USA online news

Ben Affleck drops out of Netflix film ‘to focus on his wellness & his family’

Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus check out of the Ritz hotel after a rendezvous in NYC

Whenever someone high profile leaves a job and needs to make an announcement about it, the usual explanation involves spending more time with family and/or focusing on their health. So it’s not surprising that Ben Affleck used both of those reasons to explain his exit from the Netflix thriller Triple Frontier, directed by J.C. Chandon (A Most Violent Year, Margin Call). Only in Affleck’s case we know what a mess his personal life and health are, so it’s more believable. Here’s the announcement from Deadline:

Ben Affleck has decided to drop out of Triple Frontier, the JC Chandor-directed hot button thriller that is mobilizing at Netflix. Affleck is going to take some time to focus on his wellness and his family. The film will move forward without him; it is casting up quickly.

[From Deadline]

As Deadline notes later in that article Affleck is due at Comic-Con over the weekend to promote Justice League. I’m sure he’ll field plenty of questions about the solo Batman movie as well. The Warner Brother panel is scheduled for early afternoon on Saturday.

This might not be an issue of Affleck needing time off work though. Deadline has two other stories about this …read more

Source:: Cele|bitchy

EXCLUSIVE: Love Island’s Marcel Somerville not set for Blazin’ Squad reunion – as chart-topping band NEVER split in the first place

Gabby Allen’s boyfriend thrilled his fellow contestants Kem Cetinay and Chris Hughes when he revealed his pop star secret to them on the show.

Therefore fans were ecstatic when it was revealed that his band, Blazin’ Squad, are set to reunite and record new music.

However, a source told OK! Online that there won’t be a reunion for the band – as they NEVER split in the first place.

“The band aren’t reuniting as they never split – they’ve been together all this … …read more

Source:: Ok – Celebrity news

THE IoT PLATFORMS REPORT: How software is helping the Internet of Things evolve

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing rapidly as companies around the world connect thousands of devices every day. But behind those devices, there’s a sector worth hundreds of billions of dollars supporting the IoT.

Platforms are the glue that holds the IoT together, allowing users to take full advantage of the disruptive potential of connected devices. These platforms allow the IoT to achieve its transformational potential, letting businesses manage devices, analyze data, and automate the workflow.

In a new report, BI Intelligence examines the evolving IoT platform ecosystem. We size the market and identify the primary growth drivers that will power the IoT platform space in the next five years. And we profile many of the top IoT platforms, discussing key trends in the platform industry like platform consolidation.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

The IoT platforms market is set to expand rapidly in the years to come, with current leading platforms expanding and others entering the space.
We define the key categories into which IoT platforms fall: building block open platforms, closed high-end platforms, and …read more

Source:: Businessinsider – Tech

IAAF clears 8 more Russian athletes to compete, declines 53

MONACO — The IAAF says its doping panel has cleared eight more Russian track and field athletes to compete internationally as neutrals, and refused 53 other applications.

The latest athletes accepted include hammer thrower Sergej Litvinov, who placed fifth at the 2009 and 2015 world championships, and Danil Lysenko, the high jump champion at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

The IAAF assessed the athletes’ history of drug testing to decide if they can compete worldwide while Russia remains suspended for widespread doping. A total of 49 Russians have been cleared in the past year.

The IAAF says 109 applications have been declined this year. The athletes have not been identified.

The eligible athletes must still meet qualifying standards to compete at the world championships in London from Aug. 4-13.