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
