fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
How to use robocopy for taking regular backups on Windows
By: Prahlad Yeri
Tags: Backup Software, Windows 10, Backup, Windows, Rsync

Having switched from linux to windows recently, I was looking for an rsync alternative. rsync is a popular tool in the linux world used for taking routine backups and also general file transfer. But since I use it mostly for backups and I'm a command line dude, I was determined to find a windows equivalent which can do the same. That's when I found robocopy .

Despite its trivial sounding name, robocopy.exe is a versatile tool found in almost all windows installations at C:\windows\system32 and does a great job of taking incremental file backups. The best way to configure a robocopy backup is to create a simple batch file such as the one below:

This example assumes that you have a source code directory located at c:\source and you want to backup the entire directory to a USB pen-drive at e:\source . If you have more directories to backup, you can add them before the :halt statement:

robocopy c:\docs e:\docs /E /PURGE /ndl /Z robocopy c:\music e:\music /E /PURGE /ndl /Z

Now, let’s look at what those parameters to robocopy command do. The source and destination folders are obvious, here is what follows:

/E Copy subdirectories (similar to --recursive option in rsync) /PURGE Delete destination files that no longer exist in source (--delete rsync option) /ndl Don't log directory names while copying /Z Copy files in restartable mode

You can run robocopy /? to see a full list of options available in this tool. If you want to schedule backups (like once a week or month), simply go to Task Scheduler from Control Panel -> Administrative Tools and schedule the above script to run accordingly.

Enjoy, your DIY backup solution for Windows is ready!
How to say Bye Bye to Dual Boot and Virtual Machine
By: Deepak Gupta
Tags: Dual Boot, Ubuntu, Linux, Windows 10, Wsl

WSL(Linux Distribution) installation in other than C Drive

If you need to install the ubuntu in the same Cdrive then use the following link.

Are you also annoyed or board of dual boot or virtual machine. WSL is way to solve this problem

WSL is the coolest thing which windows create after windows 10. WSL is windows subsystem for Linux. WSL is way to install any Linux Distribution( Ex. Ubuntu) in command line in the same operating system. It help to avoid using the virtual machine and sometimes its bit slow.

Lets start how to install the any Linux Distribution on windows machine without dual boot. Now from onward I will say Ubuntu instead of any Linux Distribution. Note please open the power shell window in admin mode.

Step 1: first decide in which drive you have to install the Ubuntu. In my case I use “D” drive and created a WSL directory inside it.

Step 2: Run the below command to enable WSL.

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux

Step3. Now downlaod the Ubuntu 1804 version using the below.

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://aka.ms/wsl-ubuntu-1804 -OutFile Ubuntu.appx -UseBasicParsing

you can give any distributions. if you do so then change the name of the distribution. Example: Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://aka.ms/wsl-kali-linux -OutFile Kali.appx -UseBasicParsing

Step 4: use the command to extract Ubuntu in the powershell prompt

move .\Ubuntu.appx .\Ubuntu.zip

Expand-Archive .\Ubuntu.zip

Once you done then you will see the below output as showing in the Image1

Image1

Step 5: now moved inside the Ubuntu folder which we extracted and run the Ubuntu.exe( .\ubuntu1804.exe) . see the below Image2

Once you run the “D:\WSL\Ubuntu\ubuntu1804.exe” in the power-shell just wait for few minutes to complete the operation.

Image2

One the Execution is done then, it will ask username and password after that you can see the Ubuntu machine is installed in the specific drive which we wanted. see the image3

Image3

Now to check where is the path of the Ubuntu machine , type “explorer.exe .” see Image4.

Image4

There is another way to find the path . In the Run window type “\\wsl$\Ubuntu-18.04\” then boom . Using this way you can open the Ubuntu machine on your default path. see the image5

if you want to lauch the ubuntu machine from root then open the power shell and go to the ubuntu path which we created recently , then navigate to “D:\WSL\Ubuntu\rootfs” roots folder. Once you done then just type wsl and woot! woot!

One Limitaion is that WSL2 not compatiable with GPU library. Hope that developer of Microsoft will update that soon.

Thank you. Hope you liked it . Please like the page if you find it use full.

Reference:
DirectML: Empowering Students and Beginners in Machine Learning
By: Francesca Lazzeri
Tags: Windows 10, Machine Learning, TensorFlow, Directml

DirectML: Empowering Students and Beginners in Machine Learning

Over the past few years, there has been increasing demand for introductory coursework in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Enrollment in Introduction to Machine Learning classes at universities in the US have grown as much as 12 times in the past decade (https://hai.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/ai_index_2019_report.pdf). These introductory courses play a key role in educating the future of machine learning professionals.

DirectML for Students and Beginners

DirectML is a high-performance, hardware-accelerated DirectX 12 library for machine learning. DirectML provides GPU acceleration for common machine learning tasks across a broad range of supported hardware and drivers, including all DirectX 12-capable GPUs from vendors such as AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.

When used standalone, the DirectML API is a low-level DirectX 12 library and is suitable for high-performance, low-latency applications such as frameworks, games, and other real-time applications. The seamless interoperability of DirectML with Direct3D 12 as well as its low overhead and conformance across hardware makes DirectML ideal for accelerating machine learning when both high performance is desired, and the reliability and predictability of results across hardware is critical.

The DirectML teams wants to ensure that the Windows devices students and beginners use can fully support their coursework. Our solution starts by providing hardware accelerated training on the breadth of Windows hardware, across DirectX 12 based GPU, via DirectML. The DirectML API enables GPU accelerated training and inferencing for machine learning models.

TensorFlow + DirectML

In June 2020, we took our first step to enable future professionals to leverage their current hardware across the breadth of the Windows ecosystem by releasing a preview package of TensorFlow with a DirectML backend.

Through this package, we are meeting students and beginners where they are by providing support for the models they want in a frameworks they use, all while making the most of their existing GPU hardware.

Students and beginners can start with the TensorFlow tutorial models or our examples to start building the foundation for their future.

Engage with our Community

If you try out the TensorFlow with DirectML package and run into issues, we would love to hear your feedback on our DirectML GitHub repo.

We are looking to engage with the community of educators to better understand key scenarios for students and beginners getting into machine learning. Share your thoughts in this survey to shape investments we make with DirectML to provide GPU hardware acceleration to additional ML tools and frameworks.

(The original version of this article was published at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/educator-developer-blog/empowering-students-and-beginners-in-machine-learning-with/ba-p/1597017)
Improve The Quality Of Your Microphone In Windows 10
By: Amit Giri
Tags: Microphone, Windows 10, Blogging, Computers, Computer Science

Welcome back today’s will show you a number of ways you can improve the quality of your microphone in Windows 10. Unfortunately, none of the methods is magic so we won’t be able to drastically improve the quality of your microphone.

Improve The Quality Of Your Microphone In Windows 10

Welcome back today’s will show you a number of ways you can improve the quality of your microphone in Windows 10. Unfortunately, none of the methods is magic so we won’t be able to drastically improve the quality of your microphone.

Click Here for More Details

Let’s get into the methods the first thing we’re going to do is check that we have the correct mic selected and set as default on your pc.

You might have the wrong mic selected which is why it doesn’t sound as good to check first go to the main settings page by clicking on the cog icon (Window Button) within the start menu in settings go to system and then choose a sound from the options on the left.

Now Click the blue sound control panel link on the right side of the page when the new window opens go to the recording tab and then find your a microphone on the list.

You should now see it if you still don’t see your mic on the list then click on the card now to go to a fix a mic that isn’t being detected on windows 10.



Leave this window up for now as we’ll be coming back to it a little later on the next thing we’re going to do is run the recording audio troubleshooter, this will quickly check for any obvious problems that could be causing your mic to sound bad.

Click Here for More Details

Go to the settings page again but this time choose to update and security and then choose to troubleshoot from the options on the left find the recording audio option on the list and click on it and then select run the troubleshooter allow windows to automatically look for and fix any problems.
Maybe you just need to change your external hdd, not your computer.
By: Andy S Blog
Tags: External, Windows 10, Mac, Computers, Hdd

We all know our computers have limited shelf lives — otherwise everyone would still be rocking desktops from the days of Windows 95. Well, maybe you just need to change your external hdd, not to change your computer.

Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash

When your computer runs out of disk space, it has no room to temporarily save and swap data as you work on files. This means, as room starts to run out, your machine may begin to slow down or start crashing on a regular basis. Plus, of course, you won’t have any space left to save anything new.

Whatever drive you choose which external hdd, make sure it has the right connections and cables to plug into to your computer. For example, some may link up via USB port, and others by Thunderbolt. This information should appear prominently on the device’s packaging or online description, but if you’re not sure, just ask the retailer.

Photo by Damian Zaleski on Unsplash

Than, once you’ve chosen your hardware, upgrading is easy. When you plug your new disk into your computer, the operating system will automatically recognize the device and walk you through setting it up. This process differs on Windows and macOS, but both of them provide troubleshooting help. With your new drive connected, you can transfer videos, images, music, and other files to the new device, freeing up space on your main external hdd.

Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash

Besides, before you dive in, be aware of a couple caveats. First, any time you’re messing around with your hardware, you need to safely back up your data before you start. Next, this process won’t work on all computers. If do you own that type of computer, you might be able to replace the original external hdd with a more capacious one — but that process is much more difficult, so we’re not including it in this roundup of easy upgrades.

Last, you don’t need to be an expert to add a second external hdd, but you should be comfortable with a screwdriver.

Photo by el alce web on Unsplash

FAQ

Q：What are the differences between SSD & HDD?

A：Solid State Drives (SSD) are storage devices like hard drives, but with much better performance, especially as regards random access speeds. But because of their higher price, they are often more suitable to be used as the drive from which the operating system is run. The slower speeds of external hdds mean they are likely to be used as data backup media, and for data archives.

From：Popular science、ADATA
Why is Windows Free Now?
By: Techfused In
Tags: Techfused, Microsoft, Free Windows 10, Windows 10, Why Is Windows 10 Free

It wasn’t too long ago that if you were building or upgrading a PC you have to fork over some handsome cash for a copy of Windows. If you didn’t you either couldn’t get a legal copy at all or your operating system would simply stop working after 30 days. But today Microsoft lets people use Windows 10 completely for free. Even though they officially ended their program to let people with legal copies of Windows 7 or 8 upgrades to Windows 10 for free.

Many users have reported the free upgrade still works and on top of that even if you just download Windows 10 from Microsoft’s website and you don’t pay for a key the OS will still work just fine I mean sure you get that annoying activate Windows watermark, you can’t change the system color scheme and it’s a little trickier to pick your wallpaper but other than that you get the same features as you would have you paid all that money.

Why is Windows 10 Free?

Why is Microsoft suddenly giving out one of the most popular products like candy ? Well it isn’t out of the goodness of their hearts, you see historically speaking people were often rather slow to operate to new editions of Windows there were exceptions such as the long lines we saw when Windows 95 was first released and the hype around Windows XP but for much of the 2000s, people simply put off expensive upgrades, no wonder then that Microsoft decided it was much more important to get people on to Windows 10 rather than squeezing every dollar they could out of them upfront. Especially as Microsoft reviews Windows 10 as its last version of Windows. And plans to update it regularly instead of releasing an entirely new edition every year or two.

How Is Microsoft Making Profit By Distributing Free Windows 10?

To know how Microsoft making money by distributing Windows 10 ? Click here : https://techfused.in/why-is-windows-free-now/
Windows Terminal and WSL v1 and WSL v2
Tags: Windows Subsystem Linux, Windows 10, Wsl, Windows Insider, Terminal

With the new release of WSL v2, you can now run both v1 and v2 next to each other. Now that Windows has unveiled their new Terminal, you can now easily configure it to use whatever version you would like! I’m going to show you the current configurations you can use to set them up if you decide to manually compile the new terminal.

Windows Terminal with a Ubuntu, Debian, and Powershell tab

If you didn’t know already, you should avoid using the bash.exe located inside of the System32 folder. Instead, you should be using the wsl.exe that is provided. There are two reasons why you want to do it

The default shell is honored, in case you use zsh/oh-my-zsh/fish (which you probably should consider) It provides a handful of useful arguments that you can use when launching your terminal

Personally, I setup Ubuntu to use the new v2 and setup Debian to continue using v1. Keep in mind, if you install a new WSL distro it defaults to v2. So if you want it to be v1 or you want to upgrade your current distro you will need to run:

wsl --set-version <distro> <version>

Inside of the profiles.json file that the terminal uses, you will want to add two new profiles. This is what my two look like currently:

If you notice, the commandline does NOT point to bash.exe this is where we take advantage of specifying your distro with:

wsl.exe -d <distro>

With that, you are now ready to start using both of these! Please keep in mind that at this time, WSL v2 and the Terminal are still being actively worked on! So I’m going to list some sources here for you to see what has changed.

Install WSL 2

WSL 2 UX Changes

Report WSL Issues

Windows Terminal
This 2TB external hard drive’s design is too slim！
By: Kate' Life
Tags: Tech, External Hard Drive, Windows 10, Computers, Hdd

The 2TB external hard drive HV620S has slim design. It takes the proven performance and reliability of our existing 2.5” external hard drives and re-defines them. At only 11.5mm in profile, it’s super-slim for sleek elegance and superior portability, fitting easily in any briefcase or backpack.

Besides, the sleek lines and reflective, smooth surface of the 2TB external hard drive HV620S highlights its thin and elegant overall appearance. It is ideal for those who wish to maintain an aura of professionalism, or show off their technical savvy. A raised lip on the edge of the drive protects the surface from scratching when the drive is laid flat.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

For all your content and with nearly universal device compatibility, the 2TB external hard drive HV620S embodies smart design that increases capacity and performance while reducing physical space requirements. And a bright blue LED lets you know when data is being read from or written to the 2TB external hard drive HV620S. This helps prevent disconnection during read/write operations.

FAQ：

Q：What are the differences between solid state drive & external hard drive?

A：Solid State Drives (SSD) are storage devices like 2TB external hard drives, but with much better performance, especially as regards random access speeds.

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

But because of their higher price, they are often more suitable to be used as the drive from which the operating system is run. The slower speeds of HDDs mean they are likely to be used as data backup media, and for data archives.

Q：Why can’t my computer detect an external hard drive?

A：There are two general possibilities: ‧Lack of power: The hard disk should be attached to the USB power cable connector into the USB slot on the back of the computer. Make sure your computer supplies enough power for the hard disk to run.

Do not use a USB Hub, extension cord, or other USB devices together, because doing so may cause power undersupply, resulting in the external drive being unable to be read. ‧ Volume has not been added: In Windows XP/Vista/7 operating systems, go to Disk Management to confirm that the hard disk is installed.

From：ADATA
Best Video Editors for Windows 10–2021 Edition
By: Roberto Rauti
Tags: Windows 10, Free Video Editor, Free Video Software, Windows 10 Movie Editor

We are living in a world that choose to share every single event of their lifes. But tohave a story, a narrative, not some random images we need some tools. We are happy to introduce the BEST VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS 10.

Here are our top 6:

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premier Pro is leading video editing software for

film, TV and why not video creators that we see nowdays on social media. Premier Prohas automated tools powered by Adobe Sensei that save time when you’re beeing creativeand those integrated workflows give you the liberty to polish your art without leaving thetimeline. If your concern is the format, no worries, you can edit footage in any format,from 8K to virtual reality.

Adobe premier Pro works flawless with hundreds of third-party extensions as: AdobePhotoshop, After Effects, Audition and many more.

The best part of Adobe is the Premier Rush. Is a new all-in-one app that works in all yourdevices. You can film and edit on your personal computer or on your phone and then justshare it to social media.

Vegas Pro 18

Vegas Pro 18 — from the Vegas Pro 17 we got Vegas Pro 18 with AI( artificial

intelligence). VP18 has a new future that lets Van Gogh or Da Vinci be a part of your video. What do I mean? You can apply visual style of the world’s greatest artist and paintings to give a unique look.

Colorization it will give a wow factor for those old photos of your grandparents weeding

photos that are black and white. With the power of Intel OpenVino, the Colorization filter

with the help of AI will bring your black and white photos to vivid color.

Pinnacle Studio 24

Pinnacle Studio 24 main features are screen recording, multi-camera editing, add graphic or text to moving objects with motion tracking, create fast or slow motion effects with time remapping and censor moving objects with mosaic blur.

Pinnacle studio 24 offers three version of their latest version: studio version, studio plus version and studio ultimate. The difference between is made by the storyboard, multi-camera editing,color grading, motion tracking, video masking and also video resolution.

MAGIX MOVIE EDIT PRO

If you were wondering “Is Magix Movie Editor compatible with Windows 10?” The answer is YES. All latest MAGIX from 2015 and their plugins and previous versions work with Windows 10.

The software has all the essential tools as: importing, editing, add final touches or presenting films. What will really impress a beginner in editing is the full support of the editing wizards. Wizards offer help for the entire workflow, from media transfer from your camera to burning a finished video to DVD.
Keep Keeping On — The Joys of Love, Tradition, and Human Connection in Netflix’s “Street Food”
By: Kevin Hutcheson
Tags: Tradition, Netflix, Street Food, TV

Each episode follows a similar pattern to the last: we’re introduced to our main subject, their respective main dish, and their backstory; a talking head “scholar” talks briefly about where the episode takes place, usually involving how important our main subject is; the main subject talks about their life leading to this moment; there are brief interludes to others in the area making local dishes; there’s a third act twist or heartbreak in the main subject’s backstory; then, finally, a happy ending rises on top, leaving the audience smiling — or, if you’re like me, with teary eyes.

And it works. It absolutely works.

These are stories of love, passion, and survival. They’re stories of keeping the past alive. The third episode, in Delhi, India, revolves around Dalchand Kashyap, whose father owned a chaat stand. When Kashyap’s father became ill, his brother began to help run the business; however, his brother also fell into abusing drugs, and couldn’t maintain it any longer. The shop closed down.

Kashyap eventually opened his own shop, which struggled for a long time. In fear of losing everything yet again, he used what his father taught him over the years, and the shop eventually grew into what it is today. His closing words in the episode are that his father would think, “My son has made me proud.”

It’s a throughline in the show, with the past informing the present to shape the future. The fifth episode is in Chiayi, Taiwan, where Grace Chia Hui Lin is using her outside experience from college to take her grandparents’ stall, Smart Fish, into modern times. She’s the third generation to make their fish head stew. Her parents fought with her for years to not modernize the stall, but Lin used her parents’ vacations to make moves while they were away. Now there are multiple locations, while still maintaining the family’s traditions.
Science Fiction Theatre episode review — 1.3 — Out of Nowhere
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Science Fiction Theatre, Science Fiction, SciFi, Television, TV

Original air date: April 23, 1955

Director: Herbert L. Strock

Writer: Donn Mullally

Rating: 5/10

Is it bad that I’m kind of enjoying the Truman Bradley little intro segments more than the actual stories? I like when he pops up just to give us a highly abbreviated science lesson. It adds some character, somehow.

At any rate, this story involves bats crashing into a skyscraper, which alerts some scientists, since bats shouldn’t crash into anything with their little anatomical radar things.

They investigate, and find that there might be some kind of signal or wavelength coming from somewhere else.

After discovering that it’s not from the American military, people speculate that it could be Soviet, or perhaps from outer space. And honestly, the story doesn’t go anywhere satisfying with that. It’s only a half-hour show, and I feel like this story just needed more to it.

I’m not feeling great about this show so far, as much as I did like the first episode. A few episodes coming up are directed by Jack Arnold, the man behind such sci-fi classics as It Came from Outer Space, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Incredible Shrinking Man. Actually, he directed the second episode, the only one I’ve really liked so far.
The Mandalorian — ‘Chapter 3: The Sin’ [1x3] ★★★★☆
By: Dan Owen
Tags: Culture, The Mandalorian, TV, Review, Star Wars

The Mandalorian is also pulling a lot from Lone Wolf and Cub, a manga from 1970 that has been adapted into six movies, a play, and a TV series. The only real difference is that The Child isn’t the offspring of Mando himself, which was the dynamic between Ogami Ittō and his three-year-old son Daigorō in the Lone Wolf and Cub story. But the influence is clearly there and gives the show a nice east-meets-west feel with that underlying Japanese touchpoint for the story, mixed with “a Western”, only set in a science-fiction galaxy of wonders.

And this episode certainly had the best conclusion yet, with a cornered Mando saved by the unexpected arrival of his fellow Mandalorians (wearing jet packs), who put down covering fire to allow him to escape in his ship. They even did the cliche with Greef shot in the chest and left for dead, only to reveal his life was spared by a fortuitously positioned piece of Beskar steel (this galaxy’s version of the silver cigarette holder).

Deborah Chow directed this instalment; a Canadian filmmaker best-known for TV series like Reign, Beauty and the Beast, and Mr Robot. She’s also been tapped to direct all of Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which surely speaks to how impressed Lucasfilm was with her work on Mandalorian. And I agree she did a great job with the different gears this hour went through, which is great to see for the first woman to direct anything Star Wars related. Chow will return for the penultimate episode, too.

There’s still a lot about The Mandalorian that needs to be tinkered with as a TV series, but it’s definitely a positive that I have no idea what the remainder of this season will be about. I assume Mando is going to have to work out why The Child is so important, likely pursued by all manner of enemies (The Client and Greef Carga’s forces) now there’s a bounty on his head (the irony!), and probably find somewhere for the baby to live and grow up safely. But exactly how we’ll get there and what adventures we’ll see along the way, is anyone’s guess. The fact we haven’t met a number of characters I thought would be semi-regulars yet is exciting, too, as I can’t wait to see what Gina Carano (Deadpool), Min-Na Wen (Agents of SHIELD), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), and Natalia Ten (Game of Thrones) bring to the table. This episode was certainly lifted by having expressive humans interacting with Mando, who remains a bit of a cypher because his face is obscured.

What are your thoughts on The Mandalorian after three weeks? Have you acclimated to its style? Are you a bit bored? Would you be watching if it wasn’t part of the Star Wars universe? Is there enough here besides all of its associations to that popular franchise and brand?
I’m Alan Partridge episode review — 2.1 — The Talented Mr Alan
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Comedy, 2000s, Alan Partridge, Television, TV

Original air date: November 11, 2002

Director: Armando Iannucci

Writers: Armando Iannucci, Steve Coogan, and Peter Baynham

Rating: 10/10

Alan Partridge has come a long way since we last saw him in 1997. Instead of living in a travel tavern, he lives in a mobile home while his new house is being constructed. He works a better time slot for his radio show, but still in front of Dave Clifton. He also has a Ukranian girlfriend now, Sonja (Amelia Bullmore), whom he only tolerates because he likes to have a girlfriend who’s younger than him. He also presents a show on a digital TV network.

Lynn is still there, and she’s still treated like actual shit. So not everything’s changed. But things have been rough for her, too. She apparently has a new hip, and her mother has died recently.

And Michael is still in his life, working at Alan’s local petrol station.

And between the first season and this one, Alan went through a really rough patch where he became medically addicted to Toblerone, drove to Dundee in his bare feet, and put on a ton of weight.

When at the BP garage, he runs into his old teacher who’s now the headmaster at his old school. Alan still holds a grudge against him for caning him for having a chalk penis drawn on his back.

He insists on going to the old school to give a talk about bouncing back, which the headmaster agrees to because Alan has locked him inside.

Alan has a meeting with a company that produces videos such as Boob Olympics and Eurovision Thong Contest, which Lynn disapproves of, though Alan insists “it’s not hardcore super sex.”

Highlights of the episode include Alan learning what watersports are, Alan insisting that Lynn’s life is “technically not worth insuring,” Alan’s Crash Bang Wallop — What a Video, and Alan’s final confrontation with the man who did actually draw the chalk penis on him. It involves threatening him with a hot apple turnover.

It also features my favourite piece of comedy maybe ever. Alan crashes his car in the parking lot, and Lynn is mildly upset by the whole thing.

This season is a bit different than the original. It’s a bit darker, as Alan’s more miserable now than ever before, and it’s just wonderful. It’s what you want to see out of this character.
TV Review: Elvis (’68 Comeback Special) (1968)
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Elvis Presley, Musicals, 1960s, Television, TV

For a long time, I’ve believed that this should be required viewing for the US citizenship exam, and I’m really only half joking, I think. This is such a celebration of American music and culture, and it basically covers it all.

Elvis had such incredible musical instincts, and they’re on full display here, covering rock & roll, gospel, rockabilly, country, New Orleans blues, delta blues, Chicago blues, etc.

As a television event, this is absolutely incredible. It could have just been a gimmick. Before this, Elvis was simply not too relevant in the music scene. He was off in Hollywood making mostly mediocre and forgettable movies, while musical acts like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Bob Dylan, James Brown, and The Temptations had been making truly innovative music. This seems like the King’s response to all that, and he does it in a way that reminds us all where it comes from.

There are two different musical performances here that are intercut. So we have Elvis onstage with a bunch of dancers. The production is almost like it’s on Broadway. It’s great. And the highlight for me is the gospel number “Saved.”

But the real meat of this special comes from Elvis’s seated performance. Wearing black leather and surrounded by a few bandmates that go back over a decade, Elvis here is incredibly laid back, but when he focuses on the music, what he does is just incredible. My favourite one is “Trying to Get to You.”

While it’s especially true in the sit-down performance, I’m amazed at how this entire performance is. It is all about the music, and yet Elvis’s personality is allowed to shine through.

I cannot recommend this enough. This is at least the third time I’ve seen it. It’s one of the best things Elvis ever did, and it led to probably my favourite run of Elvis music from ’68 to about ’72 or so.

Rating: 10/10
The Almost Cast on Challenge 36 🧊
Tags: MTV, The Challenge, Television, Reality TV, TV

The 36th season of The Challenge is currently filming in Iceland, called (for now, ’cause it’ll probably change just like happened on seasons 34 and 35) Double Agents.

Because of these ~uNpReCeDeNtEd TiMeS~ with COVID-19, cast members sequestered before flying to location and also quarantined upon arrival. Just like with Big Brother All Stars 2, they contracted more people than they needed to coop up in hotel rooms, so there were alternates in case some tested positive.

In fact, 38 people sequestered with only 30 making the final cast. So these are the people who didn’t make the cut, along with alternates who were close to making it on the show in the past — but still haven’t been on.

[for just the cast and theme, with no other spoilers, visit my megathread here]

The Unlucky Eight

Brehanna Daniels

The first Black woman to work on a NASCAR Pit Crew and also a competitor on Season 1 of the Titan Games. She won the event “Uprising” against Gina Policastro.

Mark Jansen

9th place on Big Brother 19, much-talked-about showmance with Elena Davies that continued after the show, and star of Ex on the Beach US 3 (where he got into a showmance / love triangle with the Aubrey O’day).

Muscular, emotional, goofy, confrontational — an outstanding fit for The Challenge. Great bromance with Devin Walker too, who made the cast. Hopefully we see him in the future — especially since he was cut in Iceland.

Analyse Talavera

9th place on Big Brother 21 and previous college soccer star. Gorgeous and athletic but not that bright or strategic. Will hook up though.

Connor Obrochta

From The Bachelorette 14 and Bachelor in Paradise 5. Obviously fit, total man candy, but he had racially problematic tweets and so he got ✂

Morgan Lolar

Cutie from season 1 of Temptation Island US who apparently wreaked havoc in the house (though I haven’t yet seen it). She was cut before making it into hotel sequester.

Asaf Goren

First boot of The Challenge: Total Madness, but not before feuding with Wes and romancing Nany. He was on Are You the One 4 with Tori Deal and a litany of other reality shows, including winning Big Brother VIP Israel.

Jenny West

The reigning woman champ of Total Madness who also had a strong showing on War of the Worlds 2. Originally from Survival of the Fittest UK, it’s a total mystery why she didn’t make the final cast. We’ll see her in the future.

Derrick Henry

From The Challenge: Dirty 30 and Final Reckoning, paired with his ex Tori Deal. Derrick is originally from Are You the One 5 and has also been on AYTO Second Chances and Ex on the Beach US 1. Production absolutely adores him but he was a flop on The Challenge. A total WTF option.

Other Debuts that Production Wanted
Universal TV Remote Control & Screen Mirroring Enables you to Control Devices & Home Appliances with One App
By: Tech News
Tags: Remote, Apps, TV, Android

The IR blaster is one of the most underrated features on Android phones. It’s also becoming rarer and rarer as a feature since phones are trying to remove as many ports as possible these days. However, those with an IR blaster are useful for all kinds of little things. One such instance is as a remote control for basically anything with an IR receiver. That can include TVs, ACs, some thermostats, cameras, and other such things. Today we will cover and app that will help you turn your Android phone into remote and screen mirroring device.

Basic Introduction

Think of it as a remote app for all. From TV to appliances such as AC and projectors, you can control them all with this simple remote control app. However, unlike most universal remote control apps, this app also includes a screen mirroring feature that works with most TVs.

Features & How to Use

Once you open the app you can choose between remote control & screen mirroring. If you open remote control you need to add a remote controller (and you can add more later for different device). Then you need to choose the device and the particular brand. Then the app will do the connection and you will have an universal remote with basic control features like change program with + — or numbers, volume, turn off/on and more.

If you choose screen mirroring you need to setup your phone and the tv on the same wifi network and follow the instructions. It will work only on TVs that have an in-built wifi.

At the end of the day this is a free, functional app to remotely control multiple devices in your home, as well as mirror your screen whenever you want. You can try it for free on Google Play.

Google Play Download Link: Universal TV Remote Control & Screen Mirroring
FlyLo’s “Fire is Coming” is definitely Game of Thrones FanFic
Tags: TV Series, Flying Lotus, Game of Thrones, Music, TV

David Lynch as a creepy wolf thing…Courtesy of Flying Lotus

If you’ve been living on the far side of the moon, even you still may be aware that Game of Thrones is coming to it’s :fingers-crossed: epic conclusion.

What’s more, I recently discovered some equally epic news, Flying Lotus is returning with a new album, Flamagra, his first since 2014’s haunting magnum opus, You’re Dead. To drum up anticipation, Flying Lotus released a curious video for “Fire is Coming,” an ambient spoken word track with a feature from director, actor, and all-around kick-ass artist, David Lynch. Watch it here before I ruin it for you.

While it’s highly possible that Flying Lotus is from another planet, I mean, have you seen “Until the Quiet Comes”, or that whole Captain Murphy thing, it is difficult to believe he would be unaware of GoT. I would even suggest he may be a super fan. How else would he put together a video with so many apparent nods to HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy epic A Song of Ice and Fire. Here’s the evidence I found.

First, wolf children. A reference to everyone’s favorite semi-functional TV family. the Starks. Sure, after 60 some odd shows you may have forgotten they began their journey as mere children, in fact, my sister informs me that, in the book, they start the story a year younger.

Second, the three-eyed wolf rolled in on a wheelchair. Clearly a reference to Bran Stark, rambunctious wolf child turned creepy, dickish, “Three-eyed Raven” with the super-power of telling you what you had for breakfast (oh and if your his sister he’ll remind you how you were raped by your abusive, forced marriage, sociopath husband, nice one Bran). Staring out of the mouth of FlyLo’s three-eyed wolf is an equally creepy disembodied head of David Lynch. The three-eyed wolf tells the wolf children a story of a young boy named Tommy and a man who must run because…

Fire is Coming… Courtesy of HBO…

FIRE IS COMING. Need I say more. The Stark family motto is the iconic “Winter is Coming.” Could this be a warning? Is FlyLo concerned that Dany and Jon (aka Aegon Targaryen Sixth of his Name) may turn on the Starks, hop on their dragons, and rain down fire upon the Seven Kingdoms? Will the wolf children survive the fire? Is FlyLo shipping Bran and Nymeria’s Wolf Pack? Few know how the series will end, maybe this is FlyLo’s way of sharing his predictions with us.

Finally, is it any coincidence that Flamagra will drop on May 24th, shortly after the conclusion of Game of Thrones on May 19th? Perhaps, or perhaps not. All I know is that I’m waiting for both with bated breath.
Friday the 13th: The Series episode review — 2.6 — Master of Disguise
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Friday The 13th, TV, Supernatural, Television, Horror

Original air date: November 11, 1988

Director: Tom McLoughlin

Writer: Bruce Martin

Rating: 6/10

After a pretty great start to the season, Friday the 13th: The Series was coming back to reality a bit. Following up a pretty mediocre Phantom of the Opera-inspired episode, we have this story about a ridiculously handsome actor who came out of nowhere to be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

And of course Micki has a crush on him.

I don’t know what it is about this guy, William Pratt (John Bolger), but it seemed like it really depended on the lighting as to whether he was good looking or not.

Though that’s probably just some thing that only I’d notice, it actually turns out being somewhat thematic, as the story involves him killing people and then using a cursed makeup kit to hide up his deformities.

There’s actually some neat body horror here when we see his deformities. I like it.

Micki and Ryan end up meeting him because their store is supplying props to a movie set, and Micki ends up being cast in the movie for a scene because she has similar hair to the actress. She ends up dating Pratt.

This is another episode where Jack is almost inconsequential to the plot. I like his speech at the end of the episode about how he had met Boris Karloff, though. I guess he is the one that figures out who Pratt is, but that almost doesn’t matter, because Ryan’s suspicious of him from the start.

It’s not a great episode, but it has its moments. This season definitely seems to be de-emphasizing the whole cursed object angle, which is weird, since that’s the conceit of the show. But whatever.
Monk episode review — 2.16 — Mr. Monk Goes to Jail
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Monk, Comedy, TV, Television, Mystery

Orignial air date: March 5, 2004

Director: Jerry Levine

Writer: Chris Manheim

Rating: 8/10

“Mr. Monk Goes to Jail” is a solid episode for a lot of reasons. It has one of the most memorable guest stars of the series in Danny Trejo as notorious inmate Spyder Rudner. It marks the return of Dale the Whale (this time played by Tim Curry). It has a really intriguing plot. And it’s very funny.

A man about to be executed is poisoned to death, leaving the prison warden scratching his head. Monk is sent in, and it’s awkward from the start, as he insists on doing his own pat down. He’s fed some information from the librarian there, so he believes he should speak to Spyder. He ends up sharing a cell with him.

Monk cleans up for him and Spyder grows a liking to him, until he finds out that his watch is misisng. Monk promises he’ll find the watch as long as Spyder gives him some information.

The reason Monk is pursuing this case so passionately is because Dale the Whale promises to give him information. Dale believes that the cops will try and pin the murder on him, since the murdered inmate owed him $1,200, though he and Monk both know that he would never kill someone for that little money. In exchange, Dale wants a window in his cell.

It’s kind of a weird Tim Curry performance if I’m being honest, but I guess Adam Arkin’s performance last season was a bit weird, too. It definitely feels a bit like a different character, and I don’t like him nearly as much in this one.

Monk gets on the bad side of some Nazis in prison, and I must say, the depiction of prison here is very cartoonish, but I think that’s okay in a comedy series like this. It’s definitely not aiming for realism, but it’s still not all-out farcical either.

This is a solid episode, though. It has plenty of laughs, and it gives us some informatino about Trudy’s murder, too, though with six seasons still to go, we’re obviously not going to be solving that mystery anytime soon.
Tales from the Crypt episode review — 2.8 — For Cryin’ Out Loud
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Comedy, TV, 1990s, Horror, Tales From The Crypt

Original air date: May 22, 1990

Director: Jeffrey Price

Writer: Peter S. Seaman

Rating: 4/10

This episode starts in an obnoxious way, with a man played by Lee Arenberg being excited to get the electric chair. There’s this goofy music playing, and it’s really irritatingly shot.

Arenberg plays Marty Slash, who’s a rock promoter. We pick up with him when he goes to see the doctor over something wrong with his ear. There’s then a performance by Iggy Pop, which he arranged. He claims publicly that the money is all going to charity, but in actuality, he’s planning on pocketing it all, so that he can leave his job since the doctor told him he needs to avoid loud noises or something like that.

When he goes to take the money, his conscience (voiced by Sam Kinison) quite literally speaks up. A police officer arrives at the show, looking for him, and a groupie comes into his room, despite his Conscience’s warnings.

I guess the Conscience was the noise he had complained about, and it’s only now become more clear, after more loud rock music, I guess. And it turns out the groupie is actually his personal banker, who realizes his plan to steal all the money. She demands half the money, and he murders her with his guitar, Pete Townshend-style.

The police officer finally gets to Slash, and all he wants is for them to turn the volume down, which he does. He hides the body of his banker in a drumkit that’s labeled as the property of Donny Osmond, and this goes without suspicion.

Slash then tries to drown out his Conscience by Q-tipping the hell out of his ears. As he tries to leave the concert, people around him appear to be able to hear his conscience.

Slash turns the music up so that nobody can hear his Conscience, but this draws the attention of the police officer. The police officer shuts it down, and everybody hears his Conscience’s confession, and Marty Slash breaks down. It turns out he had a bloody Q-tip hanging from his ear, and the Conscience confesses that they could never hear him, and that they were only staring at him because of the Q-tip, thus meaning that he could have gotten away with it.

It’s a pretty lame take on the whole “Tell-Tale Heart” kind of plot. It’s not very funny, and the filmmaking is obnoxious.
Breaking Bad episode review — 3.10 — Fly
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: Breaking Bad, Psychological, Tv Reviews, Drama, TV

Original air date: May 23, 2010

Director: Rian Johnson

Writers: Sam Catlin and Moira Walley-Beckett

Rating: 10/10

This episode is pretty damn legendary at this point. Legendary for how polarizing it is, for how well directed it is, for how well acted it is.

When I first saw this series, this was far from my favorite episode. I appreciated how well it was made, and I recognized what it was trying to do, but I just didn’t love it. Seeing it now for the second time, and…wow. It’s right up there with “Peekaboo” for me as one of the best so far.

This is what they call a “bottle episode.” It’s when a TV series runs over budget so they try and make an episode with as little new sets and as few actors as possible. In this case, it’s Gus’s lab, and it’s Jesse and Walt, with a few extras thrown in as well.

Walt finds that they’re not producing as much meth as they should, and Jesse proposes a few reasons as to why this might be, which Walt doesn’t buy. He then discovers a fly in the lab, and recognizes that this poses a serious problem.

He injures himself trying to kill it, and he eventually gets Jesse to recognize what a big deal this is.

Meanwhile, we’re also treated to some of the best acting in the history of television, as far as I’m concerned. And the drama with these two characters is so great.

For once, they’re not really at each other’s throats. They’re listening to each other. It’s mostly Jesse listening to Walt, as he says that he should have died already, and he tries to think of when the perfect moment for him to have died was. He decides it was the night he ran into Jane’s father at the bar, which was also the night Jane died.

Walt apologizes to Jesse for Jane’s death, and you can feel him trying to tell Jesse that he’s responsible, but he just can’t bring himself to do it. Probably at least partially because Jesse seems to be doing rather well, as he’s now clean.

Jesse eventually kills the fly, and everything seems good. Walt says that if Jesse’s stealing any of the product, that he won’t be able to protect him from Gus.

The episode ends with Walt, unable to sleep, noticing a fly on the smoke detector light. The fly itself is both literal and metaphorical, as a manifestation of Walt’s guilt, which is really neat to explore in this episode.

If you enjoy Breaking Bad mainly for the violence and crazy shit that goes on, this isn’t your episode. But I think most people appreciate the acting and the characters, and htis episode is among the best in the series (and in TV in general) for those.