Reboots, revivals, and confusing renewals. People in power seem to be ignoring obvious security flaws but at least you’ll have something to watch while your microwave watches you. Log out of your Yahoo account and let’s find out what happened this last week in cyberpunk.
Cyberpunk Reality
Kellyanne Conway Displays Lacking Tech Knowledge, Thinks Microwaves Are Watching Trump
Getty Images
White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway has been the subject of quite a few jokes this week after claiming that former president Barrack Obama may have spied on Donald Trump with “microwaves that turn into cameras.” After her claims of specific rogue home appliances were debunked by numerous outlets, Kellyanne defended her erroneous claim by stating that she wasn’t Inspector Gadget, and as a spokesperson for the White House is “not in the job of having evidence.”
Secret Service Loses Laptop With Trump Security Details Inside
Getty Images
Secret Service was the victim of theft this week as someone made away with a laptop that held floor plans for Trump Tower and various national security files. It’s believed that the laptop was stolen from a car in New York City.
Surveillance Claims Complicate Relations as Trump White House Continues to Lie
Associated Press
The White House began walking back claims Trump was the target of actual surveillance earlier in the week, but this changed on Thursday when White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused the GCHQ of being complicit in the alleged surveillance of Trump, something the US government had to later clear up with a formal apology to the UK.
This comes just a couple of days after the Department of Justice asked the House Intelligence Committee to extend the original window for providing evidence of Trump’s claims from March 14th to the 20th when FBI Director James Comey is expected to testify as to the findings of the FBI’s overall investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Though the DOJ has been given the extra time, the House Judiciary has threatened to subpoena them if they cannot corroborate Trump’s claims with material evidence by next Monday.
“Deep State” Gunning for Trump, Assange Alleges
Americans are becoming increasingly familiar with the phrase “deep state” as President Trump continues to share his conspiratorial paranoia over elements within the intelligence community and law enforcement bodies that are seeking to undermine his administration. Another person who seems to share his enjoyment of baseless claims is Julian Assange. In a series of tweets earlier this week, Assange alleged to have contact with members of the CIA who he claims are in cahoots with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to depose Trump and put Vice President Mike Pence in his position. This is not the first time Trump and Assange have found themselves in the same corner, during the days of the Podesta Dumps, Trump championed Wikileaks and its figurehead as being instrumental in his success during the latter half of the election. No word yet if they’re encouraging one another on claims of this supposed coup, but VP Pence has emphatically denied the assertions put forth by Assange.
Marissa Mayer to Receive $23 Million as Yahoo Finalizes Deal with Verizon
Fortune Live Media
Despite numerous failures to protect users over the years, somehow Yahoo CEO Merissa Meyer is set to receive a golden parachute valued at $23 million dollars as the company finalizes its deal with Verizon. No word yet as to the future of her career in tech, but she’s certainly going out with a complicated resume to say the least.
Russian Spies Connected to Yahoo Hacks Arrested
Associated Press
Another Yahoo story this week in a story that reminds us all of the terrible security they’ve offered users over the years. Earlier this week the Department of Justice indicted four individuals for taking part in hacks between 2013-2014 which compromised more than 1 billion accounts. Two of those indicted include Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin and Dmimitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). The DOJ stated that both Sushchin and Dokychaev were directed by the FSB to work with two other criminal hackers to infiltrate accounts of Russian officials, journalists, and citizens. Both officers worked in Center 18, the official point of contact between Russian and the FBI, calling into question the future of cooperation between the two in future cyber-crime investigations.
Cyberpunk Television
Legion Showrunner to Adapt ZeroK for FX
Variety
Coming on the heels of a season renewal for his mental-health/mutant drama Legion, showrunner Noah Hawley is adapting Zero K (if you’d like to check out the inspiration for this series, check ou the book) into a mini-series with Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader from the upcoming Netflix film The Discovery. The Don DeLilo novel centers on a young heir to a massive fortune, facing mortality in his family in a high-tech future. No word on when Zero K will premiere, but the series is being developed for FX, home of Hawley’s Legion and Fargo.
12 Twelve Monkeys Will Last Four Seasons, But Syfy Changes Episode Distribution
12 Monkeys/Syfy
The window for saving the future is getting much smaller for Cole and the gang, and for some reason Syfy wants them to wrap it up and fast. Syfy announced that it’s time-travel thriller 12 Monkeys will drop its entire third season over the course of three days. On May 19th episodes 1-4 will air, followed by 5-7 on the 20th, and 8-10 on the 21st. After that, it’ll be a year until the fourth and final season of the show will air. The bizarre distribution of episodes seems to be without reason and is definitely a first for Syfy. No word yet on how season four will be distributed but it seems just about anything is possible.
Cyberpunk Movies
Edward James Olmos Returns as Gaff in Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner
The future-patois speaking detective from the original Blade Runner is back in the sequel. This week it was announced that Edward James Olmos (Blade Runner, Battlestar Galactica) will return in Blade Runner 2049 as Gaff, adding to rumors about which characters in the original were replicants in disguise.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web Moves Forward Without Fincher, Mara, or Craig
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
More than five years after Rooney Mara donned the black hoodie in David Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (check it out here), Sony is moving forward with a sequel. A little unconventional in the world of adaptations, the next movie in the series will skip over the last two installments in Stieg Larssons’ trilogy and focus on the fourth book, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, written by David Langercrantz several years after the original author’s death. No word yet on who will play antisocial hacker and security expert Lisbeth Salander, though director Fede Alverez (Evil Dead 2013, Don’t Breathe) seems aware of the dedicated following Fincher and Mara received for the 2011 film and the importance of casting its heroes for the sequel.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web is set to begin filming this September and hit theaters October 2018.
Like it or Not The Matrix Franchise is Being Revived
The Matrix
Warner Brothers is reportedly looking at ways to expand The Matrix movie franchise with a possible reboot or spin-offs. Top of the list to replace Keanu Reeves as “The One” is Creed star Micheal B. Jordan, which has led the internet to speculate if perhaps an origin story for Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus is the focus of the studio’s decision.
The news comes just weeks after Keanu Reeves gave a specific condition necessary for him to return to the world of The Matrix should the original trilogy be expanded further. So far there’s no word if the Wachowskis will be involved in this revival.
Cyberpunk Video Games
Nex Machina Comes to Steam
Housemarque is bringing their twin-stick shooter Nex Machina from the Playstation 4 to Steam. The release date isn’t solid yet, but players can expect to get their hands on this one before the end of the year.
Looks like we covered the most interesting bits. Think differently? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.
