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Twitter and Tumblr’s social impact in topics ranging from Ferguson, Missouri, to immigration reform has revolutionized and revitalized social activism in the United States.
New App: Twitter Small Business Planner.
Apple iCloud was shown not to be a very safe way to store photos and other personal items. Celebrity nude photos that were leaked earlier this year may lead to changes that can help to improve the security of the product.
Source: Black Nerd Comedy
Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer Review : Black Nerd Review and Recap of the Star Wars Episode 7 Trailer and thoughts about the future of the movie and Star Wars franchise under Disney hands and JJ Abrams direction. Star Wars The Force Awakens stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver and a rumored Benedict Cumberbatch.
When the new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released Friday, it seemed like the excitement over the film was quickly tarnished by online complaints of a Black Stormtrooper that was featured in the trailer.
YouTube comments under the trailer insisted that a Black Stormtrooper wasn’t realistic while others posted racist remarks.
It was an unfortunate reaction to the Black 22-year-old British actor who played the Stormtrooper, but he quickly took to Instagram to address the controversy over his casting – and the response couldn’t have been better.
John Boyega, the actor who is playing the Black stormtrooper, posted a message on Instagram that explained how excited he was about the movie while also addressing those who just couldn’t get comfortable with the idea of a Black Stormtrooper.
“Thank you for all the love and support,” Boyega wrote on an Instagram post. “The fan mail and fan art has added to my joy! Isn’t it crazy that Star Wars is actually happening? I’m in the movie but as a star wars fan I am very excited! A year is a long time but it will be worth the wait.”
Then at the bottom of the post was a much simpler message.
“To whom it may concern… Get used to it,” the actor wrote.
He even finished the post off with a smiley face for good measure.
Despite the hateful YouTube comments, other social media platforms were filled with users who were defending the decision to cast a Black Stormtrooper.
“Love how there’s ‘controversy’ over a #BlackStormtrooper,” one user tweeted. “Even in a galaxy far far away black people exist and can be dynamic characters too.”
Another user, Marc Watson, explained that the first Stormtroopers were actually of Maori descent.
Others took a more comical approach to the backlash.
“They’ll accept an alien-filled galaxy powered by ‘force’ but they’re not having a black man in uniform,” writer Iain Macintosh tweeted.
“Three movies in a row with James Earl Jones’ voice only to reveal Darth Vader was white all along and you’re mad at one Black stormtrooper,” another user quipped.
One self-proclaimed Star Trek fan even pointed out that this actually isn’t the first appearance of a Black Stromtrooper in the Star Wars franchise.
The user posted a screenshot from the animated “Star Wars Rebels” TV series, which revealed a young Black man holding a Stormtrooper helmet.
“A #BlackStormtrooper is not unprecedented,” the user wrote under the image.
Throughout the weekend fans continued to post more images and send out more tweets to explain why the backlash against the character just didn’t make sense.
It isn’t the first time that fans have had to defend a popular franchise for casting Black actors for roles that were previously taken on by white actors.
Idris Elba was the target of criticism when he was cast to play Heimdall in Thor: The Dark World back in 2013.
Michael B. Jordan also had to deal with critics after he was cast to play Johnny Storm, known as the Human Torch, in the Fantastic Four reboot, which is scheduled to hit big screens in August of 2015.
This pattern of Black actors stepping in to fill roles that were previously white is yet another reason critics of the Black Stormtrooper may certainly have to “get used to it.”
The lack of diversity in Hollywood has become a hot topic and has encouraged many of today’s most influential filmmakers to start looking for ways to incorporate more people of color in their movies.
Coltan is columbite-tantalite, a metallic ore that contains elements used in mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and iPods.
The Congo has 24 trillion dollars worth of raw mineral deposits. The nation holds 30% of the world’s Diamond reserves and 80% of the world’s Coltan, according to the UN.
Source: Jiazhai Bo
‘Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film’
“Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film” by Adilifu Nama (2008) is the first book-length study of African-American representation in science fiction films. “Black Space” demonstrates that science fiction cinema has become an important field of racial analysis, a site where definitions of race can be contested and post-civil rights race relations (re)imagined.
‘The Conjure Woman’
“The Conjure Woman” is a collection of short stories, written by Charles W. Chesnutt in 1899, that deal with major themes through the lens of an African-American man living in the antebellum South. The prose is a bit dated, and very 19th century, but it establishes the genre very well. Chesnutt’s work is one of the first collections to be truly considered Black speculative fiction/sci-fi/fantasy. Also, “The Conjure Woman” collection is 100 percent free on Project Gutenberg.
‘Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation’
“Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation” edited by Sheena C. Howard and Ronald L. Jackson II (2013) is an analytic history of the diverse contributions of Black artists to the medium of comics. Covering comic books, superhero comics, graphic novels and cartoon strips from the early 20th century to the present, the book explores the ways in which Black comic artists have grappled with such themes as the Black experience, gender identity, politics and social media.
GoPro Inc. may be on the verge of releasing consumer drones, but the risky move could result in the company losing some of its key business relationships.
GoPro is known for its variety of wearable cameras that have become incredibly popular with most sports enthusiasts.
Now the company is looking to expand into the realm of drones.
The company plans to start selling its own multirotor helicopters, known as drones, with high-definition cameras already equipped by the end of 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Consumer drones are typically controlled by the user’s smartphone or tablet and have become a popular new way to film weddings and outdoor concerts and even deliver bottles at upscale nightclubs.
It wasn’t long ago that many American consumers weren’t exactly sure what drones really were, and some were immediately terrified by the idea of the flying machines.
The presence of companies like Sony Corp. and now GoPro in the drone market, however, proves that the drone industry is starting to expand and become a more mainstream market than ever before.
As drones grow in popularity, it is only natural that competition in the market will follow suit, and that’s precisely what GoPro may be sparking by releasing its own line of drones.
In the past, those who were interested in filming events and snapping pictures through the use of a drone would typically purchase the drone from one company and then purchase the roughly 3-ounce cameras from GoPro.
Now, GoPro will be producing a product that gives consumers everything they need without having to reach out to other companies.
“I’m happy to let GoPro keep making great cameras and we’ll keep making great copters,” Colin Guinn, senior vice president of sales at 3D Robotics Inc., told the Wall Street Journal.
The company sells GoPro cameras with the drones they sell, but Guinn said he is surprised by the company’s move to produce the consumer drones on its own.
Some skeptics are already questioning if GoPro will be able to hold its own in the drone market with companies like SZ DJI Technology Co. of China already producing devices that come with their own built-in cameras.
SZ DJI Technology is currently the world’s largest consumer drone maker and going up against them could prove to be a serious challenge for GoPro.
Most GoPro cameras sell for between $200 and $500 while the drones are expected to start at $500 and go up into the thousands.
For those who are still uneasy about the idea of drones and feel it could have a serious conflict with privacy rights, consumer drones do have an incredibly limited frequency band and the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to propose rules for commercial drones within the next few weeks.
Source: Soronko Foundation – Founder Soronko Solutions Regina Agyare on CNN African Start-ups.
As technology and innovation grow throughout the world, Black innovators are playing a big role in the market. Here are 20 mobile apps created by Black developers, according to AfricanAmerican.org and IT News Africa.
Zimbile
Although not strictly an app, Zimbile helps small businesses enter the online world in a flash. The website allows businesses and individuals across Africa to build fast-loading, mobile-optimized websites in app form in a few easy steps.
The company prides itself on helping you build a mobile website in minutes, even if you have no technical knowledge.
HBCU Buddy
Founders Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller’s app HBCU Buddy provides prospective and current students with information about historically Black colleges and universities on aspects of student life, admissions, alumni, standardized test scores and faculty research. The app also has virtual campus tours and integrates social networking with Twitter and Facebook. The app won the 2010 AT&T Mobile Campus Challenge with a $10,000 prize.
Myavana
Founders Techturized Inc. and co-founders Candace Mitchell, Jessica Watson, Chanel Martin and Joy Boulamwini created Myavana, a hair app for African-American women that encourages users to form communities based on hair textures and desired hairstyles. Women can upload hairstyles, share beauty tips about styling products, techniques and salons. Also, users can follow desired hairstyles by “Girlfriending” other users who post images with that style. Each time a Girlfriend request is accepted, the community can follow that user’s hair journey and learn her hair secrets.
HopStop
HopStop founder Chinedu Echeruo created the app to give those who live in metropolitan areas simple and easy directions on how to navigate by using public transit, walking, taking a cab or biking. Echeruo, a Nigerian former Wall Street analyst, was fortunate enough to have his app included in Time magazine on its list of 50 Best iPhone Apps of 2011.
When the “Storm” comic first launched, I was super-geeked along with many other comic book fans that Ororo Munroe was finally getting her own solid series. I rarely write reviews because I spent years doing so when I wrote a film blog, and countless other websites do the same thing, so I usually step outside of reviewing books, films, TV shows, etc. However, when I noticed that sales were down for “Storm” and that there was a #SaveStorm campaign on Twitter, I was concerned. I was sad when I heard news that the female-empowered comic “She-Hulk” was canceled. Storm fans asked for her own comic and Marvel listened, and I am still curious to know what is it about this AMAZING comic that has not yet stuck with fans?
I want to just take a moment to bask in the awesomeness that is Storm. I’ve been reading several comics right now “Thor,” “Death of Wolverine,” “Black Panther,” and some old-school “Excalibur.” However, nothing gets my goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck standing still like Greg Pak’s “Storm.” If you haven’t started on the comic, then it’s absolutely fine because that just means you have the opportunity to catch up on the first five issues!
It’s obvious from Storm’s inception until today that she has had massive appeal to all people. It’s not just Black women who are fans, but men and women of all different backgrounds and nationalities love and adore her. However, when you are a Black female who has to deal with a greater deal of adversity than a man or a white woman, I love turning to comics to see a woman with brown skin like me kicking ass and taking names!
Read more from Jamie Broadnax: blackgirlsnerds.com