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Top Picks: The documentary 'California Typewriter,' the Cal app, and more

If you’re looking up at the night sky as you leave the latest holiday gathering, use the Stellarium Mobile Sky Map app to get guidance on the stars you’re seeing, director Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, 'Logan Lucky,' stars Channing Tatum and Adam Driver, and more top picks.

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Courtesy of American Buffalo Pictures
  • By Staff

Celebrating typewriters

Think the days of the typewriter are over? Various fans, including famous ones such as Tom Hanks and David McCullough, would beg to differ. The documentary California Typewriter celebrates the machine and is “charming,” writes Monitor film critic Peter Rainer. There’s even a typewriter orchestra (hailing from Boston) in the film. “California Typewriter” is available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Striking images

The Cal app isn’t just a place to record your commitments – it will also get you excited about the coming day with images for your calendar (a new one is supplied daily) and will keep you on top of the events and tasks that you have coming up that day, week, and month. Cal is free for iOS and Android.

NASA

Sky guidance

If you’re looking up at the night sky as you leave the latest holiday gathering, use the Stellarium Mobile Sky Map app to get guidance on the stars you’re seeing. The app can identify more than 600,000 stars as well as satellites. Stellarium Mobile Sky Map is available for iOS for $2.99 and Android for $2.49.

Actors’ showcase

Director Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, Logan Lucky, stars Channing Tatum and Adam Driver as brothers who try to rob a NASCAR race with the aid of criminal Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, and Seth MacFarlane also star. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer compares the film to Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s” series: “Like those movies, it’s inconsequentially entertaining – a showcase for some funny actors to horse it up.” “Logan Lucky” is available on DVD and Blu-ray and is rated PG-13 for language and some crude comments.

AP

Skiing help

No need to worry about getting stranded on top of the mountain without a map while you’re skiing or snowboarding – the Ski
TrailMaps app has more than 1,000 maps for the United States and beyond, and no cell service is needed to access them. If you’re not on the slopes, the app also has snow reports for your favorite resort and forecasts so you can plan your next ski weekend. It’s free for Android.

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