philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Bigscreen Now Features a Virtual Drive-in Cinema

The DRIVE-IN THEATER has been one of the most frequently requested features. It will now be available for both Quest and PC VR users.

The social VR app has also updated its user interface with a major menu makeover. Users can now see an overview of everything that they can do in Bigscreen. These include the following: –

• Windows Desktop: Access your desktop in VR.
• Video Player: Plays the video files on your computer or Oculus Quest locally or via DLNA.
• Movies: Lends 3D movies and also takes you to the virtual cinema screenings
• TV Channels: You can watch livestreams from platforms like Twitch and YouTube.
• Public Rooms: You can meet people from different origins in virtual environments
• Private Rooms: Hang out with your friends in virtual environments

Previously, Bigscreen supported up to 8 users per lobby but with its new beefy servers, it can now support up to 12 users per lobby. In 2021, Bigscreen is also planning to increase the room size limits for the user-created rooms. That means users will be able to create much larger rooms for meetups or conferences that could support anywhere from 25 to 50 users!

See the full story here: http://virtualrealitytimes.com/2020/12/27/bigscreen-now-features-a-virtual-drive-in-cinema/

Local kid-entrepreneurs launch latest augmented reality product

Created and branded entirely by local middle school and high school students, Wrist World is an augmented reality wristband which allows users to access a hologram and play games through the use of their mobile device. The newest product from the team, which launched at OnCue Express convenience stores on Dec. 18, features Hatsune Miku, a Japanese vocal synthesizer hologram.

Wrist World team member, Emma Wheelbarger, said a representative from Crypton, the creators of Hatsune Miku, approached their booth at the New York Toy Fair last year. After seeing a demonstration of the Wrist World tech, he offered the team a Hatsune Miku licensing deal.

“Hatsune Miku fans are called completionists because they collect anything released that features [the performer], whether it’s a jigsaw puzzle, blanket or anything” Wheelbarger said. “When those people see something like Wrist World, and see [Hatsune Miku] can do performances on your wrist, in 3D, that will attract all of those people and hopefully they’ll enjoy it.”

See the full story here: https://www.normantranscript.com/news/local-kid-entrepreneurs-launch-latest-augmented-reality-product/article_02653066-4584-11eb-8025-8b959c94b523.html

Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall goes smart with AR guide

PhilNote: This would be the gov't sanctioned history of Nanjing Road, but it is still useful as a tourist tool.

Dubbed China's "Fifth Avenue," Nanjing Road was known as Park Lane in the mid-19th century, back when it was the nation’s first asphalt roadway. It carried Shanghai’s first car in 1901 and its first tram in 1908. The western end of the road was turned into a pedestrian mall in 1999. It was newly extended to the Bund this year, putting it under spotlight again.

The pedestrian mall, known as China’s No. 1 commercial street, received over 200 million tourists in 2019 with total sales exceeding 18 billion yuan, making it one of the most lucrative commercial hubs in the city. More than 20 international and time-honored local brands are operating on the street, the district government said.

See the full story here: https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2012262187/

‘How Bad Is Your Spotify’ Artificial Intelligence Bot Mercilessly Roasts Your Taste in Music

Users who visit the site get the following greeting: "Hi, I'm an A.I. trained to evaluate musical taste. To get started, I'll need to see your Spotify. I'm just gonna look at what you listen to. I won't post or change anything."

And by "just looking" at your music library, the bot really means, "I'm about to tell you about yourself and your cheesy music selection, so get ready."

See the full story here: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bad-spotify-artificial-intelligence-bot-211306849.html

The seven big tech happenings that we will remember 2020 for

Number seven is Digital Transformation. 

Six is Decentralisation and how Work from Anywhere came home. 

Five is the Tech Lash: 2020 will be remembered for the backlash against Big Tech going mainstream, with many countries across the world uniting against its burgeoning power.

Four was an artificial intelligence (AI) breakthrough called GPT 3, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer Ver 3, created by OpenAI.

Number Three, and an even greater leap forward in AI, is Alpha Fold 2, the protein-folding predictor unveiled by Google-owned DeepMind. 

Number Two is a phenomenon called Elon Musk. 

The number one spot goes to the covid vaccine. 

See the full story here: https://www.livemint.com/opinion/columns/the-seven-big-tech-happenings-that-we-will-remember-2020-for-11608826430729.html

AI Debate 2: Night of a thousand AI scholars

[PhilNote: lengthy story from the 2 hr session]

Gary Marcus, a frequent critic of deep learning forms of AI, and Vincent Boucher, president of Montreal.AI, hosted sixteen scholars to discuss what things AI needs to move forward, including Daniel Kahneman, Fei-Fei Li, and Judea Pearl.

See the full story here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-debate4-2-night-of-a-thousand-ai-scholars/

8 apps that made us go ‘wow’ in 2020

04.  Super You

...but it was refreshing to find a proposition that aims for the surreal instead. Super You, described by its developer Universal Everything as a "costume arts experiment", employs Apple ARKit 3 body tracking technology to let you film your mates in a range of bizarre costumes.

Open the app, aim your phone’s camera at a friend, swipe to choose a costume of abstract shapes (blobs, spikes, flowers, leaves, etc.) then film your target move around as they’re transformed into a fantasy creature. The result is a fresh, slightly bonkers app that made socialising at a distance that little bit more fun. 

07.  Supernatural

See the full story here: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/apps-wow-in-2020

Discover How Melting Ice Is Changing Mt Kilimanjaro in an Augmented Reality Film The Last Ascent

At the beginning of the film, you’ll see a QR code, which you need to scan to access the AR content. Once you’ve synced the film with AR, a 3D replica of Mount Kilimanjaro will appear right before your eyes. Throughout the film, you’ll find various immersive experiences that you can interact with. You’ll see photos, profiles of the climbers, virtual gauges, as well as waypoints.

Even without augmented reality glasses, you can experience the film’s immersive content. You can use your smartphone or tablet to watch the AR content unfold before your eyes.

See the full story here: https://arpost.co/2020/12/23/augmented-reality-film-the-last-ascent/

How students will learn biology in 2021 (and beyond) as part of Dreamscape Learn

...you step into a 16-by-16-square-foot space with a moving floor and blowing wind. 

You’re working in a virtual laboratory with a plethora of fictional animal species that function based on biological laws. You can explore, discover, observe and experience numerous hands-on problem-solving tasks that you can’t dream of or do within a traditional classroom.   

This isn’t a game; it’s ASU’s new virtual reality immersive biology curriculum called Dreamscape Learn, made possible through a partnership with Dreamscape Immersive. Based on the work of curriculum experts at ASU, students in the university and beyond will benefit from the new world order of education: VR immersive learning.

"Technology has caught up with what people used to think about, and we can now build an emotionally driven learning experience to teach really complicated subjects.”

— Michael M. Crow, ASU president

Creating authentic and delightful learning experiences

Except for the last few hundred years, almost everyone learned by doing, experiencing the world around them. 

“This notion of immersive learning, emotional learning has been beaten out of the system, and now VR is the tool to reintroduce learning by doing into education,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow.

“At 3,000 learners, VR training became 52% more cost-effective than classroom training, and it achieved cost parity with online courses at 1,950 learners,” Likens said.

See the full story here: https://asunow.asu.edu/20201222-creativity-exploring-new-worlds-virtual-reality

Is that artificial intelligence ethical? Sony to review all products

But even as it increases convenience, AI could unintentionally employ discriminatory algorithms, leading to embarrassing problems.

Sony will start screening all of its AI-infused products for ethical risks as early as spring, Nikkei has learned. If a product is deemed ethically deficient, the company will improve it or halt development.

Sony will incorporate AI ethics into its quality control, using internal guidelines.

The company will review artificially intelligent products from development to post-launch on such criteria as privacy protection. Ethically deficient offerings will be modified or dropped.

An AI Ethics Committee, with its head appointed by the CEO, will have the power to halt development on products with issues.

Even products well into development could still be dropped. Ones already sold could be recalled if problems are found. The company plans to gradually broaden the AI ethics rules to offerings in finance and entertainment as well.

See the full story here: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Is-that-artificial-intelligence-ethical-Sony-to-review-all-products