Dyson air purifying headphones
See the full story here: https://www.dyson.com/wearables/dyson-zone-air-purifying-headphones/announcement?fbclid=IwAR1MGVG4L2gG1yVOqAm-KtAQ_7PtWqdHcvLjnSUpsMpkvxiSzxH3l1Pq9_c
Russian Dissident Doc ‘Navalny’ to Receive Special Theatrical Release
... The film chronicles how Navalny — a Putin detractor who fights against authoritarianism — was secretly poisoned with a military-grade chemical nerve agent in an elaborate attempt on his life. Despite denials from the Russian government, the poison was later linked to the Kremlin through investigations by international news organizations, including Bellingcat and CNN.
“Alexey Navalny was just last week convicted and sentenced in Russia and cannot tell the story of what happened to him. Our film shows his tremendous courage fighting an authoritarian regime and its corruption inside Russia,” Roher said in a statement announcing the theatrical plans. ...
See the full story here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/russian-dissident-alexei-navalny-doc-theaters-1235122453/
NFT Collection Failures Begin to Mount in Flashback to ICO Bust
On average, one in three NFT collections have essentially expired, with little or no trading activity, blockchain analytics firm Nansen found. Another third are trading below the amount it cost issuers to mint the tokens. ...
Demand also appears to be concentrated. The number of repeat buyers outweigh new entrants by a ratio of seven-to-one, according to Nansen. ...
NFTs that have ceased to generate interest on trading platforms might still serve a broader purpose, much like the rest of the art and collectibles world. ... they are just memories from the past, and that’s it.”
See the full story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-26/nft-collection-failures-begin-to-mount-in-flashback-to-ico-bust
NFT vibrators now exist: What will sex be like in the metaverse?
... A few weeks ago, the Spanish sex toy company Diversual announced it was releasing the first collection of vibrators as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – an announcement that left many people scratching their heads. ...
... the company’s NFT vibrators right now are no more than decorative objects. ...
“In virtual reality pornography, the interaction between avatars doesn’t have to be limited to the virtual, but could also include other sensory channels such as virtual touch, kinesthesia and virtual smell,” says Raya. “This could offer a virtual experience that is more interactive and realistic, giving the user a greater sense of presence.” ...
In other words, while sex as we know it is still a long way off in the metaverse, sexual harassment is already here.
See the full story here: https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-03-29/nft-vibrators-now-exist-what-will-sex-be-like-in-the-metaverse.html
Museums Are Cashing In on NFTs
Environmental issues are one reason barely a dozen museums have so far experimented with NFTs as an alternative revenue stream. The instability and opacity of unregulated cryptocurrencies, the difficulty of finding trusted tech partners and the cost of such partnerships are also cited by museum professionals as reasons for hesitancy. ...
One institution that has wasted no time in embracing NFTs as a fund-raising tool is the British Museum in London. Chaired by George Osborne, a former British finance minister, the museum entered into an exclusive five-year partnership in September with the Ethereum-based NFT platform LaCollection. The museum has since made several token drops, in editions varying in size from two to 10,000, using digital copies of works by Katsushika Hokusai and J.M.W. Turner. Prices ranged from $500 to $40,000. ...
On the final day of the Unit “Eternalizing Art History” show, Eve Smith, a lawyer, seemed impressed. “This is the second time I’ve been. I was completely astonished,” said Smith, gazing at a backlit ultra-high-resolution digital copy of Francesco Hayez’s 1896 painting of embracing lovers, “The Kiss,” in the Pinacoteca Brera museum in Milan.
“It looks like satin. It looks like there’s texture in what you’re looking at, but there isn’t,” Smith said. “Will I still want to go to the Brera? Of course.” ...
See the full story here; https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/25/arts/design/museums-nfts.html?ck_subscriber_id=1646162133&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Chris+Rock+%26+Will+Smith%20-%207863068
Interactive cross-media production shows ‘invisible labor’ of artificial intelligence
“I Agree to the Terms” shows the “invisible labor” of these workers who shape a company’s artificial intelligence.
“The internet was once seen as an innovation with the potential of bringing communities together, but instead has become a largely isolating world,” she added.
During the performance, audience members enter the online “Builders Marketplace” and, with help from a crowd-worker, they to complete as many “Human Intelligence Tasks” as possible during a 45-minute period. Each person is timed, rated and eventually given “payment” in virtual “Builders Coin.”
See the full story here: https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2022/03/27/interactive-cross-media-production-shows-invisible-labor-of-artificial-intelligence/
The 10 Coolest VR/AR Experiences From SXSW 2022
RADIO GHOST (INTERACTIVE – AUDIO)
...Me and five other participants were dropped off at the location (in broad daylight) and told to saddle up with headsets and smartphones for this interactive audio adventure. What followed was a tantalizing trip through a warped and distorted broadcast of 1980s music during which a melodic voice had me questioning my existence. I won’t give away the end, but the “ghost hunting” I was tasked with from the start, assigned by the smooth-talking British woman crooning through the static airwaves, taught me a few lessons in capitalism, to say the least.
EINRIDE (XR – TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY)
... During a demo, I was able to drive an Einride Pod vehicle that was located in Sweden while I was in Austin, TX by moving a small lever to make the pod move forward or stop. I could also honk the horn and even turn on windshield wipers if I wanted to. All in real-time with zero latency. ...
COMPOSITION (INTERACTIVE – AUDIO & PROJECTION)
... I saw a different future for live performance for the six minutes I had with this creation. ...
See the full story here: https://vrscout.com/news/the-10-coolest-vr-ar-experiences-from-sxsw-2022/
We Tried Snap’s AR Glasses And Had Our Minds Blown
... The device features foldable arms that allow for easy storage in the accompanying charging case. Two dual waveguide displays provide impressive AR visuals in real-time. The headset also features two front-facing cameras for capturing video and images, stereo speakers, touch controls that allow you to cycle through Lenses as well as scan the environment for Lens suggestions, WiFi connectivity with a paired smartphone app, and a USB-C port for charging.
Trying the device out for myself, I was blown away by the quality of the AR visuals. Each display offers 2,000 nits of brightness, resulting in ultra-clear 3D images that blend seamlessly with the real-world environment, which means no more of those annoying semi-translucent graphics. The only thing more impressive than the graphics was the tracking. ...
I also found the overall field of view to be relatively underwhelming. The AR visuals only cover about half of the display, which can easily take you out of the experience. ...
See the full story here: https://vrscout.com/news/we-tried-snapchats-ar-glasses-and-had-our-minds-blown/
Face recognition AI is being used by Ukraine’s military to identify Russian soldiers who have died.
Ukraine is reportedly employing advanced facial recognition technology to identify the bodies of Russian soldiers and notify their families via social media.
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has begun to use Clearview AI’s artificial intelligence technology.
Through facial recognition, its software can locate the social media accounts of deceased soldiers, which authorities can then use to contact relatives and arrange for the bodies to be collected.
“As a courtesy to the mothers of those soldiers, we’re disseminating this information over social media to at least let families know that their sons have been lost and to allow them to come collect their bodies,” Ukraine’s vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said.
See the full story here: https://technotrenz.com/entertainment/face-recognition-ai-is-being-used-by-ukraines-military-to-identify-russian-soldiers-who-have-died-1748855.html
