Argus: A Fully Transparent Incentive System for Anti-Piracy Campaigns

IX. CONCLUSIONS

Anti-piracy is fundamentally a procedure that relies on collecting data from the open anonymous population, so how to incentivize credible reports is a question at the center of the problem. Academic researchers and real-world companies have come up with various incentive mecha- nisms. However, without explicitly prescribing the interests of different roles and the objectives of an anti-piracy system, designing such a mechanism has been more of a “creative art” than a systematic and disciplined exploration. Currently, there is no good framework to evaluate these designs and actual systems.

The most essential value of our work is not the Argus system itself, but the approach leading to its design and im- plementation. We first state clearly the interests of different roles and the goal of full transparency without trusting any role. Once these are stated, all the design requirements nat- urally surface, such as Sybil-proofness, information-hiding submission, resistance to infringer’s repudiation, etc; once these design requirements are clear, we are able to deduce, rather than invent, the general form of valid solutions; the deduced general form then boils down to a set of unavoidable technical obstacles, which we overcome by adapting cryptographic schemes, building contract code and optimizing performance.

See the full paper here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2021/08/Argus_SRDS_Camera.pdf?ck_subscriber_id=958930034&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Microsoft+wants+to+use+Ethereum+blockchain+to+fight+piracy%20-%206411909

Meow Wolf brings big boost to Denver arts employment

Still, for the Denver creative community, Meow Wolf is the unicorn of arts employment. Most of its jobs are full-time, come with benefits and represent that often unattainable grail: permanent, stable, ongoing employment for creative people. In numbers that are boggling.

“We are hiring more than 300 staff members to manage the building and the guest experience,” said Meow Wolf General Manager Alex Bennett. Of those, about 210 are full-time hourly positions, and about 120 are salaried jobs.

Outside of the Denver Center, there might not be 120 salaried jobs in the entire Colorado theatre community combined.

Meow Wolf is hiring creative workers to build, maintain, support and operate the massive gallery exhibition space that will span four floors and 90,000 square feet. Docents, most with performance backgrounds, will serve as interactive guides who play spontaneous characters while navigating guests through the narrative. Others are being hired to work in the box office, restaurant, guest services, security and janitorial divisions.

Additionally, Meow Wolf commissioned 110 Colorado artists whose 79 interactive installations will make up the immersive world of the Denver experience, Meow Wolf’s third and largest to date.

...Bennett says Meow Wolf’s investment in local artists is just part of the company’s larger commitment to the artistic community and to the low-income, high-poverty Sun Valley neighborhood it has just joined. Meow Wolf, he says, will lead ongoing conversations about public art projects, neighborhood improvements and cleanup. And it will partner with the Denver Housing Authority to create affordable access for low-income families and Denver Public Schools students. It’s all part of the radical progressive spirit that Meow Wolf was founded on, Bennett said. ...

“Meow Wolf is the only entertainment corporation in the country that is legally registered as a B-Corp (or public-benefit corporation),” he said. “That means we are committed to a lot of different things like inclusivity, equity, social responsibility, giving back to our community, doing our part to better the environment and offering a living wage to our staff.” ...

See the full story here: https://gazette-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/gazette.com/denver-gazette/meow-wolf-brings-big-boost-to-denver-arts-employment/article_a60daf56-f79d-11eb-9f88-abd586afbfdf.amp.html

Megan Thee Stallion to Debut Virtual Reality Theatrical Experience With AmazeVR

Megan Thee Stallion to Debut Virtual Reality Theatrical Experience With AmazeVR

See the full story here: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/tech/9610694/megan-thee-stallion-virtual-reality-experience-amazevr

The dangerous appeal of technology-driven futures

[PhilNote: this is an opinion piece]

Sheila Jasanoff is professor of science and technology studies at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Technology doesn’t rule us. We direct it, but often by inaction.

...The story of the internet shows that modern societies are often better at imagining the upsides of technology than its downsides.

...In his famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost reflects on how the human mind constructs narratives of inevitability. We come to a fork in the road, we choose a path, and then as memory plays its tricks we come to see that choice as shaping all that came after. Faced with mounting problems of inequality, diminishing resources, and a looming climate calamity, we must learn to recognize the flaws in such linear storytelling, and to imagine the future along as-yet-untraveled pathways of change.

See the full story here: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/06/30/1026329/dangerous-technology-driven-future-technological-determinism/

Nanoport launches Titan Haptics with magnetic touch feedback

Titan Haptics uses the technology created by the Toronto-based Nanoport, which uses a kind of magnet technology, dubbed Linear Magnetic Ram (LMR), to make tiny little motors that can produce the sensation of touch feedback with a smartphone surface, such as the side of a phone. You press the side, triggering the LMR, and it feels like you’re pressing a physical button.

See the full story here: https://venturebeat.com/2021/08/12/nanoport-launches-titan-haptics-with-magnetic-touch-feedback/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=149182129&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--FtARCA8hDL4hciBMkcela_-W4ESOKLWO4HVcw7VJgfuUMf4y8V5t7eO2SwCJNu5ntDyqS7g4LCASGSGlfvMZtCUFcog&utm_content=149182129&utm_source=hs_email

Apple won 60 Patents yesterday covering a 2-Tone Green Apple Watch, AR Navigation for Smart Glasses, Michigan Ave Apple Store+

PhilNote: The story gives brief descriptions of each of the 60 patents.

Managing augmented reality content associated with a physical location. The invention generally relates to techniques for managing augmented reality content created on a first electronic device and viewed at a second electronic device.

Multi-colored ceramic housings for an electronic device: Apple's patent FIG. 7 below illustrates an Apple Watch having a multi-colored (2-tone) housing. In particular, the housing (#702) has a first portion (#704) having a first color, and a second portion (#706) having a second colorthat is different from the first color. These differently colored areas may be formed by masking a green body that corresponds to the housing (#702), and dipping the green body in a pigment bath.

See the full story here: https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2021/08/apple-won-60-patents-yesterday-covering-a-2-tone-green-apple-watch-ar-navigation-for-smart-glasses-michigan-ave-apple-store.html

Netflix Double Taps The Unlimited Demand For Zombies with Army of the Dead VR

The Army of the Dead VR experience “Viva Las Vengeance”, is a bold move for the streaming giant. But it’s not a surprise if you’ve been following closely.

In July of 2019 Netflix made a move that got little coverage in the location-based entertainment industry but signaled their intent to move into LBE. Former Fox Studios LBE topper Greg Lombardo was joining the streaming pioneer as Head of Experiences. ...

Upon entry, guests will be briefed on their mission by the movie’s fearless mercenary character Maria Cruz – played by Ana de la Reguera. They will then enter a converted taco truck, the weaponized zombie killing machine from the film, and step into Army of the Dead’s terrifying alternate reality.

...Anyway, Viva Las Vengeance is a 30-minute experience, and launches in Los Angeles July 28th, running into September. They’re launching their second tour in New York on Sept 1. The first two weeks in LA are already mostly sold out at $28 per ticket. Opening week in NYC is the same. Seems that each city will run about 2 months before moving on to the next stop in the tour.

See the full story here: https://www.bobcooney.com/netflix-double-taps-the-unlimited-demand-for-zombies-with-army-of-the-dead-vr/

How HTC Vive Accidentally Created Mo-Cap Tech 10 Times Cheaper Than the Industry Standard

Five years ago, when “Rogue One” was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, the team at HTC Vive was surprised to find that they were part of the story. In a BBC documentary about the execution of the movie’s fast-paced space scenes, a member of the effects team from Industrial Light & Magic showed off the way they used a real-time virtual reality camera to explore the imaginary environment before staging shots within it. That camera took the form of an iPad with a Vive controller stuck on the back.

That was a shock to the developers of the virtual reality headset, which Taiwanese smartphone company HTC and video game developer Valve released one year earlier, but it opened a whole new potential to the technology that has only just started to take root — a cost-effective approach to motion-capture technology that could revolutionize the way stories are told.

When the initial HTC Vive headset was released, the trackers existed only inside a pair of controllers used to track hand movements, but the company fast-tracked the release of the HTC Vive Tracker, a wireless tracking device that can be attached to any object and mimic its movement in virtual environments. While other VR companies have released trackers of their own since then, Vive remains the industry standard, and more recently has shown new potential as a cheaper version of motion-capture technology used by studios.

... Trackers can be attached to hands, feet, and the waist to fully encapsulate the range of human motion. ...

See the full story here: https://www.indiewire.com/2021/08/htc-vive-trackers-motion-capture-filmmaking-1234657119/

Otero Menswear Partners With Perfitly to Bring Virtual Fitting Room Technology to the Forefront of Its New Website

Perfitly, a virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) and AI powered virtual fitting room solution that is being integrated into the e-commerce platforms of the nation’s leading retailers, today announces its partnership with Otero Menswear, a men’s fashion lifestyle apparel brand catering to men with heights between 5’4” – 5’10”. The partnership follows Otero’s new website launch which utilizes Perfitly’s ability to provide exceptional accuracy in garment selection.

As a result of the partnership, Otero’s website is centered around Perfitly’s virtual fitting and tailored size recommendation capabilities. Once on the homepage, users select their height, body type, body shape, pant waist size and length. From there, Perfitly powers and presents a personalized virtual avatar based on the user’s measurements. Users can then select from a range of polos and T-shirts which are displayed on the personalized avatar.

Otero uses a 3-dimensional design based on height, size, and body type and has found that 93% of men have two different body types, each requiring a unique fit.

See the full story here: https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/business/otero-menswear-partners-with-perfitly-to-bring-virtual-fitting-room-technology-to-the-forefront-of/article_e54b0a45-6291-5cb2-8ef5-278af8787572.html

Lady Gaga Goes Behind the Scenes of ‘911’ in New Virtual Reality Video

Singer’s VR experience is available via the CEEK VR app

Lady Gaga takes viewers behind the scenes during the filming of her surreal video for Chromatica song “911” in a new virtual reality experience via the CEEK VR app. The release closely coincides with the one-year anniversary of Chromatica, which arrived in May 2020.

The 360-degree CEEK VR experience was captured on set during the filming of the Tarsem Singh-directed short film. The stylish, fever dream-like visual finds the pop star waking up in a desert and heading to a town where she stars in a series of vignettes featuring oddball characters. Things are not what they seem in the end as she later comes to after a bad accident and encounters the same characters in a different light.

See the full story here; https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lady-gaga-behind-the-scenes-911-virtual-reality-video-1210610/