily view and control the third-party fonts you have installed. Before you can tap into the new font manager, make sure you're running iOS 13 or higher on your iPhone and iPadOS 13.1 or higher on your iPad. To do this, go to Settings > General > Software Update, and your device will tell you that your software is up to date or prompt you to download the latest update. Download Fonts Once you're running the newest OS, head to the App Store and download the fonts you want to add. This process is tricky, as there are no official Apple fonts in the App Store. Rather, you have to search for and download third-party apps that contain fonts and font libraries. The most obvious step is to open the search page at the App Store and run a search for the word "fonts." That will yield a fair number of font libraries and sets. Not too many fonts and font libraries in the App Store will work with Apple's new font manager, but you should be able to find several that are compatible. One supported font app worth trying is Font Diner, which has one font set free for personal use, while the others will each cost $4.99 a year to use. Still, the free Silverware font set does include a healthy selection of fonts. Tap the Activate button for the font set you want, then tap Install. iFont acts as a font manager while also offering its own fonts and steering you to font websites. The basic free version provides 224 different fonts. For $1.99, the premium version kicks in additional fonts and helps you better manage them all. Tap the entry for Featured Fonts, tap the Install button for any font you want, and then tap Install again. Manage Fonts on iPhone and iPad You can use your device’s built-in font manager under Settings > General > Fonts, where you'll see installed fonts from Font Diner, iFont, and any other font apps you may have downloaded and used. Tap a font and select a typeface to view a sample. Swipe to the left to see additional screens that display the font. To remove a font you don’t want to keep, tap the Edit link at the screen of installed fonts, select the font, and then tap Remove. Alternatively, tap the name of the font and then tap Remove. Confirm the option to remove the font family. Change Fonts The whole point of downloading fonts is to use them with the apps you already use, but this process can be tricky. Most iOS and iPadOS apps still don’t support these types of third-party fonts, though Apple’s Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps do work with custom fonts. In Pages, tap the paintbrush icon at the top and select the name of the current font from the formatting pane at the bottom. Browse through the list of fonts and you should see both the built-in system fonts and the custom fonts you installed. Tap the font you want to use and then close the formatting pane. Start typing your text, and it appears in the font you selected. You can do the same if you’re working with a spreadsheet in Numbers. Select a range of cells and then tap the paintbrush icon at the top to open the formatting pane. Tap the option for Cell and tap the current font name. Scroll through the list and choose a font. Any text or numbers in the selected cells take on the new font. If you’re working on a presentation in Keynote, tap the paintbrush icon to open the formatting pane. You can then tap the option for Text, and then select the font name. Select a new font from the selection screen and tap the X to close the formatting pane. Now enter text into the document, and it will appear in the font you chose.
  20. If your PC is feeling a little sluggish—plagued by freezing, spinning wheels, or even error messages about "low memory"—you might need more RAM. What Is RAM? RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and it's a type of super-fast storage your computer uses to hold data it needs in the short term. Think of your hard drive as a filing cabinet where all your data is stored and the RAM like your desk, where you put the stuff you're currently working on. The more RAM you have, the more projects and programs your computer can keep open at once without getting bogged down by taking things in and out of the proverbial filing cabinet. Unfortunately, in the age of thinner and thinner devices, many modern laptops have their RAM permanently soldered to the motherboard, meaning you can't upgrade it without buying a whole new PC. But if you have a desktop PC or an upgrade-friendly laptop, adding more RAM is usually quite easy. You just need to find a compatible stick (which may require some Googling), pop open your computer, and swap the RAM into its dedicated slot. Before you blow $50 on a new stick, it's a good idea to see if you actually need it, or if that money is better spent on another upgrade, like a solid-state drive. Here's how to see how much RAM is currently in your PC, and whether you need to upgrade. Find Out How Much RAM You Have If you're using a Windows 10 PC, checking your RAM is easy. Open Settings > System > About and look for the Device Specifications section. You should see a line named "Installed RAM"—this will tell you how much you currently have. If you're still using Windows 7, you should upgrade because official support has ended. In the meantime, open the Start menu, right-click on Computer and then click Properties. This should bring up a window with your computer's basic specs. Under System, you should see a line denoting your Installed Memory. Mac users have a simple way of checking their computer's specs: just click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen, and select About This Mac. In the Overview tab, you'll be presented with a simple list of specs, including the amount of memory currently installed. RAM Problems? Consult Task Manager or Activity Monitor As a general rule, 4GB is starting to become "not enough," while 8GB is fine for most general-use PCs (with high-end gaming and workstation PCs going up to 16GB or more). But this can vary from person to person, so there's a more precise way to see if you actually need more RAM: the Task Manager. Go about your work as normal, and if the computer begins to slow down, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up Windows Task Manager. Click the Performance tab and select Memory in the sidebar to see a graph of your current RAM usage. You don't want the graph to be completely empty—after all, unused RAM is wasted RAM—but if your RAM is completely full when you're trying to do basic tasks like browse the web or write up some Word documents, you're probably due for an upgrade. (Though you can also try closing applications that Task Manager says are using lots of RAM, or uninstalling needless extensions from your browser.) RECOMMENDED BY OUR EDITORS SSD vs. HDD: What's the Difference? How to Choose the Right RAM for Your Desktop or Laptop PC in 2021 HyperX Launches DDR4 RAM With 5,333MHz Speed for $1,245 If your RAM isn't bursting at the seams during those slowdowns, then your bottleneck is likely somewhere else, and you should look to other solutions for speeding up your PC. On Macs, you should check Activity Monitor. When you experience a slowdown, press Command + Space to bring up Spotlight, type "Activity Monitor," and press Enter. Click the Memory tab along the top of the window. You'll see a graph at the bottom showing you how much of your RAM is currently in use. Remember that more free RAM does not equal better—as long as you have some free RAM, you're fine, and should look into other potential upgrades. But if Activity Monitor is saying that your RAM is full to the brim, you probably need more. In the meantime, you can check the list of processes and close any programs that are using lots of memory. Sadly, many modern Macs do not have upgradeable RAM. Most iMacs and older MacBooks are upgrade-friendly, while newer MacBooks have their RAM permanently soldered to the motherboard. Google your specific model (the one listed in About This Mac) and see what's doable on your machine. And for more on choosing exactly the right RAM for your PC, check out our deep-dive feature on RAM buying strategy.
  21. Is your internet moving a little slower than usual? Are you seeing hints of devices you don't recognize in File Explorer, or when you cast media to your TV? If you suspect a neighbor is stealing your Wi-Fi, here's how to check (and boot them off). "So someone's watching Netflix on my internet," you may say. "What's the big deal?" Even if you have a little bandwidth to spare, you probably don't want other people on your network, especially if it's unsecured. If someone has access to your network, they have access to all the computers on that network, and that's dangerous. They could access files you're unknowingly sharing, they could infect you with malware, and in certain situations they could even steal your passwords and other personal information. As a result, you should take care to make sure each device connected to your network is one you trust. Thankfully, there are free tools that will help you see everyone on your Wi-Fi right now. See Who's On Your Network Windows users can download a free, portable program called Wireless Network Watcher (scroll down to the Zip download link below "Feedback" to get it), which will provide a list of every device currently connected to your network, so you can identify the ones that belong to you. To use Wireless Network Watcher, just launch the program, and it will immediately begin scanning your network. This will take a minute or two—you'll know it's working if the bottom-left corner reads "Scanning..." Once it's done, that message will disappear, and you'll be presented with a full list of connected devices. The resulting list may look a little cryptic, especially if you aren't super tech-savvy, but don't worry. You can ignore the IP address and MAC address listings for now. If you're using Wireless Network Watcher, just focus on the Device Name and Network Adapter Company columns. For example, I see an item named "Dulce" in Wireless Network Watcher, which is the name of my wife's MacBook. I see another with no name, but with "Philips Lighting BV" as the network adapter manufacturer, it's probably the hub for my Philips Hue lights. You can double-click on a device to add "User Text" that helps you identify each device and narrow down all the items in this list. Mac users don't have as many great options—LanScan is a decent pick, though it costs $6 for the full functionality. Most other apps are either expensive, or have caveats that make them less than ideal. If you're on a Mac, your router's settings page may have the info you need. Or, if you have an iPhone, you can give Fing a try. Consult Your Router Settings If you're lucky, you'll be able to recognize all the items on that list, but there may be a few that don't have enough information. After going through my list, for example, I was left with a couple devices that listed no name and no manufacturer. However, I was able to get a little more information from my router's web interface. You can open your router's management page by typing its IP address in your browser's address bar. Once there, look for an option that sounds like "Attached Devices" or "Client List." This will present you with a similar list as Wireless Network Watcher, but the information may be slightly different. After cross-referencing the unknown devices between the two, I found one of them was listed as "AzureWave Technology, Inc" in my router's interface, but not Wireless Network Watcher. A little Googling revealed that this was my Rachio sprinkler system, so I was able to mark that down and move on. Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller Review 4.5 Outstanding $198.99 at Amazon See It If you see any other unlabeled devices in the list, check around your house for any internet-connected gadgets you might have missed. I realized that my Amazon Echo wasn’t listed, so after checking the Alexa app on my phone, I was able to match its MAC address to one of the unlabeled items in Wireless Network Watcher. If all goes well, you should be able to identify every device on your network. If there are any left over, and you’ve combed your house looking for other internet-connected devices and found nothing, there’s a chance someone nearby may be using your Wi-Fi. Beef Up Your Network Security Even if you discover that a neighbor is stealing your Wi-Fi, you don't need to hunt them down and start a fuss—you can just kick them off with a change in router security. Head back to your router's web interface and find the option to change your password (usually under the "Wireless" section somewhere). If you don't have a password, you absolutely need to start using one, and it needs to be strong. Without a password, your personal information is up for grabs to any amateur hacker that drives by. Choose WPA2 for the password type, since it's far more difficult to crack than the now-outdated WEP. If WPS is turned on, you should turn it off, since this feature makes it easier for people to crack your Wi-Fi password. If you want to let guests on your Wi-Fi without giving them access to your devices and information, you can always enable your router's guest network, or simply share the password wirelessly. If you already had a password—maybe it was weak and easy for your neighbors to guess—changing it to something new should be sufficient to kick them off. Of course, you'll also have to re-authenticate all of your devices, but you should be able to rest a little easier knowing that all the devices on your network belong to you. 0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0% 00:00 00:00
  22. If you have cable internet, you probably rent your modem from your internet service provider for a monthly fee—usually between $5 and $10 a month—on top of your internet plan. But many ISPs actually allow you to buy your own modem and avoid those monthly rental fees. While there are obvious benefits to buying your own modem, there are still reasons you may prefer to rent it from your ISP. Here's all the information you need to decide for yourself. Why Buy Your Modem Spectrum bill Check your monthly bill for a rental fee; Comcast, Cox, Optimum, and Spectrum charge fees, depending on your plan. Some providers may also a free modem in certain bundles, but charge for Wi-Fi service if you have a modem/router combo unit (like Spectrum, pictured above). We generally recommend keeping these two devices separate, so we'll just be discussing modems in this guide. If you don't already have a wireless router, you'll need to buy one of those too, which can bring up the cost of upgrading (though you'll still be better off in the long run—especially if you need a mesh Wi-Fi system to reach the furthest corners of your house). If you have a fee on your bill and are allowed the option to use your own modem, you could save between $60 and $120 per year by buying one instead of renting it from your ISP. Sure, you'll have to pay more upfront—most modems cost between $50 and $100—but within a year, you'll have recouped the cost of those fees, and you'll begin saving $10 a month. That adds up over time. Just be sure your cable company actually stops charging you the rental fee, since they've been known to "forget" in the past. Why Rent Your Modem There are some benefits to renting. You can trade it in when it becomes obsolete or if it stops working. Plus, you don't have to worry about compatibility or replacing the unit yourself if something goes wrong—instead of troubleshooting problems on your own, your ISP can just swap it out for you. And again, some ISPs include the cost of a modem in your package pricing, and in those cases, you won't save any money by purchasing your own. In addition, some ISPs may not even let you buy your own modem. If you have DSL or fiber, you can't use a cable modem; each uses special equipment that you'll have to rent or purchase from your ISP. In addition, if you bundle your home phone service with your internet plan, you'll need a modem that has a phone port. Telephony modems aren't widely available for sale—a quick search yields expensive products with outdated technology—so you're most likely better off renting from your ISP. If you aren't sure what you're allowed to do, check your ISP's website, or give customer service a call to see if it's possible to use your own modem. Most will list compatible modems on their website (here's how to check for Comcast, Cox, and Spectrum.) DOCSIS 3.0 vs DOCSIS 3.1 Just like routers, more expensive modems provide faster speeds—as long as you have a fast enough plan with your ISP. Conversely, if you pay for a super-fast internet package but buy a cheap modem, you may not be getting those advertised speeds. So it's important to compare the modem's specs to your internet plan before you buy. The maximum speed of your modem is dependent on the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), a telecommunications standard used to provide internet access over a cable modem. The current standard is DOCSIS 3.0, and most ISPs require a DOCSIS 3.0 or newer modem if you're adding a new one to your plan. DOCSIS 3.0's highest possible speed is 1Gbps, also known as “Gigabit internet." However, there's also a new standard, known as DOCSIS 3.1, which maxes out at a whopping 10Gbps. Most consumers won't see speeds that high right now, but in the future, they could. Some providers offer 1Gbps plans over DOCSIS 3.0, while others require a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. The latter is the all-around better option, so we recommend them if you're going with a gigabit plan. DOCSIS 3.1 modems are backward compatible with DOCSIS 3.0, so even if your provider doesn't require it yet, you can use it with your plan. But they're more expensive. If your provider doesn't offer gigabit plans yet, you may not want to spring for a DOCSIS 3.1 modem, since they may end up offering gigabit speeds over fiber or another type of connection. So you don't necessarily want to spend money on something you might not need in the present or near future. If you have a slower plan and decide to go with a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, you'll want to look at one other spec: the number of downstream and upstream channels it supports. Originally, DOCSIS used one channel for downloading data and one channel for uploads. DOCSIS 3.0 enables modems to combine multiple channels to stream data, increasing the speed of both downloads and uploads. For example, 8x4 modems—that is, modems with eight downstream channels and four upstream channels—support a theoretical maximum of 343Mbps. A 16x4 modem generally tops out at around 680Mbps for downloads. However, these are just theoretical maximums—your ISP may only support certain modems up to a certain speed, so check its compatibility list before putting too much stock into the theoretical numbers. The Right Cable Modem for You At PCMag, we don't rate cable modems because it's not possible to isolate modem performance from ISP speed, and we're unable to test them with every compatible ISP under the same conditions. The right cable modem for you is what's compatible with your ISP and your particular plan, and offers the best balance of price and features (not to mention a good warranty). The best modems overall support DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1, and are compatible with the major US cable companies, namely Spectrum, Comcast, and Cox, which is true of all the modems listed below. Most of these models cost $100 or less (excluding the DOCSIS 3.1 options), so if you're paying $10 a month to rent your modem, you'll make back your investment in less than a year. Netgear CM500 Netgear's CM500 is the most affordable modem we'd recommend buying right now. This modem uses 16 downstream and four upstream channels, giving it a theoretical bandwidth of 680Mbps download and 131Mbps upload. But check what your ISP supports—Netgear advertises this as a modem for 300Mbps plans. Even if you don't have a plan that fast, the CM500 is close enough in price to older 8x4 modems that it's worth buying over slower models in case your provider increases your plan's speeds. The CM500 comes with a one-year warranty. $48.21 at Amazon See It Arris Surfboard SB6183 Arris' Surfboard line will likely look familiar to many people. The SB6183 uses the same 16x4 channel design as the Netgear CM500 and Arris recommends it for use with 300Mbps plans or slower. At the time of this writing, it's more expensive than Netgear's offering, but if price and stock fluctuations make it a better deal, it's a good alternative. It also comes with a two-year warranty instead of Netgear's one-year warranty, so that may be worth the extra few bucks if you want the peace of mind. $69.99 at Amazon See It Motorola MB7621 If you have a plan that goes up to 650Mbps, you'll want to step up to something with 24 upstream and eight downstream channels like the Motorola MB7621. It comes with a two-year warranty and is compatible with most ISPs. While 24x8 supports a theoretical speed of 1Gbps, it's unlikely your ISP rates this modem for those speeds, so you'll want one of the DOCSIS 3.1 modems below. $77.98 at Amazon See It Netgear CM600 If Motorola's MB7621 is out of stock or more expensive than the Netgear CM600, the latter is worth looking at. It uses the same 24 upstream and eight downstream channels, and is compatible with most ISPs. But it only comes with a one-year warranty, which makes it our second choice for 24x8 modems.
  23. How many people have access to your Netflix account? Have you ever received an email warning of a login attempt from an unknown user or new device? It's probably not difficult to keep track of one account, but when there's also Hulu, HBO Max, and Spotify in the mix, it can be hard to remember which friends and family members are watching what. Don't worry, there's a solution. Just as you can check to see who may be stealing your internet, you can keep tabs on who's accessing your video- and music-streaming accounts. Identify the people you know, nix the freeloaders, or just start new and kick everyone out all at once. If you think someone has unauthorized access to any of your accounts—whether it's a hacker or an ex—we recommend securing your account with a complex password. Here's how to do a login checkup on Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and more. Netflix If you want to see who is using your Netflix account, click the arrow next to the profile image on the desktop, then select Account. In the Settings section, click the Recent device streaming activity link. You will see a list of devices, along with a general location and date for each. This information should help you determine which devices belong to you, and which may be a friend or family member. Using the above image as an example, I know that I am using a PC with Chrome and that I am located in New York, so the first result is me. Next on the list is a Roku device located in Massachusetts, which I can narrow down to my in-laws. The Android device and Hisense smart TV, both located in New York, are also mine. If you don't want to go through the list device by device, navigate to Account > Sign out of all devices, which will force anyone who has your login credentials to sign in again before they can continue streaming. If you fear that someone you don't know may have your password, change it by clicking Change password on the Account page. Make sure the Require all devices to sign in again with new password box is checked. Netflix supports video downloads, but only on a select number of devices, depending on your plan. To remove a device from the list, go to Account > Manage download devices. Click Remove device to axe a gadget and free up space. Hulu Control the devices linked to your Hulu account my clicking your user profile and selecting Account. Under the Your Account heading, choose Manage Devices, which should show the number of devices currently linked. Hulu's device descriptions are less useful than Netflix (Web Browser vs. Chrome on PC, for example), but Hulu includes a sign-in date, which might help narrow things down. The exception is that named devices (like "Jason's iPhone") will show up here, but that information is up to the device holder, not Hulu. Click the Remove link for anything you can't identify. Click Protect Your Account under Privacy and Settings to instantly log out of every device connected to your account. A password will be required to reconnect any devices, which you can change by clicking Change Password. Amazon Prime Video On Amazon Prime Video, click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the website and choose Settings > Your Devices. On mobile, tap My Stuff > [gear icon] > Registered Devices. Here, you can see a list of devices, what Amazon services they are using, and when they were registered to your account. Looking at the items listed in the above picture, I can easily identify devices owned by me and my wife. But if any of the listed items were suspicious, I could click Deregister to remove them from my account. The only way to change the password for Prime Video is to change your Amazon login credentials. Do this on the web by clicking Accounts & Lists in the top Amazon menu and selecting Login & security under Your Account. Click the Edit button next to Password to change it and set up two-factor authentication. If you want to sign out of every device linked to your Amazon account, click the Edit button next to Secure Your Account. You may receive an email from Amazon asking you to approve this action. Once approved, you can view the Secure your account page, which will tell you how many apps are signed into your Amazon account. Click Sign-out everything button to revoke access on every device and app integration. You can also do this on the Android version of the Prime Video app (it does not appear to be an option on the iOS app). Under Settings, tap Signed in as [your name] to sign out of every device all at once. You can then change your password on the main Amazon app. Disney+ Disney+ doesn't show individual devices or instances to inspect, but you can at least log out of all current devices from the website and mobile app. Click your user profile and select Account > Log out of all devices to force anyone with your login credentials to sign in again. You can also change your password by selecting the pencil icon next to the Password section. HBO Max On HBO Max, click your profile and choose Manage Devices to see a list of devices that have used your account. Mobile users should tap the profile icon, then the gear in the top-left corner. On the desktop, click Sign Out next to any device you wish to remove; tap the X if you're on mobile. Unfortunately, vague identifiers like "Android Phone" and "iPhone"—without any location data—make it hard to find suspicious logins. Looking at the image above, I know my Android phone is listed here, but there are eight iPhones, three iPads, and two Android TVs also in the mix. I recognize my old Android device based on the date it was last used, but everything else is a mystery to me. Thankfully, HBO Max lets you turn everyone away by clicking Sign All Devices Out at the top of the list. And for good measure, go to Account and change your password so any offenders are locked out for good. Peacock Keep track of what devices have access to your Peacock account by clicking your profile icon, then choosing Account > Devices to see a full list. The service provides you with the platform, sign-in date, and location to help you narrow down each item. I can easily tell my Android phone from my Android TV, but there is no differentiation between web browsers. You can't remove individual devices from the list, so clicking the Sign Out All link is your only option. If you think someone has your login credentials, head over to the Settings tab and click the Reset password link to change your account's password. Spotify Spotify does things a little differently; it lists service integrations instead of individual app usage on mobile or desktop. This means you won't be able to see who might have access to your account, but you will be able to see what app integrations and peripheral devices they are linking to the account, and then remove them. Find these integrations on the web at Spotify.com by clicking your profile and going to Account > Apps. If you use Spotify with Waze or your phone's alarm, those integrations will be listed here, as will any linked speakers, game consoles, and televisions. If something looks unfamiliar, click Remove Access to get rid of it. If you think someone may have unauthorized access to your account, kick them off. Open the Account overview tab and click Sign Out Everywhere at the bottom of the screen. This will log out any user on mobile, web, or desktop. Once this is done, we recommend clicking the Change password tab to create a new password for your account.
  24. There was a time when shopping online seemed ridiculous, even dangerous. People were afraid to enter their credit card numbers in a browser window, hidden fees were the norm, and scams and fraud issues were paramount. These days, of course, online shopping is a way of life, thanks in large part to one internet behemoth: Amazon. Love it or hate it, the Seattle-based company has made online shopping mainstream. Amazon sells almost everything, delivers your goods fast (especially if you're a member of Amazon Prime), offers services like streaming video and music, and makes an entire line of tablets, e-book readers, and smart speakers and displays. Its web and app options make it possible to shop on any platform, while AWS powers at least a third of the web. It also owns plenty of brick-and-mortar stores now, including Whole Foods. We're closing in on Amazon's version of Black Friday; Prime Day runs from June 21-22, so check out the tips below to help you get the most out of your shopping experience. Get Amazon Prime for Free (or Cheaper) Amazon Prime comes with a free 30-day trial. Use it during the holidays, or on Prime Day, to get free shipping, then cancel before you're charged. Note that you only get one free trial per Amazon account, so you can't do this over and over again. Amazon is pretty sure you'll be so dazzled by all the extras a Prime membership offers that you won't want to let it go, but that really depends on how much you shop. You don't have to shell out $119, though. With Prime Student, you get Prime for free for six months, and half price thereafter ($59 per year or $6.49 per month if you plan to cancel early). Adult Prime members who become parents can sign up for Amazon Family (previously called Amazon Mom). There are no specific major savings on the price of Prime this way, but parents get exclusives, such as 20% off diapers and baby food subscriptions. Those on government assistance, meanwhile, can get Prime for $5.99 a month. It applies to programs like WIC and SNAP (here's the full list); you just need to re-up every 12 months. Smile for Charity Give back when you shop with AmazonSmile. Once activated, 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products you buy will go to the charity of your choice. (AmazonSmile supports over a million 501(c)(3) public organizations.) You get zero tax benefit, but you still get what you purchased, and your favorite charity benefits. Change your charity anytime. When you shop, navigate to smile.amazon.com instead of Amazon.com, on desktop and mobile browsers. On the desktop, the AmazonAssistant extension for Chrome or Firefox can also remind/force you to use Smile when you surf to Amazon. On the mobile app, tap the hamburger menu on the bottom right, select AmazonSmile and follow the setup instructions. (The downside on mobile is you need to activate notifications for AmazonSmile for some reason, but maybe you're already getting alerts about shipments anyway.) As of February 2021, charities worldwide have received over $266 million from the program. Prime With a Partner If you're paying for Amazon Prime, the cost can be shared with one other adult member of your household, plus up to four kids under the same roof. The kids don't even need Amazon accounts. This is a smart way to shop for holiday presents while keeping them secret from your partner or kids while still saving on free shipping. To set it up, go to the Amazon Household website and click Add Adult/Teen/Child. You'll need their email address as used on Amazon, and it will require the adults to share credit or debit card information. Keep it organized at Manage Your Content and Devices > Preferences tab > Households and Family Library > Manage Your Household. Amazon Prime sharing includes Amazon Video with all the linked members, not to mention Prime Early Access (which offers 30-minute early access to time-limited Lightning Deals), and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. All adults get access to the $2.99 per month (to start) Amazon Kids+ parental controls to make sure kids don't get into anything they shouldn't. Amazon Teen, a part of Amazon Household, gives kids aged 13-17 a little more freedom to shop, but allows parents or guardians to approve their purchases before it's charged to their card. You've Got to Filter Laptop search filters on Amazon.com Amazon has hundreds of thousands of products. Searching with a barebones term will get you quickly lost in the weeds, with far too many options to choose from. Turn to the left on your desktop and start clicking the boxes to filter the choices. Start, of course, with Prime so you know that you'll get the unit with (hopefully) the best shipping options and definitely the best return options (like making a quick trip to Kohl's—they'll even pack it and ship it for you). Then keep narrowing things down, looking for daily deals, but also by rating (if you trust them), by brand, and even more specific depending on the product category. Searching "laptops," I was able to narrow down the RAM capacity, graphics processor, type of display, weight, and even new versus used (you can get some good deals with a refurb). Also this helps you skip the "featured" listings, which are really just ads. Prime-ary Gift If your most beloved family-member-turned-Amazon-addict isn't part of the immediate household, give Prime as a gift in one-year ($119) or three-month ($39) increments to anyone with an email address. The gift membership comes with all the benefits—two-day shipping, streaming video and music, borrowing books on Kindle, etc. If the person is already a Prime member, they can exchange what you paid for an Amazon gift card. Where's the Warehouse? What happens to all those products that inevitably get returned to Amazon? Those gems that are no longer "new," but good enough? They are typically found on the Amazon Warehouse Deals site, which offers "deep discounts on open-box, like-new, and pre-owned products"—aka refurbished. Best of all, they are typically still eligible for Amazon Prime shipping and returns. Similarly, you can find deals at the almost-hidden Amazon Outlet store. Today's Deals on Amazon Amazon's best deals for new products are found in the Today's Deals link on the top of any Amazon page. The section offers several Deals of the Day, and time-limited Lightning Deals (where you only get hours or just minutes to snag a product on sale). There isn't always a lot of notice, but if you use the Amazon mobile apps, tap the hamburger menu and select Today's Deals to see discounts on the go. Clip Some Coupons Amazon has an ongoing set of coupon offers on its Coupons page. Clip any and all you might want to use; they're mostly household goods and electronics, but you can search under categories like Toys and Jewelry for other things. The savings of around 5-15% will automatically be applied when you make the purchase. If you don't make the purchase, the coupon doesn't get used, and eventually, it'll expire. Track Amazon Prices Image: Shutterstock Amazon's not going to go out of its way to inform you when a product you love is super cheap (though if you check your Wish List a lot, it does indicate how much the price has dropped since you added it). Luckily, there are plenty of third-party options to track prices, usually via a browser extension. For example, CamelCamelCamel tracks tons of products and provides info via email and Twitter. Set it up in your browser with the Camelizer add-on tool for Chrome, Edge, Opera, Safari, and Firefox. Honey, CapitalOne Shopping, and RetailMeNot's Deal Finder all offer browser add-ons that display deals on Amazon before you buy—right in the Amazon window. They also surface deals on most other online stores. (Editors' Note: RetailMeNot is owned by Ziff Davis, the publisher of PCMag.) Same-Day Delivery = Joy In certain cities, you can get same-day delivery of select items. Prime members in those areas receive free same-day delivery on qualifying orders over $35. Order by noon and your package will be delivered by 10 p.m., seven days a week. Order in the afternoon or evening, and it turns into free one-day delivery. Amazon also offers one-hour pickup or two-hour grocery delivery via Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods. Whole Foods Discounts Whole Foods in Houston, Texas (Image: Whole Foods) Love shopping at Whole Foods, but hate the prices? The chain, owned by Amazon, comes with a Prime perk: you can get 10% off sale items, plus other weekly discounts. Use the Whole Foods Market app at checkout to get the deals; the app will also show what's on sale. If you have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card, get 5% back on Whole Foods Market purchases. The Card(s) That Pay You Back Image: Getty Amazon has a lot of cards that make it worth your while to shop. The aforementioned Prime Rewards Visa Card will give you a $150 Amazon gift card upon approval, after which Prime members get 5% back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, 2% at restaurants, drugstores, and gas stations; and 1% on all other purchases. (If you're not a Prime member, you can still get the card, but get only 3% back for purchases on Amazon or at Whole Foods.) Traveling overseas? There are no foreign transaction fees. There's no annual fee either. The latest cards are contactless, so if you see the symbol on a point-of-sale terminal at checkout that looks like a Wi-Fi antenna symbol turned on its side, simply tap the card; no swiping or inserting or even using your phone is required. Because a "purchase" on Amazon made with the money you've earned doesn't earn you more money, the best practice is to redeem them for gift cards or as cashback via Chase so you don't lose out on even a measly percentage. You can also link other credit cards—like American Express, Discover, CapitalOne, Citi, and more—to your Amazon account and Shop With Points. Subscribe to Products You probably think a subscription is for something entertaining, like a magazine or for streaming video services, where you get new and different things, regularly. With Amazon's Subscribe & Save, you get the same items over and over, but they are items you always need: detergent, cat litter, dog food, razor blades, toilet paper, and real essentials, like Slim Jims. Get as much as 15% off products that fit the bill if you buy five or more products per month. You can cancel whenever you want; there's no year-long commitment that will force you to get, say, the same size diapers for a year. Check out the page of every eligible item. Ask Alexa to Place an Order These days, people deep into the Amazon ecosystem probably have a smart speaker, so it's easiest to use Echo device(s) to order or re-order items via voice. Say "Alexa, re-order [product name]" and she'll walk you through the proecess. Set up a confirmation code in your Alexa app to prevent family, friends, and frenemies from abusing the purchase-by-voice feature. Get Refunds on Lost Items, Late Deliveries Image: Getty Amazon Prime offers two-day shipping, and many items usually include a guaranteed delivery date if you order by a certain time. But delays happen, especially during the pandemic. If you paid extra for expedited shipping and your order doesn't show up at the appointed time, Amazon says it will refund those extra shipping costs. If an order is marked as delivered and you can't find it, meanwhile, call Amazon customer service at 1-888-280-4331. An automated system will walk you through the order and offer to re-send or issue a refund, no questions asked. It's unclear how many refunds Amazon will issue in a given time period. Frequent lost-item refund requests will likely get your account flagged, so don't try any funny business. Pick a Day, Any Day Image: Amazon Are your Amazon deliveries showing up in multiple packages every day of the week? That's great if you need those items ASAP, but if you'd rather not monitor your front door so much, pick an Amazon Day. When you check out, you have the option to pick a single day of the week for delivery that will become your default day for Amazon packages in the future. Change it any time you check out to get faster turnaround, but otherwise, everything you ordered in the previous six days will arrive on the same day (in theory). Trade in Tech for Amazon Money Places to trade in old tech like phones and tablets abound, and that includes Amazon. It can be used to get money to spend on more stuff at Amazon, naturally (you get an Amazon code, not cash). The original product doesn't have to come from Amazon to be eligible. Trade-in item categories include e-readers, tablets, streaming media players, speakers, home security devices, and wireless routers to upgrade to new Amazon-specific items, but they'll also take cell phones and gaming equipment/titles. The page also offers info on where to find places to trade in Amazon-specific products, called the Amazon Recycling Program. Fill the Cart With Low-Cost Items If you don't have Prime, the minimum is $35 for free shipping. What do you do if you only need a $20 item? Find some fillers and add-ons. Amazon lists lots of cheaper items that you can only get at a cheap price if you've got $25 worth of stuff in the shopping cart. Just search for "add-on items" and you'll see things like 8-packs of batteries, lip balm, and snacks that are all priced cheap. Or visit Amazon Filler Item Finder and put in the amount you want to spend to bring the cart up to a certain amount. The search will show you a bunch of items that qualify.
  25. One downside of MMO games is that they require frequent maintenance that renders them briefly unplayable, and New World is no exception. However, several European New World players have noticed an unfortunate pattern concerning the timing of planned maintenance--namely, that it keeps happening in the middle of the day instead of late at night, when it's unlikely to impact players. Redditor Physics_Total raised the issue by pointing out that Amazon seems to have repeatedly scheduled planned maintenance for 1:00 PM on Wednesday in the EU servers, despite the same maintenance being applied to North American servers at 3:00 AM. Apparently, something similar happened during the beta, and although Amazon promised the issue would be fixed after launch, the company doesn't seem to have followed through. This isn't the first time Amazon has broken a promise to New World players, but it may have a significant impact on the European player base. RELATED:New World Players Are Getting Robbed By Their Own Guilds In the original post, Physics_Total questioned why Amazon Game Studios – which is based out of North America – would apparently decide to work on the EU servers' planned maintenance in the middle of the night. The time zones involved would suggest that Amazon is not following the guidance of most other big MMOs, which tend to schedule planned maintenance either at the end of the workday or at different times in each region. The New World launch wasn't global, so Physics_Total expressed confusion about why planned maintenance was. This isn't the first time an MMO game has been noticeably biased toward North American servers. For years, the controversial Riot Games was accused of favoring the North American League of Legends servers over the rest. While New World doesn't appear to have gone quite as far with its favoritism as Riot Games did in the past, Australian players noted under the post that they were also having trouble with planned maintenance. According to several users, the Australian servers keep getting hit by maintenance at times ranging from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM, all of which may make for very inconvenient timing. As of writing, it appears that many other fans of New World are frustrated with the perceived favoritism and how it affects planned maintenance. One user posted nostalgically about the way that Guild Wars 2 avoided intentional server downtime, while another complained that New World's planned maintenance could take the game down for over seven hours at a time. A third user noted that the EU servers seem to have the least priority and are often the last region to come back online after planned maintenance. New World is available now on PC.
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