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Apple's VR headset could change everything, again

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference kicks off today in Cupertino and anticipations are high for a new virtual reality headset from the company.WWDC is typically where Apple shows off new software features coming to the iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, but this year all signs point to new hardware."I think having a third major player in the market could really propel VR to the next level," said Nicholas Sutrich, who covers VR for Android Central.If the rumors are true, and there's been a lot of them, Apple could be setting the stage for a big hardware announcement in mixed reality headsets."I think we primarily need a company to come in and convince people they actually want to wear these things," said Sutrich.Apple has invited an interesting mix of developers, tech journalists, and those in the VR community to attend.Their upcoming headset is expected to handle both AR and VR."VR is a way to replace reality with a virtual one, so it puts you IN the game," explained Sutrich."AR i...

Is Abel able? Sam Rubin questions The Weeknd's acting in 'The Idol'

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

After reshoots and scandalous articles, HBO's "The Idol" debuted its first episode. The drama stars Lily-Rose Depp as the struggling pop star Jocelyn, who gets into a relationship with Tedros, a self-help guru and "contemporary cult leader," played by Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye. Tesfaye is one of the show's creators along with Sam Levinson of "Euphoria" and Reza Fahim. Prior to the show's release, both men said the story is based on the seedy and slimy underbelly of Hollywood and fame. KTLA 5's Sam Rubin checked out the first episode and to say he wasn't impressed is definitely an understatement. "It is not good, and the worst part, by far, The Weeknd himself," Sam revealed on the KTLA 5 Morning News. "Abel Tesfaye is not especially able as an actor."Sam called the show "incredibly vulgar.""It is as risque as anything, I think, HBO has ever done. That doesn't offend me, but that's not interesting. It should be about the hot world of the music business, but what a misfire," he said. S...

New cookbook’s ode to early morning baking is a sweet treat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

By Joy Summers, Star TribuneWhen the sky blooms from lavender to pink, and the sun chases away the last vestiges of cold, that’s when Sarah Kieffer finds her inspiration.“There is a calm and stillness, both outside and in, that can be found in the early hours,” she said. “Baking in the morning, when the day has just begun, is something I love.”With her fourth cookbook, Kieffer has penned a full ode to her literary love of early morning baking. “100 Morning Treats” (Chronicle Books, $27.50) is peppered with quotes from great writers like Mary Oliver and Lewis Carroll as it delivers recipes for tried-and-true classics with fresh verve and perspective.Instead of giving us another carrot cake recipe, she turns convention on its side and winds it up into a massive cinnamon roll, drizzled with cream cheese icing. Savory breakfasts are popped onto a sheet pan for weekend ease. Banana bread gets the scone treatment, and there’s even a breakfas...

Road rage blamed in crash that killed couple driving with Porsche club

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

A couple out for a Sunday drive with a Porsche club was killed when a driver involved in a road rage incident lost control of his pickup truck and hit their car, a sheriff’s office in Utah said.The crash was reported around 12:30 p.m. Sunday on Highway 73 about 20 miles northwest of Provo, Utah.The road rage conflict had started several minutes earlier in the city of Eagle Mountain: A Ford F-150 pickup reportedly pulled out in front of a Nissan Maxima near the rodeo grounds, and the Nissan’s driver expressed his disapproval, said an account from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.Both vehicles continued north on Eagle Mountain Boulevard for 3½ miles, then both turned east onto Highway 73, a two-lane road. About a half-mile after making the turn, with the Nissan now in front, the pickup’s driver reportedly veered onto the paved shoulder, came up on the Nissan’s right side and sideswiped it.The pickup’s driver then apparently lost control, crossed the...

The 10 most underrated destinations around the world

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

Hawaii is wonderful, and London is fab, but it’s always fun to ponder lesser-known destinations, especially when that list includes spots we rarely, if ever hear about. Turns out TimeOut.com‘s editors are happy to oblige with a list of 14 gorgeous, underrated destinations, including Turku, Lake Bacalar and Srebrenik.Never heard of them? Turku was built in the 13th century, and the “Paris of Finland” was that country’s capital until 1812. Today, you can visit the city’s medieval fortress, traipse the cobblestone streets and riverside byways, and enjoy fika — a coffee and cake break we really need to adopt over here — at one of its many cafes.You’ll find Lake Bacalar’s clear blue waters on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and Srebrenik is a dramatic, medieval town in Bosnia and Herzegovina that looks straight out “Game of Thrones.” The full list of underrated destinations — and more travel tips — can ...

Travel Troubleshooter: Icelandair changed my flights. Can I get a refund for my tour?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I recently booked a vacation package online through Icelandair Holidays. Two months later, I received a text that my airport had been changed from Baltimore/Washington International Airport to Washington Dulles.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter I realized that traveling to Dulles would be inconvenient, because it is a two-hour drive from my home in Baltimore, while BWI is only 25 minutes away. Using a cab or car service would incur extra expenses, so I wanted to discuss options with Icelandair Holidays.Much to my consternation, I could not find a phone number, email or live chat to assist. The website instructions led me to a customer support form. I completed the form and requested a refund. I received an autoreply.No one from Icelandair Holidays has responded. I have not received a refund to my credit card. The lack of response from Icelandair Holidays is frustrating and unacceptable. Can you help me get my $2,972 back?— Patricia...

Jill On Money: Marital money

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

After attending just one wedding over the past five years, I have now received four “save the date” nuptial notices for 2024. It seems that surviving a once-in-a-century pandemic seems to have cured many of their disdain for the celebration of unions, which my father once said “saps your savings in exchange for a dirty cake knife!”Related ArticlesBusiness | Where US travelers are globe-trotting in summer 2023 Business | Hidden gems in America: 10 cities with affordable homes and great jobs Business | 6 LGBTQ+ financial influencers to follow in 2023 Business | The tip jar is dead. Here’s how businesses can navigate digital options Business | Mortgage rate lock: What it is and when to lock Instead of disputing dad’s wedding opinions, let me enter into the record my opinion: Yes, weddings are usually pretty wasteful events (the Knot found that in 2022, couples spent about $5,000 on rings and another $30,000...

This week in SF Giants baseball: What to know heading into first meeting with Rockies, weekend set with Cubs

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

It’s June, and the Giants still have an NL West opponent they have yet to see this season. A new oddity of this year’s balanced schedule, that ends this week, though, as the Giants head to Coors Field for three games against the Rockies, starting Tuesday.The week aheadHeading into their first meeting this season with the Giants, the Rockies have won three of their past four series. Since an eight-game losing streak in mid-April, they have played .500 ball for nearly a two-month stretch now, 21-21 since April 20. Like the Giants, the Rockies are off Monday after traveling back to Denver from Kansas City, where they took two of three.The Giants make a quick pitstop back in San Francisco this weekend for three games with the Chicago Cubs between returning from Denver and jetting off to St. Louis on Monday. It’s the end of a 10-game West Coast swing for the Cubs, who are looking to get back on track after a 10-18 record in May.Pitching probablesTuesday, 5:40 p.m. PT &#...

Column: Penske rolls into Le Mans on top of motor sports seeking evasive 1st win

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

LE MANS, France (AP) — Roger Penske won the Indianapolis 500 on a Sunday and celebrated Josef Newgarden’s thrilling win as if it was the first for Team Penske, not a record-stretching 19th for The Captain.He watched on his cellphone as Ryan Blaney won the Coca-Cola 600 on a Monday, streaming the rain-delayed NASCAR race during the Indy 500 banquet. As any avid race fan would do.Blaney’s victory gave Penske a resume builder that somehow had evaded his illustrious career: Team Penske swept the two Memorial Day weekend races in the U.S. in the same year.There was zero time to bask in his press clippings. Penske was in Detroit by Tuesday to oversee the return of downtown street racing for the first time in 32 years — a three-day festival for a reenergized city as Penske’s gift to his adopted hometown.The whirlwind week closed with a sold-out Sunday race in which Team Penske driver Will Power finished second, but Penske’s engine is still running at full throttle. ...

Too much information? Jason Isbell believes opening your life to fans builds a stronger bond

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:59:13 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If Jason Isbell is keeping many more secrets, it’s hard to imagine what they might be.The singer-songwriter and his wife, fellow musician Amanda Shires, open their lives for public consumption in a manner unusual even to artists who mine their own world for material. Through interviews and a film out this spring, they have documented a rough patch in their marriage and how Isbell’s drinking almost destroyed his career before recovery redeemed it.The sharing gets so raw that when Shires reveals that she made Isbell take a test for sexually transmitted diseases before she slept with him, you’re tempted to shout, “too much information!”To Isbell, it’s a necessary part of the job.“If I’m holding back part of myself from the audience, I’d be within my right to do that,” he said. “But I don’t think the connection would be as strong. For me, it’s more important to connect with people on an honest level than it is for me to con...