For Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings trilogy, screenwriter Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Fran Walsh took on the task of translating three expansive novels into three live-action movies. With the anime movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Boyens and her co-writers took on a radically different challenge: expanding two pages of summary into one two-hour animated film.Polygon sat down with Boyens to discuss adapting the world of Middle-earth to another medium and what she learned about screenwriting, moviemaking, and J.R.R. Tolkien himself on The War of the Rohirrim.Boyens says she learned one important thing from a letter Tolkien wrote to his son, editor, and archivist, Christopher Tolkien, that gave her a new appreciation for the professor. He was talking about how some stories [in his Middle-earth legendarium] are meant to be left untold, as if theyre there to be explored. [] He, I think, was perhaps unafraid of the idea that he could leave some stories untold. And that they might be filled out or excavated, perhaps, is a better term by other minds was interesting, especially the way he put it.That perspective is particularly pertinent to The War of the Rohirrim, which is based on a story Tolkien only loosely described. The War of the Rohirrim, directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus) and produced by Sola Digital Arts for Warner Bros. Animation, takes place 250 years before Frodo and the Ring Quest, and concerns the Rohirrim, a horse-loving people heavily influenced by ancient Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian culture, topics near and dear to Tolkiens heart.For the movie, Boyens and her co-writers adapted the story of the Rohirric king Helm Hammerhand, which is found in a more general summary of Middle-earths royal lines that Tolkien wrote for the back-matter of The Return of the King. War of the Rohirrims script turns Helms unnamed daughter into the protagonist, which certainly qualifies as filling out or excavating Tolkiens writing.The inciting incident of Helms downfall comes when he rejects a rival lords petition to join his son, Wulf, and Helms daughter in marriage. But through all the tragedy that follows, in which Wulf seeks revenge on Helms line and the throne of Rohan, Tolkien never mentions Helms daughter again. He never reveals whether she survived the fate that befell the rest of her family, and he never even gives her name. She simply disappears from the story once Helm refuses to wed her to Wulf.To flesh out that daughters story, Boyens and her collaborators looked to historical and literary sources that they knew Tolkien would have been familiar with, like the historical thelfld daughter of Alfred the Great, first king of the Anglo-Saxons who ruled the English kingdom of Mercia in the early 10th century.Shes called the Lady of the Mercians, Boyens said, and of course thats very much [Tolkiens] neighborhood, so to speak. So I couldnt help but think, Of course he would know of her, this daughter of Alfred the Great who defended her people.Another Rohan inspiration for Tolkien would likely have been the epic of Beowulf, of which he was considered a pivotal scholar and translator. Yesterday I was up in Oxford, Boyens said, and I spoke at Merton College amongst this wealth of real knowledge real experts, true experts of the professor and someone brought up that comparison between the story of Helm and Beowulf, and there is a lot in there. [] I think certainly, [they share] the flawed central character, the almost overreaching nature of Helm and Beowulf potentially, but also their heroic redemption.But Boyens cautioned that, in her experience, although [Tokien] based the Rohirrim somewhat on Anglo-Saxon culture and his own roots, I think that there was another flavor in there to them that was, inherently and intrinsically, purely Rohirric. As much as we did use some sources from some of the histories from Anglo-Saxon culture to flesh out the storytelling, you always begin to travel back to Professor Tolkiens work and realize, No, this is a culture in and of itself, with its own traditions. Even though were only dealing with a couple of pages in [The Return of the King] for the story, per se, theres a wealth of history of the Rohirric culture that we could go into that he wrote about.Unlike its live-action predecessor movies, Boyens War of the Rohirrim doesnt have a wide-ranging Ring Quest to follow. So its two-hour length (snappy, compared to the three-hours-each Lord of the Rings trilogy) spends a lot of time with its characters, and themes of loyalty, betrayal, and revenge. In Boyens estimation, that combination of epic action with personal focus was a perfect fit for War of the Rohirrims anime style and Kamiyamas directorship.Theres a great tradition within anime and also [when] you look to the great Japanese filmmakers, obviously, like Kurosawa, for example where an epic nature is inherently in the storytelling, Boyens said. But also, theres a way in which theyre able to collapse and condense, almost in a claustrophobic way. The central conflict, even within characters themselves, begins to inform the storytelling more and more and more. Something that stood out [to us] was, You know what? This is kind of the perfect story to tell in anime form, of all the Tolkien stories.Boyens enjoyed embracing a slower rhythm for Rohirrim as well. The natural pace of anime is going to be different, and rest in certain moments, especially on particular shots. The cutting is different, but I kind of like that. I do feel like sometimes, especially in films these days, its almost assaultive, the way in which it comes at you. The relentlessness of that cutting can be a little bit, I dont know. Yeah, like I said, assaultive Im not even sure if thats a word. [laughs] If it isnt, I just made it up. But, if you know what I mean, that ability to just absorb something at a different pace, I actually love that.Boyens doesnt think that her screenwriting thought process changed much from live action to animation, at least not in the important ways with one exception: The difference with animation is, you really need to commit to those thoughts. [laughs] Because you dont get a reshoot!The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is out now in theaters.

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Gaming has evolved dramatically over the years, to the point you no longer even need a console to do it. Well, at least if you want to play Xbox. After a partnership with Amazon and Microsoft, Amazon Fire Sticks can now use the Xbox app to directly cast digital Xbox games from the cloud to your TV, without the need for an Xbox console. If you want to get started gaming this way without plunking down for a console, right now Amazon has a Fire Stick bundle with everything you need to get started gaming on your TVa Fire Stick, an Xbox controller, and a one month subscription to Xbox Game Pass, which grants you unlimited play of a large library of Xbox Games. The bundles start at $74.99 (originally $136.97), the lowest price they've been, according to price-checking tools. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Sky Cipher Special Edition Core Wireless Controller, and 1 Month Game P Fire Stick 4K Bundle $74.99 at Amazon $136.97 Save $61.98 Get Deal Get Deal $74.99 at Amazon $136.97 Save $61.98 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Sky Cipher Special Edition Core Wireless Controller, and 1 Month Game P Fire TV Stick 4K Max Bundle $79.99 at Amazon $146.97 Save $66.98 Get Deal Get Deal $79.99 at Amazon $146.97 Save $66.98 SEE -1 MORE The bundle gives you an option between the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max. The main difference between the two is that the Max has Wi-Fi 6e compatibility, so if you have access to Wi-Fi 6e at home, the 4K Max bundle is a better bargain for just $5 more. If not, save yourself the $5 and get yourself a nice pumpkin latte. If you already have an Xbox controller and Game Pass, all you need is the Fire Stick. The Fire Stick 4K is $27.99 (originally $49.99), and the Fire Stick 4K Max is $59.99. As you can see in the IGN video above, there are cons to this setup. You might notice a slight input lag and loading times might be a bit longer. But if that's the difference between playing and not playing at all, it's not a bad tradeoff. Just be ready to endure many updates and downloads to get the system set up on your TV. (You can follow the steps in IGN's video.)

Friends, let's talk about one of the most confusing terms youll see on your fitness trackerspecifically your Apple Watch. Next to REM sleep, which youve probably heard of, and deep sleep, which feels self explanatory, theres core sleep. And if you google what core sleep means, youll get a definition that is entirely opposite from how Apple uses the term. So lets break it down.The root of the confusion lies in the fact that the term core sleep has been used in the scientific literature to mean a few different things. Importantly, its not a recognized sleep stage. Apple, on the other hand, decided to rename the sleep stages its watch can detect, and called one of them core sleepbut it bears no relation to any of the previous common uses of the term."Core sleep" in the Apple Watch is the same as light sleepLet me give you a straightforward explanation of what youre seeing when you look at your Apple sleep data.Your Apple Watch tries to guess, mainly through your movements, when youre in each stage of sleep. (To truly know your sleep stages would require a sleep study with more sophisticated equipment, like an electroencephalogram. The watch is just doing its best with the data it has.)Apple says their watch can tell the difference between four different states:AwakeLight (core) sleepDeep sleepREM sleepThese categories roughly correspond to the sleep stages that neuroscientists can observe with polysomnography, which involves hooking you up to an electroencephalogram, or EEG. (Thats the thing where they attach wires to your head). Scientists recognize three stages of non-REM sleep, with the third being described as deep sleep. That means stages 1 and 2, which are sometimes called light sleep, are being labeled as core sleep by your wearable.In other words: Apple's definition of "core sleep" is identical to scientists' definition of "light sleep." It is otherwise known as N2 sleep. (More on that in a minute.)So why didnt Apple use the same wording as everyone else? The company says in a document on their sleep stage algorithm that they were worried people would misunderstand the term "light sleep" if they called it that.The label Core was chosen to avoid possible unintended implications of the term light, because the N2 stage is predominant (often making up more than 50 percent of a nights sleep), normal, and an important aspect of sleep physiology, containing sleep spindles and K-complexes.In other words, they thought we might assume that "light" sleep is less important than "deep" sleep, so they chose a new, important-sounding name to use in place of "light." A chart on the same page lays it out: non-REM stages 1 and 2 fall under the Apple category of core sleep, while stage 3 is deep sleep. Thats how Apple defined it in testing: If an EEG said a person was in stage 2 when the watch said they were in core, that was counted as a success for the algorithm.What are the known sleep stages, and where does core sleep fit in?Lets back up to consider what was known about sleep stages before Apple started renaming them. The current scientific understanding, which is based on brain wave patterns that can be read with an EEG, includes these stages:Non-REM stage 1 (N1)N1 only lasts a few minutes. Youre breathing normally. Your body is beginning to relax, and your brain waves start to look different than they do when youre awake. This would be considered part of your light sleep. The Apple Watch considers this to be part of your core sleep stage.Non-REM stage 2 (N2)Also usually considered light sleep, N2 makes up about half of your sleep time. This stage includes spikes of brain activity called sleep spindles, and distinctive brainwave patterns called K complexes. (These are what the Apple document mentioned above.) This stage of sleep is thought to be when we consolidate our memories. Fun fact: if you grind your teeth in your sleep, it will mostly be in this stage.This stage makes up most of what Apple reports as your core sleep.Non-REM stage 3 (N3)N3 is often called deep sleep, and this stage accounts for about a quarter of your night. It has the slowest brain waves, so its sometimes called slow wave sleep. Its hard to wake someone up from this stage, and if you succeed, theyll be groggy for a little while afterward. This is the stage where the most body repair tends to happen, including muscle recovery, bone growth in children, and immune system strengthening. As we age, we spend less time in N3 and more time in N2.(There was an older classification that split off the deepest sleep into its own stage, calling it non-REM stage 4, but currently that deepest portion is just considered part of stage 3.)REM sleepREM sleep is so named because this is where we have Rapid Eye Movement. Your body is temporarily paralyzed, except for the eyes and your breathing muscles. This is the stage best known for dreaming (although dreams can occur in other stages as well).The brain waves of a person in REM sleep look very similar to those of a person who is awake, which is why some sleep-tracking apps show blocks of REM as occurring near the top of the graph, near wakefulness. We dont usually enter REM sleep until weve been through the other stages, and we cycle through these stages all night. Usually REM sleep is fairly short during the beginning of the night, and gets longer with each cycle.How much core sleep do I need? Using Apple's definition, in which core sleep is the same as light sleep, it's normal for almost half of your sleep to be core sleep. Sleep scientists give an approximate breakdown (although the exact numbers may vary from person to person, and your needs aren't always the same every night):N1 (very light sleep): About 5% of the total (just a few minutes)N2 (light or "core" sleep): About 45%, so just under four hours if you normally sleep for eight hoursN3 (deep sleep): About 25%, so about two hours if you normally sleep for eight hoursREM: About 25%, so also about two hours.How to get more core sleepIf your Apple watch says you're getting less core sleep than what we mention above, you might wonder how you can get more core (or light) sleep. Before you take any action, though, you should know that wearables aren't very good at telling exactly what stage of sleep you are in. They're usually (but not always!) pretty good at telling when you are asleep versus awake, so they can be useful for knowing whether you slept six hours or eight. But I wouldn't make any changes to my routine based on the specific sleep stage numbers. The algorithm can easily miscategorize some of your light sleep as deep sleep, or vice versa. That said, the best way to get more core sleep is to get more and better sleep in general. Start with this basic sleep hygiene checklist. Among the most important items: Give yourself a bedtime routine with at least 30 minutes of wind-down time where you try to do something relaxing.Have a consistent wake-up time.Don't look at screens right before bed. Keep your bedroom dark and cool.Don't have alcohol or caffeine in the evenings.Improving your sleep overall will improve all your sleep stages, whether your Apple Watch can tell them apart or not.Other ways people use the term core sleepI really wish Apple had chosen another term, because the phrase core sleep has been used in other ways. It either doesnt refer to a sleep stage at all, or if it is associated with sleep stages, its used to refer to deep sleep stages.In the 1980s, sleep scientist James Horne proposed that your first few sleep cycles (taking up maybe the first five hours of the night) constitute the core sleep we all need to function. The rest of the night is optional sleep, which ideally wed still get every night, but which its not a big deal to miss out on from time to time. He described this in a 1988 book called Why We Sleep (no relation to the 2017 book by another author) but you can see his earlier paper on the topic here. He uses the terms obligatory and facultative sleep in that paper, and switched to the core/optional terminology later.Youll also find people using the phrase core sleep to refer to everything but light sleep. For example, this paper on how sleep changes as we age compares their findings in terms of sleep stages with Hornes definition of core sleep. In doing so, they describe core sleep as mainly consisting of stages N3-N4 (in other words, N3 as described above).From there, somehow the internet has gotten the idea that N3 and REM are considered core sleep. I dont know how that happened, and I dont see it when I search the scientific literature. I do see it on what is core sleep? junk articles on the websites of companies selling weighted blankets and melatonin gummies.For one final, contradictory definition, the phrase core sleep is also used by people who are into polyphasic sleep. This is the idea that you can replace a full nights sleep with several naps during the day, something that biohacker types keep trying to make happen, even though it never pans out. They use the term pretty straightforwardly: If you have a nighttime nap that is longer than your other naps, thats your core sleep. Honestly, thats a fair use of the word. I'll allow it.So, to wrap up: Core sleep, if youre a napper, is the longest block of sleep you get during a day. Core sleep, to scientists who study sleep deprivation, is a hypothesis about which part of a nights sleep is the most important. But if youre just here because you were wondering what your Apple sleep app means by "core sleep," it means stages N1-N2, or light sleep.

CD Projekt Red took us by surprise when it dropped a cinematic trailer for The Witcher 4 at The Game Awards, revealing Ciri as the new protagonist. Amidst all the excitement, some observant fans also noticed that Geralt of Rivias adopted daughter seems to sound pretty different than before, and not just in a several years have passed kind of way. In a statement to TheGamer, CD Projekt Red confirmed that Ciri has been recast. While she was previously voiced by Jo Wyatt, Ciara Berkeley has taken over the role.Ciara Berkeley was cast as Ciri for The Witcher 4 Cinematic Reveal Trailer, a spokesperson for CD Projekt Red told TheGamer, and later added that Berkeley voices Ciri in the full game too. Ciara is a talented actress who impressed us with her enthusiasm and vocal acting skills, and in this trailer we believe she truly brought Ciri to life in a way that is both faithful to the character and exciting for fans of the series. So there it is.The Game Awards brought a ton of announcements last week in addition to our first look at The Witcher 4. You can catch up on all the biggest news here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cd-projekt-red-confirms-it-recast-ciris-voice-actor-for-the-witcher-4-001144689.html?src=rss

With iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 now available, iPhone and iPad users have access to a slew of new features that make use of Apple Intelligence. That includes Genmoji, a new type of AI-generated emoji that was first introduced at WWDC 2024.What are Genmoji?Genmoji are custom emojis you can create if youve installed the iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2 update. They are the emojis of your imagination, made real with help from Apple Intelligence you describe what emoji you want to see, like a sad cowboy or an octopus DJ, and Apples AI will do its best to generate it. You can even create custom emojis of people you know if you have a photo of them in your library. Once youve made Genmoji, theyll be stored in your keyboard so you can use them in Apple apps that support emojis. They can be sent as part of messages, as standalone stickers or as Tapback reactions.How to create GenmojiTo create a Genmoji, youll need a device that is up to date with iOS 18.2/iPadOS 18.2 or later and compatible with Apple Intelligence. That includes every iPhone 16 model, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as iPad models with the M1 chip or later, and iPad mini (A17 Pro). At the moment, you can only create Genmoji on iPhone and iPad, though Apple says the feature will be coming to Mac down the line. The steps to create a Genmoji are the same for iPhone and iPad.AppleFirst, open a conversation and tap the text field to bring up the keyboard. Then tap either the smiley icon or the globe icon, depending on which you have. After doing that, you should now see a multicolored smiley icon with a plus sign on it at the top right of the keyboard. Tap that and a text bar will appear prompting you to describe the emoji youd like to create. Enter the description, then tap Done.If youre making a Genmoji of a specific person, make sure youve already labeled them in your Photos app. Then, enter your description and tap the Choose a Person option above the text field. Youll be shown who it has identified from your photos, and a few style options as a starting point. Click the one you like, and it'll create the Genmoji using that character.AppleThe results might not be to your liking the first try, and if thats the case, just try tweaking your description until you get better results. Once youve made Genmoji, youll be able to find them in your keyboard either by swiping right through all the emoji options or by tapping the sticker icon. You can also add them to Tapback by pressing and holding a message, and clicking the smiley with a plus sign icon to search the emoji keyboard.How to delete GenmojiIf you made a Genmoji and later decide you arent into it anymore, you can always delete it after the fact. To do this, head back into the emoji keyboard and either swipe right through all the pages or just tap the sticker icon. From there, find the Genmoji you want to get rid of, press and hold it, then tap Remove once the option pops up.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/how-to-use-genmoji-to-make-your-own-custom-emojis-225907928.html?src=rss

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

If you are not using end-to-end encrypted messaging on your phone already, the U.S. government has a warning message for you about China and your texts.