Techlife News #170

Satellite TV provider Dish Network made a splash this month when it unveiled an online alternative with fewer channels and a lower price tag than its regular service. The Sling TV option is aimed at people who have dropped their cable or satellite packages or never had either. Based on a few days of viewing, Sling TV comes across as a good stopgap for those who don’t already pay for cable or satellite - but it’s not compelling enough for most people to cut the cord. And that’s the point: Dish wants to win over the pay-TV holdouts without cutting into its existing customer base. On Tuesday, Sling TV will start opening the service to those who had requested invites. A full launch is expected in about two weeks. THE OFFERING: The package is…

Herding cattle. Counting fish. Taking an animal’s temperature. Applying pesticides. When it comes to drones, “your imagination can go pretty wild in terms of what would be possible,” says Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union. This month, the Federal Aviation Administration issued the first permit for agricultural use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Steven Edgar, president and CEO of ADAVSO, says his Idaho-based business will use a lightweight, fixed-wing drone to survey fields of crops. Drone technology, already used in other countries, can make farmers more efficient by helping them locate problem spots in vast fields or ranchlands. Increased efficiency could mean lower costs for consumers and less impact on the environment if farmers used fewer chemicals because drones showed them exactly where to spray. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a…

Oscar hopes for “Birdman” got an enormous updraft over the weekend with big wins from the acting and producing guilds, possibly sending the comedy soaring over the perceived Academy Awards front-runner “Boyhood.” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s elegantly crafted backstage romp won best ensemble Sunday night at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild, a day after it also won the top honor at the Producer Guild Awards. Both guilds are seen as highly predictive of which film will triumph at the Oscars, which will be held Feb. 22. Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” the acclaimed indie made with the unprecedented real-life time-elapse of 12 years, has long held as the awards seasons favorite. But “Birdman” fills the role of a classic Oscar winner, like “Shakespeare in Love,” as a celebration of showbiz. Its fortunes look especially…

A complete list of winners at Sunday’s 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards: MOVIES: Actor: Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything” Actress: Julianne Moore, “Still Alice” Supporting actor: J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” Supporting actress: Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood” Cast: “Birdman” Stunt ensemble: “Unbroken” TELEVISION: Actor in a comedy series: William H. Macy, “Shameless” Actress in a comedy series: Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black” Comedy series cast: “Orange is the New Black” Actor in a movie or miniseries: Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart” Actress in a movie or miniseries: Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge” Drama series cast: “Downton Abbey” Actor in a drama series: Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards” Actress in a drama series: Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder” Stunt ensemble: “Game of Thrones”…

WAR DRAMA SPARKS POLITICAL SKIRMISHES To say that Clint Eastwood's latest biographical war drama film has been a commercial success would certainly be quite the understatement - in fact, it's already booked its place as a cultural phenomenon, and by some distance. The story of the late Chris Kyle, the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history, has certainly captured audience imaginations - not to mention causing more than a little political controversy. Based on the 2012 book American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, the film sees Bradley Cooper cast as Kyle, a man who racked up 255 kills, 160 of those being officially confirmed by the Department of Defense. Sienna Miller also stars, as Kyle's wife Taya, to say nothing of such other represented acting…

The eNews Magazine is all over the Sundance Film Festival, from its premieres to the Hollywood glitz. Here’s what they’ve seen and heard: AMATEUR PORN SPOTLIGHTED IN `HOT GIRLS WANTED’ “Teen” is the most searched term in online pornography, and thousands of young people enter the amateur porn industry every day, lured by promises of quick money and hopes for fame. The disturbing world of amateur pornography - professionally produced films made to look like home movies - is exposed in the new documentary by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus, “Hot Girls Wanted,” which premiered Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival. Teenagers who have grown up in the age of the Internet have always known porn is easy to find. And as pop culture has become more and more sexualized, the taboo against sex…