Disaster hits Apple TV+ ... in a good way

The latest Apple TV+ show sounds disastrous -- in the best kind of way.

Five Days at Memorial, which premiered Friday on the streaming service, takes an unflinching look at the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina inside a hospital where 45 people died under mysterious circumstances.

Like many Apple TV+ projects, this one packs quite a pedigree. It was created by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and Carlton Cuse (Lost). And it stars Cherry Jones and Vera Farmiga, among others.

Based on actual events in New Orleans, the limited series sounds totally gripping.

"Five Days at Memorial is gearing up to be one of the best miniseries Apple TV+ has yet produced — and some of Ridley’s best work as a writer and director," wrote our Apple TV+ reviewer Scout Tafoya in his recap of the first three episodes.

I'm in. How about you?

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

Hurricane Katrina has come and gone and there are 45 unexplained deaths in a hospital in New Orleans. That’s the hook for new Apple TV+ limited series Five Days at Memorial. The titular hospital is a crowbar used to examine the carelessness of U.S. disaster-relief infrastructure, health care and our attitudes toward one another.

News and opinion

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The Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 offer the clearest evidence yet that Apple is correct to hold off on releasing a folding iPhone. Flexible screens still come with too many problems.

How-tos

In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overruled by the Supreme Court, and Facebook turning over a teenager’s private chats about her abortion to police, protecting your data is more urgent than ever.

If your iPhone or iPad locks up, you can get out of the jam by rebooting the device with a voice command in iOS 16. It’s the easiest method yet to get your handset going again when there’s a problem.

Deals

This three-banger folds up into a compact square for easy portability, and it’s made of sturdy ABS plastic and silicone. Plug it into a robust power adapter, and you can get a charge output up to 15W.

Plus, more gadget deals:

When it comes to watch bands, it doesn’t get more classic than leather. If it’s supple Tuscan leather, all the better. And if it costs less than $50, well, that’s pretty much the best.

If you’ve got the drive, you can pick up a new hobby, get primed to embark on a different career or simply learn something for the heck of it with StackSkills Unlimited. It offers more than 1,000 courses ranging from graphic design to guitar.

Who doesn't love saving money, saving space and saving your gadgets from running out of juice? You can do all three when you buy a SwitchEasy 4-in-1 MagPower Charging Stand at 30% off.

Sometimes you need to call co-workers, businesses, Craigslist sellers -- all sorts of people you might not want having access to your personal number and the ability to reach you at all hours of the day.

Reviews

Apple TV+ space opera/soap opera For All Mankind closes its confounding third season by introducing us to a new character and a new geopolitical rival for the beleaguered space crews.

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iPad is an outstanding tablet, but add the Zagg Pro Keys with Trackpad and it becomes a powerful notebook computer that’s ready for work or school. Plus, the keyboard case offers a welcome 6.6 feet of drop protection.

Anker deploys a squad of six new, compact and capable high-speed GaNPrime chargers, and they seem equipped to cover pretty much any need, taking different forms and offering different charging capacities and numbers of ports.

The Scoshe BoomCan MS magnetically attaches to a ‌MagSafe‌ ‌iPhone and ups the sound quality considerably. The palm-size Bluetooth speaker is waterproof and dustproof, and also acts as a kickstand or handle.

Setups

Some computer setups are so strikingly beautiful they seem like art installations. That tends to happen more with multiple-display setups because the imagery on the screens really adds to the aesthetic impact. This M1 Mac mini setup makes a visual statement using six displays, including two ultra-wide monitors and two iPads.

With so many people working from home these days, a whole lot of them spend much of their life in one room — wherever the computer setup is, that is.

We’ve seen a few computer setups lately where the owner switches from one or more large monitors to something smaller. But they don’t necessarily see losing the screen real estate as a negative.