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Captain America Doesn’t “Get” The Moon Landing, Nirvana And Steve Jobs [Humor]

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In the Marvel universe, Captain America is a World War II era super soldier who happens to get frozen in ice, only to dethaw in modern times. As such, there’s a lot he’s missed out on, and in the latest Captain America film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we get a quick list of Captain America’s notebook, tracking the things he doesn’t “get.”

Lo and behold, Steve Jobs and Apple made the list, alongside Nirvana, Rocky, Thai Food, the moon landing, and — inexplicably — I Love Lucy.

Via: Reddit

Why Apple Wins Where Others Don’t, This Week On The CultCast

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Secret sauce—it’s the reason Apple keeps winning where others fail, and on our newest CultCast, we discuss the recipe that keeps Apple ahead of the pack. Plus, iOS 8 rumors detail some powerful new features; whispers of an impossibly thin iPhone 6; A-list musicians praise Pono as the digital music player for audiophiles; iPad 4 makes a comeback; and we reveal our favorite Cult movies on a all-new Get To Know Your Cultist!

Guffaw your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the uproarious good time commence.

And thanks to FreshBooks for sponsoring this episode! That’s right, Fresbooks the simple online accounting solution built for small business owners – just like you – who want to skip the headache of tax time. For a limited time, try FreshBooks free 60 days, and enter “CultCast” in the “How Did You Hear About Us” section.

Show notes up next!

Leave your comments, topics, or suggestions on our new Facebook page! We always try to include them in the show. Facebook.com/TheCultCast.

Episode

CultCast #118 – The Secret Sauce

On The CultCast this week

Leander Kahney – Cult of Mac Editor-in-Chief, loyal subject of the Queen.
Erfon Elijah – Cult of Mac writer and host of The CultCast.
Buster Heine – Cult of Mac writer and community manager.

This Week’s Stories

iOS 8 Apple considers Notification Center Messages tweaks removing Game Center app (Discussion)

Pegatron And Foxconn Gearing Up For iPhone 6 Production [Rumor]

Apple Retires iPad 2, Replaces It With Retina Display Model

Apple Confirms The 8GB iPhone 5c Will Not Be Sold In The U.S.

Tim Cook Says ‘Haunted Empire’ Book Is A Bunch Of Nonsense

Keep Everyone Energized With The PowerShare Charging Bundle [Deals]

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This Cult of Mac Deals offer is going to do its part to keep everyone energized. all oyu ave to do is pick one up to make that happen.

The PowerShare Charging Bundle includes the PowerShare Reactor and the PowerShare Adapter. Like its name suggests, the PowerShare Reactor provides ample power to your Apple, Android, or otherwise USB-charged devices, simultaneously. The PowerShare Adapter is a great home and away companion to help save outlet space. Being able to charge two (2) devices from one iPhone charger is critical sometimes. And when that happens, the Adapter comes through. And you can get both of these handy little devices for only $49.99 during this limited time offer.

Tell Us Why Macs Rock Your World To Win Free Macworld Tickets

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SAN FRANCISCO — Apple fanpeople are gearing up for MacWorld/iWorld 2014 here on March 27-29, and while we’ll be at Moscone West live to cover all the happenings of this year’s show, it’d be so much better if some fans join in on the fun.You can hang out with us at the “6 About To Break” contest and join the mayhem for a live CultCast recording session, too.

No tickets? We’ve got you covered.

We’re giving away two free tickets to Cult of Mac readers to MacWorld/iWorld 2014. To enter, just tweet why Macs rock your world and include a shoutout to our iPad publication, Cult of Mac Magazine, with the hashtag #CultofMacMag.

The contest is open to all readers, but doesn’t include travel or hotel. Winners will be announced Monday morning at 10AM PST.

Good luck!

Update: Our two winners have been selected. Congratulations Andrea Holtz and Paul Burt on winning free tickets to MacWorld/iWorld 2014 and thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Twitter Is Pulling Its Failed #Music App From The App Store Today

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Remember Twitter’s #music app? It was basically D.O.A. when it launched in the App Store last summer, and it hasn’t been updated since September.

Twitter has announced that it is officially pulling the plug today. The app will no longer be available for download after this afternoon. For those already using it, the service will work until April 18th.

Originally designed as a way to discover music based on who you follow and trends on Twitter, #music never really caught on. Farewell #music, we hardly knew you.

Source: Twitter

Via: Engadget

One Of The Best Transit Apps For iPhone Gets iOS 7 Makeover

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The appropriately named Transit app for iPhone has already gotten a lot of love in the App Store, including Editor’s Choice, and it is getting featured again because of a major update that’s out today.

Transit is designed to provide you with realtime data on public bus and train systems in 62 metropolitan areas around the world.  Today’s update includes a more streamlined way of figuring out the right route to take, the ability to search locations using stop codes, a drastically improved offline mode, and more.

Here’s the full list of changes:

Apple Is Reportedly Considering Its Own Spotify Competitor And iTunes For Android

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Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Apple has been talking to record label executives about launching its own on-demand streaming service, according to a new report from Billboard. In what would certainly be a shocking turn of events, Apple is allegedly considering an iTunes app for Android as well.

“The surprising discussions are part of a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the double-digit decline in U.S. download sales at Apple’s iTunes Music Store,” according to the report.

Get The Best Hand-Crafted Icons To Make Your Designs Pop [Deals]

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If you want a successful app you will need to get across a large amount of information in a tiny amount of space – and that is where these Webbicon icons come in handy.

With over 1200 vector icons, you will have all of today’s hot categories covered with these high-quality icons. The collection includes 5 different sizes for each icon so you will have every option covered. And Cult of Mac Deals has it for only $19 – a savings of 86%!

The Million Dollar Question: How Do You Make The Next Flappy Bird?

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Image credit: Wired

Flappy Bird came onto the scene with a bang, ruffling feathers from Hanoi to Hannover. Dong Nguyen, the developer of this seemingly overnight sensation, was as taken aback as the rest of us, evident from his shocking decision to stop offering the game for download as well as his recent decision to bring it back.

Game developers and publishers can only hope to reproduce this kind of crazy success. And each and every one of the people we talked to at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco were eager to share their opinions on how Flappy Bird happened, how it might happen again, and why it was such a runaway hit to begin with.

In case you’ve been holed up for the last few months, Flappy Bird is a one-button game with absurdly simple mechanics: tap the screen to keep a goofy-looking Nintendo-styled bird in the air as he rushes across the world, avoiding hitting randomly placed Super Mario-inspired pipes. The difficulty is brutal; super-low scores are common, even among gamers who love twitch games.

ProWidgets Is An Impressive Widget Platform For Jailbreakers, But Does It Solve A Problem?

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There have been several jailbreak tweaks over the years that have attempted to revolutionize the concept of multitasking in iOS. Few, if any, have come as close as ProWidgets, a new widget framework that’s available in Cydia now.

I say close because I don’t think ProWidgets solves a better way to multitask on the iPhone and iPad. However, it is a valiant effort that allows other developers to create third-party widgets that live outside of the traditional app experience.

Spotted at GDC: Real Fun & Games

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Here are some of the more curious sights spotted at GDC, where legions of developers, journalists and marketing folks from around the globe descended on San Francisco…

Analog In The Mix

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Surprise: it wasn’t all digital. Here are some folks playing Tash-Kalar a board game with wizardry from the Czech Republic.

Look To The Skies

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A GDC goer tries on the Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 for size. It will go head-to-head with the Sony Morpheus Playstation headset, also showed off here in San Francisco.  3D and VR were some of the major themes of the show.

Back To The Future?

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Even with all the bells and whistles offered by 3D and VR, it was worth whiling away a few minutes with early interactive game Zork,  especially since it was offered up on these vintage Macs!

Tastes Great With Kashkaval

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Photo: Rob LeFebvre

Cold War “comedy adventure” game Jazzpunk’s promo swag at the indie games festival was crazy topical, or wildly insensitive given the recent events in Crimea. We’re still not sure, but either way, we’re keeping the box for posterity.

Paper or Plastic?

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With dozens of sessions, pressers, conferences and events, keeping track of what to do next required brain power and a lot of planning.

 

Unless otherwise noted, @all photos courtesy Official GDC, CC-licensed on Flickr.

Game On! News And Photos From Game Developers Conference [Liveblog]

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Time to play.

SAN FRANCISCO — We’re gearing up for our weeklong foray into the world of video games at the Game Developers Conference here. Cult of Mac will bring you the best of the conference, from heartfelt chats with independent developers to wacky schwag we find on the expo floor.

Stay tuned as we add real-time posts to this liveblog all week.

Tetris Inventor Returns With New Puzzle App “Symbol Link” [Video Review]

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While many have developed puzzle video-games, not many have compared to the popularity of the hit game “Tetris”. Symbol Link is a new puzzle app created by Alexey Pajitnov, the mind behind Tetris, that has players connect symbols in the least amount of paths. Do you think you can link all symbols and get a high-score?

Take a look at Symbol Link and find out what you think.

This is a Cult Of Mac video review of the iOS application Symbol Link brought to you by Joshua Smith of “TechBytes W/Jsmith.”

Sync Your iTunes Library, Photos And Videos With Android [Switching 101]

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Unlike iOS and Windows Phone, Android devices don’t have an iTunes or Zune alternative that helps them manage all their data in one place. But that doesn’t mean it’s not easy to sync your music, photos, and videos with your Android smartphone.

In the previous edition of our iPhone to Android switching guide, we explained how to transfer your contacts, messages, and calendar entries. In this one, we show you how to sync your iTunes music library, along with your photo and videos, the right way.

‘Thesaurasize’ Keeps Your Word Choices Varied/Amalgamated/Diverse/Mixed

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Picking the right word can be challenging. Or maybe you’re just trying to make yourself sound smart by using something that would be a formidable figure on a Scrabble board. Either way, Thesaurasize can get you those synonyms but quick. All you do is type in the boring word you’re starting with, and it spits out a list of other candidates.

Just make sure you read the definitions Thesaurasize provides so that you know what the synonyms mean, though. You don’t want come off sounding fatuitous.

Source:Thesaurasize – Free | Next Wave Services Inc.

Loco Motors Appeals To Lego Lovers And Amateur Engineers Alike [Review]

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Loco Motors

I don’t own a whole lot of Lego at the moment, and that’s intentional because if I did, I’d just sit around building things all day, and none of these reviews would happen.

Loco Motors by Minority Media
Category: iOS Games
Works With: iPhone, iPad
Price: $0.99 (introductory; reg. $4.99)

Building something from scratch is satisfying, and if it has a function to perform and succeeds, it’s even better. Loco Motors plays on this by letting you build your own vehicle and then use it to complete tasks on a test ramp. It’s essentially two puzzle games in one: one in which you build a car that will run, and another where you let it loose on the track to complete specific tracks.

And luckily, it has an interface that lets you do these things both easily and quickly.

The TOCCs Car Music System: Bump Your Favorite Music Without A Hitch [Deals]

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Next time you hit the road, this Cult of Mac Deals promotion will help you bump your favorite tunes with ease.

The TOCCs Car Music System solves your boring over played radio experience and gives you the ability to play all your best tunes as loud as you want with no static interference. And you can get it for only $27.99 during this limited time offer.

Jimmy Fallon And Billy Joel Improvise Fabulous Doo-Wop Using Only An iPad [Video]

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Since taking over the Tonight Show from Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon has brought in a host of stars to sit down and goof around with him in the studio. Last night was no exception as singer Billy Joel stop by and the pair form an improvised Doo-Wop group using nothing more than an iPad app.

They got a bit of help from The Roots to really bring it home at the end but for only mixing it up on the spot with an iPad even Tim Cook himself was impressed.

This Proves That Christian Bale Could Look Like Steve Jobs

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Yesterday it was reported that Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale was in talks to play Steve Jobs for David Fincher’s upcoming biopic with Sony and Aaron Sorkin. While nothing has been confirmed, the rumor has already fueled some imaginations, as evidenced above.

Reader Ste Smith sent us this Photoshop job of Bale in the iconic Jobsian pose. It’s pretty believable, if we do say so ourselves.

Bale is known for his intense process of getting (and sometimes staying) in character. He’s great at losing and gaining weight, and he has already played balding characters multiple times. Is there really anyone more perfect to play Jobs?

And lets not forget that he already auditioned for the role like five years ago.

Thanks: Ste

Ember LED Case Is A Portable Lamp For iPhone Night Photography [Kickstarter]

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Side-by-side comparisons show how the Ember (right) stacks up against the existing iPhone flash (left)
Side-by-side comparisons show how the Ember (right) stacks up against the existing iPhone flash (left)

Want to take good night photos using your iPhone, but find that the device’s in-built flash — consisting of a couple of LEDs — doesn’t result in the kind of pictures you want?

If so, you may be interested in this Kickstarter campaign to build a new iPhone 5/5s case, packing a whopping 56 LEDs into a hard case to provide a bright panel of lights for all your nocturnal photographic needs.