Now that Bran Stark's creepy stare has cemented him as one of the most mysterious characters on Game of Thrones, it's hard to imagine a time when he wasn't so in tune with his Three-Eyed Raven identity. But he hasn't always known about his powers to see past, future, and current but slightly distant events. He had to learn how to use them, and it was in that time that he had a terrifying encounter with the Night King. As Bran mentions in the second episode of the final season, the Night King once left him with a mark that enables the undead leader to know his location. If your memory of the past isn't as clear as Bran's, the Night King leaves this mark in season six. At that point, Bran's already met the previous Three-Eyed Raven after going on a mission beyond the wall to find him — though back then, he'd been dreaming of a literal raven with three eyes and didn't think he'd find an old man fused to a weirwood tree. The old Three-Eyed Raven begins training him in the art of greensight. This involves not just seeing visions of past and future events, but being present in them as well. As such, the old Three-Eyed Raven warns Bran not to interfere with the visions. One of the past visions the old Three-Eyed Raven shows Bran is the creation of the first White Walker by the Children of the Forest. They learn that the Children did this to prevent the first humans in Westeros from continuing to destroy weirwood trees, which they consider sacred. In the present, Bran, who hasn't reached the point of mastery of his abilities yet, ends up connecting to the old Three-Eyed Raven's weirwood tree without telling him. In this vision, he sees even more White Walkers and wights — including the Night King. Aware of Bran's presence and likely that he wasn't supposed to be there, the Night King grabs his arm, which ends the vision. The Night King's Touch leaves a mark on Bran, and it's apparently like a GPS system that lets him know exactly where Bran is at all times. That's great for the Night King — whose end goal is to destroy everything. Killing Bran, as Sam Tarly explains, means killing all memories. But it could work in the living's favor, too. Like they've planned, they can use Bran to lure the Night King close enough to defeat him. Will they succeed? We could really use greensight to tell us right about now!
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Fresh from an $8.8 billion profit last year, much-maligned Chinese tech giant Huawei is touting yet more growth. The firm said today that revenue in the first quarter of 2019 grew 39 percent year-on-year to reach $26.78 billion, or 179.7 billion CNY. The company claims it is owned by its employees — although a recent academic paper challenged that. While it isn’t listed publicly, it declares quarterly and yearly business figures, the latter of which is audited by KPMG. For Q1, Huawei didn’t reveal a net profit but it said that its net profit margin was eight percent which is “slightly higher” than the same time in the previous year. During the quarter, Huawei said it shipped 59 million smartphones while it added that, as of the end of March, it had signed 40 commercial 5G contracts and shipped over 70,000 base stations to support 5G networks worldwide. That’s about all it is saying about its top end figures. You can refer back to those 2018 numbers to get an idea of where the company is headed, in short: further into the consumer device space. Huawei’s annual revenue increased by 19.5 percent year-on-year to 721 billion CNY, or $107.4 billion, in 2018 as smartphones and other devices became its largest source of income. Huawei said revenue from the consumer business rose by 45 percent to reach 349 billion CNY ($52 billion), while sales from its carrier business dropped 1.3 percent to 294 billion CNY, or $43.8 billion. Enterprise services accounted for the remaining 74.4 billion CNY. That consumer push isn’t a huge surprise given the hostility to Huawei’s traditional networking and carrier business from the U.S. and other Western governments. Still, the Chinese company has fought back against a ban on its equipment in the U.S. through a lawsuit arguing that federal agencies and contractors have violated due process and acted in a way that is unconstitutional. Still, the U.S. concern around national security has been fortified by a recent U.K. government report claimed there are “significant technical issues” around adopting its telecom network kit. The report, prepared for the National Security Advisor of the U.K. by the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) Oversight Board, said it has “not yet seen anything to give it confidence in Huawei’s capacity to successfully complete the elements of its transformation programme that it has proposed as a means of addressing these underlying defects.” Spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 2, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” Reunions have been a major feature of the final season of Game of Thrones, as the main characters gather for an epic battle against the undead. But one reunion in the episode “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is exceptionally emotional: the one between Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy. “I want to fight for Winterfell, Lady Sansa. If you’ll have me,” Theon says. Sansa visibly tears up as she rushes to hug Theon. Over the past two seasons, we’ve watched Sansa reunite with her lost siblings Arya, Jon, and Bran, but she didn’t weep over any of them. Her reunion with Theon has more dramatic impact because of their shared past. To understand Sansa’s feelings, it’s necessary to remember that her relationship with Theon was fairly awful in the past. Theon first betrayed Sansa’s brother Robb in season 2, seizing Winterfell under his father’s influence. He then spent parts of season 4, 5, and 6 under the name “Reek,” being tortured and brutalized by Ramsay Bolton. As Reek, he was a broken man, meek and passive, unwilling or unable to do anything when Ramsay raped Sansa right in front of him. Sansa worked to remind him of his original identity as Theon Greyjoy, and recruited him to help her escape the Boltons for good. During these dark times, Sansa was resourceful and resilient, not giving up in a seemingly hopeless situation. She forgave Theon for pretending to kill her two younger brothers in the past, and for reporting her plans to Ramsay and not rescuing her as events unfolded. Her willingness to forgive him might have come from a place of desperation, as he was the closest thing to a familiar ally when she was married to Ramsay. But Theon rewarded her kindness by finding his courage at the end of season 5, shoving a would-be attacker to her death, and fleeing with Sansa. The last time they saw each other before their fateful season 8 reunion was during season 6, when Sansa attempted to convince Theon to head to Castle Black with her, to find Jon Snow and protection from Ramsay. It was clear at this point in their conversation that Sansa fully forgave Theon for his past crimes, and was grateful for the way he’d saved her from Ramsay. Theon has made horrible mistakes, including killing two farm boys and burning their corpses to convince people that Sansa’s brothers Rickon and Bran Stark were dead. But Sansa was willing to look past that. Theon’s abject remorse may have helped: he told Sansa in season 6, “I can never make amends to your family for the things I’ve done.” Theon’s return to Winterfell in season 8 is the latest step in finding the courage of his convictions after Ramsay’s tortures broke him. Reuniting with Sansa demonstrates his renewed loyalty to the Starks, but it also shows him trying to value himself as a person, which Sansa has to find touching after seeing him so broken — and after making the same emotional journey back from abuse herself. He could have easily stayed with his sister Yara as they sailed to reclaim the Iron Islands, but he chooses to find Sansa and fight, and her emotional response, which cracks her frequently stoic resolve, is a recognition of what they’ve been through together. Theon’s return to Winterfell, where he spent his childhood as a hostage, suggests he views House Stark’s keep as his true home, not the Iron Islands, where his family hails from. Sansa likely also feared for his life, and suspected he might be captured by Ramsay again, or killed by his own people. Their reunion was so powerful because of her relief at seeing that like her, he’s still surviving and finding his way back out of their shared trauma. Given the war against the undead that they face, his courage and dedication to Sansa can’t be taken lightly. Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones below! Proceed with caution. When Samwell Tarly gifts Jorah Mormont with a special piece of weaponry in the latest episode of Game of Thrones, titled "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," it's far more than a simple act of generosity — it's a particularly meaningful, full-circle moment for the formerly disgraced son of House Mormont. To remind any of you who 1.) didn't read the books, or 2.) read the books and watched the show, but can't remember what happened early on in either (no judgment — it's been a while, people) Jorah had quite the checkered past before he crossed paths with Daenerys Targaryen. The shameful decisions he made years earlier that resulted in his exile are actually why receiving the Valyrian steel sword from Sam made for such a heartfelt scene. Need a refresher on what went down? Let's dive in. Why Was Jorah Exiled From House Mormont?He is the son of the late Jeor Mormont of House Mormont, who are the Lords of Bear Island and vassals of House Stark (yes, he and little badass Lyanna Mormont are related). Jorah made a name for himself early on in his career, participating in the Siege of Pyke during the Greyjoy Rebellion, which is what earned him a position as a knight from then-King Robert Baratheon. Unfortunately, his good reputation didn't last after marrying Lynesse Hightower, who had very expensive tastes that Jorah struggled to find a way to fund. To please his wife, Jorah resorted to engaging in slavery, despite it being illegal in Westeros. He ended up getting caught and was promptly stripped of his Lordship, leaving both him and his father disgraced. While Jorah fled to the Free Cities to avoid being executed by Ned Stark, his father ended up abandoning Bear Island to voluntarily join the Night's Watch. It's there that Jeor becomes the Lord Commander, or leader, of the Night's Watch, as we see during the show's first three seasons. He ends up viewing new Night's Watch member Jon Snow as a surrogate son, to the point that he bestows upon him House Mormont's ancestral Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw (he has the bear on the hilt replaced with a wolf as a nod to House Stark). If Jorah hadn't brought shame to his house, then all of his father's titles, as well as Longclaw, would've been his. Obviously that's not how things shook out for him. As we know now, he served as a mercenary for the Golden Company, his wife left him, and he begins spying on Daenerys for Varys and King's Landing, before he grows to respect her (and love her) and serves her in earnest. What's So Important About the Sword Sam Gives Jorah in Season 8?In season six, Sam ditches the Night's Watch and journeys back to House Tarly with Gilly in tow. His father, Randyll Tarly, isn't pleased — after dismissing Gilly as a "wildling whore" and laughing at Sam's tales of White Walkers, he declares that he'll never let Sam inherit either House Tarly or the family's Valyrian steel sword, which has the name Heartsbane. So, on his way out of town, Sam steals it as a nice little "f*ck you" to his dear old dad. Bravo, Sam. (It's not like Randyll was around for too long to worry about the missing sword, anyway.) With the Battle of Winterfell nearly upon our heroes, Sam has to make the tough decision to fight outside the castle walls or to protect Gilly and little Sam in the crypts. He seems to choose the latter when he interrupts Jorah having a brief family reunion with Lady Lyanna Mormont. With Heartsbane in his arms, Sam goes on to explain that it's his family sword and that he'd "love to defend them with it," but he "can't really hold it upright." "My father taught me how to be a man, how to do what's right," Sam tells Jorah. "This is right. It's Valyrian steel. I'd be honored if you take it." Jorah solemnly accepts, unsheathing the sword and saying that he'll wield Heartsbane in the memory of Sam's father. It might not be House Mormont's ancestral sword, but it's significant all the same that Jorah receives one on the eve of what might be his last day on earth. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Samsung tries to deliver a big innovation and fails miserably. A big story this week on TechCrunch was that in the buildup to the release of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, potentially one of the weirdest, most innovative, most expensive phones shipped in the past decade, there are some signs that this could be a momentous failure. Samsung only sent out about a dozen review units to press outlets, and three of them seemed to fail for three distinct reasons. Does this inspire much faith in the durability of the $1,980 hardware (which has already sold out in pre-orders)? Not quite. “A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review. We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter,” a Samsung spokesperson publicly detailed, responding to the issues. This nascent scandal may lead you to recall the Note 7 debacle, which earned Samsung what was perhaps the worst free advertising ever, with the FAA mandating just about every domestic flight begin with the pilot ensuring that the plane was Note 7-free. A phone spontaneously dying is a cake walk compared to a phablet bomb, but we’ll see whether this was just a big pre-release fluke and the consumer units prove more durable. That said, a failure rate of around 25 percent for models sent to journalists after a few days doesn’t inspire the greatest confidence. Brian seemed to have some pretty nice things to say about his early time with the device: I will say I did get a chance to fumble around with the Fold this week while our hardware editor Brian Heater was in town, and I personally found the device pretty inspiring. The screen on his still-functioning device is really quite beautiful and it all just feels like an innovative approach, even if it’s very first-gen at its heart. Its good qualities all rely on the device continuing to function though, so I won’t get too complimentary until we get some further clarity on that. Trends of the weekHere are a few big news items from big companies, with links to all the sweet, sweet added context.
GAFA GaffesHow did the top tech companies screw-up this week? This clearly needs its own section, in order of awfulness:
Extra CrunchOur premium subscription service has been off to a great start. I just kicked off my new series this week, “The Exit,” where I interview a lead investor in a recent exit. I talked to Bessemer’s Adam Fisher, who led Bessemer’s investments in Dynamic Yield, which McDonald’s bought last month for $300 million.
Here are some of our other top reads this week for premium subscribers -- Want more TechCrunch newsletters? Sign up here. Spoiler warning: Mild spoilers ahead for “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” episode 2 of season 8 of Game of Thrones. We’re barreling toward a big battle in next week’s Game of Thrones, and if there was one part of the plan that this week’s episode, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” went to great pains to underline, it was that all the non-fighters would be safe in the crypts underneath Winterfell. Davos says it, Gilly says it, Daenerys says it, Jon says it — if you don’t want want to become a wight snack, the crypts are apparently the place to be. But given the near-Chekov’s Gun levels of emphasis of how safe the crypts are, the crypts of Winterfell are obviously extremely not safe. Let’s walk through this fast. Given that the crypts are, well, crypts, there’s basically only one thing down there: corpses of dead Starks. (Okay, and statues of those dead Starks. And maybe some dragon eggs, according to some of the more out-there theories. But I digress.) On the other side, we have an invading force of ice monsters, whose main power lies in… resurrecting corpses to fight for them. Put those together, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster — and remember, every innocent person who hides in the crypts and gets cut down by zombified Stark ancestors will only bolster the numbers of the undead. There are a few major questions here. How close does a White Walker need to be to resurrect a corpse? Is there any limit on how old a corpse can be before it can’t be brought back? But there are currently thousands of years worth of dead Starks buried down there. Even discounting some that some of the more ancient bones are probably dust by now, and that some of the more recently dead Starks aren’t down there — like Catelyn and Robb, whose corpses never made their way back to Winterfell after the Red Wedding — there are still plenty of potential wights down there. (And yet with Catelyn’s body having not been recovered, we’re still not heading for the big Lady Stoneheart reveal that fans have been clamoring for over several seasons.) And we do know that Ned Stark’s remains were buried in the crypts, as the return of his body was one of Robb’s demands when he first declared himself King in the North back in season 2. Also in the crypts: Ned’s sister (and Jon Snow’s real mother) Lyanna Stark, and Rickon Stark, who died in the Battle of the Bastards, back in season 6. Jon Snow isn’t in the best place emotionally after the revelation of his true parentage, and his face-off with Daenerys as she realizes he has a claim to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Facing down the undead bodies of the mother Jon never met, the man who upheld a lifelong lie about being Jon’s father, and the brother (er, cousin) Jon failed to save probably isn’t the best thing for his psyche, especially with the fate of the world on the line. Take that potential army of soldiers, which could serve as an ace in the hole for the White Walker army, together with the intense foreshadowing in this week’s episode, and the only real question left is, “Is Game of Thrones self-indulgent enough to have the headless corpse of Sean Bean come back to life, serving as a callback to the show’s first and most shocking death, and then attack his remaining family members?” If you’re still watching the show at this point, you probably already know the answer to that. Rhaegar Targaryen is arguably the most important Game of Thrones character, and until the season seven finale, we had never even seen him. His death marked the end of a long and complicated rebellion full of forbidden love and a plethora of fighting and murder. If you're wondering how or why he died, or perhaps you've forgotten, we are here to help, because he's definitely an important piece of the Westeros puzzle. Rhaegar is the eldest son of "Mad" King Aerys II, making him heir to the Iron Throne and Daenerys's oldest brother. The Targaryens are allies with the Lannisters way back when at this time, and Cersei always thought she might marry Rhaegar, but the two families' peace falls apart when the Mad King instead marries Rhaegar to Elia Martell of Dorne, with whom he has two children. But everything really falls apart in the Seven Kingdoms when Rhaegar sees Lyanna Stark at the Tourney of Harrenhal. Rhaegar is so taken with Ned Stark's sister (who was also Robert Baratheon's betrothed) that when he wins the tournament, he gives the victor's wreath to Lyanna instead of his wife. Several months later, Rhaegar allegedly abducts Lyanna, but we've known from season six and beyond that she actually goes with him of her own free will — and they secretly get married, as we found out back in Game of Thrones' season seven episode "Eastwatch" (though at the time the Game of Thrones characters still all think Lyanna was the victim of kidnap and assault). This controversy is what spurs Robert Baratheon's rebellion, backed by the great Houses Arryn, Greyjoy, Stark, and Tully. The Lannisters even eventually join the rebellion after the Battle of the Trident, which is where Robert kills Rhaegar with his war hammer. This defeat is the beginning of the end of the Targaryens, which is why the Lannisters finally join Robert's side — like true Lannisters, they wait to see which side emerges victorious before they make a choice. After Rhaegar's death, the Lannisters sack King's Landing. Jaime kills the Mad King (thus his nickname, Kingslayer), bannerman Ser Gregor Clegane (aka The Mountain) kills Elia Martell and Rhaegar's two children, and the rebellion is complete. Tywin Lannister marries his daughter Cersei to Robert, and King Robert takes the throne. However, Rhaegar's line lives on. While all of this is happening during the rebellion, Rhaegar sends his pregnant new wife, Lyanna, to the Tower of Joy under the watch of Kingsguard members Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Gerold Hightower. Eddard tracks his sister there and is present when she gives birth to Rhaegar's son and heir, Aegon Targaryen. Ned passes the baby boy off as his own bastard because Lyanna asks him to protect the baby from King Robert (who would surely kill Rhaegar's heir if he knew the truth), and that's how Jon Snow comes to be part of the Stark family. Now, in season eight, there are a select few people privy to this information: Bran, who initially sees the vision of Rhaegar and Lyanna marrying, and then later Lyanna giving birth; Samwell Tarly, who reads about the union in the journals at the Citadel; Jon himself, because Sam tells him in the season eight premiere; and finally Rhaegar's little sister, Daenerys Targaryen. Naturally Dany's none too pleased to discover that Jon is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne when he divulges this shocking information in the Winterfell crypts in season eight's second episode, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." (Even if it does exonerate her brother from all those accusations of rape and kidnapping.) Will she attempt to kill him in next week's episode, when the Battle of Winterfell finally begins? Only time will tell, but hopefully she's learned from her family's history of violence. I’m starting to get that thing where my iPhone XS screen feels super tiny when I switch back from the Fold to send a text message from my number. Someone recently asked me if I’m going to have trouble giving the device back to Samsung in a few days, and while the answer is a decided “not really,” the march toward even larger screens does feel inevitable — and I do believe folding phones will be an important part of that push. Of course, I also believe that we’re as close as a generation or two out from this first shot on that foldable feeling pretty big and bulky (some folks who’ve seen the phone have already said as much about it). I’m back at the airport today, and both airline representatives and TSA agents (who see a LOT of phones as people are checking in) seem pretty impressed with it. I had the phone standing up at a 45 degree angle on the bathroom sink this morning to watch the news as I brushed my teeth. That’s pretty neat. And If I’d had the forethought, I have loaded a couple of movies on it for the flight. It definitely beats the seatback screens on Delta. In addition to the fingerprints on the outside, the inside gets like crazy dusty after any kind of use. And a lot of that collects in the little reservoir between the screen protector and the outside lip. The top shot is from yesterday’s A’s game (the dark line along the seam is a shadow). You can use the front facing screen as a view finder while taking photos, but it’s pretty small. The inside, meanwhile, makes you feel like one of those people who use their iPads to take photos in public. Once you get over that, it’s a pretty nice way to view shots, though. And no, it’s not broken yet. We’re still waiting for official word from Samsung about what happened there. The Fold is on track for an April 26 release here in the States, in spite of everything, and even as a China release appears be delayed. Review soon. Africa has made its global IPO debut. Pan-African e-commerce company Jumia—a $1 billion-valued company--began trading live on the NYSE last week. The stock offering made Jumia the first upstart operating in Africa to list on a major global exchange. This raises expectations for unicorns and IPOs to create the continent’s first wave of startup moguls. But unlike other markets, big public listings and nine-figure valuations could remain rare in Africa. The rise of venture arms and startup acquisitions will factor more prominently than IPOs in creating Africa’s early startup successes. I’ll break down why. First, a quick briefer. Primer on African techNot everyone may be aware, but yes, Africa has a booming tech scene. When measured by monetary values, it’s minuscule by Shenzen or Silicon Valley standards. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that a right-wing militia group, the United Constitutional Patriots, operating in New Mexico was detaining migrants at gunpoint before turning them over to US officials. Now, Paypal and GoFundMe have banned the group from their services, according to Buzzfeed News. The number of paramilitary groups has grown in the US over the last couple of years, and in that time, their members have been making trips to the US southern border, saying that they’re there to support US Border Patrol agents. Following the recent reports, New Mexico State Attorney General released a statement on Thursday, saying that “these individuals should not attempt to exercise authority reserved for law enforcement,” while the Border Patrol issued a statement, saying that it does not “endorse or condone private groups or organizations taking enforcement matters into their own hands.” On Saturday, the officials confirmed that the FBI had arrested a member of the group, Larry Mitchell Hopkins. Now, tech companies are starting to act, as Paypal and GoFundMe, both of which allowed people to financially support the group’s operations, cut them off. Paypal confirmed to The Verge that it has permanently suspended the group’s account, and the group posted a message on its Facebook page, asking donors to mail checks or money orders directly to them. In an interview with Buzzfeed News, United Constitutional Patriots commander Mark Cheney said that “they killed us,” and they would “have to find some other way for people to donate.” Cheney said that being cut off from those sources was a significant loss — operating in a remote location is expensive, and the group used the funds that it obtained through the funding platforms to purchase food, gas, and other supplies. In a statement to Buzzfeed News, a Paypal spokesperson said that the group violated their Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits “hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory or the financial exploitation of a crime.” We’ve reached out to GoFundMe for further comment, and will update this post if we hear back. |
AuthorAt the moment I'm exporting jigsaw puzzles in Prescott, AZ. Once had a dream of getting my feet wet with crayon art in Orlando, FL. Spent a year training wooden trains in Salisbury, MD. Spent childhood selling salsa for the underprivileged. Had moderate success building Virgin Mary figurines on the black market. Archives
April 2019
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