Once Upon a Time on Paradise Island: The Cinematic Evolution of Wonder Woman – Film School Rejects

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A look at the many manifestations of the superheroine on-screen.

Have you heard theres a Wonder Woman movie out? Of course you have, its all anyones been talking about for the last few weeks. The film is a commercial success, a critical success, hell, its a social success, and our glee at its success is due in no small part to the long and obstacle-ridden road the character took to the big screen.

Most folks can only remember the Lynda Carter TV series from the 70s, but there have been far more televisual and cinematic interpretations of Diana Prince than just that, like a series prior to Carters, several animated takes, and a couple projects that have crashed and burned before the public could see them like a feature based on a Joss Whedon script and an NBC live-action series starring Adrienne Palicki (Friday Night Lights).

In the latest supercut from Burger Fiction, the on-screen evolution of Wonder Woman is traced through its past struggles to its recent triumph, telling a story every bit as wonderful as the one currently conquering the worldwide box office.

Wonder Woman

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Once Upon a Time on Paradise Island: The Cinematic Evolution of Wonder Woman - Film School Rejects

Artist Illustrates The Evolution Of Famous Actors And Characters – TVOvermind

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The evolution of characters in film and the celebrities who play said characters is extraordinary when you can condense it into a short clip or visual. Side by side pictures are always great aids for comparison. However, until today I dont think Ive ever seen a cartoonist ever draw up evolution in the way that Jeff Victor has. He has a keen eye for detail and has amassed a tremendous portfolio of illustrations that demonstrate this evolution.

Heres what Jeff had to say:

My name is Jeff Victor and Im anLA-based artist. I have designed characters for animation at such studios as Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, and Cartoon Network. Currently, Im working as a childrens book illustrator, but when Im not drawing for work, Im drawing for fun. I am a huge movie fanatic and expresses my love for my favorite movies though my art, by drawing adorkable renditions of famous characters.Star Wars is a particular favorite and shows up frequently in my work.

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Artist Illustrates The Evolution Of Famous Actors And Characters - TVOvermind

Why Google Didn’t Get Along With its Robots – Barron’s

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Barron's
Why Google Didn't Get Along With its Robots
Barron's
Robots have now become a casualty of that discipline. Last week, Alphabet announced it was selling Boston Dynamics, its advanced engineering and robotics unit, to Japan's Softbank. The sale -- terms were not disclosed -- reflects an effort by the ...
Google's AI Vision May No Longer Include Giant RobotsThe Ringer (blog)
Google's Parent Alphabet Agrees To Sell Robotics Company To SoftBankMediaPost Communications
Google Sells Large Parts of its Robotics Division to SoftBankThe Merkle
The Boston Globe -Government Technology -Reuters -Business Wire
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‘Stealth mode’ robotics firm NextDroid might be developing self-driving Cadillac in Pittsburgh – Tribune-Review

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'Stealth mode' robotics firm NextDroid might be developing self-driving Cadillac in Pittsburgh - Tribune-Review

How CP Allen’s robotics club survived work-to-rule – CBC.ca

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Colin Melia's living room,dining room and garage are jammed with computers, wires, 3D printers and soldering equipment. There's even a big water tank for testing.

"I think the whole house has become the war room it's fair to say."

What it's really become is a robotics workshop, thanks to the work-to-rule campaign earlier this year by Nova Scotia teachers during their contract dispute with the government.

Whileeverything frombasketball tournamentsto school plays were sidelined by work-to-rule,Melia, a father of a student atCharlesP. Allen High School in Bedford,was determined not to let that happen to the school's robotic team.So he turned the team into a not-for-profit called Halifax Robotics.

"The robotic season is December to March and when work-to-rule came in we were fearful it would go on for a while. The teachers were really supportive, we just couldn't know how long it would go on for," he said.

Instead of heading to the school'scontruction/techroom when the bell sounds,16students in grades 10, 11 and 12 go toMelia'shouse.

"I just had to persuade my wife that it would be OK,"Meliajoked while students tinkered and worked behind him.

He spokeas students workedon fine-tuning the underwater robot that helped them win the recent regionals at the Nova Scotia Community College.

"We learned quite a bit about programming," said Yu Yang Li. "Before we didn't know that much about programming, now that I think of it."

The hard work paid off, with the groupadvancing to the MATE International ROV (remotely operated vehicle) competition in CaliforniaJune 23.The robotics team also travelled to the MATE eventlast year.

Colin Melia's living room, dining room and garage have been turned into a robotics workshop with computers, wires, 3D printers and soldering equipment. (Colleen Jones/CBC)

There are 30 teams from 16 countries looking to show that they've built the best underwater robot.

The Nova Scotia team's robothas six thrusters, four articulators and six IP cameras plus an onboard microcontroller. Almost all of the components have been built on 3D printers.

They have learned engineering, computer programming and code writing, butalso got a crash course in finding an alternative way to keep on going when a contract dispute looked like it was going to derail their entire robotic season.

When the team returns from California, Melia and his family might be able to eat at their dining room table again. Until then, it remains the headquarters for Halifax Robotics.

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How CP Allen's robotics club survived work-to-rule - CBC.ca

Decision day for Go Forward Pine Bluff – Pine Bluff Commercial

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Knowles Adkisson/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF/kadkisson@pbcommercial.com

Voters go to the polls today for a special election on a five-eighths cent sales tax to fund what supporters hope will be an economic revival of Pine Bluff, while opponents organize to defeat the proposal and make changes.

The Go Forward Pine Bluff task force estimates the tax will cost each household a little more than $15 per month, while raising roughly $4 million per year for seven years. The group hopes to raise roughly $20 million from business groups and grants. Private donors have already contributed $6 million to Go Forward, with the latest, the Trinity Foundation, announcing a $2 million contribution last week.

Simmons First Foundation Chairman Tommy May introduced the plan in January, following a year of meetings by a task force of 100 members.

A total of 2,213 voters cast ballots on the tax measure from the start of early voting on Tuesday, June 6 to the end of the day Monday, June 12, Jefferson County Clerk Shawndra Taggart said. 526 voters cast ballots on Monday alone, Taggart said.

Outside the courthouse Monday, Pine Bluff voter Shondra Eldridge told the Commercial she voted against the tax because she felt the plan was not specific enough, it focused too much on downtown and it would hurt poor and middle-class people. She questioned why owners of buildings downtown could not pay to improve their own properties.

Theres another way to do it without taxing us, Eldridge said. A vision is supposed to [show] exactly what youre targeting. They cant tell us what theyre targeting. Thats not a good vision.

Eldridge said she didnt necessarily feel that Go Forward was a bad plan, but that it needs to be revised.

Another voter, J.D. Smith, said he had lived in Pine Bluff for 68 years and knew when this town was booming. Smith said he voted in favor of the tax because he trusted the Go Forward leaders to use the tax money to improve the city.

It used to be a very popular town, Smith said. And it can be that way again. But we cant just sit around and do nothing.

Michael McCray, a spokesman for a group of opponents to the measure organized around the theme A Better Way Forward, said he feels good about the response hes seeing from community members to their campaign message to table the tax to negotiate changes.

Were getting our message out every day, and people are responding to it, McCray said. It feels like a lot of people were waiting to make up their mind, on both sides of the argument, and were gaining in support every day.

McCray and others have criticized the Go Forward Pine Bluff task force for creating the plan in private meetings and for requiring participants to sign non-disclosure agreements. The plan also lacks detailed budgets and timelines for projects, which McCray believes could lead to administrative bloat and outsized consultants fees. With the Go Forward Pine Bluff non-profit corporation placed in the role of executing the plan, opponents also argue there is not enough accountability to taxpayers.

People are responding to our videos, our messages, were starting to hear essentially our arguments, our talking points, repeated back to us, McCray said.

Supporters of the plan argue there is enough accountability, pointing out that according to the plan, the GFPB non-profit would request funding for a particular project, and the Pine Bluff City Council could either approve, deny or modify the request.

McCray also criticized the scheduling of the election in June rather than on a November general election ballot, when turnout would typically be higher. He believes the Pine Bluff Commercial, which has supported the plan in its editorial pages, has not given enough coverage to opponents of the plan.

There are a number of voices that are respected in the community that havent been represented in the editorial pages of the Commercial, but the message is definitely getting out in the community, McCray said.

A Better Way Forward had good turnout at a forum to discuss the Go Forward plan on Thursday last week, McCray said. The forum was hosted by the Pine Bluff branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at Kings Highway Missionary Baptist Church. McCray said Go Forward was invited to the forum but declined to send anyone. Go Forward Pine Bluff Chief Executive Officer Ryan Watley said Go Forward was not invited. A Better Way Forward asked to speak to the NAACP because Go Forward had spoken to the NAACP, Watley said.

Watley said he has been surprised by a higher-than-expected turnout during early voting, which began last Tuesday, June 6.

I think were around 2,000 [votes cast], looking for around 2,500 by the time early voting ends, which would be good, Watley said. Speaking with people on the streets, Watley said the support has been overwhelmingly positive and diverse in age, race and gender.

Starting on Tuesday last week, Watley has been running most mornings from the Jefferson Square mall to the Jefferson County Courthouse and uploading video of the runs to social media. On Monday, June 12, he said he was joined by former Pine Bluff High School track and field athletes Sam Glover and Ellis Jones.

That running, people have really been responsive to the line, Take your souls to the polls, Watley said.

Watley said Go Forward supporters will be working to get voters out and waiting for results at the groups headquarters at 204 South Main Street, about a block from the courthouse.

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Decision day for Go Forward Pine Bluff - Pine Bluff Commercial

Track-by-Track of Paramore’s ‘Riot!’ Read Through Emo Teen Memories – Noisey

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Where were you in 2007? Maybe you were rendered grief-stricken by the end of The OC. Maybe you lived in a velour tracksuit and Uggs, because Paris Hilton taught you. You may well have been skipping through the good primary school years. Or maybe, like a load of people (and me), you split your time between lying on the sofa at your mate's house, watching System of a Down videos and going on MySpace on your family's desktop, posting passive aggressive bulletins to get your crush's attention when signing out and back into MSN didn't work.

If your life revolved around the latter, you may have identified somewhat as "Emo Under the Cork Tree, while 2006 belonged to My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade. And then, in 2007, came Riot! by Paramore.

From its scrawled cover art which could well have passed as a page of a high school art sketchbook, to the power chord-heavy breakdowns over which powerhouse frontwoman Hayley Williams wailed fatalistic lyrics, Riot! captured that mainstream emo zeitgeist perfectly. For many of us, listening to it now is like an exercise in going back in timeit was so intrinsic to UK emo culture at the time that it's hard to separate the songs from the experiences you had to them (probably while wearing a studded belt). To celebrate Riot! turning 10, we asked some of our friends to tell us about their memories of the tracks on the record. There is nail polish, there are tears, there is rain and, of course, there is a lot of being underage and cheap cider-drunk in public parks. Thank you, Paramore.

Is there a more fire emoji album opener than this in the whole of emo? To this day, when it all kicks in I feel like I could mosh through a brick wall, and those fills throughout are air-drum gold. Even the title is perfect MSN screen name foddera sort of deep, meaningful statement on emotions and, like, stuff, which in reality means sweet fuck-all. Glorious. TOM CONNICK

Remember when a Saturday afternoon used to involve little more than loitering outside a prominent high street shop, playing with your fringe and sneering at adults? That's the entirety of the "That What You Get" video. It's literally just a bunch of people stood around awkwardly for an entire day, poking their Nokias and sending 'XD' faces to each other, and yet I still want to be in their gang. TOM CONNICK

When I lived in halls (or what all of you outside the UK know as on-campus housing/where all your teen posters hopefully go to die), all the sad boy stoners boys had just discovered Jeff Buckley, despite him being dead a decade. There were so many "just listen to this bit" 4AM moments in hazy rooms I lost count. No, put that guitar down and just listen to Hayley Williams belt everything into how hard she's going to try to make her teen love last forever, go away. I still remain that this is the superior Hallelujah, FIGHT ME. KIRBY PARTINGTON

In 2007 I worked at the local ~alt club~. Fridays were both indie night and hell for all of us moshers who worked there. When this song blew up, it managed to penetrate even the indie nights and singing along to that iconic middle 8 was a welcome reprieve from The Pigeon Detectives or whatever crepey, dry-as-woodchips-in-your-mouth act was big, while pouring WKD into plastic cups. On reflection, wow, how gross is this song lyrically? In fairness though, 17-year-old Hayley's internalised misogyny is on a level with 30-year-old Drake's now so I guess I'll allow her. KIRBY PARTINGTON

As a teen I had a propensity to take things fairly literally, and as a specifically emo-leaning teen I had a moral responsibility towards feeling #misunderstood. So of course I have a very distinct memory of walking around my local area, alone, in the rain, listening to "When It Rains," my dodgy side-fringe stuck to my face by the wet. I usually reserved Bright Eyes, the sad girl's premium choice, as my music for feeling sorry for myself when it was pissing it down, but this more downbeat Riot! cut also did the job nicely. I learned about being a drama queen early thank you Paramore. LAUREN O'NEILL

Some people would suggest that "Let the Flames Begin" is filler, coming as it does during Riot!'s admittedly slightly saggy middle. Thirteen-year-old me, however, would have had to respectfully and loudly disagree. "Let the Flames Begin" has some of the most emo lyrics on the whole of this gloriously extra record, and that's what real #heads care about. It begins, "What a shame we all became such fragile broken things / a memory remains, just a tiny spark," and I'm fairly sure I had a school exercise book with those very words scrawled across the front, bookended by 'LAUREN O'NEILL.'

This, lads, is what you call a flawlessly constructed emo/pop punk crossover belter. This is having your heart broken in the middle of the summer, thrashing around with a hairbrush in your bedroom and then writing a really good poem about it with a pen and paper and then taking a picture of it next to some sentimental items and then uploading it to emopoetsociety.livejournal.com. It's exactly the sort of tune that would cause me to smash a half-full can on the floor and flip a table over before the vocals even kick in.

At the time, Paramore were usually compared to lighter mall punk bands like All Time Low, You Me At Six or, such was the state of rock criticism, Avril Lavigne, but when you break the arrangements down, Riot!and "Miracle" in particularbelongs more toward the darker, fuller side of the spectrum alongside Taking Back Sunday's Where You Want To Be or Bayside circa Bayside. There. I said it. Fight me, purists. Tenuous connections aside though, the greatest thing about Paramore is the fact that they simply don't sound like anybody else (at least they didn't before they released an album that is extremely *listens to Carly Rae Jepsen's EMOTION once*). Have the emotions of longing, frustration, hope and determination ever culminated in a more satisfying song (that you can fully pit to) than "Miracle"? The answer is, passionately, no. EMMA GARLAND

"Crushcrushcrush" may be about the dark side to having a crush but emo lyrics are essentially formulated to be applicable to anything utterly miserable tbh. I remember the power in angrily singing the mantra crushcrushcrush; to destroy boys I fancied, parents who only had bile in their throats for each other, the sexual power I suddenly had over older men who I was both enamored with and disgusted by, enemies real and imagined, my body running on next to no sustenance, and my mind, already regulated by antidepressants. Listening to that song, I could crush it all. Especially for someone who spent all their time alone as a teenager, the lines "we're all alone now, give me something to sing about" and "nothing compares to a quiet evening alone" soared. This was one last defiant monologue on the album, before the catharsis of admitting that we're all broken. "Crushcrushcrush" doesn't mean all that now but it's still the best Paramore to do pissed karaoke to. HANNAH EWENS

I was lostlike, alone in a crowd, quirky-teen lostwhen I heard this. I was searching for myself. Or God? Either way it was clich. This song snagged on customary teen snark. Lyrics that usually rolled over me locked into me when it played. I cried when I first heard it, like I was in an angsty CW show. It's a hymn. It's praise, it's faith. It's anger and it's a reminder, comfort and catharsis. I wasn't alone, clearly. BOLU BABALOLA

This brings it all back tbh: flailing braids, remote as a mic, a mirrorbeing a teen who didn't relate to what she was meant to. Essentially, a precocious art hoe. WIth my attitude flagrant, this song was assurance. I didn't need people to get me. I got me. You don't need to let them in if you don't want them in, or to be seen as someone you're not to fit in if you see yourself. Art hoe vindication. I was insufferable and empowered. BOLU BABALOLA

One of the best things about Paramore and this album both being so objectively great is that Hayley Williams is a woman. Emo as it existed back in 2007 was dominated by men, and as a young girl who loved it, it meant a lot to me to hear Hayley smashing seven shades of shit out of a song better than any guy I could (and can) think of. "Born For This" is an excellent example of how important she was, not least because even when I hear it now, I think the exact same thought as I did when I first got hold of it ten years ago. When the chorus hits, I have this fantasy where I am Hayley, on stage head-banging my orange hair, one foot on an amp, mic cord round my neck, singing to a crowd. On Riot!, which saw Paramore arguably at the height of their powers, Hayley made emo girls realise that they could be rock stars toothat they could be "Born For This" tooand that alone is an enviable legacy. LAUREN O'NEILL

You can tell Lauren, Emma, Bolu, Kirby, Hannah, and Tom about your 2007 memories on Twitter.

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Track-by-Track of Paramore's 'Riot!' Read Through Emo Teen Memories - Noisey

Virtual Reality Is Reshaping Story-Telling For The Better – Forbes

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Forbes
Virtual Reality Is Reshaping Story-Telling For The Better
Forbes
If the last five months are anything to go by, the next few should be just as exciting for Virtual Reality. Various film festivals, such as Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and even Cannes, have been showcasing many innovative and cutting-edge stories in VR ...

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Virtual Reality Is Reshaping Story-Telling For The Better - Forbes

Microsoft’s Xbox One X won’t support virtual reality, reports WSJ – CNET

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The Xbox One X won't support VR, a marketing executive says.

The Xbox One X, Microsoft's new gaming console, won't include support for virtual reality, one of today's hottest emerging technologies, despite the company's earlier implication it would.

The new console was revealed by Microsoft at its E3 2017 conference on Sunday. Formerly known as Project Scorpio, the Xbox One X promises better graphics for players, whether or not they have a 4K television. What it won't do is deliver virtual reality, which promises to transport goggle-wearing users to a computer-generated 3D environment, be it outer space or the Stone Age.

Microsoft's reasoning behind the decision is that VR is better suited for the PC than gaming consoles.

"The opportunity on PC is larger, because the install base is larger and we think the customer experience will be better on PC," Xbox marketing chief Mike Nichols told the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

The decision to skip VR support is surprising, considering that Microsoft left consumers with the impression a year ago that the new console would support virtual reality. Although the company didn't specify which VR headset would work with the new Xbox in June 2016, it did name-drop the VR version of Fallout 4 as a game that would specifically be coming to the device.

The new console is one of the most important product releases from the Xbox team in years. The Xbox One, while highly regarded by many, is estimated to have undersold the Sony PlayStation 4,its biggest competitor, nearly two to one.

Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

For more on E3 2017, check out complete coverage onCNETandGameSpot.

Batteries Not Included: The CNET team reminds us why tech is cool.

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Microsoft's Xbox One X won't support virtual reality, reports WSJ - CNET

E3 2017: Sony teases virtual reality games – BBC News

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BBC News
E3 2017: Sony teases virtual reality games
BBC News
Sony has teased a string of new games for its PSVR virtual reality headset hardware prior to the E3 video games show in Los Angeles. VR content for role-playing adventure Skyrim was shown, as was a new first-person horror title, The Inpatient. A ...
The incredible virtual reality version of Superhot is coming to PS VR this summerThe Verge
Sony unveils Spider-man game at E3 expoSBS
Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4) 2017 E3 GameplayYouTube
YouTube
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E3 2017: Sony teases virtual reality games - BBC News

Location-Based Virtual Reality Startup Nomadic Raises $6 Million – Variety

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Variety
Location-Based Virtual Reality Startup Nomadic Raises $6 Million
Variety
Bay Area-based virtual reality (VR) startup Nomadic has raised a $6 million round of seed funding led by Horizons Ventures, with participation from Maveron, Presence Capital, Vulcan Capital, and Verus International. Nomadic is focused on location-based ...
Nomadic nabs $6M for its modular VR system for retail spacesTechCrunch

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Location-Based Virtual Reality Startup Nomadic Raises $6 Million - Variety

When Will Virtual Reality Be Able to Connect Directly to Our Minds? – Futurism

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In Brief Virtual reality technology is quickly advancing, but it is still hampered by all of the required gear. Here is a timeline for when you can explore a virtual environment using only your thoughts. VR on the Mind

The technology for virtual reality (VR) has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few years. From teaching us chemistry to helping us design cars, the virtual world is becoming more and more dominant in our everyday lives.

However, VRis still hampered by the necessity for users to wear clunky headsets and possibly other gear. While these are becoming more user friendly, we wanted to know when we will be able to bypass all that equipment to simply connect VR to our minds directly.We asked Futurism readers what they thought and got a range of predictions.

The decade with the most votes was the 2030s, taking 36 percent of readers votes. One such vote came from Kevin Kealey, who noted our progress in mapping the human brain and predicted this knowledge would soon allow VR techs to place electron inputs and outputs in the right places.

[T]he whole brain will be mapped and fully understood very soon, Kealey commented. We know where emotions come from. We know how to control them. We know most invasive techniques to place things within the body. While we still have a long way to go before we truly comprehend the complexity of the human brain, we are making progress in mapping it even using VR to help get the job done.

These guesses arent too different from some that are coming from experts in the field. For example, Dan Cook,founder of EyeMynd BrainwaveVR, has been working on tech that will allow users to interact in VR using their brainwaves no headset or controller needed.

Ten years from now, this will seem obvious, Cook said in an interview with the Guardian. Computers are becoming fast enough that we can detect and interpret all the signals of the brain in real time.Cook bases his technology off of the principles we observe when people dream. The mind can see and hear without using eyes or ears, and we should be able to harness that neurological ability, Cook argues.

Others in the field are more skeptical about the state of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. An international group of researchers determined thatmethods for interacting with virtual environments through our thoughts remain in their infancy, as they wrote in a study published in Computer.Major research challenges must be tackled for BCIs to mature into an established means of communication for VR applications, the researchers concluded in the paper.

While we may have to wait a number of years before we can enjoy a virtual world sans headset, companies are continuing to invest in BCI and VRtechnology. Who knows where the sciencewill be by the time they finally release Magic Leap.

See all of the Futurism predictions and make your own predictions here.

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When Will Virtual Reality Be Able to Connect Directly to Our Minds? - Futurism

Virtual reality – Newton Kansan

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By Chad FreyNewton Kansan

After spending the past year huddled over computers and inside of virtual reality and augmented reality headsets, Corey and Michele Janssens emerged last week to find that some of the worlds biggest electronics and computer companies and TV news and other media were anxious to talk to them.

Michele Janssens put her 20-year speech-language pathologist career in Newton on pause in 2016 to partner with her husband Corey on software he was developing that converts any 2-D content for film, TV, cameras and VR/AR into the highest quality stereo 3-D on the fly.

We got a warm reception, which is what we needed to see if we had what we thought we had and the best way to monetize it, said Michele Janssens. We have worked hard. We are a small organization right now in Kansas. We don't have contacts, and a lot of things a person would have going into this. We have had to hustle pretty hard to get where we are.

They work from their own basement, though they are getting attention from elsewhere. ViewVerge, the software they are developing, has generated calls from the likes of Samsung and landed them on an ABC TV station in San Francisco last week. They were also interviewed by Lori H. Schwartz for The Tech Cat Show on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel (VoiceAmerica.com).

According to a news release, their public coming-out party at the annual international Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, California, attracted reps to their booth from the likes of Amazon Studios, Disney, Facebook and its VR company (Oculus VR), as well as Sony, Panasonic, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Dassault Systems, Intel and even Toyota.

They are planning a trip to a similar expo in China later this month, and have been invited back to San Diego later this year as conference speakers.

They hope to license their software to a major firm and are also open to investors. The VR/AR/MR market alone is projected by Digi Capital to grow to $108 billion by 2021.

Corey, a former Army UAV pilot (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) who served in Kosovo, Macedonia and other locations, is something of a Renaissance man -- he has created many paintings and other works of physical art and works on cars and home remodeling. Hes also a theoretical physicist and engineer whose conceptual prototypes for innovative computer processors, artificial muscles, propulsion and suspension systems and robotics resulted in leading a confidential think-tank for Microsoft for five years.

Corey has done a lot of things, Michelle said. He is one of those people that learns really quickly and puts things together in a way that is really special. All of that, and his different interest, led him to the Microsoft think tank.

The ViewVerge technology is a fully-automated process that takes a more natural and biological approach to create elements inherent in human 3-D vision.

The VR-360 headset immersion experience offers the biggest and most realistic impact when that world live-action or computer-generated is in full parallax stereo 3-D, delivering the deepest depth and separation.

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Virtual reality - Newton Kansan

Ubisoft announces virtual reality thriller Transference – Gematsu

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Ubisoft announces virtual reality thriller Transference

Due out in spring 2018.

Ubisoft, FunHouse, and SpectreVision announced Transference, a new virtual reality thriller due out in spring 2018, during its E3 2017 press conference. It will be available for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift, as well as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Heres an overview of the game, via Ubisoft:

About

Transference is a psychological thriller and the first game collaboration between SpectreVision and Ubisoft. Bridging the gap between movies and games, we invite you to lose yourself in the destructive tale of a mans obsession as you explore his digitally recreated memories. Experience the limits of techno-psychology, and escape a maze-like puzzle concealing a corrupted truth. Get projected into the digital consciousness of troubled case subjects and maybe you will influence their fate.

The game will be available spring 2018 in VR and traditional platforms: PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Key Features

Watch the announcement trailer below.

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Ubisoft announces virtual reality thriller Transference - Gematsu

Intel Gets Game On With E-Sports Partnerships, Virtual Reality, New Chips – Investor’s Business Daily

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Intel is making a big push into the gamer market at this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles. (Intel)

On the eve of the big E3 video game conference in Los Angeles, chipmaker Intel (INTC) made a series of announcements aimed at the lucrative high-end PC gamer market.

Santa Clara, Calif.-basedIntel announced an expanded partnership with ESL, the world's largest e-sports company.Intel will serve as ESL's official technology partner and will provide the backbone for ESL's e-sports events, studios and broadcasting operations. All amateur and pro tournament PCs will run the latest Intel Core i7 processors and all of ESL's production hardware will run on a combination of Intel Core and Intel Xeon processors.

The two companies also announced the Intel Grand Slam for "Counter Strike: Global Offensive," which will award a bonus $1 million prize to the first team to win four "CS:GO" competitions by ESL and DreamHack in a 12-month period.

Intel also announced a partnership with Facebook (FB)-owned Oculus to launch a competitive virtual-reality gaming series called VR Challenger League. The gaming series will begin in July and features "The Unspoken" from Insomniac Games and "Echo Arena" from Ready At Dawn Studios.

The VR e-sports competition will take place online and at key events with players from around the world, with the finals taking place at the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in Katowice, Poland, in 2018.

E-sports is a "cultural phenomenon" that is expected to grow to about 500 million fans worldwide by 2020, said Gregory Bryant, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group.

IBD'S TAKE: For the latest news on the E3 conference, check out IBD's E3 news page. E3, short for Electronic Entertainment Expo, runs Tuesday through Thursday in downtown Los Angeles.

Also Monday, Intel announced the release schedule for itshigh-end Intel Core X-series processor family.

The four- to 10-core processors will be available for pre-order starting June 19 and will start shipping to consumers the following week. Availability for the rest of the chip family will soon follow.

The top-of-the-line Intel Core i9-7980X Extreme Edition processor is expected to start shipping in October. It will be the first desktop PC processor with 18 cores, allowing it to handle "all the megatasking demands of gaming, VR, content creation and more," Intel said.

Intel stock rose 2 cents to35.73on the stock market today.

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Intel Gets Game On With E-Sports Partnerships, Virtual Reality, New Chips - Investor's Business Daily

JoAnn Ruth Martin, Riverside, Calif. – Mason City Globe Gazette

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October 27, 1936 - May 25, 2017

JoAnn Ruth Martin was born on October 27, 1936 in Lansing, Mich.

She died on May 25, 2017, after living a vibrant life filled with love and devotion to her husband, Saul Kent, and to friends, family, and charitable causes, particularly three organizations she founded, The Riverside Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), The California DBSA, and The Detroit Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Fiercely independent, JoAnn grew up in Lansing with her mother, Ruth; her father, Rial and her brother, Robert. JoAnn became a teacher and a musician, playing the piano and singing in venues around the country.

She had two children, Emily McCue of Mammoth, Calif., and Nathalie Martin of Albuquerque, N.M. She was married for several years to Don Martin, the father of her daughter, Nathalie.

In 1985, she met the love for her life, Saul Kent. The two shared many interests, including cryonics. JoAnn soon moved from Detroit to California to be with Saul.

In 1986, JoAnn and Saul bought a property in Riverside, Calif., where JoAnn's passion for music, gardening, painting, and architecture enabled her to create a beautiful setting that would be used over the next three decades to hold many events, beginning with the wedding of her daughter, Nathalie, in 1988.

JoAnn's generosity was well-known in the community and her loss will be felt in the lives of hundreds of people. Jo Ann founded the Riverside DBSA in the fall of 1987, and has graciously opened her home to the public for DBSA meetings, holiday barbecues and dinners ever since.

She has been a friend and great source of support for mental health clients and advocates throughout the years. Jo Ann felt that her own experience with mental illness gave her insight and allowed her to help others. Jo Ann was first diagnosed with manic depression in 1963, the same year JFK was killed.

JoAnn is survived by husband, Saul Kent; daughters, Emily McCue and Nathalie Martin, and many friends.

A memorial to celebrate the life of JoAnn Martin will be held at her home on June 24, 2017, at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in JoAnn's memory may be made to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, 55 E. Jackson Blvd., Suite 490, Chicago, IL, 60604.

Cards may be sent care of Nathalie Martin, 1117 Stanford N.E., Albuquerque, NM, 87106.

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JoAnn Ruth Martin, Riverside, Calif. - Mason City Globe Gazette

GUEST COLUMN: Should you take dietary supplements? – Wicked Local Easton

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Nicole Long

Are dietary supplements worth buying?

Unfortunately, the answer is often No. Advertisements for dietary supplements frequently claim they will keep you from getting sick, or help you live longer. But according to the National Institute On Aging, Often there is little, if any, scientific support for these claims Some supplements can hurt you. Others are just a waste of money because they dont give you any health benefits.

There are many dietary supplements on the market today that are sold over the counter, including vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids, herbs, and hormones. Some products, like drinks or energy bars, have supplements added to them. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not review these supplements before they reach the market, only if they believe a product is considered unsafe.

The best way to get vitamins or minerals is through the food you eat, not added supplements. If you feel you cant eat enough, ask your doctor if you need a multi-vitamin and/or mineral supplement. It does not have to be labeled for seniors, and it does not have to be a large, or mega dose vitamin. The theory if a little is good, a lot must be better, does not hold for supplements. Taking more than 100 percent of the daily value of a vitamin or mineral could be harmful, and your body may not be able to use the entire supplement, so you are wasting your money. People over the age of 50 may need supplements for certain purposes, such as vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, extra iron for women, and vitamin B6.

Antioxidants are natural substances found in food. There is no proof that large doses of antioxidants will prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, cataracts or heart disease. Rather than taking a supplement, try eating at least five servings per day of fruits and vegetables, or using vegetable oil and eat nuts (in moderation). These foods can give you the antioxidants you need.

There are also herbal supplements, like ginseng, Echinacea, or ginkgo biloba, which come from certain plants. When you use any herbal supplements, you are using them as a drug, and they can interfere with other medications you may already be taking. Some herbal supplements can cause high blood pressure, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, seizures, heart attacks, or stroke. Some supplements can increase the risk of bleeding or, if a person takes them before or after surgery, they can affect the persons response to anesthesia. Dietary supplements can also interact with certain prescription drugs in ways that might cause problems. Vitamin K, for example, can reduce the ability of certain blood thinners to prevent blood from clotting. Antioxidant supplements, like vitamins C and E, can reduce the effectiveness of some types of cancer chemotherapy.

Before you start taking a dietary supplement, talk with your doctor or a registered dietician. Do not go on the recommendation of a friend or an Internet site. Consider the source of any information you read: is it from a group that stands to make money from the sale of this product? If something worked for your neighbor, it does not mean that it will work for you. Dont take supplements in place of, or in combination with prescribed medications without your health care providers approval.

All products labeled as a dietary supplement carry a Supplement Facts panel that lists the contents, amount of active ingredients per serving, and other added ingredients (like fillers, binders, and flavorings). The manufacturer suggests the serving size, but you or your health care provider might decide that a different amount is more appropriate for you.

There is a federal Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), part of the National Institutes of Health, which publishes fact sheets that give consumers an overview of individual vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements. ODS says if you dont eat a nutritious variety of foods, some supplements might help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. However, supplements cant take the place of the variety of foods that are important to a healthy diet. You can contact ODS at (301) 435-2920, or visit their website at https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/DS_WhatYouNeedToKnow.aspx

Nicole Long is the chief executive officer of Old Colony Elder Services (OCES). OCES serves greater Plymouth County and surrounding communities. OCES offers a number of programs to serve seniors, individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers. For information call (508) 584-1561 or visit http://www.ocesma.org.

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GUEST COLUMN: Should you take dietary supplements? - Wicked Local Easton

‘I quit protein supplements for six weeks and put on muscle’ – BBC News

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BBC News
'I quit protein supplements for six weeks and put on muscle'
BBC News
As well as going to the gym, he's been taking around 120 grams of synthetic protein or powder a day, on top of his meals. We challenged Ali to stop taking supplements for six weeks , and instead, have a similar amount through food spread out throughout ...

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'I quit protein supplements for six weeks and put on muscle' - BBC News

Elio Motors Given An Extension To Bring Its Three-Wheeled Vehicle … – Jalopnik

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This month, Elio Motors had a whopper of a deadline deadline: have a manufacturing facility developed in Shreveport, Louisiana, that employs at least 1,500 people, or face a significant financial penalty. Yet with $376 million needed to begin production on its three-wheeled vehicle, even the companys founder knew that was impossible.

According to recently filed Securities and Exchange Commission documents, Elio has managed to secure an extension to bring that dream to fruition, nonetheless.

Elio Motors filed its latest reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the

The development is the latest missive in Elios quest to bring the futuristic namesake vehicle to life. According to KSLA-12 in Louisiana, since last October, Elio hasnt paid their monthly tab to RACER Trustwhich provided a $23 million loan to facilitate its move to a shuttered General Motors plant in town. From KSLA-12:

As a result, Elio currently owes more than $1.7 million in back payments to RACER Trust. While the default interest rate of 18% will continue to add up until payments resume, the company now has another year to pay back the principal on the loan.

Nonetheless, the RACER Trust says that the decision to grant Elio an extension is justified. In a statement, RACER says a possibility remains for another prospect to utilize the space in Shreveport, as theres contractual flexibility to relocate Elio Motors to another facility in Caddo Parish.

Having evaluated the relevant factors the lack of interference with prospective economic redevelopment opportunities at the Shreveport plant; no economic risk to Caddo Parish; Elio Motors opportunity to make progress toward fulfilling its business goals and jobcreation pledge; and the LEDs letter of support RACER Trust has made what it considers to be the responsible decision to extend the job-creation deadline.

The SEC document says if Elio receives $25 million in funding by the end of July, then Elio must pay back RACER its overdue billnow totaled at $1.75 millionand on top of that, the default interest rate of 18 percent will begin to accrue starting in August. But now, Elio has an extra year to pay back the full loan.

So heres the question: Whos going to immediately float Elio $25 million?

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Elio Motors Given An Extension To Bring Its Three-Wheeled Vehicle ... - Jalopnik

DFI Marketing uses new post-harvest technology with melon exports – The Packer

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Fresno, Calif.-based DFI Marketing Inc. is using a new shelf-life extension technology for its melon exports to Asia.

The firm, with thousands of melon acres under management, said in a news release that it will use Hazel Melon by Chicago-based Hazel Technologies on all of its melon export containers to Asia this season.

Hazel Melon is a packaging insert, according to a news release.

After promising pilot trail results in 2016, Hazel Technology was funded by a $100,000 grant from the USDA Small Business Innovation Research program, according to the release.

After testing the Hazel Melon packets in our containers, we saw up to a 49% increase in marketable product after 30 days, a potential savings of as much as $10,000 per load, Ross Van Vlack, vice president of sales and marketing for DFI Marketing Inc., said in the release.

The Hazel Melon packets are simply placed in cartons and require no equipment, no water, no packing house changes, Van Vlack said in the release. We havent seen something that works this well in our many years in the melon industry.

Hazel Melon will be used at DFI for honeydew, cantaloupe, and mixed melons exports, according to the release. Hazel Technologies, according to the release, is working with growers in other fresh categories.

Patrick Flynn, co-founder of Hazel Technologies Inc., said June 8 the technology is a little different than the more common ethylene blocker shippers are used to seeing.

A key difference between the (ethylene filter) and the technology we are working on is that we are actually releasing active ingredients into carton, he said.

He described the technology as proactive compared to the reactive ethylene filter technology.

What we are doing is going out to get the ethylene as opposed to waiting for it, he said.

The technology improves shelf life and the uniformity of treatment in different parts of the carton, Flynn said.

Thats really important when you are talking about export arrivals because you want everything to arrive in uniform condition, he said.

The technology uses active ingredient 1-MCP, which is used extensively in the storage of apples and pears.

We are releasing it in a completely new way, over a long period of time, he said.

The release of the active ingredient, over a period of up to three weeks with a much lower concentration than the one-time apple/pear type treatment, effectively treats commodities like melons and other commodities like avocados effectively, he said.

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DFI Marketing uses new post-harvest technology with melon exports - The Packer