Fully Charged: Insane mile-long cruise ship, Apple’s financial results, and new Star Wars bloopers Dust off the morning cobwebs with our daily datablast of top technology news MILE-LONG FREEDOM SHIP COULD HOUSE 40,000 PERMANENT RESIDENTS Would you go on holiday on a mile-long, 25-storey cruise ship that perpetually sails around the globe? Or maybe even live there permanently? If the Freedom Ship project receives enough investment, that may well become possible in a few years time. Envisioned as a market-driven floating city (with possible tax-free status), the vast vessel could house 40,000 permanent residents in apartments and condominiums, although many will likely visit for shorter periods of time. The ship would take three years to circumnavigate the planet and feature a runway on top for its fleet of commuter aircraft. The visionaries behind Freedom Ship are seeking an initial US$1 billion to begin building the craft. And if you want to come aboard, it won’t be cheap: a two week timeshare will set you back £37,500. It sounds totally mental, like something the late J.D. Ballard might’ve dreamt up as the backdrop for a chilling vision of society’s future, or a twist on BioShock’s sub-aqua utopia Rapture. We really, really hope it becomes a reality. [Source: MSN] APPLE’S FINANCIAL RESULTS SAY: “WE SOLD A LOT OF PHONES” Apple’s financial results say: “We sold a lot of phones” Apple has published its financial results for 2013’s fourth quarter (ending 28th September) and, as you might imagine, the company has made a lot of money: quarterly revenue of US$37.5 billion (£23.25 billion) and a quarterly profit of US$7.5 billion (£4.6 billion). The company shifted 33.8 million iPhones during the period, an increase of 26 percent over the same quarter last year, as well as 14.1 million iPads and 4.6 million Macs. WATCH THESE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN STAR WARS BLOOPERS A batch of new bloopers from the first Stars Wars movie has popped up on YouTube. Take a look at stumbling Stormtroopers and actors mangling their lines. HOUSE OF CARDS LOOKS SET TO RUN AND RUN We know that House of Cards, Netflix’s flagship original series, is already set for a second run of 13 episodes – but according to the company’s Chief Content Officer, the Kevin Spacey-fronted political potboiler could be set to go on beyond that. Ted Sarandos has stated that talks about the third season are already underway. He also suggested that, one day, major motion pictures will appear on services like Netflix the same day that they premiere in cinemas: “The model that we’re doing for TV should work for movies. The reason why we may enter the space and release some big movies ourselves this way is because I’m concerned that as theatre owners try to strangle innovation and distribution not only are they going to kill theatres, they might kill movies.” [Source: Deadline Hollywood]
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 12:20:12 +0000