I take issue with people saying they have a fear of flying. People suffer from a fear of suddenly not flying. When your plane stops flying, you have a problem. Still, pteromerhanophobia is one of the world’s best-known fears. SkyGuru is a brand new app designed to help you overcome your fear of flying.
Flying used to be new and exciting. Today, we treat planes like we do buses. For that reason, flying only makes the news these days when there’s a crash. This creates a world where a fear of flying is logical to some extent, but it’s not the root cause.
Us humans are a strange bunch. Most of the time, our biggest fears stem from the unknown. This is definitely true for flying. A flight attacks nearly every one of your senses. You have the feeling of turbulence, the smell of jet fuel and the sound of engines. The majority of people who step onto a plane have no idea what causes the feelings, smells and sounds.
Not understanding the details behind these sense provoking events causes anxiety for passengers. This is the problem that SkyGuru has set out to solve.
How does SkyGuru help with your fear of flying?
SkyGuru is a smartphone app that gives you some of the information the pilots have. The author of the app is Alex Gervash. Alex has been studying the fear of flying since 2006 and he also has over twenty years flying commercial airliners. His knowledge powers the app to help you overcome your fear of flying. Essentially, the app is like sitting beside a pilot who explains every step of your flight to you.
the app is like sitting beside a pilot
Think about it. You’re not afraid of driving because you’re in control and you know what’s going on. SkyGuru helps you understand “what made that noise” and “what’s that feeling”. Before takeoff, you enter your flight details. The app then downloads all the information it will need for your flight. Once onboard the app calibrates itself and you’re ready for takeoff.
The app walks your through every stage of your flight:
I’m a die hard fan of shows like Ice Pilots and Air Crash Investigation. From a young age, I’ve always had Microsoft Flight Simulator installed on my PC. I’m also a nosey passenger that enjoys a bit of turbulence. Still, SkyGuru was able to provide loads of information I would never have known during my flight. When queuing up, SkyGuru advised of what takeoff would be like. The detail is amazing, even telling me what the likely first turn would be after takeoff.
Throughout the flight, the app provides a lovely graphic interface of how the plane is moving. A fairly constant running commentary helps to paint you a picture of what’s going on around you. This could be details on speed or why you experience that sagging feeling. I was particularly impressed when the app informed me that the pilot was about to reduce engine power. I got this notification just as I could hear the engines powering back.
Is SkyGuru good value?
If you’re interested in knowing what’s going on with your flight, SkyGuru is expensive. But if you are deathly afraid of flying, it’s a great companion. SkyGuru helps you rationalise the events around you. That loud noise was the flaps retracting. The smell of jet fuel is totally normal. That falling feeling is actually the plane ascending slower than a second ago. If you have a fear of flying, this is the kind of info that will really calm you down.
SkyGuru is currently available to download for iOS. Android will also be available soon.
Many are ready to close the door behind them on 2016 and leap into a new year. Before we do, the Goos3D team have taken a look at the year that was 2016. Please do play this in the background as you read:
What were your tech highlights for 2016?
Martin: People are finally embracing video. I’m surprised Facetime didn’t break down barriers to people video calling. I guess the problem was not everyone has an iPhone. Almost everyone does have WhatsApp though.
Then you combine everyone having faster internet, more mobile data and better phones. The perfect conditions for people to adopt video communications. To top it all off, Facebook is empowering everyone to run their own live new channel with Facebook Live.
Jon: The VR movement – from Oculus (terrible) to Sony PSVR (rather good). It seems everybody is getting in on this race to perfect the VR experience. It’s just a matter of now hitting the three C’s: cost, comfort and content. But we’re getting there with no shortage in selection. The current VR leaders are PlayStation, Oculus, Google Daydream and HTC Vive. I’m just waiting for Nintendo to bring out a Wii VR.
Dean: To be fair, apart from the mobile front which has unfortunately been very calm this year there have been some huge innovations over the last twelve months. For me though it has to be the growth of the Dreambox or Android Box whatever you fancy calling it. Costing roughly €80 and with a good quality internet connection, the world can be your oyster. Every channel you could ask for, any event or game and best of all no more bills to TV companies. Now if only I could get a decent internet connection.
Gary: There have been many tech highlights this year as there have been celebrity deaths. But for me, 2016 is the year that wearable tech finally made sense for everyone. There have been so many great wearable devices released this year. The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier and Asus ZenWatch 3 topped the list as this year’s wearable “must haves”. Expect to see this trend continue in 2017. We expect the likes of Jawbone, Samsung and FitBit to release new fitness trackers.
Biggest tech flop of 2016?
Martin: I guess this is a no brainer. Samsung’s Note7 had the potential to be the greatest smartphone of all time. We were at the launch and to be frank the Note7 left us wowed. Like you know how the Great Gatsby wowed people. Now it practically doesn’t exist and blew some stuff up. The only other thing I could imagine putting here is the fact we’ve lost Pebble from the market. Up there with the celebrities we’ve lost is the first wearable I ever owned.
Jon: Pokemon GO.
Martin: Oh my god, yes. Pokémon GO was last year. I actually forgot about it.
Jon: Exactly. The fad of the year and could have potentially been something great. I was so excited about this. Gaming on the go what a great premise right? First, the screwed up the mapping system. Then they switched off third party maps. But worst of all, they never developed past the repetitive catching of Pokemon. Nor did they add the ability to battle or trade with friends. Two of the most important concepts from the classic Pokémon old games. Simply couldn’t keep up with the hype machine
Gary: Ok, bear with me here. Note7 was an about catastrophe for Samsung. But for the biggest let down of 2016, I have to go with the iPhone 7. There was a lack of innovation with hardware and design. Like who needs two different shades of black? They also took away our headphone jack. Utter madness. Hopefully, next year will be different, as it’s the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone. Just don’t be too disappointed again.
Dean: I think the lads have the phone side of things pretty much covered. Nothing new or shiny worth getting this year apart from maybe the OnePlus 3, but there have been far too many flops for my liking. Apple, as Gary said, had a stinker. the Apple Watch is an utter disaster. The hype machine as ever with Apple was massive with adverts taking over but the big thing none of them mentioned was what does the watch actually do? Well, the answer was pretty much nothing if I’m honest. The sales were actually so poor Motorola actually put off their releases until they believed the market was more prepared. Note to the lads, the world wants wearables just not shite ones.
What are your tech predictions for 2017?
Martin: I’m sticking with video. It’s grown a lot in 2016, but it’s going to improve even more in 2017. Again, it’s going to be down to the likes of Facebook Live and WhatsApp video calling.
Jon: Artificial intelligence is where I think things are ready to grow soon. AI is catching up with the hype after years of Siri and general disappointment. AI is showing its awesome potential in Google Translate and more in Amazon’s Echo. Echo is amazing, and now that’s got healthy competition from Google Home. Artificial intelligence is now being used in everything from driverless cars and medical innovation. Keep an eye on AI it’s coming in big.
Dean: 3D printing went a bit quiet lately in terms of new releases. I’m banking on a huge jump in 3D printed technology in the next year or so. The medical industry has taken this rapid prototyping tech to heart literally. Although 3D printing might not be shown in the next level of surgical devices it’s influence and adaptability cannot be undermined. Also as the tech develops home systems are going to reduce in price exponentially meaning the modern era version of a man in his shed inventing can come to pasture. They say great innovation happens in times of desperation sure with Trump at the helm over the pond lets wait and see what happens.
Gary: It’s already started to click this year, I’m expecting massive leaps forward for VR in 2017. The likes of FreeFly VR have made it accessible to the masses. You can add Sony pushing VR gaming into the PlayStation world and Google Daydream to that as well. I can’t wait for VR developers get their hands dirty with some imaginative ideas over the next 12 months.
What app did you use most in 2016?
Martin: My apps revolve around the car. TomTom Go and Nexar are on every time I drive anywhere. Of course, WhatsApp is up there too, but that’s a given.
Jon: I know it’s not an official iOS or Google Play Store app but I would have to run with Showbox. Stuck on the bus to work in the morning quick episode of SouthPark. Long break or journey catch a movie, fairly simple and effective. Officially speaking, it’s Snapchat. The filters, Bitmoji’s etc. this app takes the top spot for me, especially at toilet time.
Martin: Note to self – block Jon on Snapchat.
Gary: Unlike Jon, I’ve been using official means to watch my TV and movies, so I have to say SkyGo. Being able to have Sky TV, Sky Movies and Sky Sports, both live and on demand, anywhere and anytime. It just makes life that little bit easier. There’s something about watching Cersei Lannister blowing up the Citadel while waiting in line at the motor tax office that makes me love SkyGo.
Dean: Is PornHub out of the question? No, seriously I’m a man who likes my sports so a SkySportsNews is a huge one. That and SkyBet. They have to be worked as a pair though because online betting does give better odds fair but this can mean you make a stupid decision. The ability to check the latest news, injuries and gossip from the sports world is of paramount importance if like me you fancy yourself as the next Jp Mc Manus. Up 500 beans this year – just saying.
Is there one piece of tech you can’t wait to get your hands on in 2017?
Martin: The Nello is probably the one gadget I can’t wait to get my hands on. It’s a cool, disruptive little gadget that provides key-less entry for people in apartments.
Jon: All going well I am due to give a Tesla Model S a test drive at the end of January. That’s something that I am well and truly looking forward too. A smart, eco-friendly car that looks like an Aston Martin, this will be fun.
Dean: Honestly I have wanted a smartwatch for a long time. But I haven’t been able to believe there would be a return on investment. Google recently announced that they are going to release, not one but two, flagship smartwatches in the next year off the back of the success generated by the beauty that is the Pixel. Interestingly, they have announced they will be partnering with someone who has made smartwatches in the past much like the HTC partnership on the Pixel, but they wouldn’t say who. I would love if HTC got on board but more than likely we will see a Google-LG/Huawei partnership here. Either way, I want.
Gary: 2017 is going to be massive for mobile phones. After the Note7 debacle, I’m genuinely excited to see what Samsung bring to the table next year. They now have zero option but to really push the limits on innovation. They can only hope this revives some customer loyalty and trust. Expect Apple to do something big with iPhone for its 10th anniversary. Google will no doubt have another iteration of the superb Pixel device. Also expect big things from Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers like OnePlus and Xiaomi.
What was your entertainment highlight of 2016?
Martin: Deadpool. Holy dickballs. What a movie. From a Marvel franchise I knew nothing about to being arguably the best Marvel movie of all time. Ryan Reynolds redeems himself from being a terrible Deadpool and a terrible Green Lantern. Good job Ryan.
Jon: Personally I like my gaming. The biggest source of entertainment I had this year was the latest release of the Uncharted Series. Solid game, beautiful detail and gameplay
Dean:Star Wars Rogue One is immense. Really before now I never ever even thought about how or who stole the plans to the Death Star. Lots of “oh yeaaaaah” moments of realisation throughout. Fair enough the beginning is a bit weak as are some of the characters but it really is more of a war movie from the franchise and the final act makes it all worth while. Also, just enough Vader to link with the movies of the past. I could go off on a rant but I’ll hold my tongue as Gary doesn’t really feel the same.
Gary: Game Of Thrones, without a doubt. Everything is now coming together in Westeros, and the latest series exceeded all expectations. It had everything. A magnificent script, revenge, back stories, dragons, more dragons, and two of the best scenes on TV in recent memory (battle of the bastards, and the citadel explosion). I cannot wait for April for the next instalment.
Entertainment flop of 2016?
Martin: Independence Day: Resurgence was shocking. I had the original on VHS. I watched it so many times. I even remember watching the Movie Magic episode on how they blew up the White House. I nearly turned off the sequel. Maybe if Will Smith wasn’t off wasting his time elsewhere, he could have saved the show.
Jon: Suicide Squad, a movie not about Will Smith that became totally about him. Oh and Harley Quinn, the walking talking sex puppet. Her character is far more interesting than what was actually conveyed. The less said about this utter shit show the better.
Dean:Well yes the Suicide Squad was complete and utter tripe. It just looks like DC really screwed up two titles which were harder to make a balls of but they somehow managed to do it. The Superman Vs Batman movie was the biggest let down. Literally everything even remotely good about this movie was shown in the trailers and don’t get me started on that Stepbrother style scene, jesus christ almighty. Blocklayers must have shed tears watching this movie. All it did was destroy walls. Throw Wonder Woman and an attempt of throwing everyone in the Justice league on the screen as fast as possible it just felt like DC wanted to create a Marvel style Universe in just one flick. It took Marvel ten years and a tonne of movies to do the same. Cop on.
Gary: At the risk of being excommunicated, Rogue One was…
Martin: an excellent movie. Can we move on?
Gary: No. Rogue One was a massive disappointment for me. I expected a lot from this movie, given that it was linking back to A New Hope. For me, it completely failed to deliver on the hype. No opening credits, poor characters and a severe lack of Vader presence made me feeling let down by Disney. Even a semi-solid third act in the movie couldn’t mask the blandness of Rogue One. Save your money, wait till it’s on SkyGo.
What was your most memorable series binge of 2016?
Martin: It was so very nearly Ice Pilots, but Suits passed it out at the death. I’ve been thinking about watching it for years, but now I’m stuck into it. I’m totally into the characters and the storyline. I just can’t stop watching episode after episode – it’s addictive. Now, to find a free online law school – or not. What’s the bar?
Jon: Oh dear, Westworld was my big one in recent memory. Two sittings of ten, hour long episodes was a pretty intense commitment, but it was worth every single second. Wow seriously if people haven’t watched it there is a new year’s resolution to get stuck into.
Dean: Luke Cage who just ripped up Harlem in ten episodes. A real salt of the earth hero and a release that was just so perfectly timed with the Black Lives Matter movement in the States. For the political power alone and the fresh take on the superhero genre, it had to be Luke Cage for me.
Gary: Finally, Jon and I agree. Westworld was great viewing, and something completely fresh. But my biggest binge this year was House of Cards. After a dull season 3, House of Cards returned to its former glory. There’s nothing better than watching Kevin Spacey play the expert puppet master over a cold weekend in January. Expect not to see or hear from me for about 3 days when season 5 is released.
What movie are you most looking forward to in 2017?
Martin: Knowing Jon is here, I’ll leave Beauty and the Beast to him. For me the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy sequel is top of the list. The movie itself is fantastic, but the first soundtrack got me through weeks of work.
Jon: This was tough for me. Anyone who knows me would tell you straight out, I am a self professed Disney fanatic. In normal circumstances means the live action version of The Beauty and the Beast wins hands down.
Martin: Whoa. I’m sensing a “but” Jon?
Jon: But unfortunately, Emma Watson annoys me. Her casting as Belle bothers me greatly. She doesn’t fit the bill but whatever. This year I can’t wait to see Logan, the final instalment of the Wolverine series. While the storyline just keeps Hugh Jackman in a job the trailer looks amazing. There seems to be something different about this superhero movie.
Dean: Pitch Perfect 3 oh that singing, the dancing it moves my soul. BAH sure thing, nope Im shocked it hasn’t been mentioned yet – the new Power Rangers Movie? The trailers look really impressive and tell me a man who didn’t pretend to be a Power Ranger in his youth and I will show you a lier, I just hope it doesn’t flop.
Gary: I’m finding it hard to choose, there are so many great movies due out. Lego Batman, Justice League, Transformers, Guardians 2. All movies I will watch in a premier seat in Odeon. But being a Marvel fan, I can’t wait to see how Spiderman Homecoming works out.
Martin: I’m so confused by the amount of Spidermen we’ve seen.
Gary: Yes, and the Spiderman franchise has flopped twice. This is either strike three or 3rd time lucky for Marvel with one of their staple characters. The trailer looks good, so I’m trusting that Marvel have got this one right. Finally.
Happy New Year from the Goos3D team
From everyone here at Goos3D, thanks for your support over the past year. We’ve grown in so many ways throughout 2016. More people are reading what we write and we’re writing and reviewing even more. We can’t wait for 2017 to kick off!
With the release of the first Star Wars spin off, Rogue One, we take a look at other spin offs we all want to see.
More Star Wars Stories
I’m a massive Star Wars fan. But mainly of the films. I was never one to delve into the canon books or comics. There is a massive Star Wars Universe out there that goes back centuries before Darth Vader ruled the Galaxy. Stories about how the Sith first came about, how the Emperor became the Emperor, the origins of The Rule of Two, the list goes on. When Rogue One came out, I found it surprisingly refreshing to get a break from the Skywalker saga that has been going on for almost 40 years now. We get a taste of what else is going on with other unsung heroes we haven’t met yet. And with a Han Solo film set to start filming soon, here’s a taste of what us at Goos3D want to see in the future of Star Wars.
Yoda
I think it’s a story we all want to see. In Empire, Yoda tells Luke he has trained Jedi for 800 years. It’s safe to say that Yoda has almost seen and done it all. He has seen Empires rise and fall. Jedi turn to the dark side and Sith brought back to the light. One question we all want to know is where is Yoda from? At no point is his home planet nor his species mentioned in the whole Star Wars saga. There are so many avenues Disney could go down with Yoda. Let’s hope they give the fans what the want.
Boba Fett
There were talks of a Boba Fett spin off being released but rumours say it has been scrapped. I for one would still be very much interested in seeing how one of the galaxies most efficient bounty hunters gained the trust of Vader.
We know that Boba is the son of Jango Fett. He was created along with 10 million other Clones we see deployed in Attack of the Clones. But Jango requested one clone be created just for him who isn’t motored to do and say whatever he was ordered. Jango met his demise at the end of AOTC, but we don’t know what happened to Boba afterwards. It’s likely this film would take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. We could also be treated to a bit more Vader, who possibly could have groomed Boba into the bounty hunter he grew up to be. It would also explain why Vader seems to trust him so much.
The Emperor
In ROTS, Palpatine tells Anakin about a Sith called Darth Plagueis who was so powerful he could control the mediclorians in the force and even bring people back to life. After he thought his apprentice this, his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It isn’t said directly, but Palpatine is basically telling Anakin that he is the apprentice in the story. And that he can teach him this power and help stop Padme from dying, which Anakin has been dreaming of frequently, similar to his mothers death. I for one would be very interested in seeing the power of this Darth Plagueis and the beginnings of The Emporer’s rise to power.
The Rule of Two
The Rule of Two basically states that there can only ever be 2 Siths in existence at one time. The Master, and The Apprentice. It was created by Darth Bane, a Sith that existed long before the days of The Empire. He created it because he thought the Brotherhood of Darkness was weak. If there was more then one apprentice, he felt the weak ones would hold back the stronger ones. It also prevented the weaker ones from possibly over throwing the master and being ruled by someone weak. This all happened after a war between the Jedi and Sith that lasted about 3000 years, which in itself would make an epic trilogy. Think Lord of the Rings, but with lightsabers.
Darth Maul
Besides Vader, Darth Maul was probably the most badass Sith in the series. With the double-edged lightsaber and freakin horns, Darth Maul is one Sith that if you saw him, you’d probably turn and run before he even took the Lightsaber out. He was a scary looking dude, but there is a whole Dathomirian Zabrek race of him. Where did he come from and where did the Emperor find him? He is the first Sith we know of that the Emperor trained. A back story to Darth Maul would be awesome to see and would also give us a taste of the Star Wars Universe just as the Emperor would have been planning his take over of the Galaxy. It’s one worth thinking about.
As I said earlier, there is a massive universe spanning thousands of years worth exploring. Star Wars has been around for almost 40 years, and a lot of people would be more then happy if it stayed around for 40 more. Hopefully Disney will keep the universe alive. Tell us below what spin offs you’d like to see Disney take on in the future.
Tis the season and all that jazz and that means one thing. The inevitable war that comes on Christmas Day about what to watch is coming. You know what I’m talking about. The gifts are done and the turkey and sprouts have been consumed. Someone is creating nauseous gases like a trucker and your Ma wants to throw on a Christmas flick for the family to watch. Finally, the board games and turkey sambos come out.
Well, we hope to avoid the arguments over movies this year and have put together a definitive top five flicks for vegging after Christmas dinner. This caused some debate within the crew here so please feel free to tell us your picks. Now without further ado here’s the top picks
Home Alone
Home Alone has got to be here right? It could and probably should be higher on the list. Years of over watching and the inability to shake the thought that the current appearance of Macauley Culkin is as a result of being abandoned at Christmas more than once.
The story is simple enough, the McCallister family is preparing for a vacation in Paris. The night before the flight Kevin (Culkin) gets into a scuffle with his older brother Buzz over dinner. Banished to his bedroom on the top floor, when the family rush to catch their flight the following morning poor Kevin gets forgotten. A now home alone young man gets to live the life, eating Pizza, bed jumping, dancing in his underpants – Martin’s standard Saturday. Anyway two burglars, Harry and Marv aka The Wet Bandits decide to burgle the gaff on Christmas Eve. So Kevin acts by creating a series of booby traps to protect the house and hilarity ensues while bringing the crooks down a few pegs.
A solid seasonal call
How The Grinch stole Christmas
Jim Carrey – need we say much more? The Grinch is based on an old Dr Seuss story. The movie is full of memorable moments. One well-known one is where the Grinch’s “heart grew two sizes that day”. The movie has a wonderful message and real seasonal sentiment to this rather funny movie.
In Whoville, the hobbitlike odd looking folk known as the Whos, and they love Christmas. While just outside the city lives the Grinch who as a child was rejected by the Whos and lives a spite filled life at the outskirts of the city. Hating the Whos and especially Christmas for all of its phoney sentiment and materialism, well a young child Cindy Lou Who ( who is now a major character in Gossip Girl ) tries to rise above all of the side shows and invites the Grinch to the party, which backfires badly. Thus driving the Grinch to try and steal Christmas in an elaborate fashion.
Jingle All the Way
Like the Grinch, this holiday treat features another well known and brilliant actor – none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Also, the story line is a typical Christmas uplifting ending which comes after the main character changes their ways. Becoming a better person and realises there is more to the festivities than the materialistic circus Christmas has become. Couple this with a funny accent, a rather angry postal worker and a superhero toy that just can’t be bought (something many of us can understand in December).
Howard aka Arnie misses his son’s practise and promises to buy him a Turbo Man who looks oddly like Arnie, well Howard doesn’t know that this is the must have for that Christmas much like the Hatchimals epidemic of this year.
So Howard and a deranged postal working who is also looking for Turbo man battle, con artists, the gardai, and a whole pile of other people in search of the doll. Anyway by pure accident he becomes Turbo Man.
Rewatch it seriously you won’t regret it.
Elf
I don’t care what anyone says, Buddy the Elf is one of the greatest Christmas characters ever made. The story surrounds Buddy, a baby in an orphanage who ended up in the North Pole via hiding in Santa’s sack. Raised by elves as an elf and never quite fitting in, mainly due to his obvious size and lack of elfishness, the Big guy in red allows Buddy to head off to New York to find his biological father, Walter Hobbs.
The long and short of it is Walter’s a bit of a dick and is on the naughty list and leaves Buddy to work and experience New York as only an Elf can. With enough laughs and plenty of Will Ferrell, it’s enough to make the grinchiest of us all look like the below.
Die Hard
The definitive Christmas flick, Yippee Kay Ay! Bruce Willis, action pack scenes, iconic moments, massive explosions and set on Christmas. DING DING DING we have a winner people.
The basic premise for those who do not know, Die Hard is about NYPD copper John McClane who goes on a little holiday to visit his wife in LA, where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While at the HQ for a Christmas party a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman epically) take control of the office and hold the party goers hostage, while the perform their lucrative heist . Well besides John McClane that is, without an immediate police response or the option to escape, he takes matters into his own hands.
Rogue One is finally here, and it was refreshing….. where do I begin?
The Rogue One story
Rogue One tells the story of how The Rebels got a hold of the evil Empires Death Star plans in Episode IV A New Hope. Given the massive scale of such a powerful battle station, it is difficult to see how a rather small army compared to the Empire could possibly get their hands on blueprints for this new planet destroying space ship.
Felicity Jones plays the lead role of Jyn Eros. Jyn is the daughter of a weapons scientist that goes by the name of Galen Eros. Galen designed the Death Star, and in particular, its destructive weapon which took 19 years to build before they finally perfected it. She is recruited by the Rebels to try and find these plans that the Empire possess. Although it is the first standalone Star Wars film, it’s pretty much a direct, and I mean a direct, prequel to A New Hope. If you are planning on having a Star Wars marathon it would fit comfortably as the first film is to watch. Or the fourth if you plan on watching them chronologically.
That Star Wars feel
Rogue one is a refreshing take on Star Wars. For the first time in 7 films, the story does not revolve around the Skywalker family (assuming Rey is related to Luke or Leia). We get a futuristic take on guerilla warfare, filled with plotting, ambushing and an epic battle scene in the third act. One of the best third acts I’ve seen for as long as I can remember.
Without giving much away, we see a lot more pew-pewing and less vroom-vrooming as we have seen in previous films. As we are told in A New Hope, the Jedi are considered to be wiped out, so try to imagine D-Day in Saving Private Ryan, but with lasers.
No, this film isn’t filled with light sabre battles, but it doesn’t have to be and is brilliantly executed.
New faces
One of the best characters in the film is the introduction to the new protocol droid K-2SO. It’s very hard not to compare him to Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory. He is blunt with his words, but they come across hilarious which helps break some of the tension in what is a gritty war film. And to be honest, he gives R2 a run for his money as a lot of people’s favourite droid.
Cassian Andor plays the character K-2SO protects throughout the film. Having lost his parents to the Empire at age six, he is hell bent on destroying the Empire and is willing to do anything to get the job done. He’s a strong character who takes a bit to warm up to, but becomes one of Jyn’s closest allies as the film goes on.
Chirrut Imwe is a blind monk. He is a believer in the force. Whether he’s is one with the force or not isn’t made clear in the film. But he certainly worships the religion so to speak and believes in its powers. Not only that, but he is a badass who does not let his lack of sight take out Stormtrooper or two throughout the film. He’s also a very witty character that comes out with a couple of one-liners that the whole cinema enjoyed together.
Another new character we meet is Director Krennic. He is one of the main officers in charge of getting the Death Star’s weapons system up and running. He comes across of a rather incompetent Admiral who really is just having a string of bad luck. The Rebels don’t help by causing him hassle time and time again. Hes a powerful figure, but not the man in charge on the Empires side in this film.
Some old friends
Throughout the film we are introduced to some characters from past films. But they are not shown in trailers so I won’t spoil it for you. But one character we do know who makes an appearance is the man in black himself.
Darth Vader. I don’t want to say too much on him as there is so much anticipation as to how long he’s is in the film. What I will say is I wasn’t disappointed by the appearances he did make.
In Rogue One, we see Vader in his most ruthless and destructive form yet. In the sequels he was evil, but didn’t come across as very scary on the screen. This time, it’s incredible to see how evil he is. Anakin Skywalker is well and truly dead as far as Vader is concerned. Imagine the main villain in an old school slasher film kind of evil. No pity, no remorse, just a man hell bent on ruling the Galaxy. In Darth Vader fashion, he isn’t going to let anyone get in his way. I want to go see the film again for many reasons, but to see Vader once again is my main one. Prepare yourself.
Cinematography
Some of the battle scenes in this film are the best I’ve seen on the big screen. We get to see a weapons test by the Death Star and get a birds eye of view the sheer scale of unparalleled destruction it is capable of. We also get to see some AT-AT and AT-ST walkers we see in the trailers. You can’t help but smile with nostalgia similar to when we saw the X-Wings in The Force Awakens. And as always, we are given an epic space battle with one or two things we haven’t seen before.
Conclusion
Rogue One gives us everything we expected. A futuristic war film and an under dog story. We get cameos from old films and answers questions that were only covered in canon. Although it is a prequel to A New Hope, you could watch it if you haven’t seen Star Wars before. After 2 films Disney have release now, I very much like the way they are going. I would be perfectly happy if they are still releasing spin offs in 20 years time. In fact, I hope they are.
Anyone know how much the average Irish parents spend on a child each Christmas? We didn’t either but it turns out the figure is somewhere in the region or €300 and €400. I have made my own Christmas gift list letter to Santa compiling my top tech picks under budget for this Christmas. so Mam, if your reading this take notes.
Huawei Y5II from €89.99
The humble smartphone. A staple in pretty much every teen’s Christmas hit list. The latest iPhone, Google Pixel and Samsung S7 are guaranteed to be sellouts this season. Lower budget phones can also be a smash hit around the festive season. The Huawei Y5II is looking like this year’s budget special. It boasts similar specs as the vastly more expensive Samsung J3. The Huawei Y5II sports a tidy 8MP camera, decent memory and comes in three colours; Black, Gold and Pink. Depending on the network you are looking for, the Y5II starts at €89.99. This makes it the highest spec phone on the market under €100. The best offer we’ve seen
This makes it the highest spec phone on the market under €100. The best offer we’ve seen comes from Three. For €120 you get six months access to Deezer Premium and a set of Energy Sistem BT1 Bluetooth headphones. Nice!
Football Manager 17 from €30
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a fresh game to waste away. NES Mini could have represented gaming, but I’m going for the less social option. Football Manager returns for its 2017 instalment. The amount of time I’ll dedicate to playing this is crazy. Arguably, the series is one of the most complete games ever created. We’re slightly partial to a game of Football Manager. Depending on where you buy the game, you could be looking at forking out €55 to €30. Generally speaking, if you pick it up online, you’ll save some money.
Secrid Wallet from €60
Simple, beautiful, innovative are just a few words to describe the Secrid wallet. The Dutch designed wallet is not just a smaller and well-designed wallet. Its core is made from aluminium to protect your cards from RFID scanners. It will also protect your cards from you, so you don’t bend your cards. The really cool bit is the trigger mechanism. One flick launches cards for you to make your payments while looking like a boss. Secrid has a wide range of cases with designs that can hold over ten cards, coins, keys and more.
Lumi Drone – €60
From child to manchild and everyone between. Most people would have a drone on their Christmas gift list. My personal favourite, without breaking the bank, is the Lumi. You can pick up the Lumi Drone in any Smyths toys for €60.
It looks awesome and it’s so simple to fly literally anyone can do it. You need an app on a smartphone or tablet and off you go to drone heaven. The Lumi features one touch tricks as well as an autopilot mode so you can play the interactive games with it. You can even build your own air show. A simple and fun way to have a laugh on Christmas day annoying the family. Remember the batteries.
The Christmas gift list needs NES Mini – from €65
So, I lied. I said it had to be Football manager or this. There is still enough left in the budget to pick up the niftiest little item on sale this year. The NES Mini is essentially a mini version an HDMI cabled update of the original 1985 NES. Just plug and play one of the 30 preloaded games for some retro love. For an extra ten bucks pick up a second controller and make it a two player experience.
Universal have unleashed their new Mummy trailer. It is the first of a series in the new Universal Monster Universe – their answer to the DC and Marvel universes.
Monsters versus Heroes
Let’s be honest, over the past decade DC and even more so Marvel have ruled the cinema world. Every year they release a couple of films that the world holds its breath for. In Marvel’s case, they pretty much always deliver. Not only do they bring out independent films like Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, etc. But they also do a lot of crossover films such as Avengers and Civil War. DC, still at the start of their universe, are following suit with Justice League. But as the world sits on the edge of their seats for them, they now have some new competition to deal with. And with Russell Crowe playing the role of Mr. Hyde in The Mummy, it seems Universal will be doing a bit of crossing over themselves.
Some of the films they have lined up are The Mummy, which you can see the trailer to below. Also in the pipeline are Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Van Helsing and The Creature From the Blue Lagoon. Dracula (Untold), The Wolfman, Frankenstein, The Mummy and Van Helsing have all had theatrical re-releases in the past 15-20 years. All bar Van Helsing and The Mummy were more or less box office flops and did not do the classics justice. But being a movie buff myself, I feel we are in a golden age of film. The standard of movie making has skyrocketed. Walking into a studio with a half decent screenplay doesn’t cut it anymore.
Trial and error
The Wolfman re-release in 2010 was pitiful. It was boring and didn’t have any top actors at the time in it and had a second-rate cast. Dracula Untold only released last year was a decent attempt at a reboot, but just didn’t grab the public eye. Van Helsing, probably my favourite re-release on the list, was pretty well done. It had a decent budget. A good cast with Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale at the helm. Great special effects. And an awesome werewolf, being my favourite werewolf on the big screen so far. But it just came out at a time when people went to the cinema to pass time. Now we count down the 18- 24 month wait to a highly anticipated film. This is what Universal are doing differently this time. They are creating a new universe.
Universal play catch up
Universal are huge, they’ve always been around, they’ll always be around. But they are more known for bringing out big budget successful independent films. Let’s break it down.
Disney
The Avengers
Guardians of the Galaxy
Toy Story
Finding Nemo
Pirates of the Caribbean
Star Wars
Warner Brothers
Lord of the Rings
The Hobbit
Harry Potter
The Dark Knight Trilogy
Justice League
Fox
X-Men
Avatar
Independence Day
Die Hard
Paramount
Transformers
Star Trek
Mission: Impossible
Sony
James Bond
Spider-Man
Men in Black
Bad Boys
Universal
Fast and Furious
Jurassic Park
A new era
You can see that as franchises go Universal are lagging behind. Now with the new monster Universe about to be unleashed, they have a few projects they can get moviegoers excited about. Finally, Universal can create a bit of hype, and if done properly, can create a new generation a monster movie lovers.
Like Hansel in Zoolander, retro gaming is so hot right now. Facebook have followed up on the addictive hidden games within their Messenger service. In the past, we’ve wasted hours playing games like “keepy-uppy” and basketball. Facebook has stepped it up with a retro Messenger games that you can find in the Instant Games tab.
Why bring gaming to Messenger?
After testing the water with some pop-up games, the idea proved popular with users. Messenger basketball was played over 1.2 billion times. The Facebook team are not ones to overlook an opportunity to please the masses. Instant Games builds on the early tests, providing proper gaming hub. This hub goes a step further than encouraging you to game. Instant Games is full of retro classics like Pacman.
Of course, the real reason Facebook have introduced Instant Games is the social aspect. It’s incredibly competitive as we’ve already discovered here in Goos3D HQ. Dean has emerged as a bit of a hero when it comes to the classic block-smashing Arkanoid. We’re all chasing his top-score.
How to play Messenger Games
It’s pretty straight forward to get started setting high scores with your friends.
Make sure your messenger app is up to date with the latest version
Open up a conversation with your friend
Tap the game controller icon
Select the Messenger game you want to play
Enjoy ripping your mates when they fall short of your high-score
What games can you play in Messenger?
Facebook have opted for loads of retro games to kick off Instant Games. You can play Pacman, Arkanoid, Space Invaders, Track and Field and Words with Friends. Go on and give it a go. If you want to get some practice in before taking on your friends, challenge us to a game. Open the Messenger app on your smartphone, select “scan code” then scan this image.
We’ll get around to beating your high score when we can.
For many, 2017 can’t come quickly enough. A good old “clean slate protocol” every now and then is good for the body and mind. With that said, we look back at Ireland’s top Google searches in 2016 to get into the minds of the Irish public.
Ireland’s trending Google searches in 2016
We search for a lot of things every year and we’ll come back to the most popular annual terms. But first, we want to dive into the new searches that appeared for the first time this year.
Pokémon GO
It’s still fairly popular, but Pokémon GO was possibly the most come and go trend in tech history. Just look at the popularity trend for the past year.
That’s what shortlived looks like. With that said, it’s undeniable how massive an impact Pokémon GO made on 2016. Hundreds of thousands of people now know what augmented reality is. The game got people out and about into the fresh air.
Ireland has seen chord-cutting grow in popularity. Chord-cutting is when customers opt for streaming online over traditional services like Sky. Some will pay for services like Netflix, others prefer “grey area” sites like 123Movies. This site is the second most searched new item in 2016.
123Movies is a free website that provides users with links to the latest movies and TV shows. The site is the second most searcheInterest in the site grew from October and was most prominent in Limerick. It’s a grey area because you are viewing a lot of content you should be paying for – a debate for another day. All that matters now, is that TV providers and cinemas need to make their services more attractive
Slither.io
Slither.io is a game, where the object is to feed a snake multicoloured pellets. It’s a multiplayer game with the added incentive to grow the biggest snake in the game. I get how these kind of games are addictive and popular. But I am surprised to see this rank second in Ireland’s most popular Google searches of 2016. Searches for the game peaked in May and was largely supported by interest in Agar.
Agar was a very similar game from last year. Strangely enough, it also ranked second most popular Irish Google search term in 2015.
Donald Trump
It’s a little surprising that Trump didn’t rank higher in our popular search terms. There are two likely causes. The first is the fact no one really thought we needed to know anything about the “other candidate” in the American election. The second cause is how Google registers searches. Trump made such an impact on Google this year, he was counted twice. “Trump” was the third most popular search term in Ireland for 2016. In at fifth was “Donald Trump”.
Unsurprisingly, interest in Trump peaked around November as people tried to learn more about the next President of the United States. As the shock spread, even a large number of Americans were searching for how to get an Irish passport.
You can probably expect to see a few more related searches for Trump in 2017.
Euro 2016
Do you remember when the craic was ninety during the summer? I remember hugging some random man with glee in McGowans as we sank the Italians. Thousands gathered in Smithfield to see us take the lead against eventual defeated finalists France.
Mainly, us Irish were Googling ways to knock a bit more craic from a tournament we didn’t expect to win. We were searching for things like Fantasy Football and how to run a sweepstake.
Ireland’s top Google searches in 2016
Whereas the trending 2016 Google searches focuses on new searches, we’ll now look at the most popular searches overall.
Dublin
Our nation’s capital is the overall top Googled term for 2016. You might think this unsurprising, but it was nowhere near the top last year. Interest in Dublin spiked this year because of several events taking place. The 1916 celebrations topped the list followed by Oktoberfest, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Elliot and Beyonce.
Facebook
Of course, Facebook ranks highly on this list. Irish people spend almost six hours on Facebook every week. You’ll often hear murmurs that Facebook is in general decline. If you were to solely look at Facebook searches in Google since 2008, the numbers would appear to suggest the same.
But don’t panic just yet people, Facebook is going nowhere. Google searches for Facebook are in natural decline as users access the service through the mobile app. Even returning users on laptops are likely to go straight to Facebook, bypassing Google.
YouTube
Google’s video streaming beast YouTube still holds its own at the top of popular searches. One thing is certain for 2017. We will still have PewDiePie who trolled the world’s media by saying he would quit YouTube when he reached fifty million subscribers. Sure enough, he hit fifty million subs and then deleted a different channel. Well played sir.
So, 2016 that’s nearly a wrap. Trump will almost certainly dominate 2017’s trends. We’re thankfully heading into a new year with some new hope. Chances are we’ll be giving out about 2017 in no time. You can look through everyone’s Google searches yourself by visiting the Trends hub.
Every now and then, “stuff breaks”. These are the sentiments of Laoise, a logical and calm user of the internet. During a recent Virgin Media broadband outage, not everyone was quite as calm and calculated as Laoise.
The Virgin Media broadband outage is Conchubhar’s excuse
In the run up to Christmas, there are three types of student. The first is unhappy their college insists on exams before Christmas because it makes shopping for presents really tough. The second feels dismayed that the Christmas period is ruined with January exams, combining Mary Poppins, Celebrations and study. The third is simply pissed off there are exams at all. This is Conchubhar:
With no desire to study, Virgin Media are now the root cause of failed exams. Not happy with that, this entrepreneurial spirit even sees an opportunity to get some extra Bucky-budget out of next month’s bill. Nice.
You wouldn’t like Diane when she’s angry
Well, we hope you’re happy now Virgin Media. You’ve not only shut down the whole country’s access to the internet, but Diane is gone to bed angry.
Technically, “not going to bed angry” is advice given to married couples. With that said, there’s a fair chance Virgin Media will be facing into a few divorces in the coming weeks. Boom.
…aaaand they wouldn’t sell me a phone
One thing we often see when big companies have significant issues is customers dragging up the past. Take Mark here. Ireland’s currently experiencing what appears to be the digital apocalypse, but still, he want’s to get a dig in about his experience buying a phone.
On the plus side, their next marketing campaign is writing itself:
Virgin Media: We can’t get anything right
Then people start to wonder
Is anyone actually trying to help? Has anyone in Virgin Media taken the situation by the scruff of the neck?
Tomás, if only you knew who was on the case…
Daryl is the hero Ireland deserves
Thanks to the Virgin Media broadband outage, there is likely flames coming from their head office right now. People are abandoning their stations, belongings are being left behind. Women and children are given priority while some men disguise themselves. As this all goes on, Daryl sat at his desk, carefully plotting his every social media move. Until suddenly, he was gone.
No one was quite sure where he went. Some feared the worst – a recruiter moved him into Sky’s customer care. No one knew where he was until the broadband started working again.
The eye of the storm. The moment previous, everything was mayhem and anarchy. Suddenly, peace and quiet. You hear birds and laughter. As Daryl works frantically though seemingly in slo-motion, Laoise steps forward.
Is SkyGuru good value?
Is SkyGuru good value?
Die Hard
This makes it the highest spec phone on the market under €100. The best offer we’ve seen 
Simple, beautiful, innovative are just a few words to describe the 
Of course, the real reason Facebook have introduced Instant Games is the social aspect. It’s incredibly competitive as we’ve already discovered here in Goos3D HQ. Dean has emerged as a bit of a hero when it comes to the classic block-smashing Arkanoid. We’re all chasing his top-score.
We’ll get around to beating your high score when we can.
Mainly, us Irish were Googling ways to knock a bit more craic from a tournament we didn’t expect to win. We were searching for things like Fantasy Football and how to run a sweepstake.
