Sunday, January 16, 2022
APPLE XR ???
Reporting yesterday from Bloomberg suggests that
a>> Apple's plan was to release or announce a high Head Mounted Display (HMD) capable of both VR AND MR at a June Apple World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) in June, but
(b>> overheating, software, and camera issues may delay the glasses until 2023.
Short analysis: Maybe. Maybe not.
LINK:
BLOOMBERG, VIA GAGADGET, ON APPLE xR
Longer notes and analysis:
"Camera problems" suggests the glasses use passthrough for MR; and
"Software problems" could mean that Apple is running into the same problems that other MR developers have had from the start: It is really hard to create a good MESH that integrates the captured world with complex computer generated (CG) content. And... Apple is handicapped by their secrecy, and by not having glasses for MR available in public to work with in development.
Microsoft, getting a first start with the Hololens, is probably the best positioned to produce full-functioning, consumer and professional MR.
Google had some projects (remember Tango?), but has taken time off. With a new, recent reorganization they may be starting again.
Magic Leap, based on some things I’ve heard people there say, may have underestimated the difficulty in creating the kind of tight interplay between the real world and the CG world that founder Rony Ablovitz hoped for and talked so eloquently about.
Snap is starting from simple “filters” and working to develop slowly.
META Platforms is currently the most aggressive player attacking the issues of MR. They have glasses (QUEST 2) in general release, with some limited passthrough available for developing MR software. They have more advanced hardware in development, and they are spending billions of dollars for development: They have internal teams; they are hiring; they are doing acquisitions; they are probably doing partnerships.
Chinese companies are also working hard on XR (and MR in particular), as are companies in Europe and elsewhere around the globe.
Postscript note: One of the big unknowns about Apple's XR development we hope to learn, will be whether they support OpenXR at all, and fully support webXR in Safari. Or, if they plan to create another completely isolated Silo.
Labels: Apple, AR, HMD, Silo, VR, WWDC, XR
Sunday, January 09, 2022
GOLDEN GLOBES 2022
GOLDEN GLOBE
NOMINATIONS AND WINNERS
2022
Because of numerous controversies in the past, this year the announcement of Golden Globe Winners was held at a private ceremony that was not broadcast or live-streamed.
The Golden Globe Nominees and Winners are films from the past year that can be worth seeking out live or streamed this year!
The Golden Globes have made a number of significant changes to their membership and rules over the last year.
MOVIES
Best Motion Picture, Drama
“Belfast”
“CODA”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
=>“The Power of the Dog”
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Cyrano”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Tick, Tick … Boom!”
=>“West Side Story”
Best Motion Picture, Animated
=>“Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“My Sunny Maad”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language
“Compartment No. 6”
=>“Drive My Car”
“The Hand of God”
“A Hero”
“Parallel Mothers”
Best Director, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
=>Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Lost Daughter”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
Denis Villeneuve, “Dune”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
=>Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Lady Gaga, “House of Gucci”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard, “Annette”
Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Don’t Look Up”
Emma Stone, “Cruella”
=>Rachel Zegler, “West Side Story”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Caitriona Balfe, “Belfast”
=>Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aujanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Ruth Negga, “Passing”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Mahershala Ali, “Swan Song”
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
=>Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Don’t Look Up”
Peter Dinklage, “Cyrano”
=>Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”
Cooper Hoffman, “Licorice Pizza”
Anthony Ramos, “In the Heights”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
Ben Affleck, “The Tender Bar”
Jamie Dornan, “Belfast”
Ciaran Hinds, “Belfast”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
=>Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
=>Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Adam McKay, “Don’t Look Up”
Aaron Sorkin, “Being the Ricardos”
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat, “The French Dispatch”
Germaine Franco, “Encanto”
Jonny Greenwood, “The Power of the Dog”
Alberto Iglesias, “Parallel Mothers”
=>Hans Zimmer, “Dune”
Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Be Alive,” “King Richard”
“Dos Oruguitas,” “Encanto”
“Down to Joy,” “Belfast”
“Here I Am [Singing My Way Home],” “Respect”
=>“No Time to Die,” “No Time to Die”
TELEVISION
Best Television Series, Drama
“Lupin”
“The Morning Show”
“Pose”
“Squid Game”
=>“Succession”
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“The Great”
=>“Hacks”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Ted Lasso”
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
“Dopesick”
“Impeachment: American Crime Story”
“Maid”
“Mare of Easttown”
=>“The Underground Railroad”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Uzo Aduba, “In Treatment”
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Christine Baranski, “The Good Fight”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
=>Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, “Pose”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Brian Cox, “Succession”
Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”
Billy Porter, “Pose”
=>Jeremy Strong, “Succession”
Omar Sy, “Lupin”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Issa Rae, “Insecure”
Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish”
=>Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Chastain, “Scenes From a Marriage”
Cynthia Erivo, “Genius: Aretha”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Wandavision”
Margaret Qualley, “Maid”
=>Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role
Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”
Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”
Andie MacDowell, “Maid”
=>Sarah Snook, “Succession”
Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”
Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
=>Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Paul Bettany, “Wandavision”
Oscar Isaac, “Scenes From a Marriage”
=>Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”
Ewan McGregor, “Halston”
Tahar Rahim, “The Serpent”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”
Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show”
Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
=>Oh Yeong-su, “Squid Game”
Labels: acting, Drive My Car, Golden Globes, Kate Winslet, movies, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Zegler, Television, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story
Wednesday, January 05, 2022
MERRITT GARLAND'S ADDRESS ON THE EVE OF THE JAN 6, 2021 ANNIVERSARY
Attorney General, Merritt Garland, in an address to the Justice Department and the country, on the day before the anniversary of the Jan 6 2021 assault on the Capitol, in a quiet, firm, yet passionate voice declared the determination of the Justice Department to pursue the facts and the law, and bring to justice all those responsible for the attack, whether by their overt actions at the Capitol, or by actions that took place remotely but caused or assisted the attack.
He declared that the Department will protect the right of every citizen to speak, whatever their political views, however extreme, but threats of violence are not privileged free speech. He said that investigation of such acts as the Oklahoma City bombing have shown that threats must be stopped before they escalate to tragic reality.
He described the Constitutional Amendments enacted after the Civil War to protect the right to vote as fundamental, and described recent decisions of the Supreme Court as eroding the ability of the Civil Rights Laws of the 1960’s to provide tools for the Justice Department to act against recent legislation in a number of states -- legislation that targets minorities and political opponents, aiming to obstruct their ability to cast votes freely and have them counted accurately. He also described the political justification that has been offered for that legislation as fraudulent, based on false claims - dismissed in every court - of irregularities in the 2020 election.
Implicitly, he suggested that ALL Senators, and Congressmen, and national, state, and local officials – as well as all other Americans – need to actively support equal justice under the law; honesty, not fraudulent, incendiary, or threatening actions; and fair, free, and open elections.
He said that if legal culpability for criminal actions related to the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which culminated in the Jan 6 attack on the Capital, is discovered by the Department of Justice criminal investigation of Jan 6 and its pre-cursors and consequences, the Department of Justice will prosecute those individuals, whoever they are. They will follow the facts and law. Implicitly, this suggests that public officials, including the Previous President, could be investigated and charged if the investigation warrants.
He implored all citizens in the United States to work together for equal justice under the law; the right to work on elections, education, legislation, journalism, and other fields without facing dangerous, debilitating harassment from threats of violence; and the right of all citizens to vote freely and have those votes counted accurately.
In my opinion, this last paragraph is essential, and is the most important for those of us not in the Department of Justice. The country needs a loud, passionate, eloquent voice to inspire the country to reassert our values of equal justice under the law; a safe living and working space; and free and fair and honest and accurate elections.
A solid basis for American democracy was created in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution:
“We the
people…” hold these TRUTHS to be self-evident, that we are created EQUAL, with
a right to LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
Labels: Attorney General, Civil Rights Laws, Constitution, equal justice under the law, Merritt Garland
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
THE UNIVERSE WIDE WEBB!
Here's a phantaztic foto of an out-of-this-world project!
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211222.html
The launch:
Here's the latest (2021-12-22 00:48) launch info on the Webb telescope:
"... due to adverse weather conditions at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the flight VA256 to launch Webb – initially scheduled for Dec. 24 – is being postponed.
The new targeted launch date is Dec. 25, as early as possible within the following launch window:
- Between 7:20 a.m. and 7:52 a.m. Washington
- Between 9:20 a.m. and 9:52 a.m. Kourou
- Between 12:20 p.m. and 12:52 p.m. Universal (UTC)
- Between 1:20 p.m. and 1:52 p.m. Paris
- Between 9:20 p.m. and 9:52 p.m. Tokyo"
Sunday, December 12, 2021
NYXR, STORYFORWARD, STORYCODE MEETUP EVENTS
NYXR, STORYFORWARD, STORYCODE
JOINT MEETUP EVENTS
COMING NEXT:
TO DO IN 22, EVENTS ON
GET THE BEST FROM YOUR NEW QUEST 2 !
LPXR -- LIVE PERFORMANCE IN XR !
webXR = web 3.0 = NEXTweb = ... !
FOLLOW THIS SPACE FOR EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
*** *** ***
https://www.meetup.com/NYXR-New-York-eXtended-Reality-Meetup/
https://www.meetup.com/StoryForwardNYC/
https://www.meetup.com/StoryCode-New-York-City/
If you would be interested in speaking at a future event, Or participating in a panel, Or sponsoring, Or helping to organize an event, Or helping to run this Meetup, Please contact eric@qporitxr.com !
*** *** ***
*** *** ****** *** ****** *** ***
EARLIER EVENT (2021-12-08):
NYXR, STORYFORWARD, STORYCODE
JOINT MEETUP EVENT
WED, DEC 8, 2021
BIG
ADVANCES IN XR
2021
&
A
LOOK FORWARD AT 2022
FREE
WED, DEC 8, 2021
6:00-7:30 PM EST
ONLINE
ONLY
RSVP NOW
https://www.meetup.com/NYXR-New-York-eXtended-Reality-Meetup/events/282029671
or
https://www.meetup.com/StoryCode-New-York-City/events/282029710/
PROGRAM
·
eXtended Reality:
o
Big changes and advances
in XR over the past year.
o
A look forward to 2022
and the future:
§ Ethics;
§ Regulation;
§ Competing Metaverse visions;
§ Crypto currencies, NFT's, and
funding for content creators;
§ How webXR may fundamentally reshape the Internet;
§ And more…
SCHEDULE:
6:00
PM EST - SIGN-IN & NETWORKING
6:15 - PRESENTATION
7:15 - Q&A & NETWORKING
7:30 - CLOSE
If you would be interested in speaking at a future event, Or participating in
a panel, Or sponsoring, Or helping to organize an event, Or helping to run this Meetup, Please contact eric@qporitxr.com !
Speaker: Eric Roffman
Eric is the Publisher/Producer of QPORIT XR:
Quick Previews Of Random Interesting Things. Eric has published over a thousand
articles, and conducted many VR video interviews, for QPORIT. QPORIT introduced
[*] the term eXtended Reality (XR) in 2015.
[*] http://qporit.blogspot.com/2015/09/some-variations-on-reality-extended.html
Eric is a
"professional eclecticist" long interested in film, theater, science,
technology and interactive computing. He has a PhD in mathematical physics;
founded and edited The American Film Magazine; created an award winning
multimedia computer game; backed the Rift Kickstarter; created demos on
internet collaboration for IBM's Research and Internet Divisions; was a
director of internet programming for Viacom; created one of the very first
computer generated videos to visualize solutions of differential equations,
from work done at the Institute for Advanced Study; taught "Physics for
Poets," and graduate level Mathematical Physics; and he has written,
directed, produced and acted in dramatic adaptations of Shakespeare's sonnets,
and has been creating 3D, 360, and VR videos, including both dramatic stories,
and actor, director, and tech star interviews, for years.
Eric is currently writing a book on XR (eXtended Reality) and converting the web 2.0 site, QPORIT, to QPORIT XR, which will report on all things XR with news, views, previews, reviews and interviews, published on a 3D, XR-Media rich, web 3.0 / webXR site.
Labels: content creators, eXtended Reality, meetup, metaverse, NFT, NYXR, Storycode, StoryForward, web 3.0, webXR, XR
Monday, December 06, 2021
WEST SIDE STORY
Steven Spielberg's new version of West Side Story, set on the streets of New York, was previewed in an unusually good hour-long special on ABC. West Side Story is a truly great musical and by all appearances this should be a great film. The music is by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Steven Sondheim. Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay for this version. Arthur Laurents wrote the book for the original stage version. The story is adapted from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.
The actors are young, and many have not worked before in films. Rachel Zegler, (the new Maria) was last seen in her High School musical. The excerpts shown demonstrate prodigious new talent through out the cast. Rita Moreno (Anita in the 1961 film version) has a role; and many roles are cast with actors whose ethnicity and background matches their characters.
Although I have not seen Spielberg's film version, yet, I've seen the original version of the story, which was missing the music, and set in Italy, but was beautifully written, and very powerful emotionally.
CAST:
Ansel Elgort as Tony
Rachel Zegler as María
Ariana DeBose as Anita
David Alvarez as Bernardo
Rita Moreno as Valentina
Brian d'Arcy James as Officer Krupke
Corey Stoll as Lieutenant Schrank
Mike Faist as Riff
Josh Andrés Rivera as Chino
Iris Menas as Anybodys
David Aviles Morales as Aníbal
Sebastian Serra as Braulio
Ricardo Zayas as Chago
Carlos E. Gonzalez as Chucho
Ricky Ubeda as Flaco
Andrei Chagas as Jochi
Adriel Flete as Julito
Jacob Guzman as Junior
Labels: Arthur Laurents, film, Leonard Bernstein, musical, Rachel Zegler, Rita Moreno, Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare, Steven Sondheim, Steven Spielberg, theater, Tony Kushner, West Side Story
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
THE EMPTY CHAIR AT THANKSGIVING
There will be a sad and tragically empty chair at the dinner table in the Arbery house on Thanksgiving.
But it will not really be empty. It will be filled with the souls of Ahmaud Arbery, and of all those who have been murdered in lynchings, and pogroms, and holocausts, and ethnic cleansing, and hate in the United States, the world, and throughout history.
But in this case it is not really a chair. It is a throne. It is a throne to justice and the unrelenting efforts of Ahmaud's parents who have amassed the power of the American Revolutionary spirit of Truth, Equality, Life and Liberty to triumph now over the power of the lynch mob, the hate mob, the endemic racism in the United States, present even at the beginning, when a slave owner, Jefferson, wrote that "all men are created equal," words whose true meaning rises far above his original understanding.
The hope is that this verdict, "Guilty of Murder," of the killers of Ahmaud, who launched their vigilante attack because "there was a black man running," will be the beginning of the end of vigilante injustice in the US. The hope is that the false pride of the killers, "proudly" documenting these murders with a video recording, will be recognized, throughout the country and the world, as evil. Genuinely evil.
The fact that even bringing the case to trial depended on the existence of a video recording, reminds us that truth prevails. Truth with transparency prevail. Democracy depends upon truth and transparency and equal justice.
In his grief, tempered by the conviction of his son's killers, Ahmaud's father said that "black lives matter" is only part of what we need to remember. He said, "All lives matter."
Labels: Ahmaud Arbery, John Donne, lynching, murder, vigilante
Friday, September 10, 2021
EDITORIAL: 2001-09-11 / 2021-09-11
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls...
It tolls for thee.
Friday, August 13, 2021
JULY 2021 - EARTH'S HOTTEST MONTH ON RECORD
NATIONAL
OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION
NOAA
JULY 2021
EARTH'S HOTTEST MONTH
ON RECORD
Here's the NOAA report:
https://www.noaa.gov/news/its-official-july-2021-was-earths-hottest-month-on-record
Recently, a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a strong (long and detailed!) report on the science behind the dire warnings that we are creating irreversible, dangerous damage to our planet's climate.
Here's the IPCC report:
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/
Friday, July 09, 2021
EXECUTIVE ORDER ON PROMOTING COMPETITION
QPORIT XR NEWS BRIEF
JULY 9, 2021
President Biden today signed an executive order to promote competition in US commerce.
Currently there are several companies, led by Apple and Microsoft, that have more than a $1,000,000,000,000 valuation. That's a $$$ TRILLION dollars.
A disturbingly large fraction of the wealth of this country is locked up in these companies.
The business practices of ultra large companies (including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google/Alphabet. Amazon, and Tesla) have also been controversial. Among the issues are:
- Do they inhibit other companies unfairly?
- Do their practices unfairly increase prices for consumers?
- Do their practices allow them to make too much money?
- Do they have too much power over economics, policy, or anything else?
- Do they violate people's privacy?
- Do they allow the use of people's data for bad outcomes?
- Do they facilitate the propagation of lies?
- Do they facilitate organizing for illegal or dangerous activities?
- Are they careless about possible harm that can come from their activities?
Big companies can contribute in important, positive ways to the economics and quality of life in the country. Any regulation must facilitate the benefits while preventing the harm -- now and in the future -- coming from companies doing business in the US.
Here is the text of the executive order:
Here are the President's remarks when signing the order:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42StVbuz0ro
Last year, the House Judiciary Committee issued a detailed report on competition:
https://judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/competition_in_digital_markets.pdf?utm_campaign=4493-519
***
Underlying the behavior of our large companies (and small one's too), and affecting any governmental action that may be taken, is the fact that technology is accelerating exponentially. Here are some predictions (made here in QPORIT) for 2021:
· Technological development will continue to increase exponentially.
o It will be a difficult challenge to equitably distribute the benefits of technology to all social, geographical, age, financial and other demographics.
o There will be new cameras and new headsets for Virtual Reality.
o There will be progress in developing Augmented & Mixed Reality.
o AI will have new techniques and new business applications .
§ Chinese AI companies will do very well.
§ Robotics will improve significantly.
§ Automated vehicles will make big advances.
o 5G will continue to roll out, and there will be a few notable applications.
§ Getting fast 5G to rural areas will go very slowly.
· (“5G” includes several different technologies of different speeds.)
o Cloud services will be a big business.
o Cyber security and regulation of technology will be major issues.
§ But they are complicated and there will be no major solutions in 2021.
§ New laws and new ways of thinking about technology may be needed.
§ It may even be necessary to change the fundamental TCP/IP and other protocols that govern Internet communications.
Labels: antitrust, data, Executive Order, full text, full video, President Biden, Promoting competition, QPORIT XR NEWS BRIEF
