Install macOS in VirtualBox on W10

How to Install macOS Sierra in VirtualBox on Windows 10

Whether you want to occasionally test a website in Safari, or try out a little bit of software in the Mac environment, having access to the latest version of macOS in a virtual machine is useful. Unfortunately, you’re not really supposed to do this—so getting macOS running in VirtualBox is, to say the least, tricky.

It’s not impossible, however. Some of the folks at the InsanelyMac forums have figured out a process that works. The only thing not working is sound, which for some reason is highly distorted or nonexistent. Other than that, though, this is macOS Sierra, running smoothly in VirtualBox.

To make things a little easier for people, we’ve combined methods from a few different forum threads into a single, step-by-step tutorial, complete with screenshots. Let’s dive in.

NOTE: In order to get this working, you will need access to a real Mac in order to download Sierra. You could, we suppose, obtain a Sierra ISO by other means, but we don’t recommend it. Borrow a friend’s Mac for an hour if you don’t have one, and you should be fine—everything beyond step one of this tutorial can be done on your Windows PC.

Step One: Create a macOS Sierra ISO File

To start, we’ll need to create an ISO file of macOS Sierra’s installer, so we can load it in VirtualBox on our Windows machine. Grab your borrowed Mac, head to the Mac App Store, search for Sierra, and click “Download.”

When the process is done, the installer will launch—that’s okay, just close it. We don’t want to upgrade your friend’s Mac; we just need the downloaded files.

To convert those files to an ISO, we’ll need to use the Terminal, which you can find in Applications > Utilities.

First, paste this command into the Terminal and press Enter:

hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_app

This will mount the bootable part of the installer you just downloaded as a virtual disk on the Mac.

Next, run the following command to create a blank disk image:

hdiutil create -o /tmp/Sierra.cdr -size 7316m -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J

Then, mount your blank image:

hdiutil attach /tmp/Sierra.cdr.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build

Now we’re going to restore BaseSystem.dmg from our mounted installer over to our now-mounted image:

asr restore -source /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg -target /Volumes/install_build -noprompt -noverify -erase

Note that, after doing this, the name of our destination mount point has changed to “OS\ X\ Base\ System/System,” which we’ll see as we remove some unnecessary files from this newly-restored drive:

rm /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Installation/Packages

Next, let’s copy over a few more files we need:

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/Packages /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Installation/

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.chunklist /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/BaseSystem.chunklist

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/BaseSystem.dmg

You’re almost done! Unmount the two images:

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil detach /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System

And, finally, convert the image you created into an ISO file:

hdiutil convert /tmp/Sierra.cdr.dmg -format UDTO -o /tmp/Sierra.iso

Move the ISO to the desktop:

mv /tmp/Sierra.iso.cdr ~/Desktop/Sierra.iso

And you’ve got a bootable Sierra ISO file!

Copy it to your Windows machine using a large flash drive, an external hard drive, or over your local network.

Step Two: Create Your Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

Next, head to your Windows machine, and install Virtualbox if you haven’t already, making sure you have the latest version.

Open it up and click the “New” button. Name your Virtual Machine “macOS Sierra,” and choose “Mac OS X” for the operating system and “Mac OS X (64-bit)” for the version (as of this writing, “macOS Sierra” is not offered, but that’s fine.)

Continue through the process. For memory, we recommend you use at least 4096MB, though you can opt for more if you have enough RAM to spare on your Windows machine.

Next, you’ll be asked about your hard drive. Choose “Create a Virtual Hard Disk Now” and click Create.

Choose VDI for hard disk type and click Next. You’ll be asked if you want a dynamically sized drive or fixed. We recommend Fixed Size, since it’s a bit faster, though it’ll take up a bit more hard drive space on your Windows machine.

Click Next. You’ll be asked how big a drive you want; we recommend at least 25GB, which is big enough for the OS and a few applications. Depending on your storage situation, you could offer more, but we don’t think you can really use much less than that.

Click through the prompts, and you’ve created an entry for your virtual machine! Now it’s time to do a little configuration.

Step Three: Configure Your Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

You should see your virtual machine in VirtualBox’s main window.

Select it, then click the big yellow “Settings” button. First, head to “System” in the left sidebar. On the Motherboard tab, make sure that “Floppy” is unchecked.

Next head to the “Processor” tab, and make sure you have at least two CPUs allocated to the virtual machine.

Next, click “Display” in the left sidebar, and make sure Video Memory is set to 128MB.

Next, click “Storage” in the left sidebar, then click the “Empty” CD drive. Click the CD icon at the top right, then browse to the ISO file you created before.

Be sure to click “OK” to finalize all the changes you’ve made, then close VirtualBox. No, seriously: close VirtualBox now, or the next steps won’t work.

Step Four: Configure Your Virtual Machine From The Command Prompt

We’ve done a few tweaks, but we need to make a few more more in order to convince the operating system it’s running on a real Mac. Sadly, there are no options for this from VirtualBox’s interface, so you’ll need to open the Command Prompt.

Right-click on the Start menu and choose “Command Prompt (Admin).”

You need to run a number commands, in order. Paste the following commands, pressing Enter after each one and waiting for it to complete:

cd "C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\"

VBoxManage.exe modifyvm "macOS Sierra" --cpuidset 00000001 000306a9 04100800 7fbae3ff bfebfbff

VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Sierra" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemProduct" "MacBookPro11,3"

VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Sierra" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemVersion" "1.0"

VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Sierra" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiBoardProduct" "Mac-2BD1B31983FE1663"

VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Sierra" "VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/DeviceKey" "ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc"

VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Sierra" "VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/GetKeyFromRealSMC" 1

That’s it! If everything worked, you shouldn’t see any feedback; the commands will simply run. Go ahead and close the Command Prompt. We’re heading back to VirtualBox now.

Step Five: Install macOS Sierra in Your Virtual Machine

Re-open VirtualBox, click your Sierra machine, then click “Start.” Your machine will start to boot. You will see a lot of superfluous information as this happens—and I mean a lot—but don’t worry about it. It’s normal, even some of the things that look like errors.

You should only worry if a specific error hangs for five minutes or more. Just walk away and let it run for a bit. If you’ve done everything right, it’ll boot.

Eventually, you’ll see the installer asking you to pick a language:

Pick “English,” or whatever language you prefer, then click “Next.” Before you do anything else, however, click “Utilities” in the menu bar, then click “Disk Utility.”

Click the drive labeled “VBOX HARDDISK,” then click “Erase.”

Name the drive “Macintosh HD,” and leave the other two settings as-is (“Mac OS Extended Journaled” and “GUID Partition Map”.) Click “Erase,” then close Disk Utility when the process is complete.

Back in the installer, click “Next”, then click “Macintosh HD” when asked which drive you want to use.

The installation will begin! This might take a while, so be patient. Eventually you’ll be re-booted into macOS. If that doesn’t happen, try ejecting the ISO from the Virtual Machine. When Sierra does boot, you’ll need to go through choosing your country, time zone, and the rest of the initial setup process.

Eventually, you’ll make it to the Mac desktop. Yay!

You can now try out any Mac software, though some functions, like FaceTime and Messages, won’t work because Apple won’t recognize your computer as a real Mac. But a lot of the basic stuff should work. Have fun!

Step Six (Optional): Change Your Resolution

By default, your virtual machine will have a resolution of 1024×768, which is not a lot of room to work with. If you try to change the resolution from within macOS, however, you will see no option to do so. Instead, you need to enter a few commands.

Shut down your Virtual Machine by shutting down macOS: click the Apple in the menu bar, then click “Shut Down.” Next, close VirtualBox entirely (seriously, this step will not work if VirtualBox is still open!) and head back to Windows’ Command Prompt as an admin. You need to run the following two commands:

cd "C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\"

VBoxManage setextradata "macOS Sierra" "VBoxInternal2/EfiGopMode" N

In the second command, you need to replace the “N” with a number from one to five, depending on what resolution you want:

• 1 gives you a resolution of 800×600
• 2 gives you a resolution of 1024×768
• 3 gives you a resolution of 1280×1024
• 4 gives you a resolution of 1440×900
• 5 gives you a resolution of 1920×1200

Start up VirtualBox, load up your virtual machine, and it should boot to your preferred resolution!

From now on, you can open VirtualBox for any Mac-related testing you want to do. Again, you’ll see a lot of errors pop up during boot, but they’re fine; ignore them. Also, remember that audio won’t work, nor will things like FaceTime that require a real Mac. This isn’t going to be perfect, which is to be expected from an entirely unsupported setup. But it’s macOS, in a virtual machine, and that’s not bad! Be sure to check out our guide to VirtualBox’s advanced features to get the most out of your machine, too
.

Trivia

Julius Caesar Encrypted His Military Communications Using A?

Fabricated Dialect	Shift Cipher
Rotor Machine	Polyalphabetic Cipher

Answer: Shift Cipher

Today, we take extremely sophisticated encryption for granted. Millennia ago, however, encryption was a decidedly simpler affair.

One of the earliest and best known examples of encryption is the shift cipher, used by Julius Caesar, famed Roman statesman and general. In fact, the shift cipher is so closely associated with Caesar that it is often referred to as the “Caesar Cipher”. He used this cipher to send sensitive military messages.

As the name “shift cipher” implies, the cipher was simply a transposition of letters with their neighbors a certain number of spaces away. Imagine, if you will, that you wrote out all the letters of the alphabet on two strips of paper and then lined them up so that A was above A, B was above B, and so forth. This would be a zero shift cipher, because there would be no change in the cipher from the regular use of the alphabet. Now imagine that you slid the lower strip of paper three letters to the right out of alignment with the top strip (cutting off the floating letters at the end and bringing them to the front). A becomes X, B becomes Y, C becomes Z, and D, having picked up the first letter of the alphabet due to the three space shift, is now A.

It’s worth noting that this method is not the same as other ciphers (where every letter may be reassigned to a new, relatively random letter and A might be Z, but B might be V). A shift cipher is always applied like a slide rule, wherein the letters are simply realigned in their same order. In this way, the recipient doesn’t need to possess a decryption table with your substitution cipher on it, they simply need to know what the “shift number” is.

Now, by modern standards, that level of encryption is laughable and could be cracked by a child with even the most passing familiarity with secret decoder rings or a Boy Scout manual. But when encryption was in its absolute infancy, Caesar’s cryptographic trick was more than sufficient to secure his communications. In fact, such simple ciphers remained in use until the advent of sophisticated mechanical cipher machines in the 20th century—in the photo shown here, we see a cipher disc used by the Confederate army in the mid-19th century using the same shift cipher employed by Julius Caesar almost two millennia earlier.

Did You Know/Todays Term

Did You Know?

Callers to Dr. Frasier Crane’s radio show on the eponymous TV show Frasier were often voiced by celebrities such as Linda Hamilton, Christopher Reeves, and Jeff Daniels, among others.

Today's Term 

Granularity

Granularity refers to the extent (modularity) that a system contains separate components. A higher level of Granularity implies a higher number of components and more flexibility in customizing the system.

Optimize iPhone Music Storage

How to Optimize Your iPhone’s Music Storage to Automatically Free Up Space

Despite the increasing storage size of each generation of iPhones and other iOS devices, it’s really easy to stuff them full. If your storage management problem is a result of too much music, there’s a new feature introduced in iOS 10 that makes it easy to optimize your storage and free up space.

How Music Storage Optimization Works

Introduced in the spring of 2015, Apple Music—Apple’s answer to Spotify and other music streaming services—makes it pretty easy to find new artists and download music to your iOS device. Between Apple Music and regular MP3s, it’s easier than ever to fill your phone up.

Historically, Apple had a behind the scenes solution to this problem: if your iPhone was approaching its maximum storage capacity, then iOS would just quietly delete songs it thought you didn’t want anymore (as long as there was a copy of those songs in your iCloud music library). Unfortunately, there was no user control over the setup, and people often found iOS had deleted music they wanted to keep.

In iOS 10, you get a little more control. First, this feature is now off by default, so you have to seek it out and flip it on. Then, you simply tell the app how much space to allocate for music (say, 4GB) and when you reach a point where your iPhone storage is running low, Music will check your music storage and par it back to that level. If, for example, you have 8GB of music at the time the low storage warning is triggered, it will automatically delete some of it. The algorithm is smarter, too, leaving your most frequently played tracks and newly downloaded tracks intact while parring back old or seldom-played content to make room.

That’s the main difference: it’ll only delete stuff if your phone’s storage is full—not if you pass your music allocation. So if you set your music allocation to 4GB, but have 8GB of music and nothing else on your 16GB iPhone, Apple won’t delete any music—it’ll only par it back to 4GB if the rest of your phone’s storage gets filled up. And, this only applies to music that is also available via your iCloud library or via the Apple Music service. iOS will never automatically par back music you’ve manually loaded onto your iPhone from iTunes.

Enabling Music Storage Optimization

If optimization sounds like a feature you’d benefit from, it’s dead simple to turn it on. Simply grab your iPhone or other iOS device, and open up the “Settings” app. Within the Settings app, look for the “Music” entry.



In the top half o the Music settings, confirm that “iCloud Music Library” is toggled on. Without this setting turned on, the music optimization menu is inaccessible—remember the optimization features only work on Apple Music downloads and music in your iCloud library, not the material you’ve manually synced from iTunes.



Scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find the “Optimize Storage” option. Click on it.



Toggle “Optimize Storage” on. Beneath it you can then select the level of minimum storage you want preserved for your music. If you select “None” then iOS will delete as much music as it needs in order to free up space. Barring that extreme of a selection, you can opt for 4, 8, 16, or 32 GB of storage.



Remember this amount is the volume of storage that iOS will par back to only if your phone’s storage is full. You’re always free to add as much music as you want, as long as your phone isn’t nearing the end of its storage.

That’s all there is to it! Toggle the setting on, make our adjustments, and never worry about overfilling your iPhone with music again.

Kodi is NOT a Piracy App

Kodi Is Not a Piracy Application

There’s a piracy app that lets users find any TV show, movie, or song you can imagine. Streams and downloads are both easy to find, and the software is already used by hundreds of millions of people.

The name of this dastardly program? Google Chrome.

That’s a crazy thing to report, right? Sure, it’s strictly true that you can use Chrome to pirate movies and TV shows: just search for any movie’s name followed by the words “streaming,” “torrent,” or “download.” You’ll find a pirated option on the front page basically every time. But if a mainstream media outlet called Chrome a piracy tool, you’d ridicule them for it, and deservedly so.

But that’s pretty much how Kodi, the open source media player, is being reported on lately, particularly in the UK. The BBC called Kodi a piracy epidemic in a headline. The Mirror pointed out that Kodi offers a “way to find illegal streams of movies and sports presented with a friendly Netflix-style user interface.” The Birmingham Mail helpfully informed readers that downloading Kodi will result in you getting a scary letter.

Reading these headlines, you’d think Kodi is the second coming of Popcorn Time. It’s not. Kodi is merely a (very good) media player and organizer. If Kodi is a piracy app, so is Google Chrome (and, for that matter, QuickTime or VLC).

Why Is Kodi Getting Such a Bad Rap?

If you aren’t familiar with Kodi, it’s an open source media center application designed to be used from the couch, with a remote control—not unlike the old Windows Media Center that used to come with your computer.

It’s designed for users with a large media collection of ripped Blu-Rays, DVDs, and CDs who want to watch them from a PC (or other Kodi-compatible device) connected to their TV. Kodi provides an easy-to-browse interface for these collections, complete with cover art and thumbnails. You can also use it to watch and record live TV, with cable or using an over the air antenna. There’s nothing illegal about any of this, though of course there’s nothing stopping users from filling their Kodi library with pirated content.

That, however, is not the reason Kodi is making headlines lately: add-ons are the source of controversy. Much like Google Chrome, Kodi allows programmers to create add-ons that extend Kodi’s capabilities, and most of these add-ons connect to streaming services on the Internet. There are free services, like YouTube and Vimeo, and ways to access subscription services, like NHL.tv and Amazon Prime. There’s nothing particularly controversial about these legal add-ons, however.



Some add-ons, however, link to pirated streams. They’re fairly easy to use, when they work, and completely useless when they (inevitably) break. Even worse, some third party companies and individuals have started installing Kodi on cheap mini-computers, with piracy add-ons pre-installed. Then they sell them as “Kodi boxes,” despite being completely unaffiliated with the actual team behind the Kodi project.

Just to repeat it again. Those "fully loaded" piracy box sellers and those Youtubers promoting it are killing Kodi https://kodi.tv/the-piracy-box-sellers-and-youtube-promoters-are-killing-kodi/ …

Users who don’t know what Kodi is are happy to have free content, which is coming to them courtesy of these third party piracy add-ons. But as a result, these uninformed people have come to think of Kodi as a piracy app.

Kodi Is Fighting Back, But it’s Not Working

The Kodi team has made it very clear these third party add-ons and boxes have nothing to do with the Kodi itself. The upcoming version of Kodi requires users to allow third party repositories, and warns users inside the interface that Kodi itself does not support them. The Kodi team has also banned all mention of piracy add-ons from the official Kodi forum, wiki, and official Reddit page. The official Twitter account tells users complaining that pirated streams aren’t working to stop pirating things.

To cap it all off, the Kodi team member Nathan Betzen published a blog post stating that these piracy box sellers are killing Kodi. To quote Betzen:

Team Kodi is officially tired of this. We are tired of new users coming into the forum, asking why the box that ‘we’ sold them was broken. We are tired of this endless campaign by dishonest salesmen to push a single use of Kodi that nobody on the team actually recommends. We are tired of these salesmen lying to users, claiming that pirate streams and pirate boxes are ‘legal’ when they are absolutely not at some level or other. We are tired of being told by companies that they don’t want to work with us, because we are selling pirate boxes. Being removed from an App Store this summer because of the campaigning of others was like a slap in the face. Most of all, we are tired of a thousand different salesmen and Youtubers making money off ruining our name.

The Kodi team, made up of volunteers, is doing everything they can to distance themselves from the piracy ecosystem that popped up around their platform. And still the media mentions Kodi as though the brand itself is shorthand for piracy.

But Kodi isn’t a piracy tool. It’s an open ecosystem, and some third parties have decided to build piracy tools on top of it. If that makes Kodi a piracy app, so is Google Chrome. Heck, pretty much all pirates use either Microsoft Windows, macOS, or Linux to download things: why not call those piracy tools as well? It makes about as much sense.

Some media outlets eventually corrected their articles, in the BBC’s case because of a letter writing campaign by Kodi fans. And I suppose that’s the only hope for Kodi to clarify things: supports continuously speaking up. Here’s hoping the message eventually gets through.

Todays HaHa

New Kind of Matter: Time Crystals

Scientists Create A New Kind Of Matter: Time Crystals

The crystals' patterns repeat not in space, but in time.

Hoarfrost is a kind of ice crystal made of water.

By Sophie Weiner

Crystals are structures in which a pattern of atoms or molecules repeats in space. Now, two teams of researchers have figured out that crystals' repeating patterns can also exist through time. These "time crystals," detailed in a new paper in Physical Review Letter, are an entirely new kind of matter, one that can never reach equilibrium.

To create the time crystals, researchers at University of Maryland hooked together 10 ytterbium atoms and hit them with two lasers multiple times to keep them out of equilibrium. Though the atoms did settle into a pattern, they could not reach equilibrium, meaning that the crystals perpetually remain in motion, though they don't contain any energy. Almost all of physics is based in studying matter that is at equilibrium, so the ability to create these non-equilibrium crystals is a huge deal for the future of physics.

"This is a new phase of matter, period, but it is also really cool because it is one of the first examples of non-equilibrium matter," lead researcher Norman Yao from the University of California, Berkeley told EurekaAlert!.

The idea of time crystals—a form of matter that appears to move even at its energy-less ground state—was first proposed by Nobel-Prize winning theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek in 2012. Usually, if matter is in its ground state, movement should be impossible, because it contains no energy.

The researchers say that time crystals resemble Jell-O. When you tap Jell-O, it jiggles. The only difference is that the crystals are jiggling without using any energy, without any tap. By definition, time crystals can never stop oscillating, no matter how little energy they contain.

Right now, it's unclear what the practical use of this discovery will be, but it's possible that these crystals could serve a function in quantum computers.

Movie Preview - Rings

Entertainment News

Drew Barrymore explains how her new quirky zom-com helped her believe in things again

Drew Barrymore stars in the new Netflix series "Santa Clarita Diet." (Mark Seliger / Netflix)

By Yvonne Villarreal
Contact Reporter

Drew Barrymore was in the middle of chaperoning a clamorous kiddie play-date — theme: Disney princess — at her Los Angeles home when the subject of vomit came up.

Fake vomit, to be clear.

It was a Friday afternoon and Barrymore was child-like in her enthusiastic description of the artificial puke she became intimately acquainted with during production of “Santa Clarita Diet,” her TV series headlining debut.

”Oh my God, you should have smelled it,” she said in her signature vocal cadence. “It smelled worse than vomit. Like something in the mixture was spoiled. It was so disgusting, but also so cool and fun. I wanted more of it on me!”

She realizes this is an odd thing to say. But not any more bizarre than learning her first lead TV series role is in a quirky comedy in which she plays a suburban wife and mom who becomes a zombie.

Barrymore, 41, has been a Hollywood mainstay since she was a youngster, coming from a legendary theatrical family and rising to fame at age 7 with “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”  Over the last 18 years, she’s become synonymous with bouncy, girl power-type characters (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Whip It,” “Going the Distance”) in which she starred and, in some cases, produced through her company Flower Films.

“Santa Clarita Diet” is in that vein — only with a bit more flesh and blood.

In the new Netflix comedy, which is available to stream starting Friday, Barrymore stars opposite Timothy Olyphant (in his follow-up TV role to FX’s “Justified”) as couple Sheila and Joel, real estate agents who live in the easygoing California suburb and whose lives are upended when Sheila dies — after a torrential gag-fest (hence, the barf talk) — and is reborn as a zombie with special dietary needs for human flesh. The series, the brainchild of Victor Fresco (“My Name Is Earl,” “Better Off Ted”), tackles a variety of issues, such as the strength of love, narcissism, and self-empowerment.

But Fresco wasn’t even sure Barrymore would be open to the idea.

“The hard thing, frankly, is getting an actress of a certain age to read a script that has a 16-year-old daughter in it,” Fresco said in a telephone interview. “A lot of actresses don’t want to play a mom to kids, let alone kids that are 16. Drew embraced that.”


"Santa Clarita Diet," a comedy on Netflix, stars Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore. (Saeed Adyani / Netflix)

“In my opinion,” Barrymore said, “I only get better. If I have to age to do that, bring it on. I would never want to go back to my younger self — not because things weren't great but I just would never want to give up what I know now. In Hollywood, it’s the same [stuff]. It’s like, I don’t care what people think about getting older.”

That story detail hadn’t been the source of hesitation at looking at the script. Barrymore just wasn’t interested in an acting gig. Her time these days is split between her production company and a cosmetics line, Flower Beauty — she even has a brand of wines. But then she began to see the role as an opportunity to rejuvenate her life following a divorce from her husband of four years, Will Kopelman, last summer.

“When I started the show,” she said, “my life was falling apart. And I know it’s sounds melodramatic, but I felt like my dreams were dying. It was a really hard time for me. This show gave me and my children this wonderful adventure. The schedule was great; my girls and I were able to take road trips every weekend. It’s like I got back to believing in things again. The only way I could put it is, I felt like someone had dimmed my light. And by the end of the show, I felt so bright; like I was burning at full mass. Sheila gave me a lot more than just a job.”

When I started the show, my life was falling apart.... I felt like someone had dimmed my light.

— Drew Barrymore, who stars in the upcoming Netflix comedy "Santa Clarita Diet"

Barrymore is talking by phone and stops occasionally when one of her daughters — she has Frankie, 3, and Olive, 4— seeks her attention, such as when a pint-sized friend isn’t sharing or if a costume needs fixing.

“My guilty pleasure for my kids is I buy them those awesome dresses in a bag for like $10.99,” Barrymore said while venturing off into another room to escape some of the noise. “They have this big chest full of them and they invite their friends over and go through it and play dress-up. It’s the cutest thing ever. And me and all my mom friends come over and we chat while the kids play.”

Sheila, on the other hand, chips some meat off of a frozen corpse and tosses it into a blender to make a smoothie to take on her ladies' power walk. The once-mousy Realtor — who doesn’t exhibit the typical pallor of the undead, making it easy for her metamorphoses to go undetected by her neighbors — comes to relish her new zombie identity; it gives her more confidence and energy.

“I realized I could really parallel my life with her,” Barrymore said. “I started the show and I was like, ‘Victor, I’ve gained 20 pounds and I’m going through hell in my personal life.’ So we sort of made this plan of how Sheila would go from Cro-Magnon to erect human through the course of the show.”

Barrymore said she went on a strict, but “very healthy,” diet and lost the 20 pounds by the end of the series.

“Each episode, I lightened my hair a little bit and, like, tweezed a row of eyebrows.” she said. “I warmed up my skin, changed my makeup. Went from flats to high heels. I started the show at a size 10 and I was a size 4 when we finished.”

The series also offered a recharge in another form.

“I liked making a show where a husband and wife excel and become stronger partners through crazy adversity,” she said. “I liked seeing a couple that worked well together. That was real optimistic to me. I was happy seeing a functioning couple. I was like, this is good. I don’t want to watch couples fight. I’m not in the mood for it. They are faced with an insane situation and instead of going into a dark place, they kind of use it as momentum to get stronger and better.”

Plus, she said, “It was just really fun.” As to be expected, there is plenty of blood and gore and dislocated appendages — enough to require that Barrymore take after-work showers lathered in shaving cream to get the residue off before heading home to her kids.

“She’s a rare one,” Olyphant said in a phone interview of his co-star. “There’s just something very refreshing about being around her. She shows up and she’s completely willing to make an ass out of herself, and that’s what the job calls for.”

I would laugh so hard because I couldn’t believe I was on a job where I couldn’t go home without showering because I’m covered in blood, guts and vomit.”

— Drew Barrymore, who stars in the upcoming Netflix comedy "Santa Clarita Diet"

Fresco takes it back to the vomit scene from the first episode. Barrymore was drenched in badly smelling liquid for hours on a cold stage to film a scene.

“People would have to leave the set for air because they just couldn’t stand the smell,” Fresco recalled. “Drew never complained. She sat there in the uncomfortable position and just took it all in. That’s when I realized I loved Drew Barrymore.”

Barrymore’s take on the special effects: “I would laugh so hard because I couldn’t believe I was on a job where I couldn’t go home without showering because I’m covered in blood, guts and vomit,” she said. “It’s nice to have some lightness in a project. I can’t take the heavy stuff anymore. It doesn’t mean it has to lack depth. And, hello, I’m a mom, I deal with weird liquids all the time.”

Back to the play-date.

‘Santa Clarita Diet’

Where: Netflix

When: Anytime starting Friday

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

Free Activities to do in Port

9 Free Activities to Do in a Cruise Port

By Gina Kramer, Associate Editor

Having fun in port doesn't mean you have to shell out a ton of money on shore excursions or private tours. Depending on where you cruise, there are a number of activities that allow you to relax, explore or get a taste of the culture free of charge. Swim at a hidden cove, visit an old church or sample local delicacies at the markets. Whether you're a couple, family, group of friends or solo traveler looking for a wallet-friendly way to experience the exciting new destinations on your itinerary, we've got you covered. Here are nine free activities to do in port.

Tip: Although the following activities are free, you should still keep a little cash on hand for meals, transportation, shopping and emergencies.

1

Hit the Beach

Tropical itineraries are sprinkled with beaches that make for literally priceless activities. Spread out your towels and soak up some vitamin D, walk along the beach looking for seashells or cool off in the crystal-clear waters. Many beautiful beaches are within walking distance or just a free shuttle ride from your cruise port. Pina coladas and lunch won't be included, but at least you'll have money to spare if you work up an appetite. For inspiration, check out pictures of our favorite beaches in the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.

2

Explore the Outdoors

Although many terminal areas might not evoke an outdoorsy vibe, you'd be surprised by what you can find beyond the city limits. Hiking trails abound in a number of ports, and can range from easy paths to more challenging inclines. We recommend doing a bit of research beforehand, or using an app like AllTrails, which lists nearby hiking trails for any given location. Popular itineraries with opportunities for adventure include Alaska, Hawaii and Australia and New Zealand.

3

Tour the City

Why pay for a tour of the city's landmarks when you can see them for free? If you're comfortable getting around on your own, make it a point to visit some of the port city's most prominent sights. From statues and street art to places of worship and sacred monuments, you can give yourself a mini-history lesson by doing a bit of your own research and chatting with locals. Wing it, or follow a self-guided tour that's already mapped out for you, such as those offered by tourism offices or on apps, such as City Walks or Google's Field Trip. Europe bound? Rick Steves' guides offer great walking tours (both written and audio) for those sailing Mediterranean, Baltic Sea, British Isles and European river itineraries.

4

Browse the Markets

Shopping won't spare your bank account, but browsing the markets is free. While local markets vary depending on where you cruise, you most likely will see handmade crafts, local art and food -- some of which you might even be able to sample. Markets are also great places for photographs, a free souvenir of your trip. If there's a chance you'll make a purchase, make sure you have local currency on hand.

5

Catch Live Music

From steel drum bands in St. Maarten to accordion players on the streets of Venice, public performances are a great way to enjoy free entertainment in port. (Tipping is encouraged if you stick around.) Live music can be found anywhere from local bars to street corners. If you stumble upon an act that starts to draw a crowd, don't be afraid to sing, dance or clap along. Just be aware of your surroundings; pickpocket thieves love crowds of happy-go-lucky tourists.

6

Go for a Run

Fitness junkies aren't confined to onboard gyms and jogging tracks when it comes to getting in a good workout. Cruises are a great way for runners to combine exercise with sightseeing in various ports. Just don't expect to find a suitable starting line as soon as you step foot ashore. Ask your ship's guest services desk if they know of any local trails, tracks or quiet roads (so you don't end up on a busy highway). Bringing along your phone? MapMyRun is a great tool for runners abroad, as it allows you to search and follow user-generated routes.

7

People-Watch

There's no denying it: Cruises are the perfect places for people-watching and speculating about the story behind the interactions you observe. When in port, it's another way to learn about a country's culture and environment -- plus, it's free. If you feel like kicking back and surveying the crowd, head to a public park or a bench outside a major attraction. Just don't make it awkward.

8

Go Geocaching

Geocaching is pretty much modern-day treasure hunting. Roughly two million containers (geocaches) are hidden worldwide, and each contains assorted trinkets and a logbook. Participants use a GPS to hide and seek containers -- signing the logbooks and trading the items inside along the way. It's fun, free and especially great for groups. A number of cruise destinations are home to geocaches. Bermuda has more than 280 on the island, while other popular ports include San Juan and Juneau.

9

Attend a Local Festival

Attending a festival, or even celebrating your favorite holiday abroad (think: attending an Easter mass or watching a New Year's Eve fireworks show), is one of the most immersive free activities you can do on a cruise. While you'll need to plan your cruise around specific dates, like Carnaval or Oktoberfest (which offer free events and can be accessed by cruise ship), smaller-scale events are more prevalent year-round. Check out the events calendars for your cruise ports to see what will be buzzing while you're there.

Happy For You

I'm Happy For You...(Not)

I'm Happy for You...(Not)
by Kelly Givens, Editor, iBelieve.com

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 

“Just installed our kitchen countertops! They’re GOREGEOUS.”

I rolled my eyes as I glanced at the pictures someone - no older than me - had just posted online. Picture after picture of their sparkly new kitchen, inside their custom built (custom built, I tell you!) house. I looked up from screen and into my own tiny apartment kitchen with its plain, generic countertops. Nothing custom-built in my place. I tried not to think about it, but it was too late - jealousy had flooded my heart. It’s scary how natural it flowed in. All I wanted in that moment was to be OUT of my apartment and into some glamorous space of my own. Can you relate?

I love it when the Bible is black and white. There’s no confusion surroundingRomans 12:15 - we’re called to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Pretty simple... except when it isn’t. I bet most of us wouldn’t have to think too hard to remember a time we failed pretty miserably at rejoicing over someone’s joy, or weeping as another wept. Why do we have this challenge?

When we fail to rejoice with those who rejoice, there could be several reasons why, but here are some I thought of off the top of my head: insecurity, jealousy or envy, discontent, bitterness.

What about when we fail to weep with those who weep? Here are some reasons (excuses, really) that come to mind: lacking compassion, both generally in life or toward a certain individual; perhaps not taking the time to listen or really put yourself in the person’s position; too busy to notice the suffering of others, distancing yourself emotionally from pain.

I’ve thought of some scenarios that may indicate we’re failing at Romans 12:15:

• Instead of rejoicing at someone’s news, we immediately begin to compare how our circumstances measure up.
• We’re quick to say “Oh yes, that happened to me once, too” instead of silently listening and acknowledging the hurt of others.
• We try to come to the rescue in every situation, rather than acknowledging that some suffering isn’t solvable or explainable (think Job and his friends).
• We brush off the pain of others because we think they are “taking things too hard.”
• We’re quick to say, “Well at least you’ve never experienced this" (insert whatever horrible thing we’ve experienced).
• We think they cheated their way to the blessings, just got lucky or don’t deserve the good thing they received (their parents are totally paying for that custom-built house!).

So what’s at the root of all of this? What’s the “sin beneath the sin,” so to speak?

I think central to our failure to rejoice and weep with others is a preoccupation with self. We can’t step outside of ourselves long enough to truly step into both the blessings and sufferings of those around us. It’s taken me a while, but I’ve tried to make a habit of acknowledging the joys and sufferings of others without immediately inserting myself into the situation. This isn’t a natural inclination for me. Satan is the master of deception and loves to make us fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book: that everything is about us.

Ultimately, the key to mastering Romans 12:15 isn’t just thinking about ourselves less. We’ve got to think about God more. People are most successful at eliminating bad behaviors or habits from their lives when they replace them with a good habit or behavior. So, I not only have to stop focusing on myself, but I have to replace all that time I spend thinking of myself with thinking of God. This is life transforming; this is the key to killing pride - not simply humbling yourself, but exalting God - who is the only thing worthy of our exaltation.

When I’m thinking about God, and not about myself, he reminds me of some powerful truths:

I’ve come from dust and I’ll return to dust.  Genesis 3:19 reminds me that no matter how much I get ahead in life, eventually I’m going to die. And nothing on this earth is worth coveting when I acknowledge that I can’t take it with me.

I am beautifully and wonderfully made. Psalms 139 reminds me that God made me perfectly, intentionally, knowingly- so I need to stop comparing the body I have to others. He made me just right.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 reminds me that envy is a crippling sin; I could literally waste my life away being envious of others. Contentment, on the other hand, brings life.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 reminds me that our part of our calling as Christians is to care for those burdened and help carry the burdens of others. I don’t get to “pass” on this part of my faith if it doesn’t come naturally to me or if I feel inconvenienced or uncomfortable by it. I don’t get to ignore the sufferings of others; I’m called to step into it.

After meditating on God’s promises and blessings, I am able to recall all the wonderful things about our apartment (hello, cheap rent!) and the many, many ways God has blessed and provided for me. Proverbs 30:8 says, “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” As Christians, contentment in our own circumstances is the surest way to reflect the all satisfying power of Christ to those who may need to be reminded of where their joys and sufferings begin and end.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Do you struggle to rejoice with those rejoicing or weep with those weeping? Check yourself - what’s stopping you? Pray that God would help uncover the “sin beneath the sin” - the ways you’re focusing on yourself instead of focusing on Him.

Obeying Requires Risk

Obeying God Requires You Take a Risk

Obeying God Requires You Take a Risk
By Tom Holladay

“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead’” (Matthew 2:19-20 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Tom Holladay, teaching pastor at Saddleback Church.

As uncomfortable as it was for Joseph to move his family to Egypt, imagine how scary it would be for him to obey God’s command to return to Israel. It was like going back into the jaws of the lion. He was going to take Mary and Jesus back to where his son’s life had been in danger. But because Joseph trusted God and what he was saying, Joseph took the risk and went there because he knew that was the right place to be.

The Bible says, “Even when I am afraid, I keep on trusting you” (Psalm 56:3 CEV). Notice this verse says, “when I am afraid,” not “if I am afraid.” We may want a life of no fears in this world, but that only happens in Heaven. In this life, we’re all going to face fears of one kind or another.

We have some big fears and some little fears. We fear the future, we fear what’s going to happen with our jobs and our family, and we fear little things like whether we said the right thing to someone, whether that presentation went well, or even making a phone call.

In all of these situations, you have a choice to make. Are you going to let the fear control you, or are you going to take a risk of faith because you know you have a God who loves you?

That risk of faith could mean going someplace you’ve never been before or forgiving someone you thought you couldn’t forgive. It could mean leaving your job. A risk of faith could also be praying about something or deciding to trust God with a situation or a relationship you’ve held tight in your hand.

White Walls

White Walls
by Meghan Kleppinger, Crosswalk.com Contributor

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, "Build houses and live {in them;} and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."
Jeremiah 29:4-7 

If we were playing the word association game and someone said, "Military life," I would answer "white walls." 

Thanks to our travel agency, otherwise known as the U.S. Army, I moved with my family 13 times before I graduated from college. Many of our abodes were Army quarters (houses on army installations for military families). The walls were always white. I determined early on that when I moved out on my own there wouldn't be a single white wall in my home. 

From the time I graduated college until now, I've continued to be in transition which has meant more white walls in my apartments. Well, I just bought my first house and, of course, I'm not thinking about the practical purchases that need to be made (like a washer and a dryer for example), I'm considering color! I'm thinking about the things that need to be done to help me feel settled and at home.

Eventually, I could move to a different town, or I could marry (this one gets my parents' vote), or a number of other things could happen that would require me to move out of this house. Will my probable future keep my belongings in their boxes or the paint in its can? Of course not! If there is one thing I learned as a military kid, it's to make home wherever I am for as long as I am there.

This world is not our permanent home and God tells us our days are like a breath (Psalms 144:4), but He has also given each of us the opportunity to unpack our boxes and make an impact while we are here. 

Like the exiles in Babylon, God has put each of us where we are at this time for a reason. While we anticipate a "better country" (Hebrews 11:16), we are to live, enjoy the blessings God continues to give, and exhibit a life that tells others of His magnificent love.

Intersecting Faith & Life: In the words of missionary Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there." In other words, get a brush and paint some walls!

Wed Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

This may shock you, but the primary purpose of marriage is not to pro-create children. Couples who cannot bear children are just as married as couples who can. You must understand the primary purpose of marriage or you will never understand the place that marriage should have in your life and the position it holds in God’s eyes.

“And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’”? (Matthew 19:5)

Do you see the word “therefore?” It literally means “because of this.” Because of what? Because of the fact that marriage goes all the way back to that one act of God in the beginning when He created Adam and then Eve – male and then female.

With that understanding, the boy that grew up to be a man and the girl that grew up to be a woman are to leave their mother and their father. Let me just stop right here and say this is one of the biggest causes of marital conflict in any marriage.

The preeminent relationship in a family is not the child to the parent, nor is it the parent to the child. It is the husband to the wife. They are to leave that parental relationship. The man is specifically told he is to “hold fast” to his wife. Now we come to the purpose of marriage, “and they shall become one flesh.” A parent and a child are two. A brother and a sister are two, but a husband and a wife are one.

This is so important to understand that Jesus repeats this again.

“So they are no longer two but one flesh.” (Matthew 19:6)

Don’t miss this! When God sees a parent and a child He sees two. When God sees a brother and a sister He sees two. When God sees a husband and a wife He sees one.

Jesus does in marriage what is impossible in math. You all know that in math 1+1 always equals 2, but in marriage 1+1 always equals 1.

Auto Recall

Hyundai Issues Recall Of Elantra, Sonata Vehicles

by Kathryn Schroeder



Hyundai has issued a recall for some of its Elantra and Sonata vehicles.

Approximately 110 of Hyundai's 2017 Elantra sedans, manufactured between April 15 and Sept. 13, 2016, and Sonata sedans, manufactured between May 27 and Sept. 16, 2016, affected by the car manufacturer's recall, according to Cars.com.

The recall is due to the end seal for the driver's front airbag inflator not being properly installed, which can result in reduced inflation of the airbag and increase the risk of injury in a crash. When a vehicle is turned in to a Hyundai dealer, it will replace the driver's front airbag module for free.

Beginning February 13, owners of affected Elantra and Sonata vehicles will receive a notice from Hyundai.

In 2015, Hyundai also issued a recall for an airbag problem, that time for the Accent model. The issue was that the occupant-detection system wasn't always able to determine whether a child-restraint seat was in the front passenger seat, Edmunds reported. The problem was apparent in very cold temperatures.

In September 2016, Hyundai issued a recall of some 2016 Tucson models because of a software issue that could disable acceleration, according to Auto Guide. That recall affected 41,000 vehicles in the United States built between May 20, 2015 and May 31, 2016, and 7,049 vehicles in Canada.

The recall was made because a faulty transmission control module could malfunction in warm weather.

"In higher ambient temperatures and specific operating conditions, the transmission clutch application logic can result in a delayed engagement when accelerating from a stop," documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that were obtained by Auto Guide said. "If the accelerator pedal is steadily depressed for approximately 1.5 to 2 seconds, the vehicle will begin to accelerate and normal driving is resumed. However, if the accelerator pedal is repeatedly cycled, the vehicle will not accelerate."

There were no reports made to Hyundai of accidents or injuries occurring because of the issue. Hyundai dealers can reprogram the transmission's computer to fix the problem.