Facebook reorganizes Oculus for AR/VR’s long-haul
Facebook is again looking to whip Oculus into shape for its 10-year journey towards making virtual reality mainstream. According to two sources, Facebook reorganized its AR and VR team this week from a divisional structure focused around products to a functional structure focused around technology areas of expertise. While no one was laid off, the change could eliminate redundancies by uniting specialists so they can iterate towards long-term progress rather than being separated into groups dedicated to particular gadgets.
Facebook confirmed the reorg to TechCrunch, with a spokesperson providing this statement: “We made some changes to the AR/VR organization earlier this week. These were internal changes and won’t impact consumers or our partners in the developer community.” Oculus CTO John Carmack and Oculus co-founder/newly-promoted Head of PC VR Nate Mitchell will remain in their leadership positions within VP of AR/VR Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth’s hardware wing of the company.
Given the slow adoption of VR and engineering challenges of AR headsets, which at TechCrunch’s LA conference last month Facebook’s head of AR Ficus Kirkpatrick confirmed it was building, this structure could help Oculus iterate its way to long-term success rather than just getting the next product out the door.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/03/oculus-organization/
Self-Directed Learning and Augmented Reality: How to Teach Gen Z
Some campus leaders still talk about millennials as if they were the prototypical undergraduates. But enrolling now is Generation Z, the most diverse cohort in modern American history, one that grew up during the Great Recession and its aftermath, entirely in the era of the smartphone and social media. Today’s students crave value and relevance, they seek campus services over amenities, and they’re near-constant users of Instagram and YouTube. To compete for a shrinking pool of high-school graduates and meet greater expectations for student success, colleges must adapt.
But when they come to campus, they’re looking for a mix of virtual and face-to-face learning, says Vickie S. Cook, an associate professor and executive director of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield. That requires a new approach to synchronous learning (at a set time) and asynchronous learning (at your own pace).
See the full story here: https://www.chronicle.com/article/Self-Directed-Learning-and/244968
Sony- and Disney-backed Littlstar launches blockchain media platform Ara
Littlstar Media said it has launched Ara, a new blockchain-based platform designed to give creators and artists more control over their content.
“Right now, the audience is a draw, but third-party platforms have all the control. Ara puts control back into the hands of creators and their fans, enabling a more direct connection and a better way for fans to reward their favorite artists.”
Ara is a suite of blockchain-based protocols aimed at decentralizing ownership of content and using tokens to authenticate transactions between publishers and creators and consumers. The company envisions Ara being used to support content such as games, movies, music, and photos.
The company also believes consumers will benefit by retaining control over their data, rather than having it leveraged by third-party companies to help with content discovery and advertising models.
See the full story here: https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/01/sony-and-disney-backed-littlstar-launches-blockchain-media-platform-ara/
Breaking: Tether Opens $1.8 Billion Bank Account in the Bahamas
Tether Limited, the issuer of controversial USD-pegged cryptocurrency stablecoin tether (USDT), has confirmed that it has established a banking relationship with a small financial institution based out of the Bahamas.
The cryptocurrency firm, notorious for its opaque operations, broke from standard practice on Thursday, announcing publicly that it has formed a banking partnership with Deltec Bank, a 72-year-old financial institution located in Nassau.
Writing in the announcement, Tether said that Deltec had only opened the account after a several month review that included evaluating whether the company could maintain the USDT token’s $1.00 peg. That, peg, as CCN reported, has faltered in recent weeks, even as Tether has redeemed more than $1 billion worth of the token at full face value since the beginning of October.
See the full story here: https://www.ccn.com/breaking-tether-confirms-its-banking-at-nassau-based-deltec-bank/
No Headset? A VR Space Like Star Trek’s “Holodeck” May Soon Become Reality
Light Field Lab promises the next generation of AR/VR with their headgear-free holographic system.
San Jose holographic display startup Light Field Lab and LA graphics company OTOY, which focuses on cloud-based high-end graphics, have officially announced a partnership that is “making the Star Trek Holodeck a reality” according to a recent press release.
This North-South California alliance will make use of Light Field Lab’s innovative headgear-free holographic system in conjunction with OTOY’s ORBX technology, which is the first no-royalty open-sourced format for this kind of display.
Currently, the prototype format consists of holographic display panels that are just 2 feet long. But the creators and investors are confident that this new holographic form of VR visible to the naked eye will soon develop into something like the long-desired ‘Holodeck.’
This team is not simply creating the VR space for a new step in content immersion; the partnership also came with an agreement from Endeavor and Roddenberry Entertainment to create original content designed specifically for the fledgling technology.
Apple’s Acquisition of Leap Motion Fails, While Snapchat & Magic Leap Make AR Fashionable
This week, inside sources divulged details of how Apple nearly acquired Leap Motion, twice. Otherwise, companies offering or working on augmented reality technology had more successes than failures to talk about.
For instance, the AR industry's courtship with the fashion world took a few glamorous steps forward, with Levi's selling an exclusive Disney product through Snapchat and Magic Leap hitting the runway with Moschino and H&M.
On the investment front, LetinAR closed a funding round for its AR display technology. And, in mobile AR business, Travelocity and Walmart added AR experiences to their mobile apps to cater to their customers.
See the full story here: https://next.reality.news/news/market-reality-apples-acquisition-leap-motion-fails-while-snapchat-magic-leap-make-ar-fashionable-0189597/
Adidas is using augmented reality to sell limited-edition sneakers
Now that Adidas is actually using the tech to sell its shoes, it's yet another example of how sportswear brands are serious about the potential of augmented reality as a tool to combat bots.
"A transaction that would have taken over two hours in the past is now served within minutes of the AR release," Chris Murphy, Adidas North America's senior director of digital activation, told Engadget. "At events like ComplexCon you have a very diverse mix of attendees that go from resellers, collectors to fashion enthusiasts and culture makers... and everyone gets a fair chance at the same release."
"Before the end of the year," Murphy added, "we aim to provide more access to our most desired product through the digital lens."
See the full story here: https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/02/adidas-originals-complexcon-drops-ar/