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Just thinking about Hellboy attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is anxiety-inducing for any educator. You think the Weasley twins and Harry Potter stirred up enough shenanigans? At least they didn’t blast down any of the castle walls or shoot any of the dragons at the Triwizard Tournament with Big Baby. Still, there’s something incredibly fun about imagining HB, Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien and the rest of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense all attending Hogwarts together, maybe as part of their defensive training or maybe to learn a bit of magic, which should come in handy up against Anubis, Baba Yaga and Hitler himself....

Japanese blog Macotakara claims that Apple is planning better-than-CD quality audio for iTunes at some point in 2016. By way of comparison, CDs offer 44kHz/16-bit. The sources cited appear to be manufacturers making Lightning-based headphones, which would support the hi-res format. It should be noted, however, that Apple has been sourcing at least some of its music at 96kHz/24-bit for many years … According to several insiders familiar with Apple, whose products are exhibited at Portable Audio Festival, Apple has been developing hi-res audio streaming up to 96kHz/24-bit in 2016....

A new analytics report has revealed the highest-grossing subscription apps on iOS for 2020. YouTube Premium heads the list, which allows subscribers to watch videos without ads, download them for offline viewing, and also includes access to YouTube Music Premium. The top 10 list unsurprisingly features four other streaming video services … Sensor Tower’s top 10 ranking includes Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, and ESPN. The firm said that a trend toward subscription apps accelerated last year....

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/281227981″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] New episodes of Happy Hour are available every Wednesday. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Note: iTunes (web interface and app) may still be propagating the new episode which could take up to 24 hours. Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded. Hosts:...

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/298986904″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] New episodes of Happy Hour are available every week. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Note: Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded as soon as possible. Hosts: Benjamin Mayo Zac Hall Here’s what we discussed in this episode: LG UltraFine 5K display for MacBook Pro now available from Apple, limited time pricing extended to March Apple extends limited time pricing on USB-C accessories including LG 5K display from end of year to March 31st Apple will offer AirPod replacements for $69 if you lose one, & battery replacements for a fee PSA: You’ll be able to try your luck at buying AirPods in Apple Stores starting Monday Apple begins charging customer credit cards for AirPods ahead of shipping (U: Orders now shipping) Video roundup: Unboxing and hands-on with Apple’s truly wireless AirPods Hours after release, Super Mario Run is top free and top grossing app AirPods begin arriving to customers & hitting retail stores around the world [Gallery] Marathon runner tests Apple AirPods on a 10K run, earbuds stay in ears, good battery life Hands-on: First impressions with Apple AirPods sound quality, pairing, auto-pause, Siri and more Some Apple Stores receiving mid-day AirPods inventory after selling out at opening Apple AirPods still work and practically unscathed after 10ft drop test, washing machine cycle and water submersion Apple AirPods teardown reveals tiny circuitry and 93 milliwatt battery, 0/10 repairability score AirPods: Top Features – Was it worth the wait?...

New episodes of Happy Hour are available every week. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Note: Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded as soon as possible. Hosts: Benjamin Mayo Zac Hall Here’s what we discussed in this episode: Feedback? Drop us a line at happyhour@9to5mac.com. Remember: Subscribe on iTunes to catch all of the episodes as they go live and thanks for listening!...

Neville Longbottom is not without his share of fans. The blonde (in the book) boy whose own family thought he might be a squib turned out to be one of the bravest and most badass Gryffindors in all of Harry Potter lore. Neville was what they call a late-bloomer, which means he took some time to develop a reputation as an ineffectual nerd before finding his inner warrior and leading his classmates into battle....

Apple earlier today began rolling out the third betas of iOS 9, watchOS 2, and OS X 10.11 El Capitan and we’ve been digging into each of them, trying to figure out what is new, changed, and improved. Most of the changes come on the iOS 9 and watchOS 2 side of things, with the new OS X 10.11 beta focusing mainly on under-the-hood changes. Read on for all of the changes…...

Ever since his breakout role in Star Wars, Harrison Ford has been a blockbuster entertainer who is still in form as he nears his eighth decade. For the recent generation, it has been Harrison’s mannerisms that have been one of his main draws. Known for remaining the straight man with very few things to say in interviews, this style has led to there being many memes that lightly poke fun at Harrison....

Even if you’ve never seen the show, original or re-imagined, you’re familiar with its catchy theme song. Hawaii Five-0 put the state of Hawaii on the map as the setting for one of the most successful police procedurals to ever be made in television history, and it produced plenty of catchphrases along with it. “Book ’em, Danno!” and the term often used for police, “Five-0” itself, were both derived from this successful show....

Walt starts pretty positive: For the past week or so, I have been testing a sleek, light, silver-and-black tablet computer called an iPad. After spending hours and hours with it, I believe this beautiful new touch-screen device from Apple has the potential to change portable computing profoundly, and to challenge the primacy of the laptop. It could even help, eventually, to propel the finger-driven, multitouch user interface ahead of the mouse-driven interface that has prevailed for decades....

While it may not boast the name recognition of the Harry Potter franchise, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials fantasy novels nevertheless enjoy a devoted following. In the 19 years since the original trilogy wrapped up with 2003’s The Amber Spyglass, Pullman has maintained fans’ interest with a series of spin-offs and prequels ⁠— but most exciting of all is next month’s big-budget adaptation of the books co-produced by HBO and the BBC....

This week, we discuss some new details on the Apple Watch 2, an upcoming Apple TV Siri Remote app, and all the new stuff released between now and the last episode! The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/237833235″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /] New episodes of Happy Hour are available every Wednesday. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app....

In the entire population of fictional teenagers, few are more iconic than Harry Potter. He’s the Boy Who Lived and he defeats Voldemort, the scourge of the wizarding world. As a true Gryffindor, Harry is known for his bravery. To call him a hero is not an understatement. Nevertheless, behind this hero is a normal teenage boy. Harry struggles with school problems, girl problems, and friend problems. As someone who had a miserable childhood, Harry is eternally grateful for his friends, particularly Ron and Hermione....

In 2012, London hosted the Summer Olympics. During the opening ceremony, the host city wanted to highlight some of its greatest contributions to world culture and unsurprisingly chose, in part, to focus on literature. Also unsurprisingly, both Harry Potter and Shakespeare got particular shout-outs during the celebration. Pop culture and classic culture come together in these popular British literary phenomenons. Both names are well-known the world over, whether or not a person has actually picked up a novel or a play and read it....

In recent years, a portion of Friends viewers has argued that the series hasn’t aged well, and although some of the evidence is valid, there are even more reasons why Friends is timeless. Friends originally debuted in the mid-’90s, but the show has since found new life from syndication and streaming services. Many of those who watched the show during its first run still watch reruns while the next generation jumped on the bandwagon thanks to its binge-watching popularity....

Apple’s September event brought us the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 5, launch details for Apple Arcade and Apple TV+, and even the new seventh-generation iPad with a larger 10.2-inch screen. However, there are a number of product launches that Apple has decided to save for a potential October event (or another time) and some that were possibly even scrapped from the September event at the last minute....

The WWDC20 keynote included the official announcements of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, watchOS 7, the move to custom ARM silicon for Macs, and much more. However, there are a number of things Apple didn’t unveil. Let’s take a look at everything Apple didn’t announce at WWDC. It was a busy week with lots of exciting announcements. Notably, the first-ever totally virtual WWDC went smooth and lots of developers shared positive feedback....

Hey Arnold! followed the daily adventures of fourth-grader Arnold, who lived with his grandparents in an inner-city boarding house, and his friends – but what if the series’ protagonist wasn’t him but Helga Pataki? Hey Arnold! aired on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2004 and became one of the most beloved Nicktoons from the late 1990s. The series spawned a feature film (Hey Arnold!: The Movie) and a TV film continuation (Hey Arnold!...

In the Harry Potter universe, Aunt Petunia is no one’s favorite character. However, there are some fans out there who would argue that Petunia is just misunderstood. Growing up, she was always overshadowed by Lily, her magical sister. When Lily got accepted to Hogwarts, Petunia asked if she could go too, only to be rejected because she wasn’t a witch. As a result, she began to resent the whole wizarding world and found solace in her husband, Vernon, and her normal life with their young son, Dudley....