Steelers Afternoon Drive: Rodgers Fit with Smith, CB Interest Real?
Alan Saunders and Zachary Smith discuss all things Pittsburgh Steelers. On today's episode, we discuss if Will Howard's destiny is stamped as a backup following the arrival of Aaron Rodgers, which team has the greatest all-time roster, why fans are pressing the panic button over the TJ Watt contract discussions, Aaron Rodgers' fit with Arthur Smith and if the team is really in the market for Jaire Alexander or Jalen Ramsey. Let's go for another Steelers Afternoon Drive and discuss all this!
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Let's go for another Steelers Afternoon Drive and discuss all this and more!
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Afternoon Drive: Rodgers Fit with Smith, CB Interest Real?
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San Francisco Chronicle
15 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Eenie Meanie' review: Hulu heist movie offers throwback, throwaway fun
For most of its 94-minute run time, the Hulu heist film 'Eenie Meanie' occupies a surprisingly enjoyable space between those low-budget, ultraviolent Quentin Tarantino rip-offs common in the 1990s and '00s and police-chase videos that dominate YouTube today. Highlighted by magnetic lead performances by Samara Weaving and Karl Glusman — actors you likely recognize but who rarely top-line movies — and realistic chase scenes involving vintage American muscle cars, 'Eenie Meanie' offers mindless fun. Veteran screenwriter and first-time feature director Shawn Simmons keeps the action moving, even if the pieces are derivative and contrived. Weaving (' Ready or Not ') plays Edie Meaney, nicknamed 'Eenie Meanie,' a skilled getaway driver trying to go straight and keep away from John (Glusman), a trigger-happy substance abuser and Edie's boyfriend for at least half their young lives. They are too co-dependent to be apart for long, with the unpredictable yet charming John telling Edie and any other fellow Cleveland criminal within earshot that Edie is his destiny. Weaving plays Edie as powerless in love but coolheaded in most instances — a necessary trait for a getaway driver. Before you can say 'gun it,' Edie has hopped into a series of 1960s-80s V8-powered rockets to get John out of jams, deftly evading pursuing criminals and oncoming traffic. Director Simmons forgoes the usual CGI shortcuts, staging extended chase scenes that thrill in their burned-rubber authenticity. The movie's realism takes a small hit, however, every time Weaving, an Australian native, attempts a local accent. Although I am no expert on Cleveland accents, I am guessing they are not three parts Bronx, six parts chewed-up vowels. That Weaving always holds our attention anyway testifies to her talents. John's angry outbursts and other missteps — like keeping a guy who counts cards for a living (an amusing Randall Park) locked in a box with air holes — put him on the outs with the local crime boss (a rote Andy Garcia). The boss orders John to steal the $3 million in prize money from an upcoming casino contest. Edie will drive the getaway car, a new Dodge Charger in which the casino brass plan to stash the prize money, right on the gaming floor. This setup is preposterous, but the movie's casually insult-laden dialogue keeps the story grounded in a believable enough criminal milieu. So do supporting performances by Marshawn Lynch and Steve Zahn. Lynch, the Oakland-raised retired NFL star, brings abundant charisma to his role as Edie's getaway driving rival. His personal style is over the top but has an all-business, unflustered air that resembles Edie's. Zahn lends enough sincerity to his role as Edie's reformed criminal dad that you almost forget this guy made a 14-year-old Edie drive him home from bars and flee from police. 'Eenie Meanie' also takes a late, sharp-left storytelling turn from which it does not recover. What had been a romp grows serious, thus betraying the movie's compact with an audience that agreed to its strictly amoral terms. But entertainment value and reasonable length still make the film a decent, low-effort option for home viewers — especially those already subscribed to Hulu.
Business Insider
34 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Hank Green's 'Focus Friend' unseated ChatGPT on the App Store. I used it to help concentrate while writing this article.
I needed to focus and write this article. Hank Green had just the bean for me. YouTuber Hank Green surprise-dropped his app "Focus Friend," saying in a TikTok that it was "the best idea I ever had." The app's premise is simple: The more time spent off your phone, the longer your virtual bean can knit its scarves and socks. Users can eventually trade in their knitwear for virtual room furniture. Quickly after Green posted about it, "Focus Friend" scaled the App Store, eventually hitting No. 1. It currently sits at No. 3. Green also helped his odds by posting about the app's ascension on his TikTok. Once "Focus Friend" reached the No. 2 position, he called out to his audience: "Everyone stop downloading ChatGPT for just a second, okay?" The app's success highlights Green's influence, having posted to YouTube in various forms since 2007 and amassed over 2.4 million followers (and 8.2 million on TikTok). It's also a sign of the growing popularity of focus-aid tools as people increasingly face notifications, pings, and other screen-based distractions. In an email to Business Insider, Green shared the origin story of "Focus Friend" and its bean companion. To build the app, he worked with developer Bria Sullivan of mobile game studio Honey B Games. "Bria suggested a focus timer and let me sit with that idea for a while. [I] came back to her saying, 'I feel like I need to be responsible to someone besides myself' and pitched the idea of a bean that was 'working on something' inside of your phone," Green wrote. "From there, we iterated together trying to figure out what would be most motivating and balancing that with what it was possible to actually build relatively simply. " What it's like to use 'Focus Friend' As a writer, my job demands long, sustained efforts of productivity with little distraction. But the lure of a quick X scroll or a text-check can be hard to ignore. Could "Focus Friend" help me write this article? I downloaded "Focus Friend" for free and gave it my name. My bean appeared before me — small, smiley, and with a little accent on his backside that appears to be its derrière. The app asked me to name my bean; ever the creative writer, I chose "Mr. Beano." With the brief setup process complete, I was able to start a focus session. The app's calming classical music played in the background. (In a TikTok, Green said that the classical music was made by gaming composer Samantha Van Der Sluis.) As my bean got to knitting, I got to writing. When the 15-minute session ended, I learned of Mr. Beano's haul. He knit 14 socks. The more sessions I endured, the more socks he would bring back. Staring down at my bean's empty room, I thought that it was time to do something decidedly unfocused: go on a shopping spree. With my limited capital, I didn't have enough for a rug or desk for Mr. Beano. A plant would liven up the barren room, though — and would only cost 15 of my hard-earned socks. In his TikToks, Green had a cat-themed companion. I hoped to spruce Mr. Beano up — but all of the alternate bean skins, from coffee to edamame, required payment. While Green's name is in the app's profile — "Focus Friend, by Hank Green" — he is not widely visible within the game. This is no " Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," where users constantly see its celebrity creator. But Green's influence is visible in these skins: Users can pay to be "Hank Bean" or "John Bean," named after Hank's brother, for $5.99 each. Here lies the app's money-making ability. When asked for the price, Green said: "$0. Also, there are no ads. You're welcome." In a since-deleted TikTok, Green said that including ads was antithetical to the app's mission. But there are ample in-app purchase opportunities, including the skins and a $1.99/month "Focus Friend Pro" subscription. Green said the income from in-app purchases will allow him to expand the app's offerings — something he's already working on. "We've been working on new rooms since launch, so that's coming soon," he wrote to Business Insider. "We also want to have a widget that folks can keep on their screen to remind them that there's never a bad time for focus. And, of course, we've got a mix of little features and big launches that we're trying to balance with all of the other work of having a TON of new users! " The app is also framed as "ADHD-friendly" in the App Store, though Green doesn't reference any similar uses in his TikToks. Having become sufficiently unfocused in my exploration of the app, I set another timer. This time, I turned on "Deep Focus" mode, which formally disabled my access to most other phone apps. It was just me and Mr. Beano for the next 15 minutes, no distractions. My bean's knitting session gave me time to dig into the other focus apps on the market. By now, there are dozens; I remember using the similar Pomodoro technique site years back in high school. Apple also allows its users to set screen time limits for individual apps, as well as a " Sleep Focus" mode to tune out distractions. Green explained to me more about why he was interested in focus and attention. "We live in a world where all of the smartest people (and computers) in the world are dedicated to capturing and holding and monetizing our attention," he wrote. "But our attention is all we have, and I think people want some of it back!" With all of these apps, there's a small irony. Focus apps posit that the best way to use our phones less is to download yet another piece of software. Still, I found it helpful. I made good time writing this article, likely thanks to the 15-minute uninterrupted work stretches. My last focus session came to an end. I bought Mr. Beano a hamper.
Newsweek
34 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Former NFL Star Blasts Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to go for broke this offseason, signing Aaron Rodgers and adding major pieces like D.K. Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey. But are the Steelers in over their heads here? While there are some who have Pittsburgh pegged as a legitimate Super Bowl contender heading into 2025, former NFL star Chris Canty is not buying any of the hype, and it's because he has zero belief in Rodgers at this point. More news: Chargers Could Steal Packers WR in Significant Trade "It's because I don't believe in the quarterback. I just don't," Canty said on ESPN First Take. "They've pinned the regression of Aaron Rodgers on injuries he's suffered over the last three years. Whether it's injuries or whether it's age, it doesn't really matter. ... We saw with the New York "I don't believe in [Aaron Rodgers]."@ChrisCanty99 is more worried about the Steelers than the Bengals ✍️ — First Take (@FirstTake) August 21, 2025 Jets they were better off without him than they were with him with the combination of Trevor Siemian, Tim Boyle and Zach Wilson." Canty is referring to the 2023 campaign when Rodgers suffered torn Achilles on the first series of the season opener. The Jets went 7-10 that year while employing a revolving door under center. Then, last year, New York won just five games in spite of Rodgers playing full time. "I struggle to see how he is going to raise the floor for what we've seen from the Pittsburgh Steelers over the last half-decade," Canty added. Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during a NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Everbank Stadium on August 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during a NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Everbank Stadium on August 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. Photo bySay what you want about Rodgers, but he still managed to throw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. Was he peak Rodgers? Of course not, but he wasn't terrible, and he definitely has a much better supporting cast at his disposal in Steel City than he did in the Big Apple. More news: San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders Connected to Major Trade The Steelers won 10 games in 2024 with Russell Wilson at signal-caller and have not posted a losing campaign since 2003, so it seems hard to imagine Pittsburgh falling off after clearly upgrading at quarterback. It is certainly fair to question whether or not Rodgers will stay healthy over the course of 17 games, but acting like he is no longer even a serviceable player — which many seem to be doing — is disingenuous. We'll see if Rodgers can silence his doubters this fall. For more on the Steelers and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
