Can Everyone On RHONY Stop Shaming Carole Radziwill For Not Having Children? – Refinery29

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While I can at least see why Tinsley wrongly tried to shame Caroles life choices, Ramonas childfree shaming is much weirder and unexplainable, like many of her antics this season. During the "New Low" conversation that broke Bethenny and Ramonas frenemyship for good, when Ramona attempted to use the Skinnygirl moguls 6-year-old daughter to shame her, Carole stood up for her best friend. She calmly asked if Ramona really couldnt see why Bethenny may be ignoring her in that moment. The pinot grigio fan shot back, "You dont have a daughter, so you dont understand." Ramona point black "insulted" Carole, as the Kennedy family widow put it, because shes never had a child. And, of course, Ramona made it worse, adding, "You cant relate." Carole rightly pointed out anyone, regardless of their parenting status, can understand empathy. Still, Ramona stares at Carole with blank eyes and shakes her head no, signaling she doesnt actually agree with that statement. Yes, really, Ramona believes only fellow moms can understand why she would attack Bethenny in such a public manner and pull her daughter into the drama.

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3 stories that prove political correctness has gone too far Jim Gearhart podcast – New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio

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If youre a regular listener of Jim Gearharts podcast, or you enjoyed his 25-year stint leading New Jersey 101.5s morning show, were not telling you anything new by saying he doesnt enjoy political correctness.

But some stories, Jim says, are more absurd than others.

I just throw these out as a couple of examples of how weve gone stark raving damn mad, Jim says in this weeks installment of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, available here, on iTunes and Google Play.

How about the story of Professor Bret Weinstein at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., who had the gall to oppose the schools annual Day of Absence, or rather, this years reversal of it. Traditionally, students and faculty of color would skip out on the campus for a day and meet elsewhere, to show what life would be like when theyre not around. This year, white students and faculty were invited to step away, after minorities expressed concerns they didnt feel safe following the 2016 election.

He was a very liberal person, but he said that was going too far, Jim says. But to Jim, what was really to far was the backlash Weinstein received including threats and harassment.

This is how serious this has gotten, Jim says.

But thats not the only story hes got lined up. Check out the podcast to hear the rest. Email Jim at Jim@NJ1015.com.

The Jim Gearhart Podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can alsosubscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Get The Jim Gearhart Show on Google Play

Get Jim on iTunes

Love podcasts? Also check out Forever 39, Annette and Megans new podcast about turning 40 and loving life along the way. This week, they explore the stresses so many of us face and how to escape them.

Also: The New Jersey Guys, Chris and Dan, are joined this week by NJ Devils legend Ken Daneyko. And in Speaking Millennial, Bill Spadea, Jay Black and Jessica Nutt proclaim (profanely) Eff the future!

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3 stories that prove political correctness has gone too far Jim Gearhart podcast - New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio

Fraud Expert: Credit Card Cloning Trend "Going Skyward" – WFYI

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Photo by Flickr user Sean MacEntee

A recent weekend getaway with the family turned into a credit card cloning hassle for a Pendleton man. Luke Renner had taken his family to an amusement park, only to discover a few days later that two of his credit cards had been cloned.

My best guess that it probably - whatever happened happened there," Renner says.

Renner received a fraud alert from one of the banks to let him know that his personal credit card had been hacked. It was only after his business credit card was declined at two different stores that he realized it too had been cloned.

And then it occurred to me that one of the two cards that was compromised never left my wallet, he says.

Renner didn't take any chances. He and his wife closed their credit card accounts and got new cards. They also did some research on RFID or so-called "tap-to-pay" credit cards that you don't have to swipe or stick in a machine to use.

They have RFID blocking wallets, card sleeves that stick to your phone and these are just sort of barriers that create an electronic wall of some sort that keep those scanners from being able to retrieve the information off of the cards that are in your wallet, Renner says.

He's invested in a new wallet for himself and his wife got an RFID blocking sleeve for her cards.

Indianapolis Metro Police Sergeant Steve Walters says credit card fraud continues to escalate. Criminals use skimmers on ATMs and at gas pumps but, he says, they can also scan tap-to-pay credit cards without even touching them.

They can do a card reading right from the pocket of their pants and you have no idea. It could have been someone standing right behind you at the grocery store, Walters says.

He recommends setting up fraud alerts on all your credit cards and regularly - even daily - check your statements online.

Walters warns there may be more to worry about than just getting your credit card replaced.

Make sure in the next couple of weeks once you have had that account shut down, that you run a credit check on yourself to make sure individuals are not opening different accounts using your card information, he says.

Walters also recommends making a police report so they can help put a stop to credit card fraud.

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Fraud Expert: Credit Card Cloning Trend "Going Skyward" - WFYI

Youth’s arrest unearthed card cloning fraud – Times of India

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MUMBAI: The arrest of a 30-year-old college dropout from Byculla had helped the police unearth a major card cloning racket and crack 14 cases three in Bandra and the rest in Thane and Pune. Till date, eight men have been arrested and two kignpins are on the run. Police said the rackeeters, with the help of six hotel waite-rs, stole debit/credit card details of 1,000 people from 96 banks, cloned cards and withdrew money from unmanned ATM kiosks. On June 18 night, police sub-inspector Bhimsen Gaikwad noticed a suspicious-looking man inside an ATM kiosk on Carter Road in Bandra (W). The man, Sayyed Masrafe, claimed he was trying to withdraw money, but Gaikwad found it was an expired card. "During questioning, we learnt that he was on bail after being arrested in another card fraud case," said a police officer. "We searched Masrafe's house and found a cloning app on his laptop, skimmers, internet dongle, a coding and decoding machine to make magnetic strips and 50 forged debit cards. The arrested waiters were given skimmers to swipe customers' cards, while Masrafe would clone the cards and withdraw money from ATMs."

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Documentary ‘Food Evolution’ turns to reason to discuss GMO controversy – Los Angeles Times

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Calm, careful, potentially revolutionary, "Food Evolution" is an iconoclastic documentary on a hot-button topic. Persuasive rather than polemical, it's the unusual issue film that deals in counterintuitive reason rather than barely controlled hysteria.

As directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, "Food Evolution" wades into the controversy that makes the term GMO (genetically modified organisms) what Jon Stewart once called "the three most terrifying letters in the English language."

For what right-thinking citizen hasn't quailed at the thought of armies of artificially conceived zombie fruits and vegetables marching in lockstep under the command of monster corporation Monsanto until they take over the world.

As environmental activist Mark Lynas says, "its difficult to pay Monsanto a compliment. It's like praising witchcraft."

But taking as his theme a quote attributed to Mark Twain that posits, "It's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled," filmmaker Kennedy wants us to consider the notion that much of what we feel about GMOs may be wrong.

Previously responsible for the splendid "OT: Our Town" and the Oscar-nominated "The Garden," about the plight of a 14-acre community garden in South Los Angeles, Kennedy is a veteran documentarian.

Here he's engaged the mellifluous voice of science celebrity Neil deGrasse Tyson as narrator and made sure to talk to people on both sides of the issue, partisans who, ironically, all have the same goal: safe, abundant food for everyone without the use of excessive toxic chemicals.

It is in fact the question of how to feed the staggering amount of people in the world more than 7 billion now, 9 billion by 2050 that was one of the stimuli that started Kennedy on this project. And he wants you to remember that trying to modify plants to emphasize desirable aspects is something farmers have been doing for a long time.

"Food Evolution" begins in Hawaii in 2013 when the big island's Hawaii County Council held hearings on whether to make the location into the world's first GMO-free zone.

That was ironic because Hawaii turns out to be a state with a major GMO success story, the rainbow papaya, which enabled papaya farming to come back from the dead after a devastating attack of disease in the 1990s.

While anti-GMO activists like Jeffrey Smith talk darkly of GMOs as "thoughtless, invasive species," the other side wrings its hands about pervasive doomsday tactics and distrust of scientific data.

"It's so much easier to scare people than reassure them," says writer Mark Lynas, with food authority Michael Pollan adding, "I don't believe fear-mongering has helped. I'm careful never to say GMOs are dangerous."

One statistic the film cites reveals the considerable gap 88% versus 37% between what scientists and laypeople say about whether GMOs are safe to eat.

"Food Evolution" takes time to carefully parse several issues that arise in the debate, like tumors in rats who eat GMO food (they get tumors no matter what they eat) and poundage versus toxicity in pesticide use.

The film also emphasizes that decisions made in the developed world can have global implications, exploring difficulties farmers in Uganda are having gaining access to the GMO bananas they want to combat decimation by disease.

"Food Evolution" certainly understands the larger factors that put GMO foods in the crosshairs: societal fury at corporate lying and greed, and distrust of Monsanto in particular as the developer of DDT and Agent Orange.

But finally the film is more troubled by the erosion of trust in science and by anti-GMO activists like Zen Honeycutt who says on camera that she trusts personal experiences of mothers more than the conclusions of scientists. As writer Lynas says, "If you throw science out, there is nothing."

Though it ultimately sides with the pro-GMO camp, "Food Evolution" makes some fascinating points about human behavior along the way, about how we don't make decisions based on facts as often as we think we do. This documentary may not change your mind, but it will make you consider what caused you to decide in the first place.

-------------

Food Evolution

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Monica, Santa Monica

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour

kenneth.turan@latimes.com

@KennethTuran

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Documentary 'Food Evolution' turns to reason to discuss GMO controversy - Los Angeles Times

Watch A Legendary Ford RS200 Evolution Eat It At Goodwood – Jalopnik

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GIF

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is going on right now, which means we get to watch some tasty, tasty delights race up a British driveway. One of those delish numbers was supposed to be a Ford RS200 Evolution 2, until it crashed directly into some hay bales.

And before you go HAR HAR HAR I AM THE GREATEST DRIVER IN THE WORLD WHO EVER CRASHED THAT CAR SUXXXXXXXXXX Y0, the driver in question is named Pat Doran, and hes a four-time British rallycross champion.

The man knows what hes doing, is all Im saying. Crashes happen to the best of us, and Pat seems to be in good spirits about the whole thing.

The car, on the other hand, isnt in such good spirits. But thats okay, because its an RS200 Evolution 2. Ill let Hemmings explain what the difference is between the regular, already-legendary Rs200, and the Evolution models:

Evolution models received a 2.1-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, rated at a minimum of 600 horsepower in stock trim, though the use of larger turbos, bigger intercoolers, a variable-boost controller and updated tuning could produce outputs as high as 900 horsepower. Torque could be split three different ways, including 100-percent rear; 63-percent rear and 37-percent front; and 50:50, depending upon road conditions and driver preference. Performance of Evolution models, even in stock form, was impressive, with the run from 0-60 MPH taking just three seconds and the run from 0-100 MPH taking a mere five.

Lets see you try to drive that beast up a hill.

(You cant, youd probably die.)

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is streaming their stuff all weekend on our Facebook page. Follow our Facebook stuff and you can watch it all weekend. FOR FREE.

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Watch A Legendary Ford RS200 Evolution Eat It At Goodwood - Jalopnik

‘Baby Driver’ and the Ongoing Evolution of Cinematic Action – /FILM

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As a die-hard action junkie, I constantly find myself pondering how this genre fights creative staleness. After decades of pulverized bodies and eviscerated landscapes, youd assume filmmakers would be spinning the same bloody chainsaw blades by now. Can Hollywood forever recycle an Expendables formula by plugging in different renegades, a new villain, and loads more henchman deaths? At what point do franchises like Fast and Furious push too far and become ridiculous farces? How do you sustain a genre founded on punches, kicks, guns and explosions, without sleepwalking through the same motions?

These are all valid questions that can be answered with a single word: adaptation.

In the 80s, when effects were minimal, but pyrotechnics could outshine the sun, studios turned to the Arnolds and Sylvesters who would become camo-clad icons. These hulking he-beasts drank from Olympus fountains and could flex their way out of any trouble. Look at Predator a movie made famous by biceps, chewin tobacco and quite possibly the most blatant homosexual undertones in any action movieuh, I mean masculinity. There were nowarehouses of CGI monkeys working tirelessly to redefine the bounds of visual cinema. Just grit, brawn, and beads of sweat dripping down clasped handshakes.

Years later, animation and post-production magic ushered in this digital takeover. A little movie called The Matrix came along and introduced an overnight bullet time craze. Action heartthrobs became all about agility and acrobatics overnight. You no longer needed weight-lifting ogres when characters were now backflipping at the slowest rotation possible. Ammo streams spiraled like smokey little trajectory paths with artistic appeal, like a 3D Jackson Pollock painting that floated in zero gravity. Pretty effin cool, right?

It goes without saying that these are two far-plotted trends in action cinema, but I wanted to use themas a primer for a bigger discussion. One that delves into todays genre nuances and those that dare defy established norms. Adaptation is the name of the game so what are new-age filmmakers dreaming up to keep audiences excited?

Let me start with this articles inspiration Edgar Wrights Baby Driver. As you may know, this is a heist thriller where every single movement is scored to a non-stop soundtrack oftenonly heard by the films main character Baby (Ansel Elgort) and gleeful audiences.

Action movies have long utilized musical composition to tap a beat of symphonic destruction (get excited for Atomic Blonde), but not on Wrights level. Every single shift in gear, pulled trigger and prepared meal syncs with background rhythms. As Elgort passes time in a getaway car, he goes all OK GO and performs his own little music video and thats just the beginning. As Focus Hocus Pocus blares during an endorphin-spiked chase scene, Wright brings melodic mayhem to a psychedelic rock track with absolutely no balance in tempo. A challenge no doubt, but to execute almost two hours of similar feats with car-crunching choreography? Destruction doesnt have to be primitive. It can be a sophisticated ballet (with evil Jon Hamms and Drive undertones).

Speaking of brutal ballets, lets highlight a mag-freaking-nificent trend across the globe highlychoreographed fight sequences featuring new (on-screen) forms of martial arts. Sure, this is something that Bruce Lees and Jackie Chans have been doing for decades. But like in Gareth Evans The Raid franchise? Or the Timo Bros Headshot?

The Indonesian fighting style of Pencak Silat has catapulted masters like Iko Uwais into mainstream fame thanks to a majestic combat style thats both fluid and bone-crunching. American audiences have their Frank Grillo and Scott Adkins clones, but theyre chumps compared to the final three-way battle in Evans The Raid: Redemption (jk, please dont bash me in ,Mr. Grillo). Two brothers double-team a man known as Mad Dog for a performance thats best described as recklessly poetic. They land every punch. Audible thwaps and concrete thudsresonate through your body with shattering impact. These new Pencak-first franchises are a tornado of snapped limbs, thrown chops and long-takes thatd make Chan-wook Park blush.

While Indonesia focuses on hand-to-hand, America has turned to mastery by weapon. Guns, specifically. John Wick and John Wick 2 have coined their action style as Gun Fu like Kung Fu, except firearms are alwaysinvolved. Whether Keanu Reeves is beating someone with a blunt pistol butt or blasting twenty headshots in a row, its Deadshot-level aim paired with onslaughts of deceased henchmen. Stamina is required and motion continues forward, rarely opting for duck-and-pop shootouts from cover. Finesse is stressed in a way that accentuates marksmanship like never before seen now the question is, can anyone replicate such pin-punching calibration?

Or you can look at society and echo popular trends. Say, video games? And what popular title comes to mind when you think multiplayer franchises? If you were a college gamer like myself, Call of Duty probably rings a bell.

The success of First Person Shooter (FPS) titles has long been chronicled (is Counter-Strike considered old school at this point?), and technology has finally granted filmmakers a way to handily replicate such points of view. Were not talking about found footage or POV, either. Peeping Tom rewrote thatgame a while ago, or if you want a specific action example, you need only look toAliens. Im talking gun-in-hand, balls-to-the-wall warfare that puts you inside the characters body for long periods of time. Kickin ass and chewin bubble gum.

Doom, for example, constructed a pretty damn perfect homage to id Softwares pixelated hellscape. Karl Urban has enough demon hatred for one day, and with cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts flip of the camera, we become a pissed-off John Grimm (you know, the name of Urbans character). Its onlyfor a single scene, but its a tonal kick in the behind. This is the first moment that really asserted first-person as a viable cinematic technique, even if itd been done/attempted before.

Other recent films have crafted the same kind of eye-to-eye thrills, such as Mark Strongs introductory shootout in The Brothers Grimsby or a jungle spider takedown in Kong: Skull Island. With the development of GoPro units and advancements to similar digital camera technologies, were given an amusement-park-ride glimpse into a heros mindset through some pretty crisp perspective swaps. Yet, no one believed entire action movies could benefit from such a jarring-at-times POV.

Well, almostno one.

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'Baby Driver' and the Ongoing Evolution of Cinematic Action - /FILM

From Veracruz to East LA: The Evolution of Son Jarocho – KCET

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At its peak, 24 players crowd around the tarima, a make-shift platform in front of the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Culture and Community Center on June 3 for a pre-show fandango, the extended jam session fueled by son jarocho music. Playing a melody in unison on requintos and jaranas (small guitars with four and eight strings, respectively), the musicians watch as two dancers stepped on top of the plywood and set off a percussive, tap-like dance that provided the backbeat of the son (the music). That rhythm is infectious, spreading through the crowd. Even on the first hot day of the summer, a couple of crowd members attempt the dance, cheered on by what was an audience, but now feels like a part of the party.

Despite the thousands of miles between downtown Los Angeles and the Mexican state of Veracruz, this fandango wasnt worlds away from how Cesar Castro, lead singer and founding member of Cambalache, the evenings headlining act, was first introduced to the traditions of son jarocho.

Cambalacheand friends performing at the Aratani Theatre | Erick Iiguez

[My first fandango] was very warm, very human, very friendly, he recalls. The people from the house who were hosting the fandango, they noticed that I hadnt eaten, and they just told me, sit down and eat. I felt very protected and very safe.

That warm feeling of community has been one of the constants of son jarocho, even as the genres music and traditions have spread, migrating from Veracruz to Mexico City and, in the hands of skilled practitioners like Castro, to Los Angeles.

A direct translation of son jarocho may come closest to Veracruz sound. The style started in the eastern Mexican state, and the music contains the influences one might expect from a region with one of the most important ports during the colonial era; the stringed instrumentation owes to Baroque, while the time signature and rhythm is indebted to Africa. The percussion comes primarily from dancers, stepping rhythmically on top of a small platform (the tarima).

Accordingly, it is difficult to separate son jarocho from the fandango, the gathering so central to the culture. Sones, the long-form jams played at a fandango, can go for ten minutes or more (at JACCC, the pre-show fandango consisted of two sones over a 35 minute-period), with pairs of dancers tagging in and out, stepping onto the platform to help propel the music forward. In the beginning, that was as far as the music made it: a folk art made to bring friends and family together with sones passed from family to family and town to town by word of mouth.

But eventually, music became both an industry and an art, and the city came calling.

When the music started to become commercialized in the 1930s, thats when you started to see musicians play sones that were three minutes long, because now they had these opportunities to make money and move into urban areas, says Alexandro Hernandez, who earned his PhD in ethnomusicology at UCLA and is a member of jarocho/futurist group Aparato!. The music started to get taken out of the context of the fandango setting, which wasnt even a performance it was outside at someones house.

The golden age of Mexican cinema put son jarocho and the fandango front and center, with artists like Andres Huesca, a harpist, relocating to Mexico City, now with the ability to make a living playing the music. Huesca eventually made the move to Los Angeles (he passed away in the late 50s in the San Fernando Valley) and is credited by many as bringing son jarocho with him, performing at major venues like the Million Dollar Theater in downtown L.A.

Aparato! performing in Peru | Romina San Martin

But son jarochos formal introduction to wider America likely came in 1958, when Ritchie Valens recorded a rock-and-roll version of La Bamba, one of the older sones, with verses thought to date back to the 1800s. The plugged-in cover peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was one of the first rock songs sung in Spanish to cross over to American audiences, its existence a shot across the bow of a white-dominated culture.

The time that it emerged here was McCarthyism, and legal segregation, Hernandez says. The places I grew up [Hernandez is originally from Texas], 30 or 40 years before me, signs said No Dogs and No Mexicans. I think anything that didnt fit into the status quo, at least to the people on the status quo, that was already resistance itself, whether the musicians articulated it that way or not.

La Bamba would figure again in son jarochos journey in the late 80s, when Los Lobos recorded its version of the son for the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. By then, the music had become not just a tradition on its own, but a part of the musical DNA of several acts. Son jarocho influences, especially through the jarana and requinto, can be seen in the pan-Mexican sound of Jarana Beat, the rock and beat music of Las Cafeteras and the electronic assisted mash-up of Aparato!.

Its like being bilingual musically, Hernandez says of his musics multicultural influences We can fuse and take it as far as we want to, but we can also show up to a fandango and hold it down. Its not like we dont know the traditional verses some of us are really good at it. Theres that code switching that exists with us as well.

Cesar Castro performing at the Aratani Theatre | Erick Iiguez

In order to add to the tradition, though, one has to understand it. Thats where artists like Castro come in; the master luthier and sonero has taught students in the art of son jarocho in Veracruz, Mexico City, Los Angeles and everywhere in between.

Im not trying to repeat the tradition as it is in Veracruz, but we need to keep the most important pillars of what makes son jarocho what we like, he says. If we lose that, then it goes off the stage and thats it. We have more people trying to learn the tradition and trying to learn the social dynamic that comes with the fandango than performers.

On the evening of June 3, the performers threaten to outnumber the audience at the Cambalache show, even in a near-capacity Aratani. Guests like Hernandez and Louie Perez of Los Lobos round out the numbers on stage. Non-traditional elements, like a rapped verse by emcee Maya Jupiter on an original song, fold into the music seamlessly. And as the show draws to a close, the band and associates are joined on stage by their children, playing bass, dancing on the tarimas, or even singing.

Son Jarocho performers at the Aratani Theatre | Erick Iiguez

For an evening, it might have felt like those outdoor fandangos in Veracruz. But simply reminiscing about home isnt on Castros agenda.

Im not tied to Veracruz, he says. Im expanding Veracruz. Its not about moving to L.A. to become something different. Its growing up as a human being, understanding the world a little broader. It is vital, I need that connection, but its an extension.

Top Image:Cambalacheand friends performing at the Aratani Theatre | Erick Iiguez

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From Veracruz to East LA: The Evolution of Son Jarocho - KCET

Darwinism Will Fix the Investment Industry – Bloomberg

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The Financial Conduct Authority concluded its two-year investigation into the U.K. asset management industry by ordering investment firms to provide customers with an "all-in fee." It's a welcome attempt to eliminate the hidden costs that undermine people's efforts to save for their old age. Far more effective than an increase in regulation, however, is the financial Darwinism already wreaking change on the industry.

The FCA move, announced Wednesday, obliges fund managers to tell investors how much they charge for managing assets, as well as how much is paid to intermediaries and an estimate of transaction costs. While knowing what the fees are is clearly important, achieving lower fees is even more essential to delivering better returns that will let pensioners retire comfortably.

British fund managers oversee almost 7 trillion pounds ($9 trillion) of assets, including more than 1 trillion pounds for U.K. retail investors and about 3 trillion pounds for institutional investors including pension funds. Almost three-quarters of the money is invested in active funds, which charge an average fee of 0.9 percent of assets under management, compared with just 0.15 percent levied on passive funds.

As things stand, customers aren't getting value for money from active funds, according to the FCA. "There is no clear relationship between charges and the gross performance of retail active funds in the U.K.," it said. "There is some evidence of a negative relationship between net returns and charges. This suggests that when choosing between active funds, investors paying higher prices for funds, on average, achieve worse performance."

The FCA calculates that, after fees, a typical low-cost passive fund would deliver almost 25 percent more in returns than an active fund over a 20-year investment horizon, assuming it matched the performance of the benchmark U.K. FTSE All-Share index. Once transaction costs are included, that outperformance of passive versus active investment soars to almost 45 percent.

Yet the growth of passive funds is already driving fees down across the industry -- and there's more to come. A survey published this week by State Street Corp. showed the vast majority of industry players expect more downward pressure on fees in coming years.

Under Pressure

Looking ahead to the next five years, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement that fee compression in the asset management industry will intensify?

Source: State Street industry survey of more than 200 asset managers, more than half of which manage more than $10 billion

As a result, 76 percent of the funds surveyed anticipate more consolidation in the industry, as my Bloomberg News colleague Sarah Jones reported earlier this week. Mergers and acquisitions are seen as an "essential strategy" for survival, especially for smaller managers, the State Street survey showed.

Aberdeen Asset Management Plc, for example, is merging with Standard Life Plc to create the U.K.'s biggest active fund manager. Aberdeen suffered about $85 billion of net outflows in the past two years, and it has seen a drop in the fees it can charge.

Getting Cheaper

Aberdeen's blended average management fee

Source: Company filings

In its interim report in November, the FCA highlighted that asset managers "have consistently earned substantial profits" in recent years, with an average profit margin of about 36 percent since the start of the decade. Little wonder, then, that U.K. fund management firms have outperformed the broader stock market since the financial crisis.

Fund Managers Outperform

Source: Bloomberg

Those days of outperformance may be drawing to a close, and not just because of increased regulatory scrutiny. The rise of cheap exchange-traded funds continues apace; active funds will have to fight harder for market share, by lowering fees as well as proving to investors that they really can outperform their benchmarks on a consistent basis. Darwinism, not tighter rules, will produce a healthier asset management industry.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Mark Gilbert in London at magilbert@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Boxell at jboxell@bloomberg.net

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UK police to embrace IoT in age of ‘Digital Darwinism’ – The Internet of Business (blog)

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A report published today by UK technology association techUK and the Centre for Public Safety explores how police forces can address the challenges and embrace the opportunities associated with the IoT.

The report,Policing and the Internet of Things, provides recommendations on how UK police forces can evolve with the fast-moving world of technology, particularly IoT, to create a digitally skilled police force.

Law enforcement officers in the UK have already begun to embrace emerging technologies, such as drones, for fighting crime. A growing number of officers are also using wearable cameras on the beat these days, while at least one crime scene investigation unit is already working on taking digital forensics from smart devices. However, more work is needed.

According to the report, with fraud and cyber crime now heading the list ofthe UKs top criminal offences, the growth of the IoT and the increasing number of devices connected to the internet means that the way police forces operate needs to change.

Not only have new risks been created, such as the deployment of ransomware onto devices, but more traditional crimes can now be committed online, targeting large numbers of people from almost anywhere in the world, it says.

Currently, online fraud is the most common crime in the country, but a joint report from the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Center suggests that IoT-related crimes may soon become more frequent.

In light of the changing nature of crime, thereport recommends six incremental steps that police forces can take to address both the challenges and the opportunities of IoT.

To address the challenges presented by the IoT, they should:

To maximize the opportunities, meanwhile, they should:

Read more:Dubai rolls out Robocop to fight crime

The report has been endorsed by a number of senior police officers, includingAssistant Chief Constable Richard Berry, chief officer lead on the Digital Investigations and Intelligence Programme for the National Police Chiefs Council. Commenting on the report, he said:

The digital environment presents a number of challenges for public safety and the prevention and detection of crime. Police forces across the country have already adapted locally and there are many pockets of good practice. However, digital challenges can be different to those previously familiar to many in policing.

Working in new partnerships will help the Police Service discover and respond to threats and opportunities better and, in particular, closer working with industry will be critical. In order to fight crime in the digital age, it is vital that police have a good understanding of market capabilities. It will be important to ensure a regular exchange of ideas is facilitated, for police and industry to work collaboratively in responding to new crime and security issues.

This report sets out six incremental steps, which will help police forces meet the challenges presented and harness the opportunities available. Beyond this, I hope this report sparks discussion and debate for how we, as the Police Service can rise to the challenges of Digital Darwinism.

Read more:Ransomware disables connected hotel door system in Austria

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UK police to embrace IoT in age of 'Digital Darwinism' - The Internet of Business (blog)

PETYA Darwinism applied to cyberspace – CSO Online

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By John Bryk, CSO | Jun 27, 2017 11:27 AM PT

Opinions expressed by ICN authors are their own.

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On the morning ofJune 27th, reports began surfacing of widespread attacks against Ukrainian critical infrastructure sectors that included aviation, banking, and electricity. An unknown malware had begun affecting IT systems in these sectors. Business systems were made unavailable and normal processes stopped. Fortunately, no operational technology, the technology that runs the energy grid, was reported to be affected.

Affected systems were widespread. They included Ukrenergo, the countrys electric transmission company, and Kyivenergo, the distribution company serving the Kiev region, While Ukrenergy reported no outages, Kyivenergy was forced to shut down all administratve systems, awaiting permission from the Ukraines Security Service (SBU) before restarting.

Others victims in Ukraine and internationally included:

The attack occurred, probably not by chance, only hours after the car bombing murder of Col. Maxim Shapoval of the Ukraine Chief Directorate of Intelligence and a day before Ukraines Constitution Day.

The offending malware was soon identified at PETYA, PETRYA, or PETwrap, depending upon the source. PETYA reportedly utilized the the NSAs leaked EternalBlue, the same Windows SMBv1 vulnerability as WannaCry, PETYA does not initially encrypt individual files, but replaces the master boot record (MBR), leaving the entire system unusable. Should the MBR not be available, it then goes on to encrypt the individual files.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson we can learn from this attack is that Charles Darwin was right. It's survival of the fittest; right along with that goes the smartest. Unless some completely new vector is discovered in action with this new threat, victims of PETYA have no excuse. The SMB vulnerability in question had been patched by Microsoft prior to WannaCry's May outbreak. During the WannaCry outbreak, Microsoft provided additional patches for legacy operating systems, those no longer supported by normal updates, like Windows XP and Server 2003. Even with these extraordinary measures to provide users with the protection they needed, some failed to update and/or patch.

Those who failed to take action and install patches handed to them on a silver platter are now victims of PETYA, and themselves sources of the new infection to others. Akin to a neighbor with a garage full of dynamite, this is the kind of negligence that endangers the entire cyber neighborhood.

Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) in the U.S. were able to get ahead of the infection thanks to early warning and quick action. The Downstream Natural Gas and Electric ISACS combined forces to collect, analyze, and alert their sector members, providing early indicators and even links to algorithms successfully used to earlier decrypt the PETYA ransomware. Having just recently experienced the WannaCry worm, their members were patched and defended. There were no reports of infection in electric or downstream natural gas sectors.

This article is published as part of the IDG Contributor Network. Want to Join?

John Bryk retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel after a 30-year career, last serving as a military diplomat in central and western Europe and later as a civilian with the Defense Intelligence Agency. As the intelligence analyst for the DNG-ISAC, he focuses on the protection of our nation's natural gas critical cyber infrastructure.

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PETYA Darwinism applied to cyberspace - CSO Online

Harker Heights robotics camp helps children build new skills – The Killeen Daily Herald

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For kids, Lego blocks are an integral part of childhood. For parents, that often means stepping on them at odd moments in the house.

As part of this summers childrens programs at the Stewart C. Meyer Harker Heights Public Library, Lego blocks are an integral part of the annual Robotics Camp, which took place from June 19-22 and again this week.

While many Lego kits allow youngsters to create cars, dinosaurs or bridges, the kits used at the camp included pulleys, gears, and electronic components which allowed those in attendance to build their own robots.

The early afternoon session each day brought together ages 7-9, working in teams. The later session paired off those aged 10-12.

Amanda Hairston, childrens librarian, led the groups in team building exercises. Sitting back to back, the pairs were given what Hairston jokingly called, Baggies of doom. They contained random sets of Legos.

The partners took turns building something from the blocks, then described what they had built so their teammate could recreate it, without seeing the original.

From there, they moved to tables where laptop computers and Lego kits awaited them. Using instruction books, the teams worked together to find the needed parts.

They created a variety of projects, from airplanes with tilt sensors to alligators with motion sensors programmed with chomping sounds to highlight how the jaws snapped together.

Jordan Hamilton, 9, and Mia Dombroski, 7, worked together on Wednesday afternoon last week.

I like to create stuff, Mia said. Its fun to use my imagination.

Jordan agreed. We get to use computers and use batteries to make the robots come to life.

Im proud of what we made, Mia said as they tested their alligator.

A huge part of the class involved explaining the theory behind the robots, which Hairston handled well.

While preparing the youngsters to program their sensors, she reminded them of the theory of energy.

As it moves from computer to battery to motor, how does it change? she asked. The answer? From electrical to mechanical.

As with many robots, though, some needed a bit of troubleshooting, when they didnt function correctly the first time.

Hairston helped each team diagnose the issue and fix the program so that, when the parents arrived, they were treated to a demonstration of their childrens work.

Aidan Collins, 11, was taking the robotics class for the second time, with plans to enroll in the advanced robotics camp, to learn more.

He and his partner, Tatum Nails, 10, agreed, Its really fun building with Legos.

When fun is combined with learning, it brings smiles to young faces, too.

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Harker Heights robotics camp helps children build new skills - The Killeen Daily Herald

MCRI Recognized for Safety Achievement – Robotics Online (press release)

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Motion Controls Robotics, Inc. Posted 06/29/2017

Motion Controls Robotics was presented with a certificate of safety achievement through the Sandusky County Safety Council and The Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County for having no accidents or injuries in the workplace in 2016.

Motion Controls Robotics works in an industry where injuries are common, and the team has implemented many procedures over the years to make sure employees work safely and have a safe work environment. Most recently, MCRI developed 5S procedures. 5S benefits overall employee safety through making clear where items are located - reducing confusion and clutter.

In the 22 years MCRI has been developing and integrating robot systems we have had no reported Lost-Time Injury. This is quite an accomplishment and something the MCRI team is proud to announce.

About Motion Controls Robotics Founded in 1995 and celebrating over 20 years of continuous growth, Motion Controls Robotics is a leading provider of automation solutions to manufacturing industries. The company provides full service robotic solutions from concept to installation and service/support that keep manufacturers competitive. Motion Controls Robotics creates solutions for Fortune 500 and small to medium-sized companies in the food & beverage, plastics, building & construction materials, converting, manufacturing and board & sheet goods industries. They also automate small production shops and machine job shops. Motion Controls Robotics provides automation solutions to manufacturers for a variety of applications including material handling (case packing, palletizing and machine tending), and vision-guided systems. Motion Controls Robotics is an exclusive Level 4 Certified Servicing Integrator for FANUC Robotics, and a SmartCart Automatic Guided Cart Value Added Reseller (VAR) for Daifuku Webb. Motion Controls Robotics northwest Ohio headquarters is located at 1500 Walter Avenue, Fremont, Ohio.

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NASA Hosts Awards Celebration for Space Robotics Challenge Prize Winners – PR Newswire (press release)

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HOUSTON, June 29, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA is awarding up to $600,000 in prizes to the winners of the Space Robotics Challenge, a competition open to teams of citizen inventors competing to develop and master technologies within a virtual environment that can someday be used on real robotic hardware.

Media are invited to attend the awards ceremony for the Space Robotics Challenge at 2 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 30, hosted by Space Center Houston, located at 1601 E. NASA Parkway. Immediately following the ceremony, finalists, winners and Therese Griebel, from NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C., will be available for interviews. Members of the news media who wish to attend should contact Molly Porter for registration atmolly.a.porter@nasa.govbefore 10 a.m. on June 30.

Robots that can perform complex tasks without human control will work alongside the next generation of space explorers. The Space Robotics Challenge, part of NASA's Centennial Challenges program since August 2016, is a public prize competition to develop the capabilities of humanoid robot dexterity to better enable them to work alongside and independent of astronauts in preparation for future space exploration. The finalists were selected from a pool of 92 teams from 13 countries.

The final round of competition was held June 13-16 in a virtual environment, where teams had to program a virtual robot, modeled after NASA's humanoid R5 robot, to complete a series of tasks in a simulation that includes periods of latency to represent the communications delay from Earth to Mars. Each team's R5 had to resolve the aftermath of a dust storm that damaged a Martian habitat. This included three objectives: aligning a communications dish, repairing a solar array, and fixing a habitat leak.

The Top 20 teams, in alphabetical order, are:

BIT PLEASE - Cypress, Texas Coordinated Robotics - Newbury Park, California Mingo Mountain Robotics - Kettle Falls, Washington MITs - Tokyo, Japan Mystic - The Woodlands, Texas Nevermore - Jersey City, New Jersey Ring of the Nibelungs - Medford, Massachusetts Sirius - South Hadley, Massachusetts SpaceBucs Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Space Weavers - San Jose, California Team AL v.2.0 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada Team Olympus Mons - Barcelona, Spain Team Olrun - Evansville, Indiana THE HUMANZ ARE DEAD Boston, Massachusetts Walk Softly - Erie, Pennsylvania Whalers - Nantucket, Massachusetts Worcester Polytechnic Institute Humanoid Robotics Lab Worcester, Massachusetts WV Robotics Team Fairmont, West Virginia Xion Systems Fresno, California ZARJ St. Paul, Minnesota

NASA's Centennial Challenges program is part of the agency'sSpace Technology Mission Directorate, and is managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA uses challenges to gather the best and brightest minds in academia, industry and government to drive innovation and enable solutions in important technology focus areas.

For more information about the Space Robotics Challenge, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacebot

For more information about other challenges and prize opportunities with NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/solve

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-hosts-awards-celebration-for-space-robotics-challenge-prize-winners-300482237.html

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NVIDIA’s Deepu Talla to join TC Sessions: Robotics Robot Brain … – TechCrunch

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Theagenda for TC Sessions: Robotics(July 17 in Cambridge, MA at MITs Kresge Auditorium) is almost complete, and before the long July 4 weekend we wanted to announce one more stellar addition to the line-up. (And remind you tograb a ticketbefore they are all gone!)

One of the advances driving robotics in recent years are powerful GPUs, and no discussion of the robot brain would be complete without them. So we are pumped to announce thatDeepu Talla, the head ofNVIDIAs Tegra division, which deploys critical GPU technology in robots, UAVs and much more, signed on to our Robot Brain panel. Talla formerly ran NVIDIAs mobile business unit and has a PhD in computer engineering from the University of Texas.

He joins previously announced panelists Heather Ames, the CTO of Neurala, a startup that provides deep learning capabilities forrobots, and Brian Gerkey, whose Open Robotics developed one of the most widely used operating systems for robots.

The Robot Brain panel is only one of many sessions that you wont want to miss, including interviews with MIT CSAILs Daniela Rus, Disneys Martin Buehler, ReThinks Rodney Brooks, TRIs Gill Pratt, ABBs Sami Atiya and many more.

Please set aside July 17 and join TechCrunch, our speakers and attendees for an amazing day of robotics.Get your tickets while they last. Interested in sponsorship?More information is available here.General questions?Reach out here.

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Kaleidoscope Launches Funding Platform For Premium Virtual Reality Content – UploadVR

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Even when Ren Pinnell launched Kaleidoscopes virtual reality festival in 2015, his vision had always been to build a funding platform to help independent VR creators and studios raise money for their original VR projects. Now that day is here. Today Kaleidoscope officially launched its invitation-only marketplace, limited to 500 members, where VR industry leaders can get a first-look at new virtual reality films, games and experiences available for pre-sales, licensing, and other partnership opportunities.

A small number of leaders from the VR entertainment industry can apply to join Kaleidoscopes hand-selected platform, which is launching with many of the most innovative projects from Sundance, Tribeca, and IndieCade as well as new work from established studios like Baobab and rising stars such as Eliza McNitt, Arnaud Colinart, and Arjan van Meerten. If selected, funders will pay $199/month to get a first look at curated projects from top artists; access to Kaleidoscopes growing library of over 100 titles ready for licensing, distribution, and location-based exhibitions; invitations to private events where select members demo and review new VR projects; and the opportunity to network and collaborate with important artists and innovators.

Kaleidoscope is also offering its members white glove service from custom curation to content bundling to personal introductions that help members form high-impact relationships that push their businesses forward.

Part of the monthly fee also goes to supporting independent artists from diverse backgrounds whose work tackles difficult subjects and advances virtual reality as an art form.

The biggest challenge to the future of virtual reality is funding, said Pinnell, co-founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope. And we want to solve that problem. Its a chicken-egg situation. Artists need funding to make killer content and funders need to prove there is a massive consumer market to sell to in order to justify their investment.

Pinnell sees a future where clunky VR headsets shrink to the size of ordinary glasses and virtual reality overtakes traditional gaming, film, and TV as the dominant form of entertainment. And this future is coming sooner than many realize.

Within 12 to 24 months the next generation of VR hardware will hit the market with major improvements in terms of both quality and price. Thats why the industry needs to rally around funding content now. It takes 12 to 24 months to produce high quality VR films, games, and experiences. We need to fund projects today so that when the next generation of hardware is released we have a deep library of amazing content ready to go. Only then will the industry take off, said Pinnell.

Marketplaces are notoriously difficult to establish which is why Kaleidoscope spent two years building up credibility with top VR creators and funding sources through its events, and by executive producing some high profile projects, such as APEX, Testimony, and Mad God, as well as organizing a successful content accelerator with Oculus called DevLab. A month-long program, DevLab selected leading VR artists from around the world to incubate new work, explore new ideas, and create the next wave of great virtual reality experiences. More recently, Kaleidoscope teamed up with 1stAveMachine to help VR artists find brands to fund their work.

There is money to be made by investing in virtual reality. The market for VR is projected to hit $25 billion by 2021. The challenge is that VR production costs are still very expensive, with even a modest project costing somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per minute.

Kaleidoscope has identified 120 different sources of potential financing, from companies like Facebook, Google, and HTC, as well as emerging sources such as Viacom, IMAX, Wevr, Within, Arte, Starbreeze and many more. These are the companies who are building VR hardware, VR software, VR distribution platforms, VR arcades, and VR cinemas and fund content to establish themselves as major players in this new entertainment landscape.

The role of Kaleidoscope is to get all of these industry players on one platform to better coordinate their support for talented VR creators and studios.

For further information regarding Kaleidoscope please visit: https://kaleidoscope.fund/

This is sponsored content which has been produced by Kaleidoscope.

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Creepy Japanese virtual reality girlfriends are so realistic they mimic … – The Sun

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These virtual girlfriends are taking Tokyo by storm... but would you invite one into your bedroom?

LONERS can now feel the sweet, virtual breath of a woman upon their neck without bothering to find a lover.

Its all thanks toJapanese firm FutureLeap, which has created a virtual reality system so realistic youd swear that cyber date just whispered sweet nothings in your ear.

Getty Images

The company showed off its high-tech romance gear at the three-day Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality exhibition in Tokyo.

At FutureLeaps booth, a young model was seen kneeling on a fluffy carpet as she tossed balloons in the air, blew bubbles and flirted with a man wearing VR headgear sitting some two metres (6.5 feet) away.

He reached out to touch her shoulder and got nothing but air, but when she whispered into the device, he was able to feel the sensation of her breath on his ear.

Most virtual reality romance games feature an animated companion rather than a real person, said company employee Tomoyuki Takahashi.

But in this case, usersare able to feel the real sensation as if you were together alone with a woman who is just your type.

This type of realistic sensation will become the main trend in virtual reality technology, he added.

Getty Images

Other companies have even moved away from offerings that require a VR headset.

LiveCartoon CEO Shohei Tsuji, covered head to toe in motion sensors, demonstrated the companys newest product by showing off his best dance moves while a pretty female anime character mimicked his steps on screen.

"With this system you can have animated characters talking directly to customers," he said.

Virtual reality pornography could be available in thousands of European hotels room within six months.

Men have been urgedto spice up sex with their long-term partner by strapping on a virtual reality helmet during romps.

But experts fear it's so realisticthat people will start to think its okay to cheat in real life, scientists have warned.

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Intel Corporation Taking Virtual Reality Seriously — The Motley Fool – Motley Fool

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One tried-and-true tactic I often use to figure out what a company is investing in is to check out that company's job boards. If a company has multiple positions open for an area of expertise, then the odds are good that the company thinks that area is important to its business today, or is likely to be important to it in the near to medium term.

Chipmaker Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has talked quite a lot about virtual reality, and the company even goes so far as to put "For a Great VR Experience" on its gaming/enthusiast-oriented desktop personal computer processor boxes.

Image source: Intel.

While fast CPUs are certainly going to be helpful in creating immersive virtual reality experiences, virtual reality is inherently very graphically demanding.

Intel builds graphics technology today that it integrates alongside its CPUs aimed at laptops and mainstream desktop personal computers, but this graphics technology is neither very good nor is it particularly powerful.

I've long believed that if Intel is serious about investing in virtual reality, it's going to need to invest in building better graphics technology (both hardware and software).

A recent job listing on Intel's website seems to indicate that Intel is serious about virtual reality and that to try to participate effectively in that market, it is making some incremental graphics investments.

Intel is hiring for a "VR Gfx SW Engineer," or -- if the acronyms are proving to be just a bit much -- a "Virtual Reality Graphics Software Engineer."

The company says in this listing that the individual that it ultimately hires to fill this position will "drive the definition and execution of advanced technologies for Virtual Reality based on Intel Gen graphics platforms."

Per the listing, this individual will have to handle the development of "multiple aspects of graphics software, display driver development and simulation environment development."

Said individual will also be tasked with working with "various partners to enhance and improve graphics performance on upcoming processor graphics devices by analyzing performance issues in software drivers and applications, implementing software performance improvements, and recommending future [hardware-software] improvements."

The bottom line is that Intel is seemingly taking virtual reality use cases very seriously, so much so that virtual reality will help shape the development of the company's future graphics processor technologies.

Given the relatively lengthy chip development times, coupled with the fact that virtual reality as a relevant use case is a relatively new development, I think it'll be a while before we see Intel release chips with graphics processors that are passable for mainstream virtual reality applications (e.g. virtual reality games).

Intel's product line this year is expected to use the same graphics technology that Intel first introduced back in 2015 and a truly new Intel graphics architecture isn't expected to debut across the company's product stack until its Ice Lake family of processors arrive either in late 2018 or at some point in 2019.

We might see some virtual reality-specific technologies make their way into Intel's Ice Lake processor lineup, but I wouldn't be surprised if consumers didn't see the real fruits of Intel's virtual reality efforts until the company's 2020/2021 chip designs arrive.

Intel certainly won't be first to the virtual reality party, but at least we know that -- as of now -- Intel cares enough about this emerging use case to invest money and manpower into it.

Ashraf Eassa owns shares of Intel. The Motley Fool recommends Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Google experimenting with new virtual reality ads that react to users’ eyes – The Independent

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Designed by Pierpaolo Lazzarini from Italian company Jet Capsule. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

Jet Capsule/Cover Images

A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore

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A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore

Getty Images

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi

Rex

Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session

Rex

A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Reuters

A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Reuters

A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

Rex

A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

Reuters

A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

Reuters

A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London

Getty

A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv

Getty

Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S

Reuters

The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed next year and on the road in 2018

AP

Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan

Reuters

Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03'

Reuters

Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan

Reuters

Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Reuters

The interior of Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Reuters

Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0

Reuters

A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Reuters

Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo. The Connected company is a part of seven Toyota in-house companies that was created in April 2016

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A Toyota Motors employee demonstrates a smartphone app with the company's pocket plug-in hybrid (PHV) service on the cockpit of the latest Prius hybrid vehicle during Toyota's "connected strategy" press briefing in Tokyo

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An exhibitor charges the battery cells of AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to move in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo

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A robot with a touch-screen information apps stroll down the pavillon at the Singapore International Robo Expo

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An exhibitor demonstrates the AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to move in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo

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Robotic fishes swim in a water glass tank displayed at the Korea pavillon during Singapore International Robo Expo

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An employee shows a Samsung Electronics' Gear S3 Classic during Korea Electronics Show 2016 in Seoul, South Korea

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Visitors experience Samsung Electronics' Gear VR during the Korea Electronics Grand Fair at an exhibition hall in Seoul, South Korea

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Amy Rimmer, Research Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, demonstrates the car manufacturer's Advanced Highway Assist in a Range Rover, which drives the vehicle, overtakes and can detect vehicles in the blind spot, during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

PA wire

Chris Burbridge, Autonomous Driving Software Engineer for Tata Motors European Technical Centre, demonstrates the car manufacturer's GLOSA V2X functionality, which is connected to the traffic lights and shares information with the driver, during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

PA wire

Ford EEBL Emergency Electronic Brake Lights is demonstrated during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

PA

Full-scale model of 'Kibo' on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan

EPA

Miniatures on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan. In its facilities, JAXA develop satellites and analyse their observation data, train astronauts for utilization in the Japanese Experiment Module 'Kibo' of the International Space Station (ISS) and develop launch vehicles

EPA

The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to the music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight. At this biennial event, the participating companies exhibit their latest service robotic technologies and components

Getty

The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight

Getty

Government and industry are working together on a robot-like autopilot system that could eliminate the need for a second human pilot in the cockpit

AP

Aurora Flight Sciences' technicians work on an Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automantion System (ALIAS) device in the firm's Centaur aircraft at Manassas Airport in Manassas, Va.

AP

Stefan Schwart and Udo Klingenberg preparing a self-built flight simulator to land at Hong Kong airport, from Rostock, Germany

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Google experimenting with new virtual reality ads that react to users' eyes - The Independent

Women in virtual reality: Lean in – PRWeek

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Added 13 hours ago by Helen Bertelli, Infinite Global Consulting ,

VR is a technology poised to change our world, but it has a dark side.

A girl walks into a room of 98 male engineers, programmers, gamers, and a couple of literal rocket scientists. There is one other female in the room, and she happens to be a spouse.

This isnt the start of a joke. This was my first experience at a meetup of virtual reality enthusiasts in the Durham/Research Triangle area, the epicenter of the technology industry in North Carolina.

I was trying to find a partner to work with on a project to recreate the U.S. Supreme Court. A concept I was building for a legal client, the idea was that kids, law students, or anyone interested in learning more about our countrys highest court could tour the building in VR, calling up stats and graphics to learn more about the Judiciary.

As I met people in the VR space and learned more, I fell in love with the technology. Why?

VR fascinates me for its ability to provide immersive learning experiences that can be more memorable and impactful than any in 2D, and the tech shows great promise for marketing, as well as many other fields.

This was underscored when my company unveiled our own branded VR experience one of the first of its kind in our industry at a tradeshow. Results included favorable survey feedback, a spike in web and social traffic, plus a 354% spike in resumes as compared to other hiring rounds. Not bad.

Fast forward More than a year after my first meetup, I attended the VR World conference in London. In just the two short years of its existence, VR World has more than doubled its registrants; growth that underscores how hot this sector is.

The range of technologies showcased at the event from lightweight headgear projecting 3D architectural renderings into the space in front of you to haptic tech teaching dentists how a Novocain syringe feels when in a patients jaw took my breath away and revealed how very fast this industry is moving.

It wont be long before headsets are wireless, ubiquitous, and almost as light as sunglasses.

I was pleased to see some women at the event, but there were not many. While there was a short panel discussion on how to increase womens participation in the industry, overall very few speakers or panelists were women, and even fewer were exhibitors.

One moment was particularly telling. During a session, the lone female panelist mentioned that assaults are occurring inside virtual worlds at such a rate that protective tech is being studied to create immediate distance because virtual worlds can be so realistic it may not occur to the victim to take her headset off--and frankly, should she have to? This got me thinking.

While technology that moves us from 2D to immersive communications is going to profoundly change innumerable industries -- it is going to change the world -- the only question is, will it be for the better?

Lean in VR has a dark side. Just as the internet has been used for good as well as evil from the very beginning, VR that glorifies violence and the objectifying of women is growing. While Im under no illusion that involving more women in the industry will completely change this, I think it will influence outcomes for the better, so why not try?

Considering how profoundly this tech is likely to impact us all in years to come, women need a voice and representation, and to have this, they must lean in.

But the VR industry must lean in to meet them. The industry must reach out to Girls Who Code and other groups that foster love for technology among young women. VR-teaching programs being developed at schools should have the recruitment and training of women hard-coded into their strategies and curriculum. Conferences should actively seek more women speakers and panelists.

Fundamentals With VR in its infancy, we have an unprecedented opportunity to expand womens involvement in ways that other technologies have failed to do. Even small but fundamental changes can matter.

During the first half of the first day of VR World, the front door to the ladies restroom was locked. A queue of glum women formed by a solitary disabled restroom while watching male colleagues mingling and running to the next lightning-quick session. My neighbor in line turned to me, resigned, and said, "I guess they didnt think any girls would show up."

Girls are starting to show up, and there are myriad ways the industry can rise to meet us.

Right now, Ill settle for just an unlocked womens restroom, but with two young daughters who are mesmerized by VR and want to learn more, I wont settle for long.

Helen Bertelli is VP of Infinite Global Consulting, an international PR, branding, and content agency.

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Women in virtual reality: Lean in - PRWeek