• will have the ability, on opening, to launch certain content from Facebook that was marked OPEN IN VR and clicked..
• From Build 16.0 Release notes:
• https://forums.oculusvr.com/community/discussion/88388/quest-go-build-16-0-release-notes
• "Guardian
  
  • You can now set up your roomscale Guardian boundaries without controllers by using hand tracking instead.
  • The Passthrough view can now be selected as your Home Environment. Navigate to Settings > Virtual Environment to check it out!
  Social
  
  • When browsing the Facebook app on your phone, you may see an option to “Open in VR” for certain content. Clicking this button will launch that web content on your headset when you put it on."

• President Trump plans to defund the World Health Organization (WHO).
• He argues that WHO should have responded more aggressively to the COVID-19 threat.
• WHO made available, from China, early in January, information sufficient to begin preparing a vaccine, other treatments, and public health measures, like physical distancing, to combat COVID-19.
• The Trump administration did not respond aggressively to the warnings.
• WHO is a scapegoat.
• House Speaker Pelosi has said earlier that Trump "projects", ascribing to others his own faults.
• We need WHO now, more than ever.

• a company that has pioneered live streaming of events in Virtual Reality is being purchased by Apple, according to 9to5mac.
• Apple's interest, according to the article, stems in part from NextVR's portfolio of live streaming video technology patents, and in part from their technologists.
• Apple has been widely reported as very interested in Augmented Reality.
• They developed ARkit, but so far have not announced any headset.
• The article from 9to5mac:
• https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/04/apple-nextr-ar-headset/
• ARkit:
• https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/arkit/

• was live(ish) from the homes of cast members.
• The sketches were mixed in quality.
• The Zoom call was hilarious:
• https://youtu.be/3byTN8NTCkc

• As we approach EASTER, the USA is FIRST!
• We have the most cases in the world (529,401)!
• More than twice as many cases as Spain (#2).
• We have the most fatalities in the world (20,468)!

• There is a hint that spatial distancing is starting to work
• Where it has been applied in the US, deaths and cases are rising linearly, not exponentially, but still at a rate that is doubling the total impact in about two weeks.
• In the USA new cases are running 29,000 to 36,000 per day and deaths about 1,900 a day (a more than 5% rate of deaths to confirmed-cases).
• If those rates do not diminish, there would be more than 75,000 deaths in a month.
• In New York, the most severely impacted state, there are 8,000 to 10,500 new cases and about 785 deaths every day (more than 20,000 deaths in a month).
• In Europe, as well as in Asia, spatial distancing also seems to be cutting the rate of increase of cases and fatalities.
• Testing in the US is improving, with more than 2 million tests, but that is less than 1% of the population.

• have made a number of films from the festival available (free!) online.
• https://qporit.blogspot.com/2020/04/rendez-vous-with-french-cinema-2020.html

• will be streamed live
• as a reading with the actors safely separated.
• Pay what you wish.
• At 9 PM ET Sat 4/11.
• MORE INFO:
• https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Red-Line-Productions-Presents-Live-Streamed-Reading-of-ORPHANS-Featuring-Alec-Baldwin-More-20200410
• TICKETS:
• https://www.redlineproductions.com.au/

• The total number of cases in the US may have stopped rising exponentially, but it is still rising at a rate of more than 30,000 a day with more than 2,000 deaths daily.
• Staying inside is critical! (It is starting - just starting - to work.)
• Congregations that hold religious services now are endangering everyone.
• States that do not isolate its citizens may continue to experience exponential growth, with cases and deaths doubling possibly as much as twice each week.
• New York State has more cases than any country in the world (except, of course, US).
• In Italy there seems to be a slowing of growth. 
• Italy still has the largest number of deaths in the world. 

• has been announced.
• OPEN XR (when it is all completed) allows a single implementation of an XR application to run on all XR systems.
• OPEN XR is being created by the Khronos Group, an organization that encompasses all the big developers of XR and many smaller ones.
• Here's a link to Khronos -- anyone can get involved!
• https://www.khronos.org/openxr/
• Here's a link to   the Oculus Quest announcement:
• https://developer.oculus.com/blog/prototype-openxr-for-oculus/
• Here's a link to an informative article on the meaning of this advance:
• https://uploadvr.com/quest-openxr-prototype-support/

• begins this evening.

• UPDATE 9 PM
• The conference was excellent, with a level that bridged technical, up-to-the-minute information without being too jargon-filled or excessively detailed.
• It was understandable, information-rich, timely, and interesting.
• There is an interesting sounding, free, online (on Zoom) conference today
• beginning at 8AM ET with talks on the digital automobile
• continuing in the afternoon with talks on digital humans and XR content creation
• It appears to be a stellar lineup of presenters.
• The program, with a link to free registration is at:
• https://realtimeconference.com/program/

• is an important element of eXtended Reality (along with technology and issues).
• We will begin to try to report systematically on the offerings of content as the methods of creation and distribution evolve dramatically during (and after!) the COVID-19 Pandemic outbreak.
• This event collection is just beginning and will be updated as often as possible with the most interesting offerings. 
• Please subscribe here to get the latest news, and send us a notice of the offerings you wish to announce to the world!

• has a new "Survival Guide to Self-Isolation".
• It contains an inspirational message (click on the screen with the logo)
• and many ideas and performances from members of the company.
• I participated in a LAByrinth Theater Master Class some years ago. It was terrific: the underlying spirit behind this company is the conviction that every artist can be an active creator of content -- writing, producing, performing, and everything else. 
• As they say in the video: "Never wait, create!"
• Here is the contact:
• https://labtheater.org/survivalguide

• has begun to offer many classes online.
• https://hbstudio.org/

• launched today.
• QUIBI (QUIck BItes) -- provides curated short videos specially formatted for smartphones.
• It is available on Google Play and the App Store.
• Trial subscriptions are free for 90 days.
• For more information:
• https://quibi.com/

• A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has reportedly tested positive for the Corona virus.
• This obviously raises the alarming possibility that animals, including pets, rodents, and wildlife can acquire the disease and transmit it.
• So far, this has not been reported, to my knowledge, except for the possibility of bats and whatever started the pandemic.

• More than 1 million cases world-wide.
• China and South Korea are relatively stable.
• In most other countries rates are doubling in less than a week. Every week.
• NY has more cases (92,381) than China (81,589).
• Cases and deaths in the US are doubling just about everywhere in less than 5 day periods
• If that is not mitigated, in 50 days (10 doubling periods) the numbers will increase by a factor of 1,000.
• The President is still not organizing a massive Federal effort to
• support "stay-at-home"
• organize, manufacture and deliver critically needed healthcare equipment and supplies
• secure the safety and efficiency of the supply chain for food and supplies for the people at home. 

• one of the last major events to cancel, has postponed the second round of play after (unwisely) allowing the first round of play to complete in Russia.
• Currently, French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is in first place. 

• Appropriate.  Considering the mess this country is in:
• More than 200,000 COVID-19 cases
• More than 9,500 critically ill or already dead.
• More than 4,000 deaths.
• All the numbers doubling in less than 5 days
• Shortages of critical medical devices and protective clothing and tests
• That causes a high death rate.
• It could have been substantially better:
• No tests ready
• No early planning
• Late stay-at-home-order
• No Federal organizing and distributing of medical supplies, devices, and tests
• LIES: When tweets lie, Americans die.
• Sickness and death matters, ratings do not.
• It's not a joke.

• Grim news: More people have died in the US from COVID-19 (3,186) than died on 9/11 (2,996). Another 3,535 people are currently critically ill from COVID-19, and there are more than 150,000 people currently sick.
• as of 11:15 ET ; source:
• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

• A relief bill has passed and been signed.
• COVID-19 cases in US are now 100,514, doubling in less than 4 days. Deaths are 1,546, doubling even faster, with 2,463 patients in critical condition.
• Without an effective national lockdown, increasing the doubling period, there will be more than 1,000,000 (Million!) cases by Easter,  20K deaths (and still growing). 
• This event, if it is not stopped, will be worse than 9/11.
• With US cases of COVID now over 100,000 and growing exponentially, doubling in less than 4 days, deaths over 1,500 and doubling even faster, here is how the cases and deaths would grow if doubling every four days were to continue.

• A COVID relief bill passed the Senate unanimously!
• It is expected to pass in the House by a voice vote on Friday.
• Here's the full text (if the page loads):
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3548/text
• An analysis of COVID data reveals a very, very serious situation:
• This analysis is based on the mathematics of exponential growth, and charting the daily statistics from here:
• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
• The US has the largest number of cases in the world: 81,996.
• Note: "cases" means reported, confirmed cases.
• This is more cases than China: 81,285.
• The hopeful news is that, with a rigorous quarantine, China has (at least for now), stopped the exponential growth of infections with a constant (not growing) roughly 40-80 new cases a day now.
• The REALLY SCARY NEWS is that the number of cases, and deaths, is growing exponentially in the US, doubling twice in about a week.
• If that continues there will be more than a million cases (and growing) by Easter
• There have been 1,177 deaths and there are currently 2,112 people in serious or critical condition, as well as tens of thousands of active cases.
• IF the rate of doubling continues, there could be more than 50 thousand deaths and serious ill people by Easter, and more than a million by the end of April, with the numbers still growing.
• The numbers of new cases and deaths reported on TV are often described as a "spike". They are not: A spike rises and falls; these numbers reflect the quite steady exponential growth of the actual numbers over the last weeks. The exponential growth of cases, due to continued infection and discovery (finally testing to discover cases that were already there), will almost certainly continue unless testing and separation is national and sufficiently rigorous and complete enough to slow the spread. But it is likely to take at least 2 weeks of every state imposing strict separation before the rate of new cases and deaths will begin to diminish.
• At the moment, New York, followed by New Jersey, are the states with the most cases.
• Just because a state does not have many cases now, does not prevent the number from increasing exponentially.
• New York had just 2,499 cases and 20 deaths 8 days ago. Now there are 37,738 cases (a factor of 15 or almost 4 doublings - 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16) and 385 deaths (a factor of 19, or more than 4 doublings). 
• That is why the President, and the Governors of states with few cases, should begin to act immediately, to enforce separation, before the numbers rise.

• A Senate version of the COVID release bill has been tentatively agreed on.
• The Dow was up again and may be stabilizing.
• But watch for the big test: when the monthly GDP, corporate quarterly reports and monthly unemployment reports come in.
• Prince Charles reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
• Esteemed playwright Terrance McNally died.
• The official statement (excerpt) from the IOC & Japan:
• In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.

• had one of its best days ever.

• The House introduced a bill with its own version of a financial assistance plan, as an alternative to the currently stalled Senate plan:
• https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6817711-Updated-House-Bill
• Here's the current statement on the IOC home page: The Tokyo Olympics have not been canceled. It looks like they may be postponed.
• https://www.olympic.org/news/health-and-safety-paramount-as-ioc-executive-board-agrees-to-continue-scenario-planning-for-the-olympic-games-tokyo-2020
• Governor Murphy's stay-at-home order for NJ.
• https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/general-public/governor-murphy-announces-statewide-stay-at-home-order-closure-of-all-non-essential-retail-businesses
• More NJ resource information (including COVID-19 Q&A)
• https://nj.gov/
• New York State Information
• https://www.governor.ny.gov

• The Dow stock market average closed down -913 points to 19,174
• Ending the week lower than the value when Trump took office.
• On inauguration day in 2017, the Dow was 19,732.
• The entire stock market run-up of the Trump presidency has now been wiped out.
• President Trump, at the Press Briefing, responded to a softball question
•   -- which gave him the opportunity to say something that was both honest, yet encouraging -- 
• by unleashing a completely disgraceful attack on the media.
• New York State is going on a complete lockdown, 
• except for essential services
• Many companies and organizations are supporting their workers through March 31. 
• But some plan to stop paying many employees beginning April 1.
• This could be the beginning of unwinding the short period of full employment,
• And threatens major unemployment.
• Emergency financial rescue plans must be carefully targeted to the people and industries that need and can benefit from assistance, so that people do not become poor (and others do not become rich.)
• Emergency planning must also assure that supply chains, especially for food and basic supplies, stay healthy and maintain essential anti-Covid standards.
• Emergency planning must also assure that the Internet, the electric grid, the water systems, the sanitation (garbage removal) systems and other essential systems stay healthy and maintain essential anti-Covid standards.
• 
  

• Is introducing a whole bunch of new features that would have been introduced at the GDC, had there been a GDC.
• Here are some announcements and some videos, including a new QUEST UI:
• https://www.facebook.com/fbgaminghome/blog
• https://www.oculus.com/blog/introducing-the-new-oculus-quest-system-experience/
• https://www.oculus.com/blog/facebook-game-developers-showcase-news/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt4EWqPTbr4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmZ-4BsCoIA

• While in-person events are being cancelled, many arts organizations are experimenting with and expanding their programming online.
• Some organizations are figuring it out for the first time; 
• others are presenting online videos of productions they'd never have allowed online before; 
• others are promoting online events they've been doing for a while.
• Here are some of the major platforms being used:
• Facebook, YouTube and organization websites are the main targets for streaming archived videos of productions.
• Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, are places where individuals can contribute content.
• Facetime and Google Duo are prime places for 1 to 1 interaction, including online lessons.
• Zoom is being used for organization meetings, as well as a way of creating content with distributed performers.
• Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and other new and old movie and TV streaming sites are replacing movie theaters.
• Here are some of the activities that have already started:
• The Thurnauer School of Music is giving 1 on 1 music lessons online, and planning the possibility of musical online events for specific audiences and the general public.
• https://www.jccotp.org/JCC/Thurnauer_School_of_Music/JCC/Thurnauer/Thurnauer_School_of_Music.aspx
• The Metropolitan Opera is broadcasting archived videos of productions - one a day. (I just tuned in to Carmen: it looked great! Next is La Boheme.)
• https://www.metopera.org/
• Organizations that license amateur and student productions are open to the possibility of making streaming rights available to allow productions (and archived videos) to go online.
• Check with your provider.
• The Irish Rep has started #TheShowMustGoOnline. 
• They will post videos at
• irishrep.org/theshowmustgoonline
• Tribeca is posting "curated shorts" from the Tribeca Film Festival alumni
• https://www.tribecafilm.com/news/now-streaming-curated-shorts-from-tribeca-film-festival-alumni
• Yo Yo Ma put 'SongsOfComfort: Dvořák – "Going Home” ' online
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBOkHfvNSY
• The 92nd Street Y has [1] information on their site, [2] on Facebook and [3] an excellent daily newsletter of online events.
• See the links, below:
1. https://www.92y.org/92yathome
2. https://www.facebook.com/92ndstreetY
3. https://www.92y.org/emailsignup.aspx
• Also, currently, Magnus Carlsen is the World Chess Champion; Fabiano Caruana, last year's challenger, and more of the world's greatest chess grandmasters, are now in a Chess Challengers' Tournament to decide who will face Magnus in the next World Championship Match.
• The games are online.
• https://worldchess.com/tournament/candidates2020/1

• is down -1,661 points to 19,577 at 1:09 PM.
• This is lower than the value when Trump took office.
• On inauguration day in 2017, the Dow was 19,732.
• The entire stock market run-up of the Trump presidency has now been wiped out.

• released new versions of their API and operating system, and announced a program to provide Magic Leap devices to qualified developers.
• https://developer.magicleap.com/en-us/home
• LUMIN OS 0.98.10
• https://www.magicleap.com/en-us/news/product-updates/lumin-os-0-98-10
• LUMIN SDK 0.24
• https://www.magicleap.com/en-us/news/product-updates/lumin-sdk-0-24-and-the-magicverse-sdk-technical-preview
• MAGIC LEAP APPS
• https://world.magicleap.com/en-us
• MAGIC LEAP HARDWARE ACCESS PROGRAM
• https://www.magicleap.com/en-us/hardware-access-program
• COLLABORATION PACKAGE
• https://www.magicleap.com/en-us/news/product-updates/accelerating-remote-work-introducing-the-new-magic-leap-collaboration

• was sharply down:
• DOW:    -2,997 (-13%) to 20,189
• S&P:        -365 (-12%) to   2,386
• NASDAQ: -970  (12%) TO   6,905.

• now counts more reported, confirmed cases and more deaths outside of China than in China,
• according to tracking site:
• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
•  Note that these numbers are "reported" and "confirmed". There may be more or less cases than are reported (probably more) and many more cases of the disease than are confirmed, especially cases without symptoms, and cases in areas with poor testing.
• Location - total cases - deaths:
• World -169,232 - 6,494
• China - 80,849 - 3,199
• Not-China - 88,383 - 3,295
• Italy - 24,747 - 1,809
• S Korea - 8,162 - 75
• France - 5,423 - 127
• US - 3,621 - 59
• Notes:
• In the US, cases have doubled in 3 days, and deaths in 4 days.
• Cases in US will increase fast because of ramped up testing.
• These are not all "new" cases; some are previously unconfirmed cases.
• France, Italy, and some other countries are also seeing cases and deaths doubling in less than a week.
• The relatively low number of deaths in S Korea relative to cases may be due to the greater number of less serious cases that are "confirmed". (Or there could be a medical reason.)
• 13 countries have more than 1,000 confirmed cases.
• Spain and Germany have large numbers of cases. Iran has a large number of cases and deaths.
• The number of cases reported in Russia (63) seems very low. There are no cases reported from North Korea.
• Mathematical /medical note: A quantity which doubles in a week increases by a factor of 1,000 in less than 3 months. China, South Korea and Japan instituted drastic measures to curb the exponential spread of the disease, and the results slowed down the rate at which cases and deaths were doubling.

• passed HR 6201 363 Y to 40 N (all republican) 1 not voting (independent).
• It must still pass the Senate.
• Text of the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act”:
• https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6201/text

NYC

THEATER

SPORTS

AN AMERICAN DIED FROM COVID-19; 

• this is the first American to die from the Coronavirus. 

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