Hospices are embracing digital memory sharing platforms that are emerging worldwide to help support patients and their families through the dying process. These evolving technologies have made it possible for families and friends to memorialize loved ones through videos, audio recordings and various other media forms.

Hospices are required by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer bereavement care to patients families for 13 months after their loved one expires. Hospice social workers, chaplains and volunteers are often roles tying patient families to these services and related services such as memorials, funerals and death doulas. Many hospices extend their grief care beyond their patient populations and offer that same support into the community at large with bereavement camps, support groups and memorial services for those experiencing the loss of a loved one.

A rising number of providers are turning to smartphone and tablet apps to enhance their bereavement services.

[The After Cloud application] came from a place of grief that we turned into positiveness, said Darren Evans, founder of After Cloud, an app that recently launched in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. It essentially gives people the ability to capture moments in any form and its designed specifically with end-of-life and palliative care in mind. People can capture real-time moments and publish them at a future date to families if they wish.

After Cloud joined the digital memory sharing space among platforms with similar capabilities of uploading photos and documents, creating videos, recording audio messages and speech-to-text features for dictating letters. Intended to capture and share moments with loved ones, the technology could be beneficial for hospice providers looking to expand complimentary bereavement services for families of deceased patients and communities at large.

Weve had tons of conversations with hospice social workers about our memorial websites and the biggest thing about them is that they really end up being a win all around because it makes things easier on the family, said Alison Johnston, co-founder and CEO of Ever Loved, a funeral planning site that creates memorial websites for individuals approaching the end of life and their families. Much like a digital cemetery a memorial websites is a place where you can come back and visit a person and you can connect with other people that care about them as well. Somebody can continue to live online and it represents who this person was, shares the impact they had with other people and helps others grieve and connect with one another.

The digital memory sharing platforms also pose an opportunity to expand advance care planning discussions with a number of apps featuring capabilities to upload and share documents virtually with loved ones. Advance care directives, living wills, life insurance policies and funeral planning information are some examples of the documentation types.

For their patients, its that youve made this part of their life as physically and emotionally at ease for them and their loved ones. We create a co-branded webpage, give them a code for patients, provide digital information leaflets and just make the platform easily accessible on smartphones, tablets and computers, said Ian Dibb, founder and CEO of the U.K.-based Once Ive Gone application. They know their loved ones will hear them and have access to all the important documentation and plans needed when youre gone. The platform is meant to be about people interacting with it to get all their affairs in order and also create a digital legacy.

Hospices have increasingly leveraged technology to ramp up grief support, with younger generations impacting the technical scope of end-of-life care. As more tech savvy generations care for aging parents and eventually come to need end-of-life care themselves, the trend toward digital memory sharing and grief support is expected to continue.

Over the last five to 10 years our audience has become so much more tech savvy and is looking to do more things digitally because its one of the ways that we can help ensure that somebodys memory lives on forever, and that people can continue to feel connected to family members and friends after they pass, Johnston told Hospice News.

Similar to hospice, a goal for digital platform providers is to break down misperceptions around death and the dying process and bring end of life to the forefront of global conversations.

Were all about normalizing the conversation of death and grief, said chief technology officer of After Cloud, Antony Hawkes. The core of the application is the concept of building up your memories in a moment through things like photos and videos that are saved in a kind of memory box shared with loved ones later through permission sharing. Their loved ones are accessing this content remotely as a pipeline to pull these loved ones together and allow them to share, comment and discuss the content. Bringing people together and reducing that stigma around death is such an interesting challenge.

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Hospices Increasingly Supplement Bereavement Care with Phone Apps - Hospice News

Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about coronavirus, new broadband access and more for Wednesday, Oct. 7.

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1. Six new cases of COVID-19

The Vermont Department of Health reported six new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. Two of the new cases are in Chittenden County, two are in Bennington County, and there is one each in Windsor and Windham Counties.

To date, the health department has identified more than 1,800 cases of the disease in Vermont. In Addison County, 27 recent cases are linked to an outbreak at an orchard in Shoreham, which state health officials say is contained.

To the north, COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Quebec Province, with 900 new cases reported today.

Tuesday marked the highest single-day increase ever in the province, with more than 1,300 new cases reported.

Provincial health officals are urging Quebecers to limit contact with grandparents, as a growing number of cases are in people over age 65.

Health officials say parents who rely on older relatives for childcare should make alternative arrangements and refrain from family get-togethers.

While most new cases are Montrealers between the agesof 18 and 34, people over 65 make up 12-to-15% of new daily cases.

- Anna Van Dine and Karen Anderson

More from VPR: Testing, Guidance, An Outbreak In Addison County: Checking In With Health Commissioner Mark Levine

2. Remote learning presents challenges for students in special education

While some schools in Vermont have transitioned back to in-person learning, there are still many students and teachers working remotely.

Remote learning can be a challenge, especially for some students in special education. Vermont Family Network's Co-Director of Family Support Karen Price told Vermont Edition she's seen many families leave public schools to accommodate their child's needs.

We have received a number of calls where families are looking at other avenues, home schooling is suddenly one as well as alternative educational placement, hoping that will provide an environment that will be more suitable, Price said

Price said related services, such as physical and occupational therapy, have also been very challenging for families enrolled in remote learning.

Listen to the full interview.

- Emily Aiken

3. Developer aims to create senior living at former College of St. Joseph campus

A Florida developer wants to create 175 senior apartments at the former College of St Joseph in Rutland. The college closed last year.

Heartland Communities of Americaoperates faith-based senior care communities with independent living and assisted care.

Managing partner Stuart Mills says theyve entered into a sales agreement for 98 acres of the campus, and plan to invest about $50 million in the project.

"Certainly there's construction jobs that are numerous on a on a project of this size and scale. But the more important part is the long-term job creation will probably employ 80 to 90 full-time people from the area, Mills said.

The project has not begun the Act 250 process.

Listen to the full story.

- Nina Keck

4. COVID relief funds to bring high-speed internet to 10,000 Vt. addresses

The state has completed the final round of federally funded grants aimed at bringing high speed Internet to unserved areas by the end of the year. In total about 10,000 addresses will be reached.

The federal COVID relief money came to Vermont with big caveats. The funds had to go for projects related to the pandemic and the money had to be spent by the end of the year.

State Telecommunications Director Clay Purvis said the tight timeline meant that big projects such as fiber optic service planned by new community startups couldn't qualify. But he says the $12 million dollars in federal funds meet an important need.

We're going to get really good broadband to places in Vermont that I think probably would have been the last places to receive broadband if they were to get them at all, Purvis said.

For example, Purvis says a $970,000 grant to the tiny Topsham Telephone Company will reach 350 addresses.

You know that project's a big deal, because that's a really hard area to serve, Purvis said.

About 70,000 addresses in Vermont don't have access to what the federal government defines as broadband service.

- John Dillon

5. Smart Artist Vermont offers free digital skill building for artists

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closings of theaters and other venues, it's been a challenge for performance artists to present their work. Many are turning to the Internet.

With that in mind, Thursday evening, Smart Artist Vermont is offering two back-to-back workshops on how to present online.

Topics range from production basics like lighting and sound, to the pros and cons of uploading or live-streaming content.

James Lockridge is executive director of Big Heavy World, one of the project collaborators.

Smart Artist as an organization is guided by people who are responsible to the theater community, the dance community, the music community, and director and programmer of a performing arts space. So it's as inclusive as can be. And everybody's welcome, Lockridge said.

The workshops are free.

- Betty Smith

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vprnet.

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Federal Broadband Funding To Bring High-Speed Internet To 10000 Vermont Addresses - Vermont Public Radio

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio Some East Cleveland city leaders and residents have health and safety concerns about conditions at the East Cleveland city jail.

East Cleveland Councilwoman Juanita Gowdy is demanding the jail be closed and all inmates transferred to another facility in a neighboring city until more extensive repairs can be made.

Gowdy said she's concerned about inmates at the jail, and is also worried the jail is a legal liability for a city that has suffered millions in lawsuit settlements in recent years.

I am surprised and disgusted," Gowdy said. It should be shut down for remodeling and everything else. Nobody should be in there and I am very upset about it. The state already said close it down, so what they have to do is follow what the state says because the safety of the inmates matters.

Gowdy referenced a Jan. 30 inspection report from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections which revealed the jail was not in compliance with 66 separate standards.

The report outlined the jail failed to meet 38 essential standards and 28 standards that were deemed to be important.

The report revealed the jail "did not have a secure booking area," had "old non-functioning CCTV cameras still installed" and "didn't show the equipment necessary to maintain utilities, security and fire protection in an emergency which functioned properly."

East Cleveland community activist Justyn Anderson said the jail would have been shutdown if Cuyahoga County would have continued its effort to regionalize city jail operations, but that has now been put on hold.

I believe that the jail needs to be shutdown immediately, the state has recommended that they house no one in this jail," Anderson said. The residents need to rally and protest and do whatever they need to do to get this jail shutdown. Maybe they should talk with Cleveland Heights about housing the inmates in their jail. They were going to house the inmates in the Euclid jail, but the Euclid jail end up closing.

East Cleveland Police Chief Scott Gardner responded to News 5 and said the jail passed a Cuyahoga County health inspection on Sept. 2.

Gardner said many of the state violations have been corrected to the best of his department's ability, based on the current city budget.

"Many of them listed as deficient were not deficient at all; they were because we had a new jail administrator and were not familiar with uploading the necessary documentation in the State's web site," Gardner said,

In a follow-up statement, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections spokesperson JoEllen Smith acknowledged the effort being made by jail staff.

"The jail is continuing to be actively engaged in the corrective action process," Smith said. "When the process is complete, a final letter will be issued noting the progress."

Still, residents like Stephen Acy, who said he spent one night at the jail on a misdemeanor last month, believes more must be done.

I was placed in a holding cell that was full of blood and when I asked an officer when are they going to clean it up, I was told to mind my own business," Acy said. There are toilets backed up with feces that are flooding the cells and they still have inmate housed in these cells.

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East Cleveland leaders, residents want city jail closed over health and safety concerns - News 5 Cleveland

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month, which is aimed at raising the publics awareness of the basic steps needed to stay safe online. Throughout the month, Better Business Bureau Northwest and Pacific will be releasing cybersafety tips and articles to help consumers and businesses stay vigilant.

Articles and a cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses and consumers can be found at http://www.BBB.org/BBBSecure and at http://www.bbb.org/cybersecurity.

BBB encourages online users to educate themselves about cybersecurity risks and offers the following tips to stay safe online:

Own your online presence. Set the privacy and security settings on websites to your comfort level for information sharing. Its OK to limit how and with whom you share information.

Get two steps ahead. Turn on two-step verification on accounts when available. This adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring you to know more than just a password. This is typically a code that is sent to you after accessing your password-protected electronic device. This can also be a fingerprint or facial recognition.

Keep a clean machine. Technology companies such as Apple and Microsoft are constantly making safety updates. Keep all software on internet-connected devices including PCs, smartphones and tablets up to date to reduce risk of infection from malware.

Keep a lid on personal information. Information about your history or location has value. Think about who is seeing the information and how it is gathered by mobile apps or websites.

Think before you post. Take care when posting about yourself and others online. Consider who might see it and how it could be perceived now and in the future.

Better Business Bureau also has some tips for businesses to stay secure while operating in the online world:

Keep your email secure. Make sure that when you are creating passwords to use unique pass phrases and two-factor authentication. Do no use personal emails for company business, and instruct employees to not open suspicious content, even when they know the source. Also, make sure that your employees know how to use the spam filters on their company accounts when in doubt, throw it out.

Restrict your file sharing. As a business, you should restrict the locations where sensitive information can be saved or copied. Make sure to use file names that dont disclose the types of information that a file contains, and ensure that all your organizations computers are equipped with the latest antivirus software and antispyware.

Be careful using USB drives. When using them, be sure to scan them and disable the auto-run function that allows drives to automatically open when they are inserted into a drive. The best practice is to keep sensitive information off USB drives.

Secure those websites. While websites do have a certain amount of security, keeping these practices in mind will save you time, money and frustration. Use scan tools to test your security. Many of them are free. Make sure to use a separate Wi-Fi for guests and secure your internet connection by using a firewall, encrypting information and hiding your Wi-Fi network. Also, prevent direct access to uploading of files to your website and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not using your devices.Anyone who feels they may be a victim of a cybercrime should report it to local law enforcement and BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker.

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BBB Tip of the Week: Emphasizing cybersecurity in October - The Spokesman-Review

New Delhi: A security researcher has found a vulnerability in the download feature of Facebook's Android app that could be exploited to launch remote code execution (RCE) attacks. The social networking giant awarded the researcher $10,000 for finding the bug.

Facebook's Android app uses two methods of downloading files from a group -- a built-in Android service called DownloadManager and a second method called Files Tab.

Security researcher Sayed Abdelhafiz discovered a path traversal flaw in the second method. "I discovered an ACE on Facebook for Android that can be triaged through a download file from group Files Tab without opening the file," he said in a post on Medium.

The vulnerability was in the second method. While security measures were implemented on the server side when uploading the files, it was easy to bypass those.

"First idea that came to my mind was to use path traversal to overwrite native libraries which will lead to executing arbitrary code," Abdelhafiz said. Abdelhafiz explained how the Files Tab flaw enabled the researcher to launch RCE attacks against a target device. The vulnerability in the Files Tab has now been fixed.

In June this year, Ahmedabad-based security researcher Bipin Jitiya won Rs 23.8 lakh ($31,500) from Facebook for identifying a bug in its social networking platform and a third-party business intelligence portal.

Jitiya, 26, identified the web security vulnerability in internal blind Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in the source code of a publicly accessible endpoint, built using tools from MicroStrategy, that performed custom data collection and content generation.

MicroStrategy has partnered with Facebook on data analytics projects for several years. Jitiya reported the bug to the MicroStrategy's security team, who acknowledged it, saying the issue has been mitigated.

In May, a 27-year-old Indian security researcher Bhavuk Jain grabbed $100,000 (over Rs 75.5 lakh) from Apple for discovering a now-patched Zero Day vulnerability in the Sign in with Apple account authentication.

The Zero Day vulnerability could have allowed a hacker to break into an Apple user's account who log into third-party apps like Dropbox, Spotify, Airbnb and Giphy (now acquired by Facebook) and more.

More:

Facebook awards $10K for finding bug in its Android app - Free Press Journal

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a news conference on September 08, 2020 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Six months after it was announced, the tech that Apple and Google built for sending Covid-19 exposure alerts to smartphones is finally gaining momentum in the United States.

New York and New Jersey both released Covid-19 alert apps this week, bringing the total to 10 states plus Guam that have published apps using technology from the Apple-Google partnership. Seventy million people, or 21% of the U.S. population, now have access to a Covid-19 app, according to a CNBC analysis using U.S. Census data.

More are coming soon, too. Five other states plus Washington, D.C., have announced plans to use the Apple-Google exposure notification system, and California and Arizona are currently testing apps in pilot programs.

If the system works properly, the apps will provide push alerts to any user who came in close contact with another app user who tested positive for the coronavirus. Users can also use the apps to alert everyone they were near that they tested positive without revealing their name or phone number.

For health bodies and governments, the apps could help slow the spread of the coronavirus by identifying people who might test positive that could be missed by other methods, such as contact tracing.

"It will not only help us do contact tracing but can also get people a sense of security and confidence," New York governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursdayin a press conference announcing the app. "You know anxiety is very high, everybody is wondering, I was next to this person, I was next to this person, but this can actually give you some data and facts can help reduce anxiety and that is a good thing."

While Apple and Google createdprogramming tools called APIs that enabled these apps to run on most recent iPhones and Android phones, the tech giants are not publishing nor developing the apps themselves. That falls to governments and public health bodies, which have historically had limited funding to invest in new technology.

But the costs for developing these apps have finally come down, which is one reason why momentum is picking up.

Development on New York's app, Covid Alert NY, started in August, and it cost $700,000, a relatively low price that was able to be covered by federal funds and nonprofit groups including Bloomberg Philanthropy.

When Germany's Covid-19 app was released in June, the government said it cost 20 million euros to develop. Officials from England's NHS said in September that the total cost of its app was expected to top 35 million.

But American governments can take advantage of apps built in countries such as Ireland and Canada because the code for those apps is available online and free to use and has already been deployed to millions of people. Instead of building the apps from scratch, they merely have to customize an open-source app with specific local health information, graphics and languages, and don't have to reinvent complicated code for measuring Bluetooth signals or write privacy policies and other legal notices from scratch.

New York and New Jersey's apps are based on Covid Green, Ireland's app, which the government open-sourced in July. The apps for the two states and Pennsylvania were built by NearForm, the original developer of Ireland's app.

"What that does is gives people like in New York the confidence to go, 'Hey, this solution has been out there one of the longest, it's tried and tested, it's getting adoption levels, citizens seem to like it," said Larry Breen, chief commercial officer at NearForm. "You're not trying things for the first time. So people have typically gone before you on the fundamentals."

Covid Alert NY app

Source: Covid Alert NY ap

Another factor aiding momentum is the fact that U.S. apps are now finally able to talk to each other.

The U.S. does not have a national app strategy, unlike other countries, so the development of the apps falls to the state level.

One concern with early apps was that they would not be able to communicate with other exposure notification apps so, for instance, if someone with a Virginia app tested positive for Covid-19 and was close to someone with the North Carolina app, the system wouldn't be able to ascertain the connection, and the person with the North Carolina app wouldn't get a notification.

But the apps from New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania will all be able to exchange notifications, Cuomo said this week. Connecticut will also be supported when it's released.

This is possible because the Association for Public Health Laboratories set up a national key server in July, which gives the states the ability to all participate in a single system with different apps, instead of each state maintaining its own back end.

"This is really the key to interoperability in the United States at this point, because what that means is that anybody who reports themselves as positive, rather than uploading that set of keys to their own state, they're uploading it to the national key server," said Jenny Wanger, head of the Implementer's Forum at the Linux Foundation Public Health, a nonprofit that hosts the Covid Green code and provides assistance to agencies working on exposure notifications.

Now the apps face the biggest challenge yet: getting people to download and install them.

Ireland's app, which New York and New Jersey are based on, has an active user base of 1.3 million, or about 35% of the adult population. Virginia's app was the first to be released in the United States, and it was downloaded 460,000 times in its first month, amounting to 11% of the state's population with a smartphone, Gov. Ralph Northam said in September.

By way of comparison, New York's app had been downloaded approximately 250,000 times by Friday afternoon, a Cuomo spokesperson said. New Jersey's app had been downloaded more than 63,000 times on Friday, according to a tracker inside the app.

Some users may be repelled by privacy considerations, even though Apple and Google designed the system with privacy in mind.

Apps created with the technology don't collect or store any personal information such as the user's phone number or location.

Instead, every phone with a Covid alert app sends out Bluetooth Low Energy signals to detect if two people were close together for an extended period of time. Every day,each phone in the system downloads a list of anonymous tokens corresponding to positive tests, and compares them with tokens on the phone collected when the user was near another person for a certain period of time. For instance, New York's app marks an exposure when two people were within six feet for 10 minutes.

But those privacy provisions won't matter if people don't know about or believe in them.

The system is technical and difficult to explain briefly. Some people have advanced conspiracy theories about the software on social media based on the system's settings inside iPhone or Android software. Users who test positive also must enter a six-digit code to alert others, and governments can't force them to do so.

"If you don't have a really strong user awareness and public trust rollout strategy to go with it, your app is not going to see great success," Wanger said.

States such as Virginia have dealt with these problems by emphasizing the system's privacy in marketing and in-app explanations. New York's app in some areas replaces the accepted jargon for the system, "exposure notification," in favor of the more understandable "closeness sensing."

There's also considerable debate about the number of people in any given region who need to download the apps for the system to work.

A study earlier this year suggested that the number is 60%, but Apple and Google representatives as well as people working on the apps say the study was misinterpreted. The authors of the original studypresented research in September that an installation rate as low as 15% could help suppress Covid-19 if governments are also using traditional contact tracing. Under traditional systems, government health agencies phone everyone who tests positive and asks them to list people they were recently in contact with, then communicate directly with those contacts to tell them they might have been exposed.

Efficacy data on the apps are still being studied, and many regions have yet to publish stats about detected exposures, Wanger said. Still, places where the apps have been available are seeing them pick up potential cases.In Ireland, 1,382 users of the Covid Green app who have tested positive have input the code to alert close contacts, and 2,924 users have received alerts who might not otherwise have been identified, NearForm said.

The current list of states or regions with Covid-19 alert apps is below.

States or districts that have publicly announced plans to release an exposure notification app:

States currently testing the app with a limited population in pilot trials:

See the rest here:

States are finally starting to use the Covid-tracking tech Apple and Google built here's why - CNBC

Sequins at the ready as this years Strictly Come Dancing celebrity contestants show off their glamorous makeovers.

Here is a rundown of who will be putting their best foot forward on the dance floor and what theyre saying ahead of showing off their best moves:

Jacqui Smith

Labour politician Smith, 57, served as the MP for Redditch from 1997 until 2010 and was the first female home secretary.

She quit the Cabinet in 2009 after it emerged that adult films watched by her husband had been charged to the taxpayer.

Smith later took a backbench position but lost her seat in the 2010 election.

She is now chair of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and a Childrens Trust in Sandwell, and has a podcast, For The Many, with broadcaster Iain Dale.

Smith said of her Strictly makeover: Having tried to put on fake tan each summer and have it go all streaky, Im very much looking forward to a proper spray tan which Ive never had before.

Everybody knows that the wardrobe and make-up people on the Strictly team are absolutely fantastic, so having them look after me is going to be absolutely amazing.

HRVY

Harvey Leigh Cantwell, 21, follows in the footsteps of fellow YouTubers Joe Sugg and Saffron Barker in joining the show.

The former presenter of CBBCs Friday Download, HRVY was born in Kent and first rose to fame after uploading his music videos to Facebook.

He signed to Virgin EMI in 2017 and has supported Little Mix and shared the stage with Jonas Blue at Capital FMs Summertime Ball and Jingle Bell Ball.

HRVY also performed at BBC Radio 1s Big Weekend in 2019.

He has more than a billion combined streams to his name and a social media following of more than 10 million globally.

The social media star has been isolating for 10 days after testing positive for coronavirus.

He said of being glammed up: I might stay away from the fake tan but apparently all the boys say that and then by week four are like, I think I might need to be a bit bronzer! I think for now I dont mind, put me in anything, Im there for all the diamonds and dazzle! Im not scared.

Jamie Laing

Made In Chelsea star Laing is returning after having to pull out of last years series in the early stages due to an injury.

The reality TV star and entrepreneur has said he is doing Strictly again in the hopes of making his mum proud.

Off-screen, he has founded his own gourmet sweet company called Candy Kittens, and also hosts a podcast called Private Parts. He is dating his MIC co-star Sophie Habboo.

On being glammed up: Are you kidding me? Dress me up as a glitterball and give me so much fake tan, I cant wait. I want everything; its going to be unbelievable!

Maisie Smith

EastEnders actress Smith is best known for her role as Tiffany Butcher-Baker in the soap. She is no stranger to Strictly, having won the Children In Need Cha Cha in 2019 with professional dancer Kevin Clifton.

However, Smith said she has no technical dance ability and has been staying fit throughout lockdown by making TikTok videos.

She told ITVs This Morning: I did set out to stay fit throughout lockdown and it didnt pan out very well, but once I downloaded TikTok and me and my mum were getting involved, after every video we were in bits, we were sweating and that was good training for Strictly.

On the Strictly sequins and glitter: That is genuinely what I think Im most excited about being glammed up every single week! I remember when Emma (Barton) did it last year; I barely do scenes with her so when I do see her I just saw her as her character Honey.

So watching her every week, she just looked incredible and I cant wait for them to work that magic on me!

JJ Chalmers

Scottish TV presenter JJ Chalmers was the eighth celebrity confirmed for this years Strictly Come Dancing. He is a former Royal Marine and Invictus Games medallist.

Chalmers, 33, was injured in an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. He competed in the 2014 Invictus Games, where he captained the Trike Cycling team. He won one gold (as part of a trio) and two bronze medals.

His TV presenting roles include the Rio Paralympics, as well as the Invictus Games and other stints for BBC Sports.

On Strictly glamour, he said: You cant stand on the sidelines and feel self-conscious in this, because then youre missing the point. Youve got to fully embrace it.

Bill Bailey

The comedian and TV star has appeared on Black Books, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI.

The 55-year-old is also a classically trained musician and performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2008 in Bill Baileys Remarkable Guide To The Orchestra.

However, he has joked that his dance skills are a little patchy.

On Strictly glamour and costumes, he said: Over the years, Ive worn all manner of costumes, either for stage, theatre or on TV shows.Ive dressed up as wizards, put spangly suits on, worn all manner of stuff, its all part of the process.

Nicola Adams

The Olympic gold medallist will take to the dance floor as part of the shows first same-sex pairing.

The 37-year-old nicknamed The Lioness retired with an undefeated record and held the WBO female flyweight title last year.

She also became the first openly LGBT person to win an Olympic boxing gold medal, after her triumph at the 2012 Games in London.

Her debut on the show marks the first time a same-sex couple has competed in Strictly.

Johannes Radebe and fellow professional Graziano di Prima made history when they performed together on the BBC show last year.

Adams is dating Ella Baig and has been praised as an LGBT role model.

She said of being Strictly-fied: Ill be out of my comfort zone but Im looking forward to it. I dont really wear too much glitter so its going to be different but exciting for me.

Ranvir Singh

The journalist and presenter has travelled on board the RAF Voyager with the Prime Minister and reported live as the Grenfell Tower fire unfolded.

She has also appeared on daytime TV shows Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women as well as Good Morning Britain and ITV News.

Born and raised in Preston, Singh attended the University of Central Lancashire and spent 12 years at the BBC as a producer, reporter and presenter.

She co-presented BBC North West Tonight and in 2010 was awarded best on-screen talent at the Royal Television Societys North West Awards.

Singh said of being Strictly-fied: I just hope theyve got really, really, really strong support underwear thats all Im concerned about. As long as they can hold it all in and make me look as streamlined as is magically possible and Strictly is all about the magic then Ill be happy.

Im not even sure I need to breathe. As long as I can hold my breath for three minutes or however long the dance is have St John Ambulance on the sidelines for fainting through lack of oxygen!

Clara Amfo

The presenter and activist is best known for her show on BBC Radio 1, home of the Live Lounge, and her credits also include the Brit Awards and the BBCs coverage of Glastonbury.

Amfo is also a fixture on the judging panel for the Mercury Prize and a regular on the red carpet, hosting premieres for Sir Elton Johns Rocketman, The Crimes Of Grindelwald, Marvels Black Panther, and Disneys The Lion King.

She also appeared on the Activism Now cover of British Vogue, and is a contributing editor to Elle magazine.

In June, the London-born presenter, who has Ghanaian heritage, was praised for making an emotional speech during her Radio 1 show about the death of George Floyd, racism and its effect on her mental health.

Amfo said of Strictly glam: Im a late sequins fan! I only got into wearing sequins a few years ago. My mate is a designer and lent me this sequinned red dress and I was like, Oh, OK, right, I get it; I get what all the fuss is about. So Im definitely a sequin convert.

Caroline Quentin

One of the nations best-loved actresses, Quentin has 40 years of experience in showbusiness.

The 60-year-old found fame as Dorothy in 90s comedy Men Behaving Badly before starring in dramas including Jonathan Creek and crime series Blue Murder.

She has also fronted a number of documentaries and two series of The Worlds Most Extraordinary Homes for BBC Two.

Quentin, originally from Surrey, performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2019.

She was married to Have I Got News For You comic Paul Merton from 1990 until their divorce in 1998.

The same year she met her current husband, Sam Farmer, on the set of Men Behaving Badly, where he was a runner.

They married in 2005 and have two children.

She said of being Strictly-fied: Well, Im not quite sure what its going to entail. But I think some of it might be uncomfortable, some of it might be vaguely embarrassing, and some of it would just be delightful. As long as most of it is delightful, thats a win for me.

Jason Bell

Former American footballer and BBC pundit Bell, 42, finished his career playing for the New York Giants in 2007.

But the California-born sportsman will step into a different arena when he debuts on Strictly this year.

Bell played as a cornerback/safety for the Dallas Cowboys, before moving to the Houston Texans, where he won the Ed Block Courage Award, one of the leagues highest honours.

Alongside fellow NFL alumni Osi Umenyiora, he presents The NFL Show on the BBC and The Jason & Osi Podcast.

Bell had a daughter, Anaiya, with Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle in 2014 but they later split after an 11-year relationship.

On Strictlys sequins and glitter: Ive been wearing tight uniforms my whole life! Ive been putting face paint on to block the sun and all kinds of stuff. Im ready for it. Its going to be fun. The show has the greatest stylist and costume designers in the country, you just got to let them do their thing.

Max George

Manchester-raised George, 31, started out as a footballer for Preston North End but, after an injury ended his sporting career, he decided to pursue music.

He found fame as a member of pop group The Wanted, who scored two number one singles in the UK before going on indefinite hiatus in 2014.

George, who has dated actress Michelle Keegan, moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, appearing in the sixth season of Glee as Clint, before returning to the spotlight as a solo musician.

He follows in the footsteps of former bandmate Jay McGuiness, who won Strictly in 2015 with professional partner Aliona Vilani.

He said of being given a Strictly makeover: Great, lets go for it! Its all part of the show, you might as well embrace it.

Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One for the launch show on October 17.

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Strictly Come Dancing 2020: See all the celebrities glammed up - Aberdeen Evening Express

The Google Pixel line pushed the limits of what a phones camera could do, but the Pixel 5 looks like just a refinement, not a leap forward. The rumored specs for the iPhone 12 are similarly boring, particularly for regular photography. Is this setting the stage for real cameras to rise like a phoenix?

Apple, Google, and Samsung have started to run into the hard challenges of physics. For a sensor and lens combo that can realistically fit into a phone, you can only gather a certain amount of light. Sure, Sonys IMX363 is an impressive bit of semiconductor engineering, cramming 12 megapixels onto a 1/2.55 sensor. The stacking and backside illumination have further boosted its performance, but its telling that this sensor is a couple years old and still being used for devices nothing better has really come along.

Now, the spin on this sensor reuse is that its allowed the software engineers to refine the algorithms that power all the cameras computational imagery tricks, but I think thats an implicit acknowledgment of the actual issue, that software improvements have to be relied on over hardware. Dont get me wrong, the software that powers smart HDR functions and things like Night Sight/Night Mode is incredibly impressive, but as everyone knows, you cant always save a photo via Photoshop.

A parallel can be drawn to another area of the semiconductor industry, processors, where clock speeds and IPC gains generation over generation have diminished. In the case of processors, some incredible work by TSMC has breathed life back into the space via AMDs Ryzen line. Before that point, however, it was thought that better written, more readily parallelized software would be left to pick up the flag of Moores law.

This reliance on software to pick up the slack of hardware has been the same trend shaping the last year or two of camera phones. To my mind, the addition of a quality ultra-wide angle lens has been the last significant hardware change in cellphone cameras. The periscope telephoto options are of very limited use and quality, while the 3D/Lidar rumors seem to be AR, not photography focused. For a very unscientific example, find a non-photographer friend with a veteran Instagram presence: those grainy, yellow tinged photos from 2012 are a far cry from what youd get in 2016, while 2016 to 2020 is a much smaller improvement.

Bringing it back to cameras and photographers, consider how many more people have been inspired to get into photography via the accessibility of Instagram and camera phones. The number of photos taken in a year varies by source, but most put it in the trillions, a huge increase from just a few years ago. All of this has been happening at the same time that camera sales have cratered.

Theres a myriad of reasons why people would prefer to shoot with their cell phone over a compact, mirrorless, or DSLR camera, and for many of those reasons, a phone will still remain the best option. For even a small percentage of that population of new photographers, however, they might want more from their hobby. Whether its more resolution, more editing potential, more lens options, real depth of field control, or something else, its likely that only a real camera will offer it.

Whether or not camera companies are actually poised to capture (or is it recapture?) this market is an open question. If youre used to the shoot and share convenience of a phone, shooting, pulling a memory card, importing it into software, exporting it back to your phone, and finally uploading to IG can seem archaic. Tighter integration with computers, editing software, and the ubiquitous phone wouldnt just benefit those picking up a camera for the first time, but also existing photographers.

The old guard of the camera industry also faces challenges in getting the marketing pitch fine-tuned and in front of the potential customer. Consider the buzz thatll be generated by the upcoming iPhone announcement. Watch the immediate connection even an inexperienced photographers can draw between the new features and their photos, as can be seen in that keynote announcing the iPhone 11.

Im not saying it has to be a trendy SV presser, nor have the polish of a trillion-dollar company renowned for their marketing, but they can definitely do better than what theyve been doing. Take this quote from Nikons Z 5 announcement, a full frame mirrorless camera that would be perfect for a burgeoning influencer to step up their Instagram game with:

The Z 5 is a full frame mirrorless camera basic model that inherits the superior power of expression and reliability of the Nikon Z 7 and Z 6, while also balancing high-cost performance. It enables the rich expression of a wide variety of scenes, with an FX-format sensor capable of superior image quality and rendering capabilities in dark or dimly lit situations, and support for NIKKOR Z lenses that allows users to take advantage of beautiful blur characteristics (bokeh) to achieve a three-dimensional appearance with their imaging.

Is that going to make sense to anyone who isnt already well versed in photography (and even Nikons existing camera lineup)? Its a further five paragraphs before you even reach the singular line about Snapbridge, a potentially key feature for photographers tied to their phones.

It's not just Nikon either. The last focused marketing message for a camera in my mind would be something like the video of the 5D MarkII or the ISO supremacy of the D3. What contemporary camera marketing seems to lack is a clear picture of what problem their product actually solves. "This is a cheaper model of another camera we make"isn't going to connect in the same way that this camera deliversmore creative possibilities with our 100+ compatible Nikkor lenses ranging from fisheyes to sideline-ready telephotoscould.

Phone sales arent going anywhere. Analysts figure that the 5G rollout could spur a huge cycle of upgrades, while the prevailing pandemic conditions have really dampened the boyfriend holding girlfriends hand on a beach Instagram market. Instead, what this period should be is a final wakeup call for camera companies. As things return to normal, they have the opportunity to refine their message and reach a market segment thats looking for something more than their increasingly stale camera phone. This wont just happen by chance, though. Camera manufacturers need to make a deliberate effort to appeal to them, to potentially change up everything from their marketingto their software and hardware design considerations.

I, like many photographers, started out with just a compact camera. As my passion for the hobby grew, I found that I was running into the technical limits of my gear and upgraded from there. I believe the same opportunity exists for this massive group of photographers who got started with their iPhone, Galaxy, or Pixel;camera companies just have to seize it.

Lead image courtesy of Devano23 and Nate_Dumlao

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Phone Cameras Are Stagnant: Is This Good News for Real Cameras? - Fstoppers

After two years of its launch, IGTV, the long video form platform on Instagram is still having significant popularity, it is still seeing more usage from people as they look for entertaining, funny, and informing videos to watch every day.

A year ago, Instagram has added IGTV to the main page that increased the usage of IGTV by 300%! However, this year, it updated the previews of its Stories, with integration in its main application to increase the viewers number.

It might not be competing with YouTube until now. However, IGTV is gradually establishing its own niche, which has created a more attractive option for viewers and creators.

Thus, that makes it more of a relevant option for brands too.

If you are thinking about using IGTV, then, this article is perfect for you, here is a full guide and the main information you have to know to create a great IGTV content.

Most of IGTV videos are viewed in a vertical feed, like Instagram Stories. So, you have to align your IGTV content with the viewers behavior as users get in your IGTV automatically when they start playing any video on the platform.

When you upload your video, you can add a cover photo, sounds, or cut the video. Also, you have to edit your video BEFORE uploading and its a very important step you have to not miss.

The first and main thing is to make sure your video is less than 650MB max for videos less than ten minutes, and 3.6GB max for videos less than an hour.

All videos have to be in MP4 format, and the dimensions have to be 10801920 pixels or in the ratio format 9:16 which is the same as Stories.

These dimensions are great if you are uploading your videos on the IGTV platform, yet when you upload it in your feed, remember to cut the video to be 4:5 ratio. So, if you want to show the full video in your IGTV preview, check out the image below the dimensions you have to use:

To start a channel on IGTV, first, you have to download the IGTV application and login with your Instagrams username and password to sync the app to your account. Then, upload your video, watch, share, and enjoy! Its very easy and simple.

Now, Instagram permits to upload IGTV by desktop and you have the same features of the app. However, with the comfort of the desktop. Keep in mind, this is allowed if only you have uploaded at least one video on IGTV before, if not, you have to use the application itself at least once.

If you have uploaded a video already before, go to your account on the desktop, click IGTV, and you can see a blue Upload in the options.

Apply these practices in order to increase your reach

The cover image is the first thing that will grab users attention to your video while they are scrolling down on IGTV. If the image is catchy, they will open the video instantly.

Your video would look unprofessional without the cover image, and users will have to read your description to know what is the content about, which is less likely to happen. Make it easier for users to click and watch your IGTV with an attractive cover image.

Posting regularly is a tip that will be forever important. The more content you upload, the more people will watch, engage, and share regularly.

IGTV is just like YouTube, they will show you content that you are more likely to like, from the previous engagement with other posts. Also, it motivates you to see new ideas and structures to maximize your views. So, it doesnt matter how perfect your videos are if no one will watch it anyway.

Add text to your video so you can increase viewer numbers, and you have to add on screen texts too.

Canva is a good tool to create IGTV videos and Instagram stories and its super easy to use. You can also just choose one of thousands templates to create your cover from a to z!

Adobe Premiere Pro is perfect for editing videos. You just add your IGTV dimensions, music, text, and export your videos to the size you want. Its super easy even if you dont have an experience with video editing.

Wave is similar to Canva, but for video editing. Upload your file, edit it, and create your IGTV video in a few minutes. Also, you can keep your videos more organized, and use them again.

If you want a fast application for video editing, Inshot is the perfect choice. You can add music to your videos, resize them, and download them in high quality as well. The application is available on both Android and iOS stores.

Snappa is an online tool that makes you able to store, create, edit, and share Instagram graphics. If you want a platform that can do everything, you have to consider Snappa and give it a chance.

To create content for your IGTV does not necessarily be a regular problem. Basically, if you created these 5 IGTV ideas as a start, you are going to strike gold, for sure.

The post The Complete Guide to IGTV Dimensions, Best Practices, and Creation Apps first appeared on Digital Market News.

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The Complete Guide to IGTV Dimensions, Best Practices, and Creation Apps - Armenian Reporter