Apple Introduces iCloud

Apple today introduced iCloud, a breakthrough set of free new cloud services that work seamlessly with applications on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and automatically and wirelessly push it to all your devices. When anything changes on one of your devices, all of your devices are wirelessly updated almost instantly.

“Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iCloud keeps your important information and content up to date across all your devices. All of this happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it’s integrated into our apps you don’t even need to think about it—it all just works.”

The free iCloud services include:

- The former MobileMe services—Contacts, Calendar and Mail—all completely re-architected and rewritten to work seamlessly with iCloud. Users can share calendars with friends and family, and the ad-free push Mail account is hosted at me.com. Your inbox and mailboxes are kept up-to-date across all your iOS devices and computers.

- The App Store and iBookstore now download purchased iOS apps and books to all your devices, not just the device they were purchased on. In addition, the App Store and iBookstore now let you see your purchase history, and simply tapping the iCloud icon will download any apps and books to any iOS device (up to 10 devices) at no additional cost.

-miCloud Backup automatically and securely backs up your iOS devices to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi when you charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Backed up content includes purchased music, apps and books, Camera Roll (photos and videos), device settings and app data. If you replace your iOS device, just enter your Apple ID and password during setup and iCloud restores your new device.

- iCloud Storage seamlessly stores all documents created using iCloud Storage APIs, and automatically pushes them to all your devices. When you change a document on any device, iCloud automatically pushes the changes to all your devices. Apple’s Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps already take advantage of iCloud Storage. Users get up to 5GB of free storage for their mail, documents and backup—which is more amazing since the storage for music, apps and books purchased from Apple, and the storage required by Photo Stream doesn’t count towards this 5GB total. Users will be able to buy even more storage, with details announced when iCloud ships this fall.

- iCloud’s innovative Photo Stream service automatically uploads the photos you take or import on any of your devices and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices and computers. So you can use your iPhone to take a dozen photos of your friends during the afternoon baseball game, and they will be ready to share with the entire group on your iPad (or even Apple TV) when you return home. Photo Stream is built into the photo apps on all iOS devices, iPhoto on Macs, and saved to the Pictures folder on a PC. To save space, the last 1,000 photos are stored on each device so they can be viewed or moved to an album to save forever. Macs and PCs will store all photos from the Photo Stream, since they have more storage. iCloud will store each photo in the cloud for 30 days, which is plenty of time to connect your devices to iCloud and automatically download the latest photos from Photo Stream via Wi-Fi.

- iTunes in the Cloud lets you download your previously purchased iTunes music to all your iOS devices at no additional cost, and new music purchases can be downloaded automatically to all your devices. In addition, music not purchased from iTunes can gain the same benefits by using iTunes Match, a service that replaces your music with a 256 kbps AAC DRM-free version if we can match it to the over 18 million songs in the iTunes Store, it makes the matched music available in minutes (instead of weeks to upload your entire music library), and uploads only the small percentage of unmatched music. iTunes Match will be available this fall for a $24.99 annual fee. Apple today is releasing a free beta version of iTunes in the Cloud, without iTunes Match, for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users running iOS 4.3. iTunes in the Cloud will support all iPhones that iOS 5 supports this fall.

Apple is ready to ramp iCloud in its three data centers, including the third recently completed in Maiden, NC. Apple has invested over $500 million in its Maiden data center to support the expected customer demand for the free iCloud services.

Pricing & Availability

The iCloud beta and Cloud Storage APIs are available immediately to iOS and Mac Developer Program members at developer.apple.com. iCloud will be available this fall concurrent with iOS 5. Users can sign up for iCloud for free on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 5 or a Mac running Mac OS X Lion with a valid Apple ID. iCloud includes 5GB of free cloud storage for Mail, Document Storage and Backup. Purchased music, apps, books and Photo Stream do not count against the storage limit. iTunes Match will be available for $24.99 per year (US only).

iTunes in the Cloud is available today in the US and requires iTunes 10.3 and iOS 4.3.3. Automatic download of apps and books is available today. Using iCloud with a PC requires Windows Vista or Windows 7; Outlook 2010 or 2007 is recommended for accessing contacts and calendars.

McSweeney’s Publishes New Quarterly Food Journal – Lucky Peach

Lucky Peach (Single issue $10, Annual subscription $28) is a new journal of food writing, published on a quarterly basis by McSweeney’s. It is a creation of David Chang, the James Beard Award–winning chef behind the Momofuku restaurants in New York, writer Peter Meehan, and Zero Point Zero Production—producers of the Emmy Award–winning Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Each issue will explore a single topic through a mélange of travelogue, essays, art, photography, interviews, rants, and, of course, recipes. The journal will be full color and perfect bound, with an eye toward exploring new recipe designs. The aim of Lucky Peach is to create a publication that appeals to diehard foodies as well as fans of good writing and art in general.

The first issue will be released on June 7th.

Jersey Shore Season Four In Italy To Premiere On Thursday, August 4th at 10PM

The return of summer’s biggest cable series, Jersey Shore will return Thursday, August 4th at 10 p.m.

Plus, MTV just announced that season five is starting production in June, with the cast going back to Seaside Heights. MTV will air a one-hour special on July 26 showing the rise of Jersey Shore from its humble beginnings into the phenomenon that it has become.

Me Lovers Pizza With Crazy Broad – The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

While Sarah Palin was visiting New York City, Donald Trump took her to get pizza at Famous Famiglia, which is actually a chain and not true NY pizza. Jon Stewart found out about this and went ballistic, tearing Tump a new one while teaching him about real NY pizza. The video contains raw language.

007 & Bentley Present the Carte Blanche Special Edition Book

To honor the release of Carte Blanche, Hodder and Bentley have partnered to create the exclusive Bentley Special Edition, the ultimate luxury edition of the highly anticipated new James Bond adventure. Each copy of the Special Edition is custom-produced to Bentley’s exacting standards and arrives inside a stunning metal case. The result is a striking and unique collector’s item – an expertly crafted book like no other.

Ian Fleming always admired the stately beauty of the Bentley and, as a result, James Bond owned three over the course of the fourteen original novels. In Carte Blanche, award-winning thriller writer Jeffery Deaver reunites Bond with this classic marque. In this contemporary adventure, the agent will be behind the wheel of the sophisticated new Bentley Continental GT. In Carte Blanche, Bond has been deftly updated for a contemporary setting. As part of his latest assignment, 007 travels to an assortment of exotic modern locations – including his first visit to Dubai.

The Special Edition is limited to 500 copies worldwide at a price of £1,000 ($1,650 US) each.

The Bentley Special Edition arrives encased in a shaped metal box that evokes the signature outline of the new Continental GT. The curve of the book’s distinct case echoes the key feature lines that run through the automobile’s exterior form.

The book is bound in white Nappa leather with a single line of meticulous red stitching around the edges. This is the same outstanding grade of leather that is used in a Bentley’s interior. The title and author’s names are carefully debossed into the front and elegantly foil-blocked on to the spine.

The text is printed in two colors, black and red, on sumptuous ivory paper, with endpapers of a matching red leather. The pages are expertly cut and trimmed to reflect the handcrafted techniques of the Bentley construction process. As with the other details of the Special Edition, the colors are carefully selected from the Bentley range.

Perhaps the Special Edition’s most dramatic feature is the die-cut bullet hole that pierces the book. Inside is carefully placed a single polished bullet, upon which is a number distinct to each copy of the book.

The Special Edition is designed by Brett Boydell. In his ten years at Bentley, Brett has been involved in the interior design of the Bentley Azure, Brooklands and, most recently, the Continental Supersports. He also manages the Bentley Branded Goods studio, where all Bentley-associated products are created.

X-Men: First Class: Meet The Mutants

The mighty mutants of the Marvel Universe are back on the screen with “X-Men: First Class,” which hit theaters this weekend. The retro adventure begins in World War II and tracks through to the Cuban Missile Crisis to tell the secret history of mutants and set the stage for adventures shown in previously released films. There are a lot of new faces – good and evil mutants such as Azazel (played by Jason Flemyng), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Riptide (Álex González) and Darwin (Edi Gathegi)  — but the L.A. Times Hero Complex has put together a photo gallery HERE that explains some of the connections (and disconnects) between this throw-back adventure and the four previous Fox films. Just click “Captions On” to read it but be warned there are some mild spoilers in there.

Star Tours: Darth Vader Goes To Disneyland

To celebrate the opening of the Star Tours attraction yesterday at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim California, Darth Vader, accompanied by two Stormtroopers, visits the resort for an afternoon of fun.

Emerging from hyperspace on June 3, 2011, Star Tours is back with new destinations, new characters and new adventures — now presented in brilliant digital 3-D! Board a Starspeeder 1000 for a thrilling journey through George Lucas’ Star Wars universe. A galaxy of trouble awaits, but don’t worry, the Force will be with you, always!

David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Teaser Trailer

Columbia Pictures has officially released the teaser trailer for director David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen and Joely Richardson.

Opening in theaters on December 21, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first film in the studio’s three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s literary blockbuster “The Millennium Trilogy.” The movie is based on the first novel in the trilogy, which altogether have sold 50 million copies in 46 countries and become a worldwide phenomenon.

TIME Ranks The Top 10 Superhero Movies of All Time

The past decade has seen the rise of the big-budget comic-book movie. This summer alone will feature four blockbuster superhero flicks: ‘X-Men: First Class’ is the second. TIME takes a look at the best that the genre has to offer. Check out their list HERE.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Blu-ray 3D & 3D Movie Download Due On August 30th, 2011

More astonishing and spectacular than ever before, Academy Awardnominated writer/producer Tim Burton’s overwhelmingly favorite The Nightmare Before Christmas becomes available for the first time ever to own on Disney Blu-ray 3D and/or 3D Movie Download, on August 30, 2011.  Leaping off the screen and into living rooms this holiday season, the all-new 3D presentation of The Nightmare Before Christmas will be available as a 3-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD/Digital Copy hybrid) and/or a 3D Movie Download,providing fans and families alike with several great ways to enjoy the film.

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD/Digital Copy hybrid) will retail for the suggested price of $49.99 and the 3D Movie Download will retail for the suggested price of $25.00.

Bonus Features Include:

- A Special Introduction by Tim Burton

- What’s This? Jack’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour – Viewers choose the way they want to tour Disneyland’s Holiday Haunted Mansion.  “On Track” explores a tricked-out version of the Haunted Mansion, while “Off Track” reveals what went into creating all the creepy fun.

- Frankenweenie Short Film– A un-cut version of the Frankenweenie short with introduction by Tim Burton.

- Vincent Short Film

- Tim Burton’s Original poem narrated by Christopher Lee – Tim Burton’s poem that inspired the creation of the movie. Now, the original verse comes to creepy life as performed by legendary actor Christopher Lee.

- Film Commentary – commentary by producer and writer Tim Burton, director Henry Selick and composer Danny Elfman.

- The Making of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas – Go behind the scenes of the very first full-length stop motion animated movie with the filmmakers.

- The Worlds of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas – Witness the creation of the film’s richly imagined dreamscapes, including Halloween Town, Christmas Town and the Real World.

- Deleted Scenes

- Storyboard to Film Comparison

- Original Theatrical Trailers and Posters

DC Comics Announces Upcoming Green Lantern # 1’s

As part of DC’s recently announced renumbering plan, there will be a bunch of new Green Lantern titles coming out in the Fall. Here is the list:

Green Lantern # 1

Geoff Johns has been charting the adventures of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps since Green Lantern: Rebirth, collaborating with such major artists as Ethan Van Sciver, Darwyn Cooke, Prentis Rollins, Marlo Alquiza and Mick Gray.

Johns reunites with artists Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy, as the series begins anew with Green Lantern #1 with cover by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. Together they will continue to thrill readers and expand the Green Lantern mythos.

Change is coming. But set aside your fear. It’ll be worth the wait.

Additional titles include:

Green Lantern Corps #1

When deadly conflicts emerge across the universe, it’s up to Guy Gardner, John Stewart and an elite Green Lantern strike force to keep the peace.

Green Lantern Corps #1 will be written by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna. The cover to #1 is by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy.

Green Lantern: The New Guardians # 1

Who are The New Guardians?

The power of Rage, Avarice, Fear, Will, Hope, Compassion and Love combine to be the most powerful (and colorful) team in the corps under the leadership of Kyle Rayner. Beware their power . . . and their volatility!

Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1 will be written by Tony Bedard and illustrated with cover by Tyler Kirkham and Batt.

Red Lanterns #1

Going solo. Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps return in their own series, battling against injustice in the most bloody ways imaginable. This Lantern Corps takes no prisoners, they are judge, jury and executioners!

Red Lanterns #1 will be written by Peter Milligan with art and cover by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter.

D23 Expo – The Ultimate Disney Fan Event Returns To The Anaheim Convention Center On August 19–21, 2011

From August 19–21, 2011, the D23 Expo returns, bringing all the wonderful worlds of Disney under one roof at the Anaheim Convention Center for three remarkable days. From celebrity appearances and eye-popping pavilions to fascinating presentations and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, there’s plenty of magic for everyone at D23 Expo 2011. Highlights of the Expo will include:

The Walt Disney Studios will give fans a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at the exciting roster of projects on the horizon. From exclusive video clips and live performances to filmmaker discussions and star appearances, audiences will be treated to an up-close look at select movies from the Studio’s upcoming film slate.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will be showcasing its “great big beautiful tomorrow” with a sneak peek at imaginative new experiences in the works for Disney Parks around the world, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney and Disney Vacation Club.

Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit will offer a unique glimpse into the fantastic world of the Walt Disney Archives as we throw open the vaults and bring out the crown jewels of our amazing collections in an exciting, never-before-seen showcase boasting costumes and props from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Pirates of the Caribbean to Tron and LOST.

The Disney Living pavilion, presented by Disney Consumer Products, will inspire the Disney lifestyle through the worlds of Style, Play, Celebrations and more. From the nursery to the runway, from hot toys to cool book apps, favorite Disney characters will come to life in exclusive and never-before-seen products, collections and experiences for Disney fans.  Meet the artists, designers, authors and innovators who create the magic and fun, and join in hands-on demos, activities and immersive environments.

Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior will jump off the screen at this year’s D23 Expo! Look for special appearances from many of your favorite stars from our biggest shows—and enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences sure to delight the whole family.

Radio Disney invites you to join the party as we celebrate the ultimate Disney fan event with music, fun, games and the chance to meet some favorite Radio Disney stars!

Disney Interactive Media Group pavilion will bring beloved Disney stories and characters to life digitally though exciting new interactive experiences. Guests will be able to try out new and upcoming games for videogame consoles, mobile and online, as well as fun creative activities from Disney.com.

D23 Expo Dream Store will be filled to the brim and bursting with D23-themed merchandise and other specialty items from Disney Theme Park Merchandise. From souvenirs and upscale logo assortments to Disney-inspired art and collectibles, ear hats, pins, Vinylmation™ and more, it will be a Disney enthusiast’s dream come true.

Disney Fan Art Gallery will feature the creative talents of D23 Members at D23 Expo 2011, putting the “spot”-light on One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Disney lovers were previously invited to create work inspired by the beloved animated film, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. Winners, selected by a panel of Disney’s creative executives, will see their work prominently showcased in the D23 Expo’s Fan Art Gallery, themed to the infamous House of de Vil, inside the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit.

Collectors Forum will be the ultimate Disney marketplace for fans. Collectors, dealers and other vendors will have the opportunity to showcase their collections in this ultimate forum for buying, selling and trading Disney merchandise and memorabilia. This year, in addition to Disney, Pixar and ABC collectibles, the Forum will feature items from the amazing world of Marvel, the newest addition to the Disney family, and Star Wars, in celebration of the reimagined attraction Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort.

Ultimate Disney Trivia Tournament Presented by Hasbro’s Trivial Pursuit | Disney Edition is an exciting new addition to D23 Expo 2011. The eccentric, professorial quack-meister Ludwig Von Drake will preside over the festivities as competitors demonstrate their deep knowledge of all things Disney, including park attractions and shows and parades, past and present; films and TV shows through the years; consumer products, games, company history and, of course, Walt and his family. No corner of Disney’s magical kingdom will be left unexplored in this quest to find that uniquely talented individual who knows more about Disney than anyone else. Trials for the Tournament will take place on Thursday, August 18 at the Convention Center, the day before the Expo opens.

D23 Expo 2011 will also feature the Disney Legends Awards—a tradition that pays tribute to the talented men and women who have made indelible contributions to the Disney legacy, and a product showcase featuring Disney Pins and Vinylmation in a special area where collectors can swap stories, treasures and meet the artists.

Tickets for D23 Expo 2011 are available at a discounted price through June 30, 2011. All D23 Members—both Gold level and Silver level—can take advantage of additional exclusive admission savings at www.D23Expo.com.

Gold-level D23 memberships are $74.99, and Silver-level memberships—which provide all benefits with the exception of a subscription to Disney twenty-three magazine—are just $34.99 a year. All discounts and special promotions are available to both Gold- and Silver-level D23 Members.

Cover Art, Descriptions, Writers & Artists For DC Comics Upcoming Renumbered # 1 Issues

On Tuesday, DC Comics made the announcement that the publisher will  renumber 52 superhero titles across the line, starting with Justice League #1 by their superstar creators Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. The cover to issue #1 is by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.

Most of DC’s iconic heroes will receive historic new first issues spinning out of the pages of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s Justice League. The descriptions of the upcoming titles, writers, artists and cover art are:

New York Times bestselling writer Brian Azzarello, author of The Joker and 100 Bullets, teams up with the immensely talented artist Cliff Chiang (Neil Young’s Greendale) for Wonder Woman #1, an exciting new series starring the DC Universe’s greatest superheroine. The cover to issue #1 is by Cliff Chiang.

Geoff Johns, one of comics’ greatest storytellers, reunites with Green Lantern and Brightest Day collaborator Ivan Reis to bring you a thrilling new take on the fan-favorite hero of the sea in Aquaman #1. The cover to issue #1 is by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.

Rising superstar Francis Manapul, fresh off his acclaimed run on The Flash with Geoff Johns, makes his comics writing debut in The Flash #1, sharing both scripting and art duties with Brian Buccellato. The Flash knows he can’t be everywhere at once, but what happens when he faces an all-new villain who can? The cover to issue #1 is by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.

Welcome to a major new vision of the Nuclear Man as writers Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone team up with artist Yildiray Cinar to deliver The Fury of Firestorm #1. Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are two high school students, worlds apart – and now they’re drawn into a conspiracy of super science that bonds them forever in a way they can’t explain or control. The cover to issue #1 is by Ethan Van Sciver.

Batman writer Tony Daniel will team up with artist Philip Tan (Green Lantern: Agent Orange, The Outsiders) for The Savage Hawkman #1. Carter Hall’s skill at deciphering lost languages has led him to a job with an archeologist who specializes in alien ruins – but will the doctor’s latest discovery spread an alien plague through New York City? No matter the personal cost, Carter Hall must don his cowl and wings and become the new, savage Hawkman to survive. The cover to issue #1 is by Philip Tan.

Oliver Queen is an orphan who grew up to fight crime as the Green Arrow, a billionaire playboy who uses his fortune to become a superhero – able to fight the most powerful super-villains in the universe with nothing but a bow and arrow. JT Krul will write Green Arrow #1 with art by superstar artist Dan Jurgens. The cover to issue #1 is by Brett Booth.

A team of internationally-drafted superheroes fight each other and their bureaucratic supervisors as much as they do global crime in Justice League International #1 from writer Dan Jurgens and artist Aaron Lopresti. The cover to issue #1 is by Aaron Lopresti.

The world’s third-smartest man – and one of its most eligible bachelors – uses his brains and fists against science gone mad in Mister Terrific #1, the new series from writer Eric Wallace and artist Roger Robinson. The cover to issue #1 is by J.G. Jones.

Captain Atom has all the power in the world, but no hope of saving himself. Charged by nuclear energy, possessing vast molecular powers, he has the potential to be a god among men – a hero without limits. But the question is this: Will he lose himself in the process? JT Krul and artist Freddie Williams II take the character in a bold new direction in Captain Atom #1. The cover to issue #1 is by Stanley “Artgem” Lau.

The anthology series gets a new look in DC Universe Presents, a new series that will focus on multi-issue story arcs each featuring a different superhero from the DC Universe’s rich cast of characters, told by some of comics’ most exciting writers and artitsts. DC Universe Presents #1 kicks off the first arc of the series: a Deadman story by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang. The cover to issue #1 is by Ryan Sook.

Grilled Cheese – The Next Technology Frontier

What do you do when Cisco buys your consumer product company and abruptly closes it down? If you are Jonathan Kaplan, creator of the popular (discontinued) Flip camera line, you make a lot of grilled cheese.

Kaplan has been building a secretive start-up called THE MELT, which marries smartphones, automation and comfort food.

THE MELT is an innovative fast, casual restaurant business which serves comforting grilled cheese sandwiches that are artfully paired with seasonally fresh soups to create unexpected combos. The sandwiches are prepared on European Designed Grills that balance two specialized tasks – toasting the crust and melting the cheese. The chefs pinch the bread to form air pockets for the cheese to melt into and the Melts are finished with grated Parmesan cheese and exclusive seasoning blends to draw out the all natural distinctiveness of the cheese and bread.

THE MELT uses location-based mobile technology that allows customers to remotely place a meal order from their computer or mobile phone and pick it up at any MELT location, always hot and ready, anytime. When ordered via the mobile application, the customer will receive a QR code on their smartphone that can be scanned at any restaurant location, allowing them to pay through their phones, skip the line, and pick up their freshly made order within minutes. The company has also developed specialized cooking equipment to produce its products quickly and precisely each and every time. Melts can be created in just over one minute and soups are aerated prior to service for combinations of flavors and textures that until now have been reserved for traditional fine dining experiences. Melts will be $5 and combos will be $8

 

Current locations are in San Francisco and Palo Alto with plans to expand to 500 locations in the next five years.

Warner Announces Superman Motion Picture Blu-ray Anthology Due On June 7th

Warner Home Video has announced The Superman Motion Picture Anthology ($130) for Blu-ray release on June 7. The 8-disc collection features all five Superman movies (Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Superman Returns with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound (Stereo for Superman IV).

Also, for the first time on BD, the theatrical version of Superman II is presented in addition to the already released Richard Donner cut, while the original Superman movie is presented in both theatrical and extended versions. This release also marks the premiere on Blu-ray of movies III and IV of the series.

The collection comes with more than twenty hours of supplemental features including deleted scenes, the documentaries The Cinematic Saga of Superman and Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman, plus the 1950′s George Reeves’ movie Superman and the Mole-Men , the complete Fleischer/Famous Studios 1940′s theatrical cartoons and much more.

Square Payment System

 

Square is a simple and easy payment platform created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey that lets anyone process credit cards with the aid of a tiny free magnetic card reader that attaches to a iPhone or iPad.

Simply swipe a credit card (Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover), let customers sign directly on the screen and send them an email or text message receipt. Customers can even add a tip as they sign. The app provides full reports on sales patterns and inventory.

There are no complicated contracts, monthly fees or merchant account necessary. With each swipe there is just one fee: 2.75%. Download the free app from the iTunes App Store.

Square obsoletes cash registers and credit card terminals with this groundbreaking payment system transforming everyday transactions between buyers and sellers.

Excerpt from Stephen King’s 11/22/63

Scribner has published a short excerpt from Stephen King’s upcoming book 11/22/63. Check it out HERE.

Ty Yo Gabba Gabba Beanie Babies Coming Soon

The gang is getting even cuddlier! Coming this holiday season, Brobee, Foofa, Muno, Plex, and Toodee will all be available for the first time as Ty Beanie Babies! Stay tuned for more info on availability as the holiday season approaches.

The Museum of Me

The Museum of Me is is an application that displays information from your Facebook account as viewable “exhibits” in a virtual museum of your very own.

The site searches through your Facebook pictures, likes, friends, pictures and travel locations to create a personal gallery of your life.

Yes, the experience of walking through a museum dedicated to yourself is narcissistic and Orwellian but still very interesting and a little haunting.

Beatles Anthology Will Arrive On iTunes June 14

Apple is now taking pre-orders for The Beatles Anthology, the three double-length albums issued during the mid-90s that releases live recordings, demos and studio sessions of the Fab Four.

Originally released as two volumes in 1995 and 1996, the Beatles Anthology went multi-platinum and received the 1996 Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the single Free as a Bird.

Each of the Anthology albums will be $29.99 with a $12.99 Anthology Highlights album. The three main albums also will be collected into a $79.99 boxset.

The Beatles Anthology will be available June 14.