Entertainment
Raunchy 70s Sci-Fi Horror From Master Director Is A Deadly Experiment
By Robert Scucci
| Published
A fast-spreading parasitic infection that turns the entire world into one beautiful, mindless orgy may sound like a great idea on paper, but not if David Cronenberg has anything to say about it. His third feature, 1975’s Shivers, viscerally demonstrates exactly what could go wrong in this context, and how, if such a parasite were to run amok among the general population, nobody is going to have a good time. In fact, everybody is going to have a terrible time, because the friction involved alone will leave you feeling worse for wear.
Just watching Shivers in the comfort of your own home is an upsetting experience, which is par for the course with David Cronenberg. Since that’s the exact aesthetic he’s pursued his entire career, I can’t really fault the movie for doing what it sets out to do. I can only give it credit for being a raw, more extreme version of themes he’d later explore in films like The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, and beyond.
An Unflinching Exercise In Unwholesomeness
Shivers kicks off with a murder-suicide in which Dr. Emil Hobbes (Fred Doederlein) cuts open a young woman named Annabelle and pours acid into her stomach before turning the blade on himself, for reasons that are revealed much later in the film. The bodies are discovered by Dr. Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton), who learns from Hobbes’ colleague, Rollo Linsky (Joe Silver), that they had been working on a controversial study involving parasites engineered to act like replacement organs. The idea was that these organisms would dissolve damaged tissue and assume its function, but the results were far more volatile than advertised.
The B story in Shivers centers on Nick Tudor (Allan Kolman), who lives in the same building as the slain Annabelle, sees the crime scene before authorities arrive, and simply goes about his life as if he witnessed nothing. While his coldness seems callous at first, it’s soon revealed that Nick is suffering from convulsions caused by a parasite living inside him, potentially influencing his behavior. His wife, Janine (Susan Petrie), tries to care for him, but he downplays how sick he actually is until he can no longer hide it, resulting in him ralphing up the parasite, which looks like a writhing blood clot that slithers around like a slug.
Can’t Put The Cat Back In The Bag
Once Nick’s parasite is let loose in Shivers, all bets are off. Roger begins to suspect that Dr. Hobbes’ research is directly tied to the outbreak, a suspicion that’s confirmed when Linsky alludes to work involving the creation of a sexually transmitted organism designed to spread rapidly. The infected are transformed into libido-driven maniacs who feel compelled to feed the parasite and pass it along, ensuring the cycle continues to its most extreme end.
Escalating with each passing scene, the world that Shivers constructs becomes exactly what Dr. Emil Hobbes intended. Parasites are furiously transmitted, and those who are infected grow increasingly aggressive in their efforts to convert as many residents as possible before anyone can contain the spread.
If you’re a fan of Cronenberg’s later classics but haven’t yet familiarized yourself with Shivers, think of it as a low-budget, stripped-down preview of what his career would continue to refine once he had the clout and studio backing to fully realize his body horror ambitions.
With a reported production budget of $179,000 CAD, compared to The Fly’s $15 million, Shivers is distinctly a Cronenberg vehicle operating with limited resources. If anything, Shivers proves that all you really need is a twisted imagination, patience, and instinct to make an early effort stick. The film was warmly received by critics and currently boasts an 85 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Shivers is raw, uncomfortable, upsettingly violent, and exactly what you should expect from a young and ambitious David Cronenberg before he became a household name. If you want to see one of the earliest examples of his ability to thoroughly get under your skin, you can stream Shivers on Tubi for free as of this writing.
Entertainment
Google Maps looks different for some users in big change
Google Maps has potentially rolled out a change that could vastly change the user experience, depending on whether you’re logged in to a Google account.
Google-focused tech website 9to5Google spotted a change where non-logged-in users apparently now get a “limited view” version of Maps, which is missing lots of key features, including displays of nearby businesses, more detailed info on nearby attractions, and user reviews. In “limited view” mode, for instance, when clicking on a restaurant — which doesn’t display on the side of the page — users wouldn’t get key info like user reviews, busiest hours, or dine-in/take-out status, 9to5Google noted.
As is often the case with such changes, users posted about noticing the change on Reddit.
Mashable Light Speed
There are some indications that perhaps the change could be a glitch of some sort, rather than a wholesale shift. Tech site Tom’s Guide noted an error message received by some users indicated the issue could be network problems, a Chrome extension, or other problems. The error message does state that the issues could be fixed by logging in. The writer for Tom’s Guide noted, however, that they saw a stripped-back version of Maps while logged out with no error message.
Mashable has reached out to Google and will update this story with any clarification or further details.
Entertainment
Amazon shuts down Blue Jay warehouse robot project after less than a year
Last October, Amazon announced Blue Jay, a new robotic arm system that was supposed to act as “an extra set of hands” for its warehouse workers. This week, Amazon decided Blue Jay is no longer needed.
The news was reported first by Business Insider and then corroborated by TechCrunch. Blue Jay was meant to be a multi-arm helper system for same-day delivery facilities, and it was being tested in South Carolina at the time of its announcement last fall. After six months, though, Amazon is winding down project Blue Jay and moving its core tech and employees to other projects.
Look at it go!
Credit: Amazon
While this was not made explicitly clear when Blue Jay was first announced, an Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch that it was always meant as a prototype.
Mashable Light Speed
“We’re always experimenting with new ways to improve the customer experience and make work safer, more efficient, and more engaging for our employees,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch. “In this case, we’re actually accelerating the use of the underlying technology developed for Blue Jay, and nearly all of the technologies are being carried over and will continue to support employees across our network.”
Blue Jay was not the only warehouse robotics initiative Amazon has under its belt, and it won’t be the last. But for whatever reason, this one just didn’t work out as planned.
Entertainment
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is on sale for a record-low price at Amazon — save $64 at Amazon
SAVE $64: The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is on sale for $439 at Amazon, down from the normal price of $499. That’s a 13% discount and the lowest price we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
$439
at Amazon
$499
Save $60
Maybe you just started out on your content creation journey or maybe you’ve been uploading to YouTube for years. In either case, you know the power DJI has on the industry, but it’s for good reason. DJI has become one of the most content-creator friendly brands in the industry. Just look around for how many creators are using the DJI Mic Mini. If you’ve been looking for a great vlogging camera from a standout brand, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of Feb. 19, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is on sale at Amazon for $439, marked down from the normal price of $499. That’s a 13% discount that shaves $64 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
The DJI Avata 2 Fly More Combo is down to a record-low price at Amazon — save over $300 right now
Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth got to review the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and wrote, “The new DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera should replace whatever vlogging camera you’re currently using.” It’s waterproof, durable, lightweight, has motion stabilization, and DJI makes it a breeze to upload footage.
DJI equipped the Osmo Pocket 3 with a one-inch CMOS sensor which is an asset when filming in low-light situations. It’ll record your content in 4K and that includes the slow-motion feature that captures at 120fps in 4K. There’s also object and face tracking that make this vlogging camera a breeze for everyone from beginners to experienced pros.
Mashable Deals
The two-inch screen on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 can sit either horizontally or vertically on the gimbal, making it ideal for all types of recording. The three-axis stabilization is also awesome for getting smooth footage without extra effort.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is priced at $499 and Beck Werth noted, “If you’re a full- or part-time video creator, livestreamer, or influencer, then the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is definitely worth the price of admission.” But now that the vlogging camera is on sale for a record-low price of $435, it’s an even better deal. Snag it before this sale price vanishes.
Google Maps looks different for some users in big change
Amazon shuts down Blue Jay warehouse robot project after less than a year
